Schlagwort-Archive: HIV

HIV+ young women have adequate response to human papillomavirus vaccine

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Source: Laboratory of Tumor Virus Biology, Creator: Unknown Photographer

Source: Laboratory of Tumor Virus Biology,
Creator: Unknown Photographer

HIV positive girls did not respond as well to the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as HIV negative girls of the same age, but they responded as well as HIV negative older women, probably giving them sufficient protection from infection, according to a late-breaker presentation at the recent IDWeek conference in San Francisco.

Human papillomavirus can trigger abnormal cell proliferation and cause warts, tissue abnormalities (dysplasia or neoplasia), and malignancies including cervical and anal cancer.

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3000 Scottish patients warned: your dentist exposed you to HIV risk

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Almost 3,000 dental patients have been warned of a „slight risk“ that they may have been exposed to HIV after a former dentist who treated them was found to have the infection.
Dentist

The former dentist, who has not been named to protect patient confidentiality, treated people in Paisley and Dumfries over nearly a decade.

Patients in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Dumfries and Galloway areas have been warned as a precaution of „a very slight risk that they might have been exposed to the virus“.

There have been 30 similar patient notifications in the UK in the last 25 years.

Around 10,000 people have been tested and no one has been found to have caught HIV as a result of medical or dental treatment.

The vast majority of patients have been contacted but around 250 NHS patients and 230 private patients have not yet been traced.

The dentist treated around 3000 people at Kelburne Dental Surgery in Paisley between January 2004 and March this year, and provided locum Sunday emergency cover at Nithbank Hospital, Dumfries between April 2004 and 2007.

Dr Syed Ahmed, consultant in public health medicine at Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: „It is very rare for HIV to be passed from a healthcare practitioner to a patient because all work follows strict infection-control measures.

„These measures are designed to prevent infections like HIV being passed between people and through our investigations into this case, we are confident that all appropriate infection-control measures were followed by the dentist.

„Whilst we therefore think the risk is extremely low, we cannot guarantee that there is no risk, so we have set up a freephone helpline where patients can ask questions and then decide if they want to have an HIV test.

„If anyone has been treated at the Kelburne Dental Surgery and has not received a letter but has concerns, we would ask them to call the helpline number and we will be able to check their name against the list of individuals who we have been unable to trace.“

Dr Derek Cox, director of public health at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, said: „We have identified that 247 patients were treated by this dentist. Of these, we are unable to find addresses for 14, almost certainly because they no longer live in Dumfries and Galloway.

„If you were seen at a Sunday emergency dental clinic at Nithbank between April 2004 and April 2007 and have not yet received a letter, it is unlikely that you were treated by the dentist in question. Nevertheless, if you are concerned that you may have been missed off the list please contact the helpline.“

Source: HeraldScotland

Sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen (STD)

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Sexually transmitted disease wurde mit dieser Seite zusammengeführt · Krankheiten

Sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen, im Deutschen auch engl. STD (sexually transmitted diseases) oder STI (sexually transmitted infections) genannt, sind jene Krankheiten, die auch oder hauptsächlich durch den Geschlechtsverkehr übertragen werden können. Sie können von Bakterien, Viren, Pilzen, Protozoen und Arthropoden verursacht werden.

Geschlechtskrankheiten (engl. VD (venereal disease)) im engeren Sinn oder Venerea (Wortherkunft siehe Venerologie), in den Tiermedizinischen Deckseuchen, werden jene sexuell übertragbaren Erkrankungen genannt, für die für behandelnde Ärzte eine gesetzliche Meldepflicht an die Behörden besteht oder bestand.

Die „klassischen Geschlechtskrankheiten“ (Syphilis, Gonorrhoe, Ulcus molle und Lymphogranuloma venereum) hatten bis vor kurzem nur mehr geringe Bedeutung, da sie selten geworden waren. Neuerdings mehren sich die Erkrankungsfälle wieder (siehe unten).
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HIV patients told by Pentecostal pastors ‚to rely on God‘

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Some young HIV patients have been pressured to stop taking medication, a survey of doctors revealed

Some young HIV patients have been pressured to stop taking medication, a survey of doctors revealed

Some young HIV patients are giving up their medicine after being told by Pentecostal Church pastors to rely on faith in God instead, doctors warn.

Medical staff told the BBC a minority of pastors in England were endangering young church members by putting them under pressure to stop medication. Healing is central to Pentecostalism, a radical belief in the power of prayer and miracles. But one pastor denied people would ever be told to stop taking their medicine.

