Posts tagged HIV transmission
HPV is a Risk Factor for HIV
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV and HPV
HPV is a Risk Factor HIV: Study Confirms
The most common Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) in the United States today is human papillomavirus (HPV). How common is it? Most sexually active men and women will get some form of HPV in their life, with an average of about 79 million Americans carrying the virus each year. Fortunately, HPV is rarely life-threatening, and though it has been linked to some forms of cervical cancer, this too is uncommon. Moreover, precancerous signs can be treated. In view of this fact, many doctors refer to HPV as the “common cold” of STDs. Because HPV is so common in the United States, and around the world, doctors usually never screen women for it until they are over the age of thirty. Unfortunately, no known HPV screening process exists for men, which is unfortunate as a study has confirmed that HPV is a risk factor for HIV.
The study linking these two STDs was performed in Kenya, a country where both HIV and HPV is very common. Research indicated that those with HPV, for various reasons, were 300 percent more likely to contract HIV. More surprising was this statistic was found to be true for both women and men.
It is perhaps to be expected that the likelihood of cancer resulting from HPV infections increases with each new exposure. One of the startling findings from this research, however, is the odds of contracting HIV immediately increases with only one infection of HPV. Therefore, if you are sexually active, it is highly encouraged that you receive an HPV vaccination.
This is important for a few reasons. First of all, there is no vaccine for HIV. So, anything a person can do to reduce the risk of contracting HIV is well worth it. Second, although an HPV vaccination is not inexpensive, this is nothing compared to the cost of cancer treatment, or of the daily cocktail of antiretroviral treatments that are needed to counteract HIV.
Hopefully, now that we know that HPV is a risk factor for HIV, it will encourage people to get vaccinated for HPV. This is a simple step that you can take to protect yourself, not only from HPV, but from the potential of contracting both cervical cancer and HIV.
Silver Nanoparticle Vaginal Cream
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Therapy
Silver Nanoparticles Fight HIV
Researchers from Mexico that specialize in virology have discovered that silver nanoparticles have the ability to block the transmission of HIV-infected cells by working against the protein that facilitates the virus adhering to healthy cells. With this knowledge, specialists have created a silver nanoparticle vaginal cream that is designed to stop the transmission of HIV. Even though the mechanism of delivery is a cream intended for female use, it would in theory protect both sexual partners from the acquiring the virus. The cream starts working within 60 seconds of application and lasts for three days.
So far the silver nanoparticle vaginal cream has been tested in human tissue and there are plans to test it using mice and then move onto clinical trials. In the past, treatment for HIV has focused mainly on fighting the replication of the virus after it has hijacked the cell and its machinery. This new development, however, would prevent the virus from even entering the cell. The tests so far have proved that the cream is very effective in keeping the virus from adhering to the cell, but further testing is required to see what the possible side effects could be.
Irritation at times can make it easier for the virus to enter the tissue. Since topical applications can cause irritation, scientists added an anti-inflammatory agent to the cream. If this cream proves efficient and nontoxic in further trials, it could be used to protect people from other types of sexually transmitted diseases, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV), along with sexually transmitted bacterial infections.
The same team is also working on a kit to test HIV-positive blood for its reaction to antiretroviral drugs. These kits could help doctors prescribe the most effective treatment for each individual patient. In order to fully develop this kit, many more clinical trials are needed.
Bisexual Men and HIV Risks
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
It has been assumed for a while now that bisexual men pose a large threat to their female partners in the transmission of HIV. The claim was that bisexual men could bridge the gender gap by having relations with men and then transmitting the virus to female partners. While the transmitting of HIV among bisexuals does exist, investigation as to whether they pose a greater threat was the object of a recent study.
In the U.S. there is about an estimated one million bisexual men. Of these, over 100,000 have HIV. This number measures up to the CDC’s estimates. The likelihood of passing on the infection to their partners is not far off from that of other groups. The results of the study then show that the claims previously mentioned have been slightly exaggerated: While it is possible for this group to transmit HIV to their partners, there does not seem to be any greater risk in this group than in homosexual men or with female partners. Risk
The research that has been done thus far clearly shows, however, that protected sex yields the best outcome and greatly reduces the transmission of viral infection. In this matter, bisexual men fared better, as safer practices mean less transmission. Homosexual men show a tendency to be more lax in this regard. Technically, with this in mind, it puts the bisexual man in a better statistical arena.
Still, in light of this research, physicians and experts alike stress the importance of education and safe sex practices. These are essential to helping curb the spread of HIV. Risk factors due to lifestyle should not be ignored just because numbers were not as high as some may have thought. In this case, researchers are looking to further investigate into this group of bisexual men so as to get a clearer picture of how to reduce transmission.
Discovering How HIV Is Transmitted Sexually
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that there are 34 million individuals worldwide who are HIV-positive. This staggering number becomes even more tragic in the light of how debilitating and deadly the disease is. To make matters worse, there is no cure or vaccination for HIV despite incredible amounts of research that have been performed to this point. Researchers are now using animal models to get a better look at how the disease functions. There was not, however, a model that shows the process of what is now the most common means of transmitting HIV – sex between a male and female.
Recently, the first reports have been made using heterosexual intercourse between rodents. These reports may shed some more light on how this disease is transmitted. The most interesting finding is that a woman’s likelihood of having HIV transmitted to her via intercourse depends on what point she is at in her monthly menstrual cycle.
This is the first time that researchers have been able to study the disease actually being transmitted during sexual relations. In the past, researchers had always had to introduce the disease into the vagina of the female rodent. While the research was still beneficial, it did not have the same natural ramifications as actually seeing how the disease is passed during sex between a male and a female.
These new studies have allowed researchers to recognize that the conditions in the female reproductive system have a bearing on transmission of HIV. Researchers hope to be able to find a way to reduce the risk of infection for those who are the most likely to contract the disease. This is best way to slow the spread of HIV, which despite treatments, is still one of the most prevalent diseases plaguing mankind today.
