Hypertriglyceridemia is a risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Very high triglyceride (TG) levels (≥500 mg/dl [5.65 mmol/l]) increase the risk of pancreatitis. One therapeutic option to lower TG levels is omega-3 fatty acids, which are derived from the oil of fish and other seafood. The American Heart Association has acknowledged that fish oils may decrease dysrhythmias, decrease sudden death, decrease the rate of atherosclerosis and slightly lower blood pressure, and has recommended fish consumption or fish oil supplementation as a therapeutic strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease. A prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters (P-OM3) preparation has been available in many European nations for at least a decade, and was approved by the US FDA in 2004 to reduce very high TG levels (≥500 mg/dl [5.65 mmol/l]). Mechanistically, most evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the synthesis and secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, and increase TG removal from VLDL and chylomicron particles through the upregulation of enzymes, such as lipoprotein lipase. Omega-3 fatty acids differ mechanistically from other lipid-altering drugs, which helps to explain why therapies such as P-OM3 have complementary mechanisms of action and, thus, complementary lipid benefits when administered with statins. Additional human studies are needed to define more clearly the cellular and molecular basis for the TG-lowering effects of omega-3 fatty acids and their favorable cardiovascular effects, particularly in patients with hypertriglyceridemia.
We were told that the fish oil is good for our health as it reduces the level of lipid in our blood so as to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. We were recommended to eat fish and avoid high fat meal. Now there were more evidence of fish oil effects on hypertriglyceridemia though we still need more human studies to define its clear mechanism.
Prevention is always better than cure. Do not wait until you got hypertriglyceridemia (high level of triglyceride in your blood) that you seek the treatment or start taking fish oil. Isn’t it more cost-effective just to eat healthy food like fish, vegetables and fruits than taking medicine?
There are also huge gaps in the quality of health care between countries, not necessarily between the developed and the developing world. It is everywhere between socioeconomic groups. Some of the preventable diseases are still the leading causes of death in the third world countries while science and technology in the first world is advancing everyday. The scientists are searching for better means of curing diseases and improving the quality of lives, but those means are never reached the third world due to this huge gap. Does it mean each life worth differently? But we are taught that each life is valuable and should be valued equally. It is part of our human right, isn’t it?
Some people would argue that it is individual’s own responsibility so we can’t do anything about it, while others think that we should do something about it since it is everybody’s problem and it may also affect us.
I think it is just a matter of sharing, compromising, giving and taking not just taking all the time. Due to the selfishness and greediness of human nature, there will always be the disparity between the rich and the poor, the high and the low educated, the have and the don’t have… We can’t eliminate this gap but we can bridge that gap as much as possible so that we can keep the balance and improve the quality of lives.
How to bridge this health disparities gap???
Look at the different problems that the wealthy and the poor nations face: Obesity Vs Hunger
Posted on December 6, 2000 at 10:35 a.m.BIRMINGHAM, AL — Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are testing a new HIV vaccine to determine if it is safe and whether it induces an immune response in the body. The multi-center study is being conducted here by the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic at UAB (AVRC@UAB).The vaccine, developed by Merck Inc., is the second HIV vaccine studied at UAB that uses naked DNA. “Other vaccines being tested are enveloped DNA, carried inside a harmless virus, like canary pox, or they are proteins,” says Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of AVRC@UAB. “With DNA vaccines, the DNA enters the cells and signals them to produce proteins, which in turn induce the production of virus-fighting T-cells.”A new technology has allowed researchers to remove the harmless virus from around the DNA and develop a “straight” DNA vaccine. “It’s an interesting new concept in vaccine development and may represent the future of vaccine research and development,” says Mulligan. “The gene used in the vaccine has been modified slightly to produce more proteins in humans.”This is a small-scale first-phase study. “There is absolutely no way for volunteers to get HIV from the vaccine,” says Mulligan. “We are recruiting 12 volunteers, men and women, age 19 to 55, to participate at UAB. Volunteers should be healthy, HIV-negative and at low-risk for contracting HIV.”Following an initial screening, eligible volunteers enrolled in the 18-month study will receive four injections of the vaccine over a six-month period. Volunteers will receive a small financial compensation for their participation to help cover time and travel expenses.
