Male Use of Female Sex Work in India: A Nationally Representative Behavioural Survey

Heterosexual transmission of HIV in India is driven by the male use of female sex workers (FSW), but few studies have examined the factors associated with using FSW. This nationally representative study examined the prevalence and correlates of FSW use among 31,040 men aged 15–49 years in India in 2006. Nationally, about 4% of men used FSW in the previous year, representing about 8.5 million FSW clients. Unmarried men were far more likely than married men to use FSW overall (PR = 8.0), but less likely than married men to use FSW among those reporting at least one non-regular partner (PR = 0.8). More than half of all FSW clients were married. FSW use was higher among men in the high-HIV states than in the low-HIV states (PR = 2.7), and half of all FSW clients lived in the high-HIV states. The risk of FSW use rose sharply with increasing number of non-regular partners in the past year. Given the large number of men using FSW, interventions for the much smaller number of FSW remains the most efficient strategy for curbing heterosexual HIV transmission in India

Lead exposure and heat shock inhibit cell proliferation in human HeLa and K562 cells by inducing expression and activity of the heme-regulated eIF-2alpha kinase

We have used human cell lines, namely, K562 and HeLa cells as model systems in understanding the mechanism of lead toxicity and heat shock, that may be mediated by the heme-regulated eIF-2alpha kinase which is also called the heme-regulated inhibitor (HRI). RT-PCR analysis using HRI-specific primers indicated a two- to three-fold increase in HRI expression in K562 and HeLa cells exposed to lead acetate and heat shock, respectively. Further, in vitro eIF-2alpha kinase assay indicated a two- to three-fold increase in HRI kinase activity during lead toxicity in K562 cells. This increase in HRI expression and its activity was accompanied by a significant decrease in cell proliferation and cell viability. This is therefore, the first report indicating that both heavy metal exposure and heat shock cause inhibition of protein synthesis not by activation of HRI alone but by its over-expression as well as activation. Our data indicate further that lead-induced inhibition of cell proliferation may be caused due to inhibition of protein synthesis resulted due to induced expression and activity of HRI