The role of ethics and ideology in our contribution to global health The topic of this article has vividly interested the author for many years. It is fascinating to him that the issues at stake have not changed for the last 30 years or so. As proof of this – and on purpose – references quoted are both those published before 1985 and after 1995 (Table 1). Considerable material on this topic was already available from the mid 1970s on. The end result has been the (re)construction of a scenario that has been stubborn to change and that looks into most of the, still highly relevant, burning questions of then and now on the issues pertaining to the title of this contribution for debate. It will be of interest to the reader to see how we often need to be reminded of the things our peers had evidence of and wrote about long before us – as the examples of Dr. Virchov and of the Alma Ata Declaration, for instance, show.

What drives public health professionals in their daily work? Presumably it is the appeal of working, either locally or globally, to alleviate the suffering caused by (preventable) ill-health. This article explores the political awareness of health professionals, the political implications of their daily activities and suggests an enhanced role for them in the battle against preventable ill-health worldwide. The starting point for this article is the motivating principles behind these professionals as individuals. It challenges established paradigms in health, medicine, development and academia with a focus on health professionals' political, ethical and ideological motivations and awareness plus the implications of their actions in the realm of global health in the future. It further has implications for the everyday practice of health care providers, public health practitioners, epidemiologists and social scientists in academia

How do cardiologists select patients for dual antiplatelet therapy continuation beyond 1 year after a myocardial infarction? Insights from the EYESHOT Post-MI Study

Background: Current guidelines suggest to consider dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) continuation for longer than 12 months in selected patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Hypothesis: We sought to assess the criteria used by cardiologists in daily practice to select patients with a history of MI eligible for DAPT continuation beyond 1 year. Methods: We analyzed data from the EYESHOT Post-MI, a prospective, observational, nationwide study aimed to evaluate the management of patients presenting to cardiologists 1 to 3 years from the last MI event. Results: Out of the 1633 post-MI patients enrolled in the study between March and December 2017, 557 (34.1%) were on DAPT at the time of enrolment, and 450 (27.6%) were prescribed DAPT after cardiologist assessment. At multivariate analyses, a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with multiple stents and the presence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) resulted as independent predictors of DAPT continuation, while atrial fibrillation was the only independent predictor of DAPT interruption for patients both at the second and the third year from MI at enrolment and the time of discharge/end of the visit. Conclusions: Risk scores recommended by current guidelines for guiding decisions on DAPT duration are underused and misused in clinical practice. A PCI with multiple stents and a history of PAD resulted as the clinical variables more frequently associated with DAPT continuation beyond 1 year from the index MI

L'antigene carcinoembrionale in patologia neoplastica ed infiammatoria a varia localizzazione: utilita' e limiti del dosaggio.

Viene valutata l'importanza del dosaggio sierico dell'antigene carcino-embrionale (CEA) in diversi tipi di patologia neoplastica ed infiammatoria

LA VIDA EN POSITIVO... MEJORA LA MEMORIA

El deterioro de la memoria es una preocupación para las poblaciones que envejecen en todo el mundo. El afecto positivo juega un papel importante en el envejecimiento saludable, pero su vínculo con el deterioro de la memoria no está claro. En un estudio estadounidense publicado en Psychological Science se examinó las asociaciones entre el afecto positivo (es decir, sentirse entusiasta, atento, orgulloso, activo) y la memoria (es decir, recuerdo inmediato y retardado), a partir de un estudio longitudinalde 9 años de una muestra de 991 personas de mediana edad, adultos mayores. Los resultados revelaron que el afecto positivo se asoció con una menor disminución de la memoria a lo largo de 9 años cuando los análisis controlaron la edad, el género, la educación, la depresión, el afecto negativo y la extraversión. Los hallazgos se generalizaron a través de otra medida que evaluó facetas adicionales del afecto positivo, en diferentes(pero no todas) facetas del afecto positivo y la memoria, y en todas las edades, el género y la educación; no surgieron hallazgos para el afecto negativo. Las asociaciones longitudinales inversas entre la memoria y el afecto positivo no fueron significativas