Decrease funding for AIDS

Health and AIDS

The fight against AIDS is also suffering the effects of the global economic crisis, which is to scam the solidarity of governments. A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS indicates that investments to combat the disease fell 10% in 2010, jeopardizing plans for prevention and treatment.
This is the first time that decreases funding to combat HIV / AIDS since many rich countries decide to make a financial effort to control the infection in the world's poorest areas. "This raises questions about the future of the fight against the epidemic," the report said.
Of the 15 countries surveyed, seven-Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, USA and Spain, contributed less money to this cause in 2010 than in previous years. The governments of some of these countries announced their decision to cut or freeze their contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and health, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the most important organization in this area, after the fraud detected.

Founds AIDS and Health

However, "AIDS is to invest in smart even in a difficult economic environment," says Michael Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director. "We must look beyond the short-term costs and recognize the long-term benefits. Donors should commit now and fulfill their promises to reduce costs in the future."
In all, 2010 is 6,900 million dollars raised for the fight against HIV / AIDS, compared with 7,600 million 2009, which were considered insufficient to maintain the policies of prevention, treatment, care and aid in the Third World .

This decrease of 740 million in investment is mainly explained by the decline in the contribution of the U.S., the world's largest donor by far. From an investment of 4,400 million in 2009, a year after Washington granted only 3,700, although as the report said, some funds committed for the last year will be distributed later under new models of collaboration established with the recipient countries and the health and AIDS.

"With U.S. funding delayed but not eliminated, the decrease in spending this year will be a temporary problem, but its impact on services will be real," stressed Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Are any organ transplants between HIV-positive?

Around the world, carrying the HIV virus is an absolute contraindication to organ donation. However, if the recipient of the transplant is also HIV, why not allow a donation from them? That is the possibility that are being raised in the U.S. to circumvent the lack of organs, as announced this week the newspaper 'The New York Times.
For years now carrying the AIDS virus is no longer contraindicated in order to receive an organ transplant, as he explains Dr. Rafael Matesanz, general coordinator of the National Transplant Organization (ONT). However, the rejection of these patients as potential donors has been practically "a dogma of faith," and in fact, in countries like the U.S. itself is prohibited by law.

Transplant in the HIV- Positive

Elmi Muller has been a South African specialist, the first to break with this doctrine and see the success of performing transplants between HIV-positive patients (undetectable viral load and a number of requirements, as they both have the same serotype). "Keep in mind that there is a massive shortage of organs and a very large percentage of the population HIV positive," said Matesanz.

If there was any place in the world where this technique could be done more good than harm that was South Africa, as demonstrated by the results of Muller in the journal The New England Journal of Medicine. Although as Matesanz is quick to clarify, is a possibility that Spain is not even on the table. "If a living donor with HIV is offered to donate to another receptor positive, do not accept it," he says flatly. "Today is not justified."
However, it seems that the U.S. does not close the door entirely to repeal the law prohibiting it and institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are favorable to further investigate the risks and benefits of transplanting organs between donor and recipient carry the AIDS virus.

Organ Transplant and HIV

And it's not forget that these patients continue to have more risk than the general population, although Spain can boast of being the spearhead of transplants to seropositive recipients (previously rejected for fear of the effects could be immunosuppressive medication). "The first kidney was us, and the broader experience with liver is Spanish. In addition, a few months ago the first lung was transplanted to an HIV positive in Spain."

Today, despite the impossibility of giving, having HIV is no longer an absolute incompatibility to receive an organ. And it is not ruled out, at least in some exceptional cases, let it be a donor in the future.

The "good" cholesterol protects against colon cancer

Have high levels of good cholesterol can not only protect against cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's. Now a new study reveals another advantage: We are defended against colon cancer. "A good reason to pay attention to the numbers of blood cholesterol," says Bas Bueno de Mesquita, the National Public Health Institute of the Netherlands and author of the study, published in the journal 'Gut'.
It was already known that people with high cholesterol are more likely to develop colon cancer. However, so far, "there had been no prospective studies which take into account the different types of lipoproteins (HDL-cholesterol known as' good'-, LDL-commonly-called bad cholesterol, triglycerides, apoA, apo B) and its role in this tumor, "says Carlos Gilsanz, Head of Service of Internal Medicine, Hospital Gregorio Maranon de Madrid.

