Obama panders to hispanics and decreases the likelihood of broader reform (Powerlineblog)

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Breast milk kills HIV and blocks its oral transmission in humanized mouse

Friday, June 15, 2012

More than 15 percent of new HIV infections occur in children. Without treatment, only 65 percent of HIV-infected children will live until their first birthday, and fewer than half will make it to the age of two. Although breastfeeding is attributed to a significant number of these infections, most breastfed infants are not infected with HIV, despite prolonged and repeated exposure.

HIV researchers have been left with a conundrum: does breast milk transmit the virus or protect against it?

New research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine explores this paradox in a humanized mouse model, demonstrating that breast milk has a strong virus killing effect and protects against oral transmission of HIV.

"This study provides significant insight into the amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission," said J. Victor Garcia, PhD, senior author on the study and professor of medicine in the UNC Center for Infectious Diseases and the UNC Center for AIDS Research. "It also provides new leads for the isolation of natural products that could be used to combat the virus."

Garcia and colleagues pioneered the humanized "BLT" mouse model, which is created by introducing human bone marrow, liver and thymus tissues into animals without an immune system of their own. Humanized BLT mice have a fully functioning human immune system and can be infected with HIV in the same manner as humans.

In the study, the researchers first determined that the oral cavity and upper digestive tract of BLT mice have the same cells that affect oral transmission of HIV in humans and then successfully transmitted the virus to the mice through these pathways. When the mice were given virus in whole breast milk from HIV-negative women, however, the virus could not be transmitted.

"These results are highly significant because they show that breast milk can completely block oral transmission of both forms of HIV that are found in the breast milk of HIV-infected mothers: virus particles and virus-infected cells," said Angela Wahl, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in Garcia's lab and lead author on the paper. "This refutes the 'Trojan horse' hypothesis which says that HIV in cells is more stubborn against the body's own innate defenses than HIV in virus particles."

Finally, the researchers studied the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with antiretroviral medication for oral transmission of HIV. Garcia and his team have previously shown that PrEP is effective against intravenous, vaginal and rectal transmission of HIV in humanized BLT mice. In this study, they gave the mice antiretroviral drugs for seven days (3 days before and 4 days after exposing them to the virus) and found 100 percent protection against virus transmission.

These latest findings provide important leads to alternative treatments that could be used to prevent transmission.

"No child should ever be infected with HIV because it is breastfed. Breastfeeding provides critical nutrition and protection from other infections, especially where clean water for infant formula is scarce," Garcia said. "Understanding how HIV is transmitted to infants and children despite the protective effects of milk will help us close this important door to the spread of AIDS."

The study appears in the June 14, 2012 issue of the online journal PLoS Pathogens.

###

University of North Carolina Health Care: http://www.med.unc.edu

Thanks to University of North Carolina Health Care for this article.

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Dwyane Wade enjoyed the Dream Team NBA TV special

Posted by Inside Hoops

Jun 14

Wade, who was part of the 2008 ?Redeem Team? and is a possible ? though not certain ? participant in the 2012 Games in London, was just 10 at the time. As a viewer, he was most amused by John Stockton getting off the bus and shooting video of fans who didn?t recognize the 6-foot-1, average-looking Jazz point guard.

He was most intrigued by the interactions.

?I didn?t know the relationships that them guys had or didn?t have,? Wade said. ?I think the biggest thing that surprised me was probably Michael Jordan and (late Detroit and U.S. coach) Chuck Daly. I know the rivalry between Chicago and Detroit, and for those guys to go out and golf and have the relationship they had, I found that very shocking?. But you understand it, especially playing on the Olympic game, with all these great players and different personalities, and knowing how our team came together.?

? Reported by Ethan J. Skolnick of the?Palm Beach Post (Blog)

Filed under: Fun, Miami Heat

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Greece's Rundown State Hospitals Rationing Basic Materials For Exhausted Doctors

