Evaluation of an HIV/AIDS peer education programme in a South African workplace.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a South African workplace HIV/AIDS peer-education programme running since 1997. METHODS: In 2001 a cross-sectional study was done of 900 retail-section employees in three geographical areas. The study measured HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS, belief about self-risk of infection, and condom use as a practice indicator. The impact of an HIV/AIDS peer-education programme on these outcomes was examined. RESULTS: Training by peer educators had no significant impact on any outcome. Fifty-nine per cent of subjects had a good knowledge score, 62% had a positive attitude towards people with HIV/AIDS, 34% used condoms frequently, and the majority of participants (73%) believed they were at low risk of infection. Logistical regression showed that a very small proportion of the variance in the four outcomes was explained by potential determinants of interest (8% for knowledge, 6% for attitude, 7% for risk and 17% for condom use). CONCLUSIONS: The HIV peer-education programme was found to be ineffective and may have involved an opportunity cost. The programme contrasts with more costly comprehensive care that includes antiretrovirals. The private sector appears to have been as tardy as the public sector in addressing the epidemic effectively.     

Assessment of comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge level among in-school adolescents in eastern Ethiopia

Introduction

In Ethiopia, more adolescents are in school today than ever before; however, there are no studies that have assessed their comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Thus, this study tried to assess the level of this knowledge and the factors associated with it among in-school adolescents in eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted using a facilitator-guided self-administered questionnaire. The respondents were students attending regular school in 14 high schools located in 14 different districts in eastern Ethiopia. The proportion of in-school adolescents with comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge was computed and compared by sex. The factors that were associated with the comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge were assessed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Only about one in four, 677 (24.5%), in-school adolescents have comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. The knowledge was better among in-school adolescents from families with a relatively middle or high wealth index (adjusted OR [95% CI]=1.39 [1.03–1.87] and 1.75 [1.24–2.48], respectively), who got HIV/AIDS information mainly from friends or mass media (adjusted OR [95% CI]=1.63 [1.17–2.27] and 1.55 [1.14–2.11], respectively) and who received education on HIV/AIDS and sexual matters at school (adjusted OR [95% CI]=1.59 [1.22–2.08]). The females were less likely to have comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge compared to males (adjusted OR and [95% CI]=0.60 [0.49–0.75]).

Conclusions

In general, only about a quarter of in-school adolescents had comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. Although the female adolescents are highly vulnerable to HIV infection and its effects, they were by far less likely to have comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. HIV/AIDS information, education and communication activities need to be intensified in high schools.     

La prévention du VIH chez les personnes sourdes au Burundi : état des lieux et perspectives

This article presents the various aspects of HIV/AIDS care for deaf people in Burundi to assess social inequalities in health especially the access to preventive care. Our work is particularly focused on identifying the factors that hinder the access of deaf people to HIV/AIDS care in developing countries such as Burundi. The study is based on a literature review and a qualitative study with stakeholders and beneficiaries. The literature review was conducted on reports or other official documents that were made by various stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A qualitative approach was made of interviews with deaf people and different implied actors in the fight against AIDS. The informations on HIV/AIDS prevention and education is not readily available to the deaf people. They must depend on a third person to access HIV/AIDS prevention and education campaigns. Faced with communication difficulties, deaf people go to health professionals with support from a member of the family, which raises questions of ethics and respect for privacy. They face unequal access to HIV/AIDS prevention and education and then fall into the category of precarious populations. This work opens new avenues for research on the state of access to health care in general and the prevention of HIV/AIDS among deaf people in particular.     

Survey on AIDS related knowledge and attitude among married people of childbearing age in China

