Antifungal Drug May Help Ease Asthma

(HealthDay News) -- An antifungal drug may offer hope for severe asthma patients who also suffer from a sensitivity to certain fungi, a new British study says. Read more

Benzyl Alcohol Lotion Approved for Head Lice

(HealthDay News) -- A prescription medication, benzyl alcohol lotion 5 percent, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat head lice.

More than 1 million children annually are affected by head lice (pediculosis capitis), the agency said in a news release. The newly approved medication was established as safe and effective in two studies of 628 people. After two, 10-minute treatments given a week apart, more than 75 percent of trial participants treated with the lotion were lice free.

The most common side effects of the treatment were irritations of the skin, scalp and eyes, and application site numbness.

The product should never be used in infants younger than six months, as they could suffer respiratory, heart or brain problems that result in seizure, coma or death, the FDA said.

The treatment is distributed by Sciele Pharma Inc.

More information
The FDA has more about this approval.

Monistat 3 Cream

Generic name: miconazole (mi-KON-a-zole) Monistat 3 Cream is used for Treating vaginal yest infections. This medicine is an antifungal agent. It works by weakening... Read more

Monistat-1

Generic name: tioconazole (mi-KON-a-zole) Monistat-1 is used for Treating vaginal yeast infections. This medicine is an antifungal agent. It works by weakening... Read more

Health Tip: Using a Steroid Nasal Spray

(HealthDay News) -- Steroid nasal sprays can be used to help nasal congestion and mucus production, symptoms of conditions including sinusitis (sinus inflammation).

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions when using a nasal steroid spray:

• If your nasal spray comes in a canister, make sure you wash the canister device thoroughly at least once each week.
• Before you spray, sniff air into each nostril to be sure the passageways are clear.
• Point the nozzle straight toward the back of your head so that you don't waste the medicine.
• The medicine should not drip down the back of your throat or from your nose.
• Stop using the spray if you have nosebleeds or pain in your nose. Discuss these symptoms with your doctor.
• Give the spray time to work. You may not see results for up to two weeks.

FDA Demands Tougher Warnings on Immunosuppressive Drugs

(HealthDay News) -- Federal health authorities have asked the manufacturers of four widely used immunosuppressive drugs to bolster safety warnings on the risk of developing opportunistic fungal infections.... Read more

Yeast Infection Cures

A vaginal yeast infection is characterized by burning, itching, soreness, pain during intercourse and/or urination, and vaginal discharge that looks rather like cottage cheese. A diagnosis is confirmed through identification of the yeast under a microscope from a specimen scraped from the vaginal area.

Yeast infections occur when new yeast is introduced into the vaginal area, or when there is an increase in the quantity of yeast already present in the vagina relative to the quantity of normal bacteria. When normal, protective bacteria are eradicated by antibiotics or by immunosuppressive drugs, for example, the yeast can multiply, invade tissues, and cause irritation of the lining of the vagina. Continue Reading >>

Fighting Candida the Natural Way

Dr. Christopher Lepisto explains the causes and symptoms of the yeast infection Candida and how natural treatments can be better than prescription drugs. An educational video exclusive on iHealthTube.

FDA Starts Safety Review of Autoimmune Disorder Drugs

(HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials have started a safety review of a class of drugs known as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, which are widely prescribed to treat autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

The announcement did not come as a surprise, as experts have long debated the risk-benefit profile of the drugs without coming to any consensus.

Among the chief concerns being investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are whether the drugs are associated with the development of cancer, especially lymphoma, in children and young adults being treated for rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease. The agency is investigating about 30 reports of cancer in this younger age group submitted between 1998, after the approval of the first TNF blocker, through April of this year. TNF blockers have also been linked to an increased risk of infection.

"I think it's a fair thing to say this is an area of ongoing concern that has not been resolved. It's not something new," said Dr. Chaim Putterman, chief of the division of rheumatology at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. "[The drugs] were approved in adults, and more drugs are coming out, and everyone would prefer an indication in children, so the FDA has decided to clear it. It has always been a concern, and it's something that should be clarified."

Four TNF blockers are currently approved in the United States: Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), Remicade (infliximab) and Cimzia (certolizumab). Remicade is approved for use in children with Crohn's disease. Enbrel and Humira are approved to treat children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, according to the FDA.

