Condoms are recognized and used by an estimated 750 million people across the world and reduce both unwanted pregnancy and the spread of sexually-transmitted infections. However, unlike most other technologies, they haven’t changed much in the last half-century. So isn’t it about time for something new?

Yes, says the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is offering $100,000 of initial funding with up to $1 million of possible continued funding to whoever designs the “next generation of condoms.” What might such a futuristic prophylactic look like?

“The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom,” says the Foundation’s description of the challenge. So a “next-generation” condom would, perhaps, find some way to increase sensation as to get men to wear them more often — purely in the name of global health, of course.

Female condoms, meanwhile, “suffer from some of the same liabilities as male condoms, require proper insertion training and are substantially more expensive than their male counterparts,” says the Foundation. So a cheaper, simpler female condom might also help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and spread of STIs, including HIV/AIDS.

Got an idea for building a better condom? Proposals sent to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation must have a “testable hypothesis, include an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated and yield interpretable and unambiguous data” to receive continued funding toward development. Ideas that prove too expensive for widespread use in the developing world, or those that don’t do the job of preventing pregnancy or disease transmission will be dismissed right off the bat.

The next-generation condom challenge is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Grand Challenges Explorations,” a continuing initiative to fund programs geared toward improving the lot of the world’s poorest citizens.

“To overcome persistent health and development problems, we need new, game-changing ideas,” said Chris Wilson, Director of Global Health Discovery & Translational Science at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in a statement. “Inspiration can come from anywhere and we are hopeful that this new round of Grand Challenges Explorations will uncover innovative approaches to improve lives around the world.”

Ideas for a better condom and other global health innovations are being accepted at GrandChallenges.org. How would you build a better condom? Share your thoughts in the comments.

According to Discovery News Researchers say they have, for the first time, cured a baby born with HIV — a development that could help improve treatment of babies infected at birth.

There is an important technical nuance: researchers insist on calling it a “functional cure” rather than a complete cure.

That is because the virus is not totally eradicated. Still, its presence is reduced to such a low level that a body can control it without the need for standard drug treatment.

The only fully cured AIDS patient recognized worldwide is the so-called “Berlin patient,” American Timothy Brown. He is considered cured of HIV and leukemia five years after receiving bone marrow transplants from a rare donor naturally resistant to HIV. The marrow transplant was aimed at treating his leukemia.

But in this new case, the baby girl received nothing more invasive or complex than commonly available antiretroviral drugs. The difference, however, was the dosage and the timing: starting less than 30 hours after her birth.

It is that kind of aggressive treatment that likely yielded the “functional cure,” researchers reported Sunday at the 20th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Atlanta, Georgia.

What researchers call dormant HIV-infected cells often re-start infections in HIV-infected patients within a few weeks after antiretroviral treatment stops, forcing most people who have tested HIV-positive to stay on the drugs for life or risk the illness progressing.

“Prompt antiviral therapy in newborns that begins within days of exposure may help infants clear the virus and achieve long-term remission without lifelong treatment by preventing such viral hideouts from forming in the first place,” said lead researcher Deborah Persaud, of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

It appears to be the first time this was achieved in a baby, she said.

The baby was infected by her HIV-positive mother, and her treatment with therapeutic doses of antiretroviral drugs began even before her own positive blood test came back.

The typical protocol for high-risk newborns is to give them smaller doses of the drugs until results from an HIV blood test is available at six weeks old.

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Tests showed the baby’s viral count steadily declined until it could not longer be detected 29 days after her birth.

The child was given follow-up treatment with antiretrovirals until 18 months, at which point doctors lost contact with her for 10 months. During that period she was not taking antiretrovirals.

Researchers then were able to do a series of blood tests — and none gave an HIV-positive result.

Natural viral suppression without treatment is an exceedingly rare occurrence, seen in fewer than half a percent of HIV-infected adults, known as “elite controllers,” whose immune systems are able to rein in viral replication and keep the virus at clinically undetectable levels.

Experts on HIV have long wanted to help all HIV patients achieve elite-controller status. Researchers say this new case offers hope as a game-changer, because it suggests prompt antiretroviral therapy in newborns indeed can do that.

Still, they said, their first priority is learning how to stop transmission of the virus from mother to newborn. ARV treatments of mothers currently stop transmission to newborns in 98 percent of cases, they say.

“Our next step is to find out if this is a highly unusual response to very early antiretroviral therapy or something we can actually replicate in other high-risk newborns,” Persaud pointed out.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

MUST READ: CRUSH-WORTHY: Rihanna Covers GQ Magazine… Nude, Again

Wilhelmina just so happens to be one of the most prominent model and celebrity agencies in the fashion and beauty industries. Their artist management division has been a catalyst in the success of some of the industry’s leading stars including Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, Iggy Azalea, NERVO, and The Veronicas.

Artists have secured beauty and fashion endorsement deals with leading brands and companies such as, Cover Girl, Levis, MAC, Procter and Gamble, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Avon, among others.

If we’re judging simply from the Wilhelmina track record, this is a good look for Keri.#TeamBeautiful wishes you the best in your next chapter!

