Wednesday, September 21, 2011
A Rising Father: A Month & Five Days...
A Rising Father: A Month & Five Days...: My son is a month and 5 days today! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by already. Just watching him grow over this last month has b...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Everyone Should Watch Once: Let's Make A Deal
Everyone Should Watch Once: Let's Make A Deal: Ok, I love this show! This show is a television classic! The perfect show to DVR or Tivo! Let's Make A Deal first aired December 30, 1963...
Monday, September 12, 2011
Photo Card
Storytime Blue Baby Announcements
Personalized invitations for babies, high school graduations, & more.
View the entire collection of cards.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Everyone Should Watch Once: My Fair Wedding with David Tutera
Everyone Should Watch Once: My Fair Wedding with David Tutera: I love this show. David Tutera has to be one of the sweetest guys alive. This show basically takes brides that are planning their own wedd...
Everyone Should Watch Once: Operation Repo
Everyone Should Watch Once: Operation Repo: Definitely in my top 5 list for favorite shows! I love all of these characters and although sometimes the show may seem scripted, I still th...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Everyone Should Watch Once: Millionaire Matchmaker
Hey everyone- check out my other blog...
Everyone Should Watch Once: Millionaire Matchmaker: "Who wouldn't love this show? I think it's awesome and I have it set to record this show on my DVR I love it so much. Patti is a matchmake..."
Everyone Should Watch Once: Millionaire Matchmaker: "Who wouldn't love this show? I think it's awesome and I have it set to record this show on my DVR I love it so much. Patti is a matchmake..."
Living Positive: When Change Happens!
Hey Everyone! Check this fellow blogger out!!! I love it!
Living Positive: When Change Happens!: "When you begin to think more positive, you will start to notice a change in your life. You feel happier, your mood is consistent, and you st..."
Living Positive: When Change Happens!: "When you begin to think more positive, you will start to notice a change in your life. You feel happier, your mood is consistent, and you st..."
Scary HIV Update
Coming from someone who lives within 40 minutes from Washington D.C., these statistics continue to scare me and I feel like I should hold myself somewhat responsible for researching updated HIV statistics to keep other people in the know.
On August 3, 2011, the CDC announced it's statistics from 2006-2009 relating to HIV and AIDS in Washington D.C. From 2006 to 2009 there was a 48% increase in the number of people who have been diagnosed as HIV positive. 48 PERCENT!!! The CDC said this increase was mainly due to the increase in number of young black men who have sex with other black men and break this increase down to a 12.2% increase of infection PER YEAR! This is scary and shocking! Either people do not care, are being dishonest, or have no idea they are carrying this deadly virus.
I found this quote on the AIDS United website (I attached a link at the bottom of this post for people who want more information) and I cannot agree with it more! "More funding and targeted focuz must be placed on HIV precention as it relates to populations that are disproportionately affected. Disparities in health outcomes must be reduced" (AIDS United online). PEOPLE NEED TO START AND CONTINUE TO BE CHECKED FOR HIV AND AIDS! It is spreading way too rapidly and even though you may be checked once and the test say negative, there is a 6 week window period in which the text can say negative when, in fact, a person is positive.
Please pass this information on to any and everyone that you know and care about! These statistics are too scary and too serious to let them slide and not keep people in the know! By informing those around you (especially if you live in or around the DC area) we can protect those that visit and subside within our nation's beautiful capital!!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Seizure Reduction WITHOUT Surgery
Again, this is an article I read for class and thought it was interesting. I know a few people who suffer from seizures and I think that this is a step in the right direction towards reducing them without surgery or other more hands-on/expensive approaches.
The article I read this week is titled "New Device Reduces Seizures, No Surgery Required" and was originally published online by NPR. This article summarizes an experimental device that delivers electrical pulses to the forehead and their way of controlling epileptic seizures. This device stimulates a nerve called the trigeminal nerve, located just below the skin covering the eyebrows, and the electrical signals that are given off by the device follow the trigeminal nerve to the areas of the brain that seizures are supposed to start. The main neurologist, Christopher DeGiorgio, working on this technique says that this approach "could offer an alternative or enhancement to treatment with drugs" (1). Medications are usually given to help reduce these seizures; however, they have side effects sometimes relating to people's mood, weight, thought processes, etc. Therefore, instead of turning to medication as the solution to epileptic seizures, triggering the trigeminal nerve with electrical impulses may be a better alternative.
