THE LAMP POST

“We will fail to reach this goal unless poor countries themselves make a firm commitment to education and develop credible national education plans. But the developed world needs to step up its investment too,” said the Senator.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON’S
EDUCATION FOR ALL LEGISLATION
Summary and Background  

Legislation Responds to the Crisis of Out-of-School Children in Poor Countries  

•  104 million children ages 6-11 (60 million girls) in developing countries are out of school – (UNESCO 2003)
• Another 150 million are at risk of dropping out before completing primary school. (World Bank Education Advisory Services). In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 55% of girls do not complete primary school. (World Bank 2003)

1) Donors had promised to get all children in school by 2015

• In April 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, the U.S. and 181 governments committed to the goal of universal education. (See www.unesco.org/efa)
• The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals call for universal primary education by 2015 and gender parity by 2005. (See www.developmentgoals.org)

2) But poor countries are at risk of missing key education goals by 2015

• Only 36 of 155 developing countries have achieved 100 percent primary completion rates – only six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 86 countries are off-track to reach universal completion of primary school by 2015 (World Bank 2003).  
• Already, 76 countries will miss the goal of gender parity in primary school classrooms by 2005. (UNESCO 2003)

More links :

1. CFR.org – Senator Clinton Offers ‘Education Plan for All’ Plan.
2. Education for all by 2015 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia HIV conference for joint efforts towards Universal Access.

Impact of treatment on prevention

    The use of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV transmission is emerging as a potential new set of interventions for the prevention portfolio. Antiretroviral drugs, combined with HIV testing of pregnant women and appropriate infant feeding practices, are already being used to prevent HIV transmission from pregnant women to their children. Guidance also exists on the use of antiretroviral drugs for post-exposure prophylaxis, and research is ongoing on their use for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Studies have also provided observational evidence that antiretroviral therapy may reduce the sexual transmission of HIV in generalized epidemics, especially among discordant couples.

    Some recent research studies have modelled the effects of antiretroviral therapy on HIV prevention. They have estimated that expanding antiretroviral therapy can substantially reduce the growth of the epidemic and related costs.

AIDS: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome

    The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled by the elements of the immune system that HIV damages.

    Opportunistic infections are common in people with AIDS. HIV affects nearly every organ system.

    People with AIDS also have an increased risk of developing various cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, cervical cancer and cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. Additionally, people with AIDS often have systemic symptoms of infection like fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss. The specific opportunistic infections that AIDS patients develop depend in part on the prevalence of these infections in the geographic area in which the patient lives.

HIV & AIDS News & Statistics

AIDS and HIV Infection: A general medical resource from the AIDS Knowledge Base 
AIDScience – Complete news portal for scientists & researchers from Science magazine, plus conference calendar and editorials
Aids101.com – Complete resource with prevention, immunology, epidemiology, glossary, links, and social impact
AIDSinfo – From the U.S. DHHS project with approved HIV treatment, trials and prevention guidelines
amfAR’s HIV/AIDS Treatment Directory – Comprehensive and current information on FDA-approved and experimental treatments for HIV/AIDS
CenterWatch Clinical Trials Listing Service
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation – Dedicated to identifying, funding and conducting basic pediatric HIV/AIDS research 
Esprit IL-2 Resources
EuroSIDA – prospective observational cohort study of antiretroviral drugs : 9.700 patients in 72 hospitals in 26 European Countries 
Forum for HIV Collaborative Research
HIV ResistanceWeb.com (Free registration required)
HIV Sequence Database WWW Home Page
ImmunoScience Inc. (outstanding design)
International AIDS Economic Network data, tools and analysis on the economics of HIV/AIDS 
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) 
Measurement Group - consulting firm that specializes in healthcare evaluation, action research, data mining and policy 
MedBioWorld’s Associations – extensive links to AIDS and HIV organizations and databases
Microbicides as an Alternative Solution (MAS) – education of general public, legislators and pharmaceutical companies about topical microbicides and the HIV epidemic
PRN: Physicians’ Research Network education and support for clinicians caring for people with HIV disease 
Resistance Mutation Database
Stanford HIV RT and Protease Gene Database
Surviving AIDS from NOVA - the cutting edge of AIDS research
Women’s Global Health Imperative improving the ability of women and girls to protect themselves from HIV 
 

HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unsafe sex, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (Vertical transmission). Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.

    HIV infection in humans is considered pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). From its discovery in 1981 to 2006, AIDS killed more than 25 million people. HIV infects about 0.6% of the world’s population. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and increasing poverty.According to current estimates, HIV is set to infect 90 million people in Africa, resulting in a minimum estimate of 18 million orphans.Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries.

