Relevant Public Authorities Research Articles

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic helminths and its associated risk factors in Mekaneselam Town, South Wollo, Ethiopia.

Intestinal parasitic (IP) infections caused by helminths are among the most significant public health concerns that mainly affect deprived people in Sub-Sahara African countries. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of intestinal parasitic helminths among patients attending Mekaneselam hospital. In this cross-sectional study conducted from August 2022 to February 2023, stool specimens were collected and examined microscopically to detect intestinal helminths using direct wet-mount and formal-ether concentration techniques. A structured questionnaire was employed to obtain information regarding the socio-demographic characteristics and associated risk factors. Data were analyzed via appropriate univariate and multivariable logistic regression methods using SPSS version 25.0. The overall prevalence of the parasitic helminths was 51 (12.6%) out of 404 patients attending in Mekaneselam town during the study period. In this study, seven species of intestinal helminths were detected, with Ascaris lumbricoides (5.7%) being the most prevalent followed by Trichuris trichiura (2.2%). Significant positive associations were observed between intestinal helminths infection and the socio-demographic characteristics including marital status (χ2 = 7.97, p = 0.047), educational level (χ2 = 9.34, p = 0.025) and residence (χ2 = 3.90, p = 0.048). The odds of being infected with IP were three times higher among divorced patients than married individuals (AOR = 3.21, CI = 1.15-8.96, p = 0.03). Illiterate individuals were three times (AOR = 2.61, CI = 1.24-5.49, p = 0.011) and those who attended primary school were two times (AOR = 2.3, CI = 1.029-5.143, p = 0.042), more likely to have helminthic infections. Participants who did not wash their hands after using the toilet were five times more likely to acquire IP helminths than those who did (AOR = 4.36, CI = 2.83-6.72, p = 0.000). In the case of the feeding habit, study subjects who ate unwashed vegetables were more likely to acquire helminths than those who did not eat unwashed vegetables (AOR = 5. 43, CI = 4.33-23.77, p = 0.000). This study highlighted a substantial prevalence of intestinal helminths infections (12.6%) in the study area, warranting the urgent need for attention and interventions from relevant public health authorities.

French Legislation on Pre-Trial Investigation

Introduction. The article examines how the legal mechanism of preliminary investigation operates in France, taking into account the special approach of the French public authorities to its implementation, the importance of preliminary investigation in the criminal process of this state. And also, taking into account the fact that there is no institution of preliminary investigation in the Russian judicial system – such an investigation is carried out, according to domestic legislation, by investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation – the procedural status of investigative judges of France, who belong to the judiciary on a permanent basis. Materials and methods. The research methods are a system of specially scientific and philosophical worldview approaches that provide an opportunity for an objective analysis of the topic. The research applied such methods as comparative law, historical law, formal law, structural and functional, as well as dialectical and materialistic Materials and methods. The research methods are a system of specially scientific and worldview approaches that provide an opportunity for an objective analysis of the topic. The research applied such methods as comparative law, historical law, formal law, structural and functional, as well as dialectical and materialistic. Special attention is paid to the problem of determining the role of the preliminary investigation in legal proceedings, the characteristics of its judicial status in the exercise of powers by the relevant attention is paid to the problem of determining the role of the preliminary investigation in legal proceedings, the characteristics of its judicial status in the exercise of powers by the relevant state authorities in science: the works of such scientists as M.V. Aleynikov, A.N. Volchanskaya, A.E. Vorobyov, B.Ya. Gavrilov, V.N. Galuzo, A.V. Grinenko have been published on this topic, L.V. Golovko, K.F. Gutsenko, S.A. Danilyan, I.S. Dikarev, A.Yu. Zotov, N.A. Kanafin, A.N. Konshakov, I.Ya. Foynitsky, M.Yu. Fisakov, etc.Research results. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparative legal analysis of the preliminary investigation carried out by the relevant public authorities in France, with a comparative comparison of the role of the preliminary investigation carried out by public authorities in this State. In order to achieve this goal, special attention in this work will be paid to solving the following tasks: to identify the place of authority for the preliminary investigation in the activities of various law enforcement agencies; to investigate the features of the preliminary investigation at different stages of the development of France; to establish the features of its transformation; to analyze the real role of the preliminary investigation in France and characterize the authorities exercising authority to conduct it; to make a generalizing conclusion about whether it is advisable to make changes to the definition of the place of the preliminary investigation in the judicial proceedings of the Russian Federation, taking into account the legislative experience of France.Discussion and conclusion. After the Introduction, the article examines the very Concept of "preliminary investigation" and its national characteristics; The activities of judicial bodies conducting preliminary investigation; The procedure for conducting preliminary investigation; The end of the preliminary investigation; Instance control over the activities of the investigating judge. In conclusion, the authors of the article propose some theoretical generalizations on this topic and show the most outstanding distinctive features of French legislation on preliminary investigation in terms of methods of legal technique.