The FDA review is focusing on the first three. All four are approved for multiple indications.

TNF blockers work by dampening the immune system, which becomes hyperactive in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The drugs have clear benefits, according to experts, and have revolutionized the treatment of some of these diseases.

"One of the reasons that these medications have such a market despite the concerns is that they are so remarkably effective," Putterman said. "There are not only subjective benefits but a tremendous amount of objective evidence, not only in inflammation and patient symptoms, but also in disease progression. These drugs have really addressed a previously unmet need."

"These drugs are probably the most important advance in the treatment of rheumatoid disorders in the last 20 to 30 years. They dramatically improve certain forms of crippling arthritis and almost stop them. Some people go from being in a wheelchair [to] jumping up and walking around," said Dr. Stephen Lindsey, head of rheumatology at Ochsner Health Service in Baton Rouge, La. "They're being used earlier and earlier, because they're so good. I think the FDA is being cautious. I think it's smart. What are the risks of a child being crippled and non-functioning versus the risk of cancer? Maybe, in odd cases, we need to think more and not jump in with all four limbs."

The increased risk for cancer may also be a result of factors other than the drug. "The signal [for cancer] has not been a dramatic one," Putterman said. "There are confounding factors in rheumatoid arthritis patients, which can make interpretation of the data more difficult."

One confounding factor is that rheumatoid arthritis patients, independent of treatment, have a higher risk of some cancers, and some patients have also been treated with methotrexate, a chemotherapy agent that has a known association with lymphoma.

And then there's the conflicting scientific evidence. One 2006 study reported that concerns about TNF blockers causing cancer were unfounded. But earlier this year, a review of the research concluded the risk may be real.

"TNF plays an important role in immune surveillance and, by blocking it, you might be interfering with the body's own defenses," Putterman said.

The FDA has requested that makers of TNF blockers approved for use in children and young adults supply information about all reported cases of cancer in children and young adults taking the drugs.

The maker of Cimzia, UCB Inc., must conduct a study looking at the long-term risks of this drug. That study will begin in 2009, and will take about a decade to complete.

In the meantime, the FDA has asked health-care professionals to weigh the possible risks against the benefits when prescribing TNF blockers.

More information
Read about TNF blockers U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr Whiting on Systemic Candida and Yeast Infections

There is probably more misinformation about yeast infections and candida albicans than almost any health topic. Yeast diets, candida diets, along with special herbal formulas for combating yeast and candida infections abound. Yet after 30 years in the nutrition field, we have found very few of these to be effective.

Research shows that women, following yeast diets and candida diets, obtain some relief from their symptoms, yet as soon as they go off the restricted diet, their yeast infection and candida symptoms return almost immediately. The only substance ever shown to actually destroy the candida and yeast organism on contact is oxygen. Oral oxygen has proven to be very effective in eliminating yeast infections and candida. Candida diets do not eliminate candida or yeast.

Candida diets help reduce the symptoms of candida or yeast, but will not cure the problem. When oral oxygen is used candida diets become unnecessary. Buffered oral oxygen is the only safe way to raise the oxygen levels, but you must take the right formula in order for it to be safe and effective. The Institute of Nutritional Science offers a formulation, which has been used for over 20 years in eliminating systemic candida and yeast without the use of dangerous drugs and ineffective diets.

Preventing Candida Overgrowth from Re-Occurring Now that you are once again enjoying a healthier state of being and the synergistic balance of bacteria has been restored to your intestinal tract, it is important to understand what you need to do to ensure that you don't become affected by this problem again in the future. If you need to take antibiotics again, for any reason, do so if needed, but always, always, always, re-implant the healthy bacteria back into the intestines by taking high potency Acidophilus capsules for 10 days after the last day of antibiotic use. If you are female and taking birth control pills, be sure and either consume bacterial foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, or take 2 to 4 capsules of multi-source Acidophilus capsules every day. If you should develop a localized vaginal yeast infection, use three ounces of our premixed oxygen liquid together with 3 ounces of warm water and douche, holding the fluid for 5 to 10 minutes, three times per week.

This will likely, catch the problem before it has the chance to spread and once again become Systemic in nature. Males, if you should develop 'jock itch', or other fungal type of skin condition. Wash the genital area with a three percent Hydrogen Peroxide solution, available at drug stores, before and after every intercourse. Lastly, everyone, regardless of your age or health concerns, should be taking a Full Spectrum Nutrition product, which provides the body with at least the 122 known nutrients the body needs to maintain health and internal chemical balance. This Full Spectrum formulation should consist of at least the following nutrients.

