African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic STD's ... - Blackherbals.com
African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic STD's ... - Blackherbals.com
African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic STD's ... - Blackherbals.com
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Continued from page 15 – Found Inside the Gonorrhea<br />
Bacteria: Human DNA<br />
gonorrhea’s symptoms is even described in the Bible,<br />
according to Hank Seifert, senior author of a paper on<br />
the gene transfer. [Popular Science]<br />
Seifert and colleague Mark Anderson looked at 14<br />
different samples of N. gonorrhoeae. Three of them<br />
possessed the chunk of human DNA. And they only<br />
saw it in the gonorrhea bacteria:<br />
The pair looked for the same human DNA fragment in<br />
the genetically related bacterium Neisseria menigitidis,<br />
known to cause meningitis. “We screened many<br />
isolates and it wasn’t present,” says Seifert. That means<br />
the transfer to N. gonorrhoeae must have occurred<br />
since the two bacterial species diverged around 200,000<br />
years ago. [New Scientist]<br />
This is the first such transfer seen from humans to<br />
bacteria, though horizontal gene transfer is (somewhat<br />
frighteningly) <strong>com</strong>mon.<br />
Scientists have observed similar genetic transfers<br />
across species, he said — including relatively frequent<br />
transfers between different bacteria, between bacteria<br />
and viruses or between bacteria and other microbes<br />
such as yeast. One particularly significant exchange<br />
involves antibiotic resistance genes; when bacteria<br />
share these, it can make infections harder to treat with<br />
antibiotics. [Los Angeles Times]<br />
But Seifert and Anderson don’t know just how the<br />
human DNA chunk got into the gonorrhea bacteria—<br />
whether it was a one-time event or not—nor what it<br />
might be doing in there. The DNA sequence is missing<br />
a key part and not producing a protein, Seifert says, so<br />
it’s possibly doing nothing in the virus, and only sticks<br />
around because it isn’t harmful, either.<br />
http://blogs.discovermagazine.<strong>com</strong>/80beats/2011/02/15/foun<br />
d-inside-the-gonorrhea-bacteria-human-dna/<br />
☻☻☻☻☻☻<br />
Older Women Lack<br />
Important Information about<br />
Sexual Health<br />
ScienceDaily (Sep. 14, 2011) — Many women over 50<br />
years old date and are sexually active and thereby face<br />
many possible health risks. Yet, most educational<br />
campaigns designed to prevent sexually transmitted<br />
diseases target younger generations. Older women also<br />
need and want more information about sexual health<br />
and wellness. A study in the new special issue of the<br />
Journal of Consumer Affairs on older consumers found<br />
for improving <strong>com</strong>munication between older women and<br />
their physicians about sexual health and for providing these<br />
women with tools on how to negotiate with partners about<br />
safe sex practices.<br />
Dr. Cynthia Morton and her colleagues at the University of<br />
Florida examined women's knowledge about sexual health<br />
and their concerns about safe sex practices as they continue<br />
to pursue active sex lives into their senior years. Women<br />
aged 50 years and older participated in focus group<br />
discussions to talk about the challenges in finding male<br />
partners, negotiating condom use, and seeking credible<br />
information sources to help them make the best decisions<br />
about sexual health.<br />
Results of the study revealed that older women are aware of<br />
the risks for sexually transmitted diseases yet are<br />
un<strong>com</strong>fortable about seeking sexual health information from<br />
their regular physicians who may erroneously believe that<br />
they already possess the knowledge. Although older women<br />
know the importance of condoms in preventing sexually<br />
transmitted diseases, they may avoid negotiating condom<br />
use with their partners in an effort to avoid conflict or<br />
rejection. Senior-aged women are receptive to strategies that<br />
give them tools for negotiating with partners and for<br />
<strong>com</strong>municating with their physicians, but there are limited<br />
resources directed to their age group.<br />
"The findings generated from our research offer a rich<br />
foundation for better understanding the motivations and<br />
concerns that influence senior-aged women's attitudes about<br />
dating at their present stage of life," said Morton.<br />
According to the authors, efforts are needed to help older<br />
women gain confidence to talk with primary care physicians<br />
about sexual health and to make those physicians aware of<br />
their need. The authors also call for social marketing<br />
campaigns that aim to educate older women about their<br />
sexual health risks and encourage them to take greater<br />
ownership in the negotiation of safe sex practices with<br />
their partners.<br />
Wiley-Blackwell. "Older women lack important information about<br />
sexual health." ScienceDaily, 14 Sep. 2011. Web. 22 Sep. 2011.<br />
http://www.sciencedaily.<strong>com</strong>/releases/2011/09/110914081540.htm<br />
☻☻☻☻☻☻<br />
-16- <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>African</strong> <strong>Clinic</strong> October 2011
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