SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Developing Countries”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

High prevalence of peripheral atherosclerosis in a rapidly developing country.

Cardiovascular disease is rapidly increasing in developing countries experiencing epidemiological transition. We investigated the prevalence of peripheral atherosclerosis in a rapidly developing country and compared our findings with data previously reported in Western populations. A cardiovascular risk factor survey was conducted in 1067 individuals aged 25-64 randomly selected from the general population of Seychelles. High-resolution ultrasonography of the right and left carotid and femoral arteries was performed in a random subgroup of 503 subjects (245 men and 258 women). In each of the four arteries, arterial wall thickness (in plaque-free segments) and atherosclerotic plaques (i.e. focal wall thickening at least 1.0 mm thick) were measured separately. The prevalence of peripheral atherosclerosis was high in this population. For instance, at least one plaque > or =1.0 mm was found in, respectively, 34.9 and 27.5% of men and women aged 25-34 and at least one plaque > or =2.5 mm was found in, respectively, 58.2 and 36.9% of men and women aged 55-64. With reference to data found in the literature, the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis appeared to be significantly higher in Seychelles than in Western populations. This study provides further evidence for the importance of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. Determinants should be identified and relevant prevention and control programs implemented.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Safe drinking water production in rural areas: a comparison between developed and less developed countries.

At the fundamental level, there are remarkable parallels between developed and less developed countries in problems of providing safe drinking water in rural areas, but of course, they differ greatly in degree and in the opportunities for resolution. Small water supplies frequently encounter difficulty accessing sufficient quantities of drinking water for all domestic uses. If the water must be treated for safety reasons, then treatment facilities and trained operating personnel and finances are always in short supply. Ideally, each solution should be sustainable within its own cultural, political and economic context, and preferably with local personnel and financial resources. Otherwise, the water supply will be continuously dependent on outside resources and thus will not be able to control its destiny, and its future will be questionable. The history of success in this regard has been inconsistent, particularly in less developed but also in some developed countries. The traditional and ideal solution in developing countries has been central water treatment and a piped distribution network, however, results have had a mixed history primarily due to high initial costs and operation and maintenance, inadequate access to training, management and finance sufficient to support a fairly complex system for the long term. These complete systems are also slow to be implemented so waterborne disease continues in the interim. Thus, non-traditional, creative, cost-effective practical solutions that can be more rapidly implemented are needed. Some of these options could involve: small package central treatment coupled with non piped distribution, e.g. community supplied bottled water; decentralized treatment for the home using basic filtration and/or disinfection; higher levels of technology to deal with chemical contaminants e.g. natural fluoride or arsenic. These technological options coupled with training, technical support and other essential elements like community commitment provide opportunities that should be explored both for rural small communities and in rapidly growing periurban areas in developing countries.

Developed Countries↗

PubMed2006

Assessing slope stability in unplanned settlements in developing countries.

Unplanned housing in developing countries is often located on steep slopes. Frequently no building code is enforced for such housing and mains water is provided with no drainage provision. Both of these factors can be particularly significant in terms of landslide risk if, as is so often the case, such slopes lack any planned drainage provision. There is thus a need to develop a model that facilitates the assessment of slope stability in an holistic context, incorporating a wide range of factors (including surface cover, soil water topographic convergence, slope loading and point source water leakage) in order that appropriate advice can be given as to the general controls on slope stability in such circumstances. This paper outlines a model configured for this specific purpose and describes an application to a site in St. Lucia, West Indies, where there is active slope movement in an unplanned housing development on relatively steep topography. The model findings are in accord with the nature of the current failure at the site, provide guidance as to the significance of slope drainage and correspond to inferences drawn from an application of resistance envelope methods to the site. In being able to scenario test a uniquely wide range of combinations of factors, the model structure is shown to be highly valuable in assessing dominant slope stability process controls in such complex environments.

Developing Countries↗

PubMed1994

Bioethics in developing countries: ethics of scarcity and sacrifice.

