The man blamed for bringing HIV to the United States just had his name cleared.
New research has proved that Gaëtan Dugas, a French-Canadian flight attendant who was dubbed "patient zero," did not spread HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to the United States.
A cutting-edge analysis of blood samples from the 1970s offers new insight into how the virus spread to North America via the Caribbean from Africa. More than 1.2 million people in the United States currently live with HIV.
The research, conducted by an international team of scientists, was published this week in the journal Nature.
"No one should be blamed for the spread of a virus that no one even knew about, and how the virus moved from the Caribbean to the US in New York City in the 1970s is an open question," co-author of the research, Dr. Michael Worobey, a professor and head of the ecology and evolutionary biology department at the University of Arizona, said at a news conference Tuesday.
"It could have been a person of any nationality. It could have even been blood products. A lot of blood products used in the United States in the 1970s actually came from Haiti," he said. "What we've done here is try to get at the origins of the first cases of AIDS that were ever noticed. ... When you step back in time, you see a very interesting pattern."
In 1981, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first documented a mysterious disease. In their research, they linked the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, to sexual activity.
The researchers began to study one cluster of homosexual men with HIV, and beginning in California, they eventually connected more than 40 men in 10 American cities to this network.
Dugas was placed near the center of this cluster, and the researchers identified him as patient O, an abbreviation to indicate that he resided outside California.
Gaëtan Dugas was dubbed "patient zero."
However, the letter O was misinterpreted as a zero in the scientific literature. Once the media and the public noticed the name, the damage was done. Dugas and his family were condemned for years. In Randy Shilts' seminal book on the AIDS crisis, "And The Band Played On," Dugas is referenced extensively and referred to as a "sociopath" with multiple sexual partners.
In 1987, the National Review referred to him as the "Columbus of AIDS," and the New York Post called him "the man who gave us AIDS" on its front page.
"We were quite annoyed by that, because it was just simply wrong, but this doesn't stop people from saying it, because it's so appealing. You know, 'The man who brought us AIDS.' Well, if it were true, it would be annoying, but since it isn't true, it's even more annoying," said Dr. James Curran, dean of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and co-director of the university's Center for AIDS Research.
Curran, who was not involved in the new research, coordinated the AIDS task force at the CDC in 1981 and then led the HIV/AIDS division until 1995.
"The CDC never said that he was patient zero and that he was the first person," Curran said of Dugas.
"In addition to the potential damage to his reputation, it was also a damage to scientific plausibility. That there would be a single-point source to start the epidemic in the United States is not very likely. It's more likely that several people were infected," Curran said. "I think that the concept of patient zero has always been wrong and flawed, and scientists never said it."
Dugas died in 1984 of AIDS-related complications. Now, more than 30 years later, scientists have used samples of his blood to clear his name.
For the new research, Worobey and his colleagues gathered archival blood samples in New York and San Francisco that were originally collected for a hepatitis B study in 1978 and 1979. The samples came from men who had sex with men.
The researchers screened the samples and noticed that "the prevalence of HIV positivity in these early samples from hepatitis B patients is really quite high," Worobey said Tuesday. From the samples, the researchers recovered eight genome sequences of HIV, representing the oldest genomes of the virus in North America. They also recovered the HIV genome from Dugas' blood sample.
As many of the samples had degraded over time, Worobey's lab developed a technique called "RNA jackhammering" to recover the genetic material. The technique involves breaking down the human genomes found in the blood and then extracting the RNA of HIV to recover genetic data about the virus, an approach that's similar to what has been used to reconstruct the ancient genome of Neanderthals in separate studies.
"The major contribution which interested me the most was their capacity to restore full sequence genomes from very old serum samples using the jackhammer technique," Curran said of the new research.
After analyzing the genomes, the researchers found no biological evidence that Dugas was the primary case that brought HIV to the United States, and the genome from Dugas appeared typical of the other strains already in the United States at the time. The researchers discovered strong evidence that the virus emerged in the United States from a pre-existing Caribbean epidemic in or around 1970.
Sequencing genomes allows scientists to take a peek back in time to determine how a virus emerged and where it traveled by examining how many mutations appear in the genome.
