Life expectancy

• To grasp the development trend of economic globalization, it is important to start from the objective laws of historical development.
• The deepening development of economic globalization has provided a powerful impetus for the progress of human society.
• Economic globalization should be beneficial to all, aligning with the universal aspirations of countries around the world, especially developing ones.
• Looking ahead, economic globalization remains an inevitable path forward and an irreversible trend of the times for human society.

• This is an unexpected announcement: it is unusual for the royal family to release details of medical conditions to the public.
• For Queen Elizabeth II this attitude framed her response to public information about the royals, quipping “never complain, never explain”.
• But the royals’ health has, occasionally, been the subject of official news, and, more commonly, the subject of gossip.

Henry VIII’s ‘soore legge’

• Henry VIII’s (1491–1547) health was well-documented and discussed in state-papers and diplomatic dispatches of the day.
• As Henry aged, his access to fine food led to an increase of weight.

• Most of our knowledge today is gleaned from diplomatic reports sent by diplomats to their own leaders.
• Read more:
  Henry VIII’s notes in prayer book written by his sixth wife reveal musings on faith, sin and his deteriorating health – new discovery

Queen Anne’s lupus

• Queen Anne (1665-1714) had 17 pregnancies, 11 of which resulted in miscarriages or stillbirths, with the remainder all dying in childhood.
• It is now believed Anne may have been afflicted with the autoimmune condition lupus.

• For Anne’s contemporaries, the name of the illness perhaps mattered less than the real political issue it presented: who would become monarch after her?
• With no heirs, there was real political fear her Catholic half-brother James Francis Edward Stuart (“The Old Pretender”) would claim the throne.

George III and mental illness

George III (1738–1820) famously suffered from bouts of mental illness, more recently been speculated to be caused by Porphyria, a hereditary blood disorder. Throughout his illness bulletins were issued by his doctors informing the public of his condition.

• His repeated bouts of illness mean his health was a constant in the media of the time, with frequent, at times twice-daily, updates during episodes.
• His illness called into question his ability to be monarch, a situation eventually resolved by the installing of his son, later George IV, as Prince Regent.

A family of haemophilia

• This also came with a deadly legacy, haemophilia, given the moniker “the royal disease”.
• Haemophilia is an inherited disorder which mostly affects males, where the blood does not clot properly.

While the royal family were careful to manage what information was publicly released about his illness, his status meant it garnered public attention. It was covered in medical journals of the time, and later in newspapers. As knowledge of the illness grew, both the public and members of the royal family were able to use it to guide decisions on marriages to limit its spread.

A new approach

• Even her death certificate failed to reveal her cause of death, other than as old age.
• After his recent prostate surgery, his office stated he wanted to inspire men to look after their prostates.
• Now, the announcement of Charles’s cancer diagnosis signals a new approach by the royals.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• This initiative built on pioneering work by a Wits team to establish a health systems development unit in a typical rural setting.
• Agincourt, in the Bushbuckridge district in rural north-eastern South Africa adjacent to Mozambique, was a microcosm of the neglected health and socioeconomic systems in rural areas during apartheid.

Why is this work so important?

• Key to this was establishing a relationship of mutual trust and understanding between ourselves and those communities.
• Drawing on early experiences with community-oriented primary care, we resolved to establish a longitudinal research and development platform.
• We gathered valuable data on age, sex and gender, household type and income – producing a robust population “denominator”.
• Today, the data generated over the past couple of decades is enabling work that was not possible in the early years.

In 2013 a project was launched to focus on ageing. Why?

• Ageing is not only about old people; it starts at birth, even earlier, because experiences at key periods influence a person’s life.
• People were dying at a younger age during the height of the HIV/Aids epidemic.
• For women living in Agincourt, life expectancy dropped from about 74 years in 1993 to around 57 years in 2005, a loss of 17 years.
• Today we see an increase in life expectancy thanks largely to the widespread uptake of antiretroviral therapies for HIV/Aids.

What stands out when you look back over 30 years?

• Bushbuckridge has become the land of the shopping mall.
• Even a person living in what previously was talked about as a deep rural area can now easily reach a mall by taxi or walking.
• The proportion of households with dwellings built with either brick or cement walls increased from 76% in 2001 to 98% in 2013.
• As a result we piloted a home-based testing option for middle-aged and older adults, with promising results.

• He is affiliated with the SA Population Research Infrastructure Network and INDEPTH Network of population-based health and socio-demographic information systems.
• Kathleen Kahn receives funding from the South African Medical Research Council, Dept of Science and Innovation SA, and the National Institute on Aging, USA.

• Perhaps the cat curls up at the end of your bed.
• Maybe the dog dives under the duvet or pops their head on your pillow.
• But if you do share your bed with Fluffy or Fido, what what does science suggest is best practice?

Disturbed Sleep

• One challenge of sharing your bed with your pet could be disturbed sleep.
• The movement of sleeping partners (two or four-legged) may lead to reduced sleep efficiency, although a bed large enough to accommodate all can mitigate this.
• Encouraging your pet to sleep elsewhere, but within the bedroom could also be beneficial if sleep disturbance is affecting your wellbeing.

Bed bugs

• These ectoparasites might hop from our pets to us and either cause transient or more prolonged irritation.
• Indeed, we can even share infections with our pets – including COVID-19 – so it’s not all one-sided.

Allergies and injuries

• Minor, unintentional injuries such as scratches can occur.
• Contact with dust and dander from pet hair can be prolonged when in close proximity.

Keeping it clean

• Advice suggests that at least weekly washing of bed sheets is good practice.
• If you share your bed with pets, washing bedclothes every three to four days is suggested.
• The fur and feet of our pets can be contaminated with dirt and pathogens too.

It’s bedtime

• Balancing the potential downsides of sharing a bed with your pet, with possible benefits is important to assess whether it is a good choice for you or not.
• With good hygiene and management, the choice to share your sleep with your pet might just give you both a great night’s sleep.

Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #01583) and she also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis, in addition to her academic affiliation at Nottingham Trent University.