Statistics were given regarding Americans with epilepsy and tat there are about 3 million people that suffer from them and for over one-third of them, drugs are not strong enough and they need additional help. A study of 50 people suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy showed that 40% of them (20 people) that underwent nerve stimulating treatment had a significant decrease in the number of seizures they experienced. The main selling points of this device are the lack of side effects, "it doesn't require surgery, and it is very easy to use" (1). For most people who use this treatment method, they put two gel pads on their eyebrows and feel a slight tingling sensation; which is nothing compared to the possible side effects with drugs and surgery. Researchers believe that electrical impulses can almost "act like a sort of pacemaker in their brain, heading off their chaotic electrical storms that cause epileptic seizures" (1). The article also explains that this is not the first time that researchers have used electrical pulses to prevent seizures and other problems in the human body. Though this device has not been approved by the FDA currently, a device was approved in 2005. The device that was approved in 2005 stimulates the vagus nerve, but to use this device a patient would need surgery so the device could be implanted into the collar bone. Not only will trigeminal nerve stimulation help people with epileptic seizures, but Christopher De Giorgio also believes that it relieves symptoms of depression in people with epilepsy as well.
Just thought I would post this information because I know a couple people who suffer from epilepsy and I think that this treatment would be something that they would be interested in. People can begin to develop epilepsy later in life also, so please stay informed about this topic if you know anyone who could use this treatment!!
Statistics were given regarding Americans with epilepsy and tat there are about 3 million people that suffer from them and for over one-third of them, drugs are not strong enough and they need additional help. A study of 50 people suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy showed that 40% of them (20 people) that underwent nerve stimulating treatment had a significant decrease in the number of seizures they experienced. The main selling points of this device are the lack of side effects, "it doesn't require surgery, and it is very easy to use" (1). For most people who use this treatment method, they put two gel pads on their eyebrows and feel a slight tingling sensation; which is nothing compared to the possible side effects with drugs and surgery. Researchers believe that electrical impulses can almost "act like a sort of pacemaker in their brain, heading off their chaotic electrical storms that cause epileptic seizures" (1). The article also explains that this is not the first time that researchers have used electrical pulses to prevent seizures and other problems in the human body. Though this device has not been approved by the FDA currently, a device was approved in 2005. The device that was approved in 2005 stimulates the vagus nerve, but to use this device a patient would need surgery so the device could be implanted into the collar bone. Not only will trigeminal nerve stimulation help people with epileptic seizures, but Christopher De Giorgio also believes that it relieves symptoms of depression in people with epilepsy as well.
Just thought I would post this information because I know a couple people who suffer from epilepsy and I think that this treatment would be something that they would be interested in. People can begin to develop epilepsy later in life also, so please stay informed about this topic if you know anyone who could use this treatment!!
(1) Hamilton, Jon. "New Device Reduces Seizures, No Surgery Required". NPR Online. National Public Radio, 27 July 2011. Web. 5 August 2011. http:www.npr.org/2011/07/27/138619259/new-device-reduces-seizures-no-surgery-required.
(2) Shier, David, Jackie Butler, and Ricki Lewis. Hole's Human Anatomy & Physiology. 12th ed. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
(2) Shier, David, Jackie Butler, and Ricki Lewis. Hole's Human Anatomy & Physiology. 12th ed. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
HIV and AIDS Stats
Recently I read an online article for a health class I was taking for school and after doing a lot of research, I thought this article was so important that I should share it with other people. This article was originally published on the BBC website and is called "Anti-Retroviral Drugs 'Help Reduce' HIV Transmission".
This online article summarizes research done in a study by stating "an HIV-positive person who takes anti-retroviral drugs after diagnosis, rather than when their health declines, can cut the risk of spreading the virus to uninfected partners by 96%" (1). This study was done by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and sampled a total of almost 2,000 couples with only one of the partners per couple HIV infected. This NIH study was not the first study done of this type, but a follow-up study done after the original was performed 4 years prior. The original study was so successful that it was left alone for a long period of time until being restudied by the NIH.
The original study was performed in 2005 in 13 different places throughout Africa, Asia, and both North and South America. HIV infected people were divided into 2 groups: one group "immediately given a course of anti-retroviral drugs" and the other group only receiving "treatment when their white blood cell count fell" (1). When comparing the outcomes of both groups, (after couples were counseled on safe sex, given free condoms, and treated for any other sexually transmitted diseases), the first group only reported one case of transmission between partners and the second group (the group receiving treatment after health decline) had a total of 27 transmissions of HIV. This study should "drive the precention revolution forward", but will cost more than 10 billion dollars to "provide drugs to the ten million people worldwide who are currently not receiving medication for HIV" (1). This study and treatment is so impiortant because the World Health Organization reports that about 80% of all new HIV infections are because of sexual transmission. The overall message of this article being: people need to receive treatment as well as practicing safe sex in order to reduce the spread of HIV!
