₦airaland Forum

Thanks naijaking1,

Your a doctor? What's your specialty?

Or should is it Sydney Bristow Vs. Jack Bauer. Which series gets your vote?

I just hope I don't get banned for posting this 'cos I think Seun is against this ( I'm not really sure if I'm correct or not) but anyway, here is a new link:

medicalheaven(dot)com

Enjoy!!! It's a supersite!!!

PLEASE BUY THE BOOKS FROM THE AUTHORS IF YOU LOVE THEM!!!

fsb

ifyalways:
a million thanks to you fsb.

, your welcome

And just for the case of mentioning genotypes, you could have:

Regular Genotype: AA (healthy as healthy can be)

Traits: AC, AD, AF, AG, A+FAST, AE and AS (not associated with any clinical signs, symptoms or syndromes - they as relatively as healthy as AA)

Genotypes associated with clinical features: SS, SC, CC (are associated with clinical signs, symptoms and syndromes)

Please note that the marriage thing is this, I really don't know what the recent trend is but the important thing is to make sure your genotype of you and your partner don't match up in a way as to produce an children with SS, SC and CC. These children only suffer for nothing!

I hope my post was useful to somebody out there!!!

, fsb

PS: Please note that the list of genotypes above isn't in any way exhaustive. Those are the most common I've mentioned, there are several others.

How do people get their genotypes?

Simple, from your biological parents.

If papa bomboy has a genotype AA and mama bomboy has a genotype AS, which genotype do their children have? What we do in theory is this, you cross each of those letters so that you have AA, AS, AA, AS? Therefore, for each pregnancy and each bomboy they delivery has a 50:50 probability of being AA or AS.

What if their genotypes were AA (for papa bomboy) and SS (for mama bomboy); you do the crossing again: AS, AS, AS, AS. Therefore, it is very UNLIKELY that any of their children will have a genotype outside of AS.

You will see that I have used the word unlikely because SHIT happens. They might end up having a child who is either completely AA or SS but whatever happens, a child's genotype is never outside of the parents. Eg. a man and woman who are both AA can never have children with genotype starting or ending with 'S'. If it happens, talk to your landlord (just kiddin').

So for you to get AC, you must have a parent who carries a 'C' in his or her genotype. I hope that answers your question?

One more thing: Are there any clinical features of Hemoglobin C like Hemoglobin S?

In the case that you're AC, well the good news is that MOST TIMES THERE ARE NO SYMPTOMS, but occasionally, there is JAUNDICE.

THE BEST PART IS THAT YOU CAN LIVE A NORMAL LIFE WITH AC!!!

Hope that has helped!!!


, fsb

To understand what AC is, I believe it'll be best you understand what the normal is?

The story goes,

What you have following in your blood are cells, the most predominant of which are called RED BLOOD CELLS (RBCs). These cells contain within them HEMOGLOBIN, a substance without which the RBCs are invariably useless. This hemoglobin itself is composed of 2 parts: a heme (don't bother yourself, this basically is a complex Iron-protein complex) and globin (2 pairs of protein chains, this is the important part).

There are 2 alpha and 2 beta globin chains - the pair, and there is a normal way the chains are supposed to be structured. The error happens when a protein substitution occurs in any one of these chains - but particularly in the globin chains (First of all, you have to understand that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins - so if amino acid 'x' is the normal, an abnormality occurs when instead of 'x' at a particular location along the chain, you have 'y'.)

That is as simple as it gets. These errors of substitution are given the big name of 'THALASSAEMIAS'. In reality, a substitution will occur at any point along either the alpha or beta chains but for the purposes of simplicity and to answer your question, we focus on the genotypes AS, SS, AC.

Genotype AA: At position 6 of both globin chains,the amino acid is GLUTAMATE
Genotype AS: At position 6 of one globin chain is GLUTAMATE and at position 6 of the second globin chain, you have VALINE
Genotype SS: At position 6 of both globin chains, the amino acid is VALINE
Genotype AC: At position 6 of one globin chain is GLUTAMATE and at position 6 of the second globin chain, you have LYSINE

I hope you can appreciate the above. This little substitutions can cause significant differences in the quality of life that you experience with a genotype.