* Hospitals lack staff, basic equipment and supplies
* Pharmacies demand cash for drugs
* Free clinics staffed by volunteer doctors
By Karolina Tagaris
ATHENS, June 14 (Reuters) - Greece's rundown state hospitals are cutting off vital drugs, limiting non-urgent operations and rationing even basic medical materials for exhausted doctors as a combination of economic crisis and political stalemate strangle health funding.
With Greece now in its fifth year of deep recession, trapped under Europe's biggest public debt burden and dependent on international help to keep paying its bills, the effects are starting to bite deeply into vital services.
"It's a matter of life and death for us," said Persefoni Mitta, head of the Cancer Patients' Association, recounting the dozens of calls she gets a day from Greeks needing pricey, hard-to-find cancer drugs. "Why are they depriving us of life?"
Greece, a member of the euro zone that groups some of the richest nations on earth, has descended so far that drugmakers are even working on emergency plans to keep medicines flowing into the country should it crash out of the currency bloc.
The emergency has grown out of a tangle of unpaid bills, with pharmacists and doctors complaining of being unable to pay suppliers until competing health insurers clear a growing backlog of unfilled state payments.
Greece imports nearly all its medicines and relies heavily on patented rather than cheaper generic drugs, making it vulnerable to a funding squeeze that would grow sharply worse if it were forced out of the euro after elections on Sunday.
Long queues have been forming outside a handful of pharmacies that still provide medication on credit - the rest are demanding cash upfront until the government pays up a subsidy backlog of 762 million euros, or nearly $1 billion.
"We're not talking about painkillers here - we've learned to live with physical pain - we need drugs to keep us alive," Mitta, a petite former marathon runner and herself a cancer survivor, said in a voice shaky with emotion.
Greeks have long had to give medical staff cash "gifts" to ensure good treatment. Nevertheless the health system was considered "relatively efficient" before the crisis despite a variety of problems including a fragmented organisation and excess bureaucracy, according to a 2009 report for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
But it has been unable to respond to the growing crisis. The European Union and International Monetary Fund, which provided a 130 billion euro lifeline to Greece in March, have demanded big cuts to the system as part of a wider package of austerity measures.
But powerful medical lobbies and unions have resisted fiercely. Caretaker Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos, in office until a new government is formed after the elections, has pleaded for a solution but been powerless to force a change.
"It is imperative that this matter is resolved immediately in order to prevent putting people's lives at risk," Pikrammenos said last week.

BED SHEETS
Outside one of the 133 state hospitals - whose managers have sometimes been appointed as supporters of whichever political party was in power at the time - a banner put up by protesting staff reads "Hospitals Belong to the People". Inside, its gloomy labyrinth of corridors tell a different story.
A doctor at the university hospital in the northwestern Athens suburb of Chaidari cites a lack of basic examining room supplies in her own department, such as cotton wool, catheters, gloves and paper used to cover the examining table.
The shortage of paper, which is thrown out after each patient has used it, means corners have to be cut on hygiene.
"Sometimes we take a bed sheet instead and use it for several patients," said Kiki Kiale, a radiologist specialising in cancer screening. "It's tragic but there's no other solution."
Kiale, 52, said staff cutbacks and a lack of crucial equipment - including a digital mammography machine - meant some doctors were seeing 40 patients during a shift but many patients were still unable to get treatment.
In the chaos, patients can slip through the cracks or turn up for treatment again only when their illness has progressed too far for them to be saved.
"Some incidents are lost completely, others manage to return after a year but it's too late," said Kiale, who spent five years working in Britain's National Health Service (NHS), adding that the lack of stable government made the problem worse.
"Everyone is hiding behind the elections, behind political uncertainty. Everyone is hiding behind the crisis."
Elections last month produced a stalemate, with no party achieving a parliamentary majority or able to form a coalition.
Greeks vote again on Sunday to try to break the deadlock, with pro-bailout conservatives neck-and-neck with a radical leftist party SYRIZA which rejects the EU and IMF's austerity demands. This has raised the possibility that the lenders will cut off the financial lifeline and Greece will have to leave the euro zone if SYRIZA wins and manages to form a coalition.
Pharmaceutical industry sources say drugmakers have already discussed with European authorities how to keep Greece supplied with medicines should it have only new, radically devalued drachmas to pay for them.
They have been looking closely at the experience of Argentina's collapse in 2002, when some firms agreed to continue to supply medicines without payment for a while.
Greece's wider crisis, which has deprived it of a stable administration for months and absorbed official attention, has made it impossible to push through deep health reform and forced the government to resort to sticking-plaster measures.
The Health Ministry says the reports of shortages have been exaggerated and has promised to pay health suppliers 600 million euros from its own budget and that of finance ministry. However, this covers only existing arrears to March, leaving the period to June uncovered.
The IMF has said Greece needs to keep public health spending below 6 percent of GDP, down from around 10 percent at present and must sharply cut spending on pharmaceuticals which has surged over the past decade.
It says Athens must cut such spending by at least 2 billion euros from 2010 levels, a step that would bring the average public expenditure on outpatient pharmaceuticals to 1 percent of GDP by the end of this year.

