the blog

Promising new HIV treatment

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:26:13 +0000

Israeli researchers have developed a new technique for treating HIV: destroying infected cells without damaging healthy ones by using peptides to speed up viral replication so much that the cell dies. To find out more information read this.

Cancer affects all of us

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:01:32 +0000

Actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer. He is undergoing extensive radiation and chemotherapy and is expected to make a full recovery. But this goes to show you that anyone can be affected by cancer. Throat cancer is on the rise and it is something that people should be paying closer attention to. This type of cancer is linked to smoking, alcohol use and in some cases HPV. If you or or anyone you know experiences persistent sore throat, voice or hearing changes, on blood in the saliva, don’t simply dismiss it as a cold and go get it checked out. To find out more about throat cancer and how the actor is coping with the diagnosis, read this.

Stop the facebooking and get to sleep!

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:54:16 +0000

Being a teen means staying up late talking on the phone or on the computer. But it is really important for a teen to get enough sleep. If they don’t, their waistlines could be paying for it. To find out more, info about lack of sleep and weight gain in teens, read this.

New test for TB

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:10:18 +0000

A new test for the diagnosis of TB has been developed. It will reduce the amount of time to make a diagnosis and it will identify whether or not the person is infected with a resistant strain. This is great news as it will help people get treated more quickly and help reduce the spread of the disease. To find out more information about the test, read this.

The Brain and HIV

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Those infected with HIV luckily have access to antiviral drugs that help reduce the viral load in the bloodstream and lengthen their potential lifespan. Recent research shows that one of the places that the virus can hide is in the brain. This poses a problem for treatment with drugs because the brain has a barrier that is very selective on what it lets in. This means that certain treatments will be less effective and that the virus has the ability to cause some major damage in the brain if left untreated. To find out more about this topic, read this information.

Sex and the Media

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:15:37 +0000

Leading experts say that the media is the main information source teens and young adults have about sex. Many believe that the media could be doing a better job of promoting birth control, condom use, safe sex, and the possible outcomes of not waiting to have sex until you are in a committed relationship. Pediatricians are being asked to add two questions to their patient interview: how much tv do you watch? and does the child have a tv in his or her bedroom. Do you think that the media really had that big of a role in sex education? To find out more information read this.

Bipolar disorder diagnoses on the rise

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:41:11 +0000

Mental Health professionals say that more and more youth are being diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is a mental health disorder where a person experiences periods of depression and periods of mania. It’s a very real disease, but it’s also very treatable. Parents must take action if they think their child might be bipolar because it definitely puts them at risk for other issues if they are left untreated. For instance, they might have thoughts of suicide or they might have periods of invincibility when they might think that they can engage in risky behavior and nothing will happen to them. What do you think about bipolar disorder? Do you know anyone that has been diagnosed with it? Take a look at this for a more personal account of living with the disorder.

Teen Tobacco Use on the Decline

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:48:16 +0000

Over the past decade there has been a decrease in the number of youths who smoke. But recent research suggests that decline is starting to slow and that there needs to be more efforts to reduce the influence the tobacco industry has on youth. To find out more information, read this article. Do you think that many young people out there are smoking?

Pop star found guilty of knowingly transmitting HIV; no jail time

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:18:43 +0000

A German pop star was found guilty today of causing bodily harm to another by knowingly transmitting HIV to her partner. Law enforcement decided that because she was sorry and the act was done years ago when she was younger, that she should face no jail time. Do you think this is right? Do you think she should have faced harsher punishment since the man now has a virus that could kill him? Many say that it was not only her responsibility to practice safe sex, but it was also the man’s responsibility to use a condom to prevent from being in this situation. What do you think? Check this out for more information.

Gene Therapy and HIV resistant cells

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:22:30 +0000

Many have heard the story of the HIV positive patient who was also suffering from leukemia . In order to treat his conditions, the patients opted to have a bone marrow transplant that resulted him having undetectable levels of HIV in his blood. Well scientists are working on replicating these results with gene therapy instead of expensive bone marrow transplants. This would be a better alternative to take retroviral drugs with sometimes bad side effects. So far scientists’ work have been fruitful in mice with an engineered human immune system. To find out more about this work, read this.