Ann Showalter invites readers along on a roller coaster ride called AIDS. Showalter began her ride the Saturday afternoon her husband Ray said, "I have AIDS." After the first shock, Ray's revelation became a breath of fresh air for the couple. This is their story. "Along the way, Ann lets the reader overhear her own conversations and prayers about matters that are complicated, vexed, painful, and controversial. She invites our company, not necessarily our consent." -John Weborg, Twenty-Fourth Week of Pentecost, in the Foreword

The author is trained in biology, microbiology, medicine and epidemiology in the US. His book is predicated on two main points: the Aids pandemic is so pervasive in Africa that drastic measures are needed; and that those measures must primarily depend on prevention. He discusses such a comprehensive approach and treatment, and stresses that the primary need is political will. The first four chapters deal with the general principles of history and epidemiology; and then focus on the effect of the epidemic in Africa and how to deal with it. Whilst a wealth of technical information is given, the language is accessible for the lay reader.

WHAT REALLY CAUSES AIDS:
AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The AIDS pandemic is likely to become the greatest catastrophe in human history. Unless a safe, effective vaccine is quickly developed, or the preventive strategies outlined in this book are widely applied, by 2015 one sixth of the world's population will be infected by HIV-1 and some 250 million people will have died from AIDS. Its associated losses by then will be more than those of the Black Death and World War II combined, the equivalent of eight World War Is.1 This pandemic is only one of several ongoing catastrophes involving viruses that encode the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase.2 Indeed, the world is experiencing simultaneous pandemics caused by Hepatitis B and C viruses, Coxsackie B virus and HIV-1 and HIV-2. As these viruses replicate, because their genetic codes include a gene that is virtually identical to that of the human enzyme glutathione peroxidase, they rob their hosts of selenium. Paradoxically, however, they diffuse most easily in populations that are very selenium deficient,3 possibly because their members have depressed immune systems. It is no coincidence that such viruses are causing havoc at the beginning of the 21st century. The last 50 years have seen enormous expansions in the use of fossil fuels and deforestation by fire. The resulting pollutants have greatly increased the acidity of global precipitation, reducing selenium's ability to enter the food chain. This situation is being made worse by the widespread use of commercial fertilizers since their sulphates, nitrogen, and phosphorus all depress the uptake of selenium by crops. Deficiencies in this essential trace element are being felt most acutely inareas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where soil selenium levels are naturally very low. Acid rain is making a bad situation worse, so increasing vulnerability to those viruses that encode glutathione peroxidase. Many populations are also being exposed to a thinning ozone layer, heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, pesticides, and drug, tobacco, and alcohol abuse, all of which depress the human immune system, increasing vulnerability to viruses, including HIV-1 and HIV-2. In July 2000, physicians and scientists from around the world met in Durban, South Africa for the XIII International AIDS Conference. In a declaration, named after the city, 5,018 of them proclaimed that "HIV is the sole cause of AIDS."4 There are, however, at least seven anomalies that strongly suggest that this conventional wisdom is incorrect and that belief in it is blocking progress in the development of new treatments for AIDS and of novel ways of preventing its spread. To illustrate, despite widespread unprotected promiscuous sexual activity in Senegal, HIV- 1 is diffusing very slowly, if at all, amongst the Senegalese.5 It is very apparent that in Africa, differences in soil selenium levels are greatly influencing who becomes infected with HIV-1 and who does not. Indeed, the recently published Selenium World Atlas used the incidence of HIV-1 as a surrogate measure of soil selenium levels because actual levels are, as yet, poorly established in sub-Saharan Africa. A similar relationship has been documented in the United States6 where there has been an inverse relationship, especially in the Black population, between mortality from AIDS and local soil selenium levels. It is well established that individuals whoare HIV-positive gradually become more and more selenium deficient.7 This decline, which is known to undermine immune functions, is not unique to HIV-infection but is seen in almost all infectious pathogens.8 However, under normal circumstances, where death does not occur, selenium levels rebound soon after recovery. HIV-1, however, can effectively elude the defense mechanisms of the immune system, and can continue to replicate indefinitely, endlessly depressing serum selenium. As a result, the immune system is compromised, allowing infection by other pathogens that continue to deplete the host of selenium, allowing HIV-1 to replicate more easily, further undermining immunity. Therefore, this relationship between selenium and the immune system is one of positive feedback, in which a decline in either of these two variables causes further depression in the other. Termed the "selenium- CD4 T cell tailspin" by the author,9 it is the reason that serum selenium levels are a better predictor of AIDS mortality than CD4 T cell counts. Like other positive feedback systems, such as avalanches and forest fires, it is extremely difficult to control and gains momentum as it progresses. HIV-1, however, encodes the entire selenoenzyme, glutathione peroxidase. As it replicates, therefore, it depletes its host not only of selenium but also of the other three components of this enzyme: namely, cysteine, glutamine, and tryptophan.10 AIDS, therefore, is a nutritional deficiency illness caused by a virus. Its victims suffer from extreme deficiencies of all four of these nutrients which are responsible for such symptoms as depressed CD4T lymphocyte count, vulnerability to cancers (including Kaposi'ssarcoma), depression, psoriasis, diarrhea, muscle wasting, and dementia. Associated infections cause their own unique symptoms and increased risk of death. HIV-1 alone, therefore, does not cause AIDS. It involves a multiplicity of co-factors, specifically anything that either depletes serum selenium levels or depresses the immune system enough to permit viral replication. Manipulating the "selenium-CD4T cell tailspin" by adding this trace element to fertilizers and food stuffs opens new avenues for both prevention and treatment. This strategy has been shown to work on other viruses that encode glutathione peroxidase, such as Hepatitis B and C and the Coxsackievirus. The logical treatment of AIDS patients involves supplementation with selenium, cysteine, glutamine, and tryptophan, at least to levels at which deficiency symptoms associated with a lack of