Colon Cancer

As stated Bueno de Mesquita, "we note that for every increase of 16.6 milligrams per deciliter (mg / dl) of HDL and 32 mg / dl for apoA, try them to suffer the colon cancer were reduced by between 22% and 18% respectively. "

Although the reasons are still unknown, researchers have several theories. They point to anti-inflammatory properties of HDL and also believe that "a low concentration of this 'good' cholesterol increases oxidative stress and, therefore, the destruction of cells, which may involve the onset of cancer." At the moment only assumptions and more studies are needed to inquire about this issue and the colon cancer.

To develop this study, which also involved a number of Spanish researchers have analyzed the profiles of 1,238 people with colorectal cancer (779 with colon tumor-affected and 459 rectal) and as many healthy. All were enrolled in a European investigation into cancer and nutrition conducted in 10 countries (EPIC study).

Health and the Colon Cancer

After examining their blood, their diet and lifestyle, the results were obvious. Those with high levels of HDL cholesterol had a lower risk of colon cancer, "regardless of other markers are also associated with this tumor, such as inflammation or insulin resistance," the authors note in their article. Moreover, "we did not observe association with rectal cancer."

Given the results, could be considered "good" cholesterol as an appropriate tool to mitigate the risk of colon cancer. To get to raise their levels, explains Dr. Gilsanz, "it is best to exercise, avoid saturated fats and even take a little wine at dinner, but genetics is also important in the health.

People with HIV before age 10 years

Patients infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) age between 10 and 15 years faster than the normal population due to several factors, such as side effects of drugs used and the waste of the virus itself.

The acceleration of the normal physiological process of aging system of people with HIV is one of the subjects 'hot' specialists who study AIDS, explained Dr. Josep Maria Gatell, Chief of Infectious Diseases and AIDS of Hospital Clinic Barcelona . Gatell, along with Dr. Laura Waters, Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton (UK), and Dr. Xavier Forns, MD Consultant of Hepatology Clinic Hospital, presented the sixteenth edition of the International AIDS Symposium, to be held tomorrow Castelldefels (Barcelona).

According Gatell, antiretroviral therapy normalizes much infection in AIDS patients but it must analyze the patient's life, and that patients make an aging population and makes it "more quickly than that indicated by your ID" he explained. "As a result, have faster and more often age-related complications, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke or stroke-some varieties of cancer or a neuro-cognitive impairment.

HIV Health

As regards the treatment of infection, antiretroviral therapy is now becoming easier and better tolerated, added the specialist, but has indicated that it should be for life, representing an expenditure of between 7,000 and 8,000 euros year.

Asked if the economic crisis affect the continuity of these expensive treatments, the medical expert has held that "probably will ask us to take the greatest cost-efficiency", which is made possible by the score of existing drugs on the market treat AIDS.

In addition to premature aging of the HIV infected, the meeting will also address how to treat patients who also have hepatitis C is also a situation experienced by between 30% and 40% of AIDS patients in Spain.

Dr. Xavier Forn explained that in a few months have medications that can directly inhibit the life cycle of hepatitis C, and that associated with standard therapy for treatment of the disease, is expected to increase very significantly the cure rate.

Until now, getting existing treatments to cure between 40 and 50% of patients with hepatitis C, a rate that is expected to increase in some specific virus of this disease and who have not been treated previously.

People with HIV

Gatell noted that "the patient with HIV and hepatitis C are two problems which enhance each other, so care must be taken in parallel and simultaneously managing both diseases."

New drugs to combat hepatitis C will mean an added cost of between 6,000 and 8,000 per year although in this case Forns explained that "progress has been made in predicting the response of patients and in 12 weeks you can assess whether the disease is on the road to healing. "

In Spain, there are an estimated 130,000 people infected with HIV, of which 30% do not know that they are therefore more likely to transmit the virus to others.

This proportion is even higher in the former countries of Eastern Europe, where two of every three people infected do not know, so that neither medical nor take precautions to prevent further transmissions. This bag of people unfamiliar with the disease are responsible for the transmission of up to 70% of new cases, so that reasons of public health to improve diagnostic tests, as in the UK when it occurs a traffic accident.

A new marine antitumoral to care

It was one of the surprises of the largest oncology conference that is held every year in the U.S. in late May, but the drug of marine origin eribulin continues to confirm its usefulness in treating patients with breast cancer. A phase III trial with important Spanish participation demonstrates that the antitumor drug last see the light could come from the deep sea.

