Do not date with a porn star

I should first say that I don’t have any problem with Internet pornography or adult film actresses. There is a very substantial list of reasons why dating a porn actress would possibly be one of the most awesome things to happen in your life. For starters, you can get that “My other ride is a porn star” bumper sticker you always wanted to slap on your Jetta! And I’m sure there are other (mind-blowing) things that would be make a relationship of this sort both exciting and fascinating (maybe terrifying). Yet, from a male perspective, I feel like doing so would be a burden on your sanity. There are a lot of things to consider before entering into a relationship with an adult film actress.

8 Every guy will hit on her

There is something mysterious about a woman that attracts us to them in the first place. History tells us that most men will treat a woman differently after sleeping with her. However, porn stars seem to unlock what we’ll call the “I’ve seen you naked” Paradox. Consider how many men watch porn (according to studies, it’s somewhere around 100%) and factor in the fact that the people who have seen you girlfriend naked will literally be everywhere you go. Most men would see an attractive woman who is way out of his league and would simply leave her alone or halfheartedly hit on her. But this man has seen your lady do the nasty so many times that through the transitive property of the horny male mind, he has a shot with her no matter his looks, location, or social status.

The fact that someone is a porn star is often misconstrued by men as “she’ll be most likely to have sex with me because it is her job, after all.” And while you may be basking in the thought of sleeping with one; you probably couldn’t be more off-base. But, if you were dating an adult actress, men would hit on her everywhere she went. Of course this happens with every beautiful woman, but coupled with the delusion that every guy that hits on her in a grocery store probably thinks shes going to immediately take them to their car and change their life sexually in the back row of the Trader Joe’s parking lot — you have a makings of a potentially volatile situation every time you go out in

public.

7 You are going to get into fights with other dudes

No guy likes when other dudes are creeping on his girlfriend, but when guys at in the line at 7-11 start using the opening line “I’d like to give you like a footlong? And it’s not the one in my hand…” What the hell are you supposed to do? Obviously, you would have to confront the guy. But can you blame him? That was an awesome line and I mean come on, when is this guy gonna get another chance to use a gem like that? Answer: Probably never.

But that’s your girl. You have to do the “Hey, Buddy. Who you talking to?” routine and more than likely a scuffle of some sort will end with either fisticuffs or an exchange of sharp language in the parking lot. And this would happen all the damn time. Everywhere you go someone will say something crude or grab her ass. In simple terms: The inappropriate level that your woman brings out in people of the general public will be off the damn charts. So go out and purchase a pair of boxing gloves, a Bowflex, and the most comprehensive health insurance plan that you can afford; you are going to need to be fit and ready to fight at all times.

6 Everything she does will be “well documented”

It’s not like she used to be stripper and you can maybe keep a lid on or keep a low profile. Once you go into porn, you are always in porn. There will be pictures, films and Web sites all devoted to her and what she does for a living floating around for the rest of time. It is the least discreet occupation a person can have. And it will more than likely be an inescapable part of her life. If you decided at some point that you wanted to move somewhere and get a fresh start, you’d still probably find people that knew who your girlfriend was. The internet is, like, everywhere. They even have it in Delaware.

5 She will be probably be hot. People will notice that. They will whisper…

Many adult film actresses have had ample work done on their faces and maybe boosted a few key areas with some silicone during their time in the Valley. How you look on camera is more important than anything else in the porn industry. So other men and women are going to notice her as you are out and about. Not all of them, but enough to catch you attention and maybe make you a little paranoid. It’s the good kind of paranoid until you realize what people are thinking about when they see her. Probably most embarrassing if she has had some work done on her chest area and the stewardess mentions flotation devices and everyone looks at your girlfriend’s chest and whispers, “Well, she’ll ain’t drowning.”

4 You will almost never want to talk about her day at work

No guy ever wants to ask, “Hey Beautiful, what did you do at work today?” and hear “An entire football team.” That talk your girlfriend has about the bitchy girl in her office is annoying, certainly. But it probably can’t compare to hearing your porn star girlfriend talking about how she can’t see out of her right eye due to Johnny Sinz’s errant aim.

3 Shame

I said before that I personally don’t think of adult film stars as bad or sinful people. However, a lot of people you encounter on a day-to-day basis do. The stigma of having sex for a living is still a very touchy (no pun intended) subject. And by that, I mean, most people (guessing mostly female in nature) will judge your girlfriend adversely once they find out what she does for a living. She will probably be called a slut or a whore behind your/her back at most turns and when she is dressed for work… people will know what she does. They just will. Nobody dresses like that at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon.

