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World's Largest Tricycle and Condom Bike Record
For a Social Cause Mr. Sudhakar made a Condom Bike in the shape of a condom to bring in awareness towards the deadly AIDS. The Condom bike has a built in player, which gives a brief history on condoms and AIDS awareness. Continuing to fight against the deadly AIDS, he is planning to start a Mini Condom Bike Race.
He has designed over 30 different designs of bicycles from single seater to multi seaters, the likes of which are ‘Penny Farthings’, ‘Tandems’, ‘Made For Each Other’, ‘Velo Cars’, ‘Recumbents’,’ Micro Cars’, ‘Lightfoots’, ‘Cycle Trains’, ‘Sociable’, etc. including the smallest bicycle in India, which is about 6 inches high.
Mr.Sudhakar has created a Guinness World Record for the Largest Tricycle in the World from India. The Tricycle is 41 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 3 tons with the wheel diameter of 17 feet. It is 37 feet 4 inches long. The Tricycle is powered by the Pedal, Chain Sprockets and Gears. It took him over 3 years to built this Giant.
For all records
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com For a Social Cause Mr. Sudhakar made a Condom Bike in the shape of a condom to bring in awareness towards the deadly AIDS. The Condom ... more -
Meditation slows AIDS progression
Meditation might slow the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, perhaps by affecting the immune system, U.S. researchers reported.
If the findings are borne out, it could offer a cheap and convenient way to help people battle the incurable and often fatal condition.
The team of researchers at the University of California tested a stress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation. It is defined as practicing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future.
The more often the volunteers meditated, the higher their CD4 T-cell counts -- a standard measure of how well the immune system is fighting the AIDS virus.
"This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIV disease progression," David Creswell, who led the study, said. Meditation might slow the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, perhaps by affecting the immune system, U.S. researchers reported. ... more -
Advice to drop condom use is HIV 'disaster'
The Swiss Federal Commission for HIV/AIDS raised eyebrows earlier this year when it effectively said that HIV-infected people could safely not use condoms.
The reasoning is that if you have HIV, but have been effectively treated with antiretroviral drugs, and have no genital infections, then you are "sexually non-infectious" and cannot transmit HIV to uninfected partners.
But now a computer analysis of rates of HIV transmission from individuals with different levels of the virus in their blood has shown that infection can still occur and that condoms are still essential. The Swiss Federal Commission for HIV/AIDS raised eyebrows earlier this year when it effectively said that HIV-infected people could sa... more -
Report warns of AIDS ‘crisis’ across South
AIDS specialists are calling for a fundamental rethinking of HIV policy after a new report showed that infection with the virus was rising dramatically in the South even as it dropped everywhere else in the country.
The warning, issued this week by the Southern AIDS Coalition, a nonprofit partnership of government and private-sector programs based in Birmingham, Ala., concluded that AIDS was creating a health disaster in the South.
AIDS deaths fell or held steady in other parts of the country from 2001 to 2006, the last year for which complete figures were available, but they rose by more than 10 percent in the South, according to the report, titled “Southern States Manifesto 2008.”
The report, an update to a landmark 2002 report that identified the disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS in the South, was based on data compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health departments and academic researchers. It defined the region as Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Among the findings:
* Although the covered area is home to only 36 percent of the nation’s population, half of all U.S. AIDS deaths in 2005 were in the South, and more than half of all Americans with HIV lived in the region in 2006.
* Nine of the 15 states with the highest HIV diagnosis rates are in the South.
* More than 40 percent of all new infections are in the South.
* Of the 20 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of AIDS cases in 2006, 16 were in the South.
“The South is faced with a crisis of having to provide medical and support care for increasing numbers of infected individuals without adequate funding,” especially among the young and among minority Southern communities, the report concluded.
“African-American women are 83 percent of all [new] cases that we can document,” said Bambi Gaddist, executive director of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council and a member of the AIDS Coalition board of directors. “And the new epidemic is young people. They’re between 22 and 24.”
***article continues, click link to read*** AIDS specialists are calling for a fundamental rethinking of HIV policy after a new report showed that infection with the virus was ri... more -
Parasitic worms may fuel AIDS epidemic
"People infected with parasitic worms may be much more susceptible to the AIDS virus, according to a study published on Tuesday that may help explain why HIV has hit sub-Saharan Africa particularly hard.
