I cannot believe the moron had the audacity to phone me for advice on the state of his health when he knows I know that he has infected other women since knowing his HIV status!
It would seem there are people out there that are either in denial or feel they need to pass HIV on to all and sundry. What I would like to know is do these people have the guts to deal with the consequences of their actions. I will be getting legal advice on this matter and beware if you have been irresponsible!
CD4 cells are a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell). They are an important part of the immune system. CD4 cells are sometimes called T-cells.
There are two main types of T-cells. T4 cells, also called CD4+, are “helper” cells. They lead the attack against infections. T8 cells, (CD8+), are “suppressor” cells that end the immune response. CD8+ cells can also be “killer” cells that kill cancer cells and cells infected with a virus.
The ratio of CD4 cells to CD8 cells is often reported. This is calculated by dividing the CD4 value by the CD8 value. In healthy people, this ratio is between 0.9 and 1.9, meaning that there are about 1-2 CD4 cells for every CD8 cell.
In people with HIV infection, this ratio drops dramatically, meaning that there are many times more CD8 cells than CD4 cells.
Because the CD4 counts are so variable, some health care providers prefer to look at the CD4 percentages. These percentages refer to total lymphocytes.
If your test reports CD4% = 34%, that means that 34% of your lymphocytes were CD4 cells.
This percentage is more stable than the number of CD4 cells. The normal range for adults is between 20% and 40%.
A CD4 percentage below 14% indicates serious immune damage and is similar to a CD4 count of 200 cells/mm3, and is an indication that it is time to start treatment.
Answered by: Svilen Konov
The CD8 protein comes secondary to the CD4 protein in the story of HIV infection, but CD8 and CD4 are quite closely related in that they are cell surface proteins found predominantly on T cells, and they both bind to HLA protein on other cells.
CD8 is ordinarily found on the surface of killer T cells (as opposed to CD4, ordinarily found on the surface of helper T cells). CD8 binds to HLA class I on some other cell – which, as the diagram below shows, allows the T cell receptor protein to dock to HLA-I and check the antigen (“Ag”) which HLA is presenting.
If the shape of the T cell receptor matches the antigen which is being presented, then a sequence of signals is triggered inside the T cell which causes it to kill the cell which it’s attached to (if it’s a killer T cell) or induce others to kill it (if it’s a helper T cell).
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150122894874116
I often get asked ‘how do you ask someone to wear a condom’. You just do! If you have got to a point in your relationship and taken the next step to have intercourse, which is a very intimate issue in itself, how can you NOT ask your partner to go with you as a couple for pre-counselling and a test or condomise.
If he (from here on out I am talking from a woman’s point of view) says he doesn’t like wearing a condom, he is selfish, stupid or inconsiderate. You have an alternative option; get the female condom and if you are concerned it will ruin the moment, make it work. I ask you would you rather be infected with this virus…..it’s permanent, not like your average cold, two weeks of antibiotics and hoo-ha, its over. Its there for life, once you have it, you have it, best you make it your friend then!
I have a friend (you will know who you are) whose ex from a year or so back, came to him for some business advice. He looked rather sheepish and I inquired as bluntly as always ‘did you sleep with her?’ the answer of course was ‘Yes’.
Now, you need to know, he is completely aware of my status and we have had lengthy discussions on the HIV/AIDS subject.
I subsequently wanted to know if he had used a condom to which the response was negative, when asked where his condoms were, was told in the drawer next to his bed.
I asked why he didn’t use one and the response was ‘I don’t like them’. Sorry, NOT good enough!
My question to this is:
• Do you like the virus more?
• What part of permanent does a person not understand?
• Am I wasting my time creating/educating awareness?
• Do you even understand what you are leaving yourself open too?
• Do you want any of the following acquired diseases?
a) Pneumonia
b) TB (Meningitis)
c) 2 x Strokes
d) Shingles
e) Cancer – Angioimmunoblasticlymphadenopathy
Yes I have had all of the above but do YOU want them?