Contemporary issues such as euthanasia, surrogate motherhood, organ transplantation and gene therapy, which occupy the minds of ethicists in the industrialized countries are, for the moment, irrelevant in most developing countries. There, the ethics of scarcity, sacrifice, cross-cultural research, as well as the activities of multinational companies, are germane. In this article, only the ethics of scarcity and sacrifice will be discussed. Structural adjustment programmes, designed to solve the economic problems of the developing countries, muddied the waters. The dilemma confronting practitioners in developing countries is how to adhere to the basic principles of medical ethics in an atmosphere of hunger, poverty, war and ever-shrinking and often non-existent resources. Nowhere else in the world is the true meaning of scarcity portrayed as vividly as in the developing countries. Consequently, the doctor's clinical freedom may have to be sacrificed by the introduction of an essential drugs list and practice guidelines. The principle of greater good, while appealing, must be carefully interpreted and applied in the developing countries. Thus, while health promotion and disease prevention must be the primary focus, health planners should avoid pushing prevention at the expense of those currently sick. Health care reform in developing countries must not merely re-echo what is being done in the industrialized countries, but must respond to societal needs and be relevant to the community in question.

Bioethics↗

PubMed2003

Asbestos: old foe in 21st century developing countries.

While use of asbestos materials in developed nations has been decreasing because of the harmful health effects of asbestos dust mining, processing and use of the ancient material in developing countries is increasing. The regulatory mechanism for use, handling and disposal of asbestos and associated waste in developing countries are weak and information on asbestos-related diseases is scanty but emerging. We identify lack of epidemiological data on asbestos health effects as a major gap to be bridged in the promotion of occupational and environmental health in developing countries. Without data on local situations, diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma remain too obscure to assist the campaign for appropriate regulation of asbestos usage or attracting attention to abominable industrial practices generally.

Asbestos↗

PubMed1991

[Clinical medicine in developing countries].

Clinical medicine in developing countries is often restricted in several ways due to factors such as lack of funds, trained personnel, diagnostic facilities and appropriate drugs. Clinical judgement, knowledge of the local epidemiological pattern and simple diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are crucial under such circumstances. Based on his own experience under primitive conditions in Ethiopia, the author gives some symptom-oriented differential diagnostic reflections and guidelines for simplified management of some major health problems in the tropics.

Clinical Medicine↗

PubMed2002

Conduct of clinical trials in developing countries.

Research subjects in developing countries may be especially vulnerable to exploitation. Scrupulous care should be taken to maintain the basic principles of ethical trial conduct: the right of participants to make their own informed decisions, a favorable balance of benefit to risk, good trial design, candour about results, and, above all, use of honourable investigators. Involvement of local participants in planning a trial helps ensure both culturally-sensitive protocols and consents and also maximum benefit to patients and to local research infrastructure.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMed1978

Potential contribution of primary-school teachers to the health of a developing country.

Like many other developing countries, Kenya gives higher priority to primary education than to health services. Thus, in rural areas primary schools are evenly distributed, well attended, and staffed by well-qualified teachers whereas health centres are thinly scattered, inaccessible to many, and staffed largely by people of low educational attainment. The public-health knowledge of school teachers exceeds that of many health workers. It is suggested that teachers of health science, in particular, represent a valuable resource for preventive and promotive medicine which can be exploited at little cost.

Allied Health Personnel↗

PubMed1998

[The role of bacterial diarrhea in developing countries].

Bacterial diarrheas in developing countries remain a major public health problem. Cholera is endemo-endemic since 1970. Clusters of Shigella infections are commonly observed during the rainy season. Other enteropathogen cause nosocomial infections and foodborne diseases. The HIV epidemic determined the emergence of a new trend of enteric diseases caused by opportunistic bacteria such as Salmonella Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium. The risk factors associated with these infections remains almost unknown. Treatment failure is related to an incre of high level resistance strains.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed1991

[Utilization of health statistics in peripheral structures in developing countries].