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Follow @HelloBeautiful to get daily updates on beauty, fashion and entertainment!—
Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) October 03, 2012

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Say whatever you want about bad gal Ri-Ri, but her star power is on a trillion these days. Chris Brown and Drake are flipping tables and throwing champagne because of her (rumors), supermodels are posing nude with her, and me… well I’m just partying two steps away from her gazing into her eyes as if she’s my high school crush.

What is it about this Barbados beauty that has us so intrigued?! Obsessed even.

MUST READ: Rihanna & Kate Moss Undress For V Magazine (PHOTOS)

So much so, Rihanna is recognized as the only woman in GQ Magazine’s list of this years most incredible, awe-inspiring, prolific people. Their “Obsession Of The Year”. At just 24-years-old, she’s built a multimillion-dollar brand around her name. It’s clear that Rihanna is living her best life the way she sees fit, and has “no more f*** to give” when it comes to what we have to say about it. So of course we are obsessed with the girl with the ballsy attitude and seductive lyrics to match.

Rihanna opened up with GQ Magazine about what she’s looking for in a relationship, that silly little fight between Chris Brown and Drake, and she even confessed to wanting a face tattoo–gasp!

Rihanna on what she wants in a relationship: “I like to feel like a woman. I have to be in control in every other aspect of my life, so I feel like in a relationship, like I wanted to be able to take a step back and have somebody else take the lead.”

On Love: “Love makes you go places you probably wouldn’t ever go, had it not been for love. But I think everybody still has their limits.”

On how she sees herself: “Sometimes a person looks at me and sees dollars. They see numbers and they see a product. I look at me and see art. If I didn’t like what I was doing, then I would say I was committing slavery. ”

On the fight between Drake and Chris Brown: “There’s no proof of that being for my love. That’s my answer to that question.”

In case you don’t remember, this is Rihanna’s second GQ cover displaying all that she’s working with. We were certainly obsessed then and the madness just continues. Read the entire article over at GQ.

Source / GQ Magazine

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Follow @HelloBeautiful to get daily updates on beauty, fashion and entertainment!—
Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) October 03, 2012

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OPI is launching a new GelColor advertising campaign centered around the theme of “Endurance.” The campaign is inspired by the individuals who display strength and fortitude within American Olympians. Two-time gold-medalist gymnast, Gabby Douglas, and a trillion-time gold medalist tennis player, Serena Williams are two of the four athletes.

MUST READ: Gabby Douglas Covers Essence ‘Women Of The Year Issue (PHOTOS) 

“The strength shown by these world-class athletes is emblematic of OPI’s GelColor and prompted our newest message–’Color Endures at the Speed of Life,’” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.

GelColor manicures and pedicures, available in 50 shades and typically priced from $28 to $45, take roughly 30 minutes in a nail salon and are designed to last around two weeks. The new GelColor ad campaign will launch December 2012 in Bon Appetit, Essence, Health, Lucky, O the Oprah Magazine, and Real Simple.

Follow HelloBeautiful On Twitter!

Follow @HelloBeautiful to get daily updates on beauty, fashion and entertainment!—
Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) October 03, 2012

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While we can only have one official winner, you all are winners in our book! To show our appreciation, we’ve compiled all our fave hot shots for a gallery of 31 days of #Beauties! Did your flicks make the cut? Enjoy!

Chrisette Michele took a much-needed break from the music industry. What’s she been up to? Glad you asked! The Grammy award-winning songstress travelled the roads of Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Paris. Chrisette found herself retracing the footsteps of the fashion and film icon, Audrey Hepburn. Her experiences gave birth to her upcoming project, “Audrey Hepburn : An Audiovisual Presentation” –an eclectic piece for her fans which will be ready for free release on her birthday December 8th.

(Don’t worry, #TeamBeautiful will have the exclusive for you!)

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Her new look is much more than fabulous but it’s a drastic change for Chrisette. I know you beauties are just as curious as I am, so I asked her why the change?

I took some time off to travel and cleanse. I became vegan over that time of introspection and decided to be un-afraid to show my true self with my art. I’ve decided to style myself from now on, and express my ideas and points of view the way I choose. Paris reminded me that it’s ok to wear my “art” on my sleeve. I call this new sense of self, of being, of creativity “Rich Hipster”. I’m rich in heart and rich in art.

- Chrisette Michele

I have a super girl-crush on Chrisette. Her style is just… fantabulous, and to learn that she is now styling herself I’m a totally a stan. Here’s a peek at the photo shoot and video portion of her presentation taken with the brown skin photography guru, Derek Blanks. Chrisette reveals her tattoos on her right and left shoulders for the first time ever with #TeamBeautiful.

I see you Chrisette. Stylin’ on these girls! I love the idea of finding your true self. I imagine the struggle of many artists who have teams telling them how to look, dress, and what kind of image they should have. I applaud Chrisette for finding the courage to make moves on her own terms! Can’t wait to listen to her new stuff.

Follow HelloBeautiful On Twitter!

Follow @HelloBeautiful to get daily updates on beauty, fashion and entertainment!—
Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) October 03, 2012

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