A landmark study has revealed there are at least 10 different types of breast cancer, not four as previously thought – a finding that is expected to have far-reaching implications for treatment of the disease.
The research also sheds light on high profile cases in which anti-gay public figures are caught engaging in same-sex sexual acts. This dynamic of inner conflict may be reflected in such examples as Ted Haggard, the evangelical preacher who opposed gay marriage but was exposed in a gay sex scandal, or Republican Glenn Murphy, another gay marriage opponent. Murphy was later accused of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old man.
Scientists have found that those who developed a protective antibody after taking an experimental HIV vaccine were less likely to become infected with the virus. The researchers also discovered another antibody that may have blocked the effectiveness of the vaccine. The discoveries provide important new clues on how an effective HIV vaccine could work.
The new health care law’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program is providing insurance to 50,000 people with pre-existing conditions. According to a new report, PCIP is helping to fill a void in the insurance market for people with pre-existing conditions who are denied health coverage.
Evidence suggests that many in the LGBT community are disproportionately uninsured. This makes the new coverage options under the Affordable Care Act that much more important. The Affordable Care Act is making new coverage options available to Americans, including those without access to coverage through a domestic partner or employer and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The study found that the rate of HIV infection is five times higher for black women than previous CDC estimates. The rate is comparable to HIV infection rates of several countries in sub-Saharan Africa such as the Congo and Kenya, underscoring the seriousness of the study results. The study also found that those HIV infected Black women are twice as likely to die of AIDS than HIV infected white women.
Gay and bisexual men (MSM) are at higher risk for conditions associated with HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 than heterosexual men. These include a higher incidence of HPV genital warts, anal intra-epithelial neoplasia (a cancer precursor) and anal cancers. Recent data on the HPV vaccines have demonstrated efficacy in preventing genital warts (Gardasil only) and precursors of anal cancer.
One of the most striking recent medical developments is difficult to talk about, but it’s timely and important. Cancers of the tongue and throat, all categorized as oropharyngeal cancers, are appearing at an epidemic rate! These cancer types were previously seen almost exclusively in older people who smoked and drank to excess. This is no longer true. Now the most common cause of cancer of the tonsil and tongue is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). That’s right, the sexually transmitted disease. And it is occurring in ever younger people of all socioeconomic classes. But now comes the squeamish part. The increased rate of this cancer directly parallels the evolution in sexual practices that have occurred within our society over the past 40 years. The risk factor most strongly associated with this cancer is a history of performing oral sex and oral-anal contact. That’s because the tonsils in the back of the throat are fertile ground for this virus.
Certain oral cancers have declined by more than 50 percent thanks to decreases in tobacco use. Meanwhile, HPV related head, neck and throat cancers have exploded along with the popularity of oral sex (and deep kissing).
The finding that HIV treatment with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) can actually prevent transmission of the virus from an infected person to his or her uninfected partner has been named “Breakthrough of the Year” for 2011 by the journal Science.
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