In Celebration of WHO International Day of Older Person : How to Stay Young Symposium

The Geriatric Unit at Dar Al Shifa Hospital in Kuwait is announcing a geriatric symposium. The symposium is in Celebration of WHO International Day of Older Person. The theme of the conference is “ How to Stay Young “. It will take a place on Sat Oct 5th , 2024 at DASH-Auditorium. The conference will cover the following topics Longevity issues Dementia & Alzheimer’s Preventive strategies in older people How to prevent cardiovascular diseases Nutrition, Frailty, Sarcopenia Prevention of Osteoporosis Use of genetic testing New modalities in prevention and Management of diabetes New modalities in prevention and management of dyslipidemia Parkinson disease new modalities of treatment and prevention We will bring together a network of key players, renowned scientists and professionals representing all the following f ields of gerontology and geriatrics: Research and education, social services, nursing or care homes, relevant public and administrative authorities as well as any other discipline dealing with the elderly or their quality of life. The speakers are from Kuwait , GCC national and Europe in addition to Thailand, Spain, USA The symposium can be carried at the auditorium of our hospital

A survey of the representativeness and usefulness of wastewater-based surveillance systems in 10 countries across Europe in 2023.

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has become a widespread method to monitor transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other human pathogens in Europe. We conducted a survey about WBS systems' objectives, approaches, representativeness and usefulness in 10 invited European countries in 2023, i.e. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway. All countries completed the study questionnaire about their SARS-CoV-2 WBS systems, and shared information about WBS of other pathogens as deemed relevant. SARS-CoV-2 WBS systems primarily monitored national and subnational trends (population coverage: 25-99%), and a majority (8/10) also tracked variant distribution. Nine of 10 countries reported that their SARS-CoV-2 WBS systems were representative of their population and all countries remarked that the findings were valuable for public health decision-making. Results were shared with relevant public health authorities and published via dedicated websites and/or dashboards. WBS systems of other pathogens were mostly in the early stages, with some countries implementing pilots. Notable exceptions were the well-established poliovirus surveillance systems in Finland, Italy and the Netherlands. This study brings understanding the diverse landscape of WBS in Europe, offering insights for future developments and collaborations. Furthermore, it highlights the need for further integration of WBS into other European surveillance systems.

The Ethical Principles in Ethical Guidance Documents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

The sudden onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was accompanied by a myriad of ethical issues that prompted the issuing of various ethical guidance documents for health care professionals in clinical, research, and public health settings throughout the United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The aim of this review was to identify the main principles in ethical guidance documents published in the UK and Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review used a qualitative systematic review methodology with thematic synthesis to analyze the included ethics-related guidance documents, as defined in this review, published in the UK and Ireland from March 2020 through March 2022. The search included a general search in Google Scholar and a targeted search on the websites of the relevant professional bodies and public health authorities in the two countries. The ethical principles in these documents were analyzed using the constant comparative method (CCM). Forty-four guidance documents met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ten main ethical principles were identified, namely: fairness, honesty, minimizing harm, proportionality, responsibility, autonomy, respect, informed decision making, duty of care, and reciprocity. The guidelines did not present the ethical principles in equal detail. Some principles lacked definitions, leaving them vulnerable to misinterpretation by the documents' end users. Priority was frequently given to collectivist ethics over individualistic approaches. Further clarity is required in future ethical guidance documents to better guide health care professionals in similar situations.