How to Be Heart Smart at the Supermarket

(HealthDay News) -- Taking the time to investigate food labels not only can improve your heart health, but also your overall wellness.

"Reading the labels is a great way to be guided toward healthier choices for your heart, and for general reduction of all chronic diseases today," Cathy Fitzgerald, registered dietitian with MFit, the University of Michigan Health System's health promotion division, said in a prepared statement. "So think about using the front of the package as well as the nutrition facts on the back when you are out shopping."

Start by educating yourself on what food label language truly means. Fitzgerald offered these tips:

• The claim, "May reduce the risk of heart disease." A company can only put this statement on a food if scientific evidence exists that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided is strong enough to support it.
• Nutrient content claims. The government regulates how a company can use terms such as "high," "low" or "reduced." For example, a food must have 3 grams of fat or less to be considered low fat, and a product that is high in a certain nutrient provides 20 percent or more of the daily value suggested by the FDA.
• Foods with fiber. Fiber helps the digestive system and lowers cholesterol. Look for the claims "high in fiber" or "excellent source of fiber," as these products have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. A food listed as a "good source" of fiber has 2.5 grams of fiber or more.
• Omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats have been shown to benefit the heart. Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout are good sources of omega fats and are low in saturated fat.
• Sterols and stanols. Plant sterols and stanols are cholesterol-lowering substances often added to products like margarine and salad dressings. Review the label carefully to make sure a product states it offers the cholesterol-lowering benefits of plant sterols and stanols.
• Sodium. Look for phrases like "low sodium" or "reduced sodium." This is especially important in processed and canned foods. If a food is labeled as "reduced" in sodium, it has 25 percent less salt than the regular product.
• Trans fats. Eat trans fats sparingly, as they raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol. Fried foods and processed foods that have a long shelf life are often loaded with them. The term "partially hydrogenated oil" on an ingredient's list indicates the food contains trans fats.
• Saturated fat. Butter, fatty cuts of red meat, and cheese made from whole milk are among foods with the highest amount of saturated fat -- a main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Opt for low-fat or non-fat dairy products, lean meats such as loin or round cuts, and liquid margarines instead of butter.

More information
The American Heart Association offers has more about how to read food labels.

Candida Yeast Protection Program

In Part I of the Candida Yeast Protection Program we covered the symptoms of yeast overgrowth that afflict close to 80 million Americans each year.

This month we outline a five-phase treatment program designed to free the body of Candida and prevent future recurrences. Phase I deals with starving Candida through dietary modification.

Foods to avoid and foods to eat freely will be discussed in detail. Phase II deals with killing Candida with fatty acids, herbal concentrates and antifungal drugs. Phase III involves counteracting the toxic reactions to dying yeast cells with fluids, fiber, activated charcoal, digestive aids and nutritional supplements. Phase IV involves reinoculating the bioculture of the bowel, and Phase V is a list of recommendations for lifestyle changes to prevent future recurrences.

More information: Candida Yeast Protection Program

Muscle Fatigue Drug May Fight Heart Failure

(HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug may help fatigued athletes and patients weakened by heart failure regain their energy, say physiologists at Columbia University Medical Center.

Tests on mice and humans found that, after extreme exercise regimens, tiny leaks of calcium continuously enter the muscle cells, according to the study published online in the Feb. 11 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The leak weakens the force produced by the muscle and also turns on a protein-digesting enzyme that damages the muscle fibers, leading to the overall feeling of exhaustion for days or weeks afterward.

This same leak was previously discovered by Columbia researchers in the muscles of animals with heart failure.

The researchers then developed an experimental drug to plug these leaks, and tested it on mice subjected to daily three-hour swims over three weeks. Without the drugs, mice were exhausted. With the drug, the mice were still energetic, had lost less exercise capacity after three weeks, and their muscles showed fewer signs of calcium leakage, atrophy and less muscle damage.

While extreme athletes, such as marathoners, often regain their strength and vigor after several days, the findings suggest the drug may provide relief from the severe exhaustion that prevents patients with chronic heart failure from performing simple tasks.

