THE PHOBIA LIST

http://phobialist.com/

What is Congestive Heart Failure (Heart Basics #4)

This commonly misunderstood disease affects 5 million Americans. Let's take a closer look at congestive heart failure.

Ask Dr. Z: Can I take too much aspirin?

HIV Resistance

Lee Evans Speaks Out about the HIV Tests

Olympic Gold Medal winner Lee Evans discusses the myriad of problems with the HIV tests that are incorrectly diagnosing people as HIV-Positive.

The Top Ten Myths About HIV/AIDS

Becky Kuhn, M.D., co-founder of Global Lifeworks, debunks the following 10 myths about HIV: HIV doesn't cause AIDS; because of ARV medications, we no longer need to be concerned about HIV/AIDS; if you have HIV and are sexually active, you no longer need to practice safer sex; you can't contract HIV through oral sex; you can't get HIV from one sexual encounter; a woman cannot spread HIV to another woman by having sex with her; if you are HIV positive but your viral load is undetectable, you cannot spread HIV; AIDS can be spread by kissing, hugging, or shaking hands; if you have HIV, you can cure it by having sex with a virgin; every individual with HIV will eventually develop AIDS. This video refutes misinformation from the "Lee Evans HIV Tests" video. Visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org and http://AIDSvideos.org to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate a video into another language! Click http://AIDSvideos.org/translate.shtml to learn how you can help!!!]

Introduction to HIV/AIDS: What You Need to Know

Becky Kuhn, M.D., co-founder of Global Lifeworks, covers critical basic information about HIV and AIDS. HIV is a virus that causes the disease AIDS, which can be fatal. There are treatments but no cure. HIV is spread by contact between body fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk) and mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals). It is spread by sexual contact, injection drugs users sharing needles, from mother to child during childbirth or nursing, and (early on during the epidemic) by receiving blood transfusions. You can reduce your risk by abstaining from sex before marriage, being faithful to a single partner and using a condom and/or dental dam if you are sexually active, and by never injecting drugs or by never sharing needles if you do. It can take up to six months after exposure to HIV for a person to test HIV positive; even before they test HIV postive, the infected person can spread the disease to others. A doctor can prescribe antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to prevent HIV from progressing to clinical AIDS. It is critical to take every ARV dose on schedule to avoid developing a resistant strain of HIV. If a person is HIV positive, they still need to practice safer sex to avoid spreading HIV to others and to avoid contracting a different, resistant strain of HIV. This video refutes misinformation from the "Lee Evans HIV Tests" video.
Visit
http://www.AIDSvideos.org to learn more about Dr. Kuhn's outreach.
Visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org and http://AIDSvideos.org
to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate this video into another language! Click http://AIDSvideos.org/translate.shtml to learn how you can help!!!]

Possible HIV Cure?

From: CBS
Two doctors in Houston, Texas, believe they might have discovered the Achilles heel of the HIV virus. KHOU's Lee McGuire reports.

HIV virus - Process of HIV virus cell entry.

Did I Just Contract HIV? Symptoms of Primary HIV Infection

It's sometimes possible to recognize when you've recently contracted HIV from signs and symptoms such as fever, rash, or swollen lymph nodes. This video will teach you how to recognize signs and symptoms of primary HIV infection that are experienced by between 40 and 90% of individuals after they are first infected with HIV. Primary HIV infection occurs during the first few weeks or months after a person first becomes infected with HIV. Symptoms include rash and/or fevers, possibly in combination with one or more of the following symptoms: malaise (which is a general feeling of weakness, discomfort, and fatigue), loss of appetite, weight loss, a sore throat, sores in the mouth, joint or muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, fatigue, night sweats, nausea and vomiting, headache, or genital sores. The symptoms usually last from seven to ten days, and rarely more than two weeks. There is an incubation period of a few days to a few weeks between when the person was exposed to HIV and when the symptoms begin. If you have any of these symptoms and think there's even the slightest chance you might have been exposed to HIV, such as through recent sexual activity or sharing a needle, even with someone who you believe is HIV negative, you should see a doctor and ask to be tested for HIV. When you go to the doctor with any of these symptoms, it's very important to mention any risk factors you may have for HIV so they could test you. If you have ever had unprotected sex, even once, have used injection drugs, or think you might be experiencing primary HIV infection, make sure to tell your doctor. Visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org and http://AIDSvideos.org to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate this video into another language! Click http://AIDSvideos.org/translate.shtml to to learn how you can help!!!]