The Children’s HIV Association surveyed 19 doctors and health professionals working with babies and children in England; its members had reported hearing anecdotal evidence of HIV patients deciding to stop taking their anti-retroviral drugs because their pastors had told them to do so.

Among 10 doctors who said they had encountered the problem in the last five years, 29 of their patients had reported being put under pressure to stop taking medicine and at least 11 had done so.

The doctors and health professionals reported a variety of cases:

  • Some said they had dealt with parents who felt under pressure to stop giving their young children their HIV medicine – and some had actually done so
  • Others were breastfeeding mothers with HIV who refused the medicine that would stop the virus being passed onto their babies
  • Some were young people, making the decision for themselves

The healthcare workers also reported that some patients had been told by their pastors they would be healed by prayer or by drinking blessed water. 

BBC News UK

Link between violence and HIV must be made explicit, say African ministers

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Ministers from Liberia, Zimbabwe and Ghana shed light on reality of violence and infection in their countries, as campaigners at UN conference press for action

Photograph: Catianne Tijerina/UN

Photograph: Catianne Tijerina/UN

The link between gender-based violence and HIV infections needs to be explicit in the outcome document of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), delegates said this week.

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Many Bremer Africans believe Religion protects against HIV

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Africans living in Bremen, know too little about HIV and AIDS – and therefore have outlandish ideas about dealing with the infection.

Foto: DW.de

Foto: DW.de

BREMEN. The research results of a preliminary study on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of Africans in Germany show that over half of respondents (63 percent) in Bremen want more information on HIV, especially through the media and the public health departments.

So misconceptions about modes of HIV transmission are prevalent, reported by the Institute of Public Health: 8.1 percent believe in witchcraft, 7.1 percent of the airborne transmission, and 9.3 percent by the presence in the same room.

In order to protect themselves from HIV, 95.3 percent mentioned condoms, 87.4 percent and 75.3 percent loyalty abstinence. Nearly a quarter of respondents believe but also to protection by religious belief (24.8 percent), sex with a virgin (21.8 percent) or the selection of a partner for healthy appearance (15.8 percent).

HIV is often kept secret

„It is also the fear of stigma and discrimination, a major issue for African migrants,“ Silke Gräser from the Institute of Public Health says to the „Medical Journal„.

For example, more than half of African women (58 percent) would hold the HIV infection of a family member a secret.

„The group of Africans should not be stigmatized as such,“ warns Gräser, „many Africans fear that Africa and AIDS are called too quickly in one breath.“

In this context, HIV prevention services are run specifically for African migrants at risk of being perceived as stigmatizing. HIV prevention must therefore be made more culturally sensitive, it said.

translated by: Kiumars Seraj Elahy 

HIV and Hepatitis C Co-Infection

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From Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
2009

Are you HIV positive and newly diagnosed with hepatitis C (Hep C)? Do you have one virus and think you might be infected with the other?

If so, this brochure answers some basic questions about living with both HIV and Hep C.

What is HIV and Hep C co-infection?

When people have HIV and another major infection such as Hep C, they are co-infected. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, killing the CD4+ cells that help the body fight off infection. Hep C is a virus that attacks the liver, and can cause liver damage (cirrhosis), liver failure and liver cancer. You might also hear the Hep C virus referred to as HCV.

How do I know if I’m co-infected?

If you have either HIV or Hep C, you are at risk for also having the other virus because both can enter your body the same way.

The only way to find out for sure if you are infected with HIV and Hep C is by being tested. Each virus is detected by a different test, so you need both an HIV test and a Hep C test.

You might be co-infected and not know it. Both are slow acting viruses. People can be infected for years with either virus without having any signs or symptoms of illness.

Why is HIV and Hep C co-infection a problem?

Being infected with both HIV and Hep C is a problem because each one is very hard on your body. When you are co-infected, each disease makes the other one worse. You can get sicker faster, and it is hard to treat both diseases at the same time. HIV can cause the Hep C virus to reproduce more quickly. People who are co-infected can develop liver damage and liver cancer more quickly than people who have only Hep C. Having HIV makes Hep C harder to treat because the immune system is weaker. Having Hep C also makes HIV harder to treat. Many of the medications used to treat HIV are processed by the liver. A liver badly damaged by Hep C cannot process drugs as well. Although generally safe, the risk of side effects with HIV medications may be slightly higher.

Hepatitis C and HIV - BCPWA.org
British Columbia Persons With Aids Society

Some doctors start their patients on medications to minimize the risk of depression a month before starting Hep C therapy. If you are using substances, you may want to talk to your doctor or nurse about how to quit drinking alcohol or get help for dependence on street drugs. These changes will make it easier to take treatment.

