Net operating profits for the first quarter of the year reached AED 760 million (US$ [...]]]>

Emaar Properties PJSC announced first quarter 2010 revenue of AED 2,886 million (US$ 786 million), underpinned by the robust performance of the company’s hospitality and shopping mall subsidiaries during a period when the company opened the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

Net operating profits for the first quarter of the year reached AED 760 million (US$ 207 million), 152 per cent higher than the first-quarter 2009 net operating profit of AED 302 million (US$ 82 million).

The highlight of the first quarter was the opening of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at 828 metres (2,716.5 ft).Mr Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said the first quarter results of the company highlight the success of its strategy to focus on project delivery and business segmentation.

Mr Alabbar said that Emaar’s growth strategy for 2010 is to focus on the larger Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, which is home to more than 30 per cent of the world’s population, of which some 800 million people are below the age of 25.

Emaar made rapid progress in its various projects in different stages of completion during the first quarter of 2010, especially the residential and commercial developments in Downtown Dubai.

Share/Save

“Experience has shown that armed conflicts and natural disasters leave a long-lasting psychological and social impact wherever they occur,” said Sue Prosser, Psychosocial Support Expert [...]]]>

A UNICEF-coordinated training workshop on how to provide mental health and psychosocial support for persons affected by emergencies in the Middle East and North Africa region was opened in Amman today.

“Experience has shown that armed conflicts and natural disasters leave a long-lasting psychological and social impact wherever they occur,” said Sue Prosser, Psychosocial Support Expert at UNICEF’s Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa. “It is essential that humanitarian actors know how to protect the mental health and well-being of persons affected by emergencies.”

Participants will form teams of Advocates per country working on the adoption and use of essential guidelines on how to offer mental health and psychosocial support in emergency situations. In the event of an emergency, the Advocate Teams members will be called upon to immediately assist from any location in the world.

“Protecting and responding to the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people is essential not only in times of emergencies but also in times of stability. This must include populations who seek sanctuary across borders. It is key to normal recovery” said Alison Shafer from World Vision International and member of the regional Advocates Committee.

Share/Save

MenaITech’s CEO Dr. Bashar Hawamdeh said, “MenaITechMenaITech Al Mouthla Programming Services Company’s four main modules; our human [...]]]>

AMMAN – Hikma Pharmaceuticals, a multinational pharmaceutical group based in Jordan, has selected Middle East & North Africa Internet Technologies’ Human Resources Management System (MenaITech) in order to automate its human capital functions throughout its branches in the MENA region.

MenaITech’s CEO Dr. Bashar Hawamdeh said, “MenaITechMenaITech
Al Mouthla Programming Services Company’s four main modules; our human capital management module MenaHR, our payroll & personnel system MenaPay, our self services module MenaME, our business intelligence tool MenaExplorer and our cell phone notification module MenaSMS have been selected for deployment across Hikma’s branches in Jordan, KSA, Egypt & Algeria. The plan is to get the system up and running for all those entities by the end of 2011 which we are confident we will successfully achieve.”

He added, “We have also launched our French version for the Algeria market that will facilitate implementation of our application in the North African region.”

Hikma’s VP of Corporate HR, Ms. Majda Labadi said, “The selection of a reliable, Arabized and qualified HRMS vendor was no easy task for us. We went through a heavy selection process by assessing companies based on regional expertise, international standards and localized functions that would meet our country-specific needs.”

Share/Save

“Blood-sucking arthropods including mosquitoes, sand flies and ticks transmit numerous infectious agents during blood feeding,” said Yoshida.

“This includes malaria, which kills between 1-2 million people, mostly [...]]]>

In a research, Mosquito genetic engineering may turn the malaria transmitting mosquito into a natural ‘flying vaccinator’, in order to provide a new strategy for biological control over the disease.

“Blood-sucking arthropods including mosquitoes, sand flies and ticks transmit numerous infectious agents during blood feeding,” said Yoshida.

“This includes malaria, which kills between 1-2 million people, mostly African children, a year. The lack of an effective vaccine means control of the carrier has become a crucial objective to combating the disease,” he added.

