Health

Study Suggests High HIV Rate Among African Teens

In a study that highlights the growing crisis of birth-acquired HIV in teens and young adults, new research has found that nearly 50 percent of youths aged 10 to 18 who were admitted to two public hospitals in Zimbabwe were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The researchers said that 69 percent of HIV-positive adolescents were admitted to the hospital because of infections, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, compared with 19 percent of youths who did not have HIV.

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HIV/AIDS drug puzzle cracked

Scientists say they have solved a crucial puzzle about the AIDS virus after 20 years of research and that their findings could lead to better treatments for HIV.

“Despite initially painstakingly slow progress and very many failed attempts, we did not give up and our effort was finally rewarded,” said Peter Cherepanov of Imperial College London, who conducted the research with scientists from Harvard University.

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Zuma told 20th child harms safe sex drive

South African opposition parties accused President Jacob Zuma on Monday of a cavalier attitude to safe sex that is hurting the HIV/AIDS campaign after news that a woman not one of his wives had had his 20th child.

“There are some people who may argue that Jacob Zumas sex life is a matter of private morality or culture, but this is not so.

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Premature Aging of the Brain Seen in HIV Patients

Premature aging is striking the brains of people infected with the virus that causes AIDS, new research suggests.

“The graying of the AIDS patient community makes this infections effects on the brain a significant source of concern,” study author Dr. Beau Ances, an assistant professor of neurology at Washington University in St.

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Drug Combo Blocks HIV Infection in Mice

New research in mice suggests that a commonly used drug combination might protect people from being infected by the AIDS virus through the major routes of transmission.

The research raises the prospect that “one single pill once a day, totally available in the pharmacy for patients, can be used to prevent transmission by any mode anywhere in the world,” said J.

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Herpes drug fails to cut HIV risk: study

A widely used treatment for the herpes virus does not reduce the risk of transmission of HIV-AIDS, according to a medical study published Wednesday after a five-year trial.

The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine online looked at more than 3,400 African couples — one of each who had HIV and one of whom did not.

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Police: Woman lied about infecting others with HIV

A Detroit woman who claimed in a video posted online that she infected more than 500 people with HIV has admitted it was a hoax, police said Friday.

Although she wore a bandanna over her face to hide her identity, police said they were still able to track her down. Police said the woman voluntarily submitted to an HIV test, which came back negative.

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Evolving Strains of HIV May Cause Wave of Drug Resistance

Strains of drug-resistant HIV that will emerge in San Francisco within the next five years could pose a serious threat to efforts to control the HIV pandemic, according to U.S. researchers.

“This isnt just about San Francisco. Its basically about many other communities in resource-rich countries and has significant implications for global health.

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China to launch AIDS radio programme: state media

Chinas top state-run radio network will launch a programme about AIDS featuring an HIV-positive host in the latest sign of a new official openness towards the disease, state media said Sunday.

It will deal with “publicising knowledge on HIV/AIDS and prevention and control of the disease”, Xinhua said, quoting the radio stations chief editor Yang Wenyan.

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Molecule Could Help Block Sexual Transmission of HIV

Researchers say theyve discovered an agent that appears to make sexual transmission of HIV less likely.

Surfen is a small molecule that interferes with the action of a factor in semen called “semen-derived enhancer of viral infection,” or SEVI.

The molecule, called surfen, has the potential to become an ingredient in topical microbicides that aim to reduce the likelihood of infection through semen, according to the report released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the

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