Ulrich Laaser

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprises 15-member states with an estimated population of 350 million. This account relates the present status of maternal, neonatal, and under-five-mortality to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets set for 2030. For each SDG indicator, progress observed was compared with that needed to meet the target (assuming linear progression). The highest maternal mortality ratio is found in Sierra Leone (1360 in 2015), followed by Nigeria (814) and Liberia (725). Whereas Sierra Leone and Nigeria keep high positions also for the neonatal and under-five mortality rate, Liberia ranks clearly better than the ECOWAS average. Globally skilled health professionals' density is 25 per 10,000 population and in Nigeria close to it with 20.1 whereas Guinea takes the last position with 1.4. The gap analysis shows that ECOWAS countries have a realistic chance to likely reach the SDG targets in 2030 with a delay of less than 4 years regarding maternal, neonatal, and under-five-mortality although their skilled health professionals' density is considerably lower than for the entire African Region.

At the end of the 20th century, many of the major health problems facing highly industrialized nations stem from advanced technology, a richer diet, and lengthened life span. The scope of public health has greatly expanded. While health hazards to the public have increased, the strategies available to remedy them have grown commensurably. Public health has borrowed and adapted knowledge from the biological, medical, behavioral, and social sciences, and has been quick to recognize the potential of new fields such as the management sciences for safeguarding the health of the community. Through chapters written by expert contributors, this reference provides a synopsis of the state of the development of public health in twenty countries around the world. These countries vary considerably in national policies for organizing health services. Some are heavily industrialized, such as Germany and the United States, while others, such as Tanzania and Thailand, are less developed. Each chapter is devoted to a particular country, with chapters discussing similar issues in order to foster comparisons. Chapters discuss the overall status of public health from practice to research and teaching, and take into account the resulting health effects and the quality and efficiency of the delivery systems. Chapters include extensive references, and an appendix lists organizations in each country.

Die dominante Rolle der Lipide bei der multifaktoriell bestimmten Arteriosklerose ist mittlerweile unumstritten. Eine Fülle von Studien belegt dies eindrucksvoll. Dieses Buch faßt diese wesentlichen Lipid-Studien, ihr Design und ihre Ergebnisse nach einem einheitlichen Schema zusammen und erlaubt somit dem interessierten Arzt, sich schnell einen Überblick zu verschaffen. Die Angabe der Hauptveröffentlichungen und die Nennung des Projektleiters vereinfacht die Beschaffung von Detailinformationen.