World Health Day 2021

April 7th of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day. From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and since taking effect in 1950, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization.

Over the past 50 years this has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal and child care, and climate change. The celebration is marked by activities which extend beyond the day itself and serves as an opportunity to focus worldwide attention on these important aspects of global health.

In recent years, countries in the Western Pacific have experienced rapid economic growth, migration and urbanization. This created opportunities for better lives for many, but left others behind. The COVID-19 pandemic has undercut recent health gains, pushed more people into poverty and food insecurity, and amplified gender, social and health inequities.

This World Health Day, we’re calling for action to eliminate health inequities, as part of a year-long global campaign to bring people together to build a fairer, healthier world. The campaign highlights WHO’s constitutional principle that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

To mark World Health Day 2021, Elsevier presents a curated list of free access journal articles and book chapters in support of this year's theme - building a fairer, healthier world for everyone.

Elsevier,

Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, Volume 94, 2020, Pages 1-34

This chapter advances SDG 3 by providing an overview of novel probiotic-related concepts and the scientific evidence that supports their bioactivities as well as the possible mechanisms underlying their health-promoting effects.
Elsevier,

Food, Medical, and Environmental Applications of Polysaccharides, 2021, Pages 381-400

This chapter advances SDGs 3 and 11 by covering the latest advances in biosensors, which play an innovative role in biomedical applications and improving healthcare. Additionally, the focus is on biosensors derived from natural polysaccharides, i.e. sustainable, bio-based materials.
Elsevier,

Gemma C. Cotton, Natalie R. Lagesse, Liam S. Parke, Carla J. Meledandri, 3.04 - Antibacterial Nanoparticles, Editor(s): David L. Andrews, Robert H. Lipson, Thomas Nann, Comprehensive Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Second Edition), Academic Press, 2019, Pages 65-82

This chapter advances SDGs 3 and 6 by showing how increasing bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics is a pressing threat to the human population on a global scale. As the development of new combative drugs is complex, expensive, time consuming and risky, there has been a strong focus in recent years to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of bacterial infections, and nanoscale materials have emerged a strong contender for this purpose.
Elsevier, Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America, Volume 41, February 2021
Increased levels of CO2 and various greenhouse gases cause global warming and, in combination with pollutants from fossil fuel combustion and vehicular and industrial emissions, have been driving increases in noncommunicable diseases across the globe, resulting a higher mortality and morbidity. Respiratory diseases and associated allergenic manifestations have increased worldwide, with rates higher in developing countries. Pollen allergy serves as a model for studying the relationship between air pollution and respiratory disorders.
Elsevier, Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America, Volume 47, February 2021
It is estimated that 32.5 million US adults have clinical osteoarthritis (OA), with the most common sites being knee and hip. OA is associated with substantial individual and societal costs. Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and geographic variations in the prevalence of knee and hip OA are well established around the world. In addition, clinical outcomes associated with hip and knee OA differ according to race/ethnicity, SES, and geography. This variation is likely multifactorial and may also reflect country-specific differences in health care systems.
Elsevier,

Gastroparesis, 2021, Pages 494-505

This book chapter advances SDG 3 by explaining how gastroparesis is a disorder with slowed or inhibited movement of stomach contents into the small intestine. It has long been recognized that the female gender is more prone to gastroparesis, though the significance of this remains a mystery and has not been completely elucidated.
Elsevier, Clinics in Chest Medicine, Volume 42, March 2021
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) occurs in women more than men whereas survival in men is worse than in women. In recent years, much research has been carried out to understand these sex differences in PAH. This article discusses clinical and preclinical studies that have investigated the influences of sex, serotonin, obesity, estrogen, estrogen synthesis, and estrogen metabolism on bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II signaling, the pulmonary circulation and right ventricle in both heritable and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension.
Elsevier, Pediatric Clinics of North America, Volume 68, April 2021
This article documents the increasing numbers of children impacted annually by 1 or more types of violence against children and describes the range of types of injuries and their immediate and long-term impacts on child outcomes. The article describes the growing number of international collaborations to decrease the numbers of children impacted by violence and to mitigate the consequences thereof, with a particular emphasis on children living in war zones.
Elsevier,

Translational Biotechnology, 2021, Pages 53-77

This book chapter advances SDG 3 by explaining how the role of biotechnology as a forerunner in the pathway of revolution of human lives has been promising in the recent past. The achievements of biotechnology in the bio-medical front encompass various products like novel vaccines, diagnostic devices, and novel therapeutic strategies.
Elsevier,

Nanoengineering in Musculoskeletal Regeneration, 2021, Pages 105-136

This book chapter advances SDG 3 by explaining how gene therapy, as an advanced therapy, is a promising strategy for treating musculoskeletal disorders through the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids into the target cells.

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