I'll post this and continue with HOW DO PEOPLE GET THEIR GENOTYPES!!!

Okay, for the purposes of information only and not because am pro-abortion, I would like to say that YES, there are actually pills available for inducing a miscarriage. As to availability, they are available just that they are not OTC drugs (over the counter). They are under direct government control but I believe they are available.

Secondly, I am not pro-abortion but I can't stop wondering which is a lesser crime: Inducing a miscarriage or Having a baby and dumping it in the refuse dumps scattered across cities in Nigeria?

fsb

PS: Please remember that inducing a miscarriage is illegal in Nigeria?

V Admiral Sir,

Thank you very much for your reply. It was insightful and I would really appreciate good direction and advice from you about the service. I have included my email address in my last post. Please let's discuss, THANK YOU SIR!!!

Hello Sirs? Anyone willing to help me out with my earlier question? I really really would appreciate any advice I get. Thanks!!!

muyeto:
please where can i get free medical books

You should buy them but maybe like Brown-eyes says, no one would prosecute you for being a poor African trying to read his way through med school. Anyway, check out the following site, that should be more than helpful.


http://www.doctorebooks.com

, fsb

ifyalways:
i used to think it was cereals and grains.
your post was educating esp the part about sugar and diabetes.

Thanks very much for your comment, I do hope the post was helpful to others as well.

I believe that when it comes to your case (taking 2 bottles of star beer every night), the last question you should ask is the sugar content? If you're worried about your health, there are much larger concerns, EXCESSIVE USE OF ALCOHOL IS (not has been known) known to cause LIVER CIRRHOSIS.

Regardless of what you have heard in the past, developing diabetes mellitus is more of the body's ability to produce insulin than how much sugar you take in. The triky thing is that people say when you take too much sugar, you get diabetes, NOT TOTALLY TRUE. If it was an absolute truth, diabetes would be a disease found primarily in children (who can eat a box of chocolates). Now, a few children get diabetes but their diabetes is not because they ate too much sugar, it's either because the cells producing insulin in their pancreas get destroyed from 101 reasons or quite rarely because the insulin they are producing is ineffective.

In both children and in adults (to a lesser degree), the body will always respond to too much sugar in the system by producing insulin to remove this sugar , converting it to glycogen stores in the tissues.

Why then do adults get diabetes, if its not from excess sugar intake? The answer is simple, they get it because their body changes, they no longer have that sharp ability to produce insulin sufficient enough to remove the pool of excess sugar from the blood. It's complicated but I hope I've been able to put it very simple to you. That's the primary reason but please note that there are several other causes of diabetes than the mechanism I've explained. Reading the above, it is clear why people give the general advice of staying clear of too much sugar as an adult.

Beer is the best known source of silicon (great for the bones); it also contains other minerals which you can get from regularly eating our Nigerian diet. What I believe you need to do is worry about liver cirrhosis and reduce your intake of beer. Your body is not a tank, it can wear and tear!

When all you hear about HIV/AIDS is from the media, it is quite easy to form an opinion that the disease really didn' exist - I didn' believe it a long time ago until I started dealing with patients on an almost daily basis with the condition. I don't know how to put it again - the disease is bad. It's not something you want to have!

From the little experience I have with +pxts, I can tell you that the disease is bad in every way. The stigma is just one thing you have to deal with. First off, let' say by chance you find out you are HIV +, you don't begin receiving HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral therapy) until your CD4+ count is less than a certain level. And then you begin the treatment which begins to boost your immunity (CD4+ levels) only if you maintain strict compliance. In this environment, you find out that people always have one reason or another to miss treatment.

For the most part, the people I get to see always look healthy outside of the office until you see their personal case files (that could be as big as a dictionary). AIDS no dey show for face really until you discover you're positive.

It would be unwise to believe the disease doesn' exist. Just pretend it does and take precautions!!!

