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5 signs she wants to date you 09-07-2011 In terms of figuring out how to comprehend a woman’s feelings about us when we’re trying to make the leap from “friends” to “friends who kiss,” men often overlook obvious signs. This is especially true for guys who’ve been burned in the past (and who hasn’t been?) who are wary about rejection. Maybe we’re not totally oblivious, but we often have a difficult time reading signals. So here are a few signs she’s interested in a kiss — consider them your green light to get closer. 1. The “let’s laugh” signal David Wygant, author of Always Talk To Strangers, is an excellent signal-reader. “If she makes you feel like a stand-up comedian, even though you’re not that funny, she wants to take it to the next level,” says Wygant. Similarly, Rosemarie of White Plains, NY, shares: “If I’m interested in a guy, I kind of tease him — I try to get a funny, bantering chat going. It shows that I’m interested in playing a bit of a cat-and-mouse game, you know? I’ll say something like, ‘I think you’re just making that up,’ or ‘Honestly now, has that line worked?’ but I say it with a big smile and eye contact so he knows I’m just joking.” Browse Local Singles at Match.com on Yahoo! I am a: Man Woman Seeking a: Man Woman Near: 2. The tell-tale time sign If you are friends with a woman and sometimes wonder if there might be more there, take heed of when and where she wants to hang out with you. If she wants to meet you for a quick workday lunch, chances are she doesn’t like you in the way you might hope. But if she asks you to meet her for a gallery opening in the evening or to see a movie with her on a Saturday at 8 p.m., she may be casting you in more of a boyfriend role. Says Shelly of San Diego: “I work with a lot of guys and admit to getting crushes on my coworkers from time to time. I’ll chat them up about new movies I want to see, and if one I’m interested in asks me out, I do what I can to make it at night on a weekend. That makes it so easy to grab coffee or food afterward and get to know each other on a more personal level.” 3. The body language clues OK, so the odds of a woman reaching out to hold your hand while you’re flirting with her are slim to none. So how does she use her body to show you she’s interested? Jess from New York believes a woman’s gestures will send you the message. “Her body language will give her away — if a woman leans in toward a guy while he’s talking, mimics his body language, and maybe sneaks in a subtle touch here or there, these are pretty good signs that she’s into him. Obviously, he should get her phone number and actually call.” And how does a guy know if a woman isn’t interested? “If she is looking around the room while he’s talking to her and crossing her arms across her chest,” says Jess, “she’s probably not that interested. Also, if she tells the guy that he would be perfect for her sister or she suddenly brings up the fact that she’s been talking to her ex-boyfriend, there’s probably not a spark there.” The guy should just move on to a woman who is worth his time... or possibly take the uninterested woman up on her set-up offer. 4. The look that says “I like you” A guy should also know what kind of eye contact is waving him in for a kiss. Direct eye contact that lasts more than a couple of seconds is a sign of interest, say the experts. And if a woman looks from your eyes to your mouth, well, things are in very, very good shape. “I don’t know if it’s conscious or not, but when I like a guy, I find my gaze wanders from his eyes to his mouth,” says Moira of St. Louis, MO. “It’s definitely a seduction move; it lets him know that I’m thinking about what it would be like to kiss him.” Gentlemen, if you’re getting that signal, this is another time you want to go ahead and get that phone number. 5. Taking the next step Once we men realize a woman genuinely likes us, our minds are oftentimes so blown that we have no idea how to proceed. Fortunately, Wygant does: “Once she gives you these hints, you need to close the deal. Ask her to talk to you away from her friends or call her up on the phone and say, ‘You know what? I want to take you out for a nice dinner — just the two of us.’” What if the object of your affection is a woman you’ve known as a friend for awhile? Over dinner, you have the talk, advises Wygant. “You say, ‘I’d really like to become more than friends. I’d like to start dating you. What do you think of that?’ At this point, she’s given you every single sign that this is the conversation she’s been dreaming about, and of course the answer is going to be yes.” So it all really boils down to a two-pronged plan: pay attention and take a chance. If you focus your energy on the woman in question rather than on yourself or your surroundings (which is what you should be doing anyway), you’ll pick up more than you ever thought you could have. And if you disregard the very obvious signs — the laughing, the touching, the eye contact — and you don’t go for it, well then, you must not be into her! Alan Goldsher’s book, Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read, is available now. Visit his website at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com. |