<正> Objective:To learn about the current circumstances surrounding AIDS related knowledge,attitudes and relevant influential factors,and to provide recommendations for HIV/AIDS preven-tion and control.Methods:A cross sectional study was designed by the cluster sampling method,and a self-administered,closed,and anonymous questionnaire was administered.There were a total of 4,800 married people of childbearing age,from six counties,during the period November throughDecember,2003.Results:There were 4,693 valid questionnaires and the validity rate was 97.78%.The gen-eral correct rate of AIDS knowledge of the respondents was 63.60%.Factors such as sex,age,place of registered permanent residence and different areas had influence on the level of AIDSknowledge.Respondents knew more about AIDS transmission related knowledge than non-trans-mission related knowledge.Only 30.6% of respondents had heard about volunteer counseling andtesting(VCT)of AIDS,and just 8.5% of them thought that they had the possibility of being in-fected with HIV/AIDS,64.5% of participants were afraid of AIDS,66.5% of them thought thatHIV positive people should be quarantined,74.1% of them held that HIV positive people shouldbe forbidden to go to public places,and they would not like to have dinner(68.8%),shakehands(67.8%),or work(63.4%)with HIV positive people.Respondents of different sex,reg-istered permanent residence,education and living places had different attitudes towards HIV/AIDS.Conclusion:The AIDS knowledge level of respondents is below the goal of 75% up to 2005brought forward by National AIDS Office of China.It is very important to strengthen the Infor-mation,Education,Communication(IEC)on AIDS non-transmission related knowledge amongmarried people of childbearing age,especially those who are younger,lower educated and female.Furthermore,the knowledge about VCT should be publicized.More than half of the respondentshave negative attitudes towards AIDS patients.     

Pre-test and post-test evaluation of HIV/AIDS educational program for adolescent

The increasing incidence of AIDS among young people involves the need for effective HIV/AIDS prevention programs. The evaluation of such a program, using pretest, information and posttest, was performed in a high-school of Ia?i City, on a sample of 169 pupils. They answered a semi-structured questionnaire, concerning false and real HIV ways of transmission, attitudes and pre-conceptions about HIV infected people and preventive knowledge. The findings of this study showed that the cognitive level increases with age (higher at 17-19 years old pupils) and the receptivity is higher at 15-16 years old pupils.     

城乡医务人员HIV/AIDS职业暴露防护知识调查分析

目的了解城乡医务人员HIV/AIDS职业暴露和防护知识的知晓情况,为防护知识培训提供依据.方法自行设计问卷对湖北省某县7个乡镇及某市的医务人员338名(乡镇180名、城市158名)进行HIV/AIDS职业暴露及防护知识调查.结果城乡医务人员对HIV/AIDS职业暴露及防护知识的知晓率偏低;乡镇医务人员在部分防护能力及暴露后的应对知识方面与城市医务人员比较,差异有显著性意义(P<0.05, P<0.01).结论加强城乡医务人员HIV/ALDS职业暴露及防护知识的培训,扩展乡镇医务人员培训面,以提高基层卫生工作者HIV/AIDS职业暴露的防护能力和暴露后的及时应对,减少HIV/AIDS感染的发生是目前迫切的任务.     

Mass media involvement in education and information about HIV/AIDS

AIDS is the first international mass media disease. Throughout the world, most people have learned more about AIDS from radio, television and the press than from personal contacts with health professionals. Mass media AIDS materials influence behavior most when they are designed and developed for different segments of the audience, with the specific needs and concerns of those segments in mind. In the past mass media evoked fear, anxiety and other negative emotional responses to AIDS and didn't proposed practical and realistic ways of action. The journalists made frequently distinctions between innocent victims of HIV, that are infants and recipients of infected blood or blood products through health care, and other "guilty" infected people such as gays, sex workers or african people. Mass media can change behavior and if journalists accept their responsibility in presenting the news, the publicity about AIDS may have a great and positive impact in HIV/AIDS.     

Sexual and reproductive health service needs of university/college students: updates from a survey in Shanghai, China

AIM: To promote the provision of reproductive health services to young people by exploring the attitudes and perceptions of university students in Shanghai, China, toward reproductive health. METHODS: From July 2004 to May 2006, 5 243 students from 14 universities in Shanghai took part in our survey. Topics covered the demands of reproductive health-care services, attitudes towards and experience with sex, exposure to pornographic material, and knowledge on sexual health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/AIDS. RESULTS: Of the 5 067 students who provided valid answer sheets, 50.05% were female and 49.95% were male, 14.86% were medical students, and 85.14% had non-medical backgrounds. A total of 38.4% of respondents had received reproductive health education previously. The majority of students supported school-based reproductive health education, and also acquired information about sex predominantly from books, schoolmates, and the Internet. Premarital sexual behavior was opposed by 17.7% of survey participants, and 37.5% could identify all the three types of STIs listed in the questionnaire. Although 83.7% knew how HIV is transmitted, only 55.7% knew when to use a condom and 57.8% knew that the use of condoms could reduce the risk of HIV infection. CONCLUSION: The reproductive health service is lagging behind current attitudes and demands of university students. Although students' attitudes towards sexual matters are liberal, their knowledge about reproductive health and STIs/AIDS is still limited. It is therefore necessary to provide effective and confidential reproductive health services to young people.     

