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Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a threeway combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis.

The new prediction method comprises the length of time it takes for PSA (prostatespecific antigen) to double, Gleason score (a numeric indicator of prostate cancer aggressiveness as seen under the microscope), and the interval between surgical removal of the prostate and the first detectable PSA level. According to Johns Hopkins investigators, combining these three measurements more accurately estimates risk that the cancer has spread than do other methods and should help determine which patients may benefit from additional therapy when PSA levels rise after surgery to remove the prostate.

Findings from the study presented at the June 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) may also help resolve the debate on when and in what form secondary treatments should occur.

“There is much debate on whether to prescribe immediate treatment for a man whose PSA begins to rise after he has had prostate cancer surgery, or to delay it,” says Emmanuel Antonarakis, M.D., Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigator. “Studies suggest that most men live the same length of time overall whether they receive therapy at the first sign of a rising PSA or wait until the cancer has spread to other sites.”

After reviewing the records of 774 men whose PSA rose after surgery to remove the prostate, the researchers found that Gleason score and two measurements for PSA were the strongest risk factors for prostate cancer metastasis. Men with Gleason scores in the highest range, between eight and 10, were twice as likely to develop metastatic cancer. In men whose PSA became detectable within three years after surgery, cancer was more than three times more likely to spread to other organs. Finally, men whose PSA doubled the fastest, within three months, were more than 20 times more likely to develop metastatic cancer than men whose PSA look longer than 15 months to double.

For men enrolled in the study, it took a median of 10 years for the disease to reappear on imaging scans. “The 10year average will not apply to every man, so we wanted to know what factors put men at higher risk for their cancer progressing earlier,” says Mario Eisenberger, M.D., professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

An increase in PSA, or prostate specific antigen, occurs in approximately 20 percent to 30 percent of men after surgery to remove the cancerous prostate, says Antonarakis. In these patients, the newly emerging prostate cancer cells are rarely detectable on imaging scans. When faced with the likelihood that their cancer has spread, many men opt to undergo hormone therapy, which blocks testosterone production, a fuel for prostate cancer. The side effects, which mimic those of menopausal women, include hot flashes, night sweats, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and coronary disease, and can be debilitating, says Antonarakis.

Besides immediate hormone therapy, other options for men whose PSA is rising are to use hormone therapy intermittently, enroll in clinical trials testing experimental therapies or combinations of them, or to “watch and wait” until imaging scans can locate metastatic disease.

Notes
Data on the prostate cancer patients involved in this study were collected from a database maintained by Patrick C. Walsh, M.D., at the Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute. The information spans nearly 20 years of patient records at Johns Hopkins.
The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program.
In addition to Antonarakis and Eisenberger, the following researchers participated in the study Bruce Trock, Zhaoyong Feng, Elizabeth Humphreys, Michael Carducci, Alan Partin, and Patrick Walsh from Johns Hopkins.

Source
Amy Mone

Take Care Health Systems, a whollyowned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSEWAG) (NASDAQWAG) and the largest and most comprehensive provider of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the country, is now offering a new set of procedures for skin conditions and minor injury treatments.

As part of this expansion of services, Take Care Clinics now offer the following procedures

Wart removal with Cryotherapy
Skin tag removal
Closure of minor cuts with Dermabond®
Treatment of skin irritations (Contact Dermatitis)
Expanded scope of skin evaluation and treatment for skin infections, injuries and rashes

Take Care Clinics provide access to highquality, convenient and affordable health care to meet the needs of patients and their families. The addition of these new services is a result of feedback from patients, Take Care Health Providers and recent research which identified a desire for the treatment of these types of skin conditions in the convenient care setting. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, over 48 million skin examinations are conducted each year, which result in 3.2 million viral wart procedures and 3.3 million skin tag removals.

“Patients are very satisfied with the service and offerings at Take Care Clinics, and weve found that they are looking for additional highquality, convenient and affordable treatment options in our care setting,” said Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems president and CEO. “We will continue to evaluate and implement new services which meet the needs of patients and can be offered with clinical excellence at Take Care Clinics.”

Take Care Clinics are professional walkin health care centers open seven days a week, with extended evening and weekend hours. Clinics are staffed by board certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are able to write prescriptions when necessary. The clinics also offer preventative services, such as camp, sport and backtoschool physicals; mens and womens health evaluations and vaccinations including GARDASIL (HPV), Menactra (Meningitis), the Shingles vaccine and others.

Take Care Health Systems encourages all patients to have a health care home, a primary care provider they see for ongoing medical needs and routine exams. If a patients condition falls outside the scope of service at a Take Care Clinic, the patient is referred to an appropriate site for care, such as a primary care provider or specialist.

“Take Care Health Systems employs exceptional health care professionals who are educated and prepared to offer highquality treatment for an array of skin conditions,” said Sandra Ryan, RN, MSN, CPNP, FAANP and chief nurse practitioner for Take Care Health Systems. “If a patient at a Take Care Clinics is seeking treatment for a condition that falls outside of our scope of service, our clinicians expertly advocate for patients, making sure they get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Take Care Health Systems currently manages 345 Take Care Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in 35 markets across 19 states, including locations in Atlanta, BoulderLongmont, Colo., Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Green Bay, Wis., Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Louisville, Madison, Wis., Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans, Orlando, Fla., Oshkosh, Wis., Peoria, Ill., Philadelphiaarea, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Rockford, Ill., St. Louis, Tampa, Fla., Topeka, Kan., Tucson, Ariz., West Palm Beach, Fla. and Wichita, Kan.

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Doctors at a seminar at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday said that at the current rate, it will be impossible for Pakistan to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to child mortality and maternal health by 2015, the International News reports.

The maternal mortality rate is 276 deaths per 100,000 live births, while the infant mortality rate is 78 deaths per 1,000 births. Senior physicians said that a lack of maternal healthcare services and education, as well as poor performance by doctors at most public hospitals and basic health units show a lack of commitment from the government to achieve the targets, the International News writes.

Subhana Tayyab, chairperson of the Department of Gynaecology at DUHS, said the survey found that contraceptive prevalence in rural areas stood at 24 percent compared with 41 percent in urban areas between 2006 and 2007. According to the study, 65 percent of births in urban areas take place at home, 24 percent in private facilities and 11 percent in public hospitals.

Inkisar Ali, chairperson of the Department of Paediatrics at DUHS, said “every fifth child in the country (below the age of five years) dies either due to malnutrition or diseases like measles and polio,” adding that the overall routine immunization coverage decreased during the past few years after the government started focusing on the polio immunization program.

Pakistan Medical Association Secretary General Samrina Hashmi said statistics from the study related to maternal and child health project will be included in the medical curriculum at government medical colleges across the country. “It is essential that medical students are updated about such studies and are mindful of the health issues women are faced with, which will help them during their practice,” she said (6/30).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

The latest news on procedures, drugs and equipment in the field of cardiology will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress which will take place in Barcelona, from 29 August to 2 September.

With over 30,000 participants, the ESC Congress is the worlds biggest cardiology meeting.

A record number of abstract submissions 9,848 were registered this year, reflecting how the meeting is now the main platform for cardiovascular research. A growing number of abstracts came from outside Europe, reflecting the truly international dimension of the meeting.

“Because cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality and morbidity and in recognition of the major advances that have been made in this field we felt that prevention and risk factor identification represented a really important theme to highlight” explains Prof Fausto Pinto, chairperson of the Congress Programme Committee. “Entitled Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease from cell to man to society, our highlight offers the opportunity for doctors, scientists and governments to come together to discuss ways of decreasing the burden of cardiovascular disease on society.”

New joint sessions with sister societies, such as the European Society of Medical Oncology, looking at issues such as the cardiovascular effects of oncology drugs, and a new joint session with the European Commission that will explore the issues around how the European Commission supports cardiovascular research are on the programme this year.

