PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION”

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 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Rational use of diagnostic imaging in paediatrics. The report of a World Health Organization Study Group.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the agency of the United Nations with primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. Through the exchange of the knowledge and experience of health professionals from 165 nations WHO promotes comprehensive health services worldwide. As a part of this effort WHO has in recent years been concerned with improving the availability and utilization of diagnostic imaging, especially as it relates to health services in developing countries. Having devised and specified suitable basic radiographic equipment (the WHO BRS) a WHO Scientific Group was convened in 1982 to study the utilization of radiographic procedures and to to recommend their more efficacious and rational use. Then in 1984, recognizing the implications of newer imaging technology on world health, a second WHO Scientific Group considered the design, impact and future use of ultrasonography and computed tomography in developing countries. The findings of these scientific groups were published as part of the WHO Technical Report Series which makes available the recommendations of such international groups of experts. Although some of the needs of children were considered in these previous Technical Reports, WHO felt that the size and socioeconomic importance of the paediatric population worldwide warranted a further study and report to address the particular technical and clinical problems of diagnostic imaging in the paediatric age group. Thus a third WHO Scientific Group met in Geneva from 18 to 24 November 1985 to review established practices and experience in paediatric imaging throughout the world; and to recommend rational guidelines for diagnostic imaging for children to age 14 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child↗
PubMed1996

Anthropometric reference data for international use: recommendations from a World Health Organization Expert Committee.

The World Health Organization (WHO) convened an Expert Committee to reevaluate the use of anthropometry at different ages for assessing health, nutrition, and social wellbeing. The Committee's task included identifying reference data for anthropometric indexes when appropriate, and providing guidelines on how the data should be used. For fetal growth, the Committee recommended an existing sex-specific multiracial reference. In view of the significant technical drawbacks of the current National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/WHO reference and its inadequacy for assessing the growth of breast-fed infants, the Committee recommended the development of a new reference concerning weight and length/height for infants and children, which will be a complex and costly undertaking. Proper interpretation of midupper arm circumference for preschoolers requires age-specific reference data. To evaluate adolescent height-for-age, the Committee recommended the current NCHS/WHO reference. Use of the NCHS body mass index (BMI) data, with their upper percentile elevations and skewness, is undesirable for setting health goals; however, these data were provisionally recommended for defining obesity based on a combination of elevated BMI and high subcutaneous fat. The NCHS values were provisionally recommended as reference data for subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses. Guidelines were also provided for adjusting adolescent anthropometric comparisons for maturational status. Currently, there is no need for adult reference data for BMI; interpretation should be based on pragmatic BMI cutoffs. Finally, the Committee noted that few normative anthropometric data exist for the elderly, especially for those > 80 y of age. Proper definitions of health status, function, and biologic age remain to be developed for this group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Evaluation of children with recurrent pneumonia diagnosed by World Health Organization criteria.

BACKGROUND: A World Health Organization (WHO) case management approach has been used to identify and treat children with pneumonia worldwide since 1987. Many children are treated repeatedly: 23% of children with pneumonia in our rural Haitian district had met the WHO criteria on two or more occasions; but underlying disease in such children has not been systematically studied. METHODS: We enrolled 103 children who had been diagnosed with pneumonia on 3 or more occasions by community health workers using WHO criteria. We compared them with 138 children similarly evaluated but never diagnosed with pneumonia, matching by health worker and age. We administered questionnaires to parents and performed complete physical examinations, tuberculin skin tests and serologic testing for HIV on all subjects and chest radiographs on case children. RESULTS: Two percent of case children and 1.5% of controls had positive tuberculin skin test reactions. None of the children tested was HIV-seropositive. Ninety-four case children had normal baseline chest radiographs and three had focal infiltrates. A history of wheezing was reported for 79% of case children and 61% of controls (P = 0.002), and wheezing with exercise was reported for 36% and 22%, respectively (P = 0.02). DISCUSSION: Most children in Haiti with recurrent pneumonia diagnosed by WHO criteria do not have evidence of tuberculosis, HIV infection or pulmonary anomalies, but they may be more likely to have asthma, and this should be considered as an alternative diagnosis. This information should help direct evaluation of such children in other settings and prompt further study of asthma in developing countries.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Investigation of the applicability of histological classification of bronchial carcinoma according to the World Health Organization.

