Search Results (9)

Background: Reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) remains a key priority for official development assistance and private voluntary assistance (ODA+) in low-income countries. In Guinea-Bissau, maternal and child mortality rates remain high, with the healthcare system heavily dependent on foreign aid. This study analyzes ODA+ trends for RMNCH in Guinea-Bissau from 2002 to 2018 and assesses its impact on maternal, neonatal, infsupplent, and under-five mortality rates. Methods: We used data from the OECD Creditor Reporting System and applied the Muskoka2 methodology to estimate RMNCH-related disbursements. Funding trends were categorized by donor type and RMNCH subsectors. A longitudinal analysis used regression models to assess the relationship between aid categories and mortality outcomes. Results: RMNCH funding accounted for 8.9% of total ODA+ to Guinea-Bissau, with most aid directed toward child health. Models revealed a negative association between child health funding and under-five and infant mortality, while reproductive health funding showed no significant correlation with maternal or neonatal mortality. Conclusions: Although variable, ODA+ for RMNCH in Guinea-Bissau has helped reduce child mortality. However, maternal and neonatal mortality require targeted interventions and improved coordination. Fluctuating aid disbursements emphasize the need for sustainable health financing and stronger donor alignment with national priorities. Full article

Golden tomato (GT), harvested at the veraison stage, has gained attention due to its rich content of bioactive compounds and potential health benefits. Previous studies have highlighted GT’s antioxidant properties and its positive effects on metabolic syndrome (MetS), a condition characterized by obesity, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress. This study investigates for the first time a derivative from GT, i.e., the juice (GTJ), which could be a potential candidate for development as a functional food. We first characterized GT juice, identifying 9-oxo-10(E),12(E)-octadecadienoic (9-oxo-10(E),12(E)-ODA) fatty acid, a known peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) agonist, using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)–mass spectrometry. Then, using a high-fat-diet (HFD) rat model, we assessed the impact of daily GT juice supplementation in addressing MetS. We outlined that GTJ improved body weight and leptin-mediated food intake. Moreover, it ameliorated glucose tolerance, lipid profile, systemic redox homeostasis, hepatic oxidative stress, and steatosis in HFD rats. Furthermore, GT juice enhances the hepatic transcription of PPAR-α, thus putatively promoting fatty acid oxidation and lipid metabolism. These findings suggest that GT juice mitigates lipidic accumulation and putatively halters oxidative species at the hepatic level through PPAR-α activation. Our study underscores the protective effects of GT juice against MetS, highlighting its future potential as a nutraceutical for improving dysmetabolism and associated alterations. Full article

Background and Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the association between gut microbiota’s oxalate-degrading activity (ODA) and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over a three-year follow-up period in a cohort of patients undergoing kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Additionally, various factors were examined to gain insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the ODA–CVD link. Materials and Methods: A cohort of 32 KRT patients and 18 healthy volunteers was enrolled in this prospective observational pilot study. Total fecal ODA, routine clinical data, plasma oxalic acid (POx), serum indoxyl sulfate, lipid profile, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory markers were measured, and the patients were followed up for three years to assess CVD events. Results: The results revealed that patients with kidney failure exhibited significantly lower total fecal ODA levels compared to the healthy control group (p = 0.017), with a higher proportion showing negative ODA status (≤−1% per 0.01 g) (p = 0.01). Negative total fecal ODA status was associated with a significantly higher risk of CVD events during the three-year follow-up period (HR = 4.1, 95% CI 1.4–16.3, p = 0.003), even after adjusting for potential confounders. Negative total fecal ODA status was significantly associated with elevated POx and indoxyl sulfate levels and linked to dyslipidemia, increased oxidative stress, and inflammation, which are critical contributors to CVD. Conclusions: The findings contribute novel insights into the relationship between gut microbiota’s ODA and cardiovascular health in patients undergoing KRT, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate underlying mechanisms and explore potential therapeutic implications of targeting gut microbiota’s ODA in this vulnerable population. Full article

From the early stage of the millennium development goals campaign, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria have received huge aid funds. With the datasets published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments, and World Health Organization from 2005 to 2017, we analyzed the association between the total DAH or DAH per capita and the disease burden. We measured the total DAH or DAH per capita as the dependent variable, with six independent variables of disease burden for Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY), number of infected people, number of deaths, prevalence, incidence, and mortality rate. For the trend in ODA targeting, the likelihood ratio test of the fixed effects models was used to assess any existence of slope changes in linear regression across the years. The total amount of DAH and DAH per capita was found positively related with every aspect of disease burden, with the regression coefficients increasing during 2005–2017. For instance, the slope of association between the DAH per capita and the disease burden of malaria became steeper over time (likelihood ratio, χ² = 26.14, p < 0.001). Although the selection criteria for the recipient country have been controversial, ODA targeting has been performed based on disease burden in this research. Full article

