Developing countries could have lower priced drugs
By Hicbd
"That means that while the poorest countries are getting cheaper drugs with the help of international organizations, lower-middle income countries, in particular, are struggling to negotiate similar prices for themselves:
- Many patients, health-care providers and even governments in poorer countries don't trust that unbranded drugs will work safely
- Becoming a registered manufacturer in these countries can simply be onerous.
- (Drug buyers) could have access to and be trained in the technology tools that pharmaceutical companies and large pharmacies use
- Countries (could) publicly disclose the prices they're paying for drugs
- Regional organizations (could) pool their medicine purchasing so their member countries can get cheaper prices for larger orders
- Start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa (could) cut out long chains of middlemen by delivering medicine direct-to-pharmacy and even direct-to-patient"
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Buildings could be like worm tunnels
By Hicbd
"As worms push through the soil, they form gentle paths, curving the earth into mounds similar to mountains. In response to this natural phenomenon, the team at Chinese architectural studio Change Architects created a building that ‘seems to be squeezed out of the ground by natural forces underneath the crust’ when designing the Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre...Change Architects explains that ‘the logic of the architectural concept derived from the idea of natural elements’, the result of which is a structure that harmoniously blends with its environment, serving as a carrier for natural elements like light, rain and snow, and air."
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By Hicbd
"In Zambia, a radical new approach to contraception is giving adolescent girls the information and services they need to make their own choices and take control of their futures...At the Diva Centres, bright colors, cheerful characters, and a free manicure replaced scary side effects as the way to start the conversation about contraceptive services."
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Male circumcision could reduce HIV/AIDs spread
By Hicbd
"In the midst of an international campaign to slow the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization recommends male circumcision (the surgical removal of foreskin from the penis) which reduces HIV acquisition by 50-60%. However, scientists report that a new study of HIV-infected men in Uganda has identified a temporary, but potentially troublesome unintended consequence of the procedure: a possible increased risk of infecting female sexual partners while circumcision wounds heal."
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Low-dose naltrexone could be used for MS, autoimmune, cancer, pain, etc.
By Hicbd
"Now Dr. Mehta and the Weill Cornell Medicine pain management team have begun using a safe, old drug in new ways—and in low doses—to treat certain patients. Their work with the drug, Naltrexone, is an outgrowth of an international partnership with the UK-based LDN Research Trust Charity. According to The Trust, Naltrexone is safe, non-toxic, and inexpensive, and has been used in the United States since the FDA first approved it in 1984. Though physicians previously prescribed Naltrexone to treat opioid addictions, they now are employing the drug in off-label uses to aid patients with conditions ranging from pain and a dysfunctional immune system, to inflammation, cancer, and mental health issues.
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In-home toilets with waste collection could be available in areas without sewer systems
By Hicbd
"For the millions of Ghanaians without in-home toilets, there are few good options when it comes to our bodies’ most basic functions. Working with Unilever and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), IDEO.org developed Clean Team, a comprehensive sanitation system that delivers and maintains toilets in the homes of subscribers. Clean Team now serves 4,500 people in Kumasi, Ghana, making lives cleaner, healthier, and more dignified."
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Ordinary moments could become brain building activities for kids
By Hicbd
"Instead of focusing on getting each parent to spend an hour reading aloud from the latest Curious George book—a suggestion that seemed out-of-touch and burdensome to parents we met, our team asked: How can we move beyond reading to catalyze the kind of engagement kids need to build their brains? How can mealtime, bus stops, and running errands join storytime as an intentional moment of learning?...A suite of tools, exercises, activities, and an app, Vroom inspires parents to turn everyday moments like turning out the lights and brushing teeth into brain-building opportunities."
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By Hicbd
"Jessica realized how many decision makers would benefit from having GESI analyses that were quicker, higher quality, and more impactful than the traditional manual method, which often took several weeks to get started and even longer to finalize. (She) founded Equilo to replace old-fashioned research and project management with powerful online gender analysis tools to enable clearer, faster equality insight that translate into action. In 2020, Equilo launched its flagship GESI Contextual Analysis tool, which has continued to expand and now includes reliable, aggregated data for all countries in more than 50 sectors. Equilo continues to expand its suite of tools, which currently includes an in-depth GBV risk analysis tool, a suite of tools for impact investors to easily assess portfolio and pipeline companies across multiple gender equality dimensions, make plans to improve companies' gender equality, and measure and manage impact, and several open source tools including a resource directory and partner directory."
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Toilet paper could fund sanitation projects / be made from bamboo or recycled fibres
By Hicbd
"The gap in the market, realised Griffiths and his co-founders Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga, was to tie the product with its big-picture mission of building toilets and improving sanitation....Now, recognised for its colourfully packaged rolls made from bamboo or recycled fibres and donating 50 per cent of its profits, Who Gives A Crap has made the purchase of loo rolls – that you can’t even buy in supermarkets – trendy."
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NIH scientists / employees could not receive financial royalties / perks
By Hicbd
"The nonprofit organization filed the FOIA request last September, receiving 1,200 pages of heavily redacted royalties from 2009-2014 that add up to 22,100 royalty payments to 17,000 NIH scientists. With the redaction, it is impossible to tell how much each scientist received, only the aggregate total of each department, which adds up to $134 million."
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