Just me talking about HIV

Potential CURE For HIV-AIDs???

A First Step Toward a Cure for AIDS? Novel Procedure Appears to Have Eliminated HIV
By Jeffrey Laurence, M.D.
November 5, 2008—We need a cure for AIDS. We can’t treat our way out of this epidemic. Anti-HIV therapy is a lifelong commitment, accompanied by many life-altering and some potentially life-threatening side effects. And for every person placed on treatment, two to three are newly infected. In 2007 alone there were 2.7 million new infections, and only 31 percent of those who needed treatment received it. Viral reservoirs—cells and tissues in which HIV remains dormant, beyond the reach of anti-HIV drugs but poised to grow at any moment—persist for the life of an infected person. And while all currently available anti-HIV drugs suppress the virus, they cannot eliminate it.
Given this context, a brief report in February 2008 by a group of physicians from Germany appeared to change everything when presented as a poster at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston. It described a 40-year-old man—an American working in Berlin—whose HIV had been under good control for several years using a typical cocktail of drugs known as HAART. Then he developed acute leukemia.
In an attempt to cure the leukemia, he underwent a course of radiation therapy and chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant. But in his case, rather than simply using the best match among available stem cell donors, his physicians did something very clever. They also screened potential donors for a natural mutation known as delta32 CCR5. CCR5 is the primary means by which most types of HIV infect cells. Individuals lacking this CCR5 receptor—the 1.5 percent of the Caucasian population in America and Europe with the delta32 mutation—are completely resistant to infection by the most common forms of HIV.
The patient’s stem cell transplant was a success, although relapse of his leukemia required a second transplant using the same donor. Now off all anti-HIV drugs for almost two years, the patient continues to show no detectable signs of HIV in his blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, intestines, or brain. To the limits of our ability to detect HIV, it appears that the virus has been eradicated from his body. At the very least this patient represents a functional cure: he is off all anti-HIV meds, has a normal T-cell count, and exhibits no evidence of virus.
amfAR quickly called together 10 experts in clinical AIDS, stem cell transplantation, and HIV virology for a two-day think tank at the MIT Endicott House to evaluate these data. The patient’s physician, Gero Hutter, presented details of the case, which were closely scrutinized by all. In a summary statement, attendees indicated that this case does indeed represent at least a functional cure. Dr. Hutter agreed to ask his patient to provide additional blood samples so that scientists attending the amfAR meeting could perform even more sensitive tests to attempt to further document that the virus has been erased from the patient. amfAR is coordinating distribution of these samples.
But amfAR’s involvement doesn’t end there. It is possible that the patient may have been cured of HIV/AIDS. But the cost of such a stem-cell transplant procedure can run up to $250,000. It is associated with a relatively high death rate from infectious and immunologic complications, and the number of delta32-CCR5 donors of appropriate tissue type would be very small. Here further research may yield key answers.
For example, it is unknown whether the use of a delta32-CCR5 donor is essential. Perhaps the transplant procedure itself was the most important element. The potential to genetically engineer stem cells to remove CCR5 from a patient’s own stem cells also exists, and strategies to do so were discussed at the think tank. These and related issues will serve as topics for an upcoming amfAR grant cycle.
Dr. Laurence is amfAR’s senior scientific

HIV Criminalization WRONG Aproach-Scaring Folks on Getting Tested!

HIV is a fearsome virus, and its effects are potentially deadly. Therefore, the justification is that public officials should be able to invoke any available and effective means to counter its spread. African lawmakers and policy-makers, in particular, have good reason to look for strong remedies. Many African countries face a massive epidemic with agonising social and economic costs and therefore reversing the spread of HIV is vital. However, I believe these reasons are entirely counter-productive and they need to be challenged, rationally, powerfully and systematically. 1. Criminalisation is ineffective as in the majority of cases, the virus spreads when two people have consensual sex, neither of them knowing that one has HIV. 2. Criminal prosecutions are a misguided substitute for measures that really protect those at risk of contracting HIV. The focus should be on ending deaths, stigma, discrimination, and suffering. 3. Far from protecting women, criminalisation victimises, oppresses and endangers them. In Africa most people who know their HIV status are female. The material circumstances in which many women find themselves – especially in Africa – make it difficult and often impossible for them to negotiate safer sex, or to discuss HIV at all. These provisions will hit women hardest, and will expose them to assault, ostracism and further stigma. They will become more vulnerable to HIV, not less. 4. Criminalisation is often unfairly and selectively enforced. Prosecutions and laws single out already vulnerable groups – like sex workers, men who have sex with men and, in European countries, black males. 5. Criminalisation places blame on one person instead of responsibility on two. For nearly three decades the universal public information message has been that no one is exempt from it. So the risk of HIV (or any sexually transmitted infection) must now be seen as an inescapable facet of having sex. It is inappropriate and unfair to place all the blame on the person with HIV. 6. Such laws are difficult and degrading to apply. This is because they intrude on the intimacy and privacy of consensual sex. No one suggests that a person knowing they have HIV, who sets out intending to infect another, and achieves their aim, ought to escape prosecution. But in cases where there is no deliberate intention, the categories and distinctions of the criminal law become fuzzy and incapable of offering clear guidance. 7. Many of these laws in existence are extremely poorly drafted. Partly because it is difficult to prove an offence that involves consensual sex, and because of the difficulties of applying the categories of the criminal law, many of these laws end up being a ‘hodge-podge’ of confused legislative intent and bad drafting. 8. Criminalisation increases stigma. It is stigma that makes those at risk of HIV reluctant to be tested; it is stigma that makes it difficult, often impossible, for them to speak about their infection; and it is stigma that continues to hinder access to the life-saving ARV therapies that are now increasingly available. Such laws and prosecutions in turn only add fuel to the fires of stigma. 9. Criminalisation is a blatant deterrent to testing. Across Africa, the life-saving drugs that suppress the virus and restore the body to health are becoming increasingly available. But why should any woman in Kenya want to find out her HIV status, when her knowledge can only expose her to risk of prosecution? The laws are not just a war on women. They are a war on all people with HIV, and they constitute an assault on good sense and rationality in dealing with the epidemic. 10. Criminalisation assumes the worst about people with HIV, and in doing so it punishes vulnerability. Evidence shows that countries with human rights laws that encourage the undiagnosed to test for HIV do much better at containing the epidemic than those that have adopted punitive, moralistic, denialist strategies, including those relying on the criminal law as a sanction. In light of all of this, the clear goal should be to fight against stigma, against discrimination, and against criminalisation – and to fight for justice, good sense, effective prevention measures and for access to treatment. HIV is a virus, not a crime. That fact is elementary, and all-important. Law-makers and prosecutors overlook it.