    HIV primarily infects vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells (specifically CD4⁺ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4⁺ T cells through three main mechanisms: firstly, direct viral killing of infected cells; secondly, increased rates of apoptosis in infected cells; and thirdly, killing of infected CD4⁺ T cells by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4⁺ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections.

   Most people infected with HIV eventually develop AIDS. These individuals mostly die from opportunistic infections or malignancies associated with the progressive failure of the immune system. Without treatment, about 9 out of every 10 persons with HIV will progress to AIDS after 10–15 years. Many progress much sooner. Treatment with anti-retrovirals increases the life expectancy of people infected with HIV. Even after HIV has progressed to diagnosable AIDS, the average survival time with antiretroviral therapy was estimated to be more than 5 years as of 2005. Without antiretroviral therapy, someone who has AIDS typically dies within a year.

CD4+: CD4+ T helper cells

    Perhaps the best example of the importance of CD4⁺ T cells is demonstrated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV targets cells that express CD4, and can infect macrophages, dendritic cells (both groups express CD4 at low levels) and CD4⁺ T cells.

    It has been proposed that during the non-symptomatic phase of HIV infection, the virus has a relatively low affinity towards T cells (and has a higher affinity for macrophages), resulting in a slow kill rate of CD4⁺ T cells by the immune system. This is initially compensated for via the production of new helper T cells from the thymus (originally from the bone marrow). Once the virus becomes lymphotropic (or T-tropic) however, it begins to infect CD4⁺ T cells far more efficiently (likely due to a change in the co-receptors it binds to during infection), and the immune system is overwhelmed.

    At this point, functional CD4⁺ T cell levels begin to decrease, eventually to a point where the CD4⁺ T cell population is too small to recognize the full range of antigens that could potentially be detected. The lack of full antigen cover results in the core symptoms of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). CD4 T cell depletion during AIDS allows various pathogens to escape T cell recognition, thus allowing opportunistic infections that would normally elicit a helper T cell response to bypass the immune system. While these complete bypass situations only occur when the helper T cell response is absolutely necessary for infection clearance, most infections increase in severity and/or duration because the immune system’s helper T cells provide a weaker contribution to a less efficient immune response.

   Two components of the immune system are particularly affected in AIDS, due to its CD4⁺ T cell dependency:

1. CD8⁺ T cells are not stimulated as effectively during the AIDS stage of HIV infection, making AIDS patients very susceptible to most viruses, including HIV itself. This decline in killing of CD4⁺ T cells results in the virus being produced for a longer period (the infected CD4⁺ T cells are not killed as quickly), increasing the proliferation of the virus, and accelerating the development of the disease.
2. Antibody class switching declines significantly once helper T cell function fails. The immune system loses its ability to improve the affinity of their antibodies, and are unable to generate B cells that can produce antibody groups such as IgG and IgA. These effects are primarily due to the loss of any helper T cell that can interact with the B lymphocyte correctly. Another symptom of AIDS is the reduction in antibody levels due to a decrease in T_h2 cytokines (and less interactions by helper T cells). All of these complications result in an increased susceptibility to aggressive bacterial infections, especially in areas of the body not accessible by IgM antibodies.

    If the patient does not respond to (or does not receive) HIV treatment they will succumb usually to either cancers or infections; the immune system finally reaches a point where it is no longer coordinated or stimulated enough to deal with the disease.

CCR5: Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5

    HIV uses CCR5 or another protein, CXCR4, as a co-receptor to enter its target cells. Several chemokine receptors can function as viral coreceptors, but CCR5 is likely the most physiologically important coreceptor during natural infection. The normal ligands for this receptor, RANTES, MIP-1β, and MIP-1α, are able to suppress HIV-1 infection in vitro. In individuals infected with HIV, CCR5-using viruses are the predominant species isolated during the early stages of viral infection,  suggesting that these viruses may have a selective advantage during transmission or the acute phase of disease. Moreover, at least half of all infected individuals harbor only CCR5-using viruses throughout the course of infection.

    A number of new experimental HIV drugs, called entry inhibitors, have been designed to interfere with the interaction between CCR5 and HIV, including PRO140 (Progenics), Vicriviroc (Schering Plough), Aplaviroc (GW-873140) (GlaxoSmithKline) and Maraviroc (UK-427857) (Pfizer). A potential problem of this approach is that, while CCR5 is the major co-receptor by which HIV infects cells, it is not the only such co-receptor. It is possible that under selective pressure HIV will evolve to use another co-receptor. However, examination of viral resistance to AD101, molecular antagonist of CCR5, indicated that resistant viruses did not switch to another coreceptor (CXCR4) but persisted in using CCR5, either through binding to alternative domains of CCR5, or by binding to the receptor at a higher affinity. Development of Aplaviroc has been terminated due to safety concerns (potential liver toxicity).

CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services based in Atlanta, Georgia. It works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
 

WHO: World Health Organization

   The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an agency of the League of Nations.

PCP: Pneumocystis pneumonia

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) or pneumocystosis is a form of pneumonia, caused by the yeast-like fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. This pathogen is specific to humans. It has not been shown to infect other animals, while other species of Pneumocystis that parasitize other animals (all of which are mammals) have not been shown to infect humans.

    Pneumocystis is commonly found in the lungs of healthy people, but being a source of opportunistic infection it can cause a lung infection in people with a weakened immune system. Pneumocystis pneumonia is especially seen in people with cancer, HIV/AIDS and the use of medications that affect the immune system.

TB: Tuberculosis

    One–third of the world’s current population has been infected with M. tuberculosis. New infections occur at a rate of one per second. The proportion of people in the general population who become sick with tuberculosis each year is stable or falling worldwide but, because of population growth, the absolute number of new cases is still increasing.

    In 2004, mortality and morbidity statistics included 14.6 million chronic active cases, 8.9 million new cases, and 1.6 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. In addition, a rising number of people in the developed world are contracting tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse, or AIDS. The distribution of tuberculosis is not uniform across the globe; about 80% of the population in many Asian and African countries test positive in tuberculin tests, while only 5-10% of the US population test positive. It is estimated that the US has 25,000 new cases of tuberculosis each year, 40% of which occur in immigrants from countries where tuberculosis is endemic.

MTCT: Mother-to-child transmission
HAART: Highly active antiretroviral therapy

    Antiretroviral drugs are medications for the treatment of infection by retroviruses, primarily HIV. When several such drugs, typically three or four, are taken in combination, the approach is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. The American National Institutes of Health and other organizations recommend offering antiretroviral treatment to all patients with AIDS. Because of the complexity of selecting and following a regimen, the severity of the side-effects and the importance of compliance to prevent viral resistance. However, such organizations emphasize the importance of involving patients in therapy choices, and recommend analyzing the risks and the potential benefits to patients without symptoms.

There are different classes of antiretroviral drugs that act at different stages of the HIV life-cycle.

STI/STD: Sexually transmitted infection/disease

    A sexually transmitted disease (STD), also known as sexually transmitted infection (STI) or venereal disease (VD), is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. While in the past, these illnesses have mostly been referred to as STDs or VD, in recent years the term sexually transmitted infection (STI) has been preferred, as it has a broader range of meaning; a person may be infected, and may potentially infect others, without showing signs of disease. Some STIs can also be transmitted via use of an IV drug needle after its use by an infected person, as well as through childbirth or breastfeeding. Sexually transmitted infections have been well known for hundreds of years.

• Towards universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector
• HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in the health sector

BOOKS

“BETTER CLIMATE INFORMATION FOR A BETTER FUTURE “

• Priority for action 1: Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation
• Priority for action 2: Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning
• Priority for action 3: Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels
• Priority for action 4: Reduce the underlying risk factors
• Priority for action 5: Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels

•  
  • Why is a Global Framework for Climate Services necessary?,
  • What is the Global Framework for Climate Services?,
  • What will be achieved through the Global Framework for Climate Services?,
  •  Who will participate in the Global Framework for Climate Services ?,
  • How will the Global Framework for Climate Services be financed?
  • What are the next steps in developing a Global Framework for Climate Services?

A history of climate activities 
by John W. Zillman

    The third WMO (World Meteorological Organization)-convened World Climate Conference, which will be held in Geneva from 31 August to 4 September 2009, should be viewed both as an end and as a beginning.

World Climate Research Programme: achievements, activities and challenges
by Antonio J. Busalacchi and Ghassem R. Asrar

In the wake of World War II, owing to advances in our observing and understanding of the dynamics of the atmospheric circulation, together with nascent digital computing and telecommunication technologies, the new field of numerical weather prediction was ushered in.

World Climate Conference-3: towards a Global Framework for Climate Services 

The climate challenge is enormous and requires a comprehensive and coordinated response from the world community.

Disaster risk reduction, climate risk management and sustainable development
by Margareta Wahlström 

Disaster risks have risen over recent decades, and more extreme weather conditions in future are likely to increase the number and scale of disasters.

Addressing climate information needs at the regional level: the CORDEX framework
by Filippo Giorgi, Colin Jones and Ghassem R. Asrar 

The need for climate change information at the regional-to-local scale is one of the central issues within the global change debate.