"LITTLE ENVELOPES"
What effect such cuts will have on patient care is likely to be dramatic, especially without a wider reform of healthcare.
Even before the crisis, public hospitals were under strain and the notorious cash-filled "fakelaki" or "little envelope" which patients have had to hand over to get good treatment have become a byword for the corruption in the system.
As the crisis has bitten, ever more Greeks can no longer afford to pay. Rocketing unemployment has meant many have fallen behind with insurance contributions or have trouble paying the 10-25 percent of prescription costs not covered by the system.
"The health system has shut its door in their face," said Katerina Avloniti, a 27-year-old psychologist at a free medical clinic in Athens whose patients are no longer eligible to get a blood test, a cardiogram or a simple check up.
Housed on one floor of the Athens Medical Association, the clinic is staffed by volunteer cardiologists, general practitioners, dentists and physiotherapists who see about 60 people a day, relying on unused drugs donated by other patients.
"Most are on the verge of depression, others are thinking of suicide. Many are ashamed because until recently, they had a job," she said, adding that many of the patients are 25 to 30-year-olds who have not been able to find work.
Avloniti said the crisis risked spiralling into a wider health emergency if treatment levels continued to fall. "Some people are walking timebombs - they could have a disease that is highly transmittable. We shouldn't close the door on them." (Additional reporting by Yiorgos Karahalis; editing by David Stamp)

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'The Choice': Joe Jonas Stumbles Over A Question About Virginity (VIDEO)

Mon., June 11: "Tia and Tamera"

(8 p.m. ET on Style) <em>season premiere</em> <br /><br /> As they face the realities of motherhood and matrimony, Tia and Tamera lean heavily on each other to lighten the difficult moments with comedic insight and advice. After giving birth to her first child, Tia is figuring out how to balance being a successful actress and a successful mom. Tamera, as she approaches her one-year anniversary, is wondering about her new role as a working wife. With homes in Los Angeles and Napa Valley, where her husband's family also owns a vineyard, Tamera finds herself pulled between two different worlds, struggling to decide which she will ultimately call home.

Mon., June 11: "Bunheads"

(9 p.m. ET on ABC Family) <em>series premiere</em> <br /><br /> Don't let the title put you off -- this witty, heartfelt dramedy from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is as close a return to Stars Hollow as we're ever going to get. It has that signature "GG" rapid-fire banter, all too familiar music cues and a smart, sarcastic brunette at its center (this time played by Broadway star Sutton Foster). Did we mention it also stars Kelly Bishop? Foster plays Michelle, a Las Vegas showgirl who impulsively marries a man, moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law's dance school.

Mon., June 11: "Lost Girl"

(10 p.m. ET on Syfy) <br /><br /> Bo's efforts to help Trick find a stolen body uncover a lethal Lich -- and our heroine is put in a precarious position that helps open her eyes to the true extent of her powers.

Tues., June 12: "The Catalina"

(8 p.m. ET on The CW) <br /><br /> It's Gay Pride weekend in South Beach and The Catalina has never been more fabulous. Eyal and the staff build a float to compete in a local parade, while hotel manager Stephanie becomes romantically involved with a guest.

Tues., June 12: "Thorne: Sleepyhead"

(9 p.m. ET on Encore) <em>original miniseries </em> <br /><br /> Part One of the eerie and atmospheric crime drama event, starring David Morrissey as the compelling Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, who possesses a gritty sensibility and an unhinged desire to discover killers. In the first installment, Thorne investigates a series of unusual attacks on young women. The first three victims are found dead, however the fourth victim -- Alison Willetts -- survived an excruciating attack and is lucky to be alive. The miniseries concludes on Wed., June 13 at 9 p.m. ET with "Thorne: Scaredy Cat," when Thorne is joined by Sandra Oh ("Grey's Anatomy") as Detective Sergeant Sarah McEvoy, who appears to be a tough, calm and capable cop to her male colleagues, but is simultaneously battling a serious drug addiction.

