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The study’s authors note that potential associations between school-based condom education and sexual health outcomes, including STD diagnoses, are not well understood. In the current study, sexually active men over age 18 were asked whether they had been tested for and diagnosed with any of six commonly reported STDs including HIV, and whether they had received condom instruction in a sexual health education class in high school. Recruitment included advertisements in newspapers, Web sites, and STD/HIV organizations in all 50 states. Among 1,152 participants in the sample, the mean age was 26 years. The men self-identified as white (84 percent), Asian (7 percent), black (2 percent), other (7 percent), and Latino (6 percent). Most (87 percent) reported they were heterosexual, with the remainder identifying as gay, bisexual or other (13 percent); and most were currently in a monogamous relationship (74 percent). Of the sample, 81 percent reported receiving school-based condom education, while 19 percent said they did not. Men who had received condom instruction were significantly less likely to have ever been diagnosed with five of the six STDs assessed, while being more likely to have been screened. Among three age groups (ages 18-25, 26-35 or 36 and older), the men age 35 and above were more likely to have had an STD and less likely to have been taught in a school setting how to use a condom. “In this study, we showed that men who received school-based condom education were less likely to have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and were more likely to ever have been tested for STIs than were men without such education,” concluded the authors. “School-based condom education is associated with less, rather than more, STI risk.” [Article source: http://www.ajph.org]

In a high-profile media campaign launched on Feb. 14, 2007, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) introduced the “NYC Condom.” This male condom - a standard-size, lubricated Lifestyles brand - was the first specially packaged condom unique to a municipality. The department distributed 5 million of the condoms to city organizations and businesses during the first month, and since has distributed an average of 3.4 million condoms each month. The researchers undertook the current study of sexually active New Yorkers “to measure awareness of and experience with the NYC Condom, and demand for and experience with other male condoms.” From July through September 2007, the researchers conducted a street intercept survey at seven large public events in the city where attendees were mainly persons of color and gay persons. City residents age 18 and older were eligible to participate. A time-space sampling methodology was used; respondents were offered a $4 transit card as an incentive. In all, 933 people were approached; 464 answered screening questions; and 293 met all criteria for inclusion. Most participants (76 percent) had seen or heard of the condom, of whom 75 percent had picked one up. Among those who had acquired an NYC Condom, 68.5 percent had used it. Respondents who had used the NYC Condom were asked to rate it on a scale of 1 (much worse than other male condoms) to 10 (much better). The resulting average rating was 6.55. Respondents were then asked what additional types of condoms they would like the department to provide. The most often named varieties were ultra-thin/extra-sensitive (22 percent), extra-strength (18 percent), and larger-size (14 percent). “These results indicate that condom social marketing campaigns can successfully translate into condom use,” the authors wrote. “Although this is the first large-scale condom distribution campaign conducted in a US city, other campaigns have documented that distributing free condoms promotes use.” “Data on use, acceptability, and preferences for various condom types can guide program planning and development,” the authors concluded. “On the basis of these results, DOHMH began distributing alternative condoms in November 2008, including this study’s most frequently named types: ultra-thin/extra-sensitive, extra-strength, and larger-size.” [Article source: http://www.ajph.org]

The state has been adding jobs, but UA economic forecaster Marshall Vest said when those numbers are adjusted to account for seasonal employment, growth is nearly nonexistent. Vest said unemployment in Arizona may not bottom out until at least the middle of next year.

Steward Observatory's Chris Impey was among the scientists who attended a conference held in Rome. The participants discussed the possibility of extraterrestrial life and its possible implications on the Catholic Church.

Students attending schools in the Amphitheater, Flowing Wells, Sunnyside and Tucson Unified School Districts will visit the UA on Saturday to take part in a science academy.

Women should have their first cervical cancer screening at age 21, and most can be rescreened less frequently than previously recommended, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said today. The new guidelines are based on scientific evidence that more frequent testing does not prevent significantly more cases of the cancer, which is caused by the STD human papillomavirus (HPV). “We really felt that the downsides of more frequent screening outweighed any benefits,” said Alan G. Waxman, an OB/GYN professor at the University of New Mexico who led ACOG’s revision. “More testing is not always more intelligent testing.” Under prior guidelines, women were to start annual cervical screening within three years of becoming sexually active. Now ACOG says women can wait to start until age 21, regardless of age at sexual debut. Women younger than 30 can be rescreened once every two years rather than annually, and women age 30 and older whose previous three tests are negative can be rescreened every three years, ACOG says. Women at increased risk, however, should continue to be screened more frequently, it said. Annual testing for low-risk women could precipitate unnecessary stress, anxiety, and potentially harmful interventions - all to treat growths that would not necessarily cause problems, ACOG found. HPV is not unusual among sexually active young girls and women, and because the cervix is immature, their incidence of precancerous lesions is higher. Nonetheless, HPV infection clears within one to two years among most adolescents, and the large majority of cervical dysplasias among adolescents resolve on their own, ACOG said. Cervical cancer is very rare in women under age 21, ACOG said. And the cancer grows relatively slowly, so waiting until age 21 to screen would not pose a significant risk, the organization concluded. The new guidelines are published in ACOG Practice Bulletin (2009;109). [Article source: http://www.washingtonpost.com]

A new study shows boosting levels of a neurotransmitter in the brain may reverse some of the cognitive abnormalities that characterize Down syndrome. Lynn Nadel, a Regents' Professor studying Down syndrome and cognition, said the research may one day lead to early life interventions in humans.

