Alzheimer's Disease Center

Alzheimer's Disease Center

Information on Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and a disturbance in at least one other thinking function (for example, language or perception of reality). Many scientists believe that AD results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) that leads to nerve cell death. Loss of nerve cells in strategic brain areas, in turn, causes deficits in the neurotransmitters, which are the brain's chemical messengers. Read More About Alzheimer's Disease »

The Life Anoxic

Lake Victoria is Africa's single most important source of inland fishery production, but radical changes to its ecology have rendered much of the deep water anoxic (no oxygen) or hypoxic (low in oxygen) and dramatically altered the food web. Other, more recent changes in the lake, however, are giving respiratory ecologist Lauren Chapman renewed hope that fisheries sustainability and biodiversity conservation can be reconciled.

Hot flashes Children of HIV

Researchers are looking to sociology, education and social policy to help slow the spread of AIDS among young people in southern Africa.

The children and youth of today never knew a pre-AIDS world. In 2007, UNAIDS reported that between 2.2 and 2.6 million children under 15 years old were living with HIV worldwide, with an estimated 420,000 of them having been infected within the year. While virologists strive to make the disease history for future young people, three McGill researchers are taking a hard look at today's reality by exploring the social factors contributing to the rate of HIV transmission among youth in Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa—and how to better care for those whose young lives have already been shattered by AIDS.

Big Cities Health Inventory:

The Health of Urban USA

In 1994, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) assembled and prepared the first Big Cities Health Inventory (BCHI). Seven years after the first edition, the Inventory continues to be one of the few reports presenting city-level health data in the U.S. This current edition, also prepared by CDPH, represents a collaborative commitment to providing information for improving community health. With funding in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the collaborative entities consisted of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and local health department partners. In addition to the data presented in the report, this edition examines the need for and uses of city-level data to identify local health priorities, design interventions, evaluate performance, and further public health policy.

There are relatively few sources that provide health-related data specific to cities. Most reports only present data at the state-level and those that describe low level data are often at the county or metropolitan statistical area-level (MSA). The purpose of this report is to focus specifically on the health of large cities in the U.S. In so doing the report intends to increase knowledge of the issues large cities face and stimulate dialogue that will lead to a healthier city population.

The report presents a broad overview of the health of more than 40,000,000 people residing in the 47 largest cities in the United States. These cities accounted for nearly 25% of all births and deaths in the United States. Overall, the health outcomes of these cities are less favorable than that of smaller urban and rural areas and compare poorly to the national overall. For instance only one city, Honolulu, had a mortality rate lower than that of the U.S. overall, whereas most other cities had a rate higher than the U.S.

The data presented in this and other studies analyzing urban health suggest that there is a unique urban health profile influenced by the dynamics particular to large cities. This information provides a benchmark for establishing current health status and highlights priority areas for reducing health disparities in minority populations.

The report focuses on 20 indicators of health: five indicators of communicable diseases, nine causes of mortality, and six indicators of maternal and child health (See Table).

Also see samples from DermNet.com :

This is a sample picture from DermAtlas, Johns Hopkins University.
Other DermAtlas pictures: Genital Warts

A Complex Picture

Synopsis

In this, our fourth combined annual report, we mark the 25th anniversary of the first reported case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United Kingdom (UK) by reflecting upon the significant changes that have occurred over this period in the HIV and STI epidemics. Epidemiological shifts and developments in the sexual health field have led to changes in the structure of sexual health services and different approaches in clinical management.

With surveillance playing a key role in informing clinical practice, service delivery and the targeting and monitoring of prevention interventions, it is essential that surveillance systems are not only timely and accurate but also flexible.

‘A Complex Picture’ profiles the increasing complexity inherent to the evaluation and management of the continuing HIV and STI epidemics. The report also highlights, through the presentation and description of epidemiological data, how despite increasing complexity, HIV and STI surveillance systems in the UK have evolved to remain one of the world’s most comprehensive and informative systems.

