Health research in developing countries has many facets. On one side, malaria and AIDS as main causes of morbidity and mortality are a focus for clinical and epidemiological studies. On the other side, the need for improving the health care system in general cannot be overestimated.

The book offers a survey of current and important topics of health research in developing countries. Special emphasis is placed to show that cooperation of different health research areas if of highest importance in future. In addition the CRSN (Burkina Faso) - University of Heidelberg collaboration is given as a model that allows high class research in remote areas of any developing country.

An absolutely must for all who are working in clinical, epidemiological and health systems research for and in developing countries.

1;Foreword;52;Preface;83;Contents;104;1 Introduction;144.1;1.1 HISTORY OF CRSN: from a project to an institution;144.2;1.2 Nouna DSS Data structure, data exchange and routine epidemiologic procedures;294.3;1.3 INDEPTH Network: Generating Empirical Population and Health Data in Resource-constrained Countries in the Developing World;324.4;1.4 Ethics of biomedical research in developing countries;434.5;1.5 Health Information Systems;535;2 Clinical Research ;605.1;2.1 Overview;605.2;2.2 Effect of zinc supplementation on malaria and other causes of morbidity in west African children: randomised double blind placebo controlled trial;735.3;2.3 Evaluation of a prototype long-lasting insecticide- treated mosquito net under field conditions in rural Burkina Faso;805.4;2.4 Severe anaemia in west African children: malaria or malnutrition?;835.5;2.5 Clinical efficacy of chloroquine in young children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria - a community- based study in rural Burkina Faso;855.6;2.6 The association between protein-energy malnutrition, malaria morbidity and all- cause mortality in West African children;885.7;2.7 Effect of zinc supplementation on growth in West African children: a randomized double-blind placebo- controlled trial in rural Burkina Faso;945.8;2.8 Efficacy of pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine in young children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria in rural Burkina Faso;1006;3 Epidemiological Studies;1046.1;3.1 Introduction;1046.2;3.2 Clustering of childhood mortality in rural Burkina Faso;1106.3;3.3 Community factors associated with malaria prevention by mosquito nets: an exploratory study in rural Burkina Faso;1196.4;3.4 Mortality patterns, 1993- 98, in a rural area of Burkina Faso, West Africa, based on the Nouna demographic surveillance system;1296.5;3.5 Patterns of adult and old-age mortality in rural Burkina Faso;1386.6;3.6 Malaria morbidity, treatment-seeking behaviour, and mortality in a cohort of young children in rural Burkina Faso;1446.7;3.7 Risk factors of infant and child mortality in rural Burkina Faso;1527;4 Health systems research;1627.1;4.1 Introduction;1627.2;4.2 Measuring the local burden of disease. A study of years of life lost in sub- Saharan Africa;1637.3;4.3 Examining out-of-pocket expenditure on health care in Nouna, Burkina Faso: implications for health policy;1727.4;4.4 Perceived quality of care of primary health care services in Burkina Faso;1837.5;4.5 Informal risk-sharing arrangements (IRSAs) in rural Burkina Faso: lessons for the development of community- based insurance ( CBI);1917.6;4.7 Gender´s effect on willingness-to-pay for community- based insurance in Burkina Faso;2197.7;4.8 A comparison of the reliability of the take-it- or- leave- it and the bidding game approaches to estimating willingness- to- pay in a rural population in West Africa;2307.8;4.9 Willingness-to-pay for community-based health insurance in Burkina Faso;2407.9;4.10 Differential willingness of household heads to pay community- based health insurance premia for themselves and other household members;2557.10;4.11 The two faces of enhancing utilization of health- care services: determinants of patient initiation and retention in rural Burkina Faso;2637.11;4.12 The feasibility of community-based health insurance in Burkina Faso;2728;5 Biochemistry- based health care research;2828.1;5.1 Introduction;2828.2;5.2 Methylene blue as an antimalarial agent;2908.3;5.3. Pharmacogenomic strategies against resistance development in microbial infections;2959;Author index;29910;Adresses of authors of chapters;301