Cancer epidemics and the cancer prevention and control strategies in the United States: a review study / 中华预防医学杂志

In the past two decades,the United States made an impressed progress in the prevention and control of cancer that the overall morbidity and mortality of cancer had shown a downward trend, while China had seen an opposite trend. Cancer, one of the major public health concerns in China, has imposed an enormous burden onthe society and individuals. Therefore,in order to scientifically formulate cancer prevention and control policies, it is essential to make a comprehensive understanding of the practical experience in the field of cancer prevention and control from the United States. This article reviews the relevant literature on cancer trends as well as the prevention and control strategies in the United States,depictsthe cancer epidemic situation in the United States in the past 30 years, and summarizes the influencing factors, strategies and intervention experiences that lead to the improvement of cancer epidemic. It highlights the policy support, surveillance and intervention adopted by the United States for the cancer prevention and control. This article is expected to provide some implications and reference for the cancer prevention and control in China.

Smokeless tobacco use in Sri Lanka.

To comprehensively review the issues of smokeless tobacco use in Sri Lanka . This review paper is based on a variety of sources including Medline, WHO documents, Ministry of Health and Nutrition, Colombo and from other sources. Results: The prevalence of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use in Sri Lanka has been reported high, especially among rural and disadvantaged groups. Different smokeless tobacco products were not only widely available but also very affordable. An increasing popularity of SLT use among the youth and adolescents is a cause for concern in Sri Lanka. There were evidences of diverse benign, premalignant, and malignant oral diseases due to smokeless tobacco use in the country. The level of awareness about health risks related to the consumption of smokeless tobacco products was low, particularly among the people with low socio-economic status. In Sri Lanka various forms of smokeless tobacco products, some of them imported, are used. At the national level, 15.8% used smokeless tobacco products and its use is three-fold higher among men compared to women. Betel quid is by far the traditional form in which tobacco is a general component. Other manufactured tobacco products include pan parag/pan masala, Mawa, Red tooth powder, Khaini, tobacco powder, and Zarda. Some 8.6% of the youth are current users of smokeless tobacco. There are studies demonstrating the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco use, especially on the oral mucosa, however, the level of awareness of this aspect is low. The highest mean expenditure on betel quid alone in rural areas for those earning Rs. 5,000/month was Rs. 952. The core issue is the easy availability of these products. To combat the smokeless tobacco problem, public health programs need to be intensified and targeted to vulnerable younger age groups. Another vital approach should be to levy higher taxation.

Barcelona, posa't guapa

A partir de um percurso por Barcelona, assumindo a postura do flâneur, buscamos refletir sobre a constituição de propostas distintas de viver de habitar a cidade. A primeira se refere a um projeto institucional que se impõe, propondo um modelo Barcelona Guapa, na qual se pode observar uma clara tentativa de privatizar e domesticar uma cidade. A segunda diz respeito às formas de resistência possíveis a esta tentativa institucional. O percurso, que se inicia em um bairro às margens do Mediterrâneo, tem seu apogeu no coração da cidade, um lugar de pluralidade, espaço de criação, invenção e resistência chamado Radio Nikosia.

From a route by Barcelona, assuming the posture of the flâneur, we aim to reflect on the formation of different proposals for habiting in the city. The first refers to an institutional project that is required proposing a model Barcelona Guapa, which can see a clear attempt to tame and privatize a town. The second concerns the possible forms of resistance to this attempt institution. The route that starts in a neighborhood on the shores of the Mediterranean has its heyday in the heart of the city, instead of plurality, a space for creation, invention and resistance named Radio Nikosia.

Role of Policy Interventions and Market Mechanisms in the Control of Drug Expenses in China / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE: To provide reference for the control of drug costs in China. METHODS: Present problems on drug were analyzed. The measures and effect of market mechanisms and policy interventions were analyzed referring to foreign experience on the control of drug expenses. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Because drugs are a special kind of commodity, the combination and complementarity between market mechanisms and policy interventions can effectively control drug costs.