HIV/AIDS Information is Available on Second Life
As a contribution to World AIDS Day 2007, the Specialized Information Services (SIS) Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has created an HIV/AIDS exhibit in the virtual world of Second Life.
Second Life (SL) is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe. (You have to be at least 18 years of age to join SL.)
The exhibit, located in the "SL Health Information Outreach Lab" parcel on Health Information Island, includes a display of NLM's, NIH's, and other government resources on HIV/AIDS. The exhibit allows SL users to access government Web sites with authoritative information about HIV/AIDS for patients, families, and the general public.
Featured Web sites include AIDSinfo, AIDSinfo en español (infoSIDA), NLM's AIDS Portal, MedlinePlus, AIDS.gov, HIVTest.org, and others. A number of national and international medical libraries collaborating on Health Information Island held special activities on December 1 in commemoration of World AIDS Day 2007.
New Drug Resistance Mutation Discovered
According to a new study, 1 out of every 10 HIV-infected people receiving drug treatment has a hidden genetic mutation that makes certain strains of the virus more resistant to antiretroviral medications. The mutation specifically affects the response to zidovudine and nevirapine.
The study suggests that it is necessary to test for this mutation when deciding on a drug regimen for a patient. The discovery of the mutation could also have implications for future anti-HIV drug development.
More information involving this discovery is available:
