It is part of the knowledge generation component of the Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition (EEPCT) programme – a partnership between UNICEF, the Government of the Netherlands and the European Commission. The content of this report does not necessarily reflect UNICEF's official position. Also, the text has not been edited to official publication standards; hence UNICEF accepts n...

Despite numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Novel and inexpensive interventions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are of interest. Numerous studies have reported on the benefits of meditation. Meditation instruction and practice is wide...

Many medications are currently available to correct lipoprotein abnormalities when lifestyle measures alone are not sufficient. No single agent or class of agents is able to correct all of the lipoprotein abnormalities. This paper reviews the role of one class, the fibrates, in the management of lipid disorders and summarizes the clinical trial information relating to their impact on coronary a...

Evolutionary biologists have long postulated that there should be fitness advantages to animals that are able to recognize and avoid conspecifics infected with contact-transmitted disease. This avoidance hypothesis is in direct conflict with much of epidemiological theory, which is founded on the assumptions that the likelihood of infection is equal among members of a population and constant ov...

CONTEXT Ongoing efforts to improve the quality of reporting for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) include the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement. We examined the frequency of explicit reporting of the number needed to treat (NNT) and the absolute risk reduction (ARR) in RCTs. METHODS Five frequently cited journals were investigated: Annals of Internal Medicine, B...

Informed participation in population based screening programmes requires an explicit sharing of information about risks and benefits. However, many factors influence perceptions of risk and the value of risk reduction promised through screening. Campaigns that selectively quote incidence to “frighten” women into undergoing mammography have been criticised. Perceived risk, not objective risk, ex...

PURPOSE The physical demands and hazards associated with emergency service work place particular stress on responders' cardiovascular systems. Indeed, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant problem for emergency service personnel. Although it may be difficult to alter the cardiovascular health hazards associated with the work environment, it is possible for personnel to control their mod...

The core of empowering a community to become more resilient is rooted in disaster risk reduction and its education imparted using various educational tools, mainly through awareness and training programs. Conveying the available knowledge resources to the community by transforming it in a way that matches the local context in order to build a “culture of safety” is the hardest matter to be deal...

Rationale Humanitarian agencies and actors from all corners of the world work to serve communities and people affected by conflicts, technological and natural hazards. Over the past decade, the roles, responsibilities and visibility of organisations engaged in humanitarian activities in the international arena have increased exponentially, as have the resources committed to such endeavours. As ...