If not apply the ABC Rule:
A Abstain
B Be faithful (get tested partner/self you can’t get IT if you are in a single/faithful relationship)
C Condomise!
Do it for you, test, always with pre-counselling. Stop the spreading of this disease.
After all that, have a wonderful day ?
Here’s a compelling thought: All the HIV drugs currently on the market work by suppressing some form of the virus and its ability to replicate itself. What if you created a drug that did the opposite–one that uses the replication process to get the virus to mutate more often, something that makes the HIV virus eventually weaken and collapse?
Scientists at Koronis Pharmaceuticals, a small private biotech company in Seattle, have a drug candidate that does just that. It’s been tested in 80 people who have HIV and for whom existing drugs were no longer effective. Results from the Phase 2-A trial, released in January, showed that Koronis’ experimental drug does increase the frequency of mutations in the HIV genome.
More trials have to be done to determine if the Koronis drug can essentially take down the HIV virus, but at least one analyst believes it could be a game changer. Katherine Xu, a biotech analyst for William Blair, said in a report earlier this year that the Koronis drug has “huge potential for disruption.” One scenario she paints: that the Koronis drug be given in combination with an existing drug like Atripla and “after a year or so, the viruses could be mutated out of existence and the patients could achieve a cure,” Xu wrote in a report for Wedbush Securities, where she worked until recently. “If it were to be successful, it would be great news for the field,” Xu told me last week in a phone interview.
Scientists at Koronis have been able to eradicate HIV in a petri dish. Doing so in humans is likely to be much more difficult, but worth a try. Traditional HIV drugs attempt to block viral replication. Koronis CEO Donald Elmer explains that the Koronis drug uses the viral replication process to induce additional mutations in the HIV genome by mismatch base pairing. “These additional mutations progressively debilitate the virus, which ultimately results in collapse of the viral population,” he says.
This month marks 30 years since the virus now called HIV made its first horrific emergence among gay men. Incredible progress has been made in the decades since, but almost all of that is evidenced in the U.S. and Europe. Of the 33 million people living with HIV, 25 million are not currently being treated; 90% of the $14 billion a year spent on treating HIV is focused in North America and Europe.
“Outside the U.S., HIV is still a pandemic,” says Koronis CEO Elmer, who says that treating HIV is complicated and requires regular monitoring –something that just isn’t happening in poor countries. Thus the urgent need for a new kind of treatment. A lurking concern –and another reason to pursue new kinds of drugs — is the rise of drug-resistant HIV.
The next step for Koronis is to come up with $15 million to $20 million to perform a clinical trial that would combine its drug candidate with an approved drug that is currently used for HIV treatment. The company has raised $43 million since it was founded in 2002 but is in need of outside cash. It’s in discussions with the six big companies that operate in the HIV sector – Gilead (GILD), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Viiv (which is a joint venture between Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline), Johnson & Johnson and Merck – but is pursuing other avenues as well –including a possible partnership with a non-U.S. company. It’s open to investment from deep-pocketed individuals who want to help further HIV drug development.
Finding a cure for HIV has been a holy grail for scientists in the field. It’s way too early to say for sure that the Koronis drug is the route to that cure. But until it undergoes further tests, it’s too early to rule it out as well.
Kerry A. Dolan
I attended a breakfast this morning and sat at a table of ten. I am not calling anyone stupid, am I still allowed to use that word?, however, the two lovely ladies sitting next to me inevitably got into conversation with me and you know how it goes, “What’s your name?” What do you do?’ and I always answer “I’m a Speaker on HIV and AIDS” that’s it!! If a second question comes along which it ALWAYS does, ‘what exactly do you talk about’ and then of course they have no way out, ‘gottem’. It was frightening to discover yet again how little people know about HIV/AIDS and in this instance again, they did not know the difference between HIV & AIDS. Once they asked, it was absolutely amazing how many more questions they had. There is still that fear of the disease and what is unknown. I will pose a question here and see how many of you respond, no cheating…do not google! Is semen and sperm infected by the HI virus? Come on answer quickly, without help. And do YOU know the difference between HIV & AIDS? (OK, so two questions)
Live interview with VOC – Voice Of the Cape Radio tomorrow Thursday 2nd June 2011 will keep you posted on time, Durbanites and other non Capetonians will have to go online to listen 🙂
2:00 PM – 4:00 pm – Afternoon cruise with Ayesha Laatoe takes your dedications and delves into community issues.
