Johnson & Johnson Pure Cotton Cosmetic Rounds, Non-Chlorine Bleached

Package Details

Johnson's®. Pure Cotton.
100% Cotton Rounds

Johnson's® Cotton Rounds are made from only 100% pure, non-chlorine bleached cotton. Pure cotton is naturally soft, absorbent and gentle. Give your skin the gentle, natural care of Johnson's Pure Cotton products.

Questions or comments? Please call at 1-800-526-3967 or visit YourBaby.com

Directions

Use Johnson's Cotton Rounds to apply makeup, astringents and cleansing lotions and to remove makeup and nail polish.

Warnings
Flammable

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Johnson & Johnson 100% Cotton Balls

They're all right, but not as soft as people say. In fact they tend to irritate my skin when I use them.

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Swisspers Supreme Cotton Rounds

These cotton rounds are great. They don't shed and are excellent for applying my toner and removing the last traces of eye makeup. I have been on the search for a good cotton pad that doesn't fall apart after one swipe. Thanks to the great reviews, I decided to try them and even got them on sale. You can't beat this quality for the price (even at regular price) As long as they continue to make these; I will continue to buy them.

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Q-tips Cotton Swabs

Package Details

More Cotton At The Tip* Than Any Other Swab.

Q-tips® Cotton Swabs are made with 100% pure cotton and have more soft cotton at the tip* than any other swab. The firm paper stick gives gently under pressure, while a special adhesive secures the cotton to the stick.

Ideal for the whole family, and not just for ears. Apply and remove makeup or touch up a manicure. Gentle enough to care for newborn babies.

Q-tips® Cotton Swabs are made with 100% natural materials, unlike some other cotton swab brands, and are biodegradable when composted. Please support recycling in your community.

Q-tips Cotton Swabs are ideal if the task requires a soft touch. There is no softer or safer swab.

Handy Snap Lock Opening.

*From the end of the stick to the top of the swab.

Made in the USA

Directions:
If used to clean ears, stroke swab gently around the outer surface of the ear, without entering the ear canal.

Warnings:
Use only as directed. Entering the ear canal could cause injury. Keep out of reach of children.

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Call for Meeting Over Medical Aid Shortfalls

There is need for Government to convene another meeting with medical aid societies and doctors to deliberate on the huge shortfalls incurred by patients, a cabinet minister has said.

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said his ministry had received complaints from patients that medical aid societies have become useless while on the other hand doctors were charging huge fees for their services. "Some are saying medical aid is no longer relevant because patients now have to foot the bulk of medical bills. This calls for another meeting involving medical aid societies and doctors to save patients from incurring huge shortfalls," Dr Parirenyatwa said. He added that the confusion between the three parties emanated from the fact that people were no longer working as a team.

"We need to sit down and discuss on both fees charged by doctors and contribution rates charged by medical aid societies not the individualism that is currently prevailing in the sector." Dr Parirenyatwa said in the past two weeks, his ministry held several meetings with representatives from both medical aid societies and doctors on the same issue.

However, because of the confusion reported by members, there was need for his ministry to convene another meeting. Dr Parirenyatwa also said he was aware that some doctors were now refusing to offer services to patients on some medical aid societies. Medical aid societies had increased contribution rates by at least 265 percent effective from January 1. However, the increase was barred by the National Incomes and Pricing Commission saying it was not done procedurally and societies should then revert to last October rates. This move has since trapped the three parties, medical aid societies, doctors and members in a quagmire that has resulted in doctors charging exorbitant fees and societies only reimbursing paltry amounts to members who then incur the bulk of their medical bills.

While medical aid societies were barred from increasing their rates, hospitals and doctors were not ordered to revert to their October rates, which is the main cause of the confusion.

Source:allafrica.com

AIDS / STD

Since 1985, Harborview Medical Center has been committed to providing medical care and social services to men and women with AIDS/STD.

The mission of Harborview's program is to provide optimal medical care, nursing care and social work services to patients with AIDS/STD, and train health-care providers in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection and facilitate clinical research.

The UW Medicine Center for AIDS and STD housed at Harborview is a nationally recognized research and training program that provides exemplary patient care and enhances Harborview's AIDS/STD center of emphasis.

