Development of an AIDS Vaccine

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to exact its punishing toll, the need to intensify our efforts to find an effective vaccine is greater than ever. There is a broad consensus that the best way to accelerate the development of an AIDS vaccine is by conducting multiple vaccine trials simultaneously in industrialized and developing countries.

A serious HIV-vaccine effort will require additional funding to promote the development of new vaccines for testing and to strengthen sites in developing countries where candidate vaccines will be tested and ultimately deployed. If the international community realizes that an HIV vaccine is one of the best examples of what we term "a global public good", and assumes responsibility to support its development with an urgent sense of commitment, only then will the quest for an AIDS vaccine be closer to fruition.

Unquestionably, no more important goal exists in medical research today than the development of an AIDS vaccine. Last year, AIDS, caused by H.I.V., was the infectious disease that killed the most people around the world, and the epidemic is not abating.

Can we make an AIDS vaccine? One might think that, because we have produced vaccines against most human viral infections, of course we can make one against AIDS. But H.I.V. is a new story. History is a poor guide when it comes to this killer. The task of making an AIDS vaccine is evident: Such a vaccine must stimulate the immune system to produce both antibodies and C.TL.s, preferably ones that are more effective than those created naturally when someone is infected with H.I.V That is a tall order.

The Merck vaccine failure is a "deep disappointment and a scientific setback for the AIDS vaccine field," the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition said. However, the nonprofit group added that "while this is a disappointment, it is in no way the end of the search for an AIDS vaccine."

In 1963 he founded the Jonas Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a center devoted solely for medical and scientific research. His last years were devoted to finding a vaccine against AIDS. Dr. Jonas Salk died on June 23, 1995. He was 80 years old.

Whisperings of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is referred to as the silent killer because symptoms tend to be noticed when cancer is in an advanced stage. Despite this belief, research has demonstrated that women are experiencing identifiable symptoms up to a year before an ovarian cancer diagnosis. A statement on the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition ([NOCC], 2006) Web site says "Ovarian cancer ... it whispers, so listen!" Listening to the whispers as well as giving the whisper volume so it can be heard is essential.

Women experiencing the vague but identifiable symptoms of ovarian cancer need the voice to respond to the whispering of their bodies, collectively and individually. Listening to women and identifying their symptoms is an obvious task, but nurses also need to consider women's ways of knowing and the strength of women's voices to optimize screening, early detection, and timely care for ovarian cancer. It is a theoretical framework that can be used to emphasize the importance of listening to women as they are screened in any healthcare setting, especially for the early symptoms of ovarian cancer.

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study is to examine personal stories of ovarian cancer within the framework of WWK to understand how women voice their whisperings of ovarian cancer and their interactions with healthcare providers. A review of the literature was conducted using the CINHAL[R] database. To begin the search, the key words, ovarian cancer, cancer screening, female, and early detection, resulted in 116 articles. The literature included discussions of evidence-based screening practices, recommended diagnostic tests, and the Ovarian Cancer Symptom Index.

Because WWK is the guiding framework for the study, the key words, ovarian cancer and women's ways of knowing and ovarian cancer and intuition were used to guide the literature search. Ovarian cancer still is elusive because no useful diagnostic test for the general population is available. Rather a combination of diagnostic tools are used to screen for ovarian cancer, but they are not used to screen all women. Because no equivalent to the mammogram or Pap smear currently exists for detecting ovarian cancer.

The accuracy of those modalities is limited and has not proven to be effective in identifying ovarian cancer in the early stages. USPSTF listed a D recommendation for routine ovarian cancer screening, which means that screening of asymptomatic women is ineffective or the harms outweigh the risks. Population-based screening for ovarian cancer is not recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. More info for small lung cancer.