HIV Replication 3D Medical Animation

Targeting HIV replication

The replication of HIV 1 is a multi-stage process.

Each step is crucial to successful replication and is therefore a potential target of antiretroviral drugs.

Step one is the infection of a suitable host-cell, such as a CD4-positive T-lymphocyte.

Entry of HIV into the cell requires the presence of certain receptors on the cell surface, CD4 -- receptors and co-receptors such as CCR5 or CXCR4.

These receptors interact with protein-complexes, which are embedded in the viral envelope.

These complexes are composed of two glycoproteins:

an extracellular gp 120 and
a transmembrane gp 41

When HIV approaches the target cell gp120 binds to the CD4-receptors. This process is termed attachment.

It promotes further binding to a co-receptor. Co-receptor binding results in a conformational change in gp120.

This allows gp41 to unfold and insert its hydrophobic terminus into the cell membrane.

Gp 41 then folds back on itself.

This draws the virus towards the cell and facilitates the fusion of their membranes.

The viral nucleocapsid enters the host cell and breaks open releasing two viral RNA-strands and 3 essential replication enzymes:

Integrase, Protease and Reverse Transcriptase.

Reverse Transcriptase begins the reverse transcription of viral RNA.

It has two catalytic domains:

The Ribonuclease-H active site

And the polymerase active site

Here single stranded viral RNA is transcribed into an RNA-DNA double helix. Ribonuclease- H breaks down the RNA.

The polymerase then completes the remaining DNA-strand to form a DNA -- double helix.

Now Integrase goes into action.

It cleaves a dinucleotide from each 3-prime end of the DNA creating two sticky ends.

Integrase then transfers the DNA into the cell nucleus and facilitates its integration into the host cell genome.

The host cell genome now contains the genetic information of HIV.

Activation of the cell induces transcription of proviral DNA into messenger RNA.

The viral messenger RNA migrates into the cytoplasm where building blocks for a new virus are synthesised.

Some of them have to be processed by the viral protease.

Protease cleaves longer proteins into smaller core proteins.

This step is crucial to create an infectious virus.

Two viral RNA-strands and the replication enzymes then come together and core proteins assemble around them forming the capsid.

This immature particle leaves the cell acquiring a new envelope of host and viral proteins.

The virus matures and becomes ready to infect other cells.

HIV replicates billions of times per day destroying the hosts` immune cells and eventually causing disease progression.

Drugs which interfere with the key steps of viral replication can stop this fatal process.

Entry into the host cell can be blocked by fusion inhibitors for example.

Inhibition of reverse transcriptase by nucleoside inhibitors or by non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase- inhibitors is part of standard antiretroviral regimens.

The action of Integrase can be blocked.

Protease inhibitors are also part of standard antiretroviral therapy.

Each blocked step in viral replication is a step towards better control of HIV disease.


Script, Storyboard, Art Direction by: Frank Schauder, MD
Animation: MACKEVISION
Publicity: Dr.Rufus Rajadurai.MD.,D.DENS.,
Category: Education

HIV and Aids

http://www.nonprofitstdtesting.org/hiv.html


HIV is a virus that attacks and breaks down the human body's immune system, which is the internal defense force that fights off infections and disease. Most people have few, if any, symptoms for several years after they have contracted the virus. Even if there are no symptoms present, once HIV gets into the body it can do serious damage to the immune system. People who appear perfectly healthy may have the virus without knowing it and pass it on to others. The only way to know if you are infected is to be tested for HIV infection