Public health and preventive medicine Books

Book SynopsisAlthough governments believe that the key to efficient health services lies in organisations run by inspiring leaders who stimulate the most efficient forms of management, many people working in health services, including managers, and an increasing number of academics, are discomforted by such a belief system. This books aims to provide a language in which such discomfort may be articulated. Its objectives are to nurture scepticism about the benefits of management, to debunk the notion that management is merely a technical device to promote efficiency, and to reveal the oppressiveness of managerialism. It thus challenges mainstream management texts, which seek unthinkingly to guide people in the impossible task of good management. Contributors, many of whom were experienced health managers before becoming academics, are drawn from across the social sciences. They illustrate how beliefs in ''grand practices'' such as economics or evidence-based medicine are misplaced, and explore the potential of an ethical management of health services. They investigate the experiences of managers doing management and reveal that it is impossible for managers to do management. This book should be of interest to graduate students of public sector management, to lecturers and researchers in public sector management and to public sector managers themselves -- or those working with them.

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Book SynopsisDuring the past 10 years, it has become clear that adolescence is a crucial time for the acquisition of behaviours that will favour good overall health. Indeed, the more adolescents who are able to make favourable decisions regarding their health, the more effective a prevention policy we will have for a number of diseases and illnesses (cardiovascular, psychiatric, cancer, etc.). The specialist''s goal is to have the young person assume more responsibility for his or her health. Such a goal should take into account a number of factors specific to this age group. Accordingly, adolescents should not be thought of simply as miniature adults. If disease is defined in the adult as a loss of good health, it is defined as a problem in the development of good health during adolescence. At this age, the state of one''s health can be attributed, in part, to various adolescent stresses such as family relationships, depressive experiences, and behaviours that include experimentation with drugs. A health care professional must be able to take all of these factors into account. This book gives a voice to the various specialists who encourage this particular way of thinking when approaching adolescents and their health.

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped countless people with their health, and is still widely sought after today—especially by those all over the world who are intrigued by natural healing and healthcare.The culture underlying TCM is broad and the information incredibly extensive, which means it can be difficult to know where to start for those who are interested in learning. This book does just that, providing both an encyclopedia of knowledge in the field, while also acting as a practical manual to guide readers to greater health. It offers an effective, easy-to-learn set of daily TCM skills and expert advice on how to use them.Through this book, you can learn: Basic concepts such as yin-yang, the five elements, meridians and acupoints, qi, blood flow and constitution How to judge your own health status through constitution tests and develop a personalized health plan for yourself How to make external adjustments for your health through TCM practices such as acupressure, cupping, scraping, heat treatment, acupuncture, massage and other methods TCM methods of natural internal adjustments including food therapy, herbal medicine, breathing techniques, sleep, meditation, qigong and other practices that will enhance your physical and mental health from the inside out A twelve-hour regimen with adaptations for each of the four seasons, stages in life, times of day, and place where it is practiced, allowing readers to customize the plan to their lives

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Book SynopsisIn the year 2008 the new "International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health" was begun under the auspicies of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel in collaboration with Nova Science Publishers in New York in order to facilitate an outlet for peer-reviewed papers in the areas of both child and adolescent health and human development. They hoped that there would be an international interest in such a new journal, and they hoped to receive good-quality reviews and original papers in these areas. This in fact happened, and in this yearbook they have gathered papers from the year 2008. In this book, leading international experts discuss recent advances in child and adolescent health with research findings published in the year 2008.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents and discusses current data on the topics of overweightness and walking. Angular momentum as a metric of human walking is discussed as well as the influence of visual, somatosensory and vestibular information and their interaction in relation to postural control and adaptive walking. The most recent evidence concerning the spinal and supraspinal control of human walking is examined as are stride-to-stride variability in patterns of lower extremity muscle activity after stroke. Also discussed in this publication is the effectiveness of school-based policies to reduce childhood obesity; and obesity as a complication of cancer or as a side-effect of a treatment of cancer in children, as well as obesity among community-dwelling older adults and their health-related issues and treatments.

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Book SynopsisCross infection is the transmission of an infectious agent from one person to another because of a poor barrier protection as in patients and immunocompromised hosts. The most common are nosocomial cross infections, which are acquired at a hospital or other healthcare facilities such as outpatient clinics. This book analyses infection control for healthcare workers, epidemiologists, administrations and those responsible for infection control programmes at healthcare facilities. Most carriers of infections are unaware of their condition and therefore it is important that prevention of cross-infection routine is adopted for all patients. The prevention of cross transmission of respiratory viral pathogens in paediatric cancer patients with conventional chemotherapy is also explored. Paediatric cancer patients face an increased risk of potentially life-threatening infectious complications due to their underlying malignancy and to the adverse effects of intensive anticancer treatment. This book further delves into the various aspects of catheter-related infections (CRI) such as diagnosis, incidence, aetiology, pathogenesis and recommended preventive measures. Other chapters in this book focus on the newly emerging CA-MRSA strains which have caused serious community-acquired infections in otherwise healthy children, an examination of the pathogenesis and microbial properties that contribute to the persistence of S aureus in dairy cattle herds, a review of the multi-drug resistant pathogens that are common in patients with severe acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a discussion of the microbes which cause cross infections and are resistant to antimicrobial agents, and thus present a challenge in treatment and prevention.