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the most devastating global public health crisis since the great plagues of the Middle Ages, with more than 14,000 new HIV infections and 8,000 deaths due to AIDS every day. Although successful vaccines have been developed for most common childhood diseases, the development of a vaccine against the AIDS virus is a much greater challenge. More than 20 years after the discovery of the virus, the goal of a licensed and globally accessible vaccine is still several years away. AIDS Vaccine Development reviews the scientific challenges that have impeded the search for an effective AIDS vaccine and discusses current novel research that is accelerating progress. In a series of mini-reviews by the world's leading experts in AIDS vaccine research, the book provides essential reading for everyone interested in the current progress and future direction of AIDS vaccine development.

Support groups for people with AIDS have proliferated, but there hasn't been a handbook for AIDS group work for the mental health professional, until now. AIDS Trauma and Support Group Therapy by Martha Gabriel is the first book to offer practitioners and students in training the essential practice knowledge and theory about planning, forming and facilitating support groups for people living with AIDS/HIV. Dr. Gabriel, a leading expert and former senior clinical group supervisor at Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, empowers clinicians to effectively harness the enormous resource of support groups for people with AIDS/HIV. By emphasizing the traumatic aspects of AIDS, the book provides a deep understanding of the psychological issues individuals with AIDS bring to the group. Gabriel introduces a new framework for understanding trauma along with rich practice examples from diverse PWA groups. The reader learns how to deal effectively with issues unique to AIDS/HIV clients including social stigma, confidentiality and disclosure, rational suicide and suicidality related to psychiatric disturbance, dementia, and tuberculosis among group members. Dr. Gabriel addresses special considerations in group formation, issues for group therapists in the middle phase, crisis stages, and special termination issues. The impact of multiple deaths on individual members, on the group-as-a-whole and on group facilitators is explored through case narratives and discussion. And Gabriel makes specific treatment suggestions to care for these caregivers - AIDS/HIV group practitioners - who may themselves experience the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. AIDS Trauma and Support Group Therapy: MutualAid, Empowerment, Connection is essential reading for a wide range of mental health professionals, including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, pastoral counselors, and a diverse group of paraprofessionals working with people with life threatening illness.

It has now been twenty years since the Executive Commitee of the World Council of Churches (WCe meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, called upon churches worldwide to urgently address the issue of HIV/AIDS. The call arose out of a consultation on the theme 'HIV/AIDS and the Church as a Healing Community'. This book is written with a view to providing culturally relevant theological reflection on the issue of HIV/AIDS and to act as a resource in the combat of HIV/AIDS particularly in bringing about meaningful behaviour change.

In 1994, the prospect of finding a cure for AIDS represented a dream that scientists and physicians hoped to realize by the new millennium. Despite advances in medicines and treatments, a single cure still remains elusive to this day. What goes on behind the scenes in the world of new drug development is often secretive and deceptive. This mystery reveals the motives of a pharmaceutical company that is on the cusp of launching a revolutionary treatment for AIDS. Patient access to the new drug KLX is hampered by deception, greed and murder. The societal impact of AIDS is poignantly outlined in this story about innocent humans who are affected by the actions of a few executives controlling a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical market. From homeless people to politicians and government bureaucrats, conspiracies are created between unlikely allies. Only a young employee of Linfeld Pharmaceuticals has the courage to fight for the hope of thousands suffering from AIDS.

This title illustrates the impact of HIV/AIDS on electoral processes in South Africa and provides evidence of the influence of the pandemic on the democratic process. It is part of an ongoing Africa-wide study by the Governance and AIDS programme of the institute for democracy in South Africa (IDASA). It does not equate elections with democracy nor does it reduce HIV/AIDS to a vote. Instead it provides empirical evidence of the effect of the biggest challenge facing Africa today and how it may shape the dynamics of our politics. It demonstrates that HIV/AIDS is not just a health crisis, but a pandemic that has implications for political and social processes. The analysis and results presented in this title show that HIV/AIDS may undermine the democratic project in South Africa and Africa by destabilising electoral systems; reducing political party support bases and the ability to compete; decreasing the participation in public policy processes of citizens infected and affected by the pandemic; and potentially undermining the capacity of electoral management bodies (EMB)s to conduct elections effectively.