“Despite the excellent progress made in the development of therapies to treat people infected with HIV, most experts agree that the only way to gain control of the worldwide epidemic is with a vaccine,” says Mulligan. “Last year approximately six million people were infected with the virus, and for many, especially those in the developing world, therapies are not available.”
The new DNA vaccine study is part of a larger HIV vaccine research program at the AVRC@UAB. “Vaccines work by preventing infection or disease,” says Mulligan. “The idea is to create memory in the body so that in the future, if the virus invades, the immune system will recognize it as virus and mount an immediate, aggressive response. That is what we are aiming for — an effective HIV vaccine that will protect people from disease caused by the virus.”
For more information about this or other vaccine studies under way at UAB and how you can participate, contact Sherree Wright with the AVRC@UAB at (205) 975-2841 or online at www.uab.edu/avrc.
Isn’t it a new hope for public health prevention approach to better control the epidemic?
It can also a new hope for some people who are sexually active and having multiple partners. How about morality, Honesty with their partner? Isn’t it the best way to prevent the epidemic? Hehe
I found this interesting video on YouTube about Public Health.
I love the song and the brief info about the history of public health with the name of the public health pioneers such as John Snow, who was considered as the father of Epidemiology, and their great achievments.
I found an interesting video on YouTube about Public Health by Stephanie Reinhardt during her graduation ceremony in 2007 for her MPH degree. I really love her speech and her sense of humor in explaining this complicated question of what public health is. I agree with her that it’s hard to explain what exactly Public Health is since it is pretty much of everything.
Most people from the fields other than health would think public health is the same as medical field. However, public health and medicine are two distinct fields. I have moved myself from being a pharmacist as part of medicine to a public health professional. I was confused also about the distinction between these two fields and the work within these fields. Until I took a course of Introduction to Public Health as required for my Master of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that I learned the critical role public health plays in improving the health status of the population. It’s concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population. Check this website for more detail info: http://www.whatispublichealth.org/
My main purpose of creating this blog, in particular this page about public health is to share what I have learned and experienced to the health professionals in Cambodia. I was inspired by the public health professionals who have been working so hard to improve the health of the whole community with cost-effectiveness for such a developing country like Cambodia.
Another important distinction I’d like to clarify is that you do not have to be in medical field to be public health professional or to work in public health field. There are 6 core disciplines of public health: Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Behavior, Environmental Health Sciences, Health Policy and Maternal & Child Health. Nevertheless, Public Health is multidisciplinary in nature and Global Health become more critical issue in such globalization era as a result of Rapid Spread of Infectious Diseases, Environmental Degradation, Chronic Poverty and Epidemiologic Transition from infectious diseases to chronic diseases. The three core functions of Public Health are Assessment, Policy Development and Assurance. In terms of Assessment, Public Health Agencies are in charged with needs assessment related to the health and well-being of the entire population, then they are expected to lead the development of sound scientific knowledge-based policies and a more comprehensive public health decision-making process. The final role of Public Health is to assure that the public’s health needs are addressed effectively.
Inspired by bloggers who have created blogs as a useful mean of information exchange, I struggled myself to create this blog despite my poor writing and computer skills so as to practice my English and French.
In addition to a mean of sharing my academic as well as professional experience, this blog is also served as a personal diary for me to be connected to my beloved family and friends while I’m away from them.
Mon objectif principal d’écrire quelque articles de ce blog en Francais est de profiter de l’utiliser pour que je ne l’oublie pas quand je suis aux Etats Units. Corrigez-moi s’il vous plaît car mon Francais est terrible! Merci beaucoup pour votre temps!
Hi everybody,
I am currently a Fulbright grantee pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I obtained my Diploma of Pharmacy at the University of Health Sciences and my Bachelor of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in 2005. My working experience included teaching English to adult learners from elementary to intermediate level at Australian Center for Education (ACE) and coordinating pharmacy for a clinical trial called CAMELIA (Early Vs Late Introduction of Anti-retroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients co-infected with TB in Cambodia). I also used to serve as a volunteer drug dispenser at the Sihanouk Hospital, Centre of HOPE. My areas of interest include health management, policy formulation and evaluation, and non-profit health insurance.