In fact, since last November, eribulin already authorized in the U.S. by the drug agency (FDA, according to its acronym in English). And the results just now to make known the British journal 'The Lancet' open the door a little more for their European counterpart (EMA) chooses the same decision. Thus become the second antitumor gestated in the sea that reaches patients after Yondelis (Spanish firm PharmaMar), which is already used for sarcomas and ovarian cancer.

New marine antitumoral

Eribulin (marketed by Eisai and Halav Japanese lab) is a compound synthesized from a body of the seas Nipponese, 'Halichondria okadai', whose antitumor properties were discovered in the mid-eighties. As explained the Dr. Javier Cortes, Institute of Oncology, Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, and co-author, "is a new type of chemotherapy, on the one hand, prevents tumor cells continue dividing , while the other, form aggregates inside a [sort of lumps] toxic to malignant cells. "
Spanish participation

Embrace The study (funded by the drug's manufacturer in order to achieve its approval in Europe) has been conducted in 140 centers around the world with 762 women with breast cancer, about 50 of them from several Spanish hospitals. It was, explains Dr. Cortes of patients with very advanced tumors and metastases and who had relapsed despite receiving several lines of previous treatment.

"Faced with the classical treatment chosen by their oncologists," he explains, "eribulin improved survival by 20%." On average, this extension meant an additional two and half months of life, but as you add the Catalan specialist "should be borne in mind that in the last 10 years we have not seen any drug to improve survival in metastatic breast cancer."

Marine antitumoral to care the Cancer

Cortes also noted that despite being a chemotherapy was well tolerated eribulin ("just the hair falls out and only 10% of patients experienced fatigue"), which is administered in the hospital in "less than five minutes" appears to benefit all breast cancers equally regardless of their molecular profile.

However, not everything is rosy in the seabed. "Patients are still dying of breast cancer, not all trial participants benefited from eribulin and a still significant 7% suffered significant neurotoxicity from treatment," admits the Spanish oncologist.

Therefore, as pointed out in an editorial in the same journal Nacy Lin, Dana Farber Institute in Boston (USA), despite the progress that this represents, there are still unanswered questions. "What cancer subtypes benefit most and why improved overall survival over that time to relapse? What time to relapse should be considered futile treatment ?...". But we must wait for new tests to answer these questions new antitumoral to care the cancer.

The advantages of being bilingual

For decades, researchers investigate the effects on the human brain the knowledge of two different languages. At the last meeting of the American Society for the Advancement of Science (AAAS according to its acronym in English), which has just begun in Washington (USA), bilingualism has not gone unnoticed and the Bilingual Advantages..
Several studies presented in Washington, in the context of a conference on 'What does bilingualism on the brain?' Demolish decades in which it was feared that learning two languages could create confusion in the brain, especially in For children.

Advantages of being bilingual

One study comes from the laboratories of the University of Granada, where teachers Maria Teresa Bajo and Pedro Macizo have worked with several volunteers who spoke both Spanish and English perfectly (though not necessarily had grown between the two languages) and the Bilingual Advantages..

After measuring their response time and brain activity to a question, the researchers found that bilingual people are capable of activating two languages at the same time, even in situations where you only need one. As explained his Univera a press release, the blingüismo not only improves care but also trains the memory of these people, like a kind of 'mental gymnastics'.


Although as acknowledged in the same forum Judith Kroll, University of Pennsylvania (USA), all these advantages do not mean that bilingual people are smarter or learn better. In his case, his findings show that they are, yes, people 'multitasking', capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously and quickly disregard irrelevant information that the brain perceives and the Bilingual Advantages.

Bilingual Advantages

Recently, a study on the same topic published in the journal Neurology by Elen Bialystok (Toronto) showed that using two languages every day getting delayed an average of four years the appearance of Alzheimer's. And although the greatest benefits were seen in people who usabanambas language daily, the Canadian researcher notes that even in summer practice the second language learned at school can be beneficial against dementia.

Switch from one language to another, explaining Bialystok, seems to be a stimulus to the brain, so it makes a kind of 'cognitive reserve'. His next step will be to determine whether, in addition to cognitive improvement, bilingualism also causes physical changes in brain structure and the Bilingual Advantages..