血清IL-17和IL-23与HIV／AIDS患者机会性感染的关系

目的：检测人类免疫缺陷病毒感染者和艾滋病（AIDS）患者血清白细胞介素-17（IL-17）、白细胞介素-23（IL-23）水平,探讨其与患者发生机会性致病菌感染的关系。方法55例AIDS患者,应用ELISA法检测血清IL-17、IL-23水平,结合其临床资料分析与机会性感染的关系。结果55例患者中有44例发现机会性致病菌感染,11例未发生机会性致病菌感染。感染组IL-17水平较非感染组高[（92.53±158.45）pg/ml vs （10.21±19.17）pg/ml,P ＜0.01],血清IL-23水平差异无统计学意义。12例肺孢子菌感染者的IL-17水平较未感染者明显降低[（19.78±27.95）pg/ml vs （91.78±160.78）pg/ml,P ＜0.01]。血清IL-17、IL-23水平与疾病预后无关。结论 IL-17可能参与HIV/AIDS患者发生机会性感染的免疫机制,低IL-17水平可能导致患者对肺孢子菌的清除能力下降。     

1989至2020年北京市东城区1 076例人类免疫缺陷病毒感染者/获得性免疫缺陷综合征患者生存时间及影响因素

目的探讨北京市东城区人类免疫缺陷病毒感染者/获得性免疫缺陷综合征（HIV/AIDS）患者生存时间及影响因素。 方法采用回顾性队列研究方法,在中国艾滋病综合防治信息系统中收集1989年1月1日~2020年12月31日北京市东城区HIV/AIDS患者共1 076例的临床资料,应用寿命表法分析累积生存率;利用Kaplan-Meier法（K-M法）绘制生存曲线;利用COX比例风险模型分析影响患者生存时间的因素。 结果所有研究对象中,完成随访1 072例（99.63%）,失访4例（0.37%）;随访过程中发生AIDS相关死亡26例（2.42%）;第1、2、5年累计生存率分别为98.03%、97.92%和97.47%。研究对象生存时间中位数为264.00个月。COX比例风险模型分析显示：首次检测CD4⁺ T细胞计数< 350个/μl（HR = 4.053、95%CI：1.412~11.628）、确诊时为AIDS患者（HR = 20.651、95%CI：4.741~89.940）、未接受抗病毒治疗（HR = 30.722、95%CI：12.389~76.18）均为患者生存时间缩短的危险因素。与初中及以下文化程度的HIV/AIDS患者相比,较高文化程度为延长患者生存时间的保护因素（高中或中专：HR = 0.317、95%CI：0.122~0.826,大专及以上：HR = 0.155、95%CI：0.055~0.439）。K-M法绘制生存曲线显示,大专及以上、高中或中专文化程度HIV/AIDS患者累计生存率显著高于初中及以下文化程度HIV/AIDS患者（χ² = 26.978、P < 0.001）。首次检测CD4⁺ T细胞计数≥ 350个/μl、确诊时疾病状态为HIV感染、行抗病毒治疗的HIV/AIDS患者累计生存率高于首次检测CD4⁺ T细胞计数< 350个/μl、确诊时疾病状态为AIDS、未行抗病毒治疗的HIV/AIDS患者（χ² = 14.329、44.559、126.836,P均< 0.001）。 结论北京市东城区HIV/AIDS患者中接受抗病毒治疗、首次CD4⁺ T细胞计数≥ 350个/μl、确诊时疾病状态为HIV感染、大专及以上文化程度者生存时间较长。故提高筛查力度,尽可能早期发现HIV感染者,尽快开展治疗,可提高其确诊后生存质量和生存时间。     

From GRID to gridlock: the relationship between scientific biomedical breakthroughs and HIV/AIDS policy in the US Congress

Introduction

From the travel ban on people living with HIV (PLHIV) to resistance to needle exchange programmes, there are many examples where policy responses to HIV/AIDS in the United States seem divorced from behavioural, public health and sociological evidence. At its root, however, the unknowns about HIV/AIDS lie at biomedical science, and scientific researchers have made tremendous progress over the past 30 years of the epidemic by using antiretroviral therapy to increase the life expectancy of PLHIV almost to the same level as non-infected individuals; but a relationship between biomedical science discoveries and congressional responses to HIV/AIDS has not been studied. Using quantitative approaches, we directly examine the hypothesis that progress in HIV/AIDS biomedical science discoveries would have a correlative relationship with congressional response to HIV/AIDS from 1981 to 2010.

