human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

The history of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dates back to 1981, when homosexual men with symptoms of a disease that now are considered typical of AIDS were first described in Los Angeles and New York. The men had an unusual type of lung infection (pneumonia) called Pneumocystis carinii (now known as Pneumocystis jiroveci) pneumonia (PCP) and rare skin tumors called Kaposi's sarcomas. The patients were noted to have a severe reduction in a type of cell in the blood (CD4 cells) that is an important part of the immune system. These cells, often referred to as T cells, help the body fight infections. Shortly thereafter, this disease was recognized throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Africa. In 1983, researchers in the United States and France described the virus that causes AIDS, now known as HIV, belonging to the group of viruses called retroviruses. While HIV infection is required to develop AIDS, the actual definition of AIDS is the development of a low CD4 cell count (<200 cells/mm³) or any one of a long list of complications of HIV infection ranging from a variety of so-called "opportunistic infections," cancers, neurologic symptoms, and wasting syndromes.

What tests are used in the diagnosis of HIV?

In 1985, a blood test became available that measures antibodies to HIV that are the body's immune response to the HIV. The test used most commonly for diagnosing infection with HIV is referred to as an ELISA. If the ELISA finds HIV antibodies, the results must be confirmed, typically by a test called a Western blot. HIV antibody tests remain the best method for diagnosing HIV infection. Recently, tests have become available to look for these same antibodies in saliva, some providing results within one to 20 minutes of testing. Antibodies to HIV typically develop within several weeks of infection. During this interval, patients have virus in their body but will test negative by the standard antibody test, the so called "window period." In this setting, the diagnosis can be made if a test is used that actually detects the presence of virus in the blood rather than the antibodies, such as tests for HIV RNA or p24 antigen. Recently, a new test has been approved that measures both HIV antibodies and p24 antigen, shrinking the duration of the window period from infection to diagnosis. There also are many testing centers around the country that are routinely screening blood samples that are HIV-antibody negative for HIV RNA.
Although the tests for detecting HIV infection continue to improve, they still require that people volunteer for testing. It is estimated that approximately 20% of those infected with HIV in the United States are unaware of their infection because they have never been tested. In order to decrease the number that are unaware of their HIV infection status, in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all people between the ages of 13 and 64 years be provided HIV testing whenever they encounter the health-care system for any reason. In addition, resources are available to facilitate people finding local HIV testing centers

9 Steps to Protect your MS Windows System from Viruses

Nowadays as the Internet and other networks are greatly developed computer viruses are distributed rapidly and intensively. Everyday several new viruses capable to damage considerably your computer system arise. Anti-virus specialists work hardly to make updates their software against new viruses as soon as possible. The viruses can get inside computer in different ways. That is why there is no simple method to protect system. Only series of measures can give you reliable protection from the infection. Below are 9 steps to protect MS Windows based PC system from viruses.
1. Make regular backups. It should be said that there is no absolutely safe way of protection. Virus creators regularly find holes in new computer products to use them for infection of computer systems. Some dangerous viruses can considerably damage data files or even erase entire file system. Make regular backups of your data files to separate file storage device. It can be separate hard drive, flash card, compact disc or another file storage device which you choose. To ease the procedure you can use some automatic backup software. And be ready if the system will die because of virus infection.
2. Be ready to reinstall your system if it dies because of viruses. Get distributives of your operation system and distributives of software which you use and keep them together, for instance, on a set of CDs not far away from you. In this case if virus infection will cause unrecoverable system failure you can rapidly reinstall your working medium.
3. Protect your network connection with Firewall. Firewall is a software which blocks suspicious potentially dangerous connections to preventing viruses from network to penetrate into your system. Windows XP system has quit simple but reliable built-in firewall. You can enable it as follows. 1) in Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections. 2) Right-click the connection on which you would like to enable firewall, and then click Properties. 3) On the Advanced tab, check the option to Protect my computer and network.
If you need more flexible control of connections with network you can get and install more advanced firewall software like Norton Personal Firewall or Outpost Firewall. If you use this software you have ability to permit or to block particular connections and to monitor network activity. 4. Use antivirus software. Install antivirus software which will scan your system searching and erasing viruses on a regular basis. Leaders in antivirus software products for Windows systems are Norton Antivirus, McAfee, Kaspersky Anti-Virus and PC-cilin.
5. Regularly update operating system. Windows XP has built-in automatic update service. It regularly contacts Microsoft server to find updates and notifies you if updates are ready to be installed. Updates are important because hackers regularly find holes in operating system which are often used by virus creators.
6. Don't install and don't run suspicious software. Check new programs which you are going to install with anti-virus software. Don't download software from suspicious websites. To download software always seek website of software creator or official distributor. Do not open applications received by email from unknown persons.
7. Limit access to your computer. Protect enter to system with password.
8. If you use Internet Explorer, consider moving to another browser. As IE is the most distributed browser today virus creators actively use defects in its security system to infect computers. Infection may arise if you will visit webpage which contains invisible harmful code. You are more safe if you use less known browser only because virus creators do not pay much attention to it. Major IE competitors Firefox and Opera browsers provide now the same comfortable interface and range of services for working on the Web.
9. Use spam protection. Viruses are often distributed via email. Switch on spam filters in your email box to block spam receiving. If you need assistance with using of the filters you can ask your email service provider.
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Cashback Websites – Get money back on online purchases

