Global View Of A Sustainable Society And Its Stability

It is often said, and at present it is probably true that famine and poverty in some parts of the world are a problem of distribution rather than one of production of the necessities of life. The improvement of our distribution system, however, does not only solve an acute problem of regional deprivation, but also creates regional interdependence. Thus, with present day transcontinental trade the questions related to sustainability become global issues. The whole world is an interconnected network. Is there some "invisible hand" which guides local actions in a direction beneficial to the whole or does this connectedness necessitate deliberate global planning?A similar question arises when we look far ahead in time. Many people have a blind trust in the future and are unconcerned with questions of long term sustainability of human civilization. Those who believe in science and technology respond to warnings of global sustenance problems: "The engineers will invent something that will solve our problems." Those with a religious bent say: "Why worry about tomorrow? 'He' who has provided for us in the past will do so in the future." How useful is this fatalistic stance today? Given the knowledge we possess, are we not responsible for irreversible damages to the Planet which will burden future generations? Is mankind capable of consciously choosing its future path?This paper analyses the state of the World and the stability of the processes in it. We take a global and long term perspective. The basic tool used is a balance equation for material, cultural, biological, social and ecological substances. Conditions for sustainable, dynamic equilibria are derived and presented in per capita values in order to facilitate intuitive comprehension. Possible contributions to sustainability of the natural sciences and engineering and of the social sciences and the humanities are outlined. In conclusion some desirable and some accidental paths to sustainability are given.

Global View Of A Sustainable Society And Its Stability

It is often said, and at present it is probably true that famine and poverty in some parts of the world are a problem of distribution rather than one of production of the necessities of life. The improvement of our distribution system, however, does not only solve an acute problem of regional deprivation, but also creates regional interdependence. Thus, with present day transcontinental trade the questions related to sustainability become global issues. The whole world is an interconnected network. Is there some "invisible hand" which guides local actions in a direction beneficial to the whole or does this connectedness necessitate deliberate global planning?A similar question arises when we look far ahead in time. Many people have a blind trust in the future and are unconcerned with questions of long term sustainability of human civilization. Those who believe in science and technology respond to warnings of global sustenance problems: "The engineers will invent something that will solve our problems." Those with a religious bent say: "Why worry about tomorrow? 'He' who has provided for us in the past will do so in the future." How useful is this fatalistic stance today? Given the knowledge we possess, are we not responsible for irreversible damages to the Planet which will burden future generations? Is mankind capable of consciously choosing its future path?This paper analyses the state of the World and the stability of the processes in it. We take a global and long term perspective. The basic tool used is a balance equation for material, cultural, biological, social and ecological substances. Conditions for sustainable, dynamic equilibria are derived and presented in per capita values in order to facilitate intuitive comprehension. Possible contributions to sustainability of the natural sciences and engineering and of the social sciences and the humanities are outlined. In conclusion some desirable and some accidental paths to sustainability are given.

Are more men seeking help for erectile dysfunction? A time trend analysis

Background: Sildenafil and tadalafil are recommended first line treatment for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Sildenafil was legally reclassified to a ‘pharmacy’ medicine in the United Kingdom in 2018. Aim: To assess the prescribing patterns and costs associated with prescribing of ED drugs in England and to investigate the link between prescribing and deprivation, regional demography and legal reclassification. Design and setting: Aanalysis of publicly available government data from various sources pertaining to primary care prescribing and demographics in England was conducted. Methods: Prescribing and cost data for the last 10 years (2009-2019) were extracted and adjusted for inflation, male populations and regional deprivation. Results: Between 2009 and 2019 the rate of prescribing, measured as the number of items per 1000 men, increased by 110%. In 2019, the rate of prescribing of ED medicines in the most deprived areas was 21.0% higher than the rate observed in least deprived areas. The Northern regions of England had approximately 50% higher rate of prescribing compared to London. A 0.5% annual increase in the number of prescription items was observed between 2018 and 2019, compared to 5.0% increase observed from 2017 to 2018. Conclusion: The two-fold increase in the rate of primary care prescriptions in the last 10 years suggests that more men are being screened for or seeking help for ED. Higher rate of prescribing offers opportunity for monitoring of linked risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, and vascular disorders in deprived populations. Reclassification of sildenafil had a modest impact on prescribing practices.

Association between regional deprivation and type 2 diabetes incidence in Germany

ObjectiveThe aim of this analysis was to estimate the association between regional deprivation and type 2 diabetes incidence and to investigate differences by age and sex for Germany.Research design and methodsType 2 diabetes incidence rate ratios comparing the most deprived fifth of the population to the remainder of the population (divided into quintiles) were estimated using the illness-death model, which describes the relationship between prevalence, mortality, and incidence. For the analysis, we used the type 2 diabetes prevalence and the general mortality rate according to deprivation quintiles, which we calculated based on valid estimates for Germany. Because mortality rate ratios for people with type 2 diabetes compared with people without type 2 diabetes are lacking for Germany, we used estimates from Scotland. Estimates were standardized to the German population in 2012 and stratified by sex.ResultsIncidence of type 2 diabetes was estimated to be over twice as high among people living in the most deprived regions of Germany compared with people living in the least deprived regions (men: 2.41, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.28; women: 2.40, 95% CI 1.25 to 4.29). The strength of the association increased with increasing age until the age of 75 years. No sex differences were present.ConclusionsThe study adds new evidence regarding the association between type 2 diabetes incidence and regional deprivation for Germany. The results underpin the importance to intensify public health actions to reduce social inequalities in Germany and whole Europe in the future.

Individual and regional factors associated with suicidal ideation among Korean elderly: a multilevel analysis of the Korea Community Health Survey

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the individual and regional characteristics that influence suicidal ideation among the Korean elderly population.METHODS: Using data collected from the 2013 Korea Community Health Survey, a multilevel analysis was performed to establish an understanding of individual behavioral patterns and regional influences on suicidal ideation.RESULTS: Among the 77,407 individuals sampled, 11,236 (14.5%) elderly people over 60 years of age experienced suicidal ideation. Among individual factors, age, frequency of communication with friends, religious activity, social activity, leisure activity, trust in neighbors, subjective stress level, depressive symptoms, and subjective health status were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. The results showed that the lower the regional deprivation level, the higher the suicidal ideation odds ratio. In terms of regional size, the most significant effects were found in rural areas.CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that suicidal ideation in the elderly is associated with community factors, such as the regional deprivation index, as well as personal factors.

Epidemiologie des Diabetes

For Germany, estimates for diabetes prevalence, incidence, morbidity and mortality are based on different study types, e. g. regional population-based studies, surveys or health claims data, and various methods are used for the calculations. Thus, there are a number of different epidemiological estimates published. This is also true for the prevalence of people with undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. In addition, evidence exists that the prevalence of diabetes varies between regions in Germany. In this context, new risk factors, such as regional deprivation and air pollution, are currently in the focus. This article gives a short overview on the current research status in diabetes epidemiology with regard to the situation in Germany. Trends in the development of diabetes, its complications and mortality are also discussed. Based on the current refugee situation, the article contains a short insight of available studies on this topic. The overview on the current evidence is supplemented by methodological aspects that should be taken into account when interpreting studies.