AIDS/STD patients need complex medical and social services coordinated among many different providers and therefore may benefit from greater integration of care.

The Madison Clinic, Harborview’s outpatient facility, is the single largest provider of HIV/AIDS care in King County. Madison Clinic provides medical care and social services for men and women with HIV/AIDS regardless of sexual orientation, race, or ability to pay. New patients often are referred through local AIDS organizations. The Madison Clinic also provides treatment for other types of infectious diseases.

Source:www.uwmedicine.org

Corticosteroids for Bacterial Meningitis in Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, bacterial meningitis is common and is associated with a high mortality. Adjuvant therapy with corticosteroids reduces mortality among adults in the developed world, but it has not been adequately tested in developing countries or in the context of advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Methods We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of dexamethasone (16 mg twice daily for 4 days) and an open-label trial of intramuscular versus intravenous ceftriaxone (2 g twice daily for 10 days) in adults with an admission diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in Blantyre, Malawi. The primary outcome was death at 40 days after randomization.

Results A total of 465 patients, 90% of whom were HIV-positive, were randomly assigned to receive dexamethasone (233 patients) or placebo (232 patients) plus intramuscular ceftriaxone (230 patients) or intravenous ceftriaxone (235 patients). There was no significant difference in mortality at 40 days in the corticosteroid group (129 of 231 patients) as compared with the placebo group (120 of 228 patients) by intention-to-treat analysis (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.64) or when the analysis was restricted to patients with proven pneumococcal meningitis (68 of 129 patients receiving corticosteroids vs. 72 of 143 patients receiving placebo) (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.77). There were no significant differences between groups in the outcomes of disability and death combined, hearing impairment, and adverse events. There was no difference in mortality with intravenous ceftriaxone (121 of 230 patients) as compared with intramuscular ceftriaxone (128 of 229 patients) (odds ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.61 to 1.27).

Conclusions Adjuvant therapy with dexamethasone for bacterial meningitis in adults from an area with a high prevalence of HIV did not reduce mortality or morbidity. In this setting, intramuscular administration was not inferior to intravenous administration of ceftriaxone for bacterial meningitis. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN31371499 [controlled-trials.com] .)


Source:content.nejm.org

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back — Will There Ever Be an AIDS Vaccine?

In April 1984, when the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS were just beginning to be understood, a senior official in the Department of Health and Human Services stated at a press conference that there would be a marketable vaccine within "a minimum of two years, probably more like three years."1 This prediction has haunted the search for an AIDS vaccine, whose most recent setback was the announcement that a promising vaccine candidate, Merck's V520, was not effective and may actually have increased some subjects' risk of acquiring HIV. Unfortunately, about a quarter-century after the discovery of HIV, there is neither a marketable vaccine nor a credible expectation about when there will be one.

A successful HIV vaccine would either prevent infection or reduce the viral load in persons who became infected, helping them to remain healthy and perhaps reducing their likelihood of transmitting the virus to others. But vaccine developers face many scientific challenges, including those posed by the genetic diversity and rapid changes of the viral envelope proteins and other features that allow HIV to elude immune control.2 Critical immunologic responses that would prevent infection or control the virus are incompletely understood. Nonetheless, there has been considerable interest in vaccines, such as V520, that induce primarily T-cell responses, because numerous studies have provided evidence of the role of T-cell immunity in controlling HIV infection.

The V520 vaccine consists of three injections of a recombinant, replication-defective adenovirus type 5 vector that carries three HIV genes and was designed to elicit HIV-specific T-cell immune responses (see diagram). Adenovirus type 5 is a common cold virus and is generally considered harmless. The vaccine was evaluated in two trials involving volunteers who were HIV-negative but at high risk for infection. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, which is funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in conjunction with the vaccine developer, Merck, conducted the STEP trial in the United States and abroad; the Phambili trial was conducted in South Africa. In September 2007, the STEP trial, which had enrolled 3000 subjects, was stopped after the data and safety monitoring board, at its first interim analysis, concluded that the vaccine neither prevented HIV infection nor reduced the amount of virus in those who became infected. In October, the Phambili trial, which had enrolled only 801 subjects, was also stopped; the trial's monitoring board concluded that there was no reason to anticipate more favorable results. Participants in both studies were told whether they received vaccine or placebo.