I have a saying that goes something along the lines of ‘A penny saved is 1.22 pennies earned’ and while I’ll admit it’s not the catchiest of proverbs it certainly does hold some truth for the majority of us.  Owing to the fact that you’re taxed on almost everything you earn, it is genuinely better to save a penny than earning an additional one and fortunately the Internet offers various methods of allowing us to do just that.
Money Saving Expert (www.moneysavingexpert.com) for example is a site that I turn to time and again to ensure that I’m always getting the best deal on my current account, credit card, utilities and so forth.  As well as offering news and comparisons of various financial products on the market is also gives you a heads of to any discount vouchers or special offers valid at places such as restaurants and supermarkets which you would most likely visit anyway.
Keeping with the financial theme, I’m amazed at how many people are unaware of the various ‘cash back’ sites that are present on the Internet.  One which I’ve just started using is Top Cash Back (www.topcashback.co.uk), a site which takes only a couple of minutes to sign up to before you can start earning money on purchased that you would most likely be making anyway.  Top Cash back has no set up or membership fees and the idea essentially is that if you visit one of their sponsors via the site then you’ll actually get a cash reward paid straight in to your account.
There are hundreds of big name featured retailers including Play.com, Tesco, Asda, B&Q and Dell and along with the usual couple of per cent back you occasionally come across an offer which is ridiculously generous.  As an example I recently signed up for O2 broadband at home which, as an existing O2 mobile customer, would usually cost me £7.50 a month for the 16mb package, including unlimited bandwidth.  By going via Top Cash Back I actually got a £75 cash back bonus meaning that during the contractual year my O2 Broadband has actually only cost me £1.25 a month (£7.50 a Month x 12 Months – £75 Cashback = £15 per annum or £1.25 monthly).
The service works as retailers pay Top Cash Back to be featured with the intention that they can then accumulate more customers by also offering them rewards to buy their products.  It’s only a beneficial system for the customer if they buy things they would only have purchased anyway; I also signed up to Sky HD last month which again was something I was planning to do but simply by visiting this website first I got an extra £50 straight in to my bank account.  It’s just too easy!

How to Remove Skin Moles - 7 Methods

It is without a doubt that every person in this world has skin moles. Some are visible while some are hidden behind one’s clothes. These skin moles vary in colors, shapes, and sizes. Some people believe that these signify beauty. Let’s face the fact that not all skin moles are pleasant to look at. So here are some procedures or methods that can be of great help in removing skin moles.

• Excision – In this particular surgical procedure, local anesthesia is administered first before the treatment proper. It helps the patient to ease the pain or better yet, to feel no pain during the entire procedure. This method comes in two forms. These are excision with stitches and excision with cauterization. When we say excision with stitches, the skin growth is being removed completely by cutting out the moles. On the other hand, excision with cauterization is done by burning the skin growth using a safe and effective tool. The difference between the two is that, in excision with stitches, as the name implies, stitches can be applied while in the latter type, these cannot be applied in most of the cases.

• Cryosurgery – It is a method wherein a solution called liquid nitrogen is dispersed into a medical instrument so that the temperature level can be brought to a very low point. Scientifically speaking, the skin moles’ cells are being damaged by a very low temperature. This procedure kills the skin growth by interrupting the supply of blood going into it.

• Shave biopsy – This method of getting rid of skin moles can be used only if the mole grows above a person’s skin. A particular tool is used to eliminate the moles located on the surface of the skin.

• Laser therapy – This kind of treatment is useful and beneficial to those who are scared of surgical procedures. Here, a concentrated beam of light, which is commonly known as laser rays, is pointed directly into the skin moles aiming to destroy the cells. This method has a downturn, which is that skin growths located beneath the skin may not be treated that well.

• Prescription medicine – You can go to your attending physician and ask for his help and advice regarding your skin mole problem. He can give prescriptions of medicine depending on your situation.

• Over the counter medication – Some who cannot afford to undergo other procedures often resort to this method of mole removal. But you should be careful in using over the counter medications because most of these are based on acids and can cause visible scars. This scenario can only make the skin problem worse. This method is not applicable in treating cancerous growth. The best way rather than this is to seek the advice of a physician.