Is it embarrassing? Well, that would be up to you. Some people wouldn’t let the situation affect them, but I’m guessing sometimes you’d feel a bit ashamed. Sure, sex is great and we live in liberated times, but if your lady’s number of sexual partners possibly numbers into the hundreds…well, sex is supposed to be a shared bond between two people (maybe three if you get her drunk enough). But, if you love this person and don’t care about anything else, then you aren’t worried about people staring and whispering when they see her. I congratulate you and can say without question that you are a better and more progressive man than I. Love conquers all. However, good luck telling Grandma what your lady did in her last project “Blondes Under the Big Top 4: Clowns on Patrol” during Thanksgiving dinner.

2 People are going to want pictures and autographs from her

This is probably going to be uncomfortable and borderline inappropriate. “Can I see your piercings?” and “Will you sign my ass?” and “Now, tell me this isn’t the biggest one you’ve ever seen?” will become the questions you will start to hear in your sleep.

1 She will have award shows and film openings that you will have to go to

Imagine a room filled to the brim with people from the adult film industry. Men and women of various shapes and color all coming together to celebrate their achievements in the film industry. You look around and maybe take a few laps with your lady. Now, when you meet guys from her past, you sometimes get “the look.” That look is basically a guy insinuating that he’s shared a bed with your girlfriend in a Biblical sense. It’s the worst look a guy can give another guy. Now, imagine the next 3 hours of your life, where you go up and shake someones hand and every time you do, you get that look. And remember, in this situation it’s not just men who give you that look. And while that fact is kinda sexy, I imagine that you would probably just drink heavily and try not to ask too many questions.

And then you realize that “the look” isn’t the worse thing that could happen to you tonight. You ask yourself, “I wonder how many of these people have slept with my girlfriend” and then an hour later you have that question is passionately answered on a 30 foot movie screen as a room full of people watch and cheer the screams of your one-and-only in the throws of passion with one or several strangers. Not a fun prospect.

Ah, who the hell cares!! You only go around once in this life, right?

Japan Sex Niche: Elder Porn

Besides his glowing complexion, Shigeo Tokuda looks like any other 74-year-old man in Japan. Despite suffering a heart attack three years ago, the lifelong salaryman now feels healthier, and lives happily with his wife and a daughter in downtown Tokyo. He is, of course, more physically active than most retirees, but that's because he's kept his part-time job — as a porn star.

Shigeo Tokuda is, in fact, his screen name. He prefers not to disclose his real name because, he insists, his wife and daughter have no idea that he has appeared in about 350 films over the past 14 years. And in his double life, Tokuda arguably embodies the contemporary state of Japan's sexuality: in surveys conducted by organizations ranging from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the condom-maker Durex, Japan is repeatedly found to be one of the most sexless societies in the industrialized world. A WHO report released in March found that 1 in 4 married couples in Japan had not made love in the previous year, while 38% of couples in their 50s no longer have sex at all. Those figures were attributed to the stresses of Japanese working life. Yet at the same time, the country has seen a surge in demand for pornography that has turned adult videos into a billion-dollar industry, with "elder porn" one of its fastest-growing genres. (See pictures of Japan and the world.)

Tokuda is rare among Japanese porn stars in that his name has become a brand. The Shigeo Tokuda series he has just completed portray him as a tactful elderly gentleman who instructs women of different ages in the erotic arts, and he boasts a body of work far more impressive than most actors in their prime.

Tokuda's exploits have proved to be a goldmine for Glory Quest, which first launched an "old man" series, Maniac Training of Lolitas, in December 2004. Its popularity led the company to follow up with Tokuda starring in Forbidden Elderly Care in August 2006. Other series followed, and soon elder porn had revealed itself as a sustainable new revenue stream for the industry. "The adult-video industry is very competitive," says Glory Quest p.r. representative Kayoko Iimura. "If we only make standard fare, we cannot beat other studios. There were already adult videos with Lolitas or themes of incest, so we wanted to make something new. A relationship between wife and an old father-in-law has enough twist to create an atmosphere of mystery and captivate viewers' hearts."

Director Gaichi Kono says the eroticism of elders is captivating to younger viewers. "I think that, as a subject, there is this something that only an older generation has and the young people do not possess. It is because they lived that much more. We should respect them and learn from them," says Kono passionately.

But Tokuda stresses the appeal of his work to an audience of his peers: "Elderly people don't identify with school dramas," he says. "It's easier for them to relate to older-men-and-daughters-in-law series, so they tend to watch adult videos with older people in them." The veteran porn star plans to keep working until he's 80 — or older, as long as the industry will cast him. Given the bullish market for his work, he's unlikely to go without work. (See pictures of self-injury in Japan.)

"People of my age generally have shame, so they are very hesitant to show their private parts," Tokuda says. "But I am proud of myself doing something they cannot." Still, he says, laughing, "That doesn't mean that I can tell them about my old-age pensioner job."