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Johnson & Johnson HIV drug gets federal go-ahead 30-05-2011 Johnson & Johnson won approval from federal regulators yesterday to begin selling a new HIV medicine that will be prescribed to patients who are receiving their first treatment. The drug, which is part of a category of drugs known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, works by blocking the virus’ ability to replicate in the patient’s blood. Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, will sell the one-pill-a-day drug under the name Edurant. "Patients may respond differently to various HIV drugs or experience varied side effects," Edward Cox, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Antimicrobial Products. "FDA’s approval of Edurant provides an additional treatment option for patients who are starting HIV therapy." But even as Edurant becomes a new addition to the medical community’s artillery against HIV and provides Johnson & Johnson with a prospective blockbuster, the drug will also form the heart of a series of unique agreements allowing three generic drug makers to accelerate the process of making a less expensive version of the drug available to patients in some of the poorest areas of the world. In some of the most HIV-prevalent areas of the world, patients may wait years for a medicine to become available after it has been approved in the United States. The agreements, which were announced in February, were forged ahead of Edurant’s approval with the intention of getting a head start on the bureaucracy and approval process of getting a generic medicine on the market in sub-Saharan Africa, India and South Africa. Jeff Sturchio, chief executive officer of the Global Health Council, has said the agreements could help get a generic version of the new medicine to HIV patients at least 18 months earlier. In return for licensing rights to make copies of the drug, the generic companies will pay Tibotec royalties ranging from 2 percent to 5 percent. The agreements are targeting distribution of the new medicine to sub-Saharan Africa — places such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ethiopia — where the number of people living with HIV is as high as 22.5 million. Wall Street analysts have forecast revenues from the new drug to generate more than $900 million in annual sales and, possibly, as much as $1 billion. The approval of Edurant has another significance for Les Funtleyder, an analyst with Miller Tabak who follows the pharmaceutical industry. "It’s an indication," Funtleyder said, "that J&J’s pharmaceutical business is showing signs of life after a couple of so-so years." Susan Todd: (973) 392-4125 or stodd@starledger.com |
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Oral Sex and oral Cancer Cases Doubled in Last Report 22-02-2011 Throat cancers are now definitely tied to STD‘s in many cases. The relationship to oral sex is being demonstrated , in a far , far greater proportion of oral cancer patients than was originally thought to be the case. Liquor consumption and smoking have been , for decades, linked to the nasal , oral and head cancers but now STD ‘s are once again tied to a major , catastrophic disease. In the span of 1973 - 2004, the number of such cancers doubled and the projection is that since ’04, we have an even greater increase in people with HPV. Over time, we have found that our actual source of disease is not what “modern “ science has decreed. Dr. Ellen Rome , has stated that “There is absolutely a link between oral sex and oral cancers”. { See Cleveland Clinic.com } The sexual revolution of the middle 20th century has brought so many and such varied problems to our world that it is difficult to even begin to ascertain the costs in both treasure and health. The old fashioned concepts of monogamy may well have had more to offer than was recognized. The doubling in the number of such cancer cases is a wake up alarm . We do not have full and accurate data for the period of 2004 to the current time; the numbers may well be even more shocking when they are determined. At one time, the contractive pill was thought to be all that was needed to liberate sex from former restraints . Now , the same scientific method is showing that cancers, long attributed to smoking, chewing and sniffing tobaccos are tied , in greater numbers than doctors knew to sexual activity. Even more significant is that the dangers may not be limited to oral sex alone . Some doctors now believe that the HPV , which cases the disease, may also be transmitted by mere kissing -mouth to mouth activity alone. When the virus “latches on” only prescription medication can be of any help. Once the virus has entered your system, it can not be destroyed by anything other than significant medical treatment. You can not wash away the HPV by trying to practice good hygiene. Since this HPV virus does not travel through the blood stream, the disease will manifest at the place of entry. The additional tragedy is that so very many young people, who are beginning to experiment with sexual activity, are under the firm belief that oral sex “is not sex” and that it is truthful to say “I did not have sex” when they have , indeed, participated. Physicians are therefore mislead in their diagnosis in that they do not have full information. The numbers of children who have contacted this disease is alarming. It is a health problem that must be publicly