The ESC Congress is a unique forum bringing together all the different disciplines and players involved in cardiology, including doctors, basic scientists, epidemiologists, nurses, technicians and key opinion leaders. It covers both specific issues in the different disciplines as well as broader issues affecting all fields of cardiology.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents 59,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.

Source
ESC Press Office

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is looking into four recently published registry studies investigating a possible relationship between insulin analogues, in particular insulin glargine, and the risk of cancer. The studies were published on the Diabetologia website on 26June 2009.

Insulin glargine is a longacting insulin analogue, authorised in the European Union (EU) as Lantus and Optisulin, for the treatment of adults, adolescents and children aged six years or above with diabetes,when treatment with insulin is required.

The results of the four studies were found to be inconsistent. In twostudies (Scottish Diabetes Research Network Epidemiology Group andJonasson et al) an association between breast cancer was found in agroup of patients taking insulin glargine as monotherapy, but not inanother group of patients using insulin glargine together with othertypes of insulin. For other cancers, no association was found. In these two studies dosedependency was not evaluated. The third study (Hemkens et al) reported a dosedependent association between use of insulinglargine and malignancies. However, no information is available on thetypes of cancer found in this study. In the fourth study (Currie et al), no association between cancer (either breast, colorectal, pancreatic or prostate cancer) and the use of insulin glargine, or any other insulin,was found.

On the basis of the currently available data, a relationship betweeninsulin glargine and cancer cannot be confirmed nor excluded. However,the concerns raised by the four studies require further indepthevaluation.

The Agencys Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) will perform a detailed assessment of the studies results and any other relevant information. This review will also address issues, such as doseresponse effects, the implications of the relatively short duration of the studies and influence of other factors on the risk of breast cancer and other cancers (e.g. age, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, parity, socioeconomic status).

The Marketing Authorisation Holder for Lantus and Optisulin, SanofiAventis, has been asked to comment on this potential safety concern.

Patients being treated with insulin glargine are advised to continue their treatment as normal. At this time there is no recommendation that patients should change their current treatment. In case of any concerns, patients should consult their doctor.

Further information will be provided once the CHMP has concluded its review.

Notes

1. The articles are available online here.

2. Insulin analogues, such as insulin glargine, are substances thatare similar to human insulin, but with some modifications that changeproperties such as the way the insulin is absorbed after injection orits duration of action.

3. Lantus and Optisulin have been authorised in the European Unionsince June 2000. They are marketed in all 27 EU Member States.

4. More information on Lantus and Optisulin is available in theEuropean Public Assessment Report EPAR. For Lantus, please see here; For

The Wall Street Journal reports that drug companies are increasingly using medical science liaisons “Pharmaceutical companies are barred by the Food and Drug Administration from promoting unapproved drug uses, called offlabel use, but they are using employees called medical science liaisons, who are often physicians and pharmacists, as a legal way to discuss those uses. Medical science liaisons, who are considered medical rather than sales staff, have greater freedom than salespeople as they visit doctors offices to discuss the science behind a medicine, including unapproved uses.” It notes “The FDA requires traditional sales reps to refer information requests to their employers medical or scientific staff, MSLs are usually on those staffs.”

The Journal reports “Though still small, the number of MSLs has increased steadily, totaling 1,970 in 2008, up 48% from 1,335 in 2003, according to data for 12 major pharmaceutical and biotech companies compiled by PharmaForce International, a marketresearch firm. Partial numbers for 2009 indicate a decline to 1,640, but Sean McCrae, an executive at PharmaForce, says that number is an aberration, reflecting acrosstheboard cuts in the industry. And companies appear to still be hiring MSLs The online jobsearch site Monster.com lists many MSL job postings. At the same time, drug makers have been cutting their conventional sales forces. By the end of 2008, the number of U.S. sales reps had dropped to 90,000 from a peak of about 106,000 in 2006, according to ZS Associates, a consulting firm.”

