New Drug To Overcome HIV

REVOLUTIONARY drug that could help overcome HIV's growing resistance to existing antiviral drugs is about to be tested in combination with standard antivirals. Called PA-457, it is the first of a new class of anti-HIV compounds called maturation inhibitors. The drug is still in its early stages, and will not be generally available for at least three years.

Up to 80 per cent of HIV positive people on treatment show resistance to one or more of their drugs, according to Graham Allaway of Panacos Pharmaceuticals in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which is developing PA-457. Panacos hopes to begin trials this month to test how well the drug works in patients whose existing drug regimes are failing. PA-457 aims to overcome this resistance by attacking HIV on new front. Many existing drugs work by blocking reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that enables HIV to replicate within cell. Others disable protease, which helps to assemble the virus into particles that infect other cells.

Recent experiments in collaboration with Michael Sakalian and his colleagues at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City have shown that PA-457 works in a different way. It attacks HIV by disrupting formation of a conical shield, called the capsid protein, which stores and protects the RNA heart of the HIV particles as they bud out from infected cells.

The latest research, in which the virus was examined under a microscope, shows that the drug binds to the capsid protein at a crucial stage in its manufacture (Journal of Virology, vol 80, p 5716). Normally, the capsid protein is clipped apart from a major structural protein called the gag protein, and is then assembled into a cone. PA-457 stops it being clipped off, causing it to form a leaky sphere that leaves the core RNA exposed (see Diagram, left). This cripples the virus, preventing it from infecting any other cells once it buds out from the host.

The trial planned for this month is intended to discover how the drug performs as part of a combination treatment with other anti-HIV drugs, which is a more realistic situation. Fortyeight patients whose existing drug regimes are failing will receive either PA-457 or a placebo in addition to their standard drugs. There are plans to try the drug along with new regimes tailored to individual patients, though Allaway warns that larger trials are needed and PA-457 will not reach the market until 2009 at the earliest.

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Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Yoga

Breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness - this applies to women who are undergoing radiotherapy for their breast cancer, say scientists from the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA. Lorenzo Cohen, study leader, said even a short yoga program - including meditation, relaxation, breathing exercises, stretching, imagery and physical movements - can be very useful at reducing the side effects that come with breast cancer treatment.

The study looked at 61 women who were undergoing a six-week radiotherapy course after breast cancer surgery. Half of them attended a twice-weekly yoga class, the other half didn't. At the end of the courses - radiotherapy and yoga courses - they had to fill in a questionnaire.

The questionnaire asked how well they coped with lifting shopping bags, walking a mile, how tired they felt (fatigue), how well they felt - other questions were also asked, all related to their general well being and ability to carry out certain physical functions. Depending on how the women answered the questionnaire, points were attributed, up to a maximum of 100. The yoga group scored an average of 82 points while the non-yoga group scored 69.

An important part of yoga involves the creation of a balance in the body through the development of strength and flexibility. This is achieved mainly through performing certain poses - each pose has benefits. The poses can be done rapidly, one after the other - this creates heat in the body as a result of movement. It is also possible to perform the movements slowly, this raises stamina - the person in this case is also improving the alignment of the pose. Yoga experts may disagree on how each pose should be ideally performed.

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Older Men's Sperm Risk Genetic Problems Offspring

Babies born to older men carry a higher risk of having genetic problems, says a study from the USA . A French study showed that male infertility shoots up after the age of 40. Not only does the lower quality of older men's sperm lower fertility, it also makes it more likely that babies with genetic abnormalities are born. Women of any age who become pregnant with older men also have a higher risk of miscarriage, the study found.

The US study analyzed the semen of 97 men, aged 22-80. All the men were non-smokers. The scientists tested for DNA damage, chromosomal abnormalities and gene mutations. They found that lower sperm motility correlated with DNA fragmentation. The study showed that men, as well as women, have a biological fertility clock. The difference seems to be that for women the change occurs more abruptly.