Hi,

This is a very interesting thread. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone, preferably, serving men or women, would provide answers to 2 questions:

1. How difficult can it get gaining admission to the NDA for the short service (6months) program?
2. What are the prospects of a medical doctor joining the armed forces? Post grad training, renumeration, etc

I'll be happy if anyone could send me detailed info via email: k_adeniran2001@yahoo.com

Regards,
fsb,

Hi,

Thanks. I think I've done that,

Thanks,

I've just done that,

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-71965.0.html#msg1382655

This paper was published some months back, precisely in May

A simple method of flash-heating breast milk infected with HIV successfully inactivated the free-floating virus, according to a new study led by researchers at the Berkeley and Davis campuses of the University of California.
Notably, the technique - heating a glass jar of expressed breast milk in a pan of water over a flame or single burner - can be easily applied in the homes of mothers in resource-poor communities. (my comment: like Nigeria)

The findings, to appear in the July 1 print issue of the Journal of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, but now available online, provide hope that mothers with HIV in developing nations will soon be able to more safely feed their babies.

"We conducted this research to help HIV-positive mothers and their infants who do not have safe alternatives to breastfeeding," said Kiersten Israel-Ballard, a doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "HIV can be transmitted to the baby via breastfeeding. But for infants in developing countries where infant mortality is already so high from diarrhea and other illnesses, they can't afford to lose the antibodies, other anti-infective agents and the optimal nutrition found in breast milk. This study shows that an easy-to-implement heating method can kill the HIV in breast milk."

This line of research began when HIV-positive women in Zimbabwe asked how they could make their milk safe for their babies. Israel-Ballard conducted a study there that indicated that HIV-positive women wanted to attempt the flash-heating method. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends heat treating HIV-infected breast milk, but there has been little research into a simple method that a mom in a developing country could use.

Studies by this research team have shown that flash-heating breast milk can kill bacteria while retaining most of the milk's nutritional and antimicrobial properties, as well as a majority of its important antibodies.

"Many people in this field were skeptical that this would work," said Barbara Abrams, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health, and senior author on the study. "We wanted to be sure that there was scientific evidence that flash-heated milk was truly free of HIV, nutritious and immunologically beneficial. This study was done in response to the concerns of the mothers in Zimbabwe, and in addition provides evidence that field studies are warranted."

Banks that collect, store and dispense human milk already pasteurize milk, but the method they commonly use requires thermometers and timers that may be hard to obtain in resource-poor communities.

Flash-heating is a type of pasteurization that brings the milk to a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, a method known to better protect the anti-infective and nutritional properties of breast milk than the one typically used in human milk banks. Moreover, the low-tech materials used for this study are readily available in local communities in the developing world, and the heating method can be easily incorporated into a mother's normal daily routine.

Of the 700,000 children who become infected with HIV each year, an estimated 40 percent contract the virus from prolonged breastfeeding. WHO recommends that HIV-positive mothers avoid breastfeeding when safe feeding alternatives are available.

But in regions of the world where mothers cannot afford the cost of infant formula, water is contaminated, or other socio-cultural conditions make replacement feeding difficult, WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding for up to six months.

"The risks and benefits of heating HIV-contaminated breast milk are different for women in developing countries than for women in the United States," said Dr. Caroline Chantry, a pediatrician and infant nutrition researcher with UC Davis Children's Hospital, and co-author of the paper. "Here we have access to safe water and formula, so it makes less sense for HIV-positive mothers in developed countries to take the risks associated with feeding babies their breast milk."

Studies indicate that when babies are breastfed exclusively, there is a 3 to 4 percent risk of HIV transmission. However, when babies are given formula or other foods in addition to breast milk, there is a significant three- to four-fold increase in the risk of HIV transmission, possibly because allergens and contaminants in solid foods and formula can compromise the epithelial lining of a baby's digestive tract, making it easier for viruses to pass through.

For this reason, WHO guidelines have recommended that after six months of exclusively breastfeeding, HIV-positive mothers wean their babies as soon as other foods are available. Even then, while weaning may decrease the risk of HIV transmission, studies have shown that it increases the risk of malnutrition, diarrhea and other diseases that can lead to infant mortality.

