Selenium is a necessary nutrient for many processes and reactions in the body, including the immune system. A deficiency in selenium can result in low immune function and susceptibility to infection. Previous lab studies have shown that selenium can suppress the replication of HIV in test tubes.

Based on this information, researchers at the University of Miami in Florida randomized 260 HIV infected adults to receive Selenium enriched yeast ( a well absorbed form of selenium) or inactive yeast (no selenium). They were given 200 milligrams per day for 9 months.

During the study period levels of the HIV virus in the blood, white blood cells counts, and levels of selenium were measured and compared between the two groups. The results of the study were published in the January issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers saw that the average viral load was unchanged in those randomized to the selenium yeast group, while the viral load increased in the placebo group. Even more interesting was the number of CD4 cells, the white blood cell attacked by HIV, actually increased in the selenium group compared to baseline.

Only about 50 of the participants in the selenium group saw an increase in serum or blood levels of selenium. This may be due to absorption issues. But in these persons whose selenium levels increased their viral load actually declined.

Selenium is a relatively low cost treatment alternative to use as an adjuct to anti-retroviral medications that can be very costly. It effectiveness in this study cannot be undervalued.

Researchers at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Tulsa are part of the CDC task force. Lead researcher Dr. Randy Wymore, an assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology at OSU, has studied hundreds of fiber samples from Morgellons patients. Dr. Wymore's tests have determined that the fibers are not textile fibers, worms, insects, animal material, or human skin. Instead, the fibers are a presently unknown substance resulting from something infectious and have been observed under unbroken skin. "I am 100 percent convinced that Morgellons is a real disease pathology," says Dr. Wymore, in a news release.

This untreatable, emerging disease seems to be spreading. "There is the slightly frightening component to it that we don't know what causes this. If more and more people are coming down with Morgellons, we need to get a handle on this," says Dr. Wymore. "Is there an environmental component that needs to be addressed? Is it contagious? These are all things that we don't know the answer to at this point."

Dr. Wymore and his OSU medical team are now beginning a clinical trial. The CDC has setup an email address for Morgellons questions at: morgellonssyndrome@cdc.gov.

REFERENCES:
1. Doctors make progress with mysterious disease, KTVU.com, May 23, 2006:
http://www.ktvu.com/print/9264350/detail.html

2. Knapp D. CDC considers Texas for Morgellons study. MySA.com, July 25, 2006:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/medical/stories/MYSA072406.
morgellons.KENS.1e13fade.html

Earlier this year, a vaccine to prevent and reduce the severity of shingles, called Zostavax, was approved by the FDA for use only in people over the age of 60 years. The vaccine is a higher dose of the varicella vaccine now routinely given to young children. The drug maker Merck & Co. expect the market to be large, even though they had originally planned to market the vaccine to people 50 years of age and older (a plan rejected by the FDA due to lack of research in this population). Anyone with a weakened immune system due to cancer therapy, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, or other causes will not be allowed to get the vaccine because it is a live virus. David Markovitz, MD, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan who reviewed Zostavax for the FDA stressed that the vaccine remains unstudied in patients under 60 and advises against this administration.

Certainly an alternative to this vaccine is immune support because, as stated, people who are at increased risk of shingles have poorly functioning immune systems. Visiting a nutritionally oriented physician is your best bet to address approaches to boosting immune function for better overall health and resistance to more infections than just shingles.

Doctors have been prescribing medications to treat HIV for more than two decades. When retroviral drugs to fight HIV were first developed, doctors thought the disease would be stopped. But after more than 25 years, the virus persists, with some holding the belief it is stronger than ever.

Doctors and scientists have been trying to determine why the virus is so difficult to treat. They have investigated how the virus replicates, where it lives in the body, and what its susceptibilities are. A new study from the University of California at Davis was published in the Journal of Virology points to the gut as an important clue. The study found that HIV hides in the gut mucosa, particularly in the lymphodi tissue in the digetstive tract where it replicates and damages important immune cells needed to fight off invading organisms that can cause deadly infections.

In the gut there are specialized immune cells, GALT (Gut associated lymphoid tissue), that are responsible for about 70% of the immune cells produced in the adult. It is these particular cells that are the target of the HIV virus. HIV must replicate in a cell of its 'host'. The CD4 cell is the specific cell HIV replicates in. Once replication is complete the virus destroys the cell. As more virus replicates and more cells are destroyed the immune system begins to weaken. When an individuals condition develops into AIDS, there are less than 400 specialized CD4 cells, therefore rendering the immune system almost defunct.

The mucosal barrier of the gut represents the organ with the largest surface area in the human. Maintaining a proper barrier is key to ward off invading organisms from our food and drink as well as organisms that are spread through other body fluids that seek to enter the body via the digestive tract. When the GALT immune cells are destroyed by as much as 70% the defense of the gut is destroyed in equal magnitude.

