Skin diseases

Skin diseases have been of major concern recently due to their association with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The study area (northern Maputaland) has the highest HIV infection rate in South Africa, which made them more prone to a wide range of skin conditions. Fungal infections due to the hot climate and overcrowding households are common in this area, as well as burn accidents due to the use of wood as the major fuel for cooking. It is known that the lay people in this area depend on medicinal plants for their primary health care. However no survey has been done in northern Maputaland to document the medicinal plants used to treat various skin disorder.

Interviews were undertaken at 80 homesteads, using structured questionnaires. The focus was on plants used for dermatological conditions and information regarding vernacular plant names, plant parts used, preparation (independently and in various combinations) and application was collected. With increasingly successful management of HIV, focus has shifted away from AIDS-related complications to other chronic co-morbidities. For HIV-related cognitive problems, the true aetiopathogenesis and epidemiology remains unclear. Rather than a systematic review, this paper presents the challenges and the opportunities we faced in establishing our own clinical service. Papers were identified using Pubmed and the terms "screening", "HIV" and "neurocognitive".

The HIV transmission risk

As previously noted, almost all the studies come from the pre-HAART era. The investigators therefore carried out mathematical modelling work to estimate reductions in the transmission risk in individuals with a suppressed viral load.

To do this they used two different calculations for the relationship between viral load and transmission, derived from studies with heterosexuals in Uganda and Zambia.

The first calculation has been widely used by other researchers. In it, each log increase in viral load is assumed to increase transmission 2.45-fold. While this 2.45-fold relationship is thought to be accurate for viral loads between 400 and 10,000 copies/ml, Baggaley and colleagues believe that it overestimates transmission both at lower and higher viral loads.

The second, more complex, calculation reflects transmission being extremely rare at low viral loads and also transmission rates being pretty constant at higher viral loads.

Using the first method, the HIV transmission risk for unprotected receptive anal intercourse is 0.06%, which is 96% lower than without treatment. However using the second method, the predicted transmission risk would be 0.0011%, which is 99.9% lower than without treatment.

Mycobacterium Avium Complex

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a pandemic disease that can be transmitted by transfer of bodily fluids. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are an estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States of America. HIV causes damage to the body's immune system and reduces the white blood cell count. It renders the body susceptible to infections and diseases. In the advanced stages of HIV, it becomes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC)
Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a serious illness that is seen in the final stages of HIV, when the white blood cell count is below 50. It spreads throughout the body and can be seen in the spleen, intestines, bone marrow, lungs and liver. It causes high fever, diarrhea, chills, weight loss, stomach cramps and unusual fatigue.
Cytomegalovirus
According to the New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center, Cytomegalovirus damages the cells of the retina during the final stages of HIV. This can affect vision and cause blindness. It causes the retina to become inflamed, and decreases vision.
Candidiasis. Candidiasis is an infection that is seen in the final stages of HIV. It targets the mouth, throat and vagina, and causes the development of white lesions. It can cause pain in the mouth and throat, difficulty with swallowing, and burning and irritation in the vagina.

Immunodeficiency Virus

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the T cells or CD4 cells in the blood. The body cannot get rid of HIV like it can other viruses such as those that cause the flu. HIV can develop into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) over time, which can put individuals at risk for development of opportunistic infections.

Although there are several modes of transmission of HIV, the most common are through unprotected sex, sharing of needles and syringes, and transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, birth or breast feeding. Other less common modes of transmission include being bitten by an individual infected with HIV, eating food that is pre-chewed by an infected individual, being "stuck" with an infected object (generally in a health care setting) and contact with open wounds and mucous membranes of infected individuals. Blood transfusions, tissue and organ transplants, and tattoos and body piercings also increase the risk of HIV contraction.

The term AIDS is an abbreviation for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the late stages of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. After it infects the body, the HIV virus slowly destroys the immune system.

Men with AIDS

Men with AIDS frequently experience chronic or recurrent fevers as a symptom of the disease. A fever occurs when the immune system stimulates an increase in body temperature triggered by the presence of a foreign pathogen, such as a virus or bacterium, in the body. Men who develop fever symptoms may also experience chills or excessive sweating. Profuse sweating may occur most frequently during the night, which can cause men to wake up several times during the night with damp, moist or flushed skin.

Men with AIDS may experience recurrent bowel movements that yield runny, watery or loose stools - a side effect called diarrhoea. Chronic diarrhoea can cause excessive fluid loss and may also lead to significant weight loss. In combination, these side effects may cause an AIDS symptom called wasting syndrome. Men who experience wasting syndrome develop persistent diarrhoea symptoms for at least 30 days and lose at least 10 percent of their normal body mass.
AIDS prevents the immune system from functioning normally, which can increase a man's susceptibility to infections. Consequently, men with AIDS may suffer from recurrent bouts of pneumonia or oral thrush. Infections that occur in men with AIDS may require additional antibiotic or anti fungal treatment to control or mitigate infection symptoms.

Anabolic steroids and immunodeficiency virus

About the successful use of oxymetholone - an oral anabolic steroid sold under such trade names as Anadrol-50 and Anapolon - in the treatment of the wasting syndrome associated with AIDS. The fact that oxymetholone worked, however, must have intrigued other scientists, because several new studies have appeared recently that show an increased acceptance of using anabolic steroids for treating and possibly prolonging the lives of AIDS patients. For example, last July, Australian researchers reported in the journal AIDS (1996) that using an injectable anabolic steroid called nandrolone decanoate appears to have a positive effect on "weight, lean body mass and quality of life" in patients who have tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Nandrolone decanoate is sold commercially as Deca-Durabolin, and a veterinary form is sold under the name Norandren.

Another report published in the same journal four months later showed good results when AIDS patients took an oral anabolic steroid called oxandrolone. Sold under the trade name Anavar (a current version is sold under the name Oxandrin), oxandrolone has for years been one of the more popular anabolic steroids among athletes because of its lack of side effects.

Oblique crunch

The oblique crunch works all your abdominal muscles with an emphasis on your obliques. Pay special attention to form if you have a history of lower back or neck discomfort.
Getting set
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor. Place your left hand behind your head so your thumb is behind your left ear. Place your right arm along the floor beside you. Bring your elbow out to the side and round it slightly inward. Tilt your chin so your chin and your chest are a few inches apart. Pull your abdominals in.

The exercise
As you curl your head, neck, and shoulder blades off the floor, twist your torso to the right, bringing your left shoulder toward your right knee. (Your elbow won’t actually touch your knee.) Lower back down. Do all the repetitions on one side and then switch to the other side.

Other options
Legs-up crunch with a twist (harder): Lift your bent knees off the floor and cross one ankle over the other. Straight-arm crunch with a twist (harder): Reach for your opposite knee with your arm straight rather than your elbow bent. Reach past the outside edge of your knee.