Disease Prevention

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

New CDC HIV Report Presents Unclear Picture, but Suggests Names Reporting, Testing are Working

March 3rd, 2009

In response to the release of the Centers for Disease Control's latest HIV/AIDS
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body\'s immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body\'s ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick.',250)" onmouseout="hideddrivetip()">HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report earlier today, AIDS
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (ah-KWY-erd im-YOON-o-de-FISH-en-see SIN-drome). A disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). People with AIDS are at an increased risk for developing certain cancers and for infections that usually occur only in individuals with a weak immune system.',250)" onmouseout="hideddrivetip()">AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which operates the largest community-based alternative HIV
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Any infection spread by the transmission of organisms from person to person during sexual contact.',250)" onmouseout="hideddrivetip()">sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing program in California, conducting more that 15,000 tests annually, noted that the CDC's surveillance report, which covers data from 2007, presents an unclear overall picture of the nation's epidemic
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According to the report, there was a 15% increase in new cases of HIV/AIDS infections in 2007...

Training journalists to report on HIV and AIDS

Training journalists to report on HIV and AIDS

16-06-2008 (Dushanb)
Pictures from the CAAP website
© CAAP

The first regional HIV and AIDS training-the-trainers workshop for journalists took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from 9 to 13 June. This five-day training activity was organized by the Central Asia AIDS Control Project (CAAP), in cooperation with the UNESCO Office in Almaty. Its objective was to prepare Central Asian reporters to run workshops for their colleagues on the coverage of HIV and AIDS related subjects.

According to the project coordinator, Chinara Seitalieva, the role of mass media is extremely important in the fight against the HIV infection. This is why the establishment of a pool of journalists regularly working in this field is crucial for the region. A good article on HIV and AIDS should treat about prevention and the fight against discrimination of people affected by the virus. It should be scientifically accurate and devoid of any sensation and prejudice. To prepare such articles journalists themselves must well understand the issue and keep their knowledge up-to-date.

20 journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the workshop. Besides learning how to fill information gap of their colleagues, they were introduced to the Regional AIDS Centre activities and visited a number if AIDS organizations in Tajikistan.

The Central Asia AIDS Control Project, together with the UNESCO Office in Almaty, designed a manual, specifically for the purpose of this workshop. It is hoped that it will be translated into national languages of all Central Asian countries.

The Central Asia AIDS Control Project is the first regional HIV and AIDS initiative financed by the International Development Association (IDA) and the Department for International Development (DFID). The project, which received a total amount of 27 million US dollars, aims to contribute to the control of HIV spreading in Central Asia through strengthening regional and national capacities and cooperation between the public sector, NGOs and private companies. It is being implemented in four Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - and is expected to be completed by 30 June 2010.

POSITRON AND EMISSION

When it comes to HIV treatment, the picture is equally bleak. Most prison systems say that they make triple-combination therapy available to prisoners with HIV. But a national survey of jails and prisons conducted by Ted Hammett, Ph.D., of Abt Associates Inc., a Cambridge-based research firm, shows that a combination of factors, including high medication costs, denial and fear of HIV by inmates, mistrust, uneven clinical competence, and lack of uniform treatment standards may limit the availability of appropriate HIV treatment regimens. Across the country, prisons take various approaches to address the HIV crisis within their walls. In the following pages, we've looked at a model program, the pros and cons of segregation, the trend toward privatization of prison health care, and the state of HIV prison activism. We've also profiled four advocates on the inside and outside who are role models pushing for better care and support for the thousands of people with HIV who remain behind bars.

-The EDITORS

HIV+ - The National Picture

HIV is not the only epidemic: hepatitis C has replaced HIV as the fastest spreading disease behind the walls. The latest statistics show that nearly one-third of all people infected with hepatitis C in this country have passed through the correctional system. National estimates of hepatitis C in prison are 17 to 19 percent, but surveys of individual systems show up to 40 percent infection rates. Yet little is being done to treat or to educate prisoners about Hepatitis C.