Формування та реалізація стратегій сталого розвитку територій на засадах проєктної діяльності

The article examines the peculiarities of the formation and implementation of strategies for the sustainable development of territories based on project activities. It was determined that, by its very nature, project activity in public administration can be considered in two conventional planes: 1) as a documented complex of organizational-technical, socio-economic, material-resource and informational-communicative justification and planning of time-limited activities specially created for this purpose temporary organizational unit of the authority or local self-government to achieve a clearly set goal; 2) as the direct activity of such a unit as a part of a public governance body with a clear internal hierarchy and close interaction both within the project team and between the project group, the local council and the external community, the existence of which is limited to a defined time and ends from the moment of the final realization of the set goal of the project. It was determined that the design activity can be used for the implementation of any projects in all areas and directions of territorial development, solving the problem of attracting investments in local development and control both by state bodies and the public regarding the targeted use of funds, terms and costs for implementation of project ideas. In a strategic plan, the project activity provides an opportunity to direct the efforts of the relevant public authorities to solve the urgent problems of the future development of the united territorial community, region, and state in its key directions. It was established that the content and essence of aspects of project analysis are not always adequately understood, which leads to insufficient quality of substantiation of the social utility of projects, incomplete consideration of the risks of their implementation. It is proved that the issue of implementation of project management in local self-government bodies is relevant, where the real result of work is evaluated not only by higher authorities and controlling bodies, but also directly by residents of the territories. Keywords: project activity, strategy of sustainable development of territories, effectiveness of project activity, united territorial community, level of community readiness for project activity, financial capacity.

Energy Efficiency versus Heritage—Proposal for a Replicable Prototype to Maintain the Architectural Values of Buildings in Energy Improvement Interventions on Facades: The Case of the Expansion of San Sebastián

The implementation of energy efficiency improvements in facades, such as ventilated facades or External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS), is leading to a widespread modification of these structures. The lack of appropriate regulations to curb the destruction of the built heritage, particularly in historical centers, has been identified. In response to this issue, a project has been developed to create a prototype for determining regulations for facade interventions. The Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) has been employed in the development of the prototype, which has been tested in a case study of the ensemble formed by the Cortázar and Oriental expansion areas in San Sebastián. The initial prototype has been outlined, corrected, and improved in an iterative process, resulting in a final prototype that enables a faster, more rigorous, and efficient understanding, characterization, classification, study, and definition of intervention criteria, measuring the vulnerability of buildings to these interventions quantitatively. In this study, the vulnerability is defined as the risk that a facade will alter the characteristics of its architectural style and distort the reading of streetscapes that belong to a period with a clearly defined character. The case study results have been compiled into intervention criteria sheets for each of the studied buildings. This material has been presented to the relevant public authorities, with the hope that it may lead to a modification of current legislation, thereby helping to curb the loss of architectural heritage identity.

Decentralisation, unfunded mandates and the regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a surge in the number and scope of governmental interventions in both centralised and decentralised states. While decentralisation theories and recent empirical studies suggest that highly decentralised systems are more resilient to shocks and cope better with adversity, other research presents inconclusive or even contradictory findings. Yet, little is still known about how decentralised governments coped with the COVID-19 health emergency. Using an original dataset of 445 regions across 26 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for 2020 and 2021, this article finds that excess mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic are not connected to the degree of fiscal and political decentralisation, but rather tied to the mismatch between the two dimensions, also known as unfunded mandates. Large unfunded mandates are positively associated with higher excess mortality rates during COVID-19. Fiscal and political decentralisation, by contrast, become statistically insignificant when unfunded mandates are considered. Hence, better – not more – decentralisation is needed as unfunded mandates represented a threat to the capacity of subnational authorities to address the COVID-19 emergency. In emergency situations, the dysfunctionality caused by unfunded mandates undermines the effectiveness of the response of the relevant public authorities to pressing challenges.

Two years of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria: a review of the current situation of the pandemic: a literature review.