Japan's adult-video industry is believed to be worth as much as $1 billion a year, according to industry insiders, with the largest video-store chain Tsutaya releasing about 1,000 new titles monthly, while the mega adult mail-order site DMM releases about 2,000 titles each month. Although films featuring women in their teens and 20s are the mainstay of the industry, a trend toward "mature women" has become evident over the past five years. Currently, about 300 of the 1,000 adult videos on offer at Tsutaya, and 400 out of the 2,000 at DMM, are "mature women" films.

Ryuichi Kadowaki, director of Ruby Inc., which specializes in mature-women titles, says that when the company started offering the genre a few years ago, the term referred to actresses in their late 20s, and that last year it was expanded to those in their 70s. The company believes the advantage of mature titles is their enduring appeal. "Adult videos with young actresses sell well only in the first three months after the release," Kadowaki explains. "On the other hand, mature-women films enjoy a steady, long-term popularity, which after 10 years or so might lead to a best seller." And then there are the cost savings. A popular young actress can earn up to $100,000 per film, while a mature actress is paid only $2,000.

The market for elder porn has doubled over the past decade, according to Kadowaki. "In view of [Japan's] aging society," he adds, "I think that in the future, we will see a steady increase in demand."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815509,00.html#ixzz1FCl1itNC

Can we keep up our progress on AIDS?

Editor's note: Watch "Hope Survives: 30 Years of AIDS," an AC360° special, at 9 p.m. ET Friday. Phill Wilson is the president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, a national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on black people. Follow him on Twitter. 

(CNN) -- I was infected with HIV in 1981, the year the disease was discovered.

Back then, most people died in six to 12 months from horrible diseases like Kaposi's sarcoma, a skin cancer normally found in older men of Semitic descent; pneunocystis carinii pneumonia, a fungal infection in the lungs; cryptococcal meningitis, which causes the lining of your brain to swell; or toxoplasmosis: You got that from cat feces, and it turned your brain to Swiss cheese.

There were no treatments, really. A "long-time survivor" was someone who lived 18 months.

I was 24 then. In April, I will celebrate my 54th birthday.

I almost didn't make it. In 1996, my doctor at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles called my mother in Chicago to tell her that if she wanted to see me alive again, she should fly to Los Angeles immediately. They had given me less than 24 hours to live. I was in a coma in the ICU.

I eventually came out of that crisis, and my doctor prescribed something brand new: a three-drug regimen, commonly referred to as "the cocktail." I recovered from that crisis and went on to found the Black AIDS Institute, an organization I still lead.

What a difference three decades can make. We have gone from no drugs to a few very toxic drugs that didn't really work to more than 25 antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV. The new drugs are highly effective, and the side effects are much reduced.

And the breakthroughs continue. Last year, scientists identified three new HIV antibodies that might contribute to the development of a vaccine. A gel that women can apply before sex, known as a vaginal microbicide, demonstrated efficacy in a clinical trial in South Africa, and research released last month indicates that some antiretrovirals, when taken as prophylactics, can prevent HIV infection.

Also last year, Congress passed and President Obama signed health care reform legislation that protects people with HIV from being discriminated against in getting health insurance, eliminates lifetime caps on health insurance coverage and expands access to prescription drugs.

And finally, we have a national AIDS strategy that if properly implemented could dramatically reduce new infections, increase the number of people who know their HIV status and increase the number of people in appropriate care and treatment.

The AIDS battle appears to be one we could win.

But we are not winning it yet. Since the advent of the cocktail that saved my life, AIDS deaths in America have dropped from about 50,000 a year to 18,000 a year. That's a huge advance, but 18,000 deaths a year is six times the number of people we lost on September 11. Our AIDS toll is still horrific and unacceptable.

I'm alive today for two reasons: I have access to appropriate care and treatment, and I have the love and support of family and friends. Unfortunately, too many people living with HIV/AIDS have neither.

Stigma threatens to derail our efforts to win the battle against HIV. It contributes to misconceptions and fuels irrational fears that keep people infected with HIV from taking action that could save their own lives and the lives of others.

Focus groups conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year with black Americans across the nation revealed a strong perception that life for those living with HIV/AIDS is a shameful and lonely existence. When faced with discrimination, alienation and marginalization, people will not disclose their risk factors, use condoms, get tested for HIV, seek treatment or talk openly about HIV/AIDS.

The therapies, while effective, are very expensive (approximately $12,000 to $14,000 per year, not including the other costs of care). Without health insurance, many people living with HIV/AIDS cannot afford them. Many state-run, publicly funded AIDS drug assistance programs have waiting lists and are not able to accommodate everyone who needs these life-saving drugs.