HIV Peer Education Picture Codes

Summary

Produced in Botswana for Pact, a United States-based international non-governmental organisation, this set of picture codes was developed as material to be used in group outreach sessions to stimulate discussion around behaviours which put people at risk of HIV infection. The situations and related behaviours include sexual violence, alcohol abuse, concurrent sexual partners, and sex for money or gifts.

The picture codes are visually driven and feature photographs of real people in situations which provide choices for specific behaviours. Accompanying each photograph is a list of questions for the outreach worker to ask group participants in order to stimulate discussion. These are followed by a list of "talking points" or information the outreach worker can share with participants. The picture codes also come with a set of instructions on how to best use them as an educational resource.

The following picture codes are available to download as MS Powerpoint presentations (click on the title to download the document):

Picture Codes on Abstinence

Picture Codes on Alcohol Abuse Reduction

Picture Codes on Sexual Behaviour Choices

Picture Codes on Gender and Sexual Abuse Reduction

Picture Codes on Better Couple Communication

Picture Codes on Values and Goal Setting

People who are HIV positive

By publicising their HIV positive status, celebrities such as Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson and Magic Johnson have helped to raise awareness of the epidemic and to confront stigma. Many other people have become famous for their role in the history of AIDS, including scientists, doctors, politicians and activists like the American schoolboy Ryan White.

World AIDs Day 2009

To commemorate World AIDs Day 2008, Ashoka recognizes the role of Ashoka Fellows who are making real and sufficient progress towards managing the global AIDs epidemic. Ashoka takes this opportunity to raise awareness of their ground-breaking approaches and relentless commitment to creating a more just and prosperous world for all.

New CDC HIV Report

New CDC HIV Report Presents Unclear Picture, But Suggests Names Reporting, Testing Are Working

In response to the release of the Centers for Disease Control's latest HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report earlier today, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which operates the largest community-based alternative HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing program in California, conducting more that 15,000 tests annually, noted that the CDC's surveillance report, which covers data from 2007, presents an unclear overall picture of the nation's epidemic, but elements in the report suggest that names reporting of HIV cases and more pro-active testing appear to be working.

According to the report, there was a 15% increase in new cases of HIV/AIDS infections in 2007 (38,531 in 2006; 44,084 in 2007). From 2003 through 2006 this number was stable at roughly 38,000. The report cites new HIV reporting regulations in states and increased testing as the reasons for the increase, but does not rule out that it may be due to an increase in new HIV infections. Also of note in the report, the percentage of 'late testers', those individuals who progressed to AIDS diagnosis less than 12 months after their HIV diagnosis, has dropped slightly to 36% from 39%.

"This latest CDC data suggests that names reporting and more pro-active testing outreach are having a positive effect on surveillance, but we still have a long way to go to get a real handle on the full scale of the epidemic here in the US," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "This report should serve as a two-pronged call to action: those states that are reporting data by name need to do more, as they will save money and improve health outcomes of their citizens by reducing infections; those states that are not doing so must get with the program on both reporting and increased testing. There is no excuse not to-the health and money benefits are tangible, and no privacy issue has materialized to date."

"During the CDC's community conference call announcing the release of the report today, there were numerous explanations offered as to the reasons why HIV continues to be on the rise-except for a frank acknowledgement that HIV IS actually rising in certain populations," said Mindy Middleton, Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Public Health Division. "Clearly men that have sex with men and communities of color are disproportionately being affected by HIV. This report should have been a call to action rather than dismissing the data. There needs to be a national shift in our thinking around HIV prevention. Those people who are HIV positive must have access to testing and know their status. There are many uncertainties when addressing people's sexual behaviors but the one thing we know for sure-HIV testing, detection and linkage to medical care works."

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest HIV/AIDS organization. AHF currently provides treatment, care and support services to more than 95,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia.