HEALTH

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is preventable by sustained changes in diet and physical exercise. Despite this, modern societies are already approaching 10% population prevalence of diabetes, and another 15% with pre-diabetes. The costs of T2DM are huge, approaching 10% of all health costs. Prevention of diabetes is a priority for national healthcare agencies and for the health insurance industry. Investment in prevention and lifestyle programmes requires a solid evidence-base for targeting and customising these interventions in a cost-effective manner.

Alzheimers disease (AD) is an ever-increasing public health concern among the aging population and is the most common form of dementia affecting more than 15 million individuals worldwide and around 5 million Europeans. The direct and indirect costs of AD and other dementias amount to more than 440,000 million each year (www.alz.org, 2010).

The overall cept of this research project is to assemble a sortium of international experts working together to develop new and innovative tools to be applied to the trol of dengue in a global text. The core of the application focuses on parallel strategies aimed at:

In 2010 a widely marketed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (rosiglitazone) was taken from the market as it was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, a T2DM complication it was actually supposed to prevent. This example shows several things. First, the approval requirements do not guarantee a longer term positive benefit risk profile. Second, large scale post-marketing studies are desperately needed to monitor the benefit risk profile throughout the lifecycle of T2DM drugs, and to achieve the required scale collaboration across countries is mandatory.

Compulsivity is characterized by a repetitive, irresistible urge to perform a specific behaviour, the experience of loss of voluntary control over this intense urge, the diminished ability to delay or inhibit thoughts or behaviours, and the tendency to perform repetitive acts in a habitual or stereotyped manner. Compulsivity is a cross-disorder trait underlying phenotypically distinct psychiatric disorders that emerge in childhood (autism spectrum disorder, ASD; obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD) or adolescence (substance abuse).

Healthy brain ageing is a major determinant of quality life-long health, allowing integration into society at all ages. Human epidemiological and animal studies indicate that in addition to life style and genetic factors, environmental influences in prenatal life have a major impact on brain ageing and age-associated brain disorders. We hypothesize that:
(1) Prenatal stress programs early brain ageing;
(2) This predisposes to age-associated brain diseases including cognitive decline and stroke;

Dobutamine and adrenaline are widely used as second line therapy for systemic hypotension in infants. Dopamine is currently the most widely used first line drug. In neonates, sustained hypotension may, and impaired organ perfusion will, cause brain injury and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. All three catecholamines are currently used off-label and have different modes of action which may result in potentially harmful haemodynamic effects. No reliable safety or efficacy data exists for the use of these drugs in neonates or newborns.

By 2010 1.5 million stents per year will be deployed in Europe. Although outcome for patients has improved, stents still fail because of the occurrence of restenosis and thrombosis at the site of implantation. While drug eluting stents have helped to reduce the problem of restenosis, neointimal proliferation causing restenosis can still occur. Additional concerns exist regarding drug eluting stents as there appears to be a small but real increase in late and very late stent thrombosis, particularly after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy.

A reduction in functional pancreatic beta cell mass is the key feature of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Beta cell failure is exacerbated in the context of obesity and insulin resistance. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a highly metabolic organ, mediating energy dissipation and glucose disposal, thus contributing to maintain energy balance. BAT dysfunction contributes to obesity and impaired glucose metabolism, increasing functional demand on the beta cells.

Although scientific knowledge to respond to outbreaks has increased, deficiencies remain in the ability of health authorities to communicate the need for large-scale measures such as vaccination and antiviral therapy and increase its acceptance. For effective behavioural and communication strategies, integration is needed of social, behavioural, communication and media sciences.