Girl Connection, June 2004

Bimonthly newsletter of the Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force. This issue discusses girls and the impact of involvement in sports and other physical activities.

European guidelines for sclerotherapy in chronic venous disorders.

AIM: Sclerotherapy is the targeted chemical ablation of varicose veins by intravenous injection of a liquid or foamed sclerosing drug. The treated veins may be intradermal, subcutaneous, and/or transfascial as well as superficial and deep in venous malformations. The aim of this guideline is to give evidence-based recommendations for liquid and foam sclerotherapy. METHODS: This guideline was drafted on behalf of 23 European Phlebological Societies during a Guideline Conference on 7-10 May 2012 in Mainz. The conference was organized by the German Society of Phlebology. These guidelines review the present state of knowledge as reflected in published medical literature. The regulatory situation of sclerosant drugs differs from country to country but this has not been considered in this document. The recommendations of this guideline are graded according to the American College of Chest Physicians Task Force recommendations on Grading Strength of Recommendations and Quality of Evidence in Clinical Guidelines. RESULTS: This guideline focuses on the two sclerosing drugs which are licensed in the majority of the European countries, polidocanol and sodium tetradecyl sulphate. Other sclerosants are not discussed in detail. The guideline gives recommendations concerning indications, contraindications, side-effects, concentrations, volumes, technique and efficacy of liquid and foam sclerotherapy of varicose veins and venous malformations.

Physical activity is inversely associated with high blood pressure independently of overweight in Brazilian adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between blood pressure (BP) levels and physical activity (PA) domains accounting for overweight/obesity. Adolescents aged 10 to 17 years old were recruited (n = 1021). International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria were used to define overweight and obesity. High BP was defined using the Center of Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Different domains of PA (school activities, sport out of school, and leisure time PA) were assessed using a validated questionnaire. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 21.9% for boys and 14.8% for girls. Some 13.4% of boys and 10.2% of girls, respectively, had high blood pressure (HBP). A strong and positive association was found between overweight and HBP. After adjustment for body mass index (BMI), total PA was inversely associated with BP. When all PA domains were entered simultaneously in a regression model, and after adjustment for BMI, only sport out of school was significantly and inversely associated with systolic BP [β: -0.82 (-1.50; -0.13)]. These findings open avenue for the early prevention of HBP by the prevention of obesity and promotion of PA.

Girl Connection, August 2004

Bimonthly newsletter of the Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force. This issue discusses girls and the impact of involvement in sports and other physical activities.

Girl Connection, October 2004

Bimonthly newsletter of the Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force. This issue discusses girls and the impact of involvement in sports and other physical activities.

State Library of Iowa Library Services and Technology Act Five-Year Plan, 2002

The Iowa Commission of Libraries, the State Library’s governing board, convened the Library Services Task Force in August 2000. This group consisted of 46 Iowans from across the state, including librarians from all types of libraries, library trustees, legislators, members of Iowa Regional Library system (now called Library Service Areas) and Area Education Agencies, and citizens. Their mission was to make recommendations to the Commission on positioning libraries to effectively and efficiently meet the future needs of Iowans. Needs and expectations of Iowa Library customers and funding authorities were identified and examined by the Task Force, and are reflected in its recommendations. The Commission received the Task Force recommendations in December 2000, carefully studied them, solicited input from the Iowa library community, and with a few changes, forwarded the recommendations to the Governor and the Iowa General Assembly. These recommendations are now known as Iowa Commission of Libraries priorities and serve as a blueprint for future development of the Iowa library system.

State Library of Iowa Library Services and Technology Act Five-Year Plan, 2002

The Iowa Commission of Libraries, the State Library’s governing board, convened the Library Services Task Force in August 2000. This group consisted of 46 Iowans from across the state, including librarians from all types of libraries, library trustees, legislators, members of Iowa Regional Library system (now called Library Service Areas) and Area Education Agencies, and citizens. Their mission was to make recommendations to the Commission on positioning libraries to effectively and efficiently meet the future needs of Iowans. Needs and expectations of Iowa Library customers and funding authorities were identified and examined by the Task Force, and are reflected in its recommendations. The Commission received the Task Force recommendations in December 2000, carefully studied them, solicited input from the Iowa library community, and with a few changes, forwarded the recommendations to the Governor and the Iowa General Assembly. These recommendations are now known as Iowa Commission of Libraries priorities and serve as a blueprint for future development of the Iowa library system.