The Journal notes that “the drug companies themselves argue that their medicalscience and sales forces have different functions.” It also adds that “MSLs generally make at least 50% more than primarycare sales reps, who are paid an average of $86,000, including bonus” (Wang, 6/26).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

It is now possible to engineer tiny containers the size of a virus to deliver drugs and other materials with almost 100 percent efficiency to targeted cells in the bloodstream.

According to a new Cornell study, the technique could one day be used to deliver vaccines, drugs or genetic material to treat cancer and blood and immunological disorders. The research was published recently (June 25, 2009) online at the Web site of the journal Gene Therapy.

“This study greatly extends the range of therapies,” said Michael King, Cornell associate professor of biomedical engineering, who coauthored the study with lead author Zhong Huang, a former Cornell research associate who is now an assistant professor at the Shenzhen University School of Medicine in China. “We can introduce just about any drug or genetic material that can be encapsulated, and it is delivered to any circulating cells that are specifically targeted,” King added.

The technique involves filling the tiny lipid containers, or nanoscale capsules, with a molecular cargo and coating the capsules with adhesive proteins called selectins that specifically bind to target cells. A shunt coated with the capsules is then inserted between a vein and an artery. Much as burrs attach to clothing in a field, the selectincoated capsules adhere to targeted cells in the bloodstream.

After rolling along the shunt wall, the cells break free from the wall with the capsules still attached and ingest their contents.

The technique mimics a natural immune response that occurs during inflammation, which stimulates cells on blood vessel walls to express selectins, which quickly form adhesive bonds with passing white blood cells. The white blood cells then stick to the selectins and roll along the vessel wall before leaving the bloodstream to fight disease or infection.

Selectin proteins may be used to specifically target nucleated (cells with a nucleus) cells in the bloodstream.

The study shows that since only the targeted cells ingest the contents of the nanocapsules, the technique could greatly reduce the adverse side effects caused by some drugs.

In a previous paper, King showed how metastasizing cancer cells circulating in the blood stream can stick to selectincoated devices containing a second protein that programs cancer cells to selfdestruct.

Said King, “Weve found a way to disable the function of cancer cells without compromising the immune system,” which is a problem with many other therapies directed against metastasis.

The current study demonstrates that genetic material can be delivered to targeted cells to turn off specific genes and interfere with processes that lead to disease. The researchers filled nanocapsules with a smallinterfering RNA (siRNA) and targeted them to specific circulating cells. When the targeted cells ingested the capsules, the siRNA turned off a gene that produces an enzyme that contributes to the degradation of cartilage in arthritis.

In a similar manner, the method could be used to target the delivery of chemotherapy drugs, vaccine antigens to white blood cells, specific molecules that mitigate autoimmune disorders and more, King said.

The paper is available here.

Source
Blaine Friedlander

New research, published in The Lancet Oncology, has found that combining human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with routine liquidbased cytology (LBC) screening does not increase the detection of cervical cancer compared with LBC screening alone. The trial funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme aimed to determine whether testing for HPV in the cervix might increase the effectiveness of the cervical screening programme.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35 years old, with about 2,800 women overall being diagnosed each year in the UK leading to about 1,000 deaths. Current screening relies on cervical smear tests processed with LBC and prevents around 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Previous research has indicated that HPV testing might help identify additional cases that are not detected by smears.

The £1.4 million study led by Professor Henry Kitchener, University of Manchester, is the first to compare the addition of HPV testing to cytology with cytology alone in primary cervical screening. More than 24,000 women were recruited for the study and given an HPV test. They were then randomly assigned to have their HPV result either revealed and acted on or concealed while they continued with standard treatment. Women in the revealed group who were HPV positive and had a negative smear were retested after 12 months and treatment was offered if necessary. All women were invited for a second screening test 36 months after they attended their first screen.

