Smoking and Public Health: A Review of Reviews of Interventions to Increase Smoking Cessation, Reduce Smoking Initiation and Prevent Further Uptake of Smoking - Evidence Briefing

This evidence briefing collates review-level evidence of interventions including those targeted at pregnant women and evidence for tackling health inequalities in smoking.

Smoking and Public Health: A Review of Reviews of Interventions to Increase Smoking Cessation, Reduce Smoking Initiation and Prevent Further Uptake of Smoking - Summary

The briefing identifies gaps in primary and review-level research and makes a number of recommendations, including further measures to address health inequalities.

Bamford rapid reviews

The Bamford review of mental health and learning disabilities identified the need for research to help with service and policy development in a number of areas. We worked with key stakeholders, gaining significant input from service users and carers along with professionals and researchers, to agree five top priorities. Research reviews were funded by HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency (PHA) to set out current knowledge about policies and care services relevant to Children and Young People; Patient Outcomes; Intellectual Disability; Psychological Therapies and Primary Care.The reviews which can be accessed below will serve as accessible, high quality sources of up-to-date knowledge for commissioners, policy-makers, academics and providers of health or social care services as well as service users. We hope that the reviews will help to inform future development and delivery of Mental Health and Intellectual Disability services and so achieve the best outcomes for service users and their families. The reviews have also identified a number of important areas for further research.A Call for research proposals�to these areas is announced today. Further information on this Call can be found by clicking hereA further Rapid review in personality disorders has been commissioned in conjunction with HSCB and DHSSPS and is now available to download here.

Limits to potent antiretroviral therapy.

The availability of potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), also known as highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART has changed the prognosis of HIV infection. However, the benefits have to be seen in the context of deficiencies of current therapy: failure to eradicate the virus, the slow and potentially incomplete recovery of the immune system, the high prevalence of resistance, and the potential for long-term toxicity. Treatment strategies need to take into account these limits to better target those HIV-infected patients who could benefit the most from antiretroviral therapy.

A deterministic model to assess the impact of AIDS interventions in countries with generalized HIV epidemic. An application to Botswana

General introductionThe Human Immunodeficiency/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic, despite recent encouraging announcements by the World Health Organization (WHO) is still today one of the world's major health care challenges.The present work lies in the field of health care management, in particular, we aim to evaluate the behavioural and non-behavioural interventions against HIV/AIDS in developing countries through a deterministic simulation model, both in human and economic terms. We will focus on assessing the effectiveness of the antiretroviral therapies (ART) in heterosexual populations living in lesser developed countries where the epidemic has generalized (formerly defined by the WHO as type II countries). The model is calibrated using Botswana as a case study, however our model can be adapted to other countries with similar transmission dynamics.The first part of this thesis consists of reviewing the main mathematical concepts describing the transmission of infectious agents in general but with a focus on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. We also review deterministic models assessing HIV interventions with a focus on models aimed at African countries. This review helps us to recognize the need for a generic model and allows us to define a typical structure of such a generic deterministic model.The second part describes the main feed-back loops underlying the dynamics of HIV transmission. These loops represent the foundation of our model. This part also provides a detailed description of the model, including the various infected and non-infected population groups, the type of sexual relationships, the infection matrices, important factors impacting HIV transmission such as condom use, other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and male circumcision. We also included in the model a dynamic life expectancy calculator which, to our knowledge, is a unique feature allowing more realistic cost-efficiency calculations. Various intervention scenarios are evaluated using the model, each of them including ART in combination with other interventions, namely: circumcision, campaigns aimed at behavioral change (Abstain, Be faithful or use Condoms also named ABC campaigns), and treatment of other STD. A cost efficiency analysis (CEA) is performed for each scenario. The CEA consists of measuring the cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. This part also describes the model calibration and validation, including a sensitivity analysis.The third part reports the results and discusses the model limitations. In particular, we argue that the combination of ART and ABC campaigns and ART and treatment of other STDs are the most cost-efficient interventions through 2020. The main model limitations include modeling the complexity of sexual relationships, omission of international migration and ignoring variability in infectiousness according to the AIDS stage.The fourth part reviews the major contributions of the thesis and discusses model generalizability and flexibility. Finally, we conclude that by selecting the adequate interventions mix, policy makers can significantly reduce the adult prevalence in Botswana in the coming twenty years providing the country and its donors can bear the cost involved.Part I: Context and literature reviewIn this section, after a brief introduction to the general literature we focus in section two on the key mathematical concepts describing the transmission of infectious agents in general with a focus on HIV transmission. Section three provides a description of HIV policy models, with a focus on deterministic models. This leads us in section four to envision the need for a generic deterministic HIV policy model and briefly describe the structure of such a generic model applicable to countries with generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic, also defined as pattern II countries by the WHO.