Scientists estimate that HIV was transmitting in humans after a chimpanzee infected a single person sometime in the early 20th century in sub-Saharan Africa. The general consensus among scientists is that HIV then crossed the Atlantic and quickly spread through the Caribbean before it arrived in the United States, probably from Haiti, Curran said.
Scientists at the University of Oxford published a separate study in June suggesting that HIV spread through specific migration routes -- based on tourism and trade -- throughout the past 50 years as it made its way around the world.
The research team behind the new genetic analysis now hopes that its findings may lead to a better understanding of how HIV moved through populations -- and how blaming a single patient for the pathogen's rise remains troublesome.
"In many ways, the historical evidence has been pointing toward the fallacy of this particular notion of patient zero for decades," Richard McKay, a historian of medicine at the University of Cambridge and a co-author of the new research, said at Tuesday's news conference.
"The study shines light from different angles to better understand the complexity of an important period in the past," he said. "In view of this complexity, one of the dangers of focusing on a single patient zero when discussing the early phases of an epidemic is that we risk obscuring important, structural factors that might contribute to its development: poverty, legal and cultural inequalities, barriers to health care and education. These important determinants risk being overlooked."
health
Obesity can lead to sperm disorders in men, implantation failures in women – Expert
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A Lagos based fertility expert, Dr Kayode Jegede, on Monday said that obesity and overweight, especially resulting from modern day life styles that have people accumulate toxins in their bodies could lead to sperm disorders in men and implantation failures in women, a condition that can also reduce the chances of conception among couples. Jegede disclosed this in a telephone interview with the newsmen in Abuja.
The fertility expert defined infertility as the inability of cohabiting couples to get pregnant after one year of adequate unprotected sexual intercourse. He said that infectious diseases were the leading causes of infertility in developing countries, however, obesity and environmental changes, among others, have been recognised as major contributors.
Jegede said modern day living and various lifestyles today had contributed in no small measure to the accumulation of fat and toxic materials in our bodies. He said such could affect several natural body functions and the ability to reproduce thereby contributing to various degrees of sperm disorders in men and implantation failures in women.
The expert added that overweight and obese men could experience hormonal changes that could reduce their level of fertility and make them less interested in sex. He said that obese men were more likely to have challenges getting an erection with low sperm quality than men of healthy weight. Jegede stated that such factors could reduce the chances of men who were overweight or obese fathering a child. He said that obesity in women could also affect their chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby. “Obese women can experience hormonal imbalances, ovulation problems, particularly for obese women having their first baby.
“The risk of pre-eclampsia doubles in overweight women and triples in obese women, as well as the likelihood to have a miscarriage. “Overweight women also have twice the risk of gestational diabetes and obese women eight times the risk, compared to women of healthy weight,’’ he said.
Jegede added that infants born to obese women were more likely to be very big, in need of neonatal care or born with congenital abnormality. He advised obese individuals to exercise, eat healthy with supplementation in order to boost the quality and quantity of sperm and eggs needed for optimal fertility.
He said that with technology most infertility cases could be treated, adding that research had also proven that there are cases of unexplained infertility. The fertility expert urged obese couples with infertility concerns to seek medical help after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse; eat organic foods and live a healthy lifestyle.
The two candidates are making a last-minute dash across swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as the 2016 presidential race enters its final hours. They've also gone north to Michigan and New Hampshire to states Democrats have won in recent cycles but could flip this year.
Here are the key states and signs to study as the night unfolds:
1. Trump's must-wins
Most plausible paths to victory for Trump start with holding onto two battlegrounds that Mitt Romney won four years ago -- North Carolina and Arizona -- and flipping three states President Barack Obama carried: Florida, Ohio and Iowa.
Most plausible paths to victory for Trump start with holding onto two battlegrounds that Mitt Romney won four years ago -- North Carolina and Arizona -- and flipping three states President Barack Obama carried: Florida, Ohio and Iowa.
A loss in any of the states would severely complicate Trump's already precarious path to 270 electoral votes. Though if Trump clawed back Pennsylvania or Michigan from the Democrats, who have won both electoral-rich states six times in a row, North Carolina would be more expendable. A win in a state like Pennsylvania or Michigan would allow Trump to offset a loss in North Carolina and still have a shot at reaching 270.