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My War on the HIV-join me Fellow PHA WARRIORS!!!

& start your attack against hiv-aids today by blogging,vlogging,webcasting,webstreaming,websites,webposts,spiderwebs & webbed feet!if u can use your knowledge to help in this war on hiv-aids then Y not?we need to stop the stigma & discrimination that abounds all over this planet but peace n love seems to be the farthest thing from peoples minds...wars n killings uprisings & riots-earthquakes-tidal waves-volcanoes-it seems like its really the end times that we are living in now,as the bible has fortold,everything it has said is seemingly coming to fruition,& i pray that GOD's,Allah's,will be done,its the same god with dif names is all.We have named him who is nameless,him who is timeless,the Lord is my shepard & i shall not want for nothing,as he leadeth me to green pastures and where was i?ok well so battle on my fellow PHA warriors!Its time we said NO to mr HARPER's planned CUTS!!!NO MR HARPER!!!WE R MAD AS HELL & R NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!U NEED TO FIND A WAY NOT TO MAKE THESE CUTS!!!WE NEED MORE FUNDING NOT MORE FUNDUNG CUTS!!!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!

Miss Mom Gary Gone to Dark Side!

So ya sad to say but lynn has finally drove my brother crazy.Stated his lawyer needs to sue me to get to claude is BS.I am not going to bother getting into it with them.Easier said then done though as me & him used to be best buds,funny how time changes peoples eh folks?Just isnt the same guy he used to be...could it be the fear thats gripping us all has overtaken his sanity?Most likely as they both think that everyone is in on it except them!Ok watever,i cannot live like that!I have to treat others with respect even in these troubled times,especially in these troubled times!We R supposed to be living in the most exciting time to be alive!maybe for us here in the west but most other places do not have what we have =a stable democratic country with many resources to sustain world interests!What better selling point could u have?NONE!!!Canada should be promoting itself as such a place!!!PEACE,LOVE & HAPPINESS TO ALL PHA'S EVERYWHERES EH!!!

Harper Goin HARRIS !!!This Must STOP!!!

