Concern about the effects on health of chemical exposure to

Concern about the effects on health of chemical exposure to e-waste and e-waste recycling is increasing despite the paucity of solid research. Reported adverse effects include: fetal loss, prematurity, low birthweight, and congenital malformations; abnormal thyroid function and thyroid development; neurobehavioural disturbances; and genotoxicity. However, few direct studies have been undertaken. Children and developing fetuses are particularly susceptible and evidence of adverse effects in early life via ecological exposure is increasing. In response to the lack of specific data and little awareness from public health on the effect of e-waste on children\'s health, the WHO department of Public Health and Environment (PHE) is developing a specific plan of action. This initiative includes raising awareness of and communicating the problem, developing training methods and programmes for health professionals, encouraging specific research about e-waste, and gathering interested stakeholders to move this issue forward. The initiative will be officially launched at the 15th international conference of the Pacific Basin Consortium for the Environment and Health (PBC), to be held at the East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, USA, Sept 24–27, 2013, and continues the collaborative efforts of PHE, the PBC, and the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in children\'s environmental health. The conference is open to the scientific HZ-1157 cost and others who wish to attend.
Evidence-based health systems are extremely important for the improvement of global health. In 1991, the five republics of central Asia (population 61 million), geopolitically strategically located and rich in natural resources, gained independence from the Soviet Union but inherited the Soviet health-care system. The Cold War limited exposure to international medical science, and reliance on Russian-oriented scientific thinking, with near-exclusive use of the Russian language in national science, created barriers to the use of and contribution to English-based sources of medical science. 20 years after independence, our experience is that these barriers persist. To assess the current contribution of central Asian scientists to medical science, we analysed the quantity and scope of medical literature from central Asia published between January, 2009, and July, 2011. To ascertain perceptions of the use of evidence-based medicine in central Asia, we also did semi-structured interviews with 85 medical scientists, medical educators, and health-care professionals from central Asia ().
A strong research capacity and robust research systems are essential contributors to the health and development of nations. This recognition has prompted significant investments in higher education, research, and innovation in Latin America, a region where health research has traditionally been weak. Unsurprisingly, Minicell expansion in scientific productivity has not been equally distributed, and most Central American countries are deemed to be scientifically lagging. In Honduras, current health research capacity is small. While neighbouring countries take actions to make research a national priority, conditions of extreme poverty, insecurity, and inequity make envisioning the role research plays in society difficult for Honduran leaders. Accordingly, investment in science and technology in Honduras has been abysmally low (roughly 0·04% of the GDP), which naturally translates into negligible levels of research productivity. Without the research activity that would demand a formal structure, the country has yet to establish a national health research system. So, how to boost Honduras\'s research capacity if so little exists to begin with? Because of the tendency by funders and researchers from developed countries to invest in countries that have some capacity for health research, with some exceptions, Honduras has been largely overlooked. We are trying to change this trend. Funded by the Global Health Research Initiative of Canada, we have completed a 5-year project of research capacity strengthening at the largest Honduran academic institution, the National Autonomous University of Honduras.