New observational evidence of the trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust and its contribution to the ambient particulate matter (PM) levels in North America was revealed, based on the interannual variations between Asian dust storms and the ambient PM levels in western North America from year 2000 to 2006. A high correlation was found between them with an R2 value of 0.83. From analysis of the d...

On June 12-13, 2012, the Asia-Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza (APACI) convened jointly with the Influenza Foundation of Thailand and the Thailand Department of Disease Control, the First Asia-Pacific Influenza Summit. The objectives of the meeting were to review the current state of official influenza control policies in Asia-Pacific countries; identify, summarize and communicate ...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a relatively common disease in patients in the Asia-Pacific region. It presents a particular clinical challenge and requires careful clinical management. The chronic nature of AD characterized by flares, exacerbations and periods of quiescence requires a multipronged approach aimed at reducing itch, inflammation and the appearance of secondary lesions. In addition, var...

This paper describes the establishment of an e-Learning platform for Asia-Pacific countries where teachers and researchers of this reg ion can share their knowledge and collaborate in education and research activit ies in order to face the challenges of the rap idly changing world. In the first part of the paper, the present e -Learn ing status, scopes and constraints in the Asia-Pacific region...

Anemia during pregnancy and the postpartum period is commonly caused by iron deficiency and is a significant worldwide issue with severe consequences for both mother and developing fetus. From a worldwide perspective, iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy is highest in the Asia-Pacific region; however, there has been little guidance in this region for safe and effective treatment. An ex...

background: in asia pacific (ap) region, the exact picture of the alcohol use problems has remained relatively obscure. in this study, the profile of alcohol consumption and alcohol related disorders in ap countries are presented.     methods: official statistics on average alcohol consumption (alcohol per capita consumption, apc), alcohol related health variables, income group and alcohol poli...

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), and key contributing factors include chronic colonic inflammation and the extent and duration of disease. This increase in risk is more likely to result from chronic inflammation of the colonic mucosa than from any clearly defined genetic predisposition. However, globally, the true mag...

The world's scientific community has recognized that isotopic techniques play a vital role in monitoring the effectiveness of nutrition intervention by providing precise data on absorption, bioavailablity and interaction of various micronutrients in a cost effective manner. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been supporting many such health related studies in Member States from d...

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) testing in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer is an evolving area in clinical practice that has particular relevance to Asia-Pacific countries, which face a high incidence of these diseases. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that HER2-targeted therapy improves survival for patients with HER2-positive advanced disease, and drives th...

It is our pleasure to welcome you to the First Asia-Pacific Workshop on Embedded System Education and Research (APESER 2007). This workshop is held in conjunction with the 13th International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Systems (ICPADS'07), Hsinchu, Taiwan. Embedded system design as a discipline has long been pursued in the industry in various application domains including avionics, a...