Health information in developing countries serves mostly to diseases notification and activity registration, but rarely is it used for analyzing the health status of populations or the results of health intervention. Moreover, it is stored at a national level, mainly to fill monthly or yearly reports, and very seldom at a peripheral level where it would be probably more helpful. On the basis of experiences realized in Senegal and Nepal, we try to answer the two following questions: how to make health statistics utilizable, i.e. which criteria of relevance and quality recommend and how to utilize them concretely where they are produced, taking into account their well known limits?

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMed1996

HIV prevention in developed countries.

HIV prevention in developed countries is marked by impressive successes and dismal failures. The successes point the way to what works; the failures highlight obstacles that must be overcome. Successes include important behavioural changes among gay and bisexual men, antiviral use to prevent vertical transmission, and securing the safety of the blood supply. New strategies are needed to reach the residual of individuals continuing with unsafe practices (a special hazard in high-prevalence areas); to reach young people who are beginning to engage in sexual relations and injection drug use; and to overcome political opposition to prevention strategies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1997

Epidemiological features of Helicobacter pylori infection in developing countries.

Helicobacter pylori infection has a worldwide distribution, and it has distinct epidemiological features in developing countries. In contrast to that in developed countries, H. pylori infection in developing countries seems to be nearly universal, beginning in early childhood. Children become infected in the first few months of life; in some communities as many as 50% of the children are infected by the age of 5 years, and up to 90% are infected by the time they reach adulthood. In some developing countries with improvements in industrialization, socioeconomic conditions, and hygiene, infection rates are lower. The incidence of H. pylori infection, determined indirectly, also suggests a rate several times higher than that in developed countries. Marked differences in H. pylori seroprevalence have been observed between various ethnic and racial groups. Although the mode of transmission of H. pylori remains uncertain, evidence suggests person-to-person transmission occurs.

Developing Countries↗

PubMed1993

Factors influencing the assessment and control of occupational hazards in developing countries.

The principles of occupational health may be the same in the developed and developing countries. However, there can be a wide diversity in practice. The exposure to chemicals at the workplace in developing countries is usually of a different nature, and the level of exposure is generally of a higher magnitude. The leading occupational diseases in developing countries are also very different to those reported in industrialized nations. For hazard evaluation in developing countries, more factors need to be considered. Problems are usually more complicated as most workplaces are subjected to many factors which typify small-scale industries. Low capital investment often culminates in cutbacks on necessary expenses, especially on occupational or environmental health activities. Thus the health, safety, and welfare of the workers are usually overlooked. This situation helps only to promote greater risks to the workers. Furthermore, many workers in the developing countries suffer from poor nutrition, endemic diseases, and other debilitating conditions. For these reasons, it is possible that currently recommended occupational exposure limits could allow injury to workers in the developing nations. When carrying out health assessment, careful attention must be paid to cultural practices, genetic components, working conditions, and other predisposing factors. This paper reviews some of the current techniques commonly used for the monitoring of toxic substances and an in-depth discussion on various problems facing the developing countries concerning the usage of these techniques.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1990

Clinical pilot study on new dental filling materials and preparation procedures in developing countries.

Conservative dentistry in developing countries often poses a problem because of lack of expensive dental equipment. This survey was undertaken to test two more appropriate filling materials in vivo. In 94 secondary school students (in Mzuzu, Malawi) with two or more cavities, one cavity was prepared in the conventional way using drilling equipment and then filled with amalgam, and one cavity was prepared using hand instruments only and filled with either cermet ionomer or "miracle mix". Models of the filled teeth (99 amalgam, 53 "miracle mix", 54 cermet ionomer; all of them Class 1) were made and evaluated by three examiners after 6 months and after 1 yr. The fillings were given a score on a four-point scale. One year later all types of filling materials had significantly decreased in quality, but only five fillings (one amalgam, one "miracle mix", and three cermet ionomer) needed replacement. Compared to the amalgam filling in the same mouth, more cermet ionomer and "miracle mix" fillings performed poorly, but these differences were not statistically significant after 1 yr. Both cermet ionomer and "miracle mix" are very promising alternatives for Class I tooth cavities in areas without dental equipment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Ergonomics for occupational hygienists in developing countries with examples from Sri Lanka.