Art contemporani xinès en el segle XXI : introducció a la pugna entre la creació i el mercat a través de cinc artistes destacats i les seves cotitzacions en les subhastes

En el relativament breu lapse de temps que suposen les tres darreres dècades, l'art contemporani xinès ha passat de ser pràcticament invisible i desconegut per al públic general, a ser present en un gran nombre d'escenaris a nivell internacional relacionats amb el món de l'art, sobre tot des de finals de la dècada dels noranta. El present TdR ha intentat apropar-se a qüestions com la imatge i les idees que sobre la RP Xina s'han transmès en l'última dècada a través de les obres o de les accions dels artistes xinesos contemporanis més exposats o cotitzats internacionalment i que viuen a la Xina, i a com s'ha arribat a inserir la producció artística d'aquests autors en el procés de globalització i hibridació de la cultura que estem vivint. Hem delimitat el camp de recerca, bàsicament a l'estudi de l'obra de cinc autors (Song Dong, Ai Weiwei, Zeng Fanzhi, Yue Minjun i Wang Qingsong) i a la seva presència en l'escena internacional de l'art contemporani a través de les subhastes de les dues cases més importants del món, Christie's i Sotheby's.

La utilització de l'art teràpia com a instrument per al tractament dels TCA

En les últimes dècades, una gran varietat d'intervencions psicològiques basades en teràpies interpersonals, cognitiu-conductuals, sistèmiques i farmacològiques han anat guanyant terreny en el tractament dels trastorns de la conducta alimentària Junt amb aquest tipus de teràpies, han començat a emergir aproximacions multidisciplinàries com per exemple la incorporació de teràpies experimentals combinades amb una o dues formes de teràpia més tradicionals en el tractament dels TCA. Alguns programes fins i tot han incorporat teràpies alternatives i holístiques, com l'art teràpia, que funcionen com a nucli de la seva filosofia. Tanmateix, actualment no existeixen estudis publicats que corroborin l'eficàcia d'aquest tipus de teràpies en els tractaments dels TCA. Així doncs, el propòsit d'aquest treball és el de destacar, explorar i aprofundir en els diferents tipus d'art teràpia utilitzats en el tractament dels TCA, així com estimular la discussió pel que fa a les investigacions futures sobre art teràpia i el tractament dels trastorns alimentaris.

Investigació sobre la modificació de la conducta d'un subjecte que rep sessions d'art plàstica i expectatives dels pares

Hipòtesi afirmativa de partida amb l'objectiu de justificar i demostrar les dades que la confirmin, sobre dos temes principals (conducta i expectatives). Presentació de la mostra, de les variables, del procediment, resultats, discussió, conclusions i prospectiva. Les conclusions és que si Influeix en la conducta del subjecte les expectatives externes, amb la conseqüent modificació de la conducta.

Come curare l'obesità nei bambini: revisione Cochrane per il medico di famiglia.

Cet article présente les résultats de la revue systématique: Oude Luttikhuis H, Baur L, Jansen H, et al. Interventions for treating obesity in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001872. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001872.pub2. PMID: 19160202.

Pigments and plasters discovered in the House of Diana (Cosa, Grosseto, Italy): An integrated study between art history, archaeology and scientific analyses

The pigments and the plasters of the Roman frescoes discovered at the House of Diana (Cosa, Grosseto, Italy) were analysed using non-destructive and destructive mineralogical and chemical techniques. The characterization of both pigments and plasters was performed through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. The pigments were identified by Raman spectroscopy and submitted to stable isotope analysis. The results were integrated with the archaeological data in order to determine and reconstruct the provenance, trade patterns and the employment of the raw materials used for the elaboration of the frescoes.