Methods

This study used original data on every bill introduced, hearing held and law passed by the US Congress relating to HIV/AIDS over 30 years (1981–2010). We combined congressional data with the most cited and impactful biomedical research scientific publications over the same time period as a metric of biomedical science breakthroughs. Correlations between congressional policy and biomedical research were then analyzed at the aggregate and individual levels.

Results

Biomedical research advancements helped shape both the level and content of bill sponsorship on HIV/AIDS, but they had no effect on other stages of the legislative process. Examination of the content of bills and biomedical research indicated that science helped transform HIV/AIDS bill sponsorship from a niche concern of liberal Democrats to a bipartisan coalition when Republicans became the majority party. The trade-off for that expansion has been an emphasis on the global epidemic to the detriment of domestic policies and programmes.

Conclusions

Breakthroughs in biomedical science did associate with the number and types of HIV/AIDS bills introduced in Congress, but that relationship did not extend to the passage of laws or to hearings. When science matters, it cannot be separated from political considerations. An important implication of our work has been the depoliticizing role that science can play. Scientific breakthroughs helped to transform HIV/AIDS policy from a niche of liberal Democrats into bipartisan support for the global fight against the disease.     

HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among South African military recruits.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the level of HIV-related knowledge, as well as high-risk behaviour and attitudes towards HIV, in a group of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) recruits. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tempe military base in Bloemfontein. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and thirty-nine recruits from one company. OUTCOME MEASURES: HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices based on a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: All of the recruits were male, and most of them (81.4%) were black. The majority of recruits (98.5%) were between 18 and 24 years old. They had a good level of knowledge regarding HIV and AIDS, with more than 80% giving a correct response in most cases. However, several important misconceptions regarding HIV/AIDS and its transmission still exist. Furthermore, several recruits still practised high-risk behaviour, such as not using condoms with casual or new partners. Most obtained their knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS from schools (34.8%), health and social services (27.1%) and the printed media (17.7%), while only 5.2% stated that they learnt about HIV/AIDS from the SANDF education programmes. CONCLUSION: Efforts towards initiating behaviour changes in military recruits should be intensified, and if necessary education programmes should be adapted to facilitate achievement of this goal.     

Global epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases （STDs） are among the first ten causes of unpleasant diseases in young adult males in developing countries and the second major cause of unpleasant diseases in young adult women. Adolescents and young adults （15-24 years old） make up only 25% of the sexually active population, but represent almost 50% of all new acquired STDs. In general, STDs are epidemics and present an enormous health and economic consequences. An adequate screening for STDs should be done on a routine basis in every part of the world. Many STDs are asymptomatic and therefore can difficult to control. The purpose of reporting of STDs is to ensure that persons who are infected will be quickly diagnosed and appropriately treated to control the spread of infection and also so that partners are notified, tested and appropriately treated. It is estimated that reported cases of STDs represent only 50%-80% of reportable STD infections in the United States, reflecting limited screening and low disease reporting. High-risk sexual behavior is a highly contributive factor of this process as it often leads to teenage pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. One possible explanation for this behavior is that people do not have enough information about the transmission of STDs or ignore the precautions required for safe sex. Approximately 60% of new HIV infections worldwide occur in young people. The frequency of high-risk behaviors among youths may also be influenced by opportunity to engage in them, particularly the amount of time that they are unsupervised by adults. However, in diagnosing and treating these patients, we can effectively prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Individuals infected with STDs are 5-10 times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire or transmit HIV through sexual contact. The breaking of the genital tract lining or skin creates a portal of entry for HIV and, hence, HIV-infected individuals with other STDs are more likely to shed HIV in their genital secretions. To date, the condom is the most effective     