The new Congress is threatening to repeal health care reform, which would leave many people with AIDS and other diseases at the mercy of insurance companies who could go back to their old ways of denying coverage to people with "pre-existing conditions." And without funding, the new national HIV/AIDS strategy is just a bunch of good intentions and pretty words.

Every day I live to be Greater Than this disease. That's why I founded Greater Than AIDS with the Kaiser Family Foundation. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first AIDS cases identified in the United States, we have the tools to end this epidemic.

The question is: Do we have the moral and political will to use those tools compassionately and expeditiously?

HIV-infected German singer convicted

Darmstadt, Germany (CNN) -- A German pop star was found guilty Thursday of causing grievous bodily harm and attempted bodily harm for failing to tell sexual partners that she was infected with HIV.

Nadja Benaissa, 28, former singer in the girl band No Angels, was given a two-year suspended sentence. She was also ordered to complete 300 hours of community service with people who are HIV-positive.

The trial has been taking place at a court here in Darmstadt, south of Frankfurt.

Benaissa had unprotected sex five times between 2000 and 2004 with three people and did not tell them she was infected, according to multiple media reports.

One of her partners became infected with the virus. Benaissa had allegedly known her status since 1999.

Benaissa admitted not telling sexual partners she was HIV-positive but denied intending to infect anyone, telling the court during the trial, "I am sorry from the heart."

Benaissa had said she believed there was little chance of her passing on the virus and she did not want it made public because of the harm it might cause her daughter and the band, according to the German newspaper Bild.

Bild also reported that one of Benaissa's alleged victims told the court he had unprotected sex with Benaissa on about three occasions. He said he went to the doctor after learning of Benaissa's condition from her aunt, and discovered he had contracted the virus.

He told Benaissa: "You have borne so much suffering in the world," according to the newspaper.

No Angels became Germany's most successful all-female group after they formed on the international television show "Popstars" in 2000. The band reformed in 2007 and competed in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.

Benaissa is appearing in youth court because she was 17 at the time of the first alleged offence.

The fact that Benaissa is HIV-positive was not made public until her arrest in April last year. She spent 10 days in custody after her arrest before being released on bail.

HIV life cycle

HIV life cycle. Small arrowheads, viral entry to integration. Curved arrows, early replication. Double-headed arrows, late replication. (1) Adsorption to CD4 receptor and either CXCR4 or CCR5 co-receptor. (2) Fusion. (3) Uncoating of viral genomic RNA dimer. (4) Reverse transcription (RT, reverse transcriptase). (5) Formation of pre-integration complex (PIC). (6) Nuclear import of PIC. (7) Integration of proviral DNA into host genome. (8) Transcription of early multiply spliced mRNAs. (9) Translation of early regulatory proteins, Tat and Rev. (10) Nuclear import of Tat and Rev. Tat increases transcription of viral mRNAs. (11) Rev mediates export of singly spliced and unspliced viral mRNAs. (12) Translation of viral structural proteins. (13) Assembly at the plasma membrane of viral genomic RNA, proteins, and cellular factors including tRNA(Lys3), the obligate primer for reverse transcription. (14) Viral budding. (15) Viral maturation. Cellular factors involved in viral transcription: RNA polIII, TRBP, NF-B and PCAF (see text).

 

Acute HIV infection

 

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a virus that targets a person’s immune system. Individuals affected with HIV have a weakened immune system, making them susceptible to many illnesses and infections, which eventually leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. 

The HIV virus attacks white blood cells that are key to the body’s disease fighting ability. These white blood cells are called CD4+ cells, and in the case of individuals affected with HIV, these CD4+ cells are destroyed gradually by the virus. If too many of these cells are destroyed, the person’s body no longer has the same capability to ward of infections.

HIV can be transmitted through the exchange of body fluids. One of the most common modes of transmission is through unprotected sexual contact. Other transmission modes include blood transfusion, sharing of needles, breast-feeding, or mother-child during pregnancy. HIV cannot be simply passed through kissing or sharing of drinking glasses. 

One of the earliest symptoms of HIV are fever, headache, swelling of lymph nodes, skin rashes and body/joint pain. These symptoms can occur within the first few days or weeks, and can easily be dismissed as symptoms for other, more common illnesses such as the flu. The symptoms might not appear again for many years, oftentimes for more than a decade, when the immune system is very much compromised.

There is no known cure for HIV or for AIDS, but early detection can enable the affected individual to seek out treatment which will retard the spread of the virus and the damage to the immune system.