The study involving monkeys demonstrated how a type of parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis, which affects 200 million people globally, may make HIV infection more likely.
Much lower amounts of the AIDS virus -- 17 times lower -- were needed to cause infection in monkeys who had the parasitic worms than in the parasite-free monkeys, the researchers said.
"The presence of the worm is like adding fuel to the fire -- it creates more fertile ground for the virus to take hold," Dr. Ruth Ruprecht of Harvard Medical School, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview." "People infected with parasitic worms may be much more susceptible to the AIDS virus, according to a study published on Tuesday that m... more -
HIV symptoms not being diagnosed properly, claims charity
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely being misdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the National AIDS Trust.
NAT, the UK’s leading independent policy and campaigning charity on HIV and AIDS, has found that in one Brighton study, almost half of those who sought medical advice for what eventually turned out to be HIV symptoms were not diagnosed correctly.
Symptoms of early-stage HIV include sore throat, fever and rash and will show within two to six weeks of infection in 70-90 per cent of cases.
But the study found that GPs and other healthcare professionals were commonly dismissing these symptoms as signs of common viral infections, with comments such as: "Probably glandular fever" or "Come back in two weeks if you’re not feeling better."
NAT argues that while these symptoms may seem innocuous, coupled with recent risky behaviour, they should suggest possible HIV infection and the need for a HIV test.
"Diagnosing HIV at an early stage could have a significant impact on reducing HIV infections in the UK," said NAT Chief Executive Deborah Jack.
"Our advice is simple; if you suspect you may have been infected with HIV seek medical advice immediately. Do not wait."
HIV testing has seen great advances in recent years. The majority of cases can now be diagnosed from 12 days after infection.
However, the figures for HIV infection rates in the UK remain high. Over 80,000 people live with HIV.
A third of people with HIV are not diagnosed, and a third of those that are diagnosed are diagnosed late.
Should patients have to specify if they're potentially high-risk for exposure to HIV on a routine visit to the doctor with something like a sore throat, fever and rash, when they could be perfectly benign symptoms? Is it up to the GP to search out this kind of sensitive information, or is it for the patient to volunteer it? Is it possible to have a trusting and sympathetic relationship with your GP (I've rarely seen the same one twice in my local surgery) or does that not even matter?
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely being misdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the Nat... more -
The Business of AIDS
In southern Africa, the most dangerous thing an uninfected man can do is get married. Elizabeth Pisani explains why, and debunks other conventional wisdom about HIV and AIDS. Pisani is an epidemiologist and the author of “The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS.” She spoke with New America Media editor and UpFront host Sandip Roy.
The numbers of reported AIDS patients were recently dramatically downsized for different countries. Why was this?
Downsizing the numbers was actually related to getting better data, particularly in India, the second most populous country. Small differences there can make very big differences in the numbers. The data is improving, and so they’re getting better estimates.
The World Health Organization’s department of HIV/AIDS also said there would be no generalized epidemic of AIDS in the heterosexual population outside of Africa, so there wouldn’t be a big, ticking time bomb in China.
We now know that HIV is not going to rage through the general populations of any continent outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Frankly, we’ve known that for 10 years or more, but we haven’t been able to say so because there are huge vested interests in keeping people worried. We have to face the fact that it’s essentially concentrated among men who have sex with one another, among people who buy and sell sex and among people who inject drugs.
None of which are popular government constituencies.
Exactly. Unless we can pretend it’s going to affect innocent women and babies, it’s very difficult to get governments to take an interest. That’s one side of the story. The other is that if it’s not everybody’s problem, then UN agencies, NGOs or government agencies that don’t want to deal with sex and drugs, can’t get a crack at that huge and ballooning AIDS funding.
In cities like San Francisco and New York, activists, gay men mostly, really forced the establishment to pay attention to the disease. But you’re suggesting that it has also created its own brand of orthodoxies that have been exported around the world and don’t necessarily fit the way HIV is spreading in different parts of the world.
That’s exactly right. One of the things that activists did was they forced governments to take it seriously. They also turned it into an issue of individual rights, and the rights of people who may be in marginalized communities.
How was it different for someone getting diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s compared to today?
