HIV rates jump for NYC young men of color

New HIV diagnoses for gay and bisexual men under the age of 30 have increased by one third over the past six years in New York City, according to the city's health department. Furthermore, new diagnoses have doubled among gay and bisexual men between the ages of 13 and 19, while the rate has declined by 22% for men over 30.

The health department reports that black and Hispanic men are most at risk to contract the virus—among the entire group, black men were diagnosed at twice the rate of whites in 2006, and Hispanics received 55% more diagnoses. For teens, the rate is more staggering. Ninety percent of teens with HIV in the study were black or Hispanic.
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Falling Platelet Counts May Signal HIV-Linked Dementia

HIV-infected patients with declining blood platelet counts may be at increased risk for HIV-associated dementia, which causes a number of cognitive, behavioral and motor skill problems, researchers report.

Researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore studied 396 patients with advanced HIV disease. Between 1998 and 2003, the patients were examined every six months, including mental and physical evaluations.
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Number of Partners Doesn't Explain Gay HIV Rate

The HIV epidemic among gay men can't be explained by their number of sexual partners, U.S. researchers report.

More than half the new HIV infections diagnosed in the United States in 2005 were among gay men, a team at the University of Washington, Seattle, noted. In addition, as many as one in five gay men living in cities may be HIV-positive.

In fact, two surveys found that most gay men have a similar rate of sex with unprotected partners compared to straight men or women. read more

Calypte Appoints J. Daniel Clark as Vice President Sales and Marketing

Calypte Biomedical Corporation (OTCBB: CBMC), a manufacturer of medical diagnostic tests for the rapid detection of antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), announced today that J. Daniel Clark has been appointed Vice President Sales and Marketing.

Mr. Clark's background includes over 35 years in general management and sales and marketing in the health care industry, with an emphasis on technology licensing and international distribution. For the past seven years Mr. Clark has been a consultant to the medical device industry with an international focus, including recent assignments in China.

Calypte Biomedical Corporation (www.calypte.com) is a U.S.-based healthcare company focused on the development and commercialization of rapid testing products for sexually transmitted diseases such as the AwareTM HIV-1/2 OMT test that are suitable for use at the point of care and at home. read more