Financial sustainability has been a perennial problem in international development. Furthermore, among different areas of developmental support, securing sufficient financial resources is particularly significant in the health sector where people’s very lives are at stake. Given the above, we examine innovative development finance (IDF) for the health sector with a particular focus on the air ticket solidarity levy system in the Republic of Korea. After an overview of the origins and the present state of the solidarity tax system, we explain how it was implemented in the context of South Korea’s health ODA (Official Development Assistance). A first-ever health ODA stakeholders’ perception survey with its implications on the airplane tax system follows. For policy suggestions, we suggest incorporating a COVID-19 agenda into the Global Disease Eradication Fund (GDEF) immediately, and to raise public awareness in a timely fashion. We believe the Korean case is significant for both its direct impact in the Eurasian region as an emerging donor, and for its unique position due to its middle-power status whose trajectory could serve as an example to many other nations seeking sustainable financial schemes. Full article

Development assistance for health (DAH) is an important part of financing healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. We estimated the gross disbursement of DAH of the 29 Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for 2011–2019; and clarified its flows, including aid type, channel, target region, and target health focus area. Data from the OECD iLibrary were used. The DAH definition was based on the OECD sector classification. For core funding to non-health-specific multilateral agencies, we estimated DAH and its flows based on the OECD methodology for calculating imputed multilateral official development assistance (ODA). The total amount of DAH for all countries combined was 18.5 billion USD in 2019, at 17.4 USD per capita, with the 2011–2019 average of 19.7 billion USD. The average share of DAH in ODA for the 29 countries was about 7.9% in 2019. Between 2011 and 2019, most DAC countries allocated approximately 60% of their DAH to primary health care, with the remaining 40% allocated to health system strengthening. We expect that the estimates of this study will help DAC member countries strategize future DAH wisely, efficiently, and effectively while ensuring transparency. Full article

Walnuts contain a complex array of natural compounds and phytochemicals that exhibit a wide range of health benefits, including protection against inflammation and colon cancer. In this study, we assess the effects of dietary supplementation with walnuts on colonic mucosal injury induced in mice by the ulcerogenic agent, dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). C57Bl/6J mice were started on the Total Western Diet supplemented with freshly-ground whole walnuts (0, 3.5, 7 and 14% g/kg) 2 weeks prior to a 5-day DSS treatment and walnut diets were continued throughout the entire experimental period. Mice were examined at 2 days or 10 days after withdrawal of DSS. In a separate study, a discovery-based metabolite profiling analysis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed on fecal samples and colonic mucosa following two weeks of walnut supplementation. Dietary walnut supplementation showed significant effects in the 10-day post-DSS recovery-phase study, in which the extent of ulceration was significantly reduced (7.5% vs. 0.3%, p < 0.05) with 14% walnuts. In the metabolite-profiling analysis, walnuts caused a significant increase in several polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 9-oxo-10(E),12(E)-octadecadienoic acid (9-oxoODA), as well as kynurenic acid. In colon tissue samples, walnuts caused a significant increase in the levels of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and betaine, important components of fatty acid β-oxidation. These metabolite changes may contribute in part to the observed protection against DSS-induced inflammatory tissue injury. Full article

Previous studies are limited in identifying the effectiveness of each country to seek sectoral support rather than integrated aid. However, it is hypothesized that sector-specific aid by Official Development Assistance (ODA) may be more effective than total aid. This study aims to identify the determinants of economic growth and the living standard levels in 15 Asian countries, focusing particularly on the effects of Official Development Assistance (ODA). In order to explore this research question, we have used two indexes: (1) the annual ODA grants to Korea, with aid type as the key independent variable; and (2) the human development index (HDI), to measure dependent variables from 2006 to 2016, across the 15 Asian countries. Special attention has been paid to understand which is more significant on human development, the effects of each type of aid program individually, and the whole amount of ODA assistance. We have constructed a panel model and a fuzzy set ideal type model to account in the data for qualitative attributes by recipient countries. We have found that the economic and social impacts of ODA on the basis of panel data are significant and that our instrumental variable (IV) method illustrates a statistically significant impact of the total ODA on the HDI of the recipient countries. By separating the total amount of ODA into economic and social sectors, we have found that specific programs of public service, medical care, and welfare are more likely to directly affect HDI. While the total amount of ODA still has a positive impact on HDI, education, health, and the public service field, aids also have significant effects on HDI. Although the effect of sector-specific aid in the water and sanitation field grant-aid is not significant in panel regression results, our fuzzy set method shows that, even if education aid is low, HDI is estimated to increase if the level of health and public service aid is high. Our empirical findings suggest that (1) sector-specific aid may be more effective than total aid with ineffective sub-aid programs and that (2) an optimally specific combination of various sub-programs in ODA may exist for each developing country. Full article

A project on maternal and child health (MCH) was conducted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency to reduce maternal and child mortality rates in Kwango, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and benefits of the MCH project, which was under Official Development Assistance for a period of 3 years from 2014 to 2016. The study conducted a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) using a benefit-cost ratio (BCR). The costs were the total costs incurred in implementing the MCH project. The benefits of the MCH project were estimated as the monetary values of the reduction in maternal mortality rates and the mortality rates of infants and children aged under 5 years. The adjusted costs that converted the time value for 2016 were estimated as USD 1,969,532 as part of the CBA. The benefits of reduced maternal mortality and the mortality of infants and children aged under 5 years were estimated as USD 681,416, USD 4,332,376, and USD 1,710,184, respectively, in monetary terms. The total benefits were estimated as USD 6,723,976 and the BCR was calculated at 3.41. In addition, the benefits were estimated by the different economic assumptions through a sensitivity analysis. The MCH project was economically satisfied under the most conservative assumptions. Full article