Because of side effects, some people are tempted to stop their Hep C treatment. But for the treatment to prescribed. If you experience bad side effects, you should talk to your doctor or nurse about ways to prevent or reduce them.

The complete brochure can be found here: click!

Neuropathy and HIV: A Progress Report

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With over 100 possible causes and over 100 possible forms, neuropathy is nerve damage that affects roughly 30% of people living with HIV. If you’re really unlucky, you may also be diabetic, or have also been treated for cancer, or are a heavy drinker, in which case your chances of suffering from nerve damage unfortunately become exponentially greater.

The bad news doesn’t end there I’m afraid: once it has been established that you are suffering from neuropathy of any form or cause; you will begin plotting your way through a minefield of treatments designed to reduce the worst symptoms, including tingling, loss of feeling, and sharp, unrelenting pain. If you’re lucky, the first treatment you meet will help you and keep you going for some while. However, if you are like most people with neuropathic problems, you will be trying this, that and the other medications, in the hope that your symptoms will be suppressed and if they fall short of your needs, your frustration increases.

If you see advertisements claiming to have cures for neuropathy, or clinics that say they will reverse the process; please take these with a pinch of salt and consult your HIV-specialist, or neurologist. Most scientists agree there is no cure for nerve damage, there is only the possibility of making the symptoms bearable but that doesn’t prevent unscrupulous people from trying to separate you from your money.

Over 20 million Americans alone suffer from neuropathy, the vast majority being diabetic. This has led to experts taking a closer look at the traditional medications used to subdue the symptoms. The pharmaceutical industry has made millions over the decades, promoting anti-depressants, anti-convulsants and analgesics ranging from aspirin, to the heaviest opioids for neuropathy. These are drugs normally meant for the treatment of other conditions but because of their effects on the brain and central nervous system, it has always been thought that they should be able to inhibit pain signals if directed properly.

The clear lack of significant and consistent success and the rise in numbers of people suffering from neuropathic pain, has finally forced companies to get their research labs working hard on developing new solutions and the results of these investigations and studies are now emerging. Unfortunately for most people currently suffering from neuropathic problems, this may be cold comfort because as you will all know, the path between research and development and the chemists‘ shelves is a very long one indeed. Long periods of testing and the need to officially approve new drugs/treatments for public use mean it can be years before those treatments become available.

The good news is that progress is finally being made and the advent of more advanced technology has meant that research results at basic cellular and molecular levels are more promising. It looks as though a much wider industry-wide understanding is building up of how neuropathy works and how pain signals can be blocked or inhibited. Patience will be a virtue but in the meantime, neuropathy sufferers need to do as much research as they can and help their doctors find the best solutions currently possible.

Since the publication of this full progress report (Nov. 9th 2012), further studies have shown possibilities in the areas of spinal stimulation and spinal drug delivery from permanently implanted devices; regeneration of nerves in mice via magnetic fields and more serious studies into light treatment, electrical impulses, ultrasound and other devices such as the recently FDA-approved Sensus system. Apart from these, ongoing studies are looking even closer at the neuronal tissue that makes up nerve cells and layers protecting nerves. Even the role of antibodies and immunotherapy in neuropathic pain is now being seriously studied in an attempt to better understand the relationships with auto-immune diseases.

It certainly seems that the medical research world has finally woken up to the fact that the problem is serious and that current treatments are inadequate; but we’ll need to wait some years to see which studies will lead to end-products and which will not.

You can read the full article outlining exactly what sort of progress has been made and in which areas, during the last year here at PositiveLite.com.