addressed, and very quickly . There are schools that are filled with horrific patterns of spreading the virus by means of multiple sexual partners. One infected person can therefore spread the virus rapidly and unknowingly . When the next person also has multiple sexual contacts, as is often the case, the numbers can grow exponentially. Ignorance is especially dangerous in these cases as there are adults as well as children who are entirely unaware of the profound and even life endangering risks that they take by practicing oral sex. It is heartbreaking when it effects very young pre-teen and teens in such large numbers as we are beginning to see in State Health reports. Parents need to become aware of this cancer/oral sex link and to educate their children on the fact. To a child what might seem to be a harmless experimentation could have consequences far more serious than the pregnancy that they are trying to avoid. So, both adults and younger people do well to become far more familiar with the HPV patterns and methods of contagion. The vaccine which is now being given to young girls is now being recommend for the boys as well. The cervix is not the only point of cancer that is attributed to the HPV. This new established link between oral sex and cancer is worthy of all the public education that we can make possible. |
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Zoo visit for HIV-positive children in Kolkata 22-02-2011 A non-governmental organisation organised a trip for children suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to Alipore Zoo in Kolkata. "We have brought 60 children with us from West Midnapore. All are HIV infected. So, they are enjoying watching animals in the Alipore zoo. They never knew whether they would get this opportunity ever or not, so we thought of bringing them here. So, they are happy watching the animals in the zoo," said Haran Basak, a member of NGO Sparsha Aasha. The children said they were happy to see the animals for the first time. " I am enjoying watching the animals like rhino, tigers and deer. I had never seen the animals before," said Manju Mondal. India with 2.5 million patients is among the top three countries with the highest number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases, alongside South Africa and Nigeria. The Indian government spends about one percent of its GDP on healthcare facilities, much less than some African countries, forcing millions to struggle to get medicines. |
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Police say man failed to disclose HIV-positive status 15-01-2011 Steve “Shorty” Ralph was recently arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated sexual assault in relation to three separate victims, police said. Police allege he deliberately failed to disclose his HIV-positive status, which he knew about since May 2003, to sexual partners. He’s lived in and near the north end of Toronto in recent years. Police are urging anyone who had sexual contact with him to seek medical advice and contact police. |
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Male circumcision protects from AIDS infection 09-01-2011 According to a Reuters Health and Science article,” research into potential benefits of male circumcision, in which the male foreskin is surgically removed from their penis, “has now been shown to decrease HIV, herpes simplex virus-2, HPV infections, and genital ulcer disease in men, and also HPV infection, trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, and genital ulcer disease in their female partners.” In addition, researchers documented yet another health benefit for circumcision: It can protect men against the AIDS virus and their wives and partners from the virus that causes cervical cancer. Dr. Maria Wawer of Johns Hopkins University wrote, "Our findings indicate that male circumcision should now be accepted as an efficacious intervention for reducing the prevalence and incidence of HPV infections in female partners. However, protection is only partial; the promotion of safe sex practices is also important," HPV, or the human papillomavirus, is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. |
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New Drug Shows Promise in Fighting HIV 27-12-2010 A new drug based on a compound produced by the human body appears to block fusion peptides and halt an early stage of HIV infection by thwarting interaction between the virus and host cells, according to research published in the Dec. 22 issue of Science Translational Medicine. THURSDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug based on a compound produced by the human body appears to block fusion peptides and halt an early stage of HIV infection by thwarting interaction between the virus and host cells, according to research published in the Dec. 22 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Wolf-Georg Forssmann, M.D., Ph.D., of Hannover Medical University in Germany, and colleagues examined outcomes in 18 HIV-infected volunteers after 10 days of treatment with three different doses of VIR-576 as their first antiretroviral drug. None of the subjects stopped taking working drugs to participate in the trial. VIR-576 is a derivative of a natural 20-residue fragment of á1-antitrypsin, designated virus-inhibitory peptide. The researchers found the highest dose of VIR-576, 5.0 g/day, reduced the average viral load by 95 percent. Although the drug was well tolerated, it had the drawbacks of being expensive and, as it is given by injection, inconvenient. "Our results are proof of concept that fusion peptide inhibitors suppress viral replication in human patients, and offer prospects for the development of a new class of drugs that prevent virus particles from anchoring to and infecting host cells," the authors write. |