The researchers believe also that HIV is difficult to treat because it hides in the mucosa, where the drugs cannot affect it. Most drugs have to be taken into the blood stream and metabolized in the liver to become active. Once the drugs are activated, they no longer reach the gut mucosa in high amounts.

The researchers studied 10 patients with HIV who were being treated with HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) taking samples of their blood and gut tissue. They made long term comparisons over several years and compared results pre and post-treatment. They found that those with healthy gut mucosa had less infection and less severe forms of the disease. Some had increased inflammation in the gut, fewer immune cells, and overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria and were more likely to have a more severe or advanced form of the disease. Also those with healthy guts responded to treatment with the HAART drugs better.

The findings can help healthcare providers formulate treatments that can improve outcome. In particular doctors need to pay more focus to the gut and treating it when needed.

The study, conducted by the Korean Consumer Protection Board, examined the surfaces of the most handled public items. Researchers collected samples from common object surfaces and tested them for germs. They found that the germiest public items from most to least germs are:

1. Shopping cart handles
2. Computer "mice" in an Internet cafe
3. Hand straps on buses
4. Bathroom door handles

Researchers found that supermarket handles had the most bacteria with an average 1,100 bacteria per square centimeter, compared to bathroom door handles with an average 340 units. Furthermore, Internet cafe computer "mice" had an average 690 bacteria per square centimeter and bus hand straps had an average 380 units.

Although bacteria levels on supermarket equipment are high, experts believe that there is a negligible risk of transmitting food-borne disease. "However, microbiological organisms are present everywhere in our environment, including on our hands and clothes, and may be present on shopping equipment which appears otherwise clean," states the New South Wales Food Authority.

To eliminate potentially harmful bacteria, the report recommends thorough hand washing with soap and water after shopping at the supermarket.

REFERENCES:
1. Bacteria Hysteria In The Supermarket, ScienceAGoGo, February 15, 2006:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060115010147data_trunc_sys.shtml

2. Korean Consumer Protection Board.

The study was funded and reported by the Clorox Company. Researchers at the University of Arizona collected samples from workplaces located in Tucson, Arizona and Washington, DC. The University of Arizona laboratories tested and analyzed 616 surfaces for germs. They found that the germiest jobs from most to least germs are:

1. Teacher
2. Accountant
3. Banker
4. Radio DJ
5. Doctor
6. Television Producer
7. Consultant
8. Publicist
9. Lawyer

Researchers found that teachers' workplace surfaces had an average 17,800 bacteria per square inch, compared to lawyers' with an average 900 bacteria per square inch. Teachers also had the most germy phones, keyboards and computer "mice". In addition, accountants' desks had the most germs, publicists' had the least germy phones, TV producers had the least germy computer mice, and bankers had the least germy keyboards.

However, results also showed that bacteria levels in offices have decreased since previous studies. "We were pleased to find a decrease in bacteria levels," says researcher Charles Gerba, PhD, microbiologist at the University of Arizona, in a news release. "Perhaps people are becoming more aware of germs in their office and doing something about it."

The report recommends frequent hand-washing and using disinfecting wipes on workplace surfaces to eliminate germs. "Clorox Disinfecting Wipes kill 99.9 percent of the surface germs that can cause cold and flu," states the news release.

REFERENCES:
1. "Is Your Job Making You Sick? New study compares professions germ by germ to determine "germiest" job." Clorox News Release, February 15, 2006: http://www.clorox.com/pdf/office_study.pdf

2. Hitti M, "Top 9 Jobs Where Bacteria Thrive." WebMD, February 17, 2006:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/118/113130.htm

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the most effective way to avoid Lyme Disease is to prevent exposure to ticks. The best ways to accomplish this are:

1. Avoid areas prone to ticks such as tall grass, wooded or bushy areas, especially where there is a lot of leaf litter.

2. Take extra care during May, June and July when tick numbers are highest.

3. Local health departments and university extension services can provide accurate information about which areas are most infested.

4. Wear long sleeved clothes and pants when hiking in tick prone areas, and tuck pant legs into socks to limit skin exposure to ticks.

5. Make tick free zones around your home by ensuring brush and leaf debris are removed, and grass is cut regularly. Placing wood chips or rock covered sections between the lawn and wooded areas will restrict migration of ticks into play and relaxation areas.

6. Do regular tick checks over your body. Ticks that are attached for more than 24 hours are more likely to pass on the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. If you do find a tick remove it at the base as soon as possible using tweezers. Contact a health official to decide if you will need treatment. The earlier treatment is started, the better the prognosis.