In the mid 1980s, an HIV diagnosis was like having ‘wicked person’ branded across your forehead. It meant that you were quite likely to lose your insurance, your job, possibly be thrown out of your family, rejected by your friends and there was not a single thing we could for you, because there was no treatment.
Today, we have quite effective treatment in much of the world. So the idea that we shouldn’t test people unless they specifically ask to be tested is one that we now call into question.
So what is the message we are giving people today?
We’re really giving people mixed messages. We’re saying, ‘Don’t worry, HIV’s completely normal, you can live healthfully with it for many years.’ But on the other hand we’re saying, ‘Don’t worry, if we test you, you don’t have to tell anyone, and it can be a big secret.”
***Article Continues, click link to read***
In southern Africa, the most dangerous thing an uninfected man can do is get married. Elizabeth Pisani explains why, and debunks other... more -
Two genes may prevent HIV infection
Scientists have isolated two genes which may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS, a new study has found.
The genes were isolated by comparing the genetic profiles of people in their first year of HIV infection with those who managed to resist infection despite repeated exposure to the virus.
The "good" versions of the two genes were present in 12.2 percent of those who resisted infection compared with only 2.7 of patients in primary HIV infection.
Researchers are not yet sure how this protection works.
One of the genes codes for a receptor on the surface of the immune system's natural killer cells which destroy infected cells in the body.
The other codes for a protein which binds the first gene and dampens the natural killer cell activity.
The most likely explanation is that HIV prevents the protein that dampens the killer cell activity from being expressed, allowing the killer cells to destroy cells infected with HIV.
Scientists have isolated two genes which may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS,... more -
Anti-gay slurs painted on houses and cars in South Florida's gayest neighborhood
"Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday morning.
One resident was using soap and water to wash out the anti-gay messages sprayed on his property that said "fag".
He explained to CBS4 Reporter Ted Scouten that he's not gay, which is all the more worrying why he was a target.
Another resident, Ron Helfrich, said his home and car were defaced, "They wrote gay on the door, in the living room, and on the couch."
''There's no reason for this to happen,'' Aaron Challancin said. ``We didn't do anything to anyone. We're normal people trying to live normal lives.
The incidents are being investigated by the Wilton Manors police department." "Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday mornin... more -
Plans for human trial of H.I.V. vaccine canceled
Plans for a large human trial of a vaccine against the AIDS virus in the United States were canceled on Thursday because federal health officials said the vaccine was unlikely to prove effective and might increase the risk of H.I.V. infection among volunteers.
The decision is another major setback in efforts to develop an H.I.V. vaccine, which health officials contend would be their best weapon to control the AIDS pandemic. Several other H.I.V. vaccines are in various stages of testing among people in many countries.
Scientists have been trying for more than 25 years to make an effective H.I.V. vaccine. They say that getting one to market — if one is ever developed — is years off.
After a meeting sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in March, many AIDS experts said researchers needed to go back to the drawing board before they could develop an effective vaccine.
The trial canceled on Thursday was supposed to have begun enrolling 8,500 volunteers last October to receive a vaccine developed by the infectious diseases agency. The study is known as PAVE, for Partnership for AIDS Vaccine Evaluation. PAVE is a consortium of United States government agencies and government-financed organizations involved in developing and evaluating experimental H.I.V. vaccines. Its goal is to develop an effective vaccine that no pharmaceutical company or institution is likely to accomplish on its own.
But the PAVE trial was postponed after a test of a similar, much-heralded vaccine made by Merck failed in its two main objectives: to prevent infection and to lower the amount of H.I.V. in the blood among those who did become infected.
Also, the findings among the 3,000 participants in nine countries in which the Merck vaccine was tested suggested it might have increased the risk of becoming infected with H.I.V.
After a safety monitoring committee detected the problems with the Merck vaccine in September, the company stopped its study immediately.
Scientists have found no obvious explanation for the failure of the Merck vaccine, which had been considered the most promising candidate for an H.I.V. vaccine. The infectious diseases agency helped pay for the vaccine trials
Plans for a large human trial of a vaccine against the AIDS virus in the United States were canceled on Thursday because federal healt... more -
Senate agrees to triple anti-AIDS funding
The Senate voted Wednesday to triple spending for a much-acclaimed program that has treated and protected millions in Africa and elsewhere from the scourges of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The 80-16 vote committed the United States to spending up to $48 billion over the next five years for the most ambitious foreign public health program ever launched by the United States.