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A Cure for HIV? 18-12-2010 The first and only person ever to be cured of HIV/AIDS is a leukemia patient treated in Berlin with HIV-resistant stem cells. Although the Berlin patient was treated in 2007, researchers are only now officially using the word "cure." That's because extensive tests -- including analyses of tissues from his brain, gut, and other organs -- detect no sign of lingering HIV. Few people with HIV would want to go through the grueling and life-threatening cancer treatment that was part of this cure. And so far, the cure has not been duplicated in other HIV-positive leukemia patients who underwent similar treatment. Yet the finding already has transformed AIDS research. What really happened? What does this mean for people who have HIV/AIDS? Here are WebMD's answers to these and other questions about the first HIV cure |
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US gonorrhea rate at record low, other STDs rise 11-12-2010 ATLANTA (AP) — A new government report on sexually spread diseases shows gonorrhea in the United States has dipped to the lowest rate ever recorded. But chlamydia (KLAH'–mid–ee–ah) and syphilis infections continued to increase last year. That's according to a report released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says there are roughly 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases annually. Gonorrhea dropped to 301,000 cases, the lowest rate since reporting began in 1941. Chlamydia reached another record high with 1.2 million cases. It's an easily treatable infection, mostly in young women. Officials attribute the increase to more and better screening. Syphilis inched up again to 14,000 cases. |
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Social Networking Sites being used by Teens to seek Sex 11-12-2010 A lot of us use social networking sites like Facebook to merely stray in touch with friends and family. However, a recent study has found that a lot of homeless adolescents in the US are using the website as a tool to seek sex. The finding means that the youngsters are putting themselves at an increased risk of ending up with STDs. The research was carried out by a team of scientist from the University of California and was led by Assistant Professor Dr. Eric Rice. Talking about the study, Dr. Rice has said that an increased usage of such social networking sites is leading to the youth being at an increased risk of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Though, it needs to be reminded that prior studies have found that teenager these days have been sufficiently educated about sexually transmitted diseases and their effects and the dreaded HIV/AIDS virus as well. Findings of the report were possible with the combined efforts of Dr. Rice and Sean Young in ordered to have a detailed insight into the use of social networking websites by adolescent homeless teenagers. The study involved an evaluation of their sexual behaviors as well, and about their education on HIV/AIDS and STDs. In the study, 200 members of Facebook were interviewed, in which it was found that the most common discussion were related to being homeless, drinking, drugs, love and sex. |
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Drug resistant HIV gene isolated, Giving hope for better treatment 11-12-2010 Drug-resistant HIV genes isolated, giving hope for better treatment Reuters Structures found in the HIV RNA genome .CommentsTwitterLinkedInDiggBuzzEmail.David Wylie, Postmedia News · Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010 Researchers have isolated specific genes in HIV that makes the virus resistant to drugs — a discovery that could significantly bolster our understanding of HIV and how to treat it. University of Victoria biomedical engineer Stephanie Willerth, 29, discovered the new method of studying genetic material and using it to locate specific genes of HIV that were resistant to drugs while conducting post-doctorate research at the University of California, Berkeley. “The virus mutates at a very high rate which is very problematic for HIV patients because the virus eventually develops resistance to medications,” she said. Willerth and her team studied about 15,000 different versions of HIV, which has never been done before. They were then able to locate the specific genes of the virus that were resistant to the drugs — knowledge that could ultimately help researchers develop more effective treatments for HIV, which causes AIDS. “To study all of these different versions we have to replicate them millions of times, especially when it comes to complex viruses like HIV,” said Willerth. “Because this research method requires a large amount of genetic material and there are obvious risks of duplicating highly contagious viruses, scientists have avoided doing this. Our