"People with chronic heart failure are subject to this same kind of muscle leak and damage constantly, even without doing any exercise," study senior author Dr. Andrew Marks, chairman of Columbia's department of physiology and cellular biophysics, said in a prepared statement. "One of these patients' most debilitating symptoms is muscle weakness and fatigue, which can be so bad they can't get out of bed, brush their teeth or feed themselves."

Plans are under way to test the drug at other medical centers in patients with heart failure to see if it relieves fatigue and improves heart function. Even if successful, it will take several years before the drug will be commercially available.

Fatigue experienced by heart failure patients does not stem from reduced blood and oxygen being supplied to the muscles by the heart, as one might expect. Instead, Marks' previous research in muscles of mice with heart failure suggested the cause is calcium leak in muscle cells, which reduce the ability of a single muscle to contract repeatedly before losing force.

"We then had a hunch that the process that produces fatigue in heart failure patients also may be responsible for the fatigue felt by athletes after a marathon or extreme training," study first author Andrew Bellinger said in a prepared statement. "Our new paper shows that fatigue in both patients and athletes probably stems from the same leak."

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more facts about heart failure.

Birth Problems Linked to Teenage Fathers

(HealthDay News) -- In a finding that seems to turn conventional wisdom on its head, researchers report that babies of teenage fathers are more likely to be born with health problems than babies born to men over 40.

"We found that being a teenage father was associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight and neonatal deaths," said Dr. Shi Wu Wen, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa Department of Epidemiology & Community Medicine.

In the study, Wen's team used data from the National Center for Health Statistics to collect information on 2,614,966 births in the United States between 1995 and 2000. To isolate the effects of the teen fathers' age on the outcome of pregnancy, the researchers compensated for the mother's contribution by choosing women 20 to 29 years old.

Women in this age group are less likely to be affected by fertility problems, which can have an effect on birth outcomes, Wen noted. "We also excluded infants with birth defects," he said.

"This may explain why we didn't see adverse effects amongst older fathers."

The researchers found that babies born to teenage fathers had a 15 percent increased risk of premature birth, a 13 percent increased risk for low birth weight, and a 17 percent increased risk for being small for gestational age.

These babies also had a 22 percent increased risk of dying within the first month after birth, and a 41 percent increased risk of dying in the first four weeks to one year after birth, although the absolute risk was small -- less than 0.5 percent, the researchers said.

Babies of fathers 40 and older did not experience the same risks, Wen said.

"The public has paid attention to teenage pregnancy, but mostly to teenage mothers," Wen said.

"But here we show that teenage fathers are also at high risk. The public and health agencies should pay attention to teenage fathers."

The findings are reported in the February issue of Human Reproduction.

Wen said it's not clear why infants of teenage fathers are at greater risk for health problems. However, he suspects that social factors such as income and lifestyle play a role.

"Young fathers have less stable employment," Wen said. "In addition, teenagers are at risk for more risky behavior like smoking and alcohol and drug use. These are known to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

"Teenage fathers may also be emotionally less stable," he added. "We know that stress is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes as well."

One expert agrees that more attention should be paid to teenage fathers and their contribution to the health of their children.

"Paternal age is an ignored and understudied and underestimated contributor to neonatal outcomes," said Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine and head of the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital. "It's 50 percent egg and 50 percent sperm that form the baby, and 100 percent of the blame is attributed to mothers," he said.

"The risk-taking behaviors of adolescent males probably are a significant part of the reason why their sperm are associated with more adverse neonatal outcomes," Cole said. "These risk-taking behaviors impact sperm in ways we don't know."

Cole believes teenage fathers, like teenage mothers, should receive prenatal counseling. "That way, a prospective father can get some sense of what he can do to optimize the outcome," he said.

More information
For more on healthy babies, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mislabeled Supplement Spurred Prostate Cancer: Report

(HealthDay News) -- A mislabeled over-the-counter product described as a dietary supplement appears to have contributed to the development of aggressive prostate cancer in two men, researchers report.

"There were things on the label that were not in the product, and components in the product that were not on the label," said study author Dr. Shahrokh Shariat, chief resident in urology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The men developed rapidly advancing prostate cancer within months of using the dietary supplement, which was advertised as something that would increase stamina and muscle mass, and strengthen the heart, Shariat said. One of the men has died and the other "is in the final stages of the disease and probably will die within months," he said.

