Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are acknowledged as key drivers in realizing health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University of the Philippines Manila, College of Public Health (UP CPH) together with the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH), hosted the 53rd APACPH International Conference last 21-23 September 2022. The conference discussed current issues relating to the attainment of SDGs and promoted collaboration of leading academic institutions and other stakeholders in addressing various public health challenges. The conference revolved around the challenges and opportunities in attaining health-related SDGs, and the good practices and roles of HEIs in addressing health disparities. The lack of certificati on framework of public health tertiary programs, pedagogy and infrastructure, and ambiguous roles and network of public health professionals were discussed. The conference served as a platform for discussing potential resolutions and ways forward in addressing these challenges. Opportunities for improvement such as updating of policies and curricula, strengthening of internship and community engagement programs, establishment of capacity-building partnerships and programs, and developing multidisciplinary-competent faculty and students were identified. This paper providesthe highlights of the conference focusing on the good practices and roles of HEIs in addressing health disparities, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and other issues and challenges in attaining SDGs.

Human ; Sustainable Development ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Public Health

Severe aortic stenosis has increased exponentially as a result of the aging of the population. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures increase by 20%-30% per year in Spain. Referred patients are increasingly older, have comorbidities, and frailty. TAVR cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs significantly improve both functional capacity and quality of life of patients. However, there are no guidelines on how to carry out them and few elderly patients are referred to CR. Furthermore, mortality in women who undergo TAVR is higher than in men and even fewer are referred to CR programs. Multidisciplinary patient care, including comorbidities and frailty, is essential. It is necessary to ensure exquisite continuity of care during TAVR, CR, and the rest of the patient's life. Telerehabilitation could be an option in some lower-risk patients to include more patients in CR programs after TAVR, given the high demand. This article reviews the evidence on why CR should be performed in post-TAVR patients and proposes a practical and novel approach to the care process and the recommended aspects and components of the CR program.

Intrathecal drug delivery is an effective and safe option for the treatment of chronic pathology refractory to conventional pain therapies. Typical intrathecal administered drugs are opioids, baclofen, local anesthetics and adjuvant medications. Although knowledge about mechanisms of action of intrathecal drugs are every day more clear many doubt remain respect the correct location of intrathecal catheter in order to achieve the best therapeutic result. We analyze the factors that can affect drug distribution within the cerebrospinal fluid. Three categories of variables were identified: drug features, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and patients features. First category includes physicochemical properties and pharmacological features of intrathecal administered drugs with special attention to drug lipophilicity. In the second category, the variables in CSF flow, are considered that can modify the drug distribution within the CSF with special attention to the new theories of liquoral circulation. Last category try to explain inter-individual difference in baclofen response with difference that are specific for each patients such as the anatomical area to treat, patient posture or reaction to inflammatory stimulus. We conclude that a comprehensive evaluation of the patients, including imaging techniques to study the anatomy and physiology of intrathecal environment and CSF dynamics, could become essential in the future to the purpose of optimize the clinical outcome of intrathecal therapy.
Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthetics, Local ; Baclofen ; Catheters ; Chronic Pain ; Humans ; Posture