• Home treatment – This is a method wherein skin moles are removed naturally. This kind of treatment involves herbal medicines which can be found in our kitchen and backyard. Some examples of home treatment include the application of garlic, baking soda, cauliflower juice, and the like. If you have doubt whether your skin growth is cancerous it is safe and better to seek the advice of a physician. Like the over the counter medication, it is not applicable in cancerous skin growths.

Web Hosting is for Long-Term Use-Be Cautious When Choosing It

t is true to say that web hosting is for a long-term and thus one should be careful when choosing the right company to host his or her site. Caution here may have two meanings: One should choose those websites that may have illegally copyrighted contents. Due to the rise in technology, emergency of internet has brought both benefits and harm to the world. Raising of scams all over the world for example the Nigerian Email Scam was caused by the evolving technology and thus we should be careful when handling some sites on the internet so that we do not fall a prey of scams.

On the other hand, web hosting is for long-term and we should be cautious when choosing it simply because it might be your long-lasting investment. There are several factors that one should consider before choosing a company to host his or her site. First, one should look at the location of the web hosting company. It is advisable to look for a company within your locality and the one that can serve your customers without any problems. Since your aim is to settle in that company for a long time, it is good to look for a web based company in your area. One is also expected to check whether the company of his or her choice to all the countries he or she needs to be serving. This enables easy access of the potential customers all over the world and hence the long-term business starts to boom.

It is advised to look for a cheaper host whereby you are not going to spend all your money which you could have otherwise used elsewhere. We should avoid extravagancy of resources through joining of high priced companies when you know very well that it is a long-term business where you can invest little capital and get high returns as time goes on. When choosing a company to host your site, it will depend on what your site is all about. One should identify the reasons for having that particular site so that in future he or she does not regret in case any loss occurs. A customer support available 24/7 is also another factor to consider when looking for a long-term online business. The customer support is supposed to be in a position to use the method of communication that is easy and understandable. All these cautions should be put into consideration when choosing a long-term company to host your site.

Organize your business with informatica

As the business keeps on growing the data keeps on piling up, every day new sets of data are entered into the system of the employees. All the data which is important should be stored in such a way that it can be later used easily, this give rise to the need of data integration. The growth of complexity of the technical environments in various organizations has given birth to informatica consulting which fulfills the need of centralizing the information at a single location.

A business with different departments needs data integration so that it can work on smoothly. Informatica consulting can help the departments of the business to get all the data incorporated in a way that it can be accessed and discovered by everyone in each of the department of the organization. The long term data needs to be kept secured and should be in a measurable form. With the help of the informatica consulting you can take care of the fact that your organization never loses any of the important data even in the span of previous ten long years. Every organization can make a good use of all these systems and can enjoy the wide benefits of data warehousing.

The skills that are demanded for the informatica training are different from the one’s that are used in consulting. The informatica training needs the involvement of the training experts who can offer your organizations with number of courses defined with different skill levels. The training can offer your employees with the best possible knowledge of informatica powercenter so that the data can be delivered on time. There are many advantages attached with the informatica training, one of them is the increasing productivity of the team. Sometimes there are new projects coming up but getting all the data together becomes a very difficult task. Informatica training can make you solve this problem as your employees will expertise in integration of the data.

Powercenter is known for increasing the business value of data. With the training of the employees in informatica powercenter they can expertise in accessing, determining and combining data from nearly any of the business system. Powercenter 8.5 is the latest release of informatica which is specially designed in response to the target critical needs of the real time integration competency center (ICC). With the increase in demands of different enterprises related to the safety, scalability and presentation powercenter 8.5 makes the ideal foundation for the integration of the wide data of the enterprise.

All the business analysts, IT enterprises and global development teams are switching on to this system to get help in their operational needs of timely delivery of data throughout the organization. With increasing the business value of data, it also helps in reducing the cost of IT project development and deployment with the increase in the team productivity through the way of cross functional collaboration. With the in-depth experience of developing a data warehouse and with the implementation of an efficient ETL process an expert can help you find out the best warehouse solution for your organization.

Global Warming

Throughout its long history, Earth has warmed and cooled time and again. Climate has changed when the planet received more or less sunlight due to subtle shifts in its orbit, as the atmosphere or surface changed, or when the Sun’s energy varied. But in the past century, another force has started to influence Earth’s climate: humanity
Global warming is the unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels.

Earth has experienced climate change in the past without help from humanity. But the current climatic warming is occurring much more rapidly than past warming events.
In Earth’s history before the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s climate changed due to natural causes unrelated to human activity. These natural causes are still in play today, but their influence is too small or they occur too slowly to explain the rapid warming seen in recent decades.
Models predict that as the world consumes ever more fossil fuel, greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to rise, and Earth’s average surface temperature will rise with them. Based on plausible emission scenarios, average surface temperatures could rise between 2°C and 6°C by the end of the 21st century. Some of this warming will occur even if future greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, because the Earth system has not yet fully adjusted to environmental changes we have already made.