The findings were published in the current issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
The report did not name the product or its manufacturer, at the request of the journal editors who were fearful of "possible legal implications," Shariat said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, notified of the findings, issued a warning letter to the manufacturer, which led to removal of the product from the market, he said.

An analysis of the product found that it contained both testosterone and estradiol, a sex hormone, he said, and laboratory tests on human prostate cancer cells found it to be a more potent stimulator of cancer cell growth than testosterone alone.

"There are a lot of such products on the market in an unregulated fashion, because androgen supplements are the fastest-growing part of the supplement business," Shariat said. "There are dangerous ones out there, and people should be aware of it."

But Andrew Shao, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents the supplement industry, said the study "hasn't established any causal link here. The findings are interesting, but don't draw us any closer to any conclusion because of work done in the test tube."

Acknowledging that "any time you put something in your body you want to be cautious about it," Shao maintained that "the overwhelming majority of dietary supplements are well-made and safe, the scientific evidence supports that."

At the same time, people should be aware that "dietary supplements are not drugs and they shouldn't look forever for weight loss or performance benefit or some magic bullet when they take them," he said.

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, criticized the decision not to identify the product. "The failure to identify the exact product means that consumers who still have it in their homes are at risk," he said.

It's also a mistake to call the product a dietary supplement, McGuffin said. "I'll tell you what the FDA calls these," he said. "They call them illegal drugs. The fact that someone found one of these should not implicate every herbal product and every vitamin product as somehow being adulterated with drugs or not containing what it should. That's just not true."

Andrew Vickers, a research methodologist in the epidemiology department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, called the report "very well-written and very compelling."

Both men in the report originally had low levels of prostate-specific antigen, a signal for prostate cancer "and then suddenly presented with widespread cancer within six months, which is unusual," Vickers said. "Clearly, these are very unusual cases, and there is appropriate concern with this agent."

The substance taken by the men apparently was one of a number of products being advertised as improving male sexual health, Vickers said. "They are presumably very widely used, but we really don't know what they do," he said.

When you do self-diagnosis and self-treatment, you should be cautious in general and should be in contact with your health professional, Shao said.

More information
To learn more about prostate cancer, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

New Proteins That Help HIV Grow Identified

(HealthDay News) -- Harvard researchers have identified almost 300 human proteins that help HIV propagate, creating hope for new treatments to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

Using a technique called RNA interference to screen thousands of genes, the team identified 273 human proteins, according to the study published online Jan. 10 in Science Express. These proteins could provide a way to help people with HIV when the virus develops resistance to current antiviral drugs.

"Antiviral drugs are currently doing a good job of keeping people alive, but these therapeutics all suffer from the same problem, which is that you can get resistance, so we decided to take a different approach centered on the human proteins exploited by the virus. The virus would not be able to mutate to overcome drugs that interact with these proteins," senior author Stephen Elledge, a professor in Harvard Medical School's department of genetics, said in a prepared statement.

The expanded list of proteins gives future researchers "a hypothesis generation machine," he said.

"Scientists can look at the list, predict why HIV needs a particular protein, and then test their hypothesis," Elledge explained.

He noted that immune cells -- which are targeted by HIV -- contain high concentrations of many of the 273 proteins.

"We're closing in on a systems level understanding of HIV, which opens new therapeutic avenues. We might be able to tweak various parts of the system to disrupt (HIV) propagation without making our own cells sick," Elledge said.

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about HIV/AIDS.

Baclofen Aids Abstinence in Alcoholics With Cirrhosis

(HealthDay News) -- The drug baclofen promotes alcohol abstinence in alcoholics with cirrhosis of the liver, says an Italian study in this week's issue of The Lancet.

The study included 84 alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis who received either oral baclofen (42 patients) or a placebo (42 patients). Total alcohol abstinence and duration of this abstinence were assessed during outpatient visits. Relapse was defined as alcohol intake of more than four standard drinks per day (a standard drink defined as equal to 12 grams of absolute alcohol) or overall consumption of 14 or more standard drinks per week over a period of at least four weeks.

Among those taking baclofen, 71 percent (30 of 42 patients) achieved and maintained alcohol abstinence, compared to 29 percent (12 of 42) of those who took the placebo. The study also found that patients taking baclofen abstained from alcohol for more than twice as long as those taking the placebo -- 62.8 days vs. 30.8 days.

