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The Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH): A model for trans-disciplinary global health research

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collection was used to estimate the prevalence and risk for cervical
dysplasia and cancer in the general population of the Kedougou
Region of Senegal. Women aged 30 to 50 years from clusters rep-
resenting the population at large self-selected for participation in a
clinical screening test.
Results (Scientific Abstract)/Collaborative Partners (Program-
matic Abstract): Final data due in January 2014 will be reported.
Preliminary data, based on 240 screenings, illustrate the prevalence of
cervical dysplasia in the Kedougou Region of Southeastern Senegal at
5.2% with one of three districts displaying a preliminary prevalence of
7.32%. Final data will be based on n ¼800. The number of iden-
tified VIA-positive lesions and the number of cases of suspected frank
cervical cancer as well as a comparison of prevalence within each
district of the Kedougou region will be reported. The risk factors
identified from our survey for the development of cervical dysplasia
will also be reported. We will distinguish the risks among all districts
in the region.
Summary/Conclusion: We have employed the VIA screening
technique to estimate the prevalence of cervical dysplasia and cancer
in a rural setting in Senegal. Low-resource setting communities,
health leaders in low-income countries, and global health advocates
who are prioritizing the advancement of cervical cancer prevention
programs will find this work illustrative. In addition to prevalence
data, findings about the associated risk factors can guide future
interventional research programs aimed at addressing dysplasia or
cervical cancer in this population. This will build on previous
knowledge that characterizes relevant risk factors for cervical cancer in
similar settings while expanding our understanding of how to further
develop the cervical cancer services in this specific region. This in-
formation will also be used to inform the implementation of cervical
cancer prevention programs in other areas in Senegal and similar low-
resource settings.
The Caribbean Consortium for Research in
Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH): A
model for trans-disciplinary global health research
W.B. Hawkins
1
, M.Y. Lichtveld
1
, D.R.A. Mans
2
;
1
Tulane University
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Global
Environmental Health Sciences, New Orleans, LA/US,
2
Anton de Kom
University of Suriname, Faculty of Medical Science, Pharmacology, Par-
amaribo/SR
Background: The Caribbean Consortium for Research in Envi-
ronmental and Occupational Healths (CCREOH) overarching goal
is to address high-priority environmental and occupational health
risks in Suriname and those common to the increasingly vulnerable
Caribbean region while preserving the unique assets, health, and
cultural traditions of indigenous and other health disparate pop-
ulations. CCREOHs investigator team is indicative of its trans-
disciplinary research portfolio, bringing together an array of scientists
from biology to epidemiology including toxicology and medicine.
Structure/Method/Design: Funded by the Fogarty Center of the
National Institutes of Health, CCREOH partners are characterizing key
environmental and occupational health (EOH) risks associated withgold
miningerelated mercury contamination, pesticide use in agriculture
including pesticide-induced suicide, and indigenous nutriceutical
contamination to inform a gap and opportunities assessment of relevant
environmental policies in Suriname and the Caribbean region; creating
a sustainable public health and EOH network to serve as the trans-
disciplinary research and training hub; developing a trans-disciplinary
research roadmap to guide the consortiums environmental and
occupational health research leveraging all consortium partner assets;
and putting in place a capacity-building portfolio including a regional
EOH training program to successfully implement the priority areas ar-
ticulated in the CCREOH research roadmap. The research roadmap
deployed by the CCREOH team represents the continuum from basic,
mechanistic approaches to community-based participatory environ-
mental health designs.
Results (Scientific Abstract)/Collaborative Partners (Program-
matic Abstract): The CCREOH builds on the existing partnerships
in place between the University of Suriname, Faculty of Medical
Sciences, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical
Medicine, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
Summary/Conclusion: The CCREOH has conducted and
advanced a series of assessments to document baseline capacity levels
and community needs focused on health outcome data, laboratory
capacity, training programs, and environmental health policy.
Currently, research is focused on the impact on the environment and
human health of gold mining-related mercury contamination in Su-
riname through the examination of four Maroon and indigenous
communities; analyzing pesticide residues in frequently consumed
vegetables and fruits, as well as the role pesticides play as an effector
in suicide attempts and successful suicides; exploring the anti-
proliferative effects of indicator medicinal plants; and evaluating the
data derived from a preliminary environmental and occupational
health assessment in Trinidad and Tobago.
Bind wounds, not make blood run”—Evaluation of
Surinamese plant-derived nutraceuticals for their
potential effects on angiogenesis
D.R.A. Mans
1
, J.R. Toelsie
2
, I. Magali
1
, R.C. Soekhoe
1
, J.A. Hasrat
1
,
R. Bipat
2
;
1
Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Faculty of Medical
Sciences, Pharmacology, Paramaribo/SR,
2
Anton de Kom University of
Suriname, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Physiology, Paramaribo/SR
Background: Aberrant angiogenesis is involved in a multitude of
distinct diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic
wounds, and certain cardiovascular, ocular, and skin diseases. This
has led to the development of a wide array of therapeutically effica-
cious anti- and pro-angiogenic substances, and the identification of a
number of (plant-derived) substances that allegedly prevent angio-
genesis-dependent diseases. Based on the latter consideration, the
Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Faculty of
Medical Sciences (FMeW), Anton de Kom University of Suriname
(AdeKUS), have implemented a large-scale research project to eval-
uate Surinamese plant-derived nutraceuticals for their potential to
interfere with angiogenesis. Suriname is located on the Guiana
Shield, a hotspot with a unique biodiversity and a substantial expanse
of pristine tropical rain forest. The project is part of a more
comprehensive collaborative effort with the Suriname Conservation
Foundation aimed at the identification of Surinamese plants with
clinically applicable angiogenesis-interfering properties.
Structure/Method/Design: Candidate plants are acquired on the
basis of ethnopharmacological indications from Surinames rich
medicinal folklore and chemosystemic clues from the literature. The
plants are authenticated by taxonomists, and then extracted according
to the traditional use. Angiogenesis involves, among others, the
proliferation, migration, and structural rearrangement of endothelial
cells to form tube-like structures. Therefore, the samples are subse-
quently assessed for these effects in cultured human umbilical vein
endothelial cells using a sulforhodamine B, a Boyden chamber, a
scratch wound healing, and a tube formation assay.
Annals of Global Health 241
... Finally, transdisciplinary, strategic, research-based partnerships between institutions in the marginalized population and Western institutions are critical (Hawkins et al., 2014;Özerol et al., 2018;Picard et al., 2011). Moreover, these research-based partnerships have already and will continue to lead to the social and economic development of the local society in Palestine and other marginalized communities (Hanieh et al., 2015). ...
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