According to the World Health Organization histological classification of bronchial tumors, clear and giant cell carcinomas are two subtypes of large cell carcinoma. As clear and giant cells can also be observed in other types of bronchial carcinoma, we investigated the frequency of the finding of these cells in different histological types. The tumor size and degree of differentiation, the amount of necrosis and keratinization, and the presence of giant and clear cells were analyzed. Statistical analysis by X2 test showed (for all classified histological types of bronchial carcinomas, except small cell carcinoma) that: 1) larger tumors had a great quantity of giant cells (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01), 2) large tumors had more clear cells (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01) and 3) tumors with a greater amount of necrosis had a larger number of giant and clear cells (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.01). Findings of an identical cytological characteristic can cause some difficulty in determination of bronchial cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2003

Immunization safety priority project at the World Health Organization.

In 1999, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Department of Vaccines and Biologicals launched the Immunization Safety Priority Project with the aim of establishing a comprehensive system to ensure the safety of all immunizations given in national immunization programs. Countries are the primary focus of the project. WHO has a role, not only because of its technical and normative role, but also because of its privileged relationship with country authorities and other partners, and its global vision and mandate. The four major areas of focus in the project are to (1) promote and coordinate research and development of safer and simpler delivery systems; (2) ensure vaccine safety, from vaccine development all the way through clinical trials and vaccine distribution until use; (3) broaden access to safer and more efficient systems for vaccine delivery and management of sharps waste; and (4) establish efficient mechanisms to detect serious or potentially serious adverse events following immunization, and enable prompt and effective response. The project emphasizes the importance of advocating safety and building capacity at national levels.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed1999

Baseline susceptibility of a laboratory strain of Pediculus humanus humanus (Anoplura: Pediculidae) using a modified World Health Organization testing protocol.

The World Health Organization (WHO) protocol for determining resistance in body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus (L.), requires holding lice for long periods, which makes successful execution of the test difficult in field settings. The purpose of this study was to modify the WHO test procedure to make the holding period of lice shorter and the handling of lice easier. Susceptible lice from a laboratory colony were placed in a petri dish containing a paper that had been treated with an insecticide solution. After 6 h, the petri dish was turned on its side and lightly tapped on the table. Lice that were unable to cling to the paper were counted as knocked down. The KD50 in mg (AI)/ml of the insecticide solution used to treat the papers was as follows: lindane 0.060, permethrin 0.115, d-phenothrin 0.554, and malathion 1.008. If the diagnostic dose is set at 2 times the KD99, for this test procedure the diagnostic doses and WHO equivalent dose would be lindane, 0.368 mg (AI)/ml (WHO 0.132%); permethrin, 0.498 mg (AI)/ml (WHO 0.206%); d-phenothrin, 2.680 mg (AI)/ml (WHO 1.107%); and malathion, 5.212 mg (AI)/ml (WHO 2.020%).

Animals↗
PubMed1999

World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PBDAY) Study. Histomorphometric investigation of the aorta and coronary arteries in young people from different geographical locations.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: At the Morphometric Reference Center of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) for the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PBDAY) Project, histomorphometric studies were carried out on aortic and coronary artery walls of 590 people ranging from 5 to 34 yr of age, who were of European, American, Asian and African origin (6 countries) and died of trauma. The aim was to evaluate the mean intimal and medial thickness of arterial tissues. METHODS AND RESULTS: Computerized operator-assisted morphometry with a semiautomatic image analyzer was carried out on 2,893 histological slides (prepared at the WHO Reference Center in Malmö, Sweden). Our data show that age-dependent trends for prevalence of fatty streaks and atherosclerotic plaques in arteries are different: prevalence of fatty streaks increases until a plateau is reached, while exponential growth characterizes atherosclerotic plaque prevalence. Age is statistically associated with an increase in mean intimal and medial thickness in all specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Mean intimal and medial thickness differs in arterial wall specimens of individuals from various geographic locations: persons from countries with high mortality rates from cardiovascular disease tend to have greater mean intimal thickness in youth. Men with hypertension and those who smoke have significantly greater combined means of intimal thickness than normotensives and non-smokers respectively. The also have significantly greater combined means of medial thickness than normotensive men. Histomorphometric data provide evidence of the development of atherosclerotic lesions at an early age and relate their progression to ethnic and lifestyle factors and to major coronary heart disease risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The World Health Organization multinational study of breast-feeding and lactational amenorrhea. III. Pregnancy during breast-feeding. World Health Organization Task Force on Methods for the Natural Regulation of Fertility.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of pregnancy during lactational amenorrhea relative to infant feeding status. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. SETTING: Five developing and two developed countries. PATIENT(S): Four thousand one hundred eighteen breast-feeding mother-infant pairs. INTERVENTION(S): Infant feeding practices, menstrual status, and pregnancy were measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Life-table rates of pregnancy. RESULT(S): In the first 6 months after childbirth, cumulative pregnancy rates during amenorrhea, depending on how the end of amenorrhea was defined, ranged from 0.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0%-2%) to 1.2% (95% CI = 0%-2.4%) during full breast-feeding, and from 0.7% (95% CI = 0.1%-1.3%) to 0.8% (95% CI = 0.2%-1.4%) up to the end of partial breast-feeding. At 12 months, the rates ranged from 6.6% (95% CI = 1.9%-11.2%) to 7.4% (95% CI = 2.5%-12.3%) during full breast-feeding, and from 3.7% (95% CI = 1.9%-5.5%) to 5.2% (95% CI = 3.1%-7.4%) up to the end of partial breast-feeding. CONCLUSION(S): These results support the Bellagio Consensus on the use of lactational amenorrhea for family planning, and confirm that the lactational amenorrhea method is a viable approach to postpartum contraception.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Could the WHO model list of essential medicines do more for the safe and appropriate use of injections?