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[AAN] Provincial AIDS Networks Take on Harper Cuts‏
From:
aidsactionnow@googlegroups.com on behalf of GlenB (gbconsult@sympatico.ca)
Sent:
March 20, 2008 10:56:22 PM
Reply-to:
aidsactionnow-owner@googlegroups.com
To:
AIDS ACTION NOW (aidsactionnow@googlegroups.com)
AAN members may be interested in the following news release from ourallies in provincial networks: March 19, 2008 Cutting Funding Equals Cutting Lives A statement by AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec andOntario (19/03/08) A life saving post card campaign is being launched bypeople living with HIV/AIDS, their friends, families and serviceorganizations in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec after the Federalgovernment slashed community HIV funding across the country. This HIV funding is used to provide direct services to the 62,000Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and for implementing education programsdesigned to prevent new HIV infections. 2,508 Canadians were diagnosedwith HIV in 2006, 14% more than were diagnosed in 2001. It isestimated that approximately 4,000 Canadians are actually newlyinfected with HIV each year. There still is no cure for AIDS; itcontinues to be a debilitating and fatal illness. Ontario alone lost 30% of its promised federal funding with a $1million cut in funding for programs to prevent HIV and to providesupport services for people who are already infected. Quebec lost 24%of its funding and Alberta AIDS Service Organizations still have nocommitment from the federal government to continue their funding whichexpires March 31, 2008. AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario are unitedin urging Canadians to send a message to Prime Minister StephenHarper and to their Members of Parliament that, Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives. " href="http://groups.google.ca/group/aidsactionnow?hl=en" target=_blank http://groups.google.ca/group/aidsactionnow?hl=en-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
document.getElementById("MsgContainer").innerHTML='\x3cpre\x3e \x3cbr\x3eAAN members may be interested in the following news release from our\x3cbr\x3eallies in provincial networks\x26\x2358\x3b\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eMarch 19, 2008\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eCutting Funding Equals Cutting Lives\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eA statement by AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and\x3cbr\x3eOntario\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3e\x26\x2340\x3b19\x26\x2347\x3b03\x26\x2347\x3b08\x26\x2341\x3b A life saving post card campaign is being launched by\x3cbr\x3epeople living with HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS, their friends, families and service\x3cbr\x3eorganizations in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec after the Federal\x3cbr\x3egovernment slashed community HIV funding across the country.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eThis HIV funding is used to provide direct services to the 62,000\x3cbr\x3eCanadians living with HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS and for implementing education programs\x3cbr\x3edesigned to prevent new HIV infections. 2,508 Canadians were diagnosed\x3cbr\x3ewith HIV in 2006, 14\x26\x2337\x3b more than were diagnosed in 2001. It is\x3cbr\x3eestimated that approximately 4,000 Canadians are actually newly\x3cbr\x3einfected with HIV each year. There still is no cure for AIDS\x26\x2359\x3b it\x3cbr\x3econtinues to be a debilitating and fatal illness.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eOntario alone lost 30\x26\x2337\x3b of its promised federal funding with a \x26\x2336\x3b1\x3cbr\x3emillion cut in funding for programs to prevent HIV and to provide\x3cbr\x3esupport services for people who are already infected. Quebec lost 24\x26\x2337\x3b\x3cbr\x3eof its funding and Alberta AIDS Service Organizations still have no\x3cbr\x3ecommitment from the federal government to continue their funding which\x3cbr\x3eexpires March 31, 2008.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eAIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario are united\x3cbr\x3ein urging Canadians to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen\x3cbr\x3eHarper and to their Members of Parliament that, Cutting Funding\x26\x2361\x3b\x3cbr\x3eCutting Lives.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3e\x26\x2334\x3bGiven a commitment by all of Canada\x26\x2339\x3bs major political parties to\x3cbr\x3edouble the funding by 2008 we were shocked when we learned of the\x3cbr\x3ecuts\x26\x2334\x3b said Sue Cress, Chair of the Alberta Community Council on HIV.\x3cbr\x3e\x26\x2334\x3bAlberta AIDS Service Organizations have not received an increase in\x3cbr\x3efunding since 2004. Instead of an expected increase this year, we\x3cbr\x3ewill have a decrease from last year\x26\x2339\x3bs amounts.\x26\x2334\x3b\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eThe Federal Initiative on HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS promised to increase funding from\x3cbr\x3e\x26\x2336\x3b42.2 million to \x26\x2336\x3b84.5 million by 2008-09. The government\x26\x2339\x3bs own\x3cbr\x3efigures show that \x26\x2336\x3b7 million will be cut from front-line service\x3cbr\x3eorganizations at the national and regional levels over a 5 year\x3cbr\x3eperiod. These cuts are occurring as HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS-related programs and\x3cbr\x3eservices are experiencing dramatic increases in demand both because of\x3cbr\x3ethe number of new infections and because people with HIV are living\x3cbr\x3elonger. In fact there was a 43\x26\x2337\x3b increase in demands for service\x3cbr\x3ebetween 1993 and 2003.