Tues., June 12: "The Next Big Thing"

(11 p.m. ET on Oxygen) <em>series premiere</em> <br /><br /> Starring Trapper Felides, a top New York City performance coach and musical director who gives his clients the blunt truth and tough love they need to succeed. The series will follow Felides as he mentors a group of performers as they prepare for their next career-changing audition or their big music industry break. In each episode viewers will get an inside look at Trapper's uncensored methods for success to turn good performers into great ones, and great ones into stars. Trapper is much more than just a vocal coach and career maker -- he's also a life coach, a brother, a mentor and a seasoned guide through the tough world of show business.

Wed., June 13: "Dallas"

(9 p.m. ET on TNT) <em>two-hour series premiere</em> <br /><br /> Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reprise their famous characters as J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing, returning to Southfork with secrets, schemes and betrayals. This time, they're joined by the next generation of Ewings, played by Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe, who take ambition and deception to a new level as the future of Southfork is called into question.

Wed., June 13: "Duets"

(9.31 p.m. ET on ABC) <em>new timeslot</em> <br /><br /> For the next two weeks, the talent contest moves to Wednesday nights, returning to 8 p.m. Thursdays on June 28. Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke take the stage and perform party songs with their hand-picked Duet Partners. Tonight one amateur is eliminated, leaving six remaining in the competition.

Wed., June 13: "America's Best Dance Crew"

(10 p.m. ET on MTV) <em>season finale</em> <br /><br /> The two remaining crews, 8 Flavahz and Elektrolytes, battle it out for the coveted title.

Thurs., June 14: "Burn Notice"

(9 p.m. ET on USA) <em>season premiere</em> <br /><br /> Season 6 of this summer favorite picks up after Fiona turned herself in on charges of terrorism to save Michael from an extreme case of blackmail. With Fiona in federal custody, Michael and his crew must band together to rescue their friend from a lifetime prison sentence.

Thurs., June 14: "Suits"

(10 p.m. ET on USA) <em>season premiere</em> <br /><br /> The future of brilliant, but not-technically-legal, associate Mike Ross hangs in the balance when a friend threatens to expose him. Legendary law partner Harvey Specter attempts to guard his secret from the firm's top suit Jessica Pearson while she faces even bigger problems when the other half of Pearson Hardman reemerges on the scene.

Thurs., June 14: "The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet"

(11 p.m. ET on Lifetime) <br /><br /> Presenting an honest, authentic and raw view of the shared issues affecting women today, each episode features de Cadenet having powerful and in-depth interviews with some of the world's most famous and influential women. This week's topic is "Living Deliberately," with guests Connie Britton, Mira Sorvino, Kelly Preston and Christina Applegate.

Fri., June 15: "Fairly Legal"

(9 p.m. ET on USA) <em>season finale</em> Kate digs deeper when a news station fires a lesbian couple for fraternizing in the workplace. Also, Kate must choose between Justin and Ben.

Fri., June 15: "Say Yes To The Dress"

(9 p.m. ET on TLC) <em>season premiere</em> <br /><br /> The show returns to its roots at New York's famous Kleinfeld Bridal salon. Part fashion show, part bridal story, part family therapy, the series uncovers the hurdles every staff member faces to make each bride completely satisfied on what may be the single most important day of her life. The new season brings a new batch of unique personalities. From demanding moms to picky fianc?s, brides with unlimited budgets and an appearance from fashion-forward Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, viewers will be exposed to nearly every aspect of dress shopping in preparation for the big day.

Fri., June 15: "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

(10 p.m. ET on IFC) <br /><br /> In each episode, host Scott Aukerman engages his guests with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats provided by bandleader, one-man musical mastermind Reggie Watts, to reinvent the traditional celebrity interview. Packed with character cameos, filmic shorts, sketches and games set amongst an off-beat world, the show delivers thirty minutes of absurd laugh-loaded fun featuring some of the biggest names in comedy. This week's guest is "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler.

Sat., June 16: "Piranhaconda"

(9 p.m. ET on Syfy) <em>original telefilm</em> <br /><br /> With a name like that, how can you resist? In B-movie icon Roger Corman's latest, a hybrid creature -- half piranha and half anaconda -- attacks a movie crew on location near her nest when her egg is stolen. Now they must outrun and kill the deadly piranhaconda as well as stop the mad scientist who stole the egg -- before they all become dinner. Stars Michael Madsen and Rachel Hunter.