Source: The Body

Therapieempfehlungen für HIV-Test-Positive und AIDS-Patienten

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  • Durch die Co-Enzyme Q10 und NADH und durch hochdosiertes Vitamin C und E kann der Elektronen-Transport in der Atmungskette der Zellen verbessert werden. Durch Folsäure (300 mg täglich), Thiole L-Carnitin und niedrige Gaben von Selen (Bierhefe) und Zink kann die Aktivität der Mitochondrien und die Reparatur von mitochondrialen Erbstrukturschäden unterstützt werden.
  • Durch Prostaglandin-Modulatoren (Omega-3 Fettsäuren) aus Fischölen (3 EL täglich) oder in schweren Fällen durch selektive Cyclooxygenase-2-Hemmer, gegebenenfalls Diluoromethylornithin als Poliamin-Hemmer und durch Gamma-Globuline können opportunistische Infektionen behandelt werden.
  • Die Aktivität von Killerzellen und Neutrophilen kann dabei durch die Gabe von Glutamin (40 gr. tägl.) und L-Arginin (20-30 gr. tägl.) unterstützt werden. Mit Grapefruitkern-Extrakt (Citricidal) und durch Gurgeln mit Apfelessig-Honig kann Pilzbefall im Innern, durch Salben mit Schwefel und Teebaumöl kann Pilzbefall auf der Haut behandelt werden.
  • Durch DHEAS (bis 200 mg tägl. ) können fortgesetzten Stressreaktionen im Immunsystem (Th1-Th2 Switch), die durch die Ausschüttung von Cortisol in der Nebenniere entstehen, neutralisiert werden.
  • Durch Mariendistel, Teufelskralle und andere Pflanzen kann die Lebertätigkeit angeregt werden und durch Milchsäure-Bakterien-Präparate (Kanne-Brottrunk) kann die Darmflora wiederhergestellt werden.
  • Durch essentielle Fettsäuren in Leinöl, Distelöl, Hanföl, Sojaöl, Nachtkerzenöl und Kreuzkümmelöl in Verbindung mit Quark (Cystein) kann die Sauerstoffaufnahme verbessert werden.
  • Durch ätherische Öle, die auf der Brust und in den Armbeugen verrieben werden, kann das Immunsystem über die Nerven und die Grundsubstanz angeregt werden.
  • Durch einen gezielten Stressabbau (Autogenes Training und Stretching sowie Massage) und durch den Verzicht auf häufigen Konsum von Drogen zum Überspringen von körperlichen und seelischen Leistungsgrenzen (Kaffee, Alkohol, Nikotin, Amphetamine (Extasy), Kokain, Heroin und Poppers),
  • Durch das Vermeiden von Verletzungen, Infektionen und Überanstrengungen und das Vermeiden des Eintretens von Fremdeiweiss in die Blutbahn (durch geschützen Analverkehr).
  • Durch eine äusserst zuckerarme, ballaststoffreiche und basenüberschüssige Ernährung mit vollwertigen Kohlenhydraten, Kartoffeln, pflanzlichen Antioxydantien (Gemüse, Salate, Früchte, Kräutertee und Grüntee), Sauermilchprodukten, Sojaeiweiss und Fisch aber ohne eisenreiches (rotes) Fleisch kann bei HIV-Test-Positiven und AIDS-Patienten eine flexible Abwehrfähigkeit wiederhergestellt werden.

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…den ganzen Artikel finden Sie hier:
Therapieempfehlungen für HIV-Test-Positive und AIDS-Patienten

HIV „Selbstbewusst mit der Infektion umgehen“

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Jochen Drewes, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter an der FU Berlin, über das Stigma, das HIV-Positive immer noch erleben

Drewes: HIV ist eine gesellschaftlich stark stigmatisierte Erkrankung. Gründe dafür sind der Schweregrad der Erkrankung, die Übertragbarkeit und moralische Aspekte, die die Übertragungsweisen und die Hauptbetroffenengruppen betreffen. Dies hat sich bisher weder durch die medizinischen Fortschritte bei der Behandlung noch durch die Präventions- und Aufklärungskampagnen wesentlich geändert.

Medizinisch erleben wir eine Normalisierung von HIV und Aids. Doch was rechtliche wie auch sozialen Fragen von Moral, Schuld und Stigma angeht, sieht es offenbar anders aus. Wie schätzt du das ein?
Fortschritte bei der Behandlung der HIV-Infektion sollten tatsächlich zu einer Reduzierung der Stigmatisierung führen. Wenn HIV-Infizierte, die regelmäßig ihre Medikamente nehmen, kaum noch infektiös sind und wenn HIV mittlerweile eine chronische Erkrankung ist, statt eines sicheren Todesurteils, dann sollte eigentlich auch die Angst vor HIV-Infizierten sinken. Leider hinkt die Rechtsprechung hier dem aktuellen Wissensstand hinterher, wenn sie Transmission von HIV und damit potenziell alle HIV-Infizierten kriminalisiert.

Was verstehst du unter einem Stigma? Ein Stigma ist ein Charakteristikum einer Person, das zu ihrer Abwertung und Ablehnung führt. Diese Stigmatisierung kann eine Erkrankung wie HIV sein, aber auch ganz unterschiedliche Merkmale betreffen, wie eine körperliche Entstellung, Geschlecht, Homosexualität, etc. Gerade die Ansteckungsgefahr, also der Bedrohungsaspekt, führt dazu, dass HIV-Positive besonders stigmatisiert werden.

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