"Our results show that oral administration of baclofen is significantly more effective than placebo at achieving and maintaining alcohol abstinence and at increasing cumulative abstinence duration in alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis. This reduction in self-reported alcohol use was associated with significant reductions in clinical markers of liver injury, findings that confirm self-reported data and suggest that the reduction in alcohol consumption was sufficient to lessen liver injury," Dr. Giovanni Addolorato, of the Institute of Internal Medicine at the Catholic University of Rome, said in a prepared statement.

"Our results suggest that bacolfen, because of its anti-craving action and safety, could have an important role for treatment of alcohol-dependent patients with advanced liver disease," the researchers concluded.

Alcohol is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in developed nations, according to background information in the study.

More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about liver cirrhosis.

More Young Americans Are Contracting HIV

(HealthDay News) -- In the 26 years since scientists first spotted AIDS in America, millions of dollars have been poured into outreach efforts aimed at keeping young people clear of HIV, the virus that causes the disease.

But on the eve of World AIDS Day, a disturbing statistical fact has emerged in this country: The number of newly infected teens and young adults is suddenly on the rise.

And the question is, why?

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2001 to 2005 (the latest years available), the number of new cases of HIV infection diagnosed among 15-to-19-year-olds in the United States rose from 1,010 in 2001, held steady for the next three years, then jumped 20 percent in 2005, to 1,213 cases.

For young people aged 20 to 24, cases of new infection have climbed steadily, from 3,184 in 2001 to 3,876 in 2005.

Experts say a number of factors may be at play, including the fact that many HIV-infected patients are now being kept healthy with powerful drugs -- making AIDS seem like less of a threat to young people than it did in the past.

"Certainly the 'scare factor' isn't there anymore," said Rowena Johnston, vice president of research at the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in New York City.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the ravages of AIDS were apparent to most Americans -- either on their TV screens as high-profile celebrities succumbed to the disease, or as individuals lost friends or family members to HIV.

"To see people looking gaunt, skinny and skeletal, and to know that they were going to be dead soon," Johnston said. "It had a sobering effect."

The advent of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-1990s changed all that, however. "These days, for the most part, you can look at a person and not know that they even have AIDS," Johnston said.
That's making HIV seem like less of a threat to young people, said Martha Chono-Helsley. She's executive director of REACH LA, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps disadvantaged youth understand and defend against threats like poverty, drug abuse and HIV.

"They're in this age group that feels they are invincible -- that it's never going to happen to them," she said. "Yes, they're getting all these messages from public schools on HIV and AIDS, but they've never actually seen what HIV has done, up close and personal."

Chris Blades, one of REACH LA's young, black "peer educators," said he's seen a kind of nonchalance towards HIV among the gay or bisexual men of color that he counsels.

"On a daily basis, they don't see their friends suffering from it, so it's not a major threat to them," said Blades, 21. "They're in that whole mindset of 'Oh, it can't happen to me, it will never happen to me.'"

But there has been a recent, troubling spike in new infections among gay men, young and old alike. According to the CDC, the rate of new cases of HIV infection linked to male-male sex held steady at around 16,000 cases between 2001-2004, then suddenly jumped to 18,296 in 2005.
Johnston and Chono-Helsley both point to advertisements for HIV-suppressing medicines as one possible contributing factor.

"In gay magazines, you now see [ads with] buff, handsome men climbing mountains, with some kind of quote about how 'I'm not letting HIV get in my way,'" Johnston said. "It sends the message that you, too, can be hot, buff and handsome, even with HIV."

Chono-Helsley agreed. "It's always these bright, healthy vibrant young men in these ads," she said. That could spur young gay men to relax their guard and take more risks, thinking that if they do contract HIV, "I only have to take a pill," she said.

The reality of living with HIV in America is much different, however, even when medication is working. According to Johnston, the side effects of powerful HIV-suppressing drug cocktails include fat redistribution (including unsightly "humps"), insulin resistance, higher cholesterol, increased risks for heart disease, and dangerous liver toxicities.

There's also the fear that, someday, HIV will develop mutations that render these drugs useless, triggering the re-emergence of AIDS, she said.

HIV continues to cut a wide swath through young men and women in the black community, too. According to the CDC, the number of new infections actually dipped slightly for black Americans between 2001 (20,868 cases) and 2005 (18,121 cases). However, black men are still six times more likely than white men to contract HIV, and black women are 20 times more likely to acquire the virus compared to white women.