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Book SynopsisEmergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are a critical component of any community''s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. Assuring the continued viability of the pre-hospital EMS workforce is a key concern for many local, State, Federal, and tribal EMS agencies, as well as national EMS organisations. This book reviews research which is meant to provide guidance to the national EMS community in ensuring a viable EMS workforce for the future.

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Book SynopsisMedicare Advantage (MA) is an alternative way for Medicare beneficiaries to receive covered benefits. Under MA, private health plans are paid a per-person amount to provide all Medicare-covered benefits (except hospice) to beneficiaries who enrol in their plan. As of January 2009, all Medicare beneficiaries had access to an MA plan and 23% of beneficiaries enrolled in one. In general, Medicare Advantage plans offer additional benefits or require smaller co-payments or deductibles than original Medicare. Sometimes beneficiaries pay for these additional benefits through a higher monthly premium, but sometimes they are financed through plan savings. This book highlights the many advantages of the alternative Medicare program. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisBeing physically active is one of the most important steps that Americans of all ages can take to improve their health. This book provides science-based guidance to help Americans aged 6 and older improve their health through appropriate physical activity. The guidelines in this book are designed to provide information and guidance on the types and amounts of physical activity that provide substantial health benefits. The main idea behind these guidelines is that regular physical activity over months and years can produce long-term health benefits and realising these benefits requires physical activity each week.

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Book SynopsisThe prevalence of chronic illness or disability in adolescence has increased in recent years due to medical advances, and adolescents are now more than ever able to lead a productive life even in spite of serious illness. In the past, children with many diseases would not reach adolescence, but over the last decade or more the survival rate for children with cystic fibrosis, for spina bifida and congenital heart disease has increased. The old morbidity (infectious disease, poor housing, poverty, lack of immunisation) has been exchanged with the new morbidity of adolescence, where a longer life expectancy is followed by an increase in life-long disability. The concern in chronic illness include medical, psychological, physiological, biological, reproductive, cognitive and social aspects. Practitioners of the healing arts must become familiar with the most common disabilities likely to afflict children and adolescents so that appropriate evaluation, treatment, and management may occur. This book will cover a broad area of chronic illness in adolescence written by leading experts in this field.

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Book SynopsisTraumatic brain injury (TBI), defined in the medical literature as a disruption in brain function that is caused by a head injury, has become known as one of the "signature wounds" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan due to its high occurrence in post-deployment service members and veterans of these wars. As service members return home, many need ongoing care for mild, moderate, or severe TBI. The growing number of TBI patients and the nature of their injuries creates the need for increased treatment capacity for veterans, and raises a number of policy issues that Congress may move to consider. This book provides a review of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an illness, its prevalence among veterans, current activity to address the issue in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and current policy issues.

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Book SynopsisPhysical therapy is a health profession that assesses and provides treatment to individuals to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and function throughout life. This includes providing treatment in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by ageing, injury, disease or environmental factors. This important book presents current research in the study of physical therapy including: therapies and motor function assessments in chronic pain syndromes; fibromyalgia syndrome; breathing pattern disorders in physical therapy; home-based shoulder rehabilitation; isokinetic strengthening in multiple sclerosis patients; and traditional mirror therapy (TMT) in the physical therapy management of movement and postural control problems.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most essential aspects in life for anyone in any society is health and well-being. It is the indispensable base on which happiness is based. This book examines these two important aspects of life. It focuses on the social and cultural aspects of health and well-being in current societies and cultures. Traditionally, health research has placed a greater emphasis on physical and clinical aspects such as diseases, medical treatments and rehabilitation. With an increasing interest in population health, particularly in the current context of globalisation, the sphere of health research has been expanded to also cover social and cultural factors which not only affect health conditions of individuals and communities but can also be determining health factors in some respects.

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Book SynopsisThe Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 established an outpatient voluntary prescription drug benefit under a new Medicare Part D. Drug coverage is provided through private prescription drug plans (PDPs), which offer only prescription drug coverage, or through Medicare Advantage (MA) prescription drug plans. This new book examines Medicare Part D and prescription drug issues; the effects of using generic drugs on Medicare''s prescription drug spending; and Medicare Part D and its impact in the nursing home sector.

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Book SynopsisThe Health Care Reform Law makes many significant changes to the private and public markets for health insurance, as well as modifications to aspects of the publicly financed health care delivery system. It represents the most significant reform to the Medicaid program since its establishment in 1965. This new and important book details some of the major changes to the Medicaid and CHIP programs and provides a timeline of effective dates for these provisions.

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Book SynopsisMedicare is a federal insurance program that pays for covered health care services of qualified beneficiaries. Since 1965, the Medicare program has undergone considerable changes. Most recently, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, signed into law in March 2010, made numerous changes to the Medicare program that modify provider reimbursements, provide incentives to increase the quality and efficiency of care and enhance certain Medicare benefits. This new book provides an overview of Medicare services and provisions.

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Book SynopsisThroughout history, in times of economic or political uncertainty, people have called on Lady Luck for help. This book shows how to let chance and chance-inspired action work for us. In addition, this book shows how the process of change can stop becoming a chore and become, instead, a playful experience.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents current research in the study of various health-related issues, injuries and diseases. Topics discussed include the physiopathology of spinal cord injuries; factors affecting the progression of AIDS; the role of stress in chronic fatigue syndrome; drug resistant tuberculosis; melatonin as a possible medical treatment for childhood insomnia; dizziness and strength training against sarcopenia in the elderly.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents topical research in the study of systolic blood pressure, including evidence that coping with psychological demands elicits an increase in systolic blood pressure; poor glucose control and stiff arteries; blood pressure changes in patients with migraines; transition from sub-clinical systolic dysfunction to heart failure and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) in patients with hypertension.

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Book SynopsisBook & DVD. This book provides an ongoing assessment of the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals by the use of biomonitoring.

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Book SynopsisFederal domestic drug control policy has evolved over the course of the past century and currently consists of a three-pronged approach to reducing illegal drug use: prevention, substance abuse treatment and enforcement activities. This book examines the war on drugs and drug enforcement efforts; the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign; the background and effectiveness of the drug courts and the legal issues relating to the disposal of dispensed controlled substances.

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Book SynopsisGlobalisation has placed increasing demands on the FDA in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drugs marketed in the United States. Drugs manufactured in more than 100 countries were offered for entry into the U.S. in fiscal year 2009. The FDA inspects manufacturing establishments in order to ensure that the safety and quality of drugs are not jeopardised by poor manufacturing practices. This book examines the issues and impacts of foreign pharmaceuticals, including more foreign drug inspections by the FDA; and improving the FDA''s information and oversight on foreign drug establishments.

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Book SynopsisPneumonia, an inflammatory condition of the lung, is one of the most common serious infections, causing two million deaths annually among young and old alike. This book studies the symptoms, diagnoses and treatment of pneumonia. Topics discussed include the modes of supportive treatment in patients with pneumonia; pneumocystis jirovecii in AIDS patients; nosocomial pneumonia surveillance and prevention in PICU and NICU; ventilator-associated pneumonia; community acquired staphylococcal pneumonia associated with influenza and radiological patterns of pulmonary infections.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an overview of health behaviour intervention priorities in LMICs. It covers the most important health risks or problems in LMICs including childhood and maternal under-nutrition, other diet-related risk factors and physical inactivity, sexual and reproductive health, addictive substances, road traffic injury and violence, common mental health risk, parasitic infections and environmental risks. For all these health risks, health behaviour interventions are comprehensively described, with application to LMICs.

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Book SynopsisThis yearbook compiles articles published in the International Public Health Journal, a peer-reviewed journal which provides an international multidisciplinary forum with a holistic approach to public health issues, health and medicine, health and social policy, service aspects, developmental aspects, epidemiology, rehabilitation, family and social issues, quality of life and all other aspects of public health over the whole age spectrum.

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Book SynopsisRotator cuff (RC) tears refer to a partial or full discontinuation of one or more of the muscles or tendons and may occur as a result of traumatic injury or degeneration over a period of years. The incidence of RC tears is related to increasing age; 54 percent of patients over the age of 60 years have partial or complete RC tears compared with only 4 percent of adults under 40 years of age. Although not a life-threatening condition, RC tears cause significant pain, weakness, and limitation of motion. Both non-operative and operative treatments are used in an attempt to relieve pain and restore movement and function of the shoulder. This book examines the comparative effectiveness of the various non-operative and operative treatment options for patients with RC tears.

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Book SynopsisIn 2009, malaria infected an estimated 225 million people and killed 781,000 people, most of whom, were children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the current burden of disease, malaria is preventable and treatable. Congress has increasingly recognised malaria as an important foreign policy issue, and the United States has become a major player in the global response to the disease. The 112th Congress will likely debate the appropriate funding levels and optimum strategy for addressing the continued challenge of global malaria. This book outlines basic facts related to global malaria, including characteristics of the epidemic and U.S. legislation, programs, funding and partnerships related to the global response to malaria.