Alcohol kills more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence

Alcohol causes nearly 4% of deaths worldwide. That is, about 2.5 million deaths a year. More than AIDS, tuberculosis and violence, says a report by the World Health Organization (WHO). "The harmful use of alcohol is a problem worldwide, causing millions of deaths, including hundreds of thousands of young lives. It is not only a causal factor in many diseases, but a precursor to violence and injury," he said in a statement Ala Alwan, Assistant Director of the Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at WHO and the Alcohol kills more than AIDS.

Rising incomes have led to drink more heavily populated countries in Africa and Asia, including India and South Africa, and excessive consumption of alcohol is a problem well documented in many developed nations, according to the United Nations agency.

Alcohol kills more than AIDS

Policies to control alcohol remain fragile and are not among the priorities of many governments, despite the strong impact of alcohol in society through traffic accidents, violence, disease, child abuse and absenteeism underlines the WHO Global Report on Alcohol and Health.

Approximately 2.5 million people die each year from causes related to alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption is especially fatal to the younger groups and the alcohol is a major risk factor in the world of death among men between 15 and 59 years, "says the report.In Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), one of every five deaths due to alcohol, the highest rate. In countries such as Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine and excessive alcohol consumption, is increasingly prevalent. However, WHO warns, is increasing everywhere Alcohol kills more than AIDS..

"Worldwide, about 11% of heavy drinkers had a drinking episodes every week," the report said. By gender, men, which far exceed women by a ratio of four to one, "always involved in risky drinking at levels much higher than females in all regions."

Alcohol kills more than tuberculosis

Health ministers from all 193 WHO member states agreed last May to try to curb growing binge drinking and other forms of alcohol abuse through higher taxes on alcoholic beverages and more restrictions on the marketing.

Alcohol is behind 60 types of disease and injury. Its consumption is associated with liver cirrhosis, epilepsy, poisoning, traffic accidents, violence and various cancers, including colorectal, breast, larynx and liver Alcohol kills more than AIDS..

"Six or seven years, we had clear evidence of a causal relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. Now we have," said Vladimir Poznyak Reuters, responsible for the substance abuse unit of WHO who coordinated the report.Alcohol or illegal home production that bypasses the government controls and taxes, representing nearly 30% of total adult consumption in the world. And some of these beverages are toxic.

According to WHO, moderate drinking can have a beneficial effect on heart disease and cerebrovascular accident (CVA). "However, the beneficial protective effect of alcohol on the heart disappears in cases of excessive intake," the agency said.One of the most effective ways to curb alcohol consumption, especially among younger groups, is raising taxes, the report said. Set age limits for purchasing and consuming alcohol and to regulate alcohol levels in drivers also reduces the abuse if they apply, but few countries use these policies.

The crisis increased antidepressant use

The crisis is not just economic. The mental health of the Spanish also appears to be failing under significant increase in antidepressant use: 10% in the last two years. Moreover, the delivery of these products has grown as the crisis grew.

From late 2009 to February this year, the increase in units was up 6%, which meant a total of 85,671,868 euros, according to a study by consulting firm IMS Health and the Crisis and depress.

These data corroborate some schools of pharmaceuticals, such as Bangkok, which recognizes that the sale of these drugs and anxiety has increased by 16.3% in the region over the past year. In fact, Extremadura is the third region with the highest per capita consumption of these drugs, only behind the Asturias and Galicia, and the sixth in tranquilizers.

Crisis and depress

José Ángel Arbesú, coordinator of the Mental Health of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen) explained that "indeed, economic problems and unemployment crisis are triggering a series of problems of stress, anxiety and depression have been linked to an increase in prescriptions of psychotropic drugs. " It acknowledges, however, that because "the patent of many of these drugs have expired and have become generic, the total bill has not increased as much as the number of prescriptionsand the Crisis and depress.."



The fact that the number of people who use the so-called 'happy pill' (Prozac) is increasing throughout the world has led some researchers raised whether the requirements are being made without appropriate evidence. That is, without a clear diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorders, diseases that doctors normally treat this type of medication and the Crisis and depress..