research was unique because of the method we used — we isolated the genetic material from HIV, so that it was no longer alive, before we replicated it.” An estimated 38 million people are infected with HIV, with another 4.1 million cases added each year. Willerth said the methods she used can be applied to other difficult-to-treat viruses, including swine flu, Ebola and influenza. Access to the new and expensive equipment conduct the research is only available at a few major universities and hospitals in North America, including the University of British Columbia. Willerth’s work was published in the peer-reviewed science journal PLoS ONE. The biomedical engineer, who was born in Missouri, was recently hired on as the University of Victoria’s first assistant professor of biomedical engineering. .. |
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STD testing: There’s an app for that 08-12-2010 Smart phones are starting to freak me out - they're getting a little too smart. I predict future species will dig up our fossils, guessing that a meteor wiped out the population, but really, our phones just ate us. That's probably extreme. Engineers in Britain, though, have brought that reality one step closer. They recently developed a device that plugs into a cell phone - much like a USB drive - and tests for STDs. How? Well, you pee on it. By inserting the microchip into the side of your phone, one has to have perfect aim, similar to a pregnancy test. After urinating on the chip, the results will pop up on your screen. I imagine it displaying a blue smiley face if you test negative or a frowning face for testing positive. The app also includes a feature that will locate the nearest clinic or health center from your current location. I guess that's helpful, but then you still have to physically go to a medical center. Let's break it down into pros and cons before we make hasty judgments on this invention. If you're of the glass-half-full kind, this application will allow for cheaper, private testing with instant results. If you're glass-half-empty (or practical), you'll recognize that your phone will smell like pee, and likewise your face will too once you've used it. Classy. Apparently, designers theorize that most young people are too embarrassed to visit a clinic or doctor, and consequently, they never actually from page 9 know if they carry harmful bacteria or a virus. They suggest that private access to such tests will help decrease the number of teenagers and young adults with STDs by promoting healthy sexual habits. The app comes with a Facebook link, allowing results to immediately be updated to your status - "Chlamydia free! Going to IHOP!" Four friends "like" this and you have one very happy girlfriend. So, in the middle of a late night rage session at your favorite nightclub, if you have the desire to check your current genital bacteria count, this device has got you covered. That seems extremely practical among all the alcohol and hip thrusting. Look at the potential for mistexting. I'm really not trying to have my employer, grandmother or ex-boyfriend know about my sexual health just because I hit a wrong button. There are some things computers don't need control over - like herpes. I appreciate the move to improve sexual awareness and practice healthy habits, but this application takes viruses (computer or human) to a whole new bizarre level. |
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Syphilis rates are up in 2010 08-12-2010 The Center for Disease Control’s annual STD report revealed that syphilis rates have spiraled upward in 2010. Meanwhile, gonorrhea is at an all-time low and chlamydia tops the chart as the most common. The three sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, account for about 1.5 million reported cases annually. But that’s less than 10 percent of the country’s estimated 19 million cases, the vast majority of which go unreported and potentially untreated. There were 5 percent more syphilis cases in the past year and 39 percent more since 2006, according to WebMD. The STD is down among women, but up in men having homosexual sex. In 2009, more than half of all reported syphilis cases were among African-Americans. Young African-American men aged 15 to 24 saw their rates of syphilis triple. Like all STDS, syphilis can cause serious damage if left untreated. The L.A. Times reported that brain, cardiovascular, and organ damage are possible when syphilis is left untreated. In pregnant women, it can cause congenital syphilis, which can cause stillbirth, death soon after birth and physical deformities and neurological complications in children who survive. Untreated, it causes infant death in as many as 40 percent of infants. Untreated syphilis also raises the probability of contracting HIV. “A range of factors contributes to these disparities, including poverty, lack of access to health care, and an already high prevalence of STDs in communities of color that increases a person’s risk of infection with each sexual encounter,” the CDC notes in a fact sheet accompanying the annual report. The initial symptom of syphilis are chancres, a sore that develops in the area where the bacteria entered the body. Although chancres usually occur 10 to 90 days after exposure, they might not appear at all. “Screening detects STDs before they cause permanent damage to the body—and prevents further spread of infection,” according to WebMD. “Yet fewer than half of people who should be screened do so. All sexually active people should get regular STD screening.” |