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eLyse Pinault, General Director of Quebec\x26\x2339\x3bs Coalition des Organismes\x3cbr\x3eCommunautaires Quebecois de Lutte Contre le SIDA\x26\x2340\x3bCOCQSIDA\x26\x2341\x3b stated,\x3cbr\x3e\x26\x2334\x3bQuebec has never before received a funding cut to our HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS\x3cbr\x3eprevention and support services from any previous Federal government.\x3cbr\x3eThe cost of preventing HIV is much cheaper than the cost of expensive\x3cbr\x3emedications to treat it.\x26\x2334\x3b\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eEvery HIV infection that is prevented saves approximately three\x3cbr\x3equarters of a million dollars in direct and indirect costs.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eOn July 31, 2006, Minister of Health Tony Clement stated in a press\x3cbr\x3erelease \x26\x2334\x3b...HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS remains an issue of significant concern for\x3cbr\x3eCanada\x26\x2334\x3b. Despite this assurance AIDS organizations were not given any\x3cbr\x3enotice that cuts were coming or a clear explanation as to why these\x3cbr\x3ecuts were needed. Information on the Public Health Agency of Canada\x26\x2339\x3bs\x3cbr\x3ewebsite advises that funds have been diverted to a new HIV vaccine\x3cbr\x3eprogram announced by the Prime Minister and Bill Gates on February 20,\x3cbr\x3e2007.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eAccording to Rick Kennedy, Executive Director of the Ontario AIDS\x3cbr\x3eNetwork, \x26\x2334\x3bVaccine research is important for our future, but it should\x3cbr\x3enot come at the expense of people who are infected with HIV\x26\x2347\x3bAIDS. Our\x3cbr\x3elives should not be any more expendable than people living with other\x3cbr\x3eserious health conditions. It is hard to imagine the government\x3cbr\x3ecutting support services for people with cancer or other very serious\x3cbr\x3ediseases to invest in research that may or may not prove life saving.\x3cbr\x3eAn AIDS vaccine is many, many years into the future. What happens to\x3cbr\x3eour health now\x26\x2363\x3b\x26\x2334\x3b\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eTwenty-two years ago on December 10, 1986 a World Health Organization\x3cbr\x3especialist announced that human testing of an AIDS vaccine would begin\x3cbr\x3ethe following year. A vaccine for AIDS is still decades away. We need\x3cbr\x3emore vaccine research and ultimately a cure. However, Canada must not\x3cbr\x3eregress and reduce its efforts to prevent new HIV infections and save\x3cbr\x3elives now, before a vaccine is found. Cutting Funding\x26\x2361\x3bCutting Lives.\x3cbr\x3eFunding must be restored to the levels promised in the Federal\x3cbr\x3eInitiative.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eWe are calling on all Canadians to join us in letting the Prime\x3cbr\x3eMinister and his government know that these cuts are hurting Canada\x26\x2339\x3bs\x3cbr\x3eability to stop AIDS.\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eSend a message to the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament that\x3cbr\x3eHIV prevention, education and support services are important.\x3cbr\x3ePostcards for the \x26\x2334\x3bCutting Funding\x26\x2361\x3bCutting Lives\x26\x2334\x3b campaign can be\x3cbr\x3eobtained in French or English at www.increaseaidsfunding.ca\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eFor more information contact\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eAIDS Calgary Awareness Association\x3cbr\x3eSusan Cress, Executive Director\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eTel\x26\x2341\x3b 403-508-2500 ext 118\x3cbr\x3escress\x26\x2364\x3baidscalgary.org\x3cbr\x3ewww.aidscalgary.org\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eQuebec\x26\x2339\x3bs Coalition des organismes communautaires qu\x26\x23233\x3bb\x26\x23233\x3bcois de lutte\x3cbr\x3econtre le sida \x26\x2340\x3bCOCQSIDA\x26\x2341\x3b\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eLyse Pinault , General Director\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eTel\x26\x2341\x3b 514.844.2477\x3cbr\x3ewww.cocqsida.com\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eOntario AIDS Network\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eRick Kennedy, Executive Director\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3eTel \x26\x2340\x3b416\x26\x2341\x3b 364-45555 ext 308\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3erkennedy\x26\x2364\x3bontario aids network.on.ca\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3ewww.ontarioaidsnetwork.on.ca\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3e--\x26\x23126\x3b--\x26\x23126\x3b---------\x26\x23126\x3b--\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b------------\x26\x23126\x3b-------\x26\x23126\x3b--\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b\x3cbr\x3eYou received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups \x26\x2334\x3bAIDS ACTION NOW\x26\x2334\x3b group.\x3cbr\x3eTo post to this group, send email to aidsactionnow\x26\x2364\x3bgooglegroups.com\x3cbr\x3eTo unsubscribe from this group, send email to aidsactionnow-unsubscribe\x26\x2364\x3bgooglegroups.com\x3cbr\x3eFor more options, visit this group at \x3ca href\x3d\x27http\x26\x2358\x3b\x26\x2347\x3b\x26\x2347\x3bgroups.google.ca\x26\x2347\x3bgroup\x26\x2347\x3baidsactionnow\x26\x2363\x3bhl\x26\x2361\x3ben\x27 target\x3d\x27_blank\x27\x3ehttp\x26\x2358\x3b\x26\x2347\x3b\x26\x2347\x3bgroups.google.ca\x26\x2347\x3bgroup\x26\x2347\x3baidsactionnow\x26\x2363\x3bhl\x26\x2361\x3ben\x3c\x2fa\x3e\x3cbr\x3e-\x26\x23126\x3b----------\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b------\x26\x23126\x3b----\x26\x23126\x3b------\x26\x23126\x3b--\x26\x23126\x3b---\x3cbr\x3e \x3cbr\x3e\x3c\x2fpre\x3e';
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O.A.N. LEADERSHIP ALUMNI MEETING NEXT WEEK!!!