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Book SynopsisThe growing cost of brand-name prescription drugs can be a burden on patients, payers and providers of health care, particularly when price increases are large and occur suddenly. Controlling rising prescription drug prices helps to ensure that patients can afford medically necessary and sometimes life-saving medication, and to moderate costs for hospitals and third-party payers such as insurance plans and state and federal governments. This book examines prescription drug pricing costs and control concerns with a focus on extraordinary price increases for brand-name prescription drugs, as well as the characteristics and factors that contributed to this price increase.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents current research in the study of the health effects, psychological aspects and cessation techniques of smoking. Topics discussed in this compilation include the vascular morphological changes related to smoking; the physiological consequences of smoking cessation benefits for the respiratory and cardiovascular systems; how weather might affect smoking related health behaviours; adolescent smoking and health research and predictors of smoking cessation in a population of pregnant smokers.

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Book SynopsisMercury occurs naturally in the environment and exists in several forms. Elemental mercury, also known as metallic of liquid mercury, is a unique metal that forms a dense, silvery liquid at room temperature. The liquid can disperse and coalesces into small, shiny droplets. These unusual properties attract the interest of children, increasing their propensity to play with mercury. Mercury vapour is readily absorbed by the lungs, making inhalation of elemental mercury the exposure route of greatest concern. The health effects that may result from mercury vary with the magnitude, dose, and duration of exposure. This book examines and identifies the common sources of elemental mercury exposure in children and describes the location, demographics, and proportion of children exposed or potentially exposed to elemental mercury in the United States.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of research summaries from a number of different focuses in the field of chemistry research.

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Book SynopsisThe early years in the life of a child are critical for cognitive, social and emotional development. It is therefore important that we make sure that children grow up in an environment where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Children who grow up in an environment where their developmental needs are not met are at risk for compromised health, well-being and sometimes developmental delays. Society must therefore work to ensure that children develop in safe, loving and secure environments. This yearbook compiles the work done in 2008 with a broad research agenda on a global basis, addressing questions ranging from policy to practice, and spanning the developmental spectrum from human genetics, infancy and early childhood, to adolescence and adulthood.

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Book SynopsisClostridium Difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium involved in antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis, which is developed after administration of antibiotics. C. difficile is nosocomially transmissible via hospital staff and contaminated environmental surface, as well between patients. C. difficile infection results in a broad spectrum of disease ranging from mild diarrhea to severe life-threatening condition. Colonic injury and inflammation are caused by the two types of toxins: toxin A and B produced by the bacteria. This book the occurrence of and treatment options for clostridium difficile among patients who develop this condition.

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Book SynopsisPrenatal alcohol exposure has been directly implicated in a wide range of deficits that adversely influence the development of affected individuals. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term referring to a continuum of effects that occur in individuals who were prenatally exposed to alcohol. FASD is a permanent birth defect, and a leading cause of mental retardation and developmental delay. This book gathers the latest research in the study of pregnancy and alcohol consumption from authors around the globe, including the biochemistry of prenatal alcohol exposure; research on interventions to prevent alcohol consumption during pregnancy; medico-legal considerations concerning foetal alcohol spectrum disorders; life as an adult with foetal alcohol syndrome; and biological markers of exposure of the foetus to alcohol during pregnancy.

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses how the current health insurance market structure affects the two policy goals of expanding health insurance coverage and containing health care costs. Concerns about concentration in health insurance markets are linked to wider concerns about the cost, quality, and availability of health care. The market structure of the health insurance and hospital industries may have contributed to rising health care costs and deteriorating access to affordable health insurance and health care. Many features of the health insurance market and the ways it links to other parts of the health care system can hinder competition, lead to concentrated markets, and produce inefficient outcomes.

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Book SynopsisHealth care seeks to diagnose, treat, and improve the physical and mental well-being of all Americans. Across the lifespan, health care helps people stay healthy, recover from illness, live with chronic disease or disability, and cope with death and dying. Quality health care delivers these services in a way that is safe, timely, patient centred, efficient, and equitable. Unfortunately, Americans too often do not receive care that they need, or they receive care that causes harm. This book examines the status of health care quality in the United States, targets where improvement is most needed, and explores how the quality of health care delivered to Americans is changing over time.

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Book SynopsisSelenium (Se) is an essential trace element of fundamental importance to health, primarily due to its antioxidant activity. Selenium has chemoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties and is related to enhancing immunity, controlling gastrointestinal, and reducing age-related disorders. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the sources, functions and health effects of selenium. Topics discussed include selenium biorhythms and hormonal regulation; the physiological role of selenium; selenium supplementation of diet effects on antioxidant activity and protects against antibiotic resistance and avian influenza in poultry; selenium in critical illness and tropical diseases; products of animal origin as a source of Se in the human diet; selenium in food materials and stress signaling and proapoptotic pathways induced by selenite in malignant coloncytes.

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