Still Warm...

Didn't sleep the best the last 2 nights.  The unseasonably warm nights have made it difficult to stay asleep.  I'm waking up stiff & dehydrated.   The warmer weather has woke up the bugs.  I've seen more fleas, big flies & wasps.  Maybe they'll all die when the cold snaps back in on us.

This is the 1st Winter over here, I haven't had outdoor cats.  It's really strange.  I hear noises outside  & realize it isn't 1 of them.  Since there are no cats, there's no outdoor cat food.  Most of the birds have moved on to greener pastures or at least those with more food. I know not having the outdoor cats is for the best, but it's weird.  It's another small joy gone.  It's oddly isolating.  Less cats led to less birds & less color & chatter.  At least the squirrels are still out there from time to time.  Still, they aren't very colorful.  I'm looking forward to the small, blue flowers that come in Spring.

Cya...

A Weather What...

If you ever wonder why I gripe about the weather, a lot, it's because of things like this.  Earlier this week, I was cold & had to leave the faucets dripping.  I left the heater on overnight, which I hate.  It runs up the bill & it kills my sinuses.

But yesterday, we hit 72 F in January & we'll be there again today.  But, by midweek, we'll drop 30+ degrees & be in the low 20's overnight.   This crap is hard on me, my roomie & the cats. It makes it hard to sleep, breathe & is prone to give me nosebleeds.

That's Oklahoma weather though, highs of 72 & 32 in the same week.  Part of me wants it to be a short Winter, so it'll get warm sooner.  But, I really want to the cold to last.  Maybe it'll kill more bugs & grass.  Not to mention help out with the electric bill this Summer.

Cya...

Resistance...

This article details how in some parts of the world people are dealing with uncontrolled HIV even while on a drug regimen.  This is  often due to a resistance to the drug, Tenofovir.   There are 2 ways in which this can happen.  People on a drug regimen with Tenofovir fail to follow the regimen as directed or they're infected by someone with HIV already resistant to the medication.  

Tenofovir is a widely used antiviral medication for both HIV & hepatitis.  If this drug is compromised, the ramifications could be huge.  There are other medications, but they're often more costly & their regimens more complex.   This medication is used alone & in combination with other drugs.  

This could  jeopardize the efficacy of some of the most common HIV drugs.  Among them, Truvada, the medication being pushed for PrEP.  Truvada is made up of Tenofovir & Emtricitabine.   This medication would be far less effective in preventing HIV or fighting it,  if the virus was already resistant to Tenofovir. 

This article makes 3 points for me.  You must always implement safer sex practices.  You need to stay on top  of your drug regimen.  Finally, a lot of people's fears concerning PrEP are being legitimized.   I was never sold on the idea Truvada was going to save us all.   With a Tenofovir resistant strain of  HIV out there, there's no way this medication can be the panacea or silver bullet it's been touted to be. 

Cya...

$ & Healing....

Matters of healing & health should never combine with those of profit & wealth.  Doing so limits healing & ensures greed & suffering.    This article is about how the Attorney General of Massachusetts is suing Gilead Sciences for what appears to be price gouging concering medications for with HIV & Hep C.

Gilead was sued by the  AIDS Healthcare Foundation.  They are seeking to invalidate the patents over the HIV med Tenofovir.    They claim the company prolonged the shelf life & endangered the patients by not addressing safety concerns with the drug until it was profitable.  Doing this would extend the patent & keep the medication from being produced in a generic form.

Massachusetts' suit was primarily to prompt the company to lower their prices on these life saving medications.  Some of their Hep C meds are over a $1,000/day.  A 12 week course of a med can run just shy of a 100K.  These prices are bankrupting states medicaid programs & other agencies trying to supply these medications.  They totally prohibitive for all but the most wealthy.

What's going to come from this?  I don't know.  But, it's certainly something to watch.

Cya...

Proteins, What...

There are some newish reports coming out about how a protein in HIV is rewriting human genes to advance the virus into the AIDS stage.   This isn't exactly new information.  We've known HIV does this for over a decade.  But, it's necessary to understand how HIV works & therefore fight it.

It may be easier for many to look at this as a computer issue.  Computers are proabably better understood by most people than genetics.   HIV is like a computer virus. Your genes/body are the programs & apps it targets.  

If you wish to continue this. then abstinence is like not connecting to the internet.  Condoms are firewalls.  Safer sex practices are just like the web surfing practices you should employ to protect your system.   HIV testing is like scanning & meds are like post-infection computer programs to rid the system of the malware.  Some would say that PrEP is like an anti-virus shield.

HIV is malware that affects hardware, your body.  Once the hardware is damaged, it may be possible to repair it, but possibly not.  HIV, unlike most malware, can't be completely removed from the system & will always be there even when treated.  It will lurk until the conditions are right for it to thrive again. 

If this happened with a real computer, we would probably just dispose of it.  Unfortunately, that's not an option with our bodies.  Until HIV is curable, the virus is a permanent condition. Retroviruses are nothing more than biological malware with a sole directive, flourish.  It is designed to survive, grow & spread.  

Remember that next time someone can't understand HIV.  

Cya...

Ikea-ed Out...

OK, it wasn't Ikea, but it was a put-together desk.  We put my roomie's new desk together & it wasn't the funnest thing I've done in a while.   I wouldn't mind except for 3 basic things:

1. The instructions are always crap
2. The dust on those parts is astounding
3. They never pre-drill the holes well

My nose is is itchy.  My glasses are covered in lint/dust.  My hands ache from all the screws,  But, at least it's together.  

I'll blog more tomorrow when I feel up to it.

Cya...

On The Rise...

I keep reading articles about the resurgence of HIV.  These articles usually center around places with extreme anti-gay issues posing as conservatism.  Whether it's Russia or Florida, the ideology of these places has allowed the virus to flourish.  Way to go conservatives.  

On the other hand, I hear about HIV scares from hospitals & dentist offices.   This is usually dealing with greed, ignorance or indifference to the situation.   There was an article about yet another dentist, this time in Scotland, who couldn't be bothered to clean his instruments.  

Add to that, there are those places experiencing war or combat & we have an even more fertile field for HIV to spread.   These areas of violence, whether in Asia, Africa or someone's home, often promote the transmission of HIV.  

It tells me, HIV & public health aren't important issues to the powers that be.  At best they're giving lip service. Some people will stop at nothing to promote their hate, fear & greed.

Cya...