“Following bites, protective immune responses are induced, just like a conventional vaccination but with no pain and no cost,” said Yoshida.

“What’s more continuous exposure to bites will maintain high levels of protective immunity, through natural boosting, for a life time.  So the insect shifts from being a pest to being beneficial.”

While ‘flying vaccinator’ theory may now be scientifically possible the question of ethics hangs over the application of the research. A natural and uncontrolled method of delivering vaccines, without dealing with dosage and consent, alongside public acceptance to the release of ‘vaccinating’ mosquitoes, provide barriers to this method of disease control.

Share/Save

The ‘Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria (second edition)’ provides evidence-based and current recommendations for countries on malaria diagnosis and treatment, said a WHO official.

The main changes from the first edition [...]]]>

The World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines for the treatment of malaria, and the first ever guidance on procuring safe and efficacious anti-malarial medicines.

The ‘Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria (second edition)’ provides evidence-based and current recommendations for countries on malaria diagnosis and treatment, said a WHO official.

The main changes from the first edition of the guidelines (published in 2006) are the emphasis on testing before treating and the addition of a new ACT to the list of recommended treatments.

‘WHO now recommends diagnostic testing in all cases of suspected malaria. Treatment based on clinical symptoms alone should be reserved for settings where diagnostic tests are not available,’ he added.

‘The tests can reliably demonstrate the presence or absence of malaria parasites in the blood and can be performed at all levels of the health system, including community settings,’ he explained.

According to him, the move towards universal diagnostic testing of malaria is a critical step forward in the fight against malaria as it will allow for the targeted use of ACTs for those who actually have malaria.

‘The aim is to reduce the emergence and spread of drug resistance and to help identify patients who have fever, but do not have malaria, so that alternative diagnoses can be made and appropriate treatment provided. Therefore, better management of malaria has a positive impact on management of other childhood illness and overall child survival.’

WHO said it is supporting malaria endemic countries to improve the quality of their diagnostic services using both microscopy and RDTs and urging the manufacturers of RDTs to continue improving the accuracy and quality of these critically important diagnostic tests.

In the guidelines, WHO emphasizes the importance of treating this deadliest form of the disease with artemisinin-based combination therapies. The health organisation has now added a fifth ACT – dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine  – to the previous list of recommended medicines.

WHO in the new guidelines has recommended that oral artemisinin-based monotherapy should be removed from the market because their use will hasten the development of parasite resistance.

Countries need to ensure that patients are diagnosed properly and take the full dose of ACTs to prevent the development of drug resistance.

The first ever guidelines on ‘Good procurement practices for artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines’ are based on the newest stringent internationally agreed production and procurement quality standards.

This manual aims to improve the capacities of national and international procurement officers in the understanding of key quality elements and required documentation. The content is presented as a practical and concise 16-step practical checklist to guide the selection and procurement of safe and effective medicines meeting international quality standards, it said.

Poor-quality medicines affect the health and lives of patients, damage the credibility of health services and, by generating sub-therapeutic drug levels in malaria patients, help develop resistance to this important life-saving class of pharmaceuticals.

“These guidelines will help countries select and procure effective medicines of good quality and save lives by improving the way patients are diagnosed and treated,’ says Dr George Ki-Zerbo, Malaria Programme manager at the WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville.

Half of the world’s population is at risk from malaria. Each year almost 250 million cases occur, causing 860,000 deaths. Approximately 85 per cent of these deaths are among children, and most occur in Africa, he added.

Share/Save

“Atrazine-exposed males were both demasculinised (chemically castrated) and completely feminized as adults,” Tyrone Hayes of the University of California Berkeley and colleagues wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The chemical had been [...]]]>

One of the most commonly used and controversial weedkillers, called Atrazine, can turn male frogs into females, researchers reported on Monday.

“Atrazine-exposed males were both demasculinised (chemically castrated) and completely feminized as adults,” Tyrone Hayes of the University of California Berkeley and colleagues wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The chemical had been shown to disrupt development and make frogs develop both male and female features — termed hermaphroditism. This study of 40 male frogs shows the process can go even further, Hayes said.

