Public health reports
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Public health reports · Jul 1984
Investigational trials of anticancer drugs: establishing safeguards for experimentation.
The National Cancer Institute since 1955 has been charged with responsibility for discovering new anti-cancer agents and bringing them to clinical trial. These activities are carried out by NCI's Developmental Therapeutics Program, which has established systems for discovery, experimental testing, bulk synthesis, formulation, and toxicological testing of candidate drugs, and by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, which conducts initial trials to establish safe doses of new agents and to determine their utility in treating specific forms of cancer. ⋯ This paper describes the safeguards that NCI has built into the clinical trials system in the past decade-safeguards that ensure the safety of patients and the accuracy of data collected and at the same time allow efficient testing of each promising new agent in the fight against cancer. Recent improvements in cancer survival leave little doubt that patients are indeed benefiting from extensive efforts to discover and develop new drugs for cancer treatment.
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Public health reports · Jan 1984
Too many applicants for available graduate medical education positions--are we on a collision course?
Until the last few years, graduate medical education (GME) positions were so plentiful in the United States that even with a heavy influx of both U. S. and alien graduates of foreign medical schools, many positions remained unfilled. In the future, however, it is unlikely that all those planning to enter GME in the United States will be able to do so. ⋯ It is hoped that an equitable system to evaluate all foreign medical graduates will soon be in place, so that those who meet standards comparable to the ones required of U. S. medical students will be able to enter U. S. graduate medical education programs.
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The American lifestyle is still relatively sedentary. The proportion of adults aged 18 to 65 regularly exercising has been estimated at just over 35 percent, with children participating in daily physical education programs at 33 percent, and 36 percent of adults over 65 taking regular walks. Though the past decade has exhibited a resurgence of interest in physical fitness and exercise, there is much need for improvement. ⋯ Further, exercise as a therapeutic regimen has also been largely ignored by health professionals. Although the health benefits accrued from exercise have not been fully assessed, continuing research has suggested that appropriate physical activity can enhance approaches to the treatment and prevention of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, musculoskeletal problems, stress, anxiety, and depression. Health and economic benefits are achievable, but there is need for cooperative efforts in the public and private sectors to support research and increase the public's awareness of and participation in regular physical fitness and exercise activities.
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Four statements of national health goals and standards were proclaimed from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services during the 1970s. ⋯ Implementation inevitably encounters the complexities of the health system and depends upon available resources. In influencing the agenda of deliberation and debate, the symbolic value of these statements may often be more significant than the specific details. The continuing interest in these approaches suggests that future efforts along these lines are likely.