Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Urban planning and public health share common missions and perspectives. Both aim to improve human well-being, emphasize needs assessment and service delivery, manage complex social systems, focus at the population level, and rely on community-based participatory methods. Both fields focus on the needs of vulnerable populations. Integration of these fields is essential in restoring and enhancing the health and vitality of the nation's places and people.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the synergies between urban planning and public health were evident in at least three areas: creation of green space to promote physical activity, social integration, and better mental health; prevention of infectious diseases through community infrastructure, such as drinking water and sewage systems; and protection of persons from hazardous industrial exposures and injury risks through land-use and zoning ordinances. During the middle of the 20th century, the disciplines drifted apart, to a certain extent because of their success in limiting health and safety risks caused by inappropriate mixing of land uses.
The interdependence of urban planning and public health in both research and intervention activities is evident in many areas. For example, to increase physical activity, persons need safe and accessible areas; development of these areas can be aided by determining the environmental barriers and facilitators that affect activity levels; designing, constructing, and maintaining community environments to help ensure safety and accessibility; and developing programs to encourage people to use improved community environments to increase their activity levels. Without the contributions of both disciplines, the odds of substantial increases in community physical activity decrease considerably.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the synergies between urban planning and public health were evident in at least three areas: creation of green space to promote physical activity, social integration, and better mental health; prevention of infectious diseases through community infrastructure, such as drinking water and sewage systems; and protection of persons from hazardous industrial exposures and injury risks through land-use and zoning ordinances. During the middle of the 20th century, the disciplines drifted apart, to a certain extent because of their success in limiting health and safety risks caused by inappropriate mixing of land uses.
The interdependence of urban planning and public health in both research and intervention activities is evident in many areas. For example, to increase physical activity, persons need safe and accessible areas; development of these areas can be aided by determining the environmental barriers and facilitators that affect activity levels; designing, constructing, and maintaining community environments to help ensure safety and accessibility; and developing programs to encourage people to use improved community environments to increase their activity levels. Without the contributions of both disciplines, the odds of substantial increases in community physical activity decrease considerably.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
NEW YORK - A technique called deep brain stimulation may relieve chronic cluster headaches that do not respond to standard medication, according to a study reported this month in the medical journal Cephalalgia.
Cluster headaches cause sudden, severe pain, often centered in one eye. Though the headaches tend to be short, they run in cycles, which may cause several headaches in one day or every few days. Most people with cluster headaches experience pain-free periods of several weeks or more between each headache cycle. About 10 percent of sufferers, however, experience chronic cycles, which can last a year or more.
In 4 of 6 chronic cluster headache patients, deep brain stimulation, which involves surgically implanting electrodes that deliver a small electric current into a targeted area of the brain, led to a profound decrease in attack frequency and pain intensity during the first 6 months, Dr. Thorsten Bartsch from University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany and colleagues report.
The treatment was well tolerated and no stimulation-related side effects were observed.
Two patients did not show a treatment response, defined as a reduction in attack frequency or severity of at least 50 percent, and were viewed as treatment failures. One patient was attack free for 6 months before suffering cluster headache attacks again.
After an average follow up of 17 months, 3 of 6 patients remain "almost attack-free," the investigators report, yielding an overall response rate of 50 percent. "reason for the three long-term treatment failures in our series remains unclear," Bartsch and colleagues write.
They say further studies are needed to figure out which patients are most likely to respond to this therapy, gain a greater understanding of precisely how deep brain stimulation works, and to gather information on the long-term outcome in cluster headache patients
Cluster headaches cause sudden, severe pain, often centered in one eye. Though the headaches tend to be short, they run in cycles, which may cause several headaches in one day or every few days. Most people with cluster headaches experience pain-free periods of several weeks or more between each headache cycle. About 10 percent of sufferers, however, experience chronic cycles, which can last a year or more.
In 4 of 6 chronic cluster headache patients, deep brain stimulation, which involves surgically implanting electrodes that deliver a small electric current into a targeted area of the brain, led to a profound decrease in attack frequency and pain intensity during the first 6 months, Dr. Thorsten Bartsch from University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany and colleagues report.
The treatment was well tolerated and no stimulation-related side effects were observed.
Two patients did not show a treatment response, defined as a reduction in attack frequency or severity of at least 50 percent, and were viewed as treatment failures. One patient was attack free for 6 months before suffering cluster headache attacks again.
After an average follow up of 17 months, 3 of 6 patients remain "almost attack-free," the investigators report, yielding an overall response rate of 50 percent. "reason for the three long-term treatment failures in our series remains unclear," Bartsch and colleagues write.
They say further studies are needed to figure out which patients are most likely to respond to this therapy, gain a greater understanding of precisely how deep brain stimulation works, and to gather information on the long-term outcome in cluster headache patients
Monday, March 24, 2008
The District of Columbia’s Free Summer Meals Program (FSMP) administered by the DC State Education Office (SEO), Nutrition Services Program (NS) will be conducting a Food Tasting Fair for meals to be served to children and certain adults with disabilities from June 15, 2006 through August 31, 2006. During the summer of 2005, over 1.2 million meals were served. This represents a 7.1% increase in the number of meals provided to children at risk of hunger from 2004. The Food Tasting Fair will take place, Thursday, March 30 at Beacon House, 601 Edgewood Street, NE, Suite 15, Washington, DC 20017, between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm.
The goal of the Food Tasting Fair is to provide FSMP sponsors and youth with the opportunity to assess the quality of food presented to them and to help guide FSMP sponsors in their vendor selection process. “The quality and taste of the food is important in attracting and retaining the participation of youth who rely on the Free Summer Meals Program for nutritional meals,” states Dr. Cynthia Bell, Director of the Nutrition Services Program.
Eligible organizations that can serve as FSMP sponsors include public or private nonprofit school food authorities, housing authorities and other units of local or municipal governments, and public or private nonprofit day or overnight summer camps. In accordance with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, organizations may be reimbursed for serving up to two meals per day to eligible children age 18 or younger.
All children participating in the program are served meals free of charge, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, disability, source of income or place of residence or business.
The goal of the Food Tasting Fair is to provide FSMP sponsors and youth with the opportunity to assess the quality of food presented to them and to help guide FSMP sponsors in their vendor selection process. “The quality and taste of the food is important in attracting and retaining the participation of youth who rely on the Free Summer Meals Program for nutritional meals,” states Dr. Cynthia Bell, Director of the Nutrition Services Program.
Eligible organizations that can serve as FSMP sponsors include public or private nonprofit school food authorities, housing authorities and other units of local or municipal governments, and public or private nonprofit day or overnight summer camps. In accordance with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, organizations may be reimbursed for serving up to two meals per day to eligible children age 18 or younger.
All children participating in the program are served meals free of charge, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, disability, source of income or place of residence or business.