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Gonorrhea rate at an all-time low, but syphilis and chlamydia rates continue to rise 04-12-2010 The rate of gonorrhea in the United States is at an all-time low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, but the rates for chlamydia and syphilis continue to rise. The three sexually transmitted diseases, orSTDs, together account for about 1.5 million cases annually, less than 10% of the country's estimated 19 million cases. But they are the only ones that must be reported to CDC by doctors because they have such potentially serious consequences. Herpes and human papillomavirus account for the bulk of the remaining STD infections. All three are bacterial diseases that can be readily treated with antibiotics. Left untreated, however, they can have serious consequences. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can produce pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can cause infertility. Each year, about 24,000 U.S. women become infertile as a result. Syphilis can cause brain, cardiovascular and organ damage. In pregnant women, it can cause congenital syphilis, which can cause stillbirth, death soon after birth and physical deformities and neurological complications in children who survive. Untreated, it causes infant death in as many as 40% of infants. Lack of treatment of the infections also appears to increase the risk of contracting HIV. According to the new CDC report, gonorrhea cases declined 74% from 1974 to 1996 before plateauing for 10 years, then decreasing for another three. In 2009, a total of 301,174 cases were reported, with the highest rate in the South. Rates were similar in men and women, but slightly higher in women, and highest among those ages 15 to 24. In men, they were highest among those ages 20 to 24. The rate in black men was 26 times that in white men, while the rate in black women was 17 times that in white women. A total of 1,244,180 cases of chlamydia were reported to the CDC in 2009, the highest number of cases ever reported to the agency for any condition. The CDC estimates that this is about half the actual incidence of the disease. Rates have been climbing since the 1980s when public programs for screening and treatment were first implemented, and authorities attribute the growth in reported cases to better screening. The rate is almost three times as high among women as among men, reflecting the large number of women screened for the disease. The rate in black men was 12 times that in white men, while that in black women was nearly eight times higher than that in white women. The rate of primary and secondary syphilis in the U.S. decreased through the 1990s, and in 2000 it was the lowest since reporting began in 1941, leading the surgeon general to issue a plan to eliminate the disease from the country. Unfortunately, it has been staging a comeback, increasing each year since 2001, mostly in men but also in women. In 2009, a total of 13,997 cases of primary and secondary syphilis were reported to the CDC, the highest number since 1995 and a 5% increase from the preceding year. Since 2005, the rate has increased 59%. After 14 years of decline, the number of cases of congenital syphilis reached a historic low of 339 cases in 2005, but it grew to 427 in 2005. The syphilis rate among blacks is nine times the rate among whites, which is a definite improvement over 1999, when the rate among blacks was 24 times that among whites. |
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More couples opt for pre-nuptual agreements 04-12-2010 If you’re thinking about a long-term commitment, should you sign something so your partner doesn’t wind up with your family heirlooms and half of your cat? Along with vetting your date through Google, testing for STDs, and finding out if your partner believes the Mayans were descended from an alien race, the pre-nup has become one of the cornerstones of modern romance. Things might be hunky-dory in the honeymoon stage, but we’ve all heard enough stories of true love gone awry to know that one day the pheremonal rush wears off, replaced by a loathing for the way the person you live with brushes their teeth. “If I had money and the person I was dating didn’t — say, I was dating a musician — I would definitely want a pre-nup,” says Carla B. Still in her 20s, the blonde immigration officer says she would demand a pre-nup if either party had considerably more assets than the other, particularly if someone’s assets included “old money” — that is, sizable family coffers dating back to dear old ancestors. “It’s different if you make it while you’re together, but if it goes back in the family, that’s something else,” she says. Carla said her biggest fear is ending up like her friend, who dated a millionaire, had two kids with him and became a stay-at-home mom. Now, she lives in a basement apartment with an eight and a 10-year-old. Another Karla, Karla V., has hooked up with a younger man who came into some money as the result of a settlement following a motorcycle accident. Four months after starting to see each other, he was suggesting