Source:

Vaccines

Information on preventive and therapeutic HIV/AIDS vaccine research is found in this section. Preventive vaccines are for HIV-negative individuals; they are to prevent HIV infection. Therapeutic vaccines are for HIV-positive individuals; they are to improve the immune system. Currently no HIV/AIDS vaccines are approved for use; however, many are in clinical trial studies.

Source:aidsinfo.nih.gov

AIDSinfo Drug Database

The AIDSinfo Drug Database provides fact sheets on HIV/AIDS related drugs. The fact sheets describe the drug's use, pharmacology, side effects, and other information. The database includes:

* Approved and investigational HIV/AIDS related drugs
* Three versions of each fact sheet: patient, health professional, and Spanish.

Source:aidsinfo.nih.gov

"Food is the first medicine for AIDS"

With better diets, poor farmers with AIDS could extend their lives long enough to pass on crucial skills to their children
ROME, 29 November 2002 -- Eating well can help delay the progression from HIV to AIDS-related diseases. This is because good nutrition improves quality of life for people living with the disease and helps to improve the performance of the immune system -- the body's protection against infection.

But poor farmers in developing countries, lacking adequate and balanced diets, are dying of AIDS before they can pass on vital agricultural skills to their children. With better food, these parents could live a vital few years longer and have the energy to pass on their knowledge. Food consumption in Africa has been found to drop by 40 percent in households afflicted by the disease.

"Food is the first medicine for HIV/AIDS -- and often the only medicine," says Marcela Villarreal, FAO AIDS specialist. "As tragic as it is to be orphaned, it is very different being orphaned at 15 years of age than being orphaned at 7. If parents could live a few more years, they could take their children to the fields and teach them by doing."

Now, she adds, those with the virus who don't have adequate, hygienically prepared food may only live two years with full-blown AIDS. They are frequently bed-ridden and too weak to go to the fields.

A study in Kenya showed that only 7 percent of agricultural households headed by orphans had adequate knowledge of agricultural production. In a region like sub-Saharan Africa, where 11 million children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS, extending the life of a farming parent by several years could mean the difference between life and death for the children left behind.

Combine food aid with longer term measures

The message from FAO regarding food and AIDS -- on the occasion of World AIDS Day, 2 December -- comes at a time when an estimated 14 million people in southern Africa face starvation from a combination of drought, economic and civil problems and the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

FAO advocates combining food aid with longer term food security measures -- for example, introducing crops that need less labour to cultivate. "Rural development, agricultural policies and food security cannot be handled independently of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," says Ms Villarreal. "HIV/AIDS must be integrated systematically into plans for responding to and preventing food crises in endemic areas. Failure to do so will put millions at risk."

Major push for low-labour farming

In Mozambique and Zambia, FAO is promoting cultivation of inexpensive, low-input, low-labour crops such as fruit and vegetables, as well as small animals and cassava, through projects worth a combined US$6.8 million. These techniques reduce the strain on households that have lost adult family members, leaving behind mainly children and the elderly.

FAO nutritionist Karel Callens, recently stationed in AIDS-ravaged northern Zambia, says the situation is so grim in that part of Africa that orphaned children were seen wandering in the streets without family or neighbours to take them in, a situation previously unheard of in rural Africa. Some of those orphans were taken in by a church-run orphanage. FAO helped the orphanage to start a vegetable garden so the children could learn how to grow food, thereby feeding themselves and earning a little money by selling produce.

How to cook for those with AIDS

Another initiative aims to help improve the nutrition of people suffering from HIV and AIDS. FAO, with the World Health Organization, will soon publish Living well with HIV/AIDS: a manual on nutritional care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. Many of the symptoms associated with AIDS -- such as diarrhoea, weight loss, sore mouth and throat, nausea and vomiting -- are manageable with appropriate nutrition. The manual provides practical advice on how to do so in poor households.

Once a largely urban problem, HIV/AIDS now afflicts rural areas as well. No longer simply a health issue, the disease is devastating societies as awhole and thus requires a broad range of policy responses. FAO promotes nutritional care for people living with the disease and works to mitigate its effects on food security, nutrition and livelihoods. FAO also helps governments and institutions develop policies to deal with the epidemic.

