Possible New Way to Fight HIV Discovered
25 for 25 Charity Drive Nets $5,700
NIH Grants $3 Million for Research into HIV-Related Cognitive Dysfunction
New HIV Documentary Movie “Sex Positive” Focuses on Three Men Who Made a Difference
Possible New Way to Fight HIV Discovered
In a UPI report on June 11, Canadian researchers say they might have found a new way to fight the human immunodeficiency virus.
Scientists at McGill University, Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, and the Universities of Manitoba and British Columbia said they have determined the key cellular machinery co-opted by the HIV type-1 virus to hijack the human cell for its own benefit. McGill Associate Professor Andrew Mouland said the discovery is exciting because now researchers have hopes they can begin to devise strategies to block the process.
The findings appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
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25 for 25 Charity Drive Nets $5,700
The Windy City Times 25 for 25 Charity Drive ended June 5, raising nearly $6,000 for local LGBT and HIV non-profits. The month-long event marked the 25th anniversary of Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim's start in Chicago LGBT media. She started as an editorial assistant at Chuck Renslow's GayLife newspaper in 1984.
The drive was also a contest: About Face Theatre edged out the Oak Park Area Gay and Lesbian Association to receive a $250 bonus donation. TPAN raised $505 and would like to thank Tracy Baim, Windy City Media, and all those who donated!
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NIH Grants $3 Million for Research into HIV-Related Cognitive Dysfunction
Newswise reported on June 12 that the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $3-million grant to Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University to establish a research center to study the neurological complications that afflict people infected with HIV.
“More than a quarter of those infected with HIV exhibit some form of cognitive impairment,” says Ruth Hogue Angeletti, Ph.D., professor of developmental & molecular biology and of biochemistry at Einstein, who will direct the Einstein Proteomics Research Center for HIV-Associated Neurological Disorders and Substance Abuse. “By the time HIV-infected people have progressed to AIDS, more than half display significant neurological deficits.”
The Einstein Proteomics Research Center will investigate the mechanism by which HIV infection causes neurological deficits and identify biomarkers that signal when these deficits begin and how they progress over time.discuss this news in our discussion forum
New HIV Documentary Movie “Sex Positive” Focuses on Three Men Who Made a Difference
On June 14, Gary Goldstein wrote in the LA Times about the upcoming release of Daryl Wein’s Outfest Award-winning film “Sex Positive,” which opened on June 19.
The film chronicles the life of Richard Berkowitz, a former S&M hustler who, together with Dr. Joseph Sonnabend and late singer-songwriter Michael Callen, is credited for inventing the concept of safe sex
In 2006, Berkowitz met Daryl Wein, a young, heterosexual filmmaker at a Passover Seder. Wein then read Berkowitz’ autobiography, “Stayin’ Alive: The Invention of Safe Sex.” "I was immediately intrigued by the fact that Richard was a retired sex worker," recalled Wein, "But when I read his book, I was blown away. It was a history I didn't know anything about. The fact that I'd never thought about how safe sex arrived in America was shocking to me. I just dove right in." A year's worth of filmed interviews with Berkowitz followed.
All of the archival material seen in the micro-budgeted "Sex Positive" came from Berkowitz's personal collection. "It was a battle," said the activist. "Daryl wanted me to talk about being an S&M hustler and what I did. I only wanted to talk about it vis-à-vis what I wanted a new generation, one that was denied effective safe sex education under George Bush, to understand about safe sex history."
Berkowitz has made peace with his cinematic portrait. "Who I was and what I know is what helped me discover safe sex and save lives," he concluded.
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