The effects 'collateral' to study and work simultaneously

By having a few euros for personal expenses, to help the family finances or to gain professional experience, students increasingly sought to combine their careers and working life. An apparently harmless but which can have serious consequences if the employment hours exceed 20 a week and the health of the student.
Katheryn Monaham think so, at the University of Washington, Joanna M. Lee (of Virginia) and Laurence Steinberg (of the Temple, all in the U.S.) after conducting an investigation with more than 1,700 students.

 Effects 'collateral' to study and work

"Working part-time during the school year has been a feature of American teenagers for over 20 years. Today, as has been the case since 1980, an important part of high school students have part-time jobs, and many of these works over 20 hours a week. During the past two decades, numerous studies have examined the impact of work on adolescents, but the literature on the effects of partial employment has inconsistent results and no agreement on whether study and have a long working day (more than 20 hours per week) is harmful to academic performance or behavior and mental health, "the authors make clear in the last 'Child Development."

A total of 1,792 students from all socioeconomic and ethnic status have participated in the trial. They all looked at whether to combine studies with a temporary job, the hours of the week, as well as the academic level (working at home, concentration in class, among other variables) behavior problems, the existence of depressive symptoms, autonomy from parents and psychosocial development. The data show that teens who work more than 20 hours per week are more likely to participate less in class or have poorer academic performance than those who are not employed or are in less time health of the student..

Enrique García Huete, a clinical psychologist recognizes that the effects on performance are different even if weekly hours worked were "looking for a financial reward or are making practices. A resident MIR, for example, is working on his own career, which makes it probably more attentive in class and concentrate, because they are studying and working in the same. "

Consequences of stydy and work

This specialist recognizes that, indeed, the "school performance declines because the stress of work and fatigue (especially some jobs) reduce the concentration, attention and memory, essential elements of performance."
The study concludes also that kids with longer hours are more likely to take drugs or drink alcohol. "The leisure, out with friends are essential to stress. It is likely that if you do not have time for fun is good to relax drug use (hashish) or, precisely, in order to increase the performance and activity (cocaine and amphetamines) "adds Garcia Huete health of the student..

But not all bad news. Both the authors of the study and the Madrid psychologist recognize that "students who work have more autonomy and independence, raising self-esteem. They also have more responsibility is demonstrated by those who are working to help pay for school. All this also makes young people are more likely to achieve their goals. "

Obesity and snuff cut life expectancy in the U.S.

U.S. is a nation that spends more money on health. Yet, paradoxically, the life expectancy of its citizens do not grow in line, being lower than those of other developed countries. This follows from a work signed by the National Research Council (National Research Council).

The main objective of the panel of experts who participated in this research was to understand "the divergent trends in longevity in countries with more resources." And, in particular, to analyze what is the status of U.S. compared with other developed nations.As a first result, found that during the last quarter century, although life expectancy of Americans themselves have grown, have followed a slower pace as compared to countries like Japan, Australia or Spain and the obesity in U.S.

 Obesity and snuff

One of the main causes of this slowdown could be smoking, according to the report stresses. Side effects of cigarettes takes several years to become evident, and it seems that is what has happened in the U.S.. Currently, there are fewer smokers but those who were addicts are now feeling the evils of this harmful habit.

"Two or three decades, smoking was much more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe or Japan, and the consequences still being felt in the rates of mortality," the report said.
Especially, this is the case of women, who are the most slow to sign up for the fashion of snuff and now sick and die for it. This situation is also happening in our country obesity in U.S..

Given this period of time between exposure to snuff and the onset of the disease, it is foreseeable that the United States in the years to note a marked reduction in mortality from this product. A decrease that was felt by the male population, were the first to light a cigarette but also the first to turn it off.In the case of Japan, it seems that the opposite will occur. Smoking was established later and still might not have felt all the burden it imposes on the deaths and, consequently, expectations of life obesity in U.S..

Obesity and other risk

On the other hand, the paper's authors emphasize that the second factor clearly related to the longevity of Americans is obesity.It is not known the real impact of excess weight but estimates could be behind one fifth or one-third of that decrease in the lifespan.In fact, current trends continue, obesity could wipe out improvements made by ex-smokers obesity in U.S..

The factors that were considered as a possible cause, not statistically significant in the U.S.. Not even the lack of universal access to healthcare, sedentary habits or the harmful effects of hormone therapy.However, the experts make it clear that the lack of clarity or strength of some of the results could be due to the limitations provided by the research in this field, since most of the studies are observational.