赴利比里亚维和军人接受艾滋病自愿咨询检测的意愿及影响因素的调查

目的:调查赴利比里亚维和的中国和埃塞俄比亚军人接受艾滋病自愿咨询检测(VCT)的意向和与之相关的影响因素,为进一步开展艾滋病健康教育及VCT提供依据。方法:采用匿名问卷表,调查518例23～51岁的男性中国赴利比里亚维和军人和648例25～49岁的男性埃塞俄比亚维和军人接受VCT的意向并分析相关的影响因素。结果:两国维和军人中从未听说过艾滋病的比例分别为8.1%和7.9%,两者比较P>0.05。在听说过艾滋病的调查对象中,分别有407例(85.5%)的中国维和军人和449例(75.2%)的埃塞俄比亚维和军人有接受VCT的意向,两者比较P<0.05。与两国维和军人接受VCT意向均有关联的因素为受教育的程度和艾滋病知识水平,与埃塞俄比亚维和军人接受VCT有关的因素还有自己感染艾滋病的可能性。结论:艾滋病知识知晓程度较低及受教育程度较低的维和军队接受VCT意向也较低。应有针对性地开展艾滋病知识的健康教育,提高维和军队接受VCT的自觉性及对艾滋病的警觉性,以有效地预防艾滋病。     

Families as catalysts for peer adherence support in enhancing hope for people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Introduction

Hope is an essential dimension of successful coping in the context of illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, because positive expectations for the future alleviate emotional distress, enhance quality of life and have been linked to the capacity for behavioural change. The social environment (e.g. family, peers) is a regulator of hope for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In this regard, the dual aim of this article is (1) to analyze the influence of a peer adherence support (PAS) intervention and the family environment on the state of hope in PLWHA and (2) to investigate the interrelationship between the two determinants.

Methods

The Effective AIDS Treatment and Support in the Free State study is a prospective randomized controlled trial. Participants were recruited from 12 public antiretroviral treatment (ART) clinics across five districts in the Free State Province of South Africa. Each of these patients was assigned to one of the following groups: a control group receiving standard care, a group receiving additional biweekly PAS or a group receiving PAS and nutritional support. Latent cross-lagged modelling (Mplus) was used to analyse the impact of PAS and the family environment on the level of hope in PLWHA.

Results

The results of the study indicate that neither PAS nor the family environment has a direct effect on the level of hope in PLWHA. Subsequent analysis reveals a positive significant interaction between family functioning and PAS at the second follow-up, indicating that better family functioning increases the positive effect of PAS on the state of hope in PLWHA.

Conclusions

The interplay between well-functioning families and external PAS generates higher levels of hope, which is an essential dimension in the success of lifelong treatment. This study provides additional insight into the important role played by family dynamics in HIV/AIDS care, and it underscores the need for PAS interventions that are sensitive to the contexts in which they are implemented.     

医科大学新生生殖健康问题的KAP研究———艾滋病知识、态度的调查及启示

为了解低年级医科大学生的艾滋病知识和态度，以及他们对在大学生中开展预防艾滋病教育的看法，１９９７年６月对２６６名上海某医科大学一年级学生（年龄１６～２３岁，男１３０名、女１３６名）进行了问卷调查。调查显示，由于近年来大众媒体对艾滋病的广泛报道，大学新生对艾滋病有一般性了解，但不能正确判断接种疫苗、被蚊虫叮咬、共用坐厕、共用饮食器皿等途径能否传播艾滋病的比例，约为６９％、４８％、３８％和３０％；知道正确使用避孕套能降低感染艾滋病危险性的占６７％。提示，在一年级大学生中应加强艾滋病预防教育，澄清误解，对保护他们自己免受艾滋病威胁，以及在全社会开展控制艾滋病疫情的活动具重要意义。     