“Before, we knew we got fewer males than we should have, and we got hermaphrodites. Now, we have clearly shown that many of these animals are sex-reversed males,” Hayes said in a statement.

“Atrazine has caused a hormonal imbalance that has made them develop into the wrong sex, in terms of their genetic constitution.”     Syngenta AG, one of several companies that makes atrazine, questioned the design of the study and said Hayes has a history of offering flawed studies for publication.

“For 50 years, atrazine has been used safely in agriculture with no effect to amphibians, fish, birds and other wildlife at concentrations found in the environment — a fact that is supported by numerous scientific studies,” the company said in a statement.

The Proceedings is a peer-reviewed journal, meaning that papers it publishes have been screened for obvious flaws.

The European Union banned atrazine in 2004. The finding may add pressure to the United States to more closely regulate the chemical, used widely in agriculture.

“Approximately 80 million pounds (36,000 tonnes) are applied annually in the United States alone, and atrazine is the most common pesticide contaminant of ground and surface water,” the researchers wrote.

“In fact, more than a half million pounds (220 tonnes) of atrazine are precipitated in rainfall each year in the United States.”

The US Environmental Protection Agency said in October it was reviewing the health impacts of atrazine. Hayes and colleagues studied 40 African clawed frogs, keeping them in water contaminated with 2.5 ppb (parts per billion) of atrazine. The EPA’s current drinking water standard is 3 ppb.

“Ten percent of the exposed genetic males developed into functional females that copulated with unexposed males and produced viable eggs,” the researchers wrote.

“Regardless of the mechanism, the impacts of atrazine on amphibians and on wildlife in general are potentially devastating,” they wrote. “The negative impacts on wild amphibians is especially concerning given that the dose examined here (2.5 ppb) is in the range that animals experience year-round in areas where atrazine is used as well within levels found in rainfall, in which levels can exceed 100 ppb in the Midwestern United States,” they added.

Share/Save

The partnership will deliver funds to support programs that offer education and medication on the ground, while harnessing the power of sport to engage youth around the [...]]]>

Nike and (RED), which engages the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, have teamed up in a two-pronged approach to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The partnership will deliver funds to support programs that offer education and medication on the ground, while harnessing the power of sport to engage youth around the world in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

“The fight against AIDS in Africa needs great brands to drive awareness and engagement,” said Susan Smith Ellis, CEO, (RED).

“Nike is the right partner to connect education with sport, and in so doing help drive social change, prevention and understanding of HIV/AIDS. We are thrilled to have them with us.”

Mark Parker, president and CEO of Nike, said: “Nike has a proven history of elevating global causes to create consumer awareness and participation. As a global brand and creative company, Nike can play a role in amplifying this important issue.

“With football as the catalyst, Nike is joining the (RED) movement to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.”

The Nike and (RED) concept is a simple one that invites people to “Lace Up. Save Lives” by purchasing a pair of NIKE (PRODUCT) RED laces.

One hundred per cent of the profits from (NIKE) RED laces will be split equally between The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which funds AIDS programs that provide medicine for those living with HIV, and football-based community initiatives that deliver education and understanding around HIV/AIDS prevention.

This unique partnership delivers programs that both medicate and educate.

Progress has been made in the drive to reduce HIV infections in Africa, with fourteen countries reporting a decline in the prevalence of the disease. This is great news and proves the fight can be won.

But AIDS remains one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. An estimated 3,800 men, women and children die in sub-Saharan Africa every day, in addition to 6,000 new infections every day among 15-24 year old men and women.

“(RED) has created a sustainable way to engage business in funding the fight against AIDS in Africa on a grand scale. Its partnerships not only deliver funds to buy medicine to keep people alive but also provides the leverage needed for us to demonstrate to the public sector that this partnership works and to garner additional support,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Health of Ethiopia and chairman of the board of directors, The Global Fund.

“The addition of Nike to the (RED) initiative will only strengthen this impact as it will help us take this message to millions of football fans around the world and engage them in this issue through their passion for sport,” he added.

(NIKE)RED laces will be available on December 1at Nike Store locations and key retailers worldwide, said a statement.

Share/Save