The objectives of this review were to determine whether the smoking paradox still exists and to summarize possible explanations for the smoking paradox. Based on published data, we compared the risk of cigarette smoking for lung cancer in Western and Asian countries. We extracted data from the relevant studies about annual tobacco consumption, lung cancer mortality rates according to smoking st...

Background Solid fuel use is the major source of household air pollution (HAP) and accounts for a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality in low and middle income countries. To evaluate and compare childhood mortality attributable to HAP in four South Asian countries. Methods A series of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets for Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan were used for...

BACKGROUND After 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) introduction, non-vaccine serotypes such as 19A are increasing among Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, only limited data on 19A S. pneumoniae are available in Asian countries. METHODS Out of 1637 S. pneumoniae clinical pneumonia isolates collected during 2008 and 2009 from 10 Asian countries (Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, S...

This paper quantifies the impact of terrorism and conflicts on income per capita growth in Asia for 1970–2004. Our panel estimations show that transnational terrorist attacks had a significant growth-limiting effect. An additional terrorist incident per million persons reduces gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth by about 1.5%. In populous countries, many additional attacks are needed...

Background Despite recommendations from the World Health Organization in most Asian countries, young people’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs are poorly provided and understood. The aim of this review paper is identifying barriers as well as improving strategies to access SRH information and services among Asian youth. Materials and M...

INTRODUCTION Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a well known but poorly reported entity. Most of the studies and registries related to CVT are reported from European countries. No large multi-center or multi- national data base or registry has been reported from Asian countries. CVT is not uncommon in Asia especially in south Asian subcontinent including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. One stu...

This paper tries to address the impact of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Central Asian security. This organization was established on April 26, 1996 to settle security and territorial disputes between China and Russia and Central Asian countries (other than Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). After the accession of Uzbekistan to this assembly, the level of the organization was promoted, and...

Due to timely process of WTO negotiations, unwillingness of advanced industrial countries to give concessions to developing economies regarding tariff and non-tariff barriers on agricultural commodity imports, the ongoing initiatives in Northern hemisphere to establish new and wider free trading areas which will divert trade out of the market from Asian countries, and ineffectiveness of deepeni...