Curtailing COVID-19 outbreaks has been the major focus for many countries following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigeria expanded its effort with the commencement of its vaccination program against COVID-19 in March 2021 after several less effective interventions as vaccine introduction was implemented. Following the introduction of the vaccines, Nigeria is expected to meet the worldwide COVID-19 eradication target of vaccinating 40% and 70% of the population, respectively, by the end of 2021 and 2022. Nigeria was unable to meet the target at the commencement of the program. The low vaccination rate, attributed to a low acceptance rate of vaccines, a lack of access to vaccines, poor communication, a weak cold-chain system, and inadequate infrastructure in the country, resulted in the complete vaccination of only 15% of the Nigerian populace as of 21 September 2022. To improve the vaccination rate, the COVID-19 Crisis Communication Centre was launched. Also, the implementation of delivery of service, logistics, accountability, supportive supervision, communication, and electronic management of immunization data scaled the vaccination rate to more than 54% of the target populace as of December 2022. Since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, a substantial change in the prevalence and mortality rate has been perceived owing to the country's progress toward achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. The country ascertained the percentage of cumulative deaths before the vaccination process to be 60.4%, which was reduced to 39.6% post-vaccination. In comparison, the percentage of confirmed COVID-19 cases was reduced from 58.3 to 41.7% post-vaccination. The authors recommend that the government and relevant public health authorities ensure meticulous documentation of the outcomes resulting from vaccination initiatives and facilitate the accessibility of this information to the general public to boost the vaccination rate.

Which Ethical Principles Guided the Ethical Decision During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK, Ireland, and the US? Findings from a Qualitative Systematic Reviews

Introduction:With the Covid-19 pandemic impacting the world at such a quick rate and with many unknown variables and dangers, there was an immediate need for ethical guidance to ensure those in many different healthcare settings such as researchers and other professionals could perform ethically in this new and complex situation. This study aims to take existing research on those ethical guidance documents in the UK/Ireland and compare them with those from the United States.Method:This study used a qualitative systematic review methodology with thematic synthesis to analyze the included ethics-related guidance documents, as defined in this review, published in the UK and Ireland between March 2020 and March 2022. The search included a general search in Google Scholar and a targeted search on the websites of the relevant professional bodies and public health authorities in the three countries. The ethical principles in these documents were analyzed using the constant comparative method (CCM).Results:In the UK and ROI review, 44 guidance documents met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 11 main ethical principles were identified, which were then categorized under two main themes: respect and duty. The 11 main ethical principles were: fairness, honesty, minimizing harm, proportionality, responsibility, autonomy, respect, informed decision-making, community, the duty of care and reciprocity.In the US review, 270 documents were found from searching several public health United States government bodies. Of these documents, 50 were deemed to be Covid-19 ethical guidance, each ethical principle was tallied from every document and compared with the results from the UK/Ireland study.Conclusion:There were remarkable similarities in some ethical principles prioritized in the Covid-19 pandemic ethical guidelines across the Atlantic Ocean. However, there were differences in the interpretations and frequencies in which these principles were used across different regions.

Importance of and Approach to Taking a History of Exposures to Occupational Respiratory Hazards.

Occupational respiratory diseases are caused by exposure to respiratory hazards at work. It is important to document those exposures and whether they are causing or exacerbating disease because these determinations can have important impacts on diagnosis, treatment, job restrictions, and eligibility for benefits. Without investigation, it is easy to miss clinically relevant exposures, especially in those with chronic diseases that can have work and nonwork causes. The first and most important step in identifying exposures to respiratory hazards at work is to take an appropriate history. For efficiency, this is a two-step process. An initial quick screening history is done by asking only a few questions. Follow-up questions are asked if there are positive responses to the screening questions or if an occupational etiology is suspected based on the clinical presentation. Electronic health records have promise for facilitating this process. Follow-up to the screening history may include additional questions, evaluating additional sources of information about workplace exposures, and medical testing. Radiographic findings or tests conducted on noninvasive samples or lung tissue can be used as biomarkers. Online resources can be used to learn more about exposures associated with occupations and industries and to see if investigations evaluating exposures were performed in the patient's own workplace. It is important to adhere to the patient's wishes about contacting the employer. With patient consent, the employer can be an important source of information about exposures and, if a problem exists, has an important role in taking corrective action. Consultation for challenging cases is available from a variety of professional and governmental entities. If a clinician identifies a significant public health issue, such as an occupational disease outbreak, it is important to notify relevant public health authorities so that steps can be taken to prevent additional exposures and appropriately care for those already exposed.