The answers to that disparity lie mainly in economics, experts say.

"The young men that we work with are predominantly African-American, and HIV is not their No. 1 priority," said Chono-Helsley. "Often survival is their main priority -- where they are going to sleep tonight. They're kicked out of the house; they have substance abuse issues, they're in recovery."

Young black women can easily get caught up in similar problems, or are coerced into unsafe sex by their partners, she added.

Another trend -- soaring rates of methamphetamine use over the past five years -- may also be fueling HIV infection rates for both blacks and young gay men, the experts noted.

Too often, marginalized young people develop "a 'whatever' attitude -- whatever happens, happens," Chono-Helsey said.

Outreach aimed at HIV prevention remains important, of course. But one expert believes too much state and federal money is being funneled away from community outreach programs and toward "HIV Stops With Me" campaigns that focus on individuals already living with the virus.

"The message there is that, if I don't have HIV right now, then all I have got to do is avoid those people who have got it," said Carrie Davis, director of adult services at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center in New York City.

She believes those types of messages allow uninfected people to shift the burden of responsibility from themselves to the HIV-positive, or to people they deem at high risk, such as gay men or drug abusers.

"I think it affects straight people, too, in that they absorb this 'magical thinking' -- that this is someone else's problem," Davis said.

So what doeswork to change attitudes and behaviors? That's a tough question, Chono-Helsley said, and the answer usually depends on particular contexts and communities.

"You really have to evaluate what methods you're using and think about the person as a whole, not just the infection," she said. "Because they've all heard 'use a condom, use a condom.'"

The right approach is key, Blades added. "If you deliver the message to them in a way that's not preachy or looking down on them, I think that's more effective," he said. "That's what we try to do - deliver HIV information in a way that will click in with them, so that they'll take home something that they didn't know the night before."

"One thing is for sure, we can't just shake our finger at young people and say, 'You're bad,'" Chono-Helsley said. "We have to be supportive. They're young, we've all been there, remember. You can save some, but you can't save them all."

More information
There's more on HIV and AIDS at amfAR.


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Saline Irrigation Eases Chronic Nasal Symptoms

(HealthDay News) -- Saline irrigation is a safe, inexpensive and effective method for treating chronic nasal and sinus symptoms, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System also concluded that saline irrigation -- the flushing of nasal passages with a salt water mixture -- is more effective than commonly used saline sprays at providing short-term relief of chronic nasal symptoms.

The study included 121 adults with chronic nasal and sinus symptoms. Sixty were treated for eight weeks with saline irrigation, and 61 were treated with saline spray.

The patients in the saline irrigation group showed greater improvement at two, four and eight weeks.

After completion of the study, 61 percent of patients in the spray group reported having symptoms "often or always," compared with 40 percent of patients in the irrigation group.

"The irrigation group achieved a clinically significant improvement in quality of life in terms of severity of their symptoms, whereas the spray group did not. Strikingly, (the irrigation group) also experienced 50 percent lower odds of frequent nasal symptoms compared with the spray group," lead author Dr. Melissa A. Pynnonen, clinical assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology, said in a prepared statement.

The study, published in the current issue of the journal Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, received funding from NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, which makes a saline sinus rinse.

Tens of millions of Americans suffer from chronic nasal and sinus conditions. Treatments include antibiotics, antihistamines and anti-inflammatory drugs. The findings of this study suggest that doctors should recommend saline irrigation more often for patients with chronic sinus and nasal conditions, Pynnonen and her colleagues said.

More information
The University of Michigan Health System has more about sinus problems.

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U.S. Chlamydia Infections Hit All-Time High

(HealthDay News) -- The number of Americans newly infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) continues to rise, federal health officials reported Tuesday, with one infection in particular -- chlamydia - hitting a record million-plus reported new cases annually.

Numbers from 2006 show that cases of chlamydia, as well as gonorrhea and syphilis, continued to increase in the United States for the second year in a row, according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The 1,030,911 new cases in 2006 for chlamydia, which can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women as well as infertility, mark "an all-time high" for the disease in the United States, said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of the Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention at the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

The CDC now estimates that there are 19 million new cases of STDs diagnosed in the United States each year. Almost half of these occur among people 15 to 24 years of age, and they cost the health care system an estimated at $14.7 billion annually.