Climate information in decision-making in the Greater Horn of Africa: lessons and experiences
by Laban Ogallo and Christopher Oludhe

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) is a specialized regional centre charged with the responsibility of climate monitoring, prediction, early warning and applications for the reduction of climate-related risks, including those associated with climate variability and change in support of national/regional poverty alleviation and sustainable development strategies.

Climate risk management in western South America: implementing a successful information system
by Rodney Martínez Güingla and Affonso Mascarenhas

Six years after opening, in January 2003, the International Centre on “El Niño” Research (CIIFEN) has succeeded in consolidating its presence in Central and South America by providing climate information services designed principally for users and decision-makers.

Water and climate: issues, examples and potential in the context of hydrological prediction
by Ann Calver

The interplay between hydrological and climatological information and analyses offers a maturing capability to assess expected terrestrial water regimes

Food security under a changing climate
by Hideki Kanamaru

Human beings have learned to live with climate variability on various timescales, from daily to decadal.

Adaptation to a variable and changing climate: challenges and opportunities for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services
Scientific Lecture delivered to the 61st session of the WMO Executive Council (EC-XLI), Geneva, 11 June 2009

By John W. Zillman

BOOKS

    Four weeks after an earthquake devastated the Indonesian region of Padang-Pariaman, Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel assigned to Operation Padang Assist are returning home this weekend

    Australian Defence Force personnel assigned to Operation Padang Assist will return home this weekend one month after an earthquake devastated the Indonesian region of Padang-Pariaman,

    The last elements of the ADF’s Joint Task Force will depart Indonesia for Australia on the 2nd November, following the closure of the Australian Army Primary Health Care Facility and its official handover to the local health authorities, and the completion of all reconstruction tasks.

    Among the many tasks achieved by the Australian contingent; 1.3 million litres of water were produced and distributed, 1300 patients were treated in a purpose built medical facility, in the village of Seigerringing, 63 buildings were assessed for structural integrity and over 532.4 metric tons of humanitarian aid was flown into the region.

    The Commander of the Indonesian Earthquake Relief Effort, Major General Tanjung, praised the Australians for their dedication to the relief effort in support of the Indonesian Defence Force (TNI).

“Your performance was outstanding to finish your mission in such a short time, we look forward to more opportunities to work together in the future,” Major General Tanjung said.

Joint Task Force Commander Colonel Mark Brewer is proud of the performance of his personnel during the operation.

“To see the Australian and Indonesian soldiers working side by side, forging friendships in the aftermath of a natural disaster, will be an enduring feature of this mission.”

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said through working closely together in the aftermath of the 30th September earthquake, the Australians and Indonesians had strengthened the friendship between the two nations.

“I commend all the ADF men and women who contributed to Operation PADANG ASSIST. Your efforts contributed towards saving countless lives, establishing medical clinics, clearing landslides and repairing vital infrastructure,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

MEDIA : Earthquake Cripples Indonesia

       Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst.

        Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others; romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating; and attachment involves tolerating the spouse (or indeed the child) long enough to rear a child into infancy. Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen.

      

       These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which act in a manner similar to amphetamines, stimulating the brain’s pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement.

       Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.

        Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships have. Enzo Emanuele and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these return to previous levels after one year.

 24 th October

     The anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945 has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. It has traditionally been marked throughout the world by meetings, discussions and exhibits on the achievements and goals of the Organization.

UNITED NATIONS DAY 2009

Paranormal Alien Cloud Hovers Above Moscow

      Eyewitnesses made a curious video of a very strange cloud hovering above Moscow. The video, which was posted on the Mobile Reporter website, shows a cloud which looks like a huge white-rimmed whirlpool.

	BREAKING NEWS Russians and foreigners still fail to understand each other

       The video was made on October 7, on the Moscow Ring Road.

       The phenomenon, which many Muscovites could observe in the western part of the city, is an optical effect, meteorologists said.

       “This is purely an optical effect, although it does look impressive. If you look closer, you can see sun rays coming through that cloud. Most likely, the sun was setting when the video was being made. If you observe clouds regularly, you may see many other astonishing things. Clouds of the same class may look absolutely different in different areas. Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, the sun was shining from the west – this is how the effect was produced,” a meteorologist said.

Another meteorologist said that there was a twister forming above Moscow because of several weather fronts in the area. However, the twister did not appear.

“The phenomenon has nothing to do with industrial emissions. They could not produce such an effect against the background of the current weather conditions. If something happens, there is the smog effect, but it appears only when the weather is quiet for a long time. The wind in Moscow has been quite strong recently,” a weather forecaster said.

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