marriage. “I said it was a little soon,” she says. She was the one who brought up the subject of the pre-nup. “I started seeing him before I knew about the money,” she says. “He didn’t want to sign one. He said, ‘What’s mine is yours.’” Why sign at all? As Carla with a C points out, it’s easier than ever to meet someone, thanks to the Internet, which was in fact invented by divorce lawyers (OK, we’re making that up. But think about it). Long-term commitments are more daunting then ever. Jessica D., a West Coast concert promoter, believes in pre-nups, particularly if they hold a step-out clause. That is, if the partner is stepping out (read: getting sex on the side), there should be some financial reckoning. “If you step out, buck up, baby,” says Jessica. It could make the stepper-outer think twice — but then, if only money is holding back the partner, how healthy can the relationship be? |
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HIV positive man bites police officer 21-11-2010 DALTON, GA. (WRCB)-- A Dalton man is facing charges from Dalton Police and additional charges from the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office after he resisted fingerprinting. According to the sheriff's office, 26-year-old Ruperto Velasquez-Bravo was arrested by Dalton Police and charged with failure to yield, battery, driving without a valid license and hit and run. During booking, Bravo became unruly and bit an officer. Bravo is HIV positive and is now charged by Whitfield County with assault by an HIV infected person on a law enforcement officer and willful obstruction of an officer by threat or violence. The officer's skin was not broken by the bite and he was evaluated by the jail's medical staff. Bravo's immigration status is in question and he has been put on immigration hold pending an investigation. |
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Study explains why HIV so tough to beat 18-11-2010 A paper in the journal Nature, published today, lays out the reasons why humans do not produce antibodies against the virus. This lack of a natural defence allows the virus to enter cells without being attacked. The findings offer new hope for vaccines which could target HIV/AIDS more effectively. The key is a potential weak link, a protein on the surface of HIV called gp41, which helps the virus invade cells. Professor Stephen Kent, an immunologist at the University of Melbourne, says gp41 has been of great interest to HIV vaccinologists. "The GP41 component is the component that essentially punches a hole in the membrane or the surface of the cell and allows the virus to get in," he said. "It's a very critical component of the entry mechanism of the virus. "If we can prevent the HIV from getting into cells, then we'd have a great vaccine." It has been known for many years that about one in 1,000 people can naturally control the HIV virus, by making an antibody against gp41. The work published in Nature shows that while most people do develop an antibody against gp41, they do this after the virus has already entered their cells. "They're making a response against this gp41 after the horse has already bolted," Professor Kent said. "And so the virus gets in, it infects, it destroys these CD4 cells, and only then is the antibody made. "It's disappointing, but at the same time it's also a clue. As we understand this better we can now try and direct our efforts against the specific parts of gp41 that we can attack before the virus can get into the cell. "It's perhaps a couple of steps back and one step forward for HIV vaccine research." |
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HIV positive man to stand trial on rape charge 18-11-2010 An HIV-positive Lawrenceville man is scheduled to go on trial in Gwinnett County on Monday for allegedly raping a sleeping female patient at a psychiatric hospital. Lawrenceville. Police said he snuck into the room of a female patient and raped her while she was asleep and on sedatives. Hatfield also was a patient at the hospital at the time. A nurse found Hatfield in bed with a female patient who appeared to be sleeping. After the nurse walked into the room, the victim reportedly awoke and discovered that her underwear had been removed. A subsequent medical examination indicated she had been sexually assaulted. Hatfield is being prosecuted under a rarely used section of Georgia law that makes it a felony for anyone who is aware that they are infected with HIV or hepatitis to knowingly engage in sexual intercourse with another person without disclosing their condition. The crime is punishable by anywhere from five to 20 years in prison. |