Even though older men are more likely to produce babies with genetic problems, there is not a raised risk of having a child with Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, triple X syndrome, and XYY - as is the case with older women. Some older men, a small fraction, have a higher risk of fathering offspring with multiple genetic and chromosomal defects.

The researchers found that older men recruited in the Baltimore inner city area had an increased risk of fathering children with Apert syndrome. However, this was not the case with the men recruited in California. Apert syndrome is a serious disfiguring birth defect. The report suggests that socioeconomic, ethnic and/or dietary factors may also influence how age affects human sperm quality.

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The Erectile Effects of Viagra

The Viagra era was launched on March 27, 1998. More than six million Americans are using the drug with an approximate overall success rate of about 75 percent. What can be done for those patients who have suboptimal results or no effect on their erectile dysfunction?

The Viagra era was launched on March 27, 1998. More than six million Americans are using the drug with an approximate overall success rate of about 75 percent. What can be done for those patients who have suboptimal results or no effect on their erectile dysfunction? I generally suggest using the 100 mg dosages since the side effect profile is the same with the 25, 50, or 100 mg dosage, and the effectiveness rate of the 100 mg dose overall is approximately 20% greater than the 50 mg dosage.

The drug works best with an empty stomach so no food should be eaten at least two hours before taking the Viagra pill. The neurological system must be intact between the brain and the penis, and sexual stimulation is necessary for the Viagra to be effective. Patients often ask what they can do if the drug is still not effective, suboptimal, or needs additional improvement? A simple non-pharmacologic way of handling this problem is to use a vacuum compression device without a constriction band.

Even in those cases in which the Viagra poorly improves erectile dysfunction the addition of a vacuum compression device brings enough blood into the penis that the veno-occlusive aspects of Viagra are working well enough to maintain sufficient erection for sexual activity and not necessitating the use of a constriction band.

Men can also use an intraurethral pellet of Muse usually in the 500 to 1000 mcg range. After Viagra and sexual stimulation the pellet is inserted into the urethra usually after voiding, moistening the plastic applicator, and massaging the urethra for approximately two to three minutes. The combined effects of the Viagra on the cyclic GMP system appear to be synergistic with the prostaglandin on the cyclic AMP system.

More commonly the Viagra is given as a supplement to injectable Prostaglandin which in these cases is not effective to establish a good enough erection for penovaginal intercourse. The Viagra sensitizes the penis to allow a more effective result when the injection is administered after the usual one to four hours of delayed stimulation.

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Age Increase, Diabetes, Erectile Dysfunction

The first nationally representative study of erectile dysfunction (ED) showed the prevalence was significantly associated with increasing age and with diabetes, according to a new study conducted by Culley C. Carson, M.D., professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His findings will be presented at the American Urological Association Annual Scientific Meeting.

This is the first nationally representative cross-sectional study of ED among men ages 40 and older, with no upper age limit. It was designed to determine age-specific ED prevalence in black, white and Hispanic men, and to evaluate the associations between ED and other comorbidities.

The five-month study used a list-assisted, random-digit dialing design to obtain a nationally representative sample of in 134 non-Hispanic black, 491 non-Hispanic white and 195 Hispanic men. Computer-assisted telephone interviews collected non-sensitive information, such as demographics and medical history, while an automated telephone self-interview collected sensitive information on sexual habits.

The results showed that 49, 29, 14 and eight percent of men reported they were "always," "usually," "sometimes," or "never" able to keep a satisfactory erection for sexual intercourse, respectively. Those who answered "sometimes" or "never" were labeled as having ED.

Erectile dysfunction is a common problem - 22 percent of those interviewed reported having the condition," Carson said. "Although further testing is needed to more accurately determine the relationship between age, diabetes and erectile dysfunction, this study gives us a preview of what we will find."

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Women, Anxiety, and Sexuality

Sex Therapist and Diplomate by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists Women, are you suffering from anxiety? Do you find yourself so full of worries throughout the day that you can’t concentrate? Do you always fear that something bad will happen to someone you love? Do you consider yourself a “worrier”? If your life is full of anxiety, your sex life will suffer mightily too. And you probably do not recognize the connection between your level of daily anxiety and your disinterest in sex.

