Newspaper Page Text
14A
October 21, 2004
Living
SENIOR HEALTH FOCUS
Q: 1 have just been diagnosed with breast cancer and feel alone and isolated. But Im not sure
a support group is right for me. What is the real value of these groups? kb, Growtoun, G
Being diagnosed with any
type of cancer is a traumat
ic experience that brings
out strong emotions in peo
ple. These feelings may
range from fear to despair
to rage. According to the
Rev. Alan Faulkner, a chap
lain with Medical Oncology
Associates, many people
tend to deal with cancer by
isolating themselves at
home, where they feel safe
and don’t have to talk about
New lead in quest to protect women from sexual HIV transmission
By LAURAN NEERGAARD
A; Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Scientists have long sought a
vaginal gel that women could
apply before sex to block the
AIDS virus. Now theyve
found a new lead — a chemical
specially designed to thwart the
way HIV penetrates womens
cells.
The experimental drug isnt
ready for human testing yet,
but it provided potent protec
tion to female monkeys
exposed to large amounts of an
AIDS virus, researchers report
K
&0
. B
The Now Home of
Fattz and Gher, %m’nys
www.963kissfm.com
their illness.
But this isolation can
increase the feelings of lone
liness and despair. “Most
people with cancer really
need to be heard and
understood. Cancer
patients dont want pity,”
Rev. Faulkner says. “They
just want to be able to
express themselves to an
understanding listener.”
In a support group you'll
find other women who can
Thursday in the journal Sci
ence.
The chemical prevented
HIV from invading vaginal tis
sue by blocking its preferred
cellular doorway, the first evi
dence that targeting that portal
is sufficient to prevent Pu?fec—
tion.
“There’s such a need for pre
vention right now,” said {;d
researcher Dr. Michael Leder
man of Case Western Reserve
University. “Having a target in
some ways could sim,Plify
approaches to prevention.
AIDS specialists called the
discovery a promising step in
AUGUSTA FOCUS
truthfully say they under
stand what you are going
through. “You'll also discov
er that a lot of the disturb
ing feelings you are having
are normal and universal for
people with cancer,” Rev.
Faulkner says.
Rev. Faulkner suggests
you try attending two or
three support group meet
ings. Don't worry if you're
uncomfortable talking in
front of a group. “No one
the quest for so-called topical
microbicides, gels or creams
that women could use to pro
tect themselves without having
to get a man to agree to a con
dom.
“There’s been a lot of difficul
ty in getting microbicides to be
both effective and non-irritat
ing,” said Dr. Anthony Faudi,
director of the National Inst
tute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases. “This is a step for
ward.”
HIV infection is rising more
rapidly among women than
men in many parts of the
will expect you to express
your feelings unless you vol
unteer to do so,” he says.
Pam Anderson, R.N.,
director of University Hos
pital’s Breast Health Center
and leader of the Pink Mag
nolias, a support group for
breast cancer patients,
agrees. “People in our group
feel free to cry, talk about
what’s on their mind or just
listen to the experiences of
others,” she says. “A group
world. Half of all of the adults
living with HIV and AIDS
worldwide are female, com
pared with 41 tin 1997,
according to tfii Joint United
Nations Program on
HIV/AIDS. In sub-Saharan
Africa, for example, the figure is
nearly 60 percent, the group
says.
The microbicide hunt has
proved difficult. The first prod
uct actually promoted for HIV
protection, the spermicide
nonoxynol-9, was ultimately
found to increase the chance of
infection because it irritated
Now, two experimental
microbicides are undergoing
final-stage testing in thousands
of women in Africa. While
advocates hope theyll provide
at least ngfi’f pmtectiol:l, they
don specifically target the way
HIV invades during heterosex
ual intercourse.
Babies born too soon - a growing threat
(NAPSI) - Every year more
American babies are born pre
maturely-a half-million this
year alone-causing an emotion
al roller coaster of uncertainty
for their families. Will the baby
survive? Will the baby be all
right?
To help inform people about
the severity of the problem,
three moms share their own
gripping, early-childbirth so
ries as March of Dimes Nation
al Ambassadors-meeting with
volunteers, corporations,
celebrities and government rep
resentatives.
Michelle Reeves, a reception
ist with Wachovia, knows how
- ER
Dilute Your Debt
Withßesource Lynx Topleading
institution in North American o
with the perfect reseurces to ;
heip you be financially. .