"STDs pose a serious and ongoing threat to millions of Americans," said Douglas during a teleconference on Tuesday.

"Young women, racial and ethnic populations, and men who have sex with men are particularly hard-hit by these diseases," Douglas said. "STDs can have serious health consequences, particularly if they are undiagnosed and left untreated"

In women, chlamydia and gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Syphilis can cause neuralgic damage and fatal infections in babies, Douglas added. In addition, all three of these diseases increase the risk for transmitting and developing HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, he said.

"This is a hidden epidemic that most people are not aware of -- how many STDs are out there -- the risk that they run and the need for getting regular testing and treatment and having their partners treated," Dr. Stuart Berman, chief of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch in the Division of STD Prevention at CDC, said during the teleconference.

"We'd like to see these rates going down," Berman added. "That they are not going down says there should be greater awareness by the public and maybe a little more attention paid both by the public and their providers."

The data are included in the new CDC report: Trends in Reportable Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States, 2006.

Chlamydia is the most common reportable infectious disease in the United States, according to the report, with more than a million cases reported in 2006. In 2006, the national rate of reported chlamydia was 347.8 cases per 100,000 people. That's an increase of 5.6 percent from 2005, officials said.

Young women 15 to 19 had the highest chlamydia rate, Douglas said. "The CDC recommends that all women under 26 be screened for chlamydia annually," he added.

The increase appears to be due to more screening and the use of more sensitive tests. But the CDC doesn't rule out an actual increase in infections, Douglas noted.

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, with 358,366 cases reported in 2006, the report found. The rate for gonorrhea in 2006 was 120.9 cases per 100,000 people -- that's a 5.5 increase since 2005, and the second year in which a bump in new cases was seen, he said.

The highest rates of gonorrhea were observed in the South, Douglas said, but they also increased in the West. In addition, gonorrhea is becoming resistant to some antibiotics, he said. For that reason, the CDC no longer recommends drugs called fluoroquinolones for treating the disease, he said.

The increase in cases of gonorrhea is disheartening, because it comes after a 74 percent drop in reported cases between 1975 and 1997, the CDC noted.

Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are underreported and underdiagnosed, the experts said. "Approximately twice as many new infections are estimated to occur each year as are reported," according to the CDC.

Since reaching a record low in 2000, the rate of new syphilis cases has been on the rise. From 2005 to 2006, the rate of syphilis increased 13.8 percent, to 3.3 cases per 100,000 people. In 2006, there were 9,756 cases of syphilis reported, up from 8,724 in 2006, Douglas said.

The increase in the number of cases between 2005 and 2006 was largely driven by men who have sex with men, according to the CDC. "In 2006, 64 percent of cases were among men who have sex with men," Douglas said.

In addition, the rate of syphilis increased among women from 0.9 to 1.0 per 100,000. There was also a small increase in cases of syphilis transmitted from mothers to newborns, from 8.3 per 100,000 in 2005 to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2006, the CDC reported.

The racial disparity in who is most affected by STDs continues. Black Americans are more than eight times more likely to have chlamydia. In fact, 46 percent of all new cases are among blacks, Douglas said.

"The racial disparities in the diagnosis of gonorrhea are stark," Douglas said. Blacks are 18 times more likely to get gonorrhea compared with whites. The rate of gonorrhea increased 8.3 percent from 2005 to 2006, and blacks account for 69 percent of all new cases.

The rates of syphilis are also higher among blacks, who were six times more likely than whites to develop the disease. Between 2005 and 2006, the rate of syphilis among blacks increased 16.5 percent. The biggest increase was seen among black men, the CDC noted.

In 2006, the rate of syphilis among black women was 16 times higher than among white women. In 2006, 43.2 case of syphilis occurred among black Americans and 34.8 percent were among whites, Douglas noted.

One expert believes sex education programs, along with condom use, could go a long way to reducing the country's STD incidence.

"Most people will be stunned to learn that STDs affect nearly 20 million Americans each year," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "This is an entirely preventable plague," he added.

Consistent use of condoms would prevent almost all cases of STDs, along with HIV and unintended pregnancies, Katz added.

And sex education programs do not promote sexual activity, Katz added.
"They do prevent disease," he said.

More information
To see the full report, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.