Six students talk about their intense and extensive training at the University of Arizona in the pursuit to become professional dancers.

HIV/AIDS urban/non-urban surveillance slide set through 2007

The popular ESPN program College GameDay will broadcast live from the UA this Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8 to 10 a.m.

The text from University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton's State of the University address is now available.

UA President Robert N. Shelton gave his State of the University address Thursday, emphasizing the vision and values necessary to sustain the institution's future success.

HIV/AIDS advocates in Victoria want authorities to provide clearer policies for determining when criminal charges should be lodged against HIV-positive people who risk infecting others. Though there are national guidelines, a recent review suggests many state policies are unclear about what circumstances trigger a health department’s referral of an HIV-related case to the police, said Mike Kennedy, executive director of the Victoria AIDS Council. “I’m not aware of any Australian state that has any clear guidelines to say how this will happen, so that’s the missing bit from the reviews that were done around the country,” Kennedy said. “Our view is that [protocols] ought to be governed by a set of agreed procedures, not just rely on goodwill and a set of relationships between people in the health department and people in the police service, because those people change.” “If someone goes out and deliberately attempts to infect, or does infect someone with HIV, most people are going to say if it’s deliberate and there’s intent, then that’s criminal,” said Kennedy. “If a slip-up happens, which they do, most people, including a lot of police, are going to say, ‘Well, that’s not criminal,’ but there’s an awful lot of space between the two of those.” The call for clearly stated policies follows the release of a National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS monograph advocating a halt to the upward trend in HIV-related criminal prosecutions. Since 1993, 22 such prosecutions have gone forward in Australia, with half occurring since 2007. [Article source: http://www.starobserver.com.au]

Using federal stimulus funds, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $1 million grants to two HIV studies that will be conducted by University of California-San Francisco researchers. The first study will examine mobile phone text-messaging to improve treatment adherence among HIV patients who face complex regimens. More than 250 participants from San Francisco General Hospital’s Positive Health Program will be involved, said Dr. James S. Kahn, a professor of clinical medicine in the UCSF program. The method has been tried before, “but not for our patients, who are on the opposite side of the digital divide and who don’t have as many resources as other persons receiving health care,” Kahn said. “We’ll know whether this is useful or not within two years.” The second study will test the feasibility and acceptability of a self-administered, Web-based drug and alcohol intervention to improve HIV treatment adherence and prevent transmission. The strategy involves patients screening for drug and alcohol use, a brief intervention and referral for treatment (SBIRT). In one SBIRT group, patients will be able to access information securely online from their own medical records. This will be compared with a provider-administered protocol during clinic appointments. “We are hoping to find out whether patients are more open to responding to sensitive topics with a self-administered, Web-based approach than they are talking directly with their clinician,” said Carol Dawson-Rose, an associate nursing professor at UCSF’s Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. [Article source: http://ebar.com]

Citing data from its latest survey, the South African Institute of Race Relations reports that 32 percent of all children in the nation will have lost one or both parents to AIDS by 2015. The SAIRR report says that in 2007, 2.5 million children had lost one or both parents, and AIDS was the cause of more than half these deaths. By 2007, 701,000 children had lost both parents, almost twice the number without parents in 2002. During the same period, the number of children living in child-headed households increased from 118,000 to 148,000. “Vulnerable children need additional support that is not necessarily monetary in nature, as these children have lost their primary caregiver,” said Gail Eddy of SAIRR. [Article source: http://www.bday.co.za]

On Thursday in Manhattan, about 40 people gathered at Uganda’s UN mission to protest that nation’s proposed new anti-homosexuality law. The United States and France have condemned the measure, which would impose the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” including acts by persons who are HIV-positive. “It’s unimaginable. You’re talking about the death penalty for an entire class of human beings,” said Brendan Fay, a filmmaker. “It’s incredible that in 2009 a nation’s parliament is considering this.” Earlier this month, Ugandan legislator David Bahati was unmoved by the furor against the bill. “The fact that the moral fabric of America and Europe has been put under siege by the supporters of this creeping evil of homosexuality should not suggest that we follow suit,” Bahati said. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission organized the protest. [Article source: http://www.afp.com/english/home/ ]

On World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, the AIDS Activities Office at Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Allentown Health Bureau will present a conference entitled, “HIV: The Aging of a Growing Population.” The keynote address will be delivered by Jane Fowler, who was diagnosed with HIV at age 55. She is the founder and director of HIV Wisdom for Older Women and has served as national coordinator for the National Association of HIV over 50. The conference, which is approved for continuing education credits, is open to all HIV agencies and caregivers. The $25 advance fee includes breakfast and lunch. For more information, telephone 610-969-2400 or e-mail aao.hcc@LVH.com. [Article source: http://www.poconorecord.com]

The Arizona Assurance program at the University of Arizona had a successful first year, retaining 80 percent of freshmen students involved.

Changes to the HIV Surveillance Report in response to customer feedback and the recognition of the need to present data to best meet the needs of data users.

A leadership program that began in Intercollegiate Athletics and became a national model is being adapted for the UA campus.