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Non-consensual sterilisation is not only a historic abuse. Cases of unethical treatment of women around the time of a pregnancy continue in the Twenty-First Century in five continents. Sterilisation is being carried out by some healthcare professionals at the time of delivery, or soon afterwards, without valid consent. A range of contemporary examples of such practices is given. Respecting women's autonomy should be the touchstone of the consent process. Avoidance of force, duress, deception and manipulation should go without saying. Ethnic minority communities and women living with HIV, in particular, are being targeted for this kind of abuse. Attempts have been made in various countries and by international professional organisations to introduce clinical guidelines to steer health professionals away from this malpractice. Survivors have sought justice in domestic and international courts. This paper critically assesses the evidence on the practical, ethical and legal issues around the handling of consent for these procedures. Suggestions are made about possible regulatory responses that address abuse, whilst maintaining access for those individuals who freely elect to undergo these procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in developing nations. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to determine the association between indoor air pollution and risk of COPD. Database searches were conducted using indoor air pollution, biomass and COPD related terms to identify relevant articles. The eligible studies were case-control, retrospective cohort, cross-sectional studies and conducted in adults that assessed COPD using any diagnostic criteria. A total of 35 studies with 73,122 participants were included. The pooled analysis showed that exposure to indoor air pollution due to solid biomass fuels increased risk of COPD by 2.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.13–3.31; n = 73,122) and chronic bronchitis by 2.89 (95% CI 2.18–3.82) times more compared to non-biomass fuels. The risk of COPD was higher in Africa region (odds ratio [OR] 3.19), Asia (OR 2.88), South America (OR 2.15), Europe (OR 2.30) and North America (OR 2.14). The results of our meta-analysis indicated that exposure to indoor air pollution due to biomass smoke is strongly associated with COPD. Abbreviations: CS: cross-sectional; CC: case-control; NR: not reported; ATS: American Thoracic Society; BMRC: British Medical Research Council; GOLD: Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease; IAP: indoor air pollution; BMF: biomass fuel; CB: chronic bronchitis; OR: odds ratio; UCI; upper confidence interval; LCI: lower confidence interval; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is estimated that up to a third of injuries requiring emergency department (ED) admission are alcohol-related. While injuries that are alcohol-related are unsurprising to ED staff, less is understood about the precursors to the injury event. Methods: Using data from representative ED injury patients in 22 countries, we examined associations between context of injury (private or public), cause of injury (fall or trip, being stuck/cut/or burned and violence) and alcohol use. Alcohol-related policy data were also obtained from each study locale. Results: Injuries were similarly reported in private (54%) and public settings (46%), while cause of injury was most often due to falls (39%) or being struck/cut or burned (38%). Violence-related injuries were reported by approximately 1 in 5 patients (23%). Increased odds of drinking prior to the injury event was associated with injury due to violence in private settings but not public venues. Similarly, patients from regions with fewer restrictive alcohol policies were more likely to report drinking prior to an injury event and have elevated violence-related injuries in private settings. Conclusion: Understanding the cause and context of injury and alcohol use are important components to evaluation and development of alcohol policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative project is focused on the challenges that newcomer athletes revealed when they considered their earliest encounters with a receiving culture during general daily life. Conversational interviews with 24 national and international amateur newcomer athletes were subjected to interpretive thematic analysis and developed into a composite vignette. This vignette unearths three themes revealing hope (theme: opportunities abound); uncertainty and fear (theme: weighing the risks for the journey ahead); and anger, humiliation, and hardening (theme: public stonings). Understanding the fluidities within the vignette will permit practitioners to explore the uncertainties of acculturation and find entry points to support athlete acculturation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents a comparative analysis of the role of interregionalism in the European Union’s foreign policies and external relations, with a particular focus on some of the most important regions around the world: Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Central and Eastern Europe. After a brief comparative assessment of the EU’s interregional relationships, the article provides three partly overlapping and intersecting accounts of the variation in the policy of interregionalism across regions: (i) promoting a liberal internationalist agenda; (ii) building the EU’s identity as a global actor; and (iii) promoting the EU’s power and competitiveness. The analysis concludes by sketching some ingredients of an emerging research agenda on the study of the EU’s foreign policy and interregionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]