I have met alot of really cool PHA's that R All WARRIOR's in their own community,each one doing something different yet equally importent in their own community's.This training has enabled us to start support groups,start raising funds,& the list goes on from there...Meeting all these great WARRIOR's has restored my faith & hope in humanity,& that we can end War & Poverty,along with finding cure's for cancer & HIV as well as many other deadly diseases.We have never before had so much information avainable to each of us Via World Wide Web,the ever growing entity that will keep growing exponentially,like the human race .But i fear the US economy is heding for disaster unlike anything we have ever experienced before!I am so glad that there are so many caring peoples that want to help out in their own area's .This Skills developement is the right direction for ASO's & i think it should be steppped up!!!TEACH ME!!!! but dont let me get 50,000 in debt just learning!~~~~thats crazy shit & i think weed should be made legal & taxed!!!WE COULD USE THE MONEY TO WIPE CLEAN OUR DEFICIT,PAY FOR HEALTHCARE & EDUCATION ALL WITH THE TAX FLOW FROM THE WEED~~!!!!JACK FROM THE NDP HAS THE RIGHT VIEW'S ON MEDICAL POT BEING MADE LEGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!!

Bacteria Found in Yogurt Can Fight HIV=Study Finds

Bacteria found in yoghurt can fight HIV: Study
Sunday, 10 February , 2008, 11:23
New Delhi: A beneficial bacteria, widely found in yoghurt, might help the scientists to stop or slow down HIV transmission rate, a recent study has revealed.
The research, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston this week, was conducted by physicians and scientists of the University of Washington and the University of Rochester Medical Centre to learn more about how the HIV virus survives and spreads from person to person.
The Lactobacillus bacteria, commonly found in the vagina of most women, produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) inside the body which hinders spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, responsible for causing AIDS, the researchers found.
According to experts, vagina is one of the most common routes for the viruses causing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), including AIDS.
“The research opens up some doors. These findings are striking, though preliminary, and should be looked at further,” Amneris Luque of Strong Memorial Hospital says.
The team found that the amount of the virus in the vagina varied in step with the presence of the ‘good bacteria’, a close cousin of Lactobacillus bacteria found in the small intestine of human beings.
"Sexual activity is most common mode of transmission of HIV. Perhaps, we can make it less likely to spread by somehow taking advantage of good bacteria like this as a natural way to stop HIV and prevent transmission," he explains.
This finding boosts the possibility that the bacteria could be trapped in near future and be used in fight against AIDS worldwide, say scientists.
The team studied the vaginal environment, examined the mix of bacteria that reside there and took into account several other factors like possibility of other STDs.
"I hope that we can explore Lactobacillus replacement in future for women who do not have this bacteria" to deal with the deadly virus, Jane Hitti of University of Washington School of Medicine said.

HIV-AIDS WARRIOR COMMITS LIFE TO EDUCATION =LIKE MYSELF!!

No one knows why Frisco resident Glenn Kopanski is still alive, including him.In the time the AIDS survivor has left, he is devoting his life to educating young people about the disease.While on active duty in the United States Navy Kopanski was wounded in a bombing in Beirut in 1983. While being treated for his injuries a doctor advised him to have a tonsillectomy because of the chronic upper respiratory infections he suffered.While performing the tonsillectomy the doctor nicked an artery, making a blood transfusion necessary. That was before anyone knew that donated blood could carry the HIV virus or hepatitis C microbes.The young serviceman contracted both diseases from that tainted blood transfusion.It took four months for symptoms much more serious than upper respiratory infections to appear. He was diagnosed with what later became known as AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.Kopanski is the 18th longest surviving AIDS patient in the United States. He said none of his doctors has ever offered an explanation for his longevity. He said he believes his sheer determination to live an active life and to help educate people about AIDS could be part of the reason.When cytomegalovirus (CMV) confined him to a wheelchair a few years ago, he eventually taught himself to walk again. He refused to take the doctors seriously who told him he would never be able to walk again.He spoke to students at Griffin Middle School earlier this month and will speak to students at Clark and Fowler middle schools in the near future.“There is such a spirit out there for wanting to know about AIDS,” Kopanski said. “These kids are going to be helpless out there. Let’s educate them and then maybe we’ll see the number of new cases go down.”He said students listen to him intently. He usually brings along many of the medications he has to take every day. Someone usually asks if he has encountered any prejudice because he has AIDS.He tells them about a neighbor he had in Lewisville who put up signs in the yard that said, “No AIDS on my lawn.”Shortly after he was diagnosed with the disease, his fiancee left him because she questioned how he contracted the disease. He said people have refused to go near him for fear of getting AIDS.He educates students that it is impossible to contract the disease from a blood transfusion now the way he did because blood is tested for those diseases. He also tells them that young people between the ages of 12 and 25 make up the highest number of new AIDS cases in Collin and Denton counties.Since being diagnosed with AIDS Kopanski has chosen to live a celibate life to avoid putting anyone else at risk. He tells young people to know the person they are dating very well.Kopanski is also on the board of directors of AIDS Services of North Texas as well as a patient advocate for the organization. He also writes a landscape column for a local electronic newsletter.“My key to survival is staying motivated,” he said. “I want to bring AIDS awareness to the city of Frisco by fighting this disease through education. I want to tell young kids what I’ve been through in my life. I also want to stop the hatred. AIDS education can beat a cure any day. It’s living life responsibly and knowing your partner. There’s consequences to everything you do in life.”Comments are

COURT STRIKES DOWN REG ON AMOUNT POT GROWERS CAN GROW!ABOOT TIME EH!!!

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COURT STRIKES DOWN REG. ON POT GROWERS=ABOOT TIME EH~~~!!!!VOTE NDP & LETS LEGALIZE WEED!!!


strikes down regulation limiting growers of medical marijuana
Last Updated: Friday, January 11, 2008 | 12:45 AM ET
CBC News
Canadians who are prescribed marijuana to treat their illnesses will no longer be forced to rely on the federal government as a supplier following a Federal Court ruling that struck down a key restriction in Ottawa's controversial medical marijuana program.