Overall, over the two screening rounds the addition of an HPV test to cytology did not lead to the detection of more highgrade lesions than cytology alone. Although the findings suggest there was no additional benefit when combining cytology with HPV testing, the NIHR HTA programme has agreed to fund the trial for a further three years to determine whether it would be possible for screening intervals to be extended in those with a negative HPV test. For more information visit hta.ac.uk/1710

“The results of our trial should help bring clarity to this area and inform the further development of national policy on the role of HPV testing and the NHS cervical screening programme,” says Professor Kitchener, “and with three further years of research we hope to be able to add to this evidence and address issues such as the psychological impact of HPV testing and its costeffectiveness.”

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (DSD) as this years keynote speaker at the NACDS Pharmacy and Technology Conference. Senator Daschle will speak on Sunday, August 9, 2009, at the Business Program to be held from 800 to 930 a.m.

“Senator Daschle is a healthcare expert,” commented NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “Who better to address the value of pharmacy in the healthcare reform debate than a former United States Senate leader, close confidant to President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, and active healthcare reform powerplayer in Washington, D.C.? Senator Daschle certainly fits the bill.”

The 12th Annual NACDS Pharmacy and Technology Conference will be held August 811, 2009, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Senator Daschle was first elected to Congress in 1978. Eight years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1994, Senator Daschle was elected by his colleagues as their Democratic leader, and became one of the longest serving Senate Democratic leaders in history and the only one to serve twice as both Majority and Minority Leader. Following his Congressional career, Senator Daschle joined with former Senate Majority Leaders George Mitchell (DME), Bob Dole (RKS), and Howard Baker (RTN) to form the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on some of the pressing public policy issues, including healthcare.

“Senator Daschle has firsthand experience and uniquely understands the legislative and procedural intricacies of healthcare reform legislation,” continued Anderson. “It will be a great privilege to hear Senator Daschles words of wisdom as healthcare reform dominates the agenda in the Nations capital.”

Two young people, former child soldiers, who have transformed their brutal life experiences toward helping the more than one billion children whose lives are currently touched by war today told the international community, including Franco Frattini, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Giovanni Alemanno, Mayor of Rome, what must be done to ensure that children are fully protected even in the heat of war.

Grace Akallo, originally from Uganda, and Kon Kelei, originally from Sudan, narrated their personal experiences as former child soldiers and spoke of building their network of children and young people affected by war that they helped found Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW) to a gathering of ambassadors, government and United Nations officials and civil society partners.

The young people highlighted that children who have been affected by war need extra support and attention in order to overcome their difficulties

Globally, it is estimated that around 250,000 children are currently exploited by armed groups and forces as soldiers. As such, they are fulfilling functions as frontline fighters, porters or sex slaves. Over one billion children live in countries or territories affected by armed conflict almost one sixth of the total world population. Of these, some 300 million are under the age of five. Since 1998 to now, more than 100,000 children have been demobilized and reintegrated into society.

They suffer from both the direct consequences of conflict, as well as the longterm effects on their development and wellbeing.

Hosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Rome, the symposium, “Children and Young People Affected by War Learn, Understand, Act,” was attended by, in addition to Ms. Akallo, Mr Kelei (NYPAW) and Mr. Frattini (MFA), the participants included Mr. Giovanni Alemanno, Mayor of Rome, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict; Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Director, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children, Ms. Rima Salah, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Central African Republic and Chad; Ms. Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of International Save the Children Alliance; JeanMarc de la Sablière, Ambassador of France in Italy, former President of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; Giuliomaria Terzi di SantAgata, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations. The moderator of the event was Francesca Caferri, correspondent for La Repubblica.

Video messages were sent from other members of NYPAW Ishmael Beah (Sierra Leone); Zlata Filopovic (Bosnia Herzegovina).

