Topic Review
Awareness and Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus
The burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-related diseases, particularly cervical cancer, are still very high in Africa. Unlike HIV/AIDS, the burden is still largely unrecognized in several African countries. HPV is diagnosed in more than 90% of cervical cancers, which are the most common cause of cancer death among women in Africa. Overall, HPV infection and related diseases are more prevalent in developing countries with minimal resources to tackle them. For instance, Africa is characterized by low access to health services and cancer care in particular.
  • 135
  • 31 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Breakthrough Infections in Measles Elimination
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to man. Despite the existence of a safe and effective live attenuated vaccine, measles can appear in vaccinated individuals. Paradoxically, breakthrough cases increase as vaccination coverage in the general population rises. In measles endemic areas, breakthrough cases represent less than 10% of total infections, while in areas with high vaccination coverage these are over 10% of the total. Two different vaccination failures have been described: primary vaccination failure, which consists in the complete absence of humoral response and occurs in around 5% of vaccinated individuals; and secondary vaccination failure is due to waning immunity or incomplete immunity and occurs in 2–10% of vaccinees. Vaccination failures are generally associated with lower viral loads and milder disease (modified measles) since vaccination limits the risk of complicated disease. Vaccination failure seems to occur between six and twenty-six years after the last vaccine dose administration. 
  • 668
  • 15 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Burden of Childhood Malnutrition: A Roadmap of Policies
Childhood malnutrition is a global epidemic with significant public health ramifications. The alarming increase in childhood obesity rates, in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic, pose major challenges. Since the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and the joint consortium held by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that led to the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”, several policymakers and scientific societies have produced relevant reports. Today, the WHO and UNICEF remain the key players on the field, elaborating the guidelines shaped by international expert teams over time, but there is still a long way to go before assuring the health of our children.
  • 464
  • 25 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Cancer Screening and Medicaid Expansion in the USA
Cancer is the third largest source of spending for Medicaid in the United States. Breast and colorectal cancer screening rates improved during very early Medicaid expansion but displayed mixed improvement thereafter. Breast cancer screening rates have remained steady for Latina Medicaid enrollees; colorectal cancer screening rates have improved for African Americans. Urban areas have benefited more than rural. State programs increasingly cover BRCA1/2 and Lynch syndrome genetic testing, though testing remains underutilized in racial and ethnic groups. While increased federal matching could incentivize more states to engage in Medicaid expansion, steps need to be taken to ensure that they have an adequate distribution of resources to increase screening and testing utilization.
  • 326
  • 24 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Caring for Migrant Populations in Italy
The foreign population living in Italy, on 1 January 2021, was about 5.2 million, plus about 500,000 irregular foreigners, according to the ISMU Foundation. It is a “young” population, with a high rate of unaccompanied foreign minors, and the male: female ratio is about 1:1, with wide differences depending on the citizenship of origin.
  • 89
  • 06 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Cervical Cancer Protection in Japan
In Japan, government subsidies for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination of girls aged 13–16 commenced in 2010. By early 2013, vaccination had become a widely accepted national immunization program. However, in June of 2013, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW), the government’s lead agency, suspended its recommendation for vaccination in response to reports of adverse vaccine events. The rate of HPV vaccination quickly dropped from 70% to almost zero, where it has lingered for eight years. In 2020, a new 9-valent HPV vaccine was licensed in Japan. The momentum seemed to be building for the resumption of HPV vaccinations, yet Japanese mothers remain widely hesitant about vaccinating their daughters, despite the well-proven safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccines. 
  • 437
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Cervical Cancer Screening
In Southeast Asia, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women. Low coverage for cervical cancer screening (CCS) becomes a roadblock to disease detection and treatment. Herein, we identified the barriers to and facilitators of cervical cancer screening among women living in SEA.
  • 347
  • 17 May 2021
Topic Review
Characteristics and General Classification of Gastric Cancer
Gastric tumors have been divided based on their location—cardiac and distal. The former refers to the small paracardial area, while the latter refers to the rest of it. The most popular classification in terms of histology is the Laurén classification, which distinguishes between two types of gastric cancer (GC)—intestinal and diffuse. The first GC subtype is often associated with Helicobacter Pylori and lifestyle, which includes a high intake of table salt and alcohol, a low supply of fruits and vegetables, or smoking. It is estimated that about 15–20% of tumors do not fall under Laurén’s classification and are, therefore, considered intermediate tumors. Clinically, GC can also be divided according to its early or advanced stage. Early gastric cancers refer to small tumors (2–5 cm) that take the form of invasive carcinoma of the gastric mucosa or submucosa. Detection of lesions at their early stage is associated with relatively good survival.
  • 266
  • 03 Mar 2023
Topic Review
China’s Elder Care Policies
Until the 1980s, institutional elder care was virtually unknown in China. In a few decades, China had to construct a universal social safety net and assure basic elderly care. China’s government has been facing several challenges: the eroding traditional family care, the funding to assure care services for the older population, as well as the shortage of care delivery services and nursing staff. In Western countries, elder care policies have been shifting to the home care approach. China introduced home care as the elder care cornerstone and encouraged the revival of the filial piety tradition. Although China has a unique approach, the care policies for the aged population in China and Western countries are converging by emphasizing home-based care, informal care and healthy aging.
  • 1.4K
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
Clinical Diagnosis and Manifestation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Colonic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or the colitides, encompasses Crohn’s colitis (CC) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the two highly heterogeneous, debilitating, incurable, persistent, relapsing/worsening, immune-arbitrated inflammatory pathologies of the digestive system canal.
  • 418
  • 27 Apr 2022
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