Occupational health problems in developing countries, especially those situated in the tropical zone, are difficult to define. The conditions are more adverse in unorganized small-scale industries. The application of ergonomic principles in the practice of occupational health in developing countries must be subject to all aspects of community health and impact of industrialization as well. Ergonomics offers a broad concept to health scientists in developing countries. "Systems ergonomics" is not applicable. On the contrary, the fact that ergonomics conveys a different meaning to those in developing countries is highlighted by a few examples from Sri Lanka. The author presents his view for consideration in the development of international instruments to prescribe the sale of guarded machinery to developing countries and the limitation of incentive schemes for performing arduous tasks leading to occupational illnesses.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The important role of international exchange in the development of medical informatics in developing countries: a report from China.

China is a developing country, and so is inferior to the developed countries in many aspects of science and technology. It is similarly a new member in the world ranking of the application of computers in biomedicine. However, since implementing the policy of reform and opening to the outside world in 1976, China has achieved greater success in biomedical signal and image processing, biomedical data processing, computer-aided diagnosis, computerized hospital management, etc. China's development shows that international exchange and cooperation are very important for the development of medical informatics in developing countries, and the application of computers in biomedicine has progressively spread all over the world and is increasingly taking root in the hearts of the people.

China↗

PubMed2006

Knowledge translation in developing countries.

There is increasing evidence that the application of knowledge in developing countries is failing. One reason is the woeful shortage of health workers, but as this is redressed, it is also crucial that we have an evidence base of what works to minimize the "know-do gap." The World Health Organization and other international organizations are actively building momentum to promote research to determine effective strategies for knowledge translation (KT). At this time, the evidence base for the effectiveness of those strategies is not definitive in developed countries and is relatively sparse in developing countries. It appears, however, that the effectiveness of these strategies is highly variable and dependent on the setting, and success hinges on whether the strategies have been tailored. A useful framework to provide direction for tailoring interventions is the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU). Underlying OMRU is the principle that success rests with tailoring KT strategies to the salient barriers and supports found within the setting. The model recommends that barriers and supports found in the practice environment or as characteristics of potential adopters and the evidence-based innovation or research evidence be assessed and then the KT strategy tailored and executed. The model also recommends that whether the research has been applied and has resulted in improved health outcomes should be measured. Studies in developing countries, although few, illustrate that the OMRU approach may be a valid method of tackling the challenges of KT strategies to improve health care in developing countries.

Developing Countries↗

PubMed2004

Regulatory pathways for vaccines for developing countries.

Vaccines that are designed for use only in developing countries face regulatory hurdles that may restrict their use. There are two primary reasons for this: most regulatory authorities are set up to address regulation of products for use only within their jurisdictions and regulatory authorities in developing countries traditionally have been considered weak. Some options for regulatory pathways for such products have been identified: licensing in the country of manufacture, file review by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency on behalf of WHO, export to a country with a competent national regulatory authority (NRA) that could handle all regulatory functions for the developing country market, shared manufacturing and licensing in a developing country with competent manufacturing and regulatory capacity, and use of a contracted independent entity for global regulatory approval. These options have been evaluated on the basis of five criteria: assurance of all regulatory functions for the life of the product, appropriateness of epidemiological assessment, applicability to products no longer used in the domestic market of the manufacturing country, reduction of regulatory risk for the manufacturer, and existing rules and regulations for implementation. No one option satisfies all criteria. For all options, national infrastructures (including the underlying regulatory legislative framework, particularly to formulate and implement local evidence-based vaccine policy) must be developed. WHO has led work to develop this capacity with some success. The paper outlines additional areas of action required by the international community to assure development and use of vaccines needed for the developing world.

Developing Countries↗