Source:

Chinese medicine 'aids diabetics'

A traditional Chinese medicine may be beneficial for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Berberine, found in the roots and barks of some plants, has been documented in Chinese literature as being able to lower glucose levels in diabetics.

Now scientists have found that studies on rodents support this claim.

Writing in the journal Diabetes, they added that berberine reduced the animals' body weight, suggesting it could also be used to treat obesity.


We have now obtained scientific evidence that shows berberine helps insulin to work much better
Professor James, Garvan Institute

Berberine is a compound found in several plants, including goldenseal, the Oregon grape and barberry.

It has been used by a number of different cultures for medicinal purposes, most commonly to treat diarrhoea.

It is also being employed, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine, to treat diabetes.

To investigate its reported glucose-lowering effects, an international team examined the effect of berberine on mice and rats.

The researchers found that a dose of the compound, given orally, caused blood sugar levels to go down, led to fewer fats circulating in the bloodstream, made insulin work better and lowered the animals' body weights.

Potential therapy

Professor David James, head of the diabetes and obesity research programme at the Garvan Institute, Sydney, Australia, said: "We are interested in type 2 diabetes, which is caused by a malfunctioning of insulin action, causing blood sugar regulation to go haywire.

"We have now obtained scientific evidence that shows berberine helps insulin to work much better.

"It helps insulin to control blood sugar. But it also helps to clear fats out of the bloodstream, and we think that this leads to one of its other major end points, which is reduction of body weight."

The team believes the plant product is "turning on" an enzyme found in body tissue, which improves the body's sensitivity to insulin, in turn lowering blood sugar levels and reducing the level of circulating fats.


We would not recommend that anyone attempts to use this as a treatment in its current form
Cathy Moulton, Diabetes UK

Professor James said: "This is a very nice example of how there is validity to some of these traditional medicines.

"Type 2 diabetes and obesity are a huge problem and, although there are some nice medicines on the market, they have their limitations and there is a tremendous need for new therapies.

"This represents a potential new therapy for treatment of diabetes and obesity."

However, he cautioned that more clinical studies were needed on humans before berberine should be recommended for diabetics, particularly to investigate how the compound interacts with other drugs.

Cathy Moulton, a care advisor at Diabetes UK, said: "There are already many treatments for type 2 diabetes available but this research is slightly different as it's based on a natural remedy.

"We would not recommend that anyone attempts to use this as a treatment in its current form as this research only focuses on animals.

"We will wait to see the results of further research with interest."

Source:news.bbc.co.uk

All About AIDS

Fifteen years ago, the prospects for HIV-infected patients were very grim. Today, according to Mr. Christopher M. Dezii, Associate Director of Bristol-Myers Squibb Virology, HIV has turned from a “death sentence” to a “treatable chronic disease.” However, treatment for HIV is still not easy because of many side effects from the powerful antiretroviral drugs. “It’s not fun to be in HIV drug therapy,” says Dr. Lynn Key.

Drugs for the treatment of HIV focus on disrupting some portion of the HIV life cycle. Currently, there are several classes of drugs available, each focusing on a specific part of the life cycle. The most common and effective treatment plan is a combination of three or more of these drugs, termed Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment (HAART). This can kill HIV to undetectable levels. Unfortunately for some of the poverty-stricken regions with highest HIV prevalence, HAART is very expensive.

* Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors – prevents HIV from converting its RNA into DNA
* Non-Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors– prevents HIV from converting its RNA into DNA
* Protease inhibitors– prevents HIV from “packaging” itself to leave the cell
* Entry inhibitors– prevents the HIV genetic information from ever entering the cell
* Integrase inhibitors– prevents HIV from inserting its genetic information into the cell
* Vaccine - Is it possible?

Future treatment for HIV will include more entry inhibitors and integrase inhibitors. Pharmaceutical companies are also focusing on decreasing the number of pills a day a patient has to take, as well as decreasing the number of side effects associated with antiretroviral medications.

As of 2004, there are no drugs that are a true "cure" to this disease.

Source:library.thinkquest.org