After Long Decline, Teenage Pregnancy Rate Rises February 2, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in In the News.Tags: pregnancy rates, teen pregnancy
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Source: New York Times
“After more than a decade of declining teenage pregnancy, the pregnancy rate among girls ages 15 to 19 increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006 — a turnaround likely to intensify the debate over federal financing for abstinence-only sex education.
The teenage abortion rate also crept up for the first time in more than a decade, rising 1 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit research group.
“It’s very disturbing,” said Sarah Brown, of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “We had over a decade of progress on a very serious problem, and I worry that we’ve ground to a halt. I think there are a lot of different factors at play, from less use of contraception, maybe because of less fear of AIDS, to our anything-goes culture, where it’s O.K. to get pregnant and have a baby in your teens.”
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New Compound Could Be Alternative Strategy for Preventing HIV Infection February 2, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in In the News.Tags: HIV/AIDS
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Source: Science Daily
With the help of effective drug therapies, HIV patients are living longer, healthier lives. Now, researchers want to improve these drug therapies and develop alternative preventative strategies, such as vaginal gels and creams that contain the same or related compounds used in treatments for people infected with HIV. A University of Missouri researcher is developing a compound that is more potent and longer-lasting than current HIV therapies.
“This new compound, EFdA, is 60,000 times more potent than any other drug that is currently being used to treat HIV,” said Stefan Sarafianos, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology in the MU School of Medicine and investigator in the Christopher Bond Life Sciences Center. “This compound has a different chemical makeup than other approved therapies and creates an exceptional amount of antiviral activity. EFdA is activated very quickly and stays long in the body to fight the virus and protect from infection.”
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Gladstone scientists identify target that may inhibit HIV infectivity January 13, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in In the News.comments closed
Source: Science Centric
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have discovered a new agent that might inhibit the infectivity of HIV. The agent, surfen, impairs the action of a factor in semen that greatly enhances the viral infection. Surfen might be used to supplement current HIV microbicides to greatly reduce HIV transmission during sexual contact.
The discovery was made by Nadia Roan, PhD, a senior fellow in the laboratory of GIVI Director Warner Greene, MD, PhD. Surfen is a small molecule that inhibits the actions of certain polysaccharide molecules called heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) that are found on the surface of cells. Importantly for HIV infection, it also interferes with the action of semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI). The discovery was published in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
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HIV/AIDS Travel Ban Lifted January 13, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in In the News.Tags: HIV travel ban, HIV/AIDS
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Source: The Advocate
The United States on Monday lifted the 22-year-old ban that prevented anyone with HIV or AIDS from entering the country.
President Barack Obama announced the change in October, calling the ban incompatible with the American goal to be a leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The country is scheduled to host a biannual global HIV/AIDS summit for the first time in 2012, according to the BBC.
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UCSF Duo Project January 13, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in In the News.Tags: Duo Project, HIV/AIDS
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The Duo Project is seeking gay men in couple relationships where at least one person is taking HIV medications. Compensation of up to $120 per couple per visit is provided. If interested, please call 415-597-9322.
This is a project of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at UCSF.
FREE H1N1 Vaccinations. Tell Your Friends! January 13, 2010
Posted by conantadmin in From the Desk of Dr. Conant, In the News.Tags: H1N1, vaccine
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The Conant Foundation along with the Conant Medical Group are pleased to announce that we have received a large quantity of H1N1 vaccine. If you or your loved ones would like to be vaccinated, please drop by the Conant Medical Group clinic for your FREE vaccination.
Where:
470 Castro Street, Suite 204. See map.
When:
Walk-in Clinic: Mondays and Thursdays: 8:30am to 11:30am (excluding holidays). Other dates: Feb: 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 22, 25, 26 and Mar: 1, 4, 5.
Click here to visit our special section on influenza.
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