Sun., June 17: "Falling Skies"

(9 p.m. ET on TNT) <em>two-hour season premiere</em> After last season's cliffhanger finale, Tom returns to the resistance, but his loyalty is called into question, while Pope takes command of a renegade faction within the 2nd Mass.

Sun., June 17: "The Killing"

(9 p.m. ET on AMC) <em>season finale</em> <br /><br /> Will the second season finale cause as much controversy as last year's did? Only time will tell. Sarah and Holder close the case. Richmond sets out on a bold new path. The Larsen family gains closure from an unsuspected source.

Sun., June 17: "Forensic Firsts"

(9 p.m. ET on The Smithsonian Channel) <em>series premiere</em> <br /><br /> This series showcases the history of the forensic tools we take for granted today. Each episode weaves together two criminal cases: a headline-grabbing modern murder investigation and the very first case where a forensic technique was invented and tested in court. Through the course of the hour, the cases reveal how the science evolved, often from a simple hunch into a sophisticated tool that revolutionized crime science.

Sun., June 17: "Nurse Jackie"

(9 p.m. ET on Showtime) <em>season finale</em> <br /><br /> Cruz pushes Jackie to the breaking point, then fires her. Followed by the season finales of "The Big C" and "The Borgias."

Sun., June 17: "Girls"

(10 p.m. ET on HBO) <em>season finale</em> <br /><br /> It's been a divisive freshman season, but we're intrigued to see what Lena Dunham has in store for the finale. Hannah's on the hunt for a new roommate, and has a surprising confrontation with Adam, while Jessa throws a "mystery party."

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Scientists Tackle The Geography Of Nature Vs. Nurture In Maps Of U.K.

Enlarge TEDS

Data from the Twins Early Development Study shows areas in the U.K. where the effect of environmental factors, shown in pink, trumps the influence of genes, shown in blue, and vice versa.

TEDS

Data from the Twins Early Development Study shows areas in the U.K. where the effect of environmental factors, shown in pink, trumps the influence of genes, shown in blue, and vice versa.

Scientists don't debate the old nature vs. nurture question much these days. The consensus is that there is no winner: Both your genes and your environment shape your development and your health. What's still up in the air is how they combine to put you at risk for diseases or social problems. And that matters for people trying to solve them.

Now it appears that, even for a single disease or condition, the balance between nature and nurture isn't fixed place to place. That's what researchers at Kings College London, writing this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, are showing with maps that identify hotspots in the U.K. where either genetic or environmental factors dominate.

"Virtually everything you can measure is a mix of genes and the environment," Oliver Davis, a lecturer in psychiatry and lead author of the study, tells Shots. "What we're interested in here is how that balance shifts in different places."

? Enlarge TEDS

The researchers discovered that London was a hotspot for environmental influences on classroom behavior (left map, in red). A similar pattern is seen for income inequality (right map).

TEDS

The researchers discovered that London was a hotspot for environmental influences on classroom behavior (left map, in red). A similar pattern is seen for income inequality (right map).

The data comes from the Twins Early Development Study, which has followed more than 5,000 pairs of twins from birth over the last 16 years. Researchers tracked a number of factors for each child, including school performance, behavior problems, mood and attention disorders, and weight. By comparing the variation between children with genetic differences, they were able to figure out how genes and environment relate to each factor.

When they plotted the data on a map, they saw clear geographic patterns. "You can see areas where the variation is explained by genes, and areas where it's explained by the environment," says Davis.

In some areas, Davis says, "the environment is such that it draws out the genetic differences between people." In other places, it appears that environmental factors overpower the influence of genes.

For instance, the researchers found that variation in classroom behavior between kids was better explained by environmental factors in London. It also seemed to match the higher variation in incomes in London; they saw this when they compared their map to a map of income inequality.

It's not enough to prove that high income inequality directly influences classroom behavior, but it suggests directions for future research.

Davis says the maps will help experts to figure out who might be at risk, and then mitigate those risks. "The really cool thing about doing it visually like this is it makes it easy to bring in experts from a variety of fields," he says.

The maps may not be very useful to the general public ? but they are pretty. If you're so inclined, you can download an interactive version as a software package from the Twins Early Development Study website.

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