The 'global health' education framework: a conceptual guide for monitoring, evaluation and practice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the past decades, the increasing importance of and rapid changes in the global health arena have provoked discussions on the implications for the education of health professionals. In the case of Germany, it remains yet unclear whether international or global aspects are sufficiently addressed within medical education. Evaluation challenges exist in Germany and elsewhere due to a lack of conceptual guides to develop, evaluate or assess education in this field.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To propose a framework conceptualising 'global health' education (GHE) in practice, to guide the evaluation and monitoring of educational interventions and reforms through a set of key indicators that characterise GHE.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature review; deduction.</p> <p>Results and Conclusion</p> <p>Currently, 'new' health challenges and educational needs as a result of the globalisation process are discussed and linked to the evolving term 'global health'. The lack of a common definition of this term complicates attempts to analyse global health in the field of education. The proposed GHE framework addresses these problems and presents a set of key characteristics of education in this field. The framework builds on the models of 'social determinants of health' and 'globalisation and health' and is oriented towards 'health for all' and 'health equity'. It provides an action-oriented construct for a bottom-up engagement with global health by the health workforce. Ten indicators are deduced for use in monitoring and evaluation.</p

Patenting of University and Non-University Public Research Organisations in Germany: Evidence from Patent Applications for Medical Research Results

BACKGROUND: Patents are one of the most important forms of intellectual property. They grant a time-limited exclusivity on the use of an invention allowing the recuperation of research costs. The use of patents is fiercely debated for medical innovation and especially controversial for publicly funded research, where the patent holder is an institution accountable to public interest. Despite this controversy, for the situation in Germany almost no empirical information exists. The purpose of this study is to examine the amount, types and trends of patent applications for health products submitted by German public research organisations. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic search for patent documents using the publicly accessible database search interface of the German Patent and Trademark Office. We defined keywords and search criteria and developed search patterns for the database request. We retrieved documents with application date between 1988 and 2006 and processed the collected data stepwise to compile the most relevant documents in patent families for further analysis. We developed a rationale and present individual steps of a systematic method to request and process patent data from a publicly accessible database. We retrieved and processed 10194 patent documents. Out of these, we identified 1772 relevant patent families, applied for by 193 different universities and non-university public research organisations. 827 (47%) of these patent families contained granted patents. The number of patent applications submitted by universities and university-affiliated institutions more than tripled since the introduction of legal reforms in 2002, constituting almost half of all patent applications and accounting for most of the post-reform increase. Patenting of most non-university public research organisations remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: We search, process and analyse patent applications from publicly accessible databases. Internationally mounting evidence questions the viability of policies to increase commercial exploitation of publicly funded research results. To evaluate the outcome of research policies a transparent evidence base for public debate is needed in Germany

POLÍTICA, INTELECTUALES Y EDUCACIÓN: La Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de Paraná en las décadas de los ’60 y ‘70

Este proyecto focalizó su estudio en la relación entre intelectuales y política, esto es, en la conflictiva relación entre intelectuales y poder en el peculiar campo&nbsp; de la pedagogía universitaria de las décadas de los `60 y `70. Intelectuales críticos, intelectuales comprometidos, expertos y especialistas en educación cristalizan identidades diversas que remiten a posicionamientos o modos distintos de construir la relación entre política y pedagogía. Con este propósito, la investigación abordó tres grandes líneas de análisis. La primera se orientó a construir los debates políticos educativos y las discusiones que generaron en el escenario pedagógico y, en el institucional en particular, la recepción, apropiación y circulación de diversas corrientes del pensamiento. En segundo lugar, cómo esos debates y discusiones se tradujeron en la producción del conocimiento de aquellos intelectuales y cómo ello marcó su impronta en los diversos planes de estudios y programas de cátedra. Por último, en tercer lugar, develar las diferentes formas/ modalidades&nbsp; o repertorios de intervención que dichos intelectuales asumieron en esos debates y cómo ellos se tradujeron o no en perfiles formativos preciso

The COG complex interacts directly with Syntaxin 6 and positively regulates endosome-to-TGN retrograde transport

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex interacts with the t-SNARE Syntaxin 6 and promotes endosome-to-TGN retrograde trafficking

Creating Resilient Public Spaces – a Global Perspective on the Conditions for Integrated Urban Development