A national drug policy addressing the safe and appropriate use of injections is an important element to prevent overuse and unsafe use of injections. Because the World Health Organization World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines is a keystone of national drug policies, the authors examined the way it addresses injection practices. They reviewed the 11th World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines to collect information on (1) injectable medicines, (2) diluents, and (3) the recommendations regarding the procurement of injection devices. Of 306 active ingredients on the list, 135 (44%) are mentioned in injectable form. Of these, 41 (30%) need diluents for reconstitution. The list does not mention the need to procure appropriate diluents, injection devices, and safety boxes in quantities that match the quantities of injectable medicines. In addition, the list provides limited information that can be used to forecast the needs of injection devices to administer the injectable medicines that are included in the list. Future revisions of the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines should attempt to reduce the number of injectable formulations on the basis of evidence. In addition, the list should specify that when injectable medicines are being supplied, diluents, single-use syringes, and safety boxes should be supplied. The volume of syringes needed for administration should be specified for each injectable medication on the list to facilitate the forecasting of the needs of injection devices.

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions↗
PubMed1997

Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Report of an International Psychogeriatric Association Special Meeting Work Group under the cosponsorship of Alzheimer's Disease International, the European Federation of Neurological Societies, the World Health Organization, and the World Psychiatric Association.

Current knowledge with respect to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is reviewed. There is agreement that AD is a characteristic clinicopathologic entity that is amenable to diagnosis. The diagnosis of AD should no longer be considered one of exclusion. Rather, the diagnostic process is one of recognition of the characteristic features of AD and of conditions that can have an impact on presentation or mimic aspects of the clinicopathologic picture. The present availability of improved prognosis, management, and treatment strategies makes the proper, and state-of-the-art, diagnosis of AD a clinical imperative in all medical settings. Concurrently, information regarding the relevance and applicability of current diagnostic procedures in diverse cultural settings must continue to accrue.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

World Health organization (WHO) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) pathobiological determinants of atherosclerosis in youth study (WHO/WHF PBDAY Study) 1986-1996. Histomorphometry and histochemistry of atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries and the aorta in a young population.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present work is a chapter in an investigation directed by the World Health Organization on the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis In Youth (WHO-PBDAY). Our aim was to study the development of atherosclerotic lesions in a young population. METHODS AND RESULTS: Samples of left anterior descending coronary artery (LDC) and thoracic (TA) and abdominal aorta (AA) from five Collaborating Centres (Budapest/Hungary, Havana/Cuba, Heidelberg/Germany, Mexico City/Mexico, Peradeniya/Sri Lanka) of 214 subjects who died aged 15 and 34 were analysed at the Budapest Reference Centre. Slides stained with haematoxylin-eosin and with stains for extracellular matrix were quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated. Mean intima/media (I/M) ratio and the prevalence of type III-IV lesions (preatheroma; atheroma; calcified and fibrous atheroma) were determined and compared in different risk factor (high blood pressure, smoking) groups. High I/M ratio was found in the LDC and type III-IV lesions were frequently found both in the LDC and in the AA. I/M ratio and the occurrence of type III-IV lesions increased in all arteries by age. Atherosclerotic lesions in men were more severe, particularly in the LDC. Geographic origin had a limited effect on the histologic lesion parameters. Appearance of type III-IV lesions was associated with substantially different extracellular matrix changes. Myoelastic layer formation was found in each artery in both early and type III-IV lesions. Hypertension was associated with higher prevalence of type III-IV lesions in all arteries, in particular, in the TA; smoking showed a significant effect on the AA only. CONCLUSIONS: Atherosclerotic lesions were found in many of these young subjects. The effect of hypertension and smoking on their development suggests that control of risk factors, beginning in early adolescence, could help to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Adolescent↗