"Early cessation of breastfeeding has been tried in several recent studies, and the results suggest that stopping breastfeeding early increased the risk of infant illness, growth failure and death, and actually outweighed the risk of transmitting HIV through breast milk," said Abrams. "This has been a desperate dilemma for mothers in developing countries. Our method of flash-heating breast milk could be particularly important at the time the mother stops nursing. Roughly 300,000 infants contract HIV from breastfeeding each year. Even if only a small proportion of HIV-positive mothers in resource-poor countries can successfully express and flash-treat their milk, this simple, inexpensive and potentially sustainable method could still save thousands of babies from HIV infection while providing most of the health benefits of human milk."

This study reflects results from the first stage of research, headed by Abrams, into the effects of flash-heating breast milk. Chantry will head the next stage of field trials, which involve moving this technique out of the lab and into the homes of women in Africa. The researchers are seeking funding to assess the flash-heating method's feasibility for babies in local communities in developing countries.

"Clinical trials are urgently needed to substantiate that mothers can express, flash-heat and store their milk safely, and to test the impact of this method on actual HIV transmission," said Chantry. "What is important about this study is that women have the right to an informed choice. It's amazing to me that in our paternalistic society, people so often readily dismiss the possibility that women would be willing to express and heat their milk to prevent their babies from getting infected with HIV."

Of the 98 samples of breast milk collected from 84 HIV-positive women in Durban, South Africa, only 30 had detectable levels of HIV before heating. Not all breast milk from HIV-positive mothers contains HIV naturally. Milk had been hand expressed into clean, locally purchased glass food jars provided by the researchers.

For each sample of HIV-infected milk, researchers set aside 50 milliliters in the original collection jars and used the remainder as unheated controls. The uncovered jars were placed in a 1-quart pan filled with 450 milliliters of water. The water and milk were heated together over a single-burner butane stove. Once the water reached a rolling boil, the breast milk was immediately removed and allowed to cool.

The researchers checked the temperature of the milk at 15-second intervals and determined that the flash-heated milk reached a peak temperature of 163 degrees Fahrenheit (72.9 degrees Celsius), and typically stayed hotter than 132 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees Celsius) for more than six minutes.

Viral analysis of the flash-heated and unheated breast milk found that cell-free HIV had been inactivated in all of the heated samples.

The researchers note that they used a reverse transcriptase (RT) assay to test for an enzyme produced by viable HIV since traditional tests for HIV do not distinguish between dead and live viruses. The RT test, however, cannot detect HIV within cells, but preliminary data suggest that flash-heat inactivates cell-associated HIV as well.

"We hope this technique will not only provide HIV-free breast milk that is safe to consume, but that the milk also retains the antibodies and nutrition that will help keep their infants healthy," said Israel-Ballard. "Mothers in Africa have told us they will do anything to keep their babies alive, and this work is ultimately about providing them with viable options to do just that."

Other co-authors of the paper are Richard Donovan and Haynes Sheppard, virologists at the California Department of Health Services; Anna Coutsoudis, professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa; and Lindiwe Sibeko, a Ph.D. student in nutrition at McGill University.
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Hey Simply_me,

I take that as a compliment, , but i wasn't really speaking of myself. I guess its something I've noticed over the years with people and ,

Rhino: I guess it takes an asewo to know one.

But seriously now, this things happen but people will shy away from it when confronted about it in a place like this forum. In the short while since this thread was opened, at least 15 good people have read the thread - am sure trying to see if I really did post ten top reasons people cheat with their ex.'s

Please this thread is open to everyone. Drop in your theories about why you think this thing happens, based on your opinion.

Cheers!

PS: Thanks simply_me and Rhino and Kobe for your contributions though.

michelin,

I really didn't have any negative impressions abt you or your post - as at when I posted on this thread, the smiley just sort of dropped into my head.

Hope you're not offended any longer. Take care then!

