World AIDS DAY!!

World AIDS DAY!!! December 1, 2013

HIV Cure News (2013) "Invisibility Cloak" Discovered on Virus

HIV's cure may be one step closer. Scientists at University College London have uncovered a molecular cloaking technique used by the HIV virus that enables it to become invisible within human cells, preventing the body's natural defense systems from reacting. The latest discovery may help scientists to find a drug that can 'uncloak' the virus, thereby allowing the body's natural immune system to stop the virus from replicating. The team of scientists identified two molecules inside host cells that are utilized by HIV that prevent the virus from reproducing its genetic material too quickly: this brief stasis shields the virus from the immune system's alarm. The HIV study was led by Professor Greg Towers of Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at University College London. Professor Towers maintained that "There's a great deal more research needed but the potential for this approach is huge, as a possible treatment in itself but also as a complement to existing therapies. We're also interested to see whether blocking these cloaking molecules can help to boost immune responses to experimental vaccines against HIV or be used to protect against HIV transmission." Towers explained that the findings solve the mystery of how HIV was able to replicate without alerting the body's anti-viral programme. "HIV is extremely adept at hiding from our body's natural defences which is part of the reason the virus is so dangerous," Professor Towers continued. "Now we've identified the virus' invisibility cloak and how to expose it, we've uncovered a weakness that could be exploited for new HIV treatments. There's a great deal more research needed, but the potential for this approach is huge - as a possible treatment in itself but also as a complement to existing therapies. We're also interested to see whether blocking these cloaking molecules can help to boost immune responses to experimental vaccines against HIV or be used to protect against HIV transmission." Source: Latin Times

Cure for HIV AIDs is Found

London, scientists began to find problems for the HIV AIDS virus cure. Research over the past 20 years has led to the discovery of better treatments for people living with HIV.

British researchers and the United States has managed to grow a crystal that allows researchers to see the structure of an enzyme called integrase. This enzyme is found in retroviruses such as HIV and is a target for a new HIV drug. Read more... "Although initially working too hard and our efforts often fail, but we do not give up and eventually our efforts rewarded," said Peter Cherepanov from Imperial College London, who conducted the study with scientists from Harvard University, was quoted as saying by Reuters on Monday (1 / 2 / 2010). Scientists from Imperial and Harvard announced that it has successfully had the structure of the integrase of the virus. This means that researchers can begin to understand how the work of the integrase inhibitor drugs and how to stop the development of HIV. In the journal Nature, explains when Cherepanov human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to infect a person, use the enzyme integrase to insert copies of genetic information in DNA that person. Some new drugs like Isentress for HIV from Merck & Co. and Elvitegravir (experimental drug from Gilead Sciences) works by blocking integrase. But the scientists do not yet know exactly how the work of the integrase and how to fix it. The only way to know is to get high-quality crystals. "When we decided to start with, we know this is a difficult project.'ve Tried many tricks but always failed, so had to return to the starting point for models of HIV integrase better crystallization process," said Cherepanov. It takes more than 40,000 tests in order to obtain a high-quality crystals that allows researchers to view three-dimensional structure. Researchers grow crystals by using loans from the retroviral integrase similar to HIV. Researchers examining crystals from Merck medicines and Gilead in order to see how these drugs bind and inhibit integrase work. Since the beginning of AIDS epidemic nearly 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people died related to HIV. Although the combination of several drugs can make patients still look healthy, but until now there is no vaccine or medicine that can cure her. Data of the United Nations in the year 2008 there were 33.4 million people infected with HIV and 2 million of whom died of AIDS. The worst hit region is the impact of sub-Saharan Africa. source: http://www.achiles-zone.info/2010/02/cure-for-hiv-aids-is-found.html

HIV breakthrough

A Canada-U.S. research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a protein in some people's DNA guards them against killer immune diseases such as HIV. In an advance on-line edition of Nature Medicine, the scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV vaccine. Read more......

My Life In 60 Seconds - Shawn Decker

My Life In 60 Seconds - Shawn Decker

The Glory Hole Got a Twenty-First Century Makeover

"Chinese Hospitals Introduce Hands-Free Automatic Sperm Extractor" I watched this video in youtube and found this writing interesting :) The Chinese have invented a hands-free automatic sperm extractor for donors, which is basically just a flashlight vagina attached to a giant refrigerator/computer....read more