The decision by Judge Barry Strayer, released late Thursday, essentially grants medical marijuana users more freedom in picking their own grower and allows growers to supply the drug to more than one patient.


It's also another blow to the federal government, whose attempts to tightly control access to medical marijuana have prompted numerous court challenges.


Currently, medical users can grow their own pot but growers can't supply the drug to more than one user at a time.


Lawyers for medical users argued that restriction effectively established Health Canada as the country's sole legal provider of medical marijuana.


They also said the restriction was unfair, and that it prevented seriously ill Canadians from obtaining the drug they needed to treat their debilitating illnesses.


In his decision, Strayer called the provision unconstitutional and arbitrary, as it "caused individuals a major difficulty with access…"

Ottawa must also reconsider requests made by a group of medical users who brought the matter to court to have a single outside supplier as their designated producer, Strayer said in his 23-page decision.

While the government has argued that medical users who can't grow their own marijuana can obtain it from its contract manufacturer, fewer than 20 per cent of patients actually use the government's supply, Strayer wrote.


"In my view it is not tenable for the government, consistently with the right established in other courts for qualified medical users to have reasonable access to marijuana, to force them either to buy from the government contractor, grow their own or be limited to the unnecessarily restrictive system of designated producers," he wrote.

Ron Marzel, a Toronto lawyer representing the group of medical users who brought the matter before the Federal Court, called the decision a "great remedy" for his clients.


"All this means is that the limit — the one-to-one ratio — it's the last nail in the coffin for that ratio," he said in an interview.


"The court has said, 'Look, unequivocally, this is unconstitutional, it's arbitrary. All the reasons you've provided us with so far for this one-to-one ratio, they don't pass muster. We don't buy it, we don't accept it."'

The provision had been struck down by the courts before, but was reinstated by the government who contracted Prairie Plant Systems Inc. in Flin Flon, Man., to provide the drug to patients./As a PHA that has to use pot in order to eat- i face RED TAPE & beaurocratic BS. by Drs the refuse to help,politicians throw their hands in the air & do nothing!!! i think the CAS should mandate that 1)pot access for patients, & subsidizing $ spent on medical pot-or reimbursing us at tax time~~!!!Housing is another big issue that need attention.PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!!

HIV+ BOY HUNG IN TREE

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HIV-positive boy hung in bag on tree
Web posted at: 12/2/2007 1:9:15
Source ::: AFP
NEW DELHI • A three-year-old HIV-infected boy was left to die in a cloth bag hung from a tree in southern India, a report said yesterday.

The child was discovered in a shopping bag hanging from a tree in southern Tamil Nadu state when villagers heard a cry on November 7, the Indian Express reported.

“It was the most inhuman thing that anyone could do to such a child,” local doctor Hari Ram told the daily newspaper. It was not clear how long the boy had been hanging from the tree.

He was later handed over to his grandmother who came forward after seeing his photograph in a newspaper on November 14, the Indian Express said.

The grandmother Kanchana said the boy must have been abandoned by his father because of illness.

Stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people are widespread in the country of 1.1 billion people, with affected children often denied schooling.

The boy's mother died shortly after his birth and the father could not be located by authorities.

Doctors said the boy had tuberculosis-which many HIV-positive people contract because of poor immunity-and was so weak he looked like a six-month-old baby.

Vaccine Experts Confused & Dismayed

November 12, 12:20 PM
AIDS vaccines experts confused, dismayed
AIDS vaccine researchers are worried about the future of their field after learning an experimental HIV vaccine not only does not work, but just might make recipients more susceptible to infection with the AIDS virus.

They are worried about their volunteers and the future of AIDS vaccines in general. And they are worried because they cannot understand how a vaccine would make a person more vulnerable.


Researchers from Merck & Co., which makes the vaccine, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is helping develop it, said they believe a type of common cold virus used as the basis of the vaccine may somehow have made their volunteers more susceptible to HIV.

They are meeting this week in Seattle to hash through the data and figure out what happened.

This is what they know: Out of 1,500 people vaccinated, 82 became infected with the AIDS virus. Of these, 49 got the vaccine and 33 got a placebo shot.

While they are counselling volunteers that they may have raised their own risk of becoming infected, they are also trying to figure out what happened.

"The data are disappointing and puzzling but we don't have definitive answers," Dr. Lawrence Corey of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, who was organising the trial, told reporters.

Only one woman in the trial became infected with HIV. The rest were men having sex with other men, and it was the men who started out with the highest immune response to the adenovirus 5 common cold bug used to make the vaccine who were the most likely to become infected with the AIDS virus.

But the infected men were also less likely to have been circumcised - circumcision can also prevent HIV infection - and may have engaged in more risky behaviour. So did the vaccine actually do something, or were the results a fluke?

"I don't think we really do know," Dr. Keith Gottesdiener of Merck Research Laboratories told Reuters.

Nearly 30 potential AIDS vaccines are being tested in people around the world.

"It is very important for the future of the field," said Margaret Johnston, director of the AIDS vaccine research program at the NIAID.