Hello guys and gals,

I think it would be great for everyone who reads this post to drop a reason or two about why any guy would sleep with his ex. or a girl with her ex. when in a new relationship.

I hope to compile the top 10 reasons and drop them on a thread for everyone on Nairaland to read. Please feel free to say a thing or two.

Thanks for your posts!

I posted this topic in response to an earlier one "HIV-Positive Woman Wants to Breastfeed Her Baby" by michelin89.


This paper was published some months back, precisely in May

A simple method of flash-heating breast milk infected with HIV successfully inactivated the free-floating virus, according to a new study led by researchers at the Berkeley and Davis campuses of the University of California.
Notably, the technique - heating a glass jar of expressed breast milk in a pan of water over a flame or single burner - can be easily applied in the homes of mothers in resource-poor communities. (my comment: like Nigeria)

The findings, to appear in the July 1 print issue of the Journal of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, but now available online, provide hope that mothers with HIV in developing nations will soon be able to more safely feed their babies.

"We conducted this research to help HIV-positive mothers and their infants who do not have safe alternatives to breastfeeding," said Kiersten Israel-Ballard, a doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "HIV can be transmitted to the baby via breastfeeding. But for infants in developing countries where infant mortality is already so high from diarrhea and other illnesses, they can't afford to lose the antibodies, other anti-infective agents and the optimal nutrition found in breast milk. This study shows that an easy-to-implement heating method can kill the HIV in breast milk."

This line of research began when HIV-positive women in Zimbabwe asked how they could make their milk safe for their babies. Israel-Ballard conducted a study there that indicated that HIV-positive women wanted to attempt the flash-heating method. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends heat treating HIV-infected breast milk, but there has been little research into a simple method that a mom in a developing country could use.

Studies by this research team have shown that flash-heating breast milk can kill bacteria while retaining most of the milk's nutritional and antimicrobial properties, as well as a majority of its important antibodies.

"Many people in this field were skeptical that this would work," said Barbara Abrams, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health, and senior author on the study. "We wanted to be sure that there was scientific evidence that flash-heated milk was truly free of HIV, nutritious and immunologically beneficial. This study was done in response to the concerns of the mothers in Zimbabwe, and in addition provides evidence that field studies are warranted."

Banks that collect, store and dispense human milk already pasteurize milk, but the method they commonly use requires thermometers and timers that may be hard to obtain in resource-poor communities.

Flash-heating is a type of pasteurization that brings the milk to a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, a method known to better protect the anti-infective and nutritional properties of breast milk than the one typically used in human milk banks. Moreover, the low-tech materials used for this study are readily available in local communities in the developing world, and the heating method can be easily incorporated into a mother's normal daily routine.

Of the 700,000 children who become infected with HIV each year, an estimated 40 percent contract the virus from prolonged breastfeeding. WHO recommends that HIV-positive mothers avoid breastfeeding when safe feeding alternatives are available.

But in regions of the world where mothers cannot afford the cost of infant formula, water is contaminated, or other socio-cultural conditions make replacement feeding difficult, WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding for up to six months.

"The risks and benefits of heating HIV-contaminated breast milk are different for women in developing countries than for women in the United States," said Dr. Caroline Chantry, a pediatrician and infant nutrition researcher with UC Davis Children's Hospital, and co-author of the paper. "Here we have access to safe water and formula, so it makes less sense for HIV-positive mothers in developed countries to take the risks associated with feeding babies their breast milk."

Studies indicate that when babies are breastfed exclusively, there is a 3 to 4 percent risk of HIV transmission. However, when babies are given formula or other foods in addition to breast milk, there is a significant three- to four-fold increase in the risk of HIV transmission, possibly because allergens and contaminants in solid foods and formula can compromise the epithelial lining of a baby's digestive tract, making it easier for viruses to pass through.

For this reason, WHO guidelines have recommended that after six months of exclusively breastfeeding, HIV-positive mothers wean their babies as soon as other foods are available. Even then, while weaning may decrease the risk of HIV transmission, studies have shown that it increases the risk of malnutrition, diarrhea and other diseases that can lead to infant mortality.