If that doesn't happen, holding North Carolina and Arizona, while reclaiming Florida, Ohio and Iowa from the Democrats -- plus Maine's 2nd District -- would only get him to 260.
Trump would need to tack on 10 more electoral votes somehow. New Hampshire's four and Nevada's six would get him there. Colorado, with nine electoral votes, Michigan with 15 and Pennsylvania with 20 are also possibilities.
In his last 48 hours before Election Day, Trump has been pretty much everywhere, including Colorado, Michigan -- even Minnesota -- searching for the extra votes he needs.
2. Clinton's must-wins
The key question for Clinton is whether her "blue wall" of Democratic-leaning states on the Great Lakes -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin -- will hold.Trump has targeted all three, but Clinton has consistently led polls in all three states. However, most voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania cast their ballots on Election Day -- which means her campaign hasn't built the early voting advantage already in place elsewhere.
If Clinton can do that and pick up just one of North Carolina, Florida or Ohio, she's all but guaranteed to win.
If she can't win one of those three states, she'll need to hold Virginia, vote-by-mail Colorado, New Hampshire and Nevada -- where Democrats have already built a hefty early voting edge.
3. Does Latino turnout surge?
If Clinton wins, her coalition will consist of women, college-educated voters and a swell of new Latino voters.
In early voting in states like Nevada, and Florida, there's already evidence of burgeoning Latino turnout. This is best witnessed by the over 57,000 people who voted in Nevada Friday, with pictures of long lines and extended hours at a Latino grocery store in Clark County.
Many first-time voters, polls show, are turning out to oppose Trump. And Democrats are bullish that Latinos have been under-polled through the entire 2016 election cycle.
For Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, this is a ghost of elections past. After the 2012 race, the RNC warned that the party needed to do more to court Latino voters. A nominee who roundly rejected that advice could be the reason the party loses a third consecutive presidential race.
Just as Trump's attacks on Mexican immigrants have alienated Latino voters, his attacks on women and allegations of sexual assault have helped Clinton to a large lead among female voters. Clinton's campaign has highlighted Trump's most derogatory remarks in TV ads aimed at moderate, suburban women -- a constituency that has helped Republican nominees in years past. If she succeeds, it would limit Trump's strengths to rural areas.
4. Does Trump have a "silent majority"?
Trump's biggest strength is his overwhelming support from disaffected white voters -- particularly men, and especially those without college degrees.
His campaign has long argued that those voters -- many of them independent or Democrats who buy into Trump's protectionist stance on trade -- will carry him on Election Day.
For this to happen, Trump will also need core Democratic voters to stay at home, as well.
Already, Trump appears poised to win Iowa, and has polled ahead of Clinton in Ohio. He's hoping to win enough blue-collar Democrats in Pennsylvania or Michigan to win at least one of those states.
Michigan, in particular, emerged as a tempting target in the campaign's closing days -- a state hard-hit by the trade deals Trump bemoans. Clinton's campaign raced to play defense, dispatching the former secretary of state there, as well as President Barack Obama, for last-minute rallies.
5. Do African-American voters show up?
Among Democrats' biggest concerns has been whether African-American voters -- a reliably left-leaning constituency -- will turn out in numbers anywhere close to their support for Obama in 2008 and 2012.
If the answer is no, it could hobble Clinton in key states -- particularly Florida and North Carolina.
Obama is helping carry Clinton's load with black voters. In a call to Tom Joyner's radio show, he argued that participating in this election is just as much about him as it is about Clinton.
"And I know that there are a lot of people in barbershops and beauty salons, you know, in the neighborhoods who are saying to themselves 'We love Barack, we love -- we especially love Michelle -- and so, you know, it was exciting and now we're not excited as much,'" he said. "You know what? I need everybody to understand that everything we've done is dependent on me being able to pass the baton to somebody who believes in same things I believe in."
6. The post-Trump GOP starts now
Since Trump clinched the GOP nomination in May, Republican Senate and House candidates have been forced to answer for everything he has said -- from his attacks on a Gold Star family and an Indiana-born judge's heritage to his rejection of conservative orthodoxy.