Urban public spaces play a central role in the regeneration of cities: their inclusive and sustainable design is crucial for creating equitable and climate-resilient urban environments. This paper presents the results of an applied research project that involved case studies in three cities on three continents - Dhaka, Maputo, and Santo Domingo – where the team of superwien, in partnership with local academic partners, developed designs for public spaces using an integrated approach. The participatory design process was implemented during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022 through academic urban living labs in our partner cities. Urban strategies and design solutions for the regeneration of public space were co-created with local communities through a moderated, innovative planning and design process. Additionally, accompanying research was conducted to explore the need for integrated planning approaches in urban regeneration that address multi-sectoral challenges. This approach aimed to ensure that the resulting proposals were holistic and responsive to the specific needs and aspirations of the local communities and urban environments in which they were implemented. The case studies encompassed a range of sites reflecting diverse urban contexts: the urban lake of Shahjahanpur Jheel in Dhaka that had deteriorated into a dump site, central public spaces in informal neighbourhoods surrounding the historic centre of Maputo, and a central expressway in Santo Domingo. In intensive dialogue with the local populations, their needs and aspirations for these places were identified. Co- creation opportunities and place-making events empowered residents and local entrepreneurs to take an active role in the transformation of their neighbourhoods. Established participation tools were adapted to each local context and new techniques were developed for specific user groups. Additionally, young professionals were included in the design process through cooperation with local universities. Academic partnerships and the cooperation with local city administrations also supported capacity building and knowledge exchange. The results of the process included integrated urban strategies, urban designs, and architectural solutions, completed by cost estimates for implementation. During the transnational work process, we identified seven overarching challenges that need to be addressed to transform public spaces with an integrated approach: inclusive mobility, housing, climate change adaptation, local economy, governance, as well as gender-sensitive and participatory planning. Considering these aspects in their specific local contexts supports the creation of lively public spaces for the development of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities. This paper presents how the challenges were identified and addressed through the applied research approach for the design of public spaces in Dhaka, Maputo and Santo Domingo

Effect of Deutetrabenazine on Chorea Among Patients With Huntington Disease A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Deutetrabenazine is a novel molecule containing deuterium, which attenuates CYP2D6 metabolism and increases active metabolite half-lives and may therefore lead to stable systemic exposure while preserving key pharmacological activity. Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine treatment to control chorea associated with Huntington disease. Design, Setting, and Participants Ninety ambulatory adults diagnosed with manifest Huntington disease and a baseline total maximal chorea score of 8 or higher (range, 0-28; lower score indicates less chorea) were enrolled from August 2013 to August 2014 and randomized to receive deutetrabenazine (n = 45) or placebo (n = 45) in a double-blind fashion at 34 Huntington Study Group sites. Interventions Deutetrabenazine or placebo was titrated to optimal dose level over 8 weeks and maintained for 4 weeks, followed by a 1-week washout. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end point was the total maximal chorea score change from baseline (the average of values from the screening and day-0 visits) to maintenance therapy (the average of values from the week 9 and 12 visits) obtained by in-person visits. This study was designed to detect a 2.7-unit treatment difference in scores. The secondary end points, assessed hierarchically, were the proportion of patients who achieved treatment success on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and on the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), the change in 36-Item Short Form– physical functioning subscale score (SF-36), and the change in the Berg Balance Test. Results Ninety patients with Huntington disease (mean age, 53.7 years; 40 women [44.4%]) were enrolled. In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean total maximal chorea scores improved from 12.1 (95% CI, 11.2-12.9) to 7.7 (95% CI, 6.5-8.9), whereas in the placebo group, scores improved from 13.2 (95% CI, 12.2-14.3) to 11.3 (95% CI, 10.0-12.5); the mean between-group difference was –2.5 units (95% CI, –3.7 to –1.3) (P < .001). Treatment success, as measured by the PGIC, occurred in 23 patients (51%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 9 (20%) in the placebo group (P = .002). As measured by the CGIC, treatment success occurred in 19 patients (42%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 6 (13%) in the placebo group (P = .002). In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean SF-36 physical functioning subscale scores decreased from 47.5 (95% CI, 44.3-50.8) to 47.4 (44.3-50.5), whereas in the placebo group, scores decreased from 43.2 (95% CI, 40.2-46.3) to 39.9 (95% CI, 36.2-43.6), for a treatment benefit of 4.3 (95% CI, 0.4 to 8.3) (P = .03). There was no difference between groups (mean difference of 1.0 unit; 95% CI, –0.3 to 2.3; P = .14), for improvement in the Berg Balance Test, which improved by 2.2 units (95% CI, 1.3-3.1) in the deutetrabenazine group and by 1.3 units (95% CI, 0.4-2.2) in the placebo group. Adverse event rates were similar for deutetrabenazine and placebo, including depression, anxiety, and akathisia. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with chorea associated with Huntington disease, the use of deutetrabenazine compared with placebo resulted in improved motor signs at 12 weeks. Further research is needed to assess the clinical importance of the effect size and to determine longer-term efficacy and safety