I am starting a Support Group 4th August 2011 @ 18h30
I am a speaker, living positively with HIV and AIDS since November 2004 and the budding author of the yet unpublished “AID My Journey”.
Having lived through numerous challenges I would like to share my journey from diagnosis through to the present stage of my life, proving that HIV and AIDS is a manageable disease. It need not be a death sentence and I am living proof that a healthy lifestyle can prolong your existence if you have prior knowledge of what to do, where to go, when, and how to do it, making my speaking relevant and personal and designed to be both educational as well as motivational.
If I manage to inspire just one person, I will consider this part of my life successful.
Contact me for more information. I am also a Counsellor and your details will be strictly confidential.
The back of my legs have been itching profusely and I assumed it was bad circulation until a friend mentioned that he is allergic/sensitive to caffeine. I thought no, not possible so I decided to test it out and lo and behold the itching stopped once I curbed my intake of coffee and as you can see I then decided to google it and found this information. I never used to have this problem but looking back I remember it started around 2008, soon after I started my ARV’s and chemotherapy, whether it has anything to do with that and or my immune system I do not know but thought it would be interesting for some feedback, whether you are HIV+ or not.
Overview
Itching skin from caffeine sensitivity is most likely caused by an allergic reaction in the body. There’s a difference between being sensitive to caffeinated beverages and foods and having an allergy. Itching skin is a sign of an allergic reaction caused by increased histamine levels in the skin. If you notice that your skin becomes inflamed, itchy and irritated after consuming caffeine, make an appointment with an allergist for testing and a clinical diagnosis.
Caffeine Sensitivities
Different people can handle different amounts of caffeine in their daily diet. You may be able to drink two cups of coffee without developing adverse reactions, while someone else may only be able to drink a half cup of coffee. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may experience headaches, an upset stomach, irritability and an increase in heart rate. If you develop a skin rash from consuming caffeine, you may have a hypersensitivity, or allergy, to caffeine. A caffeine allergy is a reaction of the immune system to the caffeine, which can cause various symptoms, including skin rashes that are itchy.
Caffeine Allergy
A caffeine allergy occurs when your immune system malfunctions and overreacts to the presence of caffeine. In order for your condition to be diagnosed as an allergy, your immune system needs to release immunoglobulin E antibodies, also called IgE antibodies, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Allergy testing can confirm the presence of these antibodies in your bloodstream. When the immune system creates IgE antibodies, other cells throughout the body release chemicals to protect against the allergen. The other chemicals cause inflammation and swelling in different parts of you body.
Itchy Skin
Itchy skin resulting from a caffeine allergy will be related to hives, eczema or general itching. Itchy skin is caused by histamine, a chemical produced during an allergic reaction. Histamine is a natural chemical in the body that protects against infections, but during an allergic reaction, too much histamine production causes inflammation and swelling. Your skin may develop hives, which are welts that form in clusters with defined borders. Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes small blisters to develop on your body. You may simply experience general itching, redness and irritation from an allergic reaction to caffeine.
Prevention
Once you receive a clinical diagnosis that you have a caffeine allergy, you will be advised to eliminate all caffeine from your diet. Avoid coffee, tea, decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea, energy drinks and chocolate products. Ingesting a small amount of caffeine has the potential to cause a severe allergic reaction.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/440652-caffeine-sensitivity-itching-skin/#ixzz1MiMsFjVD