"It makes us rethink some of the candidates that are in trial," said Dr. Seth Berkley, president of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

Even vaccine advocates are calling it a setback.

"These data are deeply disappointing and troubling, and raise more questions than answers for the field of AIDS vaccine," said AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition executive director Mitchell Warren.

"This setback should not and can not diminish our commitment to developing an effective HIV vaccine," said NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci. "Every day, another 12,000 people become infected with HIV, most of whom live in resource-poor countries," he added.

The researchers agree the finding could at the very least scare people off from taking part in AIDS vaccine trials. And because HIV only infects people, having human volunteers is key to finding a way to prevent an infection that has killed 25 million people and affects 40 million more.

"That is why we are being completely transparent, as open as possible," Fauci said in a recent interview.

Berkley agreed. "I am only worried if there is a lot of buzz, misinformation around," he said.

But the fact that vaccine volunteers even became infected drives home the need for a vaccine, said Berkley. All the volunteers were counselled about ways to avoid HIV infection, and given condoms. "If those behavioural change interventions worked, we wouldn't need a vaccine," Berkley said.

"People will get infected despite the best counselling possible."

Scientists Will Develope HIV Vaccine Soon

Scientists Will Develop HIV Vaccine Soon
Posted November 10th, 2007 by Piyush DiwanHealth Update World News A new technique of combating HIV infection has been discovered by scientists at University of California-San Francisco and the University of Toronto.

An HIV infection relies on the remnants of ancient viruses, human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) that have become part of the genome of every human cell. Nearly 8 percent of DNA in human genome consists of viral genes, which are already present from millions of years ago. When modern virus attacks a cell, the ancient genes get triggered off producing tiny proteins that move to the surface of cell after HIV infection and indicate a distinctive signal –called HERV.

According to the study, HERV were present in 15 out of 16 participants who were HIV+ and not yet used antiretroviral drugs. 4 HIV- participants displayed no evidence of signals that indicated that their immune systems might be putting control over HIV.

Douglas Nixon, UCSF immunologist and his team said that the signals from ancient viruses consistently are found on the cells infected with HIV that are where the potential of vaccine that attacks HERV might be successful. Scientists might be able to eliminate the HIV-infected cells if they could develop a vaccine, which stimulates a strong response against these ancient viral signals.

The evidence shows that HIV infection could enable HERV expression by cutting off the normal controls that keep HERV in check.

The research team is also observing a small subset of people who are able to control HIV naturally, known as elite controllers, who produce high levels of HERV proteins. In many HIV-infected individuals, the infection fighting T cells are able to target HERV expressing cells. Scientists believe that their findings could lead to a vaccine targeting HERV that kills HIV infected cells.

Keith E. Garrison, PhD., post-doctoral fellow in UCSF’s Division of Experimental Medicine, and study co-author, said, “One important limitation to a T-cell vaccine targeting HIV itself is that HIV exists in so many variations and is constantly mutating. If we can find other ways for the immune system to target HIV-infected cells, we can overcome this problem in making an HIV vaccine. HERV may provide us with a good target to test.”

Nixon explained that any vaccine developed to attack an ancient virus has the potential to attack amiable cells, which can stimulate a dangerous autoimmune response. More research is required before a potential vaccine of this nature would be available for testing in humans. The study is published in November 9, 2007 issue of journal “PLoS Pathogens.”

Reportedly, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said circumcision should not be promoted as a way to prevent HIV transmission because it could encourage recklessness among youth.

At a Youth Activist Forum conference, Museveni said that he would continue to promote the ABC strategy for HIV prevention that stands for abstinence, be faithful and use condoms. He also encouraged youth to get married immediately after completing their education.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME & HIV

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CATIE News – Restless legs and HIV

Complications affecting the nervous system are common in people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs). In part these arise because HIV-infected cells produce proteins that affect the health of cells in the brain and spinal cord as well as nerve cells in the rest of the body. As a result, some brain cells can malfunction and even die, as can nerves in the rest of the body. Some of the complications that can affect the nervous systems of PHAs include the following:

* difficulty concentrating
* poor memory
* difficulty thinking clearly
* problems controlling muscles
* difficulty coordinating movement
* pain or numbness in nerves in the hands, legs and feet

Now doctors at the University of Münster in Germany have found what may be an additional complication—restless legs syndrome (RLS).

RLS is the term for a group of symptoms whereby people feel compelled to move their legs, feet or, in some cases, arms. The need to move legs occurs when a person is lying down or sitting for prolonged periods. Relief from RLS usually occurs when affected people do the following:

* stretch
* shake or wriggle their legs
* walk
* engage in exercise

Symptoms of RLS are usually more troublesome at night. People affected by this syndrome often have sleep disturbances—waking up prematurely or difficulty falling or staying asleep.

The precise cause of RLS is unclear. Some researchers suggest that there may be an insufficient level of a nerve-signaling compound called dopamine in the nerves of affected people.