So, this article focuses on drugs that are used in the prevention of the spread and also treatment of HIV: Anti-Retroviral drugs. It discusses the importance and successfulness of a study proving the benefit of anti-retroviral drugs and the significance of treatment earlier rather than at the first declines of ones health. For informational purposes, HIV is a deadly and contagious virus that causes its damages to the human body by destroying specific blood cells (CD4+ T cells). These cells are important to the human body because they help fight against diseases and infection. Once a person contracts HIV, it is possible that they might develop flu-like symptoms; however, some people have no symptoms at all for quite sometime, although the virus is still affecting their bodies. The World Health Organization stated that in 2009, there were an estimated number of 33.3 million people living with HIV, and at least 14.6 million of those people were still in need of anti-retroviral therapy (1).
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is the use of three or more anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in order to mazimally suppress the virus and stop the profession of HIV disease. There are 5 groups of anti-retroviral drugs and they attack HIV in a different way: They are, Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), Protease Inhibitors (PIs), Fusion or Entry Inhibitors, and Integrase Inhibitors (2). NRTIs interfere with the actions that reverse transcriptase proteins take. The virus needs these proteins to make new copies of itself. NNRTIs also interfere with the replications of transcriptase proteins. PIs inhibit the actions of protease, another protein that the virus needs in order to replicate. Fusion/Entry Inhibitors don't allow HIV to bind to or enter the human immune cells (this is very important). And finally, Integrase Inhibitors interfere with integrase enzymes, an enzyme that is needed in order to insert its genetic material into human cells. HIV is a virus that effects the anatomical and physiological aspects of the human body/system, as do all serious and deadly viruses or diseases. Hopefully, with more people being treated through anti-retroviral therapy and drugs, the spread of HIV will be slowed, and people that are infected with the disease will live longer and more fruitful lives.
This was just my summary of the article that I had read from BBC Online and a little information on HIV itself. After summarizing the article for my class, I then had to gather more information and relate it to things going on around me and/or in my own life. Since I do not know anyone HIV-positive, but I do live near Washington D.C., I decided to relate this article to the area in which I live. After researching statistics on Washington D.C. HIV-positive individuals, the statistics scared me and really opened my eyes to reality.
This is what I found out:
The CDC estimates that there are over 1 million adults and adolescents that are currently living with HIV in the United States. This number includes both adults and adolescents that have been diagnosed or not diagnosed. The number of confirmed adults and adolescents living with HIV in the United States and 5 U.S. dependent areas is 682,668. The HIV/AIDS infection rate in DC is ridiculous and it is now confirmed that at least 3% of DC residents have HIV or AIDS. This percentage is considered a "generalized and severe epidemic" because it surpasses the 1% maximum rate (3). The rate of HIV or AIDS infected residents has risen 22% since 2006. 22 PERCENT!!!! This is unbelievably scary and high! 15,120 residents over the age of 12 are confirmed to have HIV or AIDS according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office. These rates of DC infected residents are stated to be higher than West Africa. 1 out of every 20 DC residents are living with HIV and 1 out of every 50 DC residents are living with AIDS (3). 76% of the infected are black, 70% are men, and 70% are age 40 or above.
These are extremely real and scary statistics and I just hope that with this knowledge and the knowledge regarding treatments, people can start to improve their own live and the lives of others. This epidemic has to be stopped or at least slowed down as soon as possible. People need to practice safe sex and continue to get tested and treated! HIV is a serious virus that cuts the lives of too many people already!
STAY IN THE KNOW!
(1) Gallagher, James. "BBC News- Anti-retroviral Drugs 'help Reduce' HIV Transmission" BBC-Homepage. British Broadcasting Corporation, 12 May 2011. Web. 07 June 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13381292?print=true.
(2) "WHO/Antiretroviral Therapy." HIV/AIDS Antiretroviral Therapy. World Health Organization. 2011. Web. 17 June 2011. http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/treatment/en/.
(3) "Basic Information about HIV and AIDS". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Department of Health and Human Services, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 June 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm.
This online article summarizes research done in a study by stating "an HIV-positive person who takes anti-retroviral drugs after diagnosis, rather than when their health declines, can cut the risk of spreading the virus to uninfected partners by 96%" (1). This study was done by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and sampled a total of almost 2,000 couples with only one of the partners per couple HIV infected. This NIH study was not the first study done of this type, but a follow-up study done after the original was performed 4 years prior. The original study was so successful that it was left alone for a long period of time until being restudied by the NIH.
