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One In Four HIV-Positive Women Does Not Undergo Cervical Cancer Screenings, Study Finds
About one in four HIV-positive women in the U.S. does not opt to undergo an annual Pap test for cervical cancer even though they are at an increased risk for the disease, according to a study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters reports. For the study, Alexandra Oster and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the responses of 2,417 HIV-positive women from 18 states who participated in interviews for the Supplement to HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project.The researchers found that 23% of the women had not undergone a Pap test in the year before the interviews and that older age and a poorly functioning immune system were independent predictors of whether women had Pap tests.They wrote, "The risk of cervical cancer has not decreased since the introduction of (highly active antiretroviral) therapy, highlighting the continued importance of cervical cancer screening in this population." They added that "cervical cancer screening should be a high priority" for HIV-positive women (Reuters, 7/30).

Bacteria Pack Their Own Demise
Numerous pathogens contain an "internal time bomb", a deadly mechanism that can be used against them. After years of work, VIB researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) were able to determine the structure and operating mechanism of the proteins involved. This clears the road for finding ways to set the clock on this internal time bomb and, hopefully, in the process developing a new class of antibiotics. The research was accepted for publication by top journal Molecular Cell, with congratulations from the editorial board.
News of the day
ChIP-Seq, Drosophila Targeted Mutagenesis Featured In Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
High-throughput whole-genome analysis is becoming a standard laboratory approach for investigating cellular processes. Next-generation sequencing is replacing microarrays as the technique of choice for genome-scale analysis, because it offers advantages in both sensitivity and scale. The June issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features "Native Chromatin Preparation and Illumina/Solexa Library Construction" from Keji Zhao and colleagues at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The article describes sample preparation for sequencing of chromatin-immunoprecipitated DNA (ChIP-Seq) to analyze histone modification patterns using native chromatin and the Solexa/Illumina Genome Analyzer. Step-by-step instructions are given for purification of human CD4+ T cells from lymphocytes and chromatin fragmentation using micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion, followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and construction of a library for sequencing. The article is freely available on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/cgi/content/full/2009/6/pdb.prot5237).
Public Health

Expanding Health Insurance Options For Young Adults

Pennsylvania and Illinois are expanding health insurance options for for young adults. The Tribune-Review reports on a Pennsylvania legislation passed by the House and the Senate that would "require insurance companies to offer the option of parents keeping their children on insurance policies until age 29." That could include some of the state"s 400,000 uninsured residents between ages 19 and 29. "Policies now remove young adults from family plans upon graduation from college or at age 19 if not in school," according to the Tribune-Review. The paper also noted that New Jersey revised its law to allow adults younger than 30 to remain on parents" health insurance in 2007 (Turnbull, 6/1). Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune reports on a new Illinois law that went into effect Monday to allow parents to keep children on their insurance policies up to age 26. The paper notes that "the bad news is that young adults with chronic medical conditions may find it hard to secure coverage on their own." "Last year, the Commonwealth Fund, a health care foundation, reported that about one-third of young adults become uninsured for some period of time in the year after they graduate from college. Should something happen - a car accident, say, or a sports injury - these young people could face significant medical bills while they"re trying to pay off college loans," according to the paper (6/1). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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