Social innovation as a process: pursuing a pathway to the labour market inclusion of refugee women in Berlin

This article analyses the pathway pursued to engage key stakeholders in a Social Innovation (SI) governance process to achieve better inclusion of refugee women in the Berlin labour market. Thereby, special emphasis is placed on the contribution of the local university as the lead partner to realise this objective. Results indicate how the university provided the groundwork for the engagement of representatives in relevant public authorities and administration. These in turn activated together with the target group and civil society initiatives to initiate a SI governance process that led within the three-year timeframe to intensifying communication among the diverse key stakeholders. The co-creation of the pilots and the learnings gained from testing these, including the feedback from the refugee women, themselves, resulted in a shared problem awareness. This in turn, due to the relative frequency of feedback in roundtables, dialogue workshops, etc., led in its final year to an expressed interest to form a strategy group to spell out the mutually agreed upon principles for new policies. Outlining central aspects of this social innovative journey leads to identifying valuable insights for future initiatives that could be developed in comparable contexts for a more positive inclusion of refugee women.

Eurasian clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of secondary (symptomatic) forms of arterial hypertension (2022)

Disclaimer. The EAC Guidelines represent the views of the EAC, and were produced after careful consideration of the scientific and medical knowledge, and the evidence available at the time of their publication. The EAC is not responsible in the event of any contradiction, discrepancy, and/or ambiguity between the EAC Guidelines and any other official recommendations or guidelines issued by the relevant public health authorities, in particular in relation to good use of healthcare or therapeutic strategies. Health professionals are encouraged to take the EAC Guidelines fully into account when exercising their clinical judgment, as well as in the determination and the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic medical strategies; however, the EAC Guidelines do not override, in any way whatsoever, the individual responsibility of health professionals to make appropriate and accurate decisions in consideration of each patient’s health condition and in consultation with that patient and, where appropriate and/or necessary, the patient’s caregiver. Nor do the EAC Guidelines exempt health professionals from taking into full and careful consideration the relevant official updated recommendations or guidelines issued by the competent public health authorities, in order to manage each patient’s case in light of the scientifically accepted data pursuant to their respective ethical and professional obligations. It is also the health professional’s responsibility to verify the applicable rules and regulations relating to drugs and medical devices at the time of prescription.

Eurasian association of cardiology (EAC) guidelines for the prevention and treatment of ventricular heart rhythm disorders and prevention of sudden cardiac death (2022)

The EAC Guidelines represent the views of the EAC, and were produced after careful consideration of the scientific and medical knowledge, and the evidence available at the time of their publication. The EAC is not responsible in the event of any contradiction, discrepancy, and/or ambiguity between the EAC Guidelines and any other official recommendations or guidelines issued by the relevant public health authorities, in particular in relation to good use of healthcare or therapeutic strategies. Health professionals are encouraged to take the EAC Guidelines fully into account when exercising their clinical judgment, as well as in the determination and the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic medical strategies; however, the EAC Guidelines do not override, in any way whatsoever, the individual responsibility of health professionals to make appropriate and accurate decisions in consideration of each patient’s health condition and in consultation with that patient and, where appropriate and/or necessary, the patient’s caregiver. Nor do the EAC Guidelines exempt health professionals from taking into full and careful consideration the relevant official updated recommendations or guidelines issued by the competent public health authorities, in order to manage each patient’s case in light of the scientifically accepted data pursuant to their respective ethical and professional obligations. It is also the health professional’s responsibility to verify the applicable rules and regulations relating to drugs and medical devices at the time of prescription.

Transformational model of the healthcare market in Ukraine in the conditions of modern challenges