In general, RLS is not linked to a serious underlying medical condition. But sometimes RLS can be found in people with the following symptoms or disorders:

* damaged nerves in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy); this can arise from alcohol abuse, diabetes or HIV infection
* insufficient iron
* severe kidney damage; when kidneys malfunction the level of iron in the blood can decrease

Some researchers think that there may be some kind of link between abnormal immunity and RLS. For instance, conditions in which the immune system attacks itself or parts of the body (autoimmunity) have been noted to carry an increased risk for RLS. These autoimmune conditions can include the following:

* rheumatoid arthritis
* multiple sclerosis
* diabetes

Researchers at the University of Münster have theorized that since HIV damages the immune system and increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy perhaps it also carries an increased risk for RLS. They conducted a pilot study to find out. The results from this study suggest that RLS may be more common in PHAs than in HIV negative people.

Study details
Researchers handed out or mailed surveys to 228 PHAs; only 129 PHAs responded. The study team then compared health information from 100 similar HIV negative people to the 129 PHAs. The average profile of PHAs in this study was as follows:

* 14% female, 86% male
* age – 44 years
* CD4+ count – 333 cells
* 44% of participants had AIDS-related symptoms in the past
* 82% of participants were taking HAART

Results
Of the 129 PHAs who responded to the survey, 33% had RLS compared to 7% of the HIV negative people. Moreover, PHAs were more likely to have severe symptoms of RLS. Also, the lower a PHA’s CD4+ count, the more likely the severity of RLS.

About 20% of PHAs with RLS also had a relative with RLS. None of the HIV negative people reported having relatives with RLS.

PHAs with RLS were more likely to have other complications, including the following:

* difficulty falling asleep
* difficulty staying asleep
* unexpected daytime tiredness

Bear in mind
The researchers suspect that RLS may have an underlying immunological link, though they cannot identify it at this time. That about 33% of PHAs had this problem is noteworthy because that is about the proportion of people with RLS in some other studies of immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. The study team highlights the apparent relationship between RLS and reduced CD4+ count in PHAs.

A major weakness of this study was its recruitment of volunteers from hospital-based clinics specializing in neurology and internal medicine. These sources of recruitment may have led to an excessive intake of PHAs with nervous system disorders. Still, the German study is an important first step in identifying RLS in PHAs. Hopefully, this research will stimulate other research centres to also study RLS in this population.

Although the intent of the study was not to assess the effectiveness of therapy for RLS, doctors at the University of Münster’s clinics prescribed L-dopa (dopamine) for 10 of their PHA patients. According to the research team, responses to therapy were “good to excellent.”

—Sean R. Hosein

REFERENCES:

1. Happe S, Kundmüller, Reichelt D, et al. Comorbidity of restless legs syndrome and HIV infection. Journal of Neurology 2007 Oct;254(10):1401-6.

2. Stefansson H, Rye DB, Hicks A, et To see a directory of archived messages, visit CATIE's Web site at http://www.catie.ca/catienews.nsf

To subscribe to the list, visit https://www.catie.ca/mailing.nsf/subscribe

BEST ANSWER TOQ=WHATS YOUR JOB & DO U LIKE IT?

I am on disability pension but do HIV-AIDS Education & Awareness & Living with HIV Talks at local places of education & i do out-reach work at night.I am always happy to do the talks,afterwords is cool as 9/10 all the students will come up & continue to ask Q ,saying how it takes guts to stand in front of a class & tell your life story & to keep up the great work on staying clean off of coke heroin & speed.(3 yrs) & so where i once was part of the problem i am now part of the solution.My faith in GOD & Jesus was not misplaced,& so i take 1 day at a time.i forgot to mention that i did have hep-c but found out recntly that i am no longer hep-c +!!!i Thank GOD EVERYDAY!!

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me,myself & i,gratefull recovering coke,heroin&speed addict with 3 yrs clean.HIV+ 2001,ohya cured of hep-c in 07!

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thanks for all the reply's .......they all sound interesting .......but i have 2 choose this answer .......cause i couldnt do this job knowing i had hiv ............you are braver than i would be tc xxx

SELENIUM CHEAP SUPPLEMENT THAT WORKS SLOWING DOWN HIV VIRUS-STUDY FINDS!

Selenium supplementation slows HIV progression
November 1, 2007

This study looked specifically at selenium supplementation and how it affects progression of HIV. (As usual, the scientific evidence builds up over time: earlier research had already produced some findings about the role of selenium in immune system function, and its potential benefit for people with HIV.)

The 2007 finding: a daily supplement of selenium can “suppress the progression of HIV-1 viral burden and provide indirect improvement of CD4 count.” And the study results “support the use of selenium as a simple, inexpensive, and safe adjunct therapy in HIV spectrum disease.”

Interestingly, the study found that selenium supplementation was beneficial regardless of factors such as past drug use, time since HIV diagnosis, adherence to antiretroviral medication, and infection with hepatitis C. So–a very general usefulness for this supplement for slowing progression of HIV.


“Suppression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Viral Load With Selenium Supplementation.”
Barry E. Hurwitz; Johanna R. Klaus; Maria M. Llabre; Alex Gonzalez; Peter J. Lawrence; Kevin J. Maher; Jeffrey M. Greeson; Marianna K. Baum; Gail Shor- Posner; Jay S. Skyler; Neil Schneiderman.
Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:148-154.