The original study was performed in 2005 in 13 different places throughout Africa, Asia, and both North and South America. HIV infected people were divided into 2 groups: one group "immediately given a course of anti-retroviral drugs" and the other group only receiving "treatment when their white blood cell count fell" (1). When comparing the outcomes of both groups, (after couples were counseled on safe sex, given free condoms, and treated for any other sexually transmitted diseases), the first group only reported one case of transmission between partners and the second group (the group receiving treatment after health decline) had a total of 27 transmissions of HIV. This study should "drive the precention revolution forward", but will cost more than 10 billion dollars to "provide drugs to the ten million people worldwide who are currently not receiving medication for HIV" (1). This study and treatment is so impiortant because the World Health Organization reports that about 80% of all new HIV infections are because of sexual transmission. The overall message of this article being: people need to receive treatment as well as practicing safe sex in order to reduce the spread of HIV!
So, this article focuses on drugs that are used in the prevention of the spread and also treatment of HIV: Anti-Retroviral drugs. It discusses the importance and successfulness of a study proving the benefit of anti-retroviral drugs and the significance of treatment earlier rather than at the first declines of ones health. For informational purposes, HIV is a deadly and contagious virus that causes its damages to the human body by destroying specific blood cells (CD4+ T cells). These cells are important to the human body because they help fight against diseases and infection. Once a person contracts HIV, it is possible that they might develop flu-like symptoms; however, some people have no symptoms at all for quite sometime, although the virus is still affecting their bodies. The World Health Organization stated that in 2009, there were an estimated number of 33.3 million people living with HIV, and at least 14.6 million of those people were still in need of anti-retroviral therapy (1).
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is the use of three or more anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in order to mazimally suppress the virus and stop the profession of HIV disease. There are 5 groups of anti-retroviral drugs and they attack HIV in a different way: They are, Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), Protease Inhibitors (PIs), Fusion or Entry Inhibitors, and Integrase Inhibitors (2). NRTIs interfere with the actions that reverse transcriptase proteins take. The virus needs these proteins to make new copies of itself. NNRTIs also interfere with the replications of transcriptase proteins. PIs inhibit the actions of protease, another protein that the virus needs in order to replicate. Fusion/Entry Inhibitors don't allow HIV to bind to or enter the human immune cells (this is very important). And finally, Integrase Inhibitors interfere with integrase enzymes, an enzyme that is needed in order to insert its genetic material into human cells. HIV is a virus that effects the anatomical and physiological aspects of the human body/system, as do all serious and deadly viruses or diseases. Hopefully, with more people being treated through anti-retroviral therapy and drugs, the spread of HIV will be slowed, and people that are infected with the disease will live longer and more fruitful lives.
This was just my summary of the article that I had read from BBC Online and a little information on HIV itself. After summarizing the article for my class, I then had to gather more information and relate it to things going on around me and/or in my own life. Since I do not know anyone HIV-positive, but I do live near Washington D.C., I decided to relate this article to the area in which I live. After researching statistics on Washington D.C. HIV-positive individuals, the statistics scared me and really opened my eyes to reality.
This is what I found out:
The CDC estimates that there are over 1 million adults and adolescents that are currently living with HIV in the United States. This number includes both adults and adolescents that have been diagnosed or not diagnosed. The number of confirmed adults and adolescents living with HIV in the United States and 5 U.S. dependent areas is 682,668. The HIV/AIDS infection rate in DC is ridiculous and it is now confirmed that at least 3% of DC residents have HIV or AIDS. This percentage is considered a "generalized and severe epidemic" because it surpasses the 1% maximum rate (3). The rate of HIV or AIDS infected residents has risen 22% since 2006. 22 PERCENT!!!! This is unbelievably scary and high! 15,120 residents over the age of 12 are confirmed to have HIV or AIDS according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office. These rates of DC infected residents are stated to be higher than West Africa. 1 out of every 20 DC residents are living with HIV and 1 out of every 50 DC residents are living with AIDS (3). 76% of the infected are black, 70% are men, and 70% are age 40 or above.
These are extremely real and scary statistics and I just hope that with this knowledge and the knowledge regarding treatments, people can start to improve their own live and the lives of others. This epidemic has to be stopped or at least slowed down as soon as possible. People need to practice safe sex and continue to get tested and treated! HIV is a serious virus that cuts the lives of too many people already!
STAY IN THE KNOW!
(1) Gallagher, James. "BBC News- Anti-retroviral Drugs 'help Reduce' HIV Transmission" BBC-Homepage. British Broadcasting Corporation, 12 May 2011. Web. 07 June 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13381292?print=true.
(2) "WHO/Antiretroviral Therapy." HIV/AIDS Antiretroviral Therapy. World Health Organization. 2011. Web. 17 June 2011. http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/treatment/en/.
(3) "Basic Information about HIV and AIDS". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Department of Health and Human Services, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 June 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm.
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