Introduction. Reforming the health care system in Ukraine, dismantling its old economic model, the emergence and development of entrepreneurship in this type of economic activity, which took place in recent years, led to a new nature of economic relations. The health care system of Ukraine faces the formation of a competitive environment, the need to characterize itself through the prism of its diagnosis as a kind of market. Both the system of public management of the industry and the influence of new opportunities and threats management on the system of the health care institutions should be taken into account. Given the current challenges, significant uncertainty, dynamic changes, this highlights the need for in-depth systematic theoretical and methodological analysis of the specifics of the model of the created market, identifying the degree of its adaptability to the needs of restoring or maintaining public health. Additionally, health care system management requires attention to the development of scientific and methodological framework for this task.Purpose. The purpose of the article is a theoretical and methodological assessment of the process of market formation in the health care system, its impact on the nature of the health care system in today’s challenges and recommendations for adjusting public policy and mechanisms for its implementation in multilevel governance.Methods. The method of comparative analysis was used to compare health care systems and models of the health care market in Ukraine and the world; systematic analysis allowed to determine the components of the health care market at the macro and meso levels, pest analysis - to identify factors influencing the development of health care market segments and factors that indicate the need for regulatory influence of public authorities, hospital management; institutional and comparative analysis - to identify the institutional environment of market actors; SWOT-analysis and expert assessments - to assess internal and external environment of competition, setting goals and strategic priorities.Results. Having analyzed the theoretical basis, the author’s approach to the interpretation of the essential characteristics of the model of the healthcare market in Ukraine is formed. The current state, features of the market, factors of internal and external environment of health care facilities in Ukraine are assessed, and the problems are identified. The model of the healthcare market in the country is interpreted by the author as: a) transformational, due to a number of factors, primarily the incompleteness of health care reform; b) the model of different speeds, which is caused by the different degree of development of individual market segments, the spread of externalities to them, etc. The current regulatory policy is analyzed, the factors of actualization of the problem of implementation of strategic planning at the present stage are revealed and the necessity of its implementation in management of the relevant public authorities and market participants is proved.Discussion. The issues of organizational support of the functioning of the health care market during the war and post-war reconstruction, formation of the methodological base for adjustment and implementation of strategies for the development of health care systems in the regions, strategies of medical institutions, organization of strategies, overcoming resistance to change deserve further research.

Legal problems of functioning of the financial system of Ukraine during martial law

The article is devoted to the study of changes and legal problems in the functioning of the financial system of Ukraine, which arose as a result of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the imposition of martial law on February 24, 2022. As of today, the imposition of martial law in Ukraine has caused significant changes in all spheres of life without exception, including changes in the financial system of Ukraine. A perfect and developed financial system is an example of the unity of financial resources and, accordingly, a guarantee of full implementation of the state, defined by current legislation, tasks and functions.
 The financial system is inextricably linked with the functioning of the state, as it is an instrument for the accumulation and rational use of financial resources. Analysis of the peculiarities of the financial system of Ukraine during martial law allows us to assess the scale of changes that have occurred, to determine their impact on socio-economic processes in the country, the possible consequences of such changes and ways to resolve them.
 The article identifies the main changes and examines the problematic aspects of the functioning of the financial system at present. Obviously, changes are not always positive and there may be difficulties in their implementation. The biggest changes were made to the State Budget of Ukraine and local budgets, which suffered the greatest burden in all possible aspects. Due to the fact that the main part of financial resources is aimed at meeting the defense and social needs of the state, the problems of imbalance of expenditures and revenues of the budget, significant public debt and irrational distribution of expenditures have become acute.
 The foreign exchange market, which is a component of the financial market, has also undergone significant changes. Nevertheless, the foreign exchange market of Ukraine continues to operate subject to restrictions imposed during the martial law by the relevant public authorities and relating to currency regulation in order to preserve financial resources in the country.
 The issue of analysis of already known ways to solve the problems of the financial system and search for new ones that ensure the adaptation of the financial system to modern needs, including ensuring the defense needs of Ukraine and the smooth functioning of public finance.

The Influence of SARS-CoV-2 Variants on National Case-Fatality Rates: Correlation and Validation Study.

BackgroundIn 2021, new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared with increased transmissibility and virulence as compared with the original wild variant. The first variants of concern (VoCs), Alpha (B1.1.7) and Gamma (P.1), first appeared in the United Kingdom and Brazil, respectively. The Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, seen in India in October 2020, dominated COVID-19 infections across all regions through the second half of 2021.ObjectiveThis research explores the degree to which SARS-CoV-2 VoCs generate waves of fluctuations in case-fatality rates (CFRs) across countries in several regions, increase the risk of mortality to persons with certain comorbidities, and decrease the risk of mortality as the percentage of fully vaccinated populations increases.MethodsThis analysis introduces a measure of the temporal dynamics of COVID-19 infections in the form of a proxy CFR (pCFR), which can be compared among countries. It uses economic and demographic data reported by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, plus publicly available epidemiological and medical statistics reported to the relevant national and international public health authorities. From these ecological data, pandemic average and daily COVID-19 CFRs and their correlations with potential cofactors were computed for 2021, a year dominated by the spread of World Health Organization–designated VoCs. The study does not investigate disease pathology; rather, it compares the daily case rates and pCFRs to reveal underlying contributing factors that vary from country to country and region to region.ResultsThe in-depth global regression analysis of cofactors found that the strongest single correlation with COVID-19 fatality was 0.36 (SD 0.02) with P<.001 for chronic kidney disease. No other single physiological cofactors display positive correlations exceeding 0.26 (SD 0.26), with P=.008 (asthma) and P=.01 (coronary disease). The study confirms that the pCFR is a valuable metric for tracking waves of infection due to different VoCs within countries.ConclusionsThe influence of social, economic, and medical cofactors on the CFR due to VoCs remains qualitatively similar, albeit strengthened, to the levels found for the wild strain. The strong regional variations of the influence of all cofactors observed for the wild strain persists in infections for all VoCs with very strong correlation coefficients seen in the Middle East for asthma (0.76), coronary heart disease (0.60), lung disease (0.70), and chronic kidney disease (0.52). Strong regional variations emphasize the influence on COVID-19 mortality due to regional differences in national economics, patterns of health care policies, and variations in cultural practices and environment. The pCFR-based analysis reveals clear patterns of the spread of VoCs across regions, but there is little evidence for the spread of the Lambda and Mu (B.1.621) variants of interest outside of South America.

