Cradle-to-cradle stewardship of drugs for minimizing their environmental disposition while promoting human health. II. Drug disposal, waste reduction, and future directions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a profound overview of recent research trends and structures in European waste-related research based on the 7th Framework Programme (FP7), the most important RTD programme in Europe. Design/methodology/approach – In order to analyse Europe-wide research efforts on waste technologies, the authors conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 50 FP7-funded research projects to assess which approaches they take, which technologies they develop and which types of organisations play a leading role. Findings – FP7 waste-related projects care for a multiplicity of environmental technologies concerning waste. The most prominent research fields comprise: first, the recovery of by-products and waste into biomass and other valuable products; second, the development of technologies to rework manufacturing discarded products and, therefore, reduce the total use of raw materials; third, the improvement of manufacturing technologies in order to cut down on industrial waste; and finally, the support of the development of recycling management processes. In total, 52 per cent of all the participants are from the industry sector, which therefore plays an essential role. Practical implications – The analysis show that FP7 supports the shift to a cradle-to-cradle society and is partly in line with the aims of the new Flagship Initiative “A resource-efficient Europe”. Originality/value – This analysis gives the possibility to benchmark the trend of waste-related research carried out at European level against priorities set within European directives.

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Exploring Healthy Connection

Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration - Novel Applications of Virtual Communities in Healthcare Settings ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2958-3.ch007 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 171-187

Author(s):

Jessica L. Moore

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Online Social Networks ◽

Virtual Communities ◽

New Technologies ◽

Social Bonds ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Future Directions ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Health Related

Virtual social connection has become a way of life for many people. The continued implementation of new technologies in social interaction presents an ever-escalating need for researchers and practitioners to understand the implications of mediated interaction and virtual communities on human health and wellbeing. Accordingly, this chapter presents research on the salience of communication and social bonds in relation to human health and wellbeing, explores ways in which individual as well as relational health and wellbeing are affected by the use of social network sites, and argues a case for research on the health-related functions of expressive narratives in virtual settings such as online social networks. Considerations and future directions for research of these issues conclude this chapter.

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The Current and Future State of Department of Defense (DoD) Microbiome Research: a Summary of the Inaugural DoD Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium Informational Meeting

mSystems ◽

10.1128/msystems.00086-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sarah Glaven ◽

Kenneth Racicot ◽

Dagmar H. Leary ◽

J. Philip Karl ◽

Steven Arcidiacono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Air Force ◽

Department Of Defense ◽

Collaborative Research ◽

Research Policy ◽

Future Directions ◽

Research Activities ◽

Future State ◽

Microbiome Research ◽

And Performance

ABSTRACT The Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was recently established to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among Department of Defense (DoD) organizations. The TSMC aims to serve as a forum for sharing information related to DoD microbiome research, policy, and applications, to monitor global advances relevant to human health and performance, to identify priority objectives, and to facilitate Tri-Service (Army, Navy, and Air Force) collaborative research. The inaugural TSMC workshop held on 10 to 11 May 2017 brought together almost 100 attendees from across the DoD and several key DoD partners. The meeting outcomes informed attendees of the scope of current DoD microbiome research efforts and identified knowledge gaps, collaborative/leveraging opportunities, research barriers/challenges, and future directions. This report details meeting presentations and discussions with special emphasis on Tri-Service labs’ current research activities.

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Healthcare Waste, Pandemic Covid-19: A Case of India

Nature Environment and Pollution Technology ◽

10.46488/nept.2021.v20i05.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Dinesh Kumar ◽

Sukesh Trikha ◽

Ranju Anthony

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Human Health ◽

Social Impact ◽

Waste Reduction ◽

World Health ◽

Healthcare Waste ◽

The Social ◽

Future Challenges ◽

The Times ◽

Health Organization

The present pandemic, while causing economic slowdown and global panic, also generated healthcare waste in unprecedented amounts across the globe, due to mass screenings/diagnosing/treatment. This paper aims to explore the prospects of the current and future challenges with respect to the risk to human health due to environmental contamination with the healthcare waste generated as a result of and caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the Indian context. Peer-reviewed literature with respect to healthcare waste generation during the pandemic, its burden, challenges, and policies promulgated during the pandemic and their implications for the future was searched on various databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct and reviewed. Many research studies and international reports have demonstrated that the quantity of biomedical waste has increased in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe. Additionally, the danger of general waste getting contaminated has also multiplied, in part due to increased quarantine facilities and home quarantines, along with hospitals managing Covid-19 patients and also due to inadequate segregation at the point of generation of such waste, which is a major concern in itself. The occupational exposure of this increased waste to hospital and municipal waste collection workers has also increased, though World Health Organization (WHO) declines having any evidence of transmission of coronavirus while handling healthcare waste. Enough policies existed before the pandemic and few newer guidelines are also issued to address various additional aspects, which are to be implemented to manage the healthcare waste, minimize threats to the environment and human health. Cleaner, greener waste management facilities, the inclusion of bio-disaster in disaster management, the social impact of waste management policies, and waste reduction are to be prioritized.

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Urban environments and human health: current trends and future directions

Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability ◽

10.1016/j.cosust.2017.06.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 33-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Chinmoy Sarkar ◽

Chris Webster

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Future Directions ◽

Current Trends

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Reverse logistics for waste reduction in cradle-to-cradle-oriented firms: waste management strategies in the Dutch metal industry

International Journal of Technology Management ◽

10.1504/ijtm.2012.049108 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 60 (1/2) ◽

pp. 96 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Aleid Van Der Wiel ◽

Bart Bossink ◽

Enno Masurel

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Reverse Logistics ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Waste Reduction ◽

Metal Industry ◽

Cradle To Cradle

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Current Perspectives of the Applications of Polyphenols and Flavonoids in Cancer Therapy

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25153342 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (15) ◽

pp. 3342 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xavier Montané ◽

Oliwia Kowalczyk ◽

Belen Reig-Vano ◽

Anna Bajek ◽

Krzysztof Roszkowski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Therapy ◽

Human Health ◽

Food Additives ◽

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Natural Compounds ◽

Future Directions ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Wide Range ◽

Cancer Initiation ◽

Natural Drugs

The development of anticancer therapies that involve natural drugs has undergone exponential growth in recent years. Among the natural compounds that produce beneficial effects on human health, polyphenols have shown potential therapeutic applications in cancer due to their protective functions in plants, their use as food additives, and their excellent antioxidant properties. The possibility of combining conventional drugs—which are usually more aggressive than natural compounds—with polyphenols offers very valuable advantages such as the building of more efficient anticancer therapies with less side effects on human health. This review shows a wide range of trials in which polyphenolic compounds play a crucial role as anticancer medicines alone or in combination with other drugs at different stages of cancer: cancer initiation, promotion, and growth or progression. Moreover, the future directions in applications of various polyphenols in cancer therapy are emphasized.

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