Suchergebnisse

Federative solutions for the Arab-Israeli conflict among both the general public & the political leadership of Israel are investigated using the results of 2 public opinion surveys conducted May & June 1991. Responses of the public at large (N not given) & 60 members of the Israeli parliament show that despite the Palestinian Intifada & the Gulf War, federalism may serve as a means for building a consensus among Israeli Jews on how to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The political leadership of Israel is inclined to advocate federative schemes (ie, the autonomy plan &/or the formation of a Palestinian-Jordanian state) as the best way to solve the conflict from Israel's perspective & to prevent the founding of a Palestinian state. The Israeli public, however, is more supportive of increasing Palestinian autonomy than it was before the Gulf War. It is concluded that the Gulf War has not produced any basic changes in the views of political leaders of general citizens, while the Intifada has made both Israeli leaders & the public slightly more responsive to the needs of the Palestinians. 6 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been described as being pandemic, but serum 25-hydroxyVitamin D 25(OH)D] distribution data for the European Union are of very variable quality. The NIHled international Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) has developed protocols for standardizing existing 25(OH)D values from national health/nutrition surveys. Objective: This study applied VDSP protocols to serum 25(OH)D data from representative childhood/teenage and adult/older adult European populations, representing a sizable geographical footprint, to better quantify the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in Europe. Design: The VDSP protocols were applied in 14 population studies reanalysis of subsets of serum 25(OH)D in 11 studies and complete analysis of all samples from 3 studies that had not previously measured it] by using certified liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on biobanked sera. These data were combined with standardized serum 25(OH)D data from 4 previously standardized studies (for a total n = 55,844). Prevalence estimates of Vitamin D deficiency using various serum 25(OH)D thresholds] were generated on the basis of standardized 25(OH)D data. Results: An overall pooled estimate, irrespective of age group, ethnic mix, and latitude of study populations, showed that 13.0% of the 55,844 European individuals had serum 25(OH)D concentrations <30 nmol/L on average in the year, with 17.7% and 8.3% in those sampled during the extended winter (October-March) and summer (April-November) periods, respectively. According to an alternate suggested definition of Vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/ L), the prevalence was 40.4%. Dark-skinned ethnic subgroups had much higher (3- to 71-fold) prevalence of serum 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L than did white populations. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is evident throughout the European population at prevalence rates that are concerning and that require action from a public health perspective. What direction these strategies take will depend on European policy but should aim to ensure Vitamin D intakes that are protective against Vitamin D deficiency in the majority of the European population.