End of Life Conversations, October 2003

A short course designed for adult study groups Prepared by the Curriculum Task Force of the End-of-Life Care Coalition of Central Iowa

IOWA Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence, 2006

Task Force members formulated these principles and practices as a way to promote good management practices, ethical conduct, and public accountability. By compiling the information in this guide, we hope to provide a valuable tool for organizations and individuals as they go about the work of building better Iowa communities.

Executive Order Number Forty-Seven, February 2006

Creates the Keep Iowa Clean and Beautiful Task Force to assess conditions and activities of litter control in Iowa.

Executive Order Number Twenty Seven, September 1977

Establishes the Iowa Task Force on Government Ethics.

Executive Order Number Twenty Eight, November 1977

Establishes the Iowa Paperwork Task Force

Prevalence, pathophysiology, health consequences and treatment options of obesity in the elderly: a guideline.

The prevalence of obesity is rising progressively, even among older age groups. By the year 2030-2035 over 20% of the adult US population and over 25% of the Europeans will be aged 65 years and older. The predicted prevalence of obesity in Americans, 60 years and older was 37% in 2010. The predicted prevalence of obesity in Europe in 2015 varies between 20 and 30% dependent on the model used. This means 20.9 million obese 60+ people in the USA in 2010 and 32 million obese elders in 2015 in the EU. Although cut-off values of BMI, waist circumference and percentages of fat mass have not been defined for the elderly (nor for the elderly of different ethnicity), it is clear from several meta-analyses that mortality and morbidity associated with overweight and obesity only increases at a BMI above 30 kg/m(2). Thus, treatment should only be offered to patients who are obese rather than overweight and who also have functional impairments, metabolic complications or obesity-related diseases, that can benefit from weight loss. The weight loss therapy should aim to minimize muscle and bone loss but also vigilance as regards the development of sarcopenic obesity - a combination of an unhealthy excess of body fat with a detrimental loss of muscle and fat-free mass including bone - is important in the elderly, who are vulnerable to this outcome. Life-style intervention should be the first step and consists of a diet with a 500 kcal (2.1 MJ) energy deficit and an adequate intake of protein of high biological quality together with calcium and vitamin D, behavioural therapy and multi-component exercise. Multi-component exercise includes flexibility training, balance training, aerobic exercise and resistance training. The adherence rate in most studies is around 75%. Knowledge of constraints and modulators of physical inactivity should be of help to engage the elderly in physical activity. The role of pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery in the elderly is largely unknown as in most studies people aged 65 years and older have been excluded.

Oportunidades para os Recém-nascidos em Africa

Africana possui agora três estratégias regionais em várias fases de desenvolvimento: • Roteiro para a diminuição da mortalidade materno-infantil e dos recém-nascidos (2004) • Quadro da Sobrevivência Infantil (2005) • Plano de Acção de Maputo para a Saúde e Direitos Sexuais e Reprodutivos (2006) Cada uma destas políticas-quadro permite que os governos nacionais as adaptem e as implementem de acordo com as necessidades e características do seu país, com o apoio de parceiros e ao abrigo dos princípios da Declaração de Paris sobre a eficácia das ajudas - “Um só plano, um só mecanismo de coordenação, um só mecanismo de monitorização e de avaliação”. 35 países já iniciaram o processo que os levará a um Roteiro nacional, processo que arrancou com a “MNCH Task Force” em 2004. Estas políticas-quadro representam um grande avanço, mas constituem apenas um primeiro passo na via que levará a salvar vidas pelo aumento das áreas de cobertura das intervenções essenciais. O tempo escasseia - só nos restam nove anos antes da meta de 2015 para se alcançarem os Objectivos de Desenvolvimento do Milénio (ODM). A África pode e deve acelerar a marcha dos acontecimentos. A publicação Oportunidades para os recém-nascidos em Africa ajuda a colmatar o fosso existente entre as políticas e as acções no que se refere à Saúde Materna, Neonatal e Infantil (SMNI). O recém-nascido está no âmago dos cuidados continuados de saúde. Uma atenção sistemática prestada à melhoria e ao alargamento dos cuidados de saúde que lhe devem ser prestados no âmbito dos planos e dos programas nacionais será recompensada pela prestação de melhores serviços de SMNI. Esta publicação inclui os seguintes temas: A Secção I põe em destaque as mortes de recém-nascidos em África, o que é complementado pelos perfis apresentados na Secção V, que mostram qual é a situação fundamental da Saúde Materna, Neonatal e Infantil em 46 países de África, incluindo os progressos já alcançados no sentido do 4º objectivo dos ODM, a cobertura dos cuidados continuados de saúde prestados, a avaliação da equidade e a análise do financiamento destinado à saúde, fornecendo dados para a tomada de decisões na área das políticas e dos programas de SMNI.