Disease Control Perspective Research Articles

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPORTANCE OF SHATKRIYAKALA IN RELATION TO NATURAL HISTORY OF DISEASE

Kriyakala, also known as S hat kriyakala, is predomina nt ly a concept of Ayurveda which describes different phases of disease formation in its own unique way. This concept can be comparable with natural history of disease in modern medicine. Though many authorities compare it simply with pathogenesis but a meticulous look will reveal its relation with natural history of disease. A good understanding of natural history of disease helps to fram e pub lic health intervention strategies , more specially the disease prevention stratagem. Similarly a scrupulous insight about Kriyakala will also help us to frame public health intervention strategy . Both modern medicine and public health describes three different types of prevention measures such as primary prevention , secondary prevention and tertiary prevention which can appropriately be applied to different stages of natural history of disease with their modes of intervention. The same concept can also be applied to Shatkriyakala with appropriate intervention strategies to halt the progression of a disease process. This document tries to understand the concept of Kriyakala in the light of natural history of disease and analyses various intervention stra tegies which are important from the disease control perspective.

Non-Genetic Determinants of Mosquito Competence for Malaria Parasites

Understanding how mosquito vectors and malaria parasites interact is of fundamental interest, and it also offers novel perspectives for disease control. Both the genetic and environmental contexts are known to affect the ability of mosquitoes to support malaria development and transmission, i.e., vector competence. Although the role of environment has long been recognized, much work has focused on host and parasite genetic effects. However, the last few years have seen a surge of studies revealing a great diversity of ways in which non-genetic factors can interfere with mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. Here, we review the current evidence for such environmentally mediated effects, including ambient temperature, mosquito diet, microbial gut flora, and infection history, and we identify additional factors previously overlooked in mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. We also discuss epidemiological implications, and the evolutionary consequences for vector immunity and parasite transmission strategies. Finally, we propose directions for further research and argue that an improved knowledge of non-genetic influences on mosquito-Plasmodium interactions could aid in implementing conventional malaria control measures and contribute to the design of novel strategies.

IMPACTO DE ALTERAÇÕES AMBIENTAIS NA TRANSMISSÃO DA MALÁRIA E PERSPECTIVAS PARA O CONTROLE DA DOENÇA EM ÁREAS DE ASSENTAMENTO RURAL DA AMAZÔNIA BRASILEIRA

ENVIRONMENTAL ChANgES IMPACT IN MALARIA TRANSMITION AND PROSPECTS fOR ThE DISEASE CONTROL IN BRAZILIAN AMAZON RURAL SETTLEMENTS. Malaria is one of the most important parasitic diseases of the world, and Brazil is the country that contributes with the largest number of malaria cases in the American continent. Although 99% of notified cases occur in the Legal Amazon, there is great heterogeneity of malaria transmission within the Amazon region, which can be explained by different factors, such as environmental and entomological issues, host and parasite biology. In this article, a literature review of possible interactions between the environment and malaria is presented, focusing malaria in rural agricultural settlements. Issues such as environmental changes and their impact in plasmodial transmission, spatial malaria heterogeneity, land use and deforestation alternatives, and perspectives for disease control within rural settlements are discussed.

Disease Management, Economic Incentives and Trade

Barriers to trade can be imposed if a threat of importing a disease exists. Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures have historically been applied on a national basis, even though regions in an exporting country may have very different disease profiles. The World Trade Organization's 1995 Agreement on SPS Measures included a provision for exports from disease-free subnational areas. Regionalization has been explored in depth by many countries from a scientific disease control perspective, but not from an economic perspective, and negotiations have been exclusively science-focused. As yet, little progress has been made towards correcting this provision. This article examines the question of creating a sustainable subnational disease-free area approved for export from an economic perspective. The analysis shows that there may be significant benefits from applying regionalization to international trade, but these benefits are not guaranteed. Recognition of economic incentives provides the key to creating sustainable disease-free subnational regions. In particular, removing the incentive to smuggle between regions is an essential requirement of an exporter's domestic policy. Economic incentives have largely been ignored both by the responsible domestic agencies and by international negotiators, but until the question of economic incentives is included in the international agenda, little progress can be expected.

Implementation of a molecular epidemiology approach to human pleural malignant mesothelioma.

The carcinogenic effect of asbestos has been reported in the literature since 40 years, and early studies describing the epidemic occurrence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in asbestos workers, have become a paradigm of occupational cancer research. Research on MM was abandoned for many years since MM was considered as an asbestos-related disease, interesting only from a perspective of disease control and preventive policies. The introduction of new biological endpoints in the epidemiological studies has boosted research in the field, providing new tools for the study of emerging priority in cancer research and in public health. This approach, known as molecular epidemiology has a great potential in the study of MM, contributing to the understanding of susceptibility factors, to the evaluation of cancer risk in people occupationally or environmentally exposed to carcinogens, and to the enhancement of diagnosis and therapy. A comprehensive approach based on the use of banks of biological samples is presented and its advantages discussed here. The application of innovative endpoints, such as oncoproteins in biologic fluids, genetic polimorphisms, or gene function is discussed, and relevant literature reviewed.