Some of the practical ways to avoid HIV are:
~ Practice safe sex through the use of condoms
~ Avoid having multiple sex partners

~ Do not share syringes, toothbrushes or razors

HIV-infected adolescents 'high risk for pregnancy complications'

Washington:Feb 2: Johns Hopkins scientists have revealed that teenage girls and young women infected with HIV get pregnant more often and suffer pregnancy complications more frequently than their HIV-negative peers.

The findings come from a multi-center study based on an analysis of records from 181 patients with HIV, ages 13 to 24, treated at four hospitals over 12 years.

The investigators say the findings are alarming for at least two reasons.

First, teen pregnancies - planned or not - put these already vulnerable patients and their fetuses in grave danger for complications.

Second, the findings signal that HIV-infected teens and young women continue to practice unsafe sexual behaviors and to have unprotected sex, the researchers said.

Pregnancy rates were especially high in one subgroup of HIV-infected youth - teens who acquired the virus behaviorally rather than during birth.

Behaviorally infected teens had five times the number of pregnancies compared to their HIV-negative counterparts and were more prone to premature births and spontaneous abortions than their HIV-negative peers.

More than one-third of the 181 patients in the study got pregnant, some of whom had more than one pregnancy for a total of 96 pregnancies.

Premature births were more common among HIV-infected mothers (34 percent), compared with moms in the general population (22 percent) as were spontaneous abortions, 14 percent among HIV-infected moms compared with 9 percent among pre findings have been published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (AMI)

The Best Hiv Test?

The best HIV test is one that provides you with an accurate and reassuring result in a time frame that suits you best. Everybody will have a different "best HIV test" because their circumstances will be slightly different. The main things to think about are firstly when you were possibly exposed to HIV and secondly how desperately you need to know the answer. The exposure time is important because it allows us to calculate the HIV window period, which is the time from HIV infection to detection.

There is a great deal of confusion regarding HIV testing which results mainly from the enormous leaps in our knowledge about HIV in the time since the epidemic began and the advancement of the technology behind the testing devices.Consequently the question as to which is the best HIV test depends very much on the individual circumstances.

We now have HIV testing methods that will allow us to identify HIV infection very early on indeed. This is important for all sorts of reasons, not least the fact that we know that the key period for passing HIV on to another person is in the first few months after infection, when the amount of virus in the infected person's blood stream, semen or vaginal fluids is likely to be very high. The amount of HIV virus in a body fluid is referred to as HIV viral load and in the early stages is likely to be many hundreds of thousands or millions of copies of virus in each one millitre of blood or fluid.

As the infection proceeds and the newly infected person's body gets a hold on the new HIV infection, the amount of virus falls and that person becomes, we think, much less infectious. So for example, if I were to become HIV positive today, then in around 2 weeks or so my viral load - the amount of virus in each 1ml of my blood or semen - would be rapidly increasing and starting to run into the millions of copies. I would be very infectious to those I had unprotected sex with.

Testing newly infected HIV positive people early allows us lots of opportunities to influence the outcome for the good. We know from studies that most people who are aware they are HIV positive are keen to avoid passing HIV on to others. They certainly do not want a moment of madness on their part  to result in their loved ones becoming HIV positive too.

So, what is the best HIV test?

Testing for HIV 7 days after exposure

Preliminary diagnosis of very early HIV and Hepatitis C disease is now possible at
7 days post possible exposure. This time frame was previously unavailable but utilisation of standard routine technology in a novel diagnostic style will facilitate very early diagnosis. The technique has had most application so far in terms of screening the human blood supply from blood donors and has reduced the numbers of inadvertent contamination with HIV and Hepatitis C virus very considerably. The technique is also employed in organ donation settings where organs to be donated are screened for the HIV-1, HIV-2,Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B viruses.

Thinking laterally and working with The Doctors Laboratory ( a major global referral laboratory in London and CPA, UKNEQUAS, WEQAS, ISFG and EMON approved for quality, robustness and high standards), we have collaborated to apply the blood and tissue screening, ultra-high sensitive technique to beginning the diagnostic process for the
diseases identified.

The ultra-fast diagnostic technique utilises a fully automated system made by Roche and the testing method
uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or NAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification) to
detect miniscule amounts of viral (and the technique can be applied to bacteria) genetic material.

The process works as follows. We take a measured amount of blood sufficient to run the three NAT tests for HIV-1 and HIV-2; Hepatitis C virus and Hepatitis B virus. We can also include syphilis IgG and IgM within that screen. The test is performed using the Roche platform and runs on the "sample in, results out" technique
which reduces chances of contamination of product etc to zero. Should a positive sample be produced the whole specimen is drilled down to identify the virus producing the positive result and further confirmatory tests are performed.

The outcome is a highly sensitive, highly accurate detection methodology for detection of the identifed viruses. The turnaround time is swift, taking a maximum of 4 days.