***Following are quotes from the participants

“My own story is one among the thousandfold stories you have not heard. There are dozens of armies and rebel groups who continue to ruin the lives of children in the same ways around the world. NYPAW is here to let you know the very real suffering of these children and young people, both abducted or not abducted, they are innocent, they deserve protection, love and a future. No child, I repeat no child deserves this kind of suffering. “
Grace Akallo, founding member of NYPAW and former child soldier

***”We founded this network, not to promote ourselves, but to communicate to the world that there is hope and children and young people who were once traumatized by war can recover and become important citizens of the world.”

“This network will be a group that governments, UN agencies, NGOs, media, teachers, community members and others who are seeking to effectively support children in this capacity can turn to for realistic advise, guidance and to facilitate the creation of successful and meaningful reintegration and rehabilitation projects.
Kon Kelei, founding member of NYPAW and former child soldier

***”For years, Italy has been working tirelessly to protect and assist all over the world children and child victims of armed conflict with interventions at the highest international meetings and institutions, focusing on three fundamental objectives of prevention, reintegration of the victims and their integration into the social fabric. Through the work of the Italian government humanitarian aid and development agency, COOPI, for many years a great number of projects in conflict and postconflict countries in every continent have received funding. So we are particularly pleased that last November, Italy was able to help with the launch of NYPAW, and will help, together with the United Nations, UNICEF and the NGOs in the important road that NYPAW has taken.
With the meeting today and the photographic exhibition, we want to launch a new and powerful appeal to civil society and the international community so that the thousands of Italians and foreign visitors that visit Rome recognize that when we speak of children harmed by armed conflict, there is an irreparable damage that humanity experiences when even one of these young lives is destroyed. Franco Frattini, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs

***”The expression child soldier is in itself a terrible paradox, because it alludes to the idea that childhood, as a symbol and reality of the future, is taken away. That is why by confronting the problem on a global level we are also addressing the local issues. For example, the City of Rome is this year financing some decentralized partnership projects, aimed at assisting the reintegration of the child soldier into society, for example in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Giovanni Alemanno, Mayor of Rome

***”Advocacy must be reinforced by real action. Perpetrators of grave violations against children have to be held accountable and impunity must end.”

“We must let the world know childrens stories and we must take effective protective, legal and political actions to ensure that as many children as possible are spared the brutalities of war. Our joint action has, and will, make a difference, if only we make the effort.”
Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict

“The role of education is critical to the protection of children affected by war, in the prevention of conflict and peace building. Save the Children launched in 2006 the “Rewrite the Future” campaign, thanks to which, 10 million minors that live in more than 20 countries affected by war of whom were also many child soldiers had the opportunity to get an education.”
Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of International Save the Children Alliance

*** “Today we have listened to the personal experiences of courageous young people who have faced the brutal consequences of war. They have turned tragedy into victory and their testimony clearly shows the important role of children and young people in reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts. But there must be longterm commitment to guide and support young people in achieving realistic and sustainable solutions. This requires our urgent attention. We cannot fail to answer their call to action.”
Marta Santos Pais, Director, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre Appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children

***”Today UN peacekeeping operations are working in close collaboration with UNICEF and other child protection actors, in various conflict and post conflict contexts to ensure that child protection issues are integrated as a key priority within the political processes and that they are adequately addressed in the peacebuilding and consolidation phases. In both Burundi and Eastern Congo these efforts have recently resulted in the release of hundreds of children from armed groups.”
Rima Salah, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Central African Republic and Chad

Note

Today a photo exhibit, “Children of War Broken Childhood” was opened in Piazza Campidoglio by Giovanni Alemmano, Mayor of Rome, Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Radhika Coomaraswamy, SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict and Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of International Save the Children Alliance. The exhibition will remain outdoors on display in Piazza Campidoglio until 29 June 2009.

The exhibition is composed of four themes girlchild soldiers, reintegration, small arms and light weapons and the fight against impunity and was taken from the book by Leora Kahn, “Child Soldier” that features the work of renown war photographers. The exhibition is taking place thanks to the support of the Department of Culture Policies and Communications, the Superintendent of Fine Arts with the technical expertise of the Capitoline Museums.