Genitourinary medicine (GUM) is an expanding specialty which is primarily related to the treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A number of GUM departments also offer other sexual health services such as contraception, sexual dysfunction and health promotion. Services are provided by multidisciplinary teams which include doctors, nurses, health advisers (who carry out partner notification and counselling), receptionists, laboratory staff and secretarial support. evidence-based, practical information on the specialty, covering medico-legal, ethical, and procedural issues. The first section deals with routine management, special situations and clinical and laboratory processes. The second section covers genitourinary conditions in a disease-orientated style, including sexually transmitted diseases and other genitourinary problems. The third section on HIV provides a contemporary epidemiological overview of this infection, basic viral biology and pathogenesis, a disease-orientated description of conditions both directly related and opportunistic, and their management, and data on special situations such as pregnancy. medicine and infectious diseases, the book also appeals to general practitioners and interested medical students.

To the surprise of many, George W. Bush pledged $10 billion to combat AIDS in developing nations. Noted specialist Susan Hunter tells the untold story of AIDS in Africa, home to 80 percent of the 40 million people in the world currently infected with HIV. She weaves together the history of colonialism in Africa, an insider's take on the reluctance of drug companies to provide cheap medication and vaccines in poor countries, and personal anecdotes from the 20 years she spent in Africa working on the AIDS crisis. Taken together, these strands make it unmistakably clear that a history of the exploitation of developing nations by the West is directly responsible for the spread of disease in developing nations and the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Hunter looks at what Africans are already doing on the ground level to combat AIDS, and what the world can and must do to help. Accessibly written and hard-hitting, "Black Death" brings the staggering statistics to life and paints for the first time a stunning picture of the most important political issue today.

Half the people in the United States who are diagnosed with HIV are now African American. Through the eyes of those on the front lines of the crisis, journalist Jacob Levenson tells a story of race and public health that spans fifty years and reveals how AIDS has become one of the leading killers of young black men and women. Medical researcher Mindy Fullilove investigates the epidemic's links to crack cocaine, the Bronx fires, and national health policy. Desiree Rushing must reconcile her crack addiction and HIV infection with the fate of her city, family, and the black church. David deShazo, a white AIDS worker in Alabama, fights to prevent the American South from becoming the epidemic's new epicenter. And Mario Cooper, a gay, infected son of the black elite confronts the boundaries of American race politics in Washington, D.C. Seamlessly interweaving personal stories with national policy, Levenson indelibly captures this devastating epidemic and illuminates its potential to expand our understanding of race in America.

Is the increased susceptibility of blacks to kidney failure from HIV-AIDS explained by biology or socioeconomic variables? Is kidney failure an early or late complication of HIV infection? Are there receptors for HIV in kidney tissue and is the kidney a major reservoir for the virus? Is acute renal failure an inevitable consequence of drug treatment in HIV disease? Should kidney or solid organ transplantation be offered to patients with HIV infection? Can HIV-associated nephrotherapy be prevented or reversed by drug therapy and has HAART eradicated pediatric HIV nephrotherapy? What is the level of risk to staff and other patients in dialysis facilities that treat HIV-infected patients? These questions and other critical issues are addressed in-depth by some of the world's leading basic scientists and clinician researchers in kidney disorders of HIV-AIDS.

"In the old South Africa we killed people. Now we're just lettingthem die." -- Pieter Dirk Uys, South African satirist

Todayin South Africa, HIV/AIDS kills about 5 in 10 young people. Many of the victims areminers and commercial sex workers who ply their trade in mining communities. In thiscritique of government-sponsored and privately funded HIV/AIDS prevention programsin South Africa, Catherine Campbell exposes why it has been so difficult to stop theHIV/AIDS epidemic. Campbell's research focuses on local vectors of the disease suchas what people believe about the spread and prevention of AIDS, what measures theytake to prevent disease, and whether they are likely to seek treatment at local AIDSclinics. "Letting Them Die" is not just an investigation into sexuality, social relations, health, and medicine; it is also a sharp review of the kinds ofprograms that are becoming the standard method of HIV/AIDS intervention throughoutAfrica.

Preparing to lead a congregation in worship each Sunday is a formidable and pressure-filled responsibility. That's why busy worship planners will love this all-new edition of a favorite CSS reference. It's a handy, easy-to-use resource with several prayers and a worship theme relating to the assigned scriptural passages for every Sunday and major observance in Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. For each First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel text there's a call to worship, an invocation/collect, a prayer of confession, an offertory prayer, and suggested hymns. This complete collection offers a wide selection of practical aids for creating sincerely reverent, meaningful worship.

Undoubtly, expert medical advice of the most competent persond would minimise the havoc to be caused among millions of people. With an extensive research material, documents and study reports from all over the world, a compilation of facts and figures in the form of a comprehensive encyclopaedia of seven volumes was the dire need of the time.

A textbook aimed at nurses working with and in the homes of people with AIDS. Also useful to the family and friends of a person with AIDS.

A variety of historical and critical essays give perspective to the reader of Dante. Contents: The time of Dante; Sources of our knowledge of Dante; Dante's personal appearance; The Vita Nuova; Minor works; The Divina Commedia; Interpretations; Bibliography.