May 4, 2005, is National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day. This is a national event where hospitals and mental health treatment centers all over the country provide free screening for anxiety, a day to stop in your daily routine and take a few minutes to do a “mental health check-in” and see if you are one of the millions and millions of people in the United States who are struggling with a diagnosable and treatable anxiety disorder. But it’s not a one day thing. Ask yourself, are you anxious, worried, or panicky.

If so, take the time to use the resources which are available at the end of this article to identify and make plans to get treatment for anxiety disorders which are ruining the quality of your life. There are many different anxiety disorders, and there are excellent sites on the internet which can help you decide if you have one. For your sake, check them out after reading this article for useful information. This is a good time to to learn about a particular anxiety disorder which causes havoc in lives and ruins sex lives as well.

If you recognized yourself in the questions at the beginning of this article,answered two or more yes, you should contract a health care professional to see if you have a very common condition Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. GAD is a disorder characterized by long periods chronic anxiety and worry, which you can’t control. Sometimes, the anxiety has specific focuses, such as work, relationships, finances, looming deadlines, or potential problems in your life or the lives of others. Other times, you will feel anxious, but not be able to figure out what you are actually anxious about.

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World Health

The World Health Report - Working together for health contains an expert assessment of the current crisis in the global health workforce and ambitious proposals to tackle it over the next ten years, starting immediately. The report reveals an estimated shortage of almost 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses and support workers worldwide.

The shortage is most severe in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where health workers are most needed. Focusing on all stages of the health workers' career lifespan from entry to health training, to job recruitment through to retirement, the report lays out a ten-year action plan in which countries can build their health workforces, with the support of global partners.

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Health Care

Now a days Health care is one of the most debated issues today. There are many systems of health care around the world today, ranging from advanced national health services in countries such as Sweden and Britain, to systems such as the American, where public health care is almost completely in the hands of private insurance companies. Aside from the financial aspect, there are many differences in the attitude towards preventive care versus care of the already sick.
Even the amount of attention paid to aftercare ranges greatly from place to place.

Ideally, everyone wants a health care system where one's financial status does not affect the quality of care one receives; where there are an abundance of excellent doctors of different specialities on hand for every ailment; where hospitals are run efficiently and without discrimmination, treating rich and poor alike; where regular check-ups and innoculations are given free-of-charge not only to those who demand them, but through a reaching-out system; where after-care is ensured to all, including efficient care of the elderly and disabled.

Unfortunately, few countries – including those which so proudly run free National Health Services – can really boast that they have reached a satisfactory level of health care for the population at large. Almost all health care systems are wallowing in the mud of consistent goverment cuts, strikes (as a result of the cuts) and long waiting lists. Only when the electorial public will come forward and demand changes will health care ever become a subject that goverments will take seriously.

HEALTH

How would you define health? Most people, if asked "what is health?' would probably answer "not being sick," or "absence of illness". In reality, the definition of health changes with age and circumstances. Let's take weight, for instance. A new-born baby is looked on as healthier the heavier he is, but we can't say that about an adult or even an older infant. A strange thing has happened in our society during the last half-century or so. Before the invention of vaccinations and anti-biotics, illness was so threatening that people didn't seem to like talking about it very much.

If someone was feeling down, as long as he or she could still more or less function, he or she would just carry on, maybe just taking a home remedy, and try not to think too much about it. If someone got to the stage where they had to stop their usual activities, then they would call a doctor. Until around the time of the Second World War, people ate and drank whatever they wished, within their financial capabilities.

Suprisingly, although the average age of mortality rate was lower, due to infectious deseases, people were overall in better health than is so today. Today, people seem to spend a large amount of their time and money not only talking about health but also in endless attempts to become healthier and fitter. Paradoxically, few are willing to change their livestyles so as to improve their health - most of us are too busy looking for easy short-cuts and quick remedies.