Principles and goals in public administration of science at the present stage: a comparative legal study

Over time, the importance of scientific and technological progress is constantly increasing, and this happens in all spheres of society activities, including economic, political, social security, etc. In this regard, the problem of improving legislative regulation of public administration of science is quite acute. One of the essential elements of such problem is determining principles and goals of relevant public authorities activities of. In developing specific proposals, it is necessary to take into account not only the internal conditions of a particular state, but also experience of foreign countries. Such approach allows to determine and clarify national priorities for the development of science, as well as avoid mistakes and difficulties already known to the world community. This article is devoted to the analysis of such experience.

Eurasian clinical guidelines for cardiovascular complications of cancer treatments: diagnosis, prevention and treatment (2022)

Disclaimer. The EAC Guidelines represent the views of the EAC, and were produced after careful consideration of the scientific and medical knowledge, and the evidence available at the time of their publication. The EAC is not responsible in the event of any contradiction, discrepancy, and/or ambiguity between the EAC Guidelines and any other official recommendations or guidelines issued by the relevant public health authorities, in particular in relation to good use of healthcare or therapeutic strategies. Health professionals are encouraged to take the EAC Guidelines fully into account when exercising their clinical judgment, as well as in the determination and the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic medical strategies; however, the EAC Guidelines do not override, in any way whatsoever, the individual responsibility of health professionals to make appropriate and accurate decisions in consideration of each patient’s health condition and in consultation with that patient and, where appropriate and/or necessary, the patient’s caregiver. Nor do the EAC Guidelines exempt health professionals from taking into full and careful consideration the relevant official updated recommendations or guidelines issued by the competent public health authorities, in order to manage each patient’s case in light of the scientifically accepted data pursuant to their respective ethical and professional obligations. It is also the health professional’s responsibility to verify the applicable rules and regulations relating to drugs and medical devices at the time of prescription.

Принципи взаємодії органів державної влади і громадських структур як основа гармонізації суспільства

Охарактеризовано рівні співпраці між державними і громадськими структурами: інформування про діяльність державних органів влади, яке здатне видозмінити уявлення про владу, що склалося в суспільній думці, а отже, сформувати позитивний або негативний імідж; консультування, коли влада запитує громадськість щодо думки про конкретну політику, напрями розвитку чи інші державні ініціативи; діалог як двосторонню комунікацію про потенційно спільні цілі з метою розробки конкретної політики; партнерство як вищий рівень спільного державно-громадського управління із взаємними обов’язками кожної сторони. Визначено три основні принципи взаємовідносин органів державної влади з громадськістю, без дотримання яких співпраця буде неефективною: 1) участь громадськості у процесі прийняття державно-управлінських рішень; 2) соціальна довіра, яка передбачає повагу, взаємну надійність і чесну взаємодію між суб’єктами та секторами громадянського суспільства та органами державної влади; 3) відповідальність, прозорість та підзвітність. Обґрунтовано основні перешкоди для дотримання принципів забезпечення ефективної координації та співробітництва між державними органами влади та громадськими структурами. На основі аналізу функцій та принципів взаємовідносин між досліджуваними суб’єктами визначено основні шляхи подолання бар’єрів, які утруднюють необхідну співпрацю.