The legislation would replace and expand the current $15 billion act that President Bush championed in a State of the Union address and Congress passed in 2003. That act expires at the end of September.
In a statement, ' said that when the program was launched in 2003, about 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. Today, the program supports lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment for more than 1.7 million people around the world, he said. It also has supported treatment and prevention programs that have helped HIV-positive women give birth to nearly 200,000 infants who are HIV-free.
The Democratic-led Senate, rarely in agreement with the White House, gave Bush credit for initiating the program. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a chief negotiator in crafting the bill, said the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, is "the single most significant thing the president has done."
The global AIDS program will save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives, Biden said, "and the president deserves our recognition for that."
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and co-negotiator with Biden, said the program "has helped to prevent instability and societal collapse in a number of at-risk countries." He added that it has "facilitated deep partnerships with a new generation of African leaders, and it has improved attitudes toward the United States in Africa and other regions."
[Credit: Jim Abrams, AP; Photo: hopeinthedark.com] The Senate voted Wednesday to triple spending for a much-acclaimed program that has treated and protected millions in Africa and elsew... more -
U.S. ban on visitors with HIV could end soon
The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-positive people.
A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world
I had no clue there was a ban on HIV positive people, did you? The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-posit... more -
The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007
Neither Honest Nor Trustworthy: The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
The U.S. public holds Big Business in shockingly low regard.
A November 2007 Harris poll found that less than 15 percent of the population believes each of the following industries to be "generally honest and trustworthy:" tobacco companies (3 percent); oil companies (3 percent); managed care companies such as HMOs (5 percent); health insurance companies (7 percent); telephone companies (10 percent); life insurance companies (10 percent); online retailers (10 percent); pharmaceutical and drug companies (11 percent); car manufacturers (11 percent); airlines (11 percent); packaged food companies (12 percent); electric and gas utilities (15 percent). Only 32 percent of adults said they trusted the best-rated industry about which Harris surveyed, supermarkets.
With the 10 Worst Corporations of 2007, we aim to show - again - that Big Business is out of control and to connect comparable abuses to the failure of government overseers, regulators and enforcers.
Presented alphabetically, here are the 10 Worst Corporations of 2007:
http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2007/112007/mokhi... Neither Honest Nor Trustworthy: The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007 by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman ... more -
Filippine. Chiesa cattolica dice si a preservativo se partner con Aids.
La Chiesa cattolica apre all'uso del preservativo per combattere la diffusione dell'Aids. L'utilizzo del contraccettivo e' "consentito" solo tra coniugi, nel caso in cui uno due sia ammalato di Aids o portatore sano di Hiv e quindi puo' contagiare l'altro, ma l'apertura avviene nelle Filippine, unico Paese cattolico dell'Asia e tradizionalmente conservatore. "E' sempre preferibile l'astinenza e il rapporto protetto deve essere l'ultima possibilita'", ha detto il portavoce della Conferenza episcopale cattolica (Cbcp)... continua La Chiesa cattolica apre all'uso del preservativo per combattere la diffusione dell'Aids. L'utilizzo del contraccettivo e' "consentito... more
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Venticinque anni di lotta e si muore ancora di Aids.
Sono trascorsi ben 25 anni dall’identificazione, da parte del gruppo di Luc Montagnier, all’Institut Pasteur di Parigi, del virus Hiv che causa la sindrome di immunodeficienza acquisita, meglio conosciuta con l’acronimo di Aids. Anche se i massmedia, non ci bombardano più, come negli anni ’80, sul dilemma Aids, i casi di Hiv continuano a crescere nel mondo occidentale. L’Aids non ha smesso di essere causa di morte per milioni di esseri umani. E’ vero che la ricerca ha fatto passi da gigante, ma la malattia è... continua Sono trascorsi ben 25 anni dall’identificazione, da parte del gruppo di Luc Montagnier, all’Institut Pasteur di Parigi, del virus Hiv ... more
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Ultime dalla chiesa: "Il preservativo non impedisce la diffusione dell'Aids".
In una nota della Sir le dichiarazioni rilasciate da Melbourne per la Giornata Mondiale della Gioventù da parte del Cardinale Maradiaga.
