2/3 MedWorm: Genital Herpes

MedWorm: Genital Herpes Screening of Herpes simplex virus 2 infection among pregnant women in southern China. January 31, 2011 at 6:00 PM We examined 1740 sera collected from pregnant women aged 21-39 years, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of specific antibodies against HSV-2. The overall prevalence of HSV-2 infection was 23.56% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 21.53-26.00). The prevalence of HSV-2 infection in the women with abnormal pregnancy was 35.93% (95% CI = 26.23-42.44) (83/231), which was much higher than that in women who had been pregnant before but without abnormal pregnancy and that in the primipara group. (P < 0.05). The presence of HSV-2 antibodies was also associated with status of education. The prevalence of HSV-2 infection in the 26-30-year age group (27.49%) (95% CI = 24.53-30.33) was the highest among all age groups. The prevalence of HSV-2 infection in pregn... MedWorm Sponsor Message: Watch the new MedWorm demo and find out how to get all the very latest, relevant, organized information daily! Immunization with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) Genes Plus Inactivated HSV-2 Is Highly Protective Against Acute and Recurrent HSV-2 Disease. January 25, 2011 at 6:00 PM In this study, we evaluated a DNA prime- formalin-inactivated virus (FI-HSV2) boost vaccine approach in the guinea pig model of acute and recurrent HSV-2 genital disease. Five groups of guinea pigs were immunized and intravaginally challenged with HSV-2. Two groups were primed with plasmid DNAs encoding the secreted form of glycoprotein D2 (gD2t) together with two genes required for viral replication, either helicase (UL5) and DNA polymerase (UL30) or single stranded DNA binding protein (UL29) and primase (UL52). Both DNA primed groups were boosted with FI-HSV2 formulated with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and alum adjuvants. Two additional groups were primed with the empty backbone plasmid DNA (pVAX). They were boosted with MPL/alum together with either mock HSV-2 (FI-Mock) or with FI-HSV2... Role of the infections in recurrent spontaneous abortion. January 23, 2011 at 6:00 PM Authors: Nigro G, Mazzocco M, Mattia E, Carlo di Renzo G, Carta G, Anceschi MM Embryo-fetal infections have been reported to cause recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSAs) at a rate lower than 4%. The possible mechanisms include production of toxic metabolic byproducts, fetal or placental infection, chronic endometrial infection, and chorio-amnionitis. Viruses appear to be the most frequently involved pathogens, since some of them can produce chronic or recurrent maternal infection. In particular, cytomegalovirus during pregnancy can reach the placenta by viremia, following both primary and recurrent infection, or by ascending route from the cervix, mostly following reactivation. Another herpesvirus, herpes simplex virus type 2, less frequently type 1, causes recurrent infections of the ...

2/2 MedWorm: Genital Herpes

MedWorm: Genital Herpes Management of resistant mucocutaneous herpes simplex infections in AIDS patients: a clinical and virological challenge January 19, 2011 at 6:00 PM ConclusionsChronic mucocutaneous HSV infection in AIDS patients remains a rare but regularly observed infection in very immunosuppressed patients or those with unstable immunity during HAART. Virological results obtained from mucocutaneous samples were in most cases found to be correlated with clinical evolution and should therefore be used in making decisions on treatment. Despite efficient antiviral therapy, mucocutaneous healing is slow in the majority of cases. (Source: HIV Medicine) MedWorm Sponsor Message: Watch the new MedWorm demo and find out how to get all the very latest, relevant, organized information daily!

2/2 Herpes Life

Herpes Life David Roche: From shame to self-acceptance January 30, 2011 at 11:34 AM David Roche was born with a severe facial disfigurement. Through his life he has moved from feeling shameful about it to accepting and loving himself. Where are the parallels between this man who has struggled with facial deformity and people with herpes? We all have shame; and it can show up in different ways. Don’t we get used to hiding our self-perceived imperfections from others to get acceptance and love? Sometimes these self-perceived imperfections — this shame — are revealed from behind the dark curtain … then what happens? "Yet my face is a gift, because my shadow side – my difficulty and challenge – is on the outside, where I have been forced to deal with it." Watch this interview with David. What do you think? http://www.soulbiographies.com/2010/11/the-second-glance/ David has a shameful thing that’s always out there — in your face (no pun intended). He has HAD to deal with what that means in his life because everyone sees his face, engages with it; it’s the “locus of the human persona” as he puts it. People with herpes have a shameful thing that might only be dealt with when we’re interested in being intimate. Our shameful thing lies below the surface. But it’s all the same shame — the fear of disconnection, of not being accepted and loved; this shame can express itself in different physical ways. Our opportunity is to look beyond herpes to who we really are. Who are we underneath it all? What is there inside of us that overshadows herpes even as a problem at all? When we start to discover that, herpes becomes less of a life-ruiner and just the occasional annoyance that it is. Here are some more clips I found. All I found inspiring and paradigm shifting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBmHgxLY7s4 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103858397 http://citizenshift.org/shameless-art-disability-clip-4