Regional Collaborations as a Way Forward for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: The South Asian Healthcare Professional Workshop.

This article reviews the importance of regional initiatives in the context of global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 and 5 and describes the action-oriented multi-country healthcare professional association (HCPA) workshops organized by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. The South Asian HCPA workshop served as a catalyst for strengthening the ability of HCPAs in South Asian countries to organize and coordinate their activities effectively, play a larger role in national planning, and collaborate with other key stakeholders in maternal, newborn and child health.

Cuban collaboration with the program for applied research and diffusion of medicinal plants in the Caribbean (TRAMIL) / Colaboración cubana con el programa para la investigación aplicada y la difusión de plantas medicinales en el Caribe (TRAMIL)

INTRODUCCIÓN: las personas emplean ampliamente las plantas medicinales para solucionar problemas de salud primarios en los países caribeños. Nuestra unidad de investigación-desarrollo ha mantenido una colaboración estrecha con TRAMIL (Programa para la Investigación Aplicada y la Difusión de Plantas Medicinales en el Caribe), desde el III Taller Científico TRAMIL celebrado en La Habana en 1988. Se ha coordinado también el Programa Cubano de Investigaciones de Plantas Medicinales (1988-2004) para incorporar plantas medicinales en el Sistema Nacional de Salud. La investigación farmacológica y toxicológica aplicada para validar usos tradicionales de plantas medicinales tiene algunas características y retos.OBJETIVOS: exponer nuestra experiencia durante 20 años.MÉTODOS: se revisaron los principales impactos, así como los resultados publicados y los incluidos en la Farmacopea Vegetal Caribeña de TRAMIL desde 1988 hasta 2008.RESULTADOS: se expone el Programa y nuestra colaboración, los usos de plantas científicamente validados que han sido incorporados al Sistema Nacional de Salud de Cuba y los resultados en los estudios farmacológicos y toxicológicos en 30 especies. La mayoría de los experimentos toxicológicos indicaron que los usos tradicionales eran seguros y un elevado número de ellos fueron valorados en modelos experimentales preclínicos. CONCLUSIONES: nuestros datos indican que TRAMIL es una red científica regional bien establecida, la cual puede ser útil para los sistemas de salud y las universidades médicas, así como que existe un elevado porcentaje de usos tradicionales de plantas medicinales que pueden ser respaldados por evaluaciones preclínicas.

INTRODUCTION: people use widely medicinal plants to solve primary health problems in Caribbean countries. Our research unit has kept a close collaboration with TRAMIL (Program for Applied Research and Diffusion of Medicinal Plants in the Caribbean) since the III TRAMIL Scientific Workshop was held in Havana in 1988. We also have coordinated the Medicinal Plant Cuban Research Program (1988-2004) to incorporate medicinal plants in our National Health System. Pharmacological and toxicological applied research to validate traditional medicinal uses has some characteristics and challenges. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this lecture is to expose our experience during 20 years. METHODS: it was reviewed the main impacts as well as our published results and those included in TRAMIL´s Caribbean Herbal Pharmacopoeia during 1988-2008.RESULTS: it is shown the Program and our collaboration, the scientific-validated medicinal plant uses which has been incorporated to Cuban National Health System and our results in pharmacological and toxicological studies in 30 different species. Most of toxicological experiments indicated that traditional uses were safe and a high number of them were validated in preclinical experimental models.CONCLUSIONS: our data indicate that TRAMIL is a well established regional scientific network which may be useful for health systems and medical universities and there are a high percentage of traditional medicinal plant uses which may be supported with preclinical evaluation.

Research of Data Center Based on Regional Collaborative Healthcare Platform / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To research the functions and design methods of data center for regional collaborative healthcare.Methods Combined with the informatization of regional collaborative healthcare,the necessary for constructing the regional medical data center was analyzed,with its task and implementation discussed.Results A set of solution to data storage,service and coding in the data center for regional collaborative healthcare was put forward.Conclusion The data center promotes the informatization of regional collaborative healthcare.