compiled by Martin Flynn
SMOKING: SUDDEN QUITTERS
MORE SUCCESSFUL
New
research from London’s University College Hospital reveals
that unplanned attempts to stop smoking are more likely to succeed. Researchers
interviewed more than 1,900 smokers and ex-smokers about their attempts to
quit, the BMJ reported, and found that two-thirds of smokers who managed to
stop succeeded for at least six months, compared to under half of those who
planned it in detail.
Motivation to quit is believed to be higher in those who take immediate action,
but less so in those who opt to quit some time in the future.
The researchers suggest that public health campaigns should focus on the ‘three
T’s’: creating motivational tension, triggering action in smokers
who are on the cusp of quitting and immediate availability of treatment such
as nicotine patches and counselling.
This news comes as more evidence emerges that HIV positive people smoke more
and at higher levels than the rest of the population. And individuals with
HIV appear to be at a higher risk of lung cancer than the general population,
the journal Lung Cancer reveals, particularly since the introduction of Highly
Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).
Latest studies show that HIV positive people are twice as much at risk of
lung cancers and that this risk may be greater in women than 
men.
On average, lung cancer occurs at a younger age in HIV positive individuals
(45 years vs 62 years in the general population). Eighty-five per cent of
people who develop lung cancer are smokers and lung cancer survival appears
to be worse in the those with HIV.
“HIV positive individuals must be informed of the risks of smoking and
encouraged to stop,” researchers concluded.
• Call 020 7738 3712 for info on GMFA’s stop-smoking courses
• www.givingupsmoking.co.uk
3D STRUCTURE OF HIV SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME
Scientists
from Germany and Oxford have revealed the first 3D model of HIV.
The team took hundreds of images from various angles, using computer rendering
to build the image. HIV is 60 times smaller than a human red blood cell and
is a particularly successful virus. It is notoriously difficult to map because
of its variable shape and flattened appearance. The core of the virus, which
is cone-shaped (see image below), spans the width of the viral membrane and
spikes on the exterior bind to human immune cells, T-cells, which allow the
virus to invade. “Identifying how HIV grows will help us see how it
accommodates its variability,” said Professor Stephen Fuller from Oxford
University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. “This could
inform the development of more therapeutic approaches.”
BREAKTHROUGH IN HIV BABY TESTING
Scientists at Cambridge University have come up with a low-cost
test that can instantly diagnose whether a baby is HIV positive.
The test, developed by Dr Helen Lee and colleagues at Cambridge’s Diagnostics
Unit, uses just a pinprick of blood from the baby’s heel. Ninety per
cent of all HIV positive babies become infected either in the womb or during
birth but only half live until their second birthday. Current HIV tests work
by detecting antibodies but new babies carry their mother’s antibodies,
crossing from the placenta to the baby’s blood, irrespective of whether
or not the baby itself has contracted HIV. “So the baby will test positive
even though they may not be infected,” says Dr Lee. “Therefore,
to test HIV infection in babies from infected mothers, one needs to detect
the virus itself.”
“Using the current antibody test, we are only sure if they have HIV
after 18 months. At that age, half of the children will die.” The new
cheap tests mean that poor clinics in Africa will not need $200,000 testing
machines based in sophisticated labs.
CUT STROKE RISK WITH FRUIT AND VEG
Eating
more than five portions of fruit and veg each day lowers the risk
of stroke, according to a new study from the University of London.Researchers
found those who ate three to five portions cut the risk by 11 per cent and
those who ate more than five portions had a 26 per cent lower risk.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death and most common cause of disability
in developed countries.
An ageing population of HIV positive individuals are likely to suffer from
increasing amounts of heart disease and strokes, not least because one of
the side effects of most HIV medications are higher than normal fat levels
in the blood, combined with a loss of fat from the periphery, such as arms
and legs.
High blood pressure in HIV positive people is another determining factor for
strokes.
