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In a study published on March 25 in Public Health Reports, researchers from the Florida Department of Health; Florida International University; the UCLA School of Law; Skills4 of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and the National Development and Research Institute in New York reported their findings from a study they did to better define populations of MSM in every state in the United States.

They used three statistical models to gather their data and, according to the report, found that, “Of an estimated 7.1 million MSM residing in the U.S. in 2007, 71.4% (5.1 million) were white, 15.9% (1.1 million) Hispanic, 8.9% (635,000) black, 2.7% Asian (191,000), 0.4% (26,000) American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.1% (6,000) Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, and 0.6% (41,000) of multiple/unknown race/ethnicity. The overall U.S. percentage of males who were MSM (6.4%) varied from 3.3% (South Dakota) to 13.2% (District of Columbia, which is treated as a state). Estimated numbers of MSM ranged from 9,612 (Wyoming) to 1,104,805 (California).

Though as yet uncorroborated by other studies, these estimates of MSM populations by state and race/ethnicity can inform and guide HIV/AIDS surveillance, allocation of resources, and advocacy, as well as clarifying “HIV incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates.” They can also help in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of HIV prevention programs and other services.

There has just been released a new study for individuals living with HIV.

I thought I would take a moment and post this online for everyone to see, and hope in turn maybe you will qualify for the study. I know from experience that a study can be a great way to work with the professionals to find a cure, and gets you free meds. This is a big plus!!!!

Below are the details of the study: (you can certainly email me with questions about a study, as I am participating in one now)

A5241: The OPTIONS Study
A study for HIV-positive people who need new drugs because their current HIV medicines are not working.

Participants will receive FDA-approved medicines to treat their HIV. The medications are selected based on the type of virus they have and the
resistance profile
of that virus.

Key requirements:
• Currently on a protease inhibitor medicine
• HIV-1 viral load is more than 1000
• Resistant to or have received multiple types of HIV medicines
• Never received a type of drug called an integrase inhibitor

For more information, contact:
Rush Medical Center
Beverly Sha, MD
Section of Infectious Diseases
Rush University Medical Center
(312) 942-5865

For everyone who loves Gaga....
Here is even more of a reason why you should...

Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga have teamed up with the MAC AIDS Fund to promote HIV awareness and prevention among women.

"Fighting HIV/AIDS is not a one-woman job," Lauper told HealthDay. "Lady Gaga and I are using our voices as a call to action for women all over the world. I lost a lot of friends to AIDS before we even knew what it was. Today, across the world, women are more likely to become infected with HIV than men. Each one of us needs to do our part to fight for women impacted by HIV and AIDS."

And while Lauper, 56, got involved in the fight against AIDS early in the epidemic, Lady Gaga said she's on board for a new generation.

"Anything I can do to help raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness -- that's what I'm here for, and I'm very honored to be a part of this," the pop star, 23, said in a statement.

There does seem to be a need for better awareness if the results of a new MAC AIDS Fund-sponsored poll of 1,000 American women is any indication. Among the survey's findings:

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of women surveyed do not know their current HIV status.
Most (78 percent) say they've had unprotected sex, and 72 percent of those who had sex without a condom said they did so because they believed they were in an exclusive relationship.
Over half (55 percent) of women say they have never had an HIV test, and about four in every 10 women who were tested can't remember when their last test took place.
Nearly six in 10 women (58 percent) say they don't get tested because they believe they are in a monogamous relationship.
One in every five women said there was nothing that would convince them now to get an HIV test, even if they had already had one in the past.
"The number of women living with HIV in the country has tripled since 1985 and it's the leading cause of death for black women ages 18 to 35," noted Nancy Mahon, executive director of the MAC AIDS Fund, which has earmarked more than $2.5 million to projects aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS.

As part of the campaign, Lauper and Lady Gaga have each lent their names to a shade of VIVA GLAM lipstick, with 100% of the proceeds going to the MAC AIDS Fund.

As Lady Gaga noted, women need only take a few simple steps to shield themselves from HIV. "Use protection, and be selective and strong about those you love," she said. "Your body is sacred, and it's OK to say no. Make your partners get tested, go together: it will only make your relationship stronger and healthier."

Lauper agreed. "Be smart, be careful, protect yourself," she said in a statement. "And look out for your sisters to make sure they are doing the same."

I look at this... I almost think that this could break up the stereo type that HIV & AIDS is related to "gays" I seem to think that most "gays" atleast know their status or when they had their last test. Most women feel inferior to the virus and think it doesn not affect them. When in alot of cases it can infect them, sometimes even at a higher risk.

Just to keep it short & simple.

I will be attending the TPAN HIV+ party tonight at 8pm-9:30 at Hydrate. Come join us!!! Its a great cause! $5 Donation to TPAN (gets you a drink ticket)

Come meet me, say HI, put a name to a face!

SUNDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Medications can reduce the level of the AIDS virus in the blood to zero, but HIV doesn't disappear and often roars back when patients stop taking their pills. Now, research is giving scientists new insight into how the virus manages to hide and avoid the killing powers of medicine.

In a new study, researchers report that the virus lurks in certain bone marrow cells and "reawakens" only under certain circumstances.

The research provides a new target for scientists, but it also presents new challenges because killing off bone marrow cells is a dicey proposition.

Overall, the findings provide "a better understanding of how HIV hides in the body" and could lead to better strategies to kill or control it, said study co-author Dr. Kathleen Collins, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan.

Doctors have long known about the ability of HIV -- the AIDS virus -- to avoid being killed off completely by medications. Drugs may prevent the virus from infecting new cells, "but they don't get rid of cells that contain the virus and have potential to make new viral particles," Collins said.

This helps explain why HIV isn't curable. The immune systems of patients may be able to control the virus for a time but later fall victim to a renewed attack and, ultimately, to AIDS.

"A patient cannot be cured of HIV until all sources of infection are eliminated," said Jerome A. Zack, director of the UCLA Center for AIDS Research in Los Angeles.

But where does the virus hide when it's not in the blood? Researchers have suspected that the bone marrow -- which creates blood cells -- could serve as the hiding place.

In the new study, published in the March 7 online edition of Nature Medicine, researchers examined bits of AIDS virus and cells from infected people in the laboratory.

The investigators found that the virus can infect certain kinds of bone marrow cells that are the parents ("progenitors") of blood cells, Collins said.

So why not use a medication to kill all those parent cells, thereby perhaps ridding the body of HIV?

It sounds simple, but killing all of these blood-producing marrow cells would be lethal to humans, Collins said. However, "maybe we could find ways of targeting only the latently infected bone marrow cells," she added.

Zack, the UCLA researcher, said the study findings are convincing, but "we as yet do not have easy ways to eliminate these dormant sources of virus. The challenge to the field is to find all sources of virus -- this study identifies one -- and identify ways to eliminate them. Only by developing strategies to eliminate all the different sources can we purge HIV from the body."

In the long run, study co-author Collins said, the findings could help scientists develop ways to eradicate HIV or turn lifelong medication therapy "into a therapy that might last for a defined period of time."