HIV 1 and 2 antibodies and p24 antigen test (HIV DUO or HIV Combi test)

This HIV test is licensed in the EU for use after 28 days after a possible exposure. It is probably much better than this and will probably identify the majority of newly infected HIV positive individuals at between 14 and 21 days. This HIV test is referred to as a fourth generation HIV test. Certainly in our clinic we have had many new diagnoses of patients using this HIV DUO test combination in that time frame.

The HIV DUO test relies on the principle that when HIV first establishes itself in the body it will start to replicate rapidly and almost as a by-product of this replication a core protein - the HIV p24 antigen - is produced in huge amounts from around 10 days or so after first infection and before or during the time when antibodies to HIV are being formed. The p24 antigen will then stay at a very high level for the first few months after infection and later decline in line with the decline in HIV viral load as referred to above. It will though never completely disappear and will run a variable course of detection through the rest of the illness.

So in general, p24 antigen is formed slightly before antibodies are forming allowing us to close the gap between infection to detection time - the HIV window period. As time goes on, then the majority of newly infected HIV positive people will form antibodies to HIV 1 or 2 by 28 days. In combination then, looking for both the HIV 1 p24 antigen and also HIV 1 and 2 antibodies will allow for much earlier detection of HIV than looking for HIV antibodies alone.

HIV 1 and 2 antibody test

This test is where the most confusion is centred around. When the epidemic began in the early 1980's our testing methods and devices were relatively poor and frequently produced false results. This was largely because researchers were scrambling to find firstly the cause and then a test for a new and virulent disease.

I remember those panic struck early days very well. The false results - both false negative and false positives led to great caution in terms of interpreting the HIV test results at that time. As time has passed, our understanding of the disease, it's cause, it's likely progress and also the testing methods have improved enormously.

We have moved from rudimentary tests in the early 1980's to modern, accurate, easy to use third and fourth generation HIV testing methods in 2010. HIV 1 and 2 antibody tests in use in the UK will be either third or fourth generation test. Modern third generation tests will identify well over 99% of newly infected HIV positive people at 6 weeks after exposure even though they are licensed for use after 12 weeks after a possible exposure.

The best HIV test is always going to be the one that suits your time frame and also need to know level or anxiety level the best. Always remember though that if you have a high risk exposure such as unprotected sex with someone who is known to be HIV positive, or a condom break with someone who is known to be HIV positive then don't wait to test but talk to a doctor about HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) as soon as possible, ideally within 36 to 72 hours after the event

HIV PATIENT IN A HOSPITAL

HIV-Positive Pornstar

Derrick Burts, a 24-year-old adult film star who performed in both gay and straight X-rated movies under the stage names “Derek Chambers” and “Cameron Reid” during a brief run in the porn industry, has identified himself as the catalyst of the first HIV/AIDS scare to hit the XXX scene since professional fucker Darren James tested positive for the virus in 2004.

Burts says he is Patient Zeta, the anonymous porn performer who made headlines after testing positive for the HIV-virus at the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM Clinic) in Sherman Oaks in October. The news caused the closure of the multi-billion porn industry for several weeks on fears of a possible outbreak. Burts claims he also contracted herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia while working in porn, where he says he earned $200 to $800 to perform with women and $1,000 to $2,000 for scenes with men. With his shortlived career as a sex worker over and his health hanging in the balance, Burts is now calling for mandatory condom use — a dreaded phrase in the still rich but struggling industry.

The staff at the clinic that did the testing told Derrick they wanted to perform a follow-up test and begin notifying performers he had worked with since his last negative test result Sept. 3. He was told those performers would be placed on a quarantine list and also would be tested.

When Burts returned to the clinic Oct. 23 to review the second test results, he said he was told that the clinic had traced his HIV infection to a fellow actor they described as a “known positive.” Burts says the gay sex star who was determined by AIM to have sexually transmitted the disease to him still remains unidentified and is still active in the industry. The clinic would not identify the performer because of patient confidentiality and in a statement last month said he had acquired the virus through “private, personal activity.”

“That’s completely false,” Burts told The Los Angeles Times Wednesday. “There is no possible way. The only person I had sex with in my personal life was my girlfriend.”

Burts says he was made to wait six weeks by the AIM clinic for follow-up treatment, which led him to anonymously seek help from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest non-profit and government funded AIDS organization in the world, who is helping him obtain proper medical treatment.

“AIM likes to state that testing is enough. That’s completely false,” says the twentysomething, who worked as a hotel manager and cruise ship magician before the promise of a lucrative salary seduced him into becoming a porn performer. “It’s very dangerous. It should be required that you wear a condom on the set…Making $10,000 or $15,000 for porn isn’t worth your life. Performers need to be educated.”