"Early cessation of breastfeeding has been tried in several recent studies, and the results suggest that stopping breastfeeding early increased the risk of infant illness, growth failure and death, and actually outweighed the risk of transmitting HIV through breast milk," said Abrams. "This has been a desperate dilemma for mothers in developing countries. Our method of flash-heating breast milk could be particularly important at the time the mother stops nursing. Roughly 300,000 infants contract HIV from breastfeeding each year. Even if only a small proportion of HIV-positive mothers in resource-poor countries can successfully express and flash-treat their milk, this simple, inexpensive and potentially sustainable method could still save thousands of babies from HIV infection while providing most of the health benefits of human milk."

This study reflects results from the first stage of research, headed by Abrams, into the effects of flash-heating breast milk. Chantry will head the next stage of field trials, which involve moving this technique out of the lab and into the homes of women in Africa. The researchers are seeking funding to assess the flash-heating method's feasibility for babies in local communities in developing countries.

"Clinical trials are urgently needed to substantiate that mothers can express, flash-heat and store their milk safely, and to test the impact of this method on actual HIV transmission," said Chantry. "What is important about this study is that women have the right to an informed choice. It's amazing to me that in our paternalistic society, people so often readily dismiss the possibility that women would be willing to express and heat their milk to prevent their babies from getting infected with HIV."

Of the 98 samples of breast milk collected from 84 HIV-positive women in Durban, South Africa, only 30 had detectable levels of HIV before heating. Not all breast milk from HIV-positive mothers contains HIV naturally. Milk had been hand expressed into clean, locally purchased glass food jars provided by the researchers.

For each sample of HIV-infected milk, researchers set aside 50 milliliters in the original collection jars and used the remainder as unheated controls. The uncovered jars were placed in a 1-quart pan filled with 450 milliliters of water. The water and milk were heated together over a single-burner butane stove. Once the water reached a rolling boil, the breast milk was immediately removed and allowed to cool.

The researchers checked the temperature of the milk at 15-second intervals and determined that the flash-heated milk reached a peak temperature of 163 degrees Fahrenheit (72.9 degrees Celsius), and typically stayed hotter than 132 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees Celsius) for more than six minutes.

Viral analysis of the flash-heated and unheated breast milk found that cell-free HIV had been inactivated in all of the heated samples.

The researchers note that they used a reverse transcriptase (RT) assay to test for an enzyme produced by viable HIV since traditional tests for HIV do not distinguish between dead and live viruses. The RT test, however, cannot detect HIV within cells, but preliminary data suggest that flash-heat inactivates cell-associated HIV as well.

"We hope this technique will not only provide HIV-free breast milk that is safe to consume, but that the milk also retains the antibodies and nutrition that will help keep their infants healthy," said Israel-Ballard. "Mothers in Africa have told us they will do anything to keep their babies alive, and this work is ultimately about providing them with viable options to do just that."

Other co-authors of the paper are Richard Donovan and Haynes Sheppard, virologists at the California Department of Health Services; Anna Coutsoudis, professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa; and Lindiwe Sibeko, a Ph.D. student in nutrition at McGill University.
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Hi,

This thread is motivating yet depressing. Motivating in the sense that I know that with time, things will change for me and depressing in that currently, I ain't worth shi-shi. Someone should PLLLEASSSE show this broke ass nigger the way forward.

Shalom!

Mophol, you are all under arrest!

Ciao!

MEN: THE SILENT CAUSES OF CERVICAL CANVER!!!

What are the signs and symptoms of HPV in men?

Most men who get genital HPV do not have any symptoms. However, some types of HPV can cause genital warts. Genital warts are single or multiple growths that appear in the genital area. They may be raised, flat, or cauliflower shaped.

In men, genital warts may appear around the anus or on the penis, scrotum (testicles), groin or thighs. Even men who have never had anal sex can get warts around the anus. Warts may appear within weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected person, or not at all. A person can have the type of HPV that causes genital warts, but never develop any warts.