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Dollars for Docs: A Portland Nurse Is A Top Earner 15-11-2010 That practice, examined by ProPublica in its Dollars for Docs investigation, is common but controversial. The investigation compiled a database of payments made by seven companies to more than 17,700 medical professionals during 2009 and early 2010. The database only represents a portion of the payments made by Big Pharma (a number of pharmaceutical companies do not yet have to reveal the payments they make; this secretive practice will end in 2013). Of those 17,700 medical professionals in the database, ProPublica created a list of the 384 medical providers receiving the most money. And interestingly, since only a handful of non-doctors are on the list of top earners, a Portland nurse made the list. That nurse is Terri Warren (pictured above). A nurse practitioner who is licensed to write prescriptions, Warren is the owner of the Westover Heights Clinic, a 28-year-old facility located at Northwest 23rd and Flanders. According to ProPublica, Warren received $113,000 in 2009 from GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical company. Contacted by phone, Warren was direct to WW about the payments she received. She acknowledged there may be a perception that her medical integrity has been compromised, but argued that the opposite was really the case. Warren’s clinic focuses on sexually transmitted diseases and the vast bulk of her practice involves the diagnosis and treatment of herpes simplex. She has a national reputation and is the author of the bestselling herpes book, “The Good News About the Bad News.” Warren said she received the payments from GlaxoSmithKline in 2009 to give several talks around the country to medical professionals about herpes simplex virus, a treatable, though not curable, disease. Warren says herpes simplex virus infects 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49. “Glaxo would arrange dinner programs for me to come and talk to other physicians about herpes,” she said. “I did that a lot and the amount that they paid varied from time to time.” Glaxo’s reason for the payments seems pretty clear. It made and sold Valtrex, an anti-viral drug used to treat herpes. But Warren pointed out there are other herpes drugs on the market and she would never specifically mention Valtrex during her talks. If asked about the efficacy of one drug over another, she said “I would always say that they are equally effective.” While Warren received $113,000 from Glaxo in 2009, that number dropped to $300 in 2010. Warren says this is because at the end of 2009, the patent ran out on Glaxo’s Valtrex and the drug is now being marketed in generic form by a different company. And from Warren’s point of view, the fact she no longer receives money from Big Pharma is discouraging, because she is now no longer educating medical providers about how to treat herpes. “You wouldn’t believe how many providers did not know about the value of viral therapy,” she said, “and that it can reduce transmission by half.” |
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Free, anonymous HIV tests run out in Norris 14-11-2010 Free, confidential HIV testing offered by Rainbow Alliance and the LGBT Resource Center ran out Friday before the three-hour event ended. Students lined up outside the Wildcat Room in Norris University Center for the confidential tests supplied by Asian Human Services, a Chicago-based organization. Testing lasted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was open to walk-ins. The organization supplied about 20 tests. "This was sort of a test run to see how much interest there is and how logistically it would work out," said Caroline Perry, Rainbow Alliance student outreach and guidance and peer solutions chair. The Weinberg senior said the organizing groups felt fortunate to find an organization willing to provide off-site testing. The Chicago-based Howard Brown Health Center used to make rapid, anonymous testing available for six NU students each month through University Health Services. Those spots filled up weeks in advance and students were often placed on a waitlist. Now, however, costs prohibit the Center from continuing its on-campus option. Health Services still offers its own confidential testing appointments. They cost $30 and the results are entered into the student's health record. The demand for the tests has not changed, Perry said. She said students have shown increasing awareness of their sexual health. "HIV rates have been decreasing in general, but among youth, and especially in certain subgroups of the population, they're actually increasing," Perry said. Anonymous, "on-the-spot" testing is the most popular option among students, said Lisa Currie, NU's director of health promotion and wellness. The distinction between confidential and anonymous testing is all in a person's name. Anonymous testers don't need to give one. Instead, they can use a string of numbers or an alias. There is still a unique identification attached to the test, but it's impossible to trace back, Currie said. She said she doesn't think the stigma surrounding getting tested is as much of a concern for today's students as it has been in the past. It's the cost, she said: anonymous tests are usually offered for free. "There may be some leftover stigma for some people, but not as much with today's students," Currie said. Whatever their reason for getting tested, she said students are getting in the habit of protecting themselves. The top three sexually transmitted diseases are HPV, gonorrhea and chlamydia, all of which are treatable. HIV is less common, she said, but also much less manageable. "We're trying to make sure students understand that if you're protecting yourself from HIV, you're protecting your body from a whole host of STDs," Currie said. Rainbow Alliance and the LGBT Resource Center plan to hold another test before the quarter ends and several during the winter, Perry said. |
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