So far, Derrick’s girlfriend, a fellow adult film star, has tested negative for HIV.

reference

How To Know If You Are HIV Positive

Strictly speaking, having the disease HIV is probably one of the most stressful and devastating problem one can encounter. Even though this disease has been shown in a lot of media-based programs on the Television as well as the internet, there are plenty of people who are still ignorant of HIV and its bad effects to the body.

It's strongly recommended that sexually active people should take an HIV test at STD testing centers to know if they are positive to the virus. HIV or human immunodeficiency virus is a disease that slowly destroys a person’s immune system. According to World Health Organization, HIV is now redeemed as pandemic; before its discovery in 1981, HIV has already killed approximately 25 million people which is almost 0.6 percent of the entire world population of that time. You may believe that HIV and AIDS are one and the same, but the truth is they are not. To explicate it in a more concise manner, HIV is a virus which belongs to a group of viruses known as the retrovirus, and once this virus has already spread and multiplied in the body, will it then become known as AIDS.

Firstly, they will do a series of tests to determine if you are HIV positive. These tests are the one to conclude whether you have the HIV infection. Afterwards, your blood sample will be tested using the ELISA or (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test kits, which is a biochemical technique often used in immunology. This test is done in order to find out certain reactions of chemicals inside one’s body. Once you tested positive for HIV, the blood will be again tested but this time using the western blot testing device. If both the Elisa test and western blot test are positive, then your diagnosis is you have HIV in your blood.

The symptoms of HIV include dry cough, rapid weight loss, memory loss, depression and other neurological disorders, pneumonia, recurring fever, white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, mouth and throat.

A lot of people have a lot of misunderstandings regarding this disease one of which is that symptoms only appear when someone becomes infected. This is why a lot of people only get HIV testing when the symptoms begin to appear. Being sick incessantly does not mean that someone get is infected to this disease. It is significant to know that a lot of people do not show any symptoms at all for months or years. Symptoms of HIV have many kinds which seem different from each other. While diseases like Chlamydia and gonorrhea have their own specific symptoms, HIV, as an immune deficiency, has no definite and tell-tale symptoms. This condition often leads to wrong diagnosis which makes people more inclined to other illnesses. People often believe that a cold or flu is often a symptom of HIV.

Early detection is one of the ways that you can avoid this problem. That is why you should always have routine check-ups at the nearest STD testing clinics in your area to know if you have the disease or not. Don’t let it progress to something uncontrollable and you can avoid passing it on to other people as well.

How is hiv transmitted?

Why is HIV still a dangerous disease for people and why many people in the world today have a big problem with this virus. HIV infection first appeared in the continent of Africa in 1972 as a completely ordinary flu. Today, however, the infection of a large enemy number one for all people.

Many people today all over the world have a problem with this infection because there is still no cure for this dangerous disease. To be successfully cured of the HIV virus it is necessary to find the time and be very persistent when you begin treatment.

Treatment can take several long years, and if you want to successfully treat this disease have to be very persistent and you have a lot of luck that will be required to cure HIV. If the HIV virus discovered in the early stages, then the chances are great that you reversed this disease and live without the HIV virus.

If you later find HIV infection in your body then it will be very difficult to treat due to the fact that HIV is HIV invaded your body and then spread to a large part of the body. There are however still a lot of methods for treatment and for whatever method you decide to be persistent in leenju HIV virus.

Treatment will help you a lot to stop this virus in order to stop the spread in your body. Doctors around the globe are struggling in various ways to find a drug to treat this dangerous infection. But today there are some success in finding a cure. There have been some attempts to make a drug to treat HIV, but there was some success.

If you immediately notice the early symptoms of HIV infection, go with your physician to begin treatment in time. The doctor will then give you one of the therapy that would have to use the results to be positive.

Do You Have An Hiv Infection?

HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is that virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system, which is the system in our body that gives us the ability to fight off infections. HIV finds and destroys a certain type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease and infection.

What are the statistics for HIV?

In 2006, an estimated 56,300 individuals were infected with HIV. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) estimates that about 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. About one quarter of these people do not currently know that they are infected with the HIV virus.

What are the symptoms of HIV?

The fact is that most people infected with HIV have no idea that they are infected as many people do not develop symptoms after their initial infection. For those that do experience symptoms, they may experience a flu-like illness within several days to a week after exposure.

How is HIV transmitted?

HIV is primarily found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid of an infected person. HIV is transmitted in 3 main ways:

• Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV

• Being exposed to the blood of someone infected with HIV ‐ sharing needles and syringes

• Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding

HIV is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.more

Can you get HIV Testing?