How do men get Genital HPV?

Genital HPV is passed on through genital contact –such as vaginal and anal sex.
Both men and women can get HPV – and pass it on - without even realizing it.
Genital warts can also be passed on by a person who has HPV but no visible warts. Since the virus can be “silent” for a long time, people can have genital HPV even if years have passed since they have had sex.

What is the connection between HPV and penile and anal cancers?

Certain types of HPV have been linked to cancer of the anus and penis in men. These cancers are rare –especially in men with healthy immune systems. The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause penile or anal cancer.

How common is HPV and associated conditions in men?

Over half of sexually active men in the United States (U.S.) will have HPV at some time in their lives.

About 1% of sexually active men in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that about 1,530 men will be diagnosed with penile cancer in the U.S. in 2006. In this country, penile cancer accounts for about 0.2% of all cancers in men. It is especially rare in circumcised men.

ACS estimates that about 1,910 men will be diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. The risk for anal cancer is 17 times higher among gay and bisexual men than among heterosexual men. The risk is also higher among men with compromised immune systems, including those with HIV.

*** In Nigeria, there are never any statistics, at least not yet ***

Is there a test for HPV in men?

At the moment, there is no test approved to detect HPV in men. However, there are ways to detect the most common problem caused by HPV in men, genital warts. Genital warts are usually diagnosed by visual inspection. Some health care providers may use a vinegar solution to help identify flat warts, although this test is not specific for warts. That means the test may falsely identify normal skin as a wart.

Is there a test to screen for HPV-related cancers in men?
There are currently no tests approved to detect early evidence of HPV-associated cancers in men, as there are for women (Pap tests). Nonetheless, since anal cancer is more common in gay, bisexual, and HIV-positive men, some experts recommend routine anal Pap tests for those populations. The anal Pap test is used to find abnormal cells in the anus (caused by HPV) that could turn into cancer over time. However, it is not yet clear that finding and removing abnormal cells from the anus will effectively prevent anal cancer from developing in the future. CDC does not recommend anal cancer screening.

Is there a treatment or cure for HPV?

There is no treatment or cure for HPV. But there are ways to treat the health conditions associated with HPV in men, including genital warts, penile cancer and anal cancer.

Visible genital warts can be treated with medication, surgically removed, or frozen off. Some of these treatments can be applied by the patient, while others must be performed by a health care provider. No one treatment is best. Warts might return, especially in the first 3 months after treatment.

It is not known whether treatment of genital warts will reduce the chance of passing the virus on to a sex partner. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number. They will not turn into cancer. For these reasons, some individuals may choose not to get treated, but to see if the warts will disappear on their own.

Should I be worried that I cannot be tested or treated for HPV?

No. HPV is not like other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which need to be detected and treated. HPV is a virus that lives in the skin, rather than in your body. There is no clear health benefit to knowing you have this virus—since HPV is unlikely to affect your health and cannot be treated. For most men, there would be no need to treat HPV, even if treatment were available— since it usually goes away on its own.

So why should I care about HPV?

While most men will not develop health problems from HPV, some men are at higher risk of disease from HPV. HIV-positive men are more likely to get severe and prolonged cases of genital warts, which may be more resistant to treatment. They are also more likely to develop anal cancer.

It is also important for men to realize that they can unknowingly transmit HPV to their female sex partners. Compared to heterosexual men, women are at higher risk of developing disease from HPV—most notably, cervical cancer. Cervical cancer in women is much more common than anal or penile cancer in men. According to ACS, more than 9,700 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. in 2006.

Are there ways to reduce my chances of getting HPV?

Because HPV is so common but usually invisible, the only sure ways to prevent it are not to have sex, or to have sex with only one uninfected person, who is only having sex with you. You can lower your risk by limiting your number of sex partners and choosing partners who have had few or no sex partners. Condoms may also lower your risk of HPV-associated conditions. Condoms may provide some but not complete protection against HPV, since HPV can infect skin that is not covered by a condom. Condoms have been shown to reduce the risk of genital warts and cervical cancer. Condoms can also reduce the risk of HIV and some other sexually transmitted infections, when used all the time and the right way.