The evolving impact of HIV/AIDS on outpatient health services in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE; The high HIV prevalence in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) places immense pressure on the health system. The burden of HIV/AIDS on health services is evolving as the epidemic progresses and as antiretroviral treatment becomes more widely available. For health policy makers and managers, timely and appropriate information is needed to facilitate adaptive management of health services. Through longitudinal research covering outpatient health services in KZN we examined the dynamics of the evolving HIV/AIDS burden and the resource implications of this burden, necessary for resource allocation decisions. METHODS: Data were collected between 2004 and 2005 in outpatient services across six health facilities in the province. The burden of HIV/AIDS was measured by assessing the proportion of outpatients presenting as HIV positive, determined by a clinical diagnosis (and test result where available). The burden was also measured by looking at the types of diseases presenting at outpatient facilities. Moreover, the study assessed the burden experienced by health care workers and financial implications for health facilities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that the burden on outpatient services is significant but has not been increasing over time, suggesting that people are not accessing care if and when they need it. However, in terms of resources, this burden has been increasing and shifting from tertiary services to more primary services. In order to accommodate the demands of HIV/AIDS, our focus therefore needs to turn towards outpatient services, in particular at the primary care level.     

高危人群性传播疾病/艾滋病的KABP调查

目的 :调查南京地区高危人群性传播疾病 /艾滋病 (STD/AIDS)方面的知识、态度、行为和观念 (KABP) ,为制定相关政策和资源分配提供依据。　方法 :对 72 0例某收容教育所学员以问卷形式进行调查。　结果 :调查对象对STD/AIDS相关知识认识不全面 ;性交易时预防性病的措施不正确 ,安全套使用率低 ;患性病时常到个体诊所进行不正规治疗。　结论 :高危人群对STD/AIDS的认识和预防措施有待提高 ,求医方式需加以正确的引导 ,建立相应的社会支持系统是性健康教育的关键所在。     

Emerging infectious diseases and xenotransplantation

A total of 335 infectious diseases was reported in the global human population between 1940 and 2004, the majority of which were caused by zoonotic pathogens [ 1 ]. Although viral pathogens constitute only 25%, some have spread worldwide with most starting from Central Africa. These include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causing acquired immunodeficiency syndromes (AIDS), chikungunya virus and West Nile virus, which also cause severe diseases in humans. HIV‐1 and HIV‐2, for example, are the result of trans‐species transmission from non‐human primates [ 2 ] to humans sometime in the last century. The spread of two henipaviruses causing fatal diseases in horses, pigs and humans has been observed in Asia and Australia, and although these viruses represent transspecies transmissions from bats, secondary transmissions from pigs to humans have also occurred. These and many other examples of emerging infectious diseases call for strong safety considerations in the field of xenotransplantation. Whereas known viruses can easily be eliminated from donor pigs, strategies should be developed to detect new zoonotic pathogens. In addition, all pigs carry porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in their genome. Two of these, PERV‐A and PERV‐B, as wells as recombinant PERV‐A/C are able to infect human cells. The greatest threat appears to come from the recombinant PERV‐A/C viruses as they appear to have an increased infectivity [ 3 , 4 ]. An increase in PERV expression was not observed in multitransgenic pigs expressing DAF, TRAIL and HLAE, generated to prevent immune rejection [ 5 ]. Our laboratory has developed a variety of strategies to prevent PERV transmission following xenotransplantation: (i) selection of animals that do not harbour PERV‐C genomes in order to prevent recombination, (ii) selection of PERV‐A and PERV‐B low‐producers [ 6 ], (iii) development of an antiviral vaccine to protect xenotransplant recipients [ 7 ] and (iv) generation of transgenic pigs in which PERV expression is inhibited via RNA interference. Inhibition of PERV expression using either synthetic small interfering (si) RNA or short hairpin (sh) RNA was demonstrated in PERV infected human cells [ 8 ], in primary pig cells [ 9 ] and in all transgenic piglets born [ 10 ]. A second generation of pigs expressing PERV‐specific siRNA is now under study and experiments have been started to introduce multiple shRNA. Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG, DE729/4.     

KAP study on reproductive health among medical freshmen: a survey of AIDS related knowledge and attitudes and their implications

SincethefirstAIDScasewasreportedin1981,HIV/AIDShasspreadwithanalarmingspeedacrossalmostallcountriesandregionsovertheworld,immenselythreateningallindividuals,familiesaswellascommunities.Sofar,ChinaisatlowepidemicstatusintermsofHIVprevalencerate.However,alloftheriskingfactorsandchannelsoftransmissiondoexist.Forexample,alargefloatingpopulationnumberingin100millions,mainlyruralpeopleseekingjobsinurbancenters,lackingofsexrelatedknowledgeingeneralpopulation,mushroominginsexindustryacrossthenat…