Free Resource Lynx guarantees 3
service perfection in all g 5
Financial nesdisl i :
Delit Consoiidation o it
§ All Mortgages ,
§ Refinancing . e o 8
§ Businoss
§ Personal heip and much meore. it only
takes one phone call, 48 hours and
professienal help te conguer and '
defeat your creditors. @ Resource Lynx '
we have all the answers to your 81
$0 call now 1888-524-1185 te resin
syour credit! s
i . ~‘; e o
LIBERATE YOURSELFI e
Mon-Sat 10:00 a.m. - 700
for husbands and signifi
cant others meets at the
same time.”
But support groups aren't
for everyone. “Some people
are more comfortable in
one-on-one situations.
These people might prefer
talking to a minister, psy
chologist or trusted friend.
“The important thing is to
find a person or group who
can listen attentively and
understand what you are
HIV invades cells through
“receptor” molecules on their
surfaces; it prefers one called
CCRS. Scientists have lo
known that people who laZE
CCRSS because of genetic
mutations hardly ever get HIV
— and that the body harbors
another molecule called
RANTES that can block HIV
by sticking to CCRS first.
Lederman partnered with
Swiss researchers who created a
manmade RANTES version
thousands of times more
potent at blocking CCRS.
They gave 30 monkeys a hor
mone to make them more vul
nesable: to HIV. infection.
Then they sprayed their vagi
nas with the new chemical,
called PSC-RANTES, and 15
minutes later squirted in high
doses of a monkey-human
strain of AIDS virus.
Monkeys who received the
highest dose of PSC-RANTES
serious and costly a problem
premature birth can be. Her
daughter, Amanda, was born
14 weeks early weighing 1 Ib., 7
oz. Amanda spent her first 84
days in a neonatal intensive care
unit. March of Dimes
advances, such as surfactant
therapy, as well as treatments
for anemia, vision and other
problems of prematurity
helped her win the battde and
today she’s a happy six-year-old.
Susan Henderson, a lawyer,
had an equally harrowing birth.
Her daughter, Emma, was
born three months premature,
weighing only 1 Ib., 12 oz and
given a one in ten chance of
going through,” Rewv.
Faulkner says.
For more information on
breast health, please call
University’s Breast Health
Center at 706/774-4141. If
you have a question you
would like addressed in this
column or would like more
information on University’s
Seniors Club, please write
to University’s Seniors Club
at 4106 Columbia Road,
Martinez, Ga., 30907.
were completely protected; a
lower dose provicred 80 per
cent protection. There were no
detectable side effects.
PSC-RANTES costs a lot to
manufacture, so the scientists
are working on cheaper formu
las, and on a gel version that
could stay in the vagina longer.
More safety studies in animals
are needed, too. But “if we're
lucky,” a CCRS-blocking mol
ecule might begin small safety
studies in women in a year,
Lederman said.
It’s crucial to develop muld
ple methods to block sexually
transmitted Hl\;,f said Dr.
Zeda Rosenberg of the Inter
national 3 Partnership ~ for
Microbicides. “Having a
that specifically bk)“dncgs Hdlr\l"l%
receptors is a really important
piece.”
The research was funded by
the US. and Swiss govern
ments.
survival.
Emma spent 101 days in the
NICU, undergoing several sur
ies to correct problems with
fi:l brain and eyes. Today,
Emma is a smiling, athlenc
nine-year-old, who lives with a
permanent shunt in her brain
and a diagnosis of mild cerebral
pala,)renda Wiashington works
for American Airlines. Her son
Justin was born four rlnbonths
remature, wmfinng ing 1 Ib,, 8.5
57. at birth. He undcrw::
numerous ies duri
first weeks (S)qu'ghfi,n but % the
10-year-old is outgoing and full
of life.
“Not all children who are
born this early are as lucky as
these three,” said Dr. Jennifer L.
Howse, president of the March
of Dimes, the nonprofit organ
ization leading the fight against
premature birth. “Many chil
dren who are born prematurely
have life-long h&lgn concerns,
f;?ehb r:ls mental dtc:a:dation,
an and
hearing pfljcms andl:(:gmc do
not survive.
The cause of premature birth
is still unknown. A woman can
do everything right and sl
have a pmmturcng:ild. “That's
where March of Dimes comes
in-with research,” said Dr.
Howse.
More information about
gmerm labor and premature
irth can be fgund at
www.marchofdimes.com or
March of Dimes Spanish web
site at Nacersano.org,
. Premature birth is 2 com
mon, costly and serious prob
lem for all Americans and
much more research is needed.