Common questions for men and their female partners about HPV

I hear there's a HPV test for women, but not for men. Why not?

There is now an HPV test for women, which can be used as part of cervical cancer screening and management. This test is not a general check for HPV, and it is not designed to find HPV in men.

There is no general test for HPV that can tell a man or woman his or her “HPV status”. There is no clear health benefit to knowing if one has the virus—since it usually causes no health problems and goes away on its own.

My partner just found out she has HPV,

* What does it mean for me?

Partners usually share HPV. If you have been partners for a long time, it is likely that you already have HPV. The types of HPV that put a woman at risk for cervical cancer very rarely cause any health problems for heterosexual men.
* What does that mean for her?

This probably means she has a type of HPV on her cervix that could put her at risk for cervical cancer. She should follow up with her doctor or nurse as advised, so that she does not develop cervical cancer in the future. Also, she should know that most of the time, HPV goes away on its own without causing any health problems.
* What does it mean for us?

HPV is not a sign that you or your partner has been unfaithful in the relationship. HPV can be silent in the body for many years before it is found on a test. She may have had HPV for many years, and there is no way to know when or from whom she got HPV.

You're a new medical student, don't you think you should be able to figure some of the questions you're asking out?

Yes- there are drugs that deossify the bones. And bad breath is halitosis. Consult Kumar & Clark or Davidson or Harrison's Principles for more info on that.

On what you really should know, I'll put it this way. If you could get into medical school, take it that you are intelligent so if anyone tries to bore you with the crap that medicine is hard, they should hang themselves. The trouble is that its a big big volume of simple but not so simple concepts. You should have to start reading in small bits from start of semester so you don't have a pile of stuff to read before the exams.

Apply yourself, don't limit urself to what is in the books. It'll really help out.

Loads of other stuff but I'm sure you'll do just great.

Touche

MCASHMONEY: Why in this world would you want to use "2" condoms?

kenflipper: Ever heard of window period? The virus can be transmitted from her to you during this period and yet remain undetectable by conventional tests.

I think the solution is just as aisha has put it. It don't get simpler. I think it is important to say that the notion that condoms are reusable is absurd 'cos I heard some people wash and keep the condoms for future use.

In any case, prevention is better than cure so be careful!

Touche

have u been successful? pls indicate so I'll be able to put you through step by step!

After reading all your issues with Nigerian banks I kinda chuckle to myself 'cos you guys haven't even seen nothing. My bank tortured me for 2 months just to collect my money telling me your money is on the way today, it isn't on the way tomorrow. It was only after the bank was threatened with a law suit that the money jumped out from God knows where.

There are definitely issues to resolve but the first step is to identify the problems and their origins. Most problems experienced by a local branch office may be traced in some way or another to the management of the head office. Profit making is definitely important but you don't want to drive away customers with poor customer service and so if management at the level of headoffice is truly CONCERNED about the people skills of their workers then in any local branch, the workers begin to treat customers in a better way because they know that management takes reports of customer abuse seriously and may be their job could be at stake.

I mean while keep a grumpy old worker who keeps mistreating customers when there are 25 young nigerians who would appreciate the job and who won't be so grumpy.

In any case, one good way to say it for me would be: "All banks have their problems, some worse than others" but one thing is definitely certain: Banks are in more for profit making reasons than for the purposes of satisfying their customers or any other reasons.

fsb

This quote is relative depending on what corner in Ngr you're on.

ATX casing: 3,500
mercury gigapro board with onboard processor: 8,000 (P3 speed)
512mb ddram: 7,000 (it shld be cheaper)
3.5" floppy: 900
52x CDROM: 2,300
80gb hdd: 7,500
monitor 15": 11,000
keyboard: less than 500
usb optical keyboard: 1000
350watt speaker: 900
600va ups: 5,700
hp laserjet printer 1018: 19,000

Dont forget to price with every purchase you make and remember that this is a very basic system. The motherboard and processor can be upgraded to a P4 system