(Sir) “L’uso del preservativo non impedisce la diffusione del contagio dell’Aids e l’esperienza ce lo insegna”: fa questa considerazione il cardinale Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, presente oggi Melbourne al Caritas Forum sulla cittadinanza globale. “Nel mio Paese, il Venezuela – aggiunge - sono stati distribuiti gratuitamente per vent’anni i preservativi, e l’epidemia è aumentata”... In una nota della Sir le dichiarazioni rilasciate da Melbourne per la Giornata Mondiale della Gioventù da parte del Cardinale Maradiag... more -
HIVBIGDEAL episode 1: The Morning After
A video about four gay men and talking about HIV status with a sex partner.
View episode 2 on our website, http://www.hivbigdeal.org A video about four gay men and talking about HIV status with a sex partner. ... more -
Kenyan wins landmark HIV ruling
"A HIV-positive Kenyan woman has won $35,000 in a landmark ruling against her employer for unfair dismissal.
The 45-year-old waitress, whose identity has been withheld, also sued her doctor for revealing her HIV status without her consent.
The High Court ruled that it was unlawful to end employment on the grounds of a person's HIV status. None of the defendants admitted liability.
About 2.5m out of 32m Kenyans are currently living with HIV/Aids." "A HIV-positive Kenyan woman has won $35,000 in a landmark ruling against her employer for unfair dismissal. ... more -
Red Cross discrimination
The Red Cross, although a humanitarian organization, continues to openly discriminate against homosexuals and men who sleep with men in their effort to keep the blood supply "safe". Although the guidelines tend to appear quite outdated in today's society, there doesn't seem to be any effort to change or update the current system of blood screening.
Anyone who actively gives blood knows about the barrage of questions that the Red Cross nurses ask during the screening process. These safety measures are delegated by the Food and Drug Administration. Since safety of our blood supply is paramount, this is a necessary precaution. But, out of these questions, one question in particular stands out: "have you had sexual contact with a male, even once, since 1977?"
If you answer "yes" to this question, you will be refused the opportunity to give blood.
The American Red Cross, on their website (under "donor eligibility guidelines") describes these guidelines as "intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion". The guidelines go on to classify men who sleep with men in the same category of intravenous drug users and people who exchange money for sex, under the heading "HIV/AIDS". This representation alludes to the rumor that gay men and men who sleep with men, along with intravenous drug users and prostitutes are the only persons who can become infected with HIV/AIDS. This is false representation of a safety measure, and propagates the rumor that people in this classification are the only individuals who can contract or spread HIV/AIDS.
These guidelines can be found at: http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,0...
It does not matter to the Red Cross if you are a monogamous gay male in a healthy relationship. It doesn't matter to the Red Cross if you've cheated on your spouse (straight or gay), it doesn't even matter if you've contracted syphilis or gonorrhea (as long as you wait 12 months before donating!)...but it does matter if you have "sex with men", or even fooled around with a man, even once in 30 years.
With all of our scientific knowledge about the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, it seems surprising that the Red Cross would continue to perpetrate false information about Homosexuals and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the name of safety. The Red Cross blames the Food and Drug Administration for this policy, and the FDA blames the Red Cross for not being discriminatory enough in protecting the blood supply. So we are left in a bind of open discrimination by our government and a world health organization.
The Red Cross and the FDA also fail to acknowledge that men (and women) who sleep with many partners are also at a high risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. There is no question in the guidelines reflective of persons who have sexual contact with multiple partners, or persons who have unprotected sexual contact with others, or persons who engage in unsafe sexual practices. These persons, as long as they do not use intravenous drugs, charge for sex, or have sexual contact with men can still donate, and be a "hero".
Although our blood supply organizations should continue to carry out the highest standards of blood safety, the current guidelines must be revised to reflect our modern culture if organizations like the Red Cross intend to promote safety and well being. The truth about HIV/AIDS and other diseases must be reflective of scientific fact, and not old rumors. The truth about the safety of our blood supply is, if you look closely, a half truth riddled with discrimination.
The Red Cross, although a humanitarian organization, continues to openly discriminate against homosexuals and men who sleep with men i... more -
Gels to protect women from HIV may help men more
Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Monday.
Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Mo... more
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