Yes, you can be tested for HIV. Once HIV enters the body, the body starts to produce antibodies—substances the immune system creates after infection – and most HIV tests look for these antibodies rather than the virus itself. There are many different kinds of HIV tests. GetSTDtested gives you the ability to confidentially test for HIV at any of our over 2,000 local medical centers.

How soon after contracting HIV can I be tested for it?

The "window period" is the time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to react to the virus by creating HIV antibodies. This process of reacting to the HIV virus and creating antibodies is called Seroconversion.

Soon after infection, the infected person may have significant levels of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids, or breast milk – yet antibodies will not be generated during the “window period,” making the virus initially undetectable.

Here is what the CDC says about the window period:

"Antibodies generally appear within three months after infection with HIV, but may take up to six months in some persons." This CDC definition of a three to six month window period has been commonly used for several years now.

What does this mean for you?

• The three month window period is normal for most of the population. Many people will have detectable antibodies in three or four weeks. Very, very rarely (i.e., only a few cases ever), a person could take six months to produce antibodies.

• Although you may be anxious to be tested soon after an encounter which you perceive to be risky (to see what puts you at heightened risk for HIV, see the “How is HIV transmitted question), the best thing to do is wait until your window period has passed. Currently, there is no data to show the accuracy of a test before the window period ending. Even if you receive a negative test at, let’s say, 6 weeks, we recommend you get HIV testing again at 3 months. Some STD test centers will even recommend you to return and test in 6 months, just to completely rule out infection.

• Although HIV may not be detected by a test during the window period, HIV can be transmitted during that time. In fact, individuals are often most infectious during this time (shortly after they have been exposed to HIV).

Is there any treatment/cure for HIV?

No, there is currently no cure for HIV. However, research for a cure continues, and many around the world are devoted to this cause. Although there is currently no cure for HIV, there are treatment options that can help stave off the symptoms.

The most common and effective treatment for the HIV virus is a combination of various antiviral agents, to produce a type of therapy called HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy). This type of therapy helps to suppress the HIV virus from replicating itself throughout the body, which in turn helps stave off symptoms of the illness. HAART has proven to be an extremely effective treatment for the HIV virus, and has been proven to help the immune system stay stronger by improving the T-cell count in the body.

It is important to note that HAART, no matter how effective for fighting the HIV virus, is not a cure and does not protect an infected individual from transmitting the virus to another person.

AIDS

AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections.
The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways the most common is unprotected sexual intercourse. Other means of infection are infected blood transfusions, mother to infant (at time of birth, or through breast milk), sharing needles with an infected person, and rarely a healthcare worker that gets pricked with an infected needle.
Often people who are infected with HIV have few symptoms and in some cases there are none. Other times, symptoms of HIV are confused with other illnesses such as the flu. This may be severe, with swollen glands in the neck and armpits, tiredness, fever and night sweats. This is where as much as 9 out of 10 of the infected individuals will develop AIDS. At this point the person may feel completely healthy and not even know that he/she has the virus. The next stage begins when the immune system starts to break down and the virus becomes more aggressive in damaging white cells. Several glands in the neck and armpits may swell and stay swollen for an extended period of time without any explanation. As this disease progresses boils or warts may spread over the body. They may also feel tremendously tired, night sweats, high fevers, chronic diarrhea, and they may lose a considerable amount of their body weight. Most cases have shown thrush as a symptom as well. At this point the person is in the final stages of HIV--AIDS. Severe chest infections with high fever are common and survival rate is above 70% but decrease with each recurrence.
A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she has one or more positive HIV screening and the presence of an AIDS defining condition. Some of the common conditions include but are not limited to: Meningitis, Encephalitis, Dementia, Pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, and Lymphoma. There is also a blood test called an Immune Profile that can be done. This test is used to measure the loss of immunity and help decide on the best treatment. There is a test that is rarely used due to its high cost, it is known as a Viral Load: This test detects the virus itself, and also measures the amount of HIV in the blood. It shows how quickly the HIV infection is likely to advance. A high viral load suggests that the person may progress rapidly to AIDS.
Although there is no cure for AIDS there are medical treatments that aide in prolonging, and maintaining the best quality of life possible. These include two nucleoside inhibitors, lamivudine and zidovudine. Actual treatment plans will vary with each patient, along with the physical aspect of this disease. The psychological side has to be addressed in order for a treatment plan to be effective.
The easiest way to escape contracting this disease is to avoid the risk factors that you are in control of. Such as: unprotected sex, not sharing a needle, and if you are in the healthcare field be sure to use all precautions necessary to avoid an accidental prick from a possible infected needle (remember that in this diseases early stages it is common for the person not to even know they are infected). Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among all adults aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Among African-Americans in the 25 to 44 age group, AIDS is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women. Our society needs to become aware that by not protecting ourselves we are killing ourselves and that this has to stop.