As soon as the election ends, Capitol Hill Republicans -- especially if they retain control of both the House and Senate -- will regain power.
The party will have to decide just what to do with Trump's rejection of free trade, his calls for a decreased US role overseas and his criticism of GOP congressional leaders -- whether he wins or loses.
But adopting some of Trump's policy planks while rejecting his political style might not help much after an election driven by the candidates' personalities.
7. How the loser handles losing
For a nation divided by a long, bitter contest, this could be the most important question of all: Will the loser concede -- and how will he or she do it?
Trump and Clinton are both historically unpopular presidential nominees. Half the country thinks Clinton is a crook, and the other half thinks Trump is a racist and misogynist.
And Trump, in particular, has cast the election as rigged -- calling into question whether ballots that are mailed in will be counted, playing up inaccurate reports of voter irregularities and claiming that voter fraud is pervasive.
The loser will play a crucial role in legitimizing the victor -- or delegitimizing the winner from the outset.
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news,
politics
Niger Delta militants vow to reduce oil production in Nigeria below 500,000 barrels daily
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“As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigeria’s daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching tsunami. “The multinational oil companies, we know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to let the world know that ‘you don’t contest the corners of a house with the owner of the house.’
“The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the facility, but the daring companies won’t listen. That shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know that we aren’t kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down, and it’s in your best interest.”
The militant group described the president’s meeting with the elders from the region as a humiliation. “The humiliation that came with the meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those he led to the meeting.
“The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.
“We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him ‘enough is enough.’
“If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished ‘Biafran Uprising’. Niger Deltans are nobody’s slaves; we shall fight until there’s nothing left to defend.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will adopt “pin vending” for the 2017 UTME test. Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the head of media and information, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, November 2, in Lagos said that it would no longer use scratch cards, adding that intending candidates to get familiar with the new approach.
Benjamin said: “Candidates, wishing to sit for the 2017 examination, should start getting themselves familiar with the newly adopted process of pin vending by the board. We must make ourselves open to change like it is obtained in other climes.
We are no longer going back to the use of scratch card; that method is outdated. Candidates wishing to register for the examination will just make online payment and get a pin with which they can upload their data. “This new pin vending will be accessible through the options of web payment, ATM issued cards like Visa, Verve, and Master card, online Quick Teller, mobile application and Bank Branch case/card.’’
Benjamin assured that the board was working hard to redress all challenges experienced by candidates during its 2016 UTME as it was preparing for the 2017 diet. He said all hands were on deck to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the examination across the country.
Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the registrar of JAMB, had earlier revealed that they scrapped the use of scratch cards for any transactions and services describing it as outdated. He said the board decided to do away with the method because of its consistent subjection to fraudulent practices.
crime,
entertainment
Cosby lawyers seek to bar alleged victims from sex assault trial
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He was alleged to have often done it after plying them with drugs and alcohol, in a series of attacks dating back decades. Only one of those claims resulted in criminal charges, filed against Cosby days before the statute of limitations was to expire.
Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at Cosby’s alma mater Temple University, said he gave her pills before assaulting her at his Pennsylvania house in 2004. Prosecutors have asked Judge Steven O’Neill of Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania to allow 13 other women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault to testify at the trial. By so doing they said it would go to show that it was a pattern the comedian had adopted over the years. Cosby has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
O’Neill has scheduled two days of hearings on the proposed witnesses and other pre-trial matters. In general, prosecutors are barred from introducing evidence of a defendant’s unrelated prior bad acts for fear it could prejudice the jury. On rare occasions, however, judges will allow it if the evidence shows a clear and longstanding pattern of behaviour.
Prosecutors are also seeking permission to use Cosby’s sworn testimony from a deposition during Constand’s 2005 civil lawsuit, in which Cosby acknowledged providing women with medication and then having consensual sexual encounters with them. Cosby’s lawyers have asked O’Neill to bar that deposition from the trial, arguing that Cosby only agreed to testify; after the then-Montgomery County district attorney assured him no criminal charges would be brought. In addition, his lawyers have mounted yet another attempt to dismiss the case, this time based on the argument that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case. In court papers filed last week, his attorneys said Cosby is legally blind and has memory problems, preventing him from fully participating in preparing his own defense.
