HIV Research
Advancement in HIV Research – The Power of Platelets
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Blood can be broken down into four different components. Each has its own unique functions. The platelet has recently attracted attention due to fantastic discoveries on the HIV front. It would seem that the humble platelet, credited with clotting properties, has a knack for defense. How does it work? What does this new research mean for those who suffer from HIV?
Platelets are tiny particles that can morph when activated. Upon activation, they release certain substances, one being a specific messenger protein. This protein, known as CXCL4, is adept at blocking the HIV virus. There are two types of HIV, type 1 and type 2. CXCL4 is effective against HIV-1. Currently it seems as though there is no effect on HIV-2. HIV-1, however, is the most prolific type and progression is more aggressive. More research is needed to find out why this is.
The function of platelets has long been recorded and studied. This new information, however, is shedding light on some facts that were not known before. According to the study, activated platelets form a type of barrier against HIV-1. Thus the spread of the disease is severely restricted. It is estimated that this has the potential to radically decrease the rate of spreading the infection in patients. Exactly why the platelets have proved to be so effective is still a mystery. The suppression of the viral activity could have great implications for the future of HIV treatment. More study is needed, but for now these findings are promising. Another area that researchers are looking into is that of the function of CXCL4. Identifying how and why this isolated protein works will hopefully lead to discovering other similar antivirals.
As for the other strains of HIV, type 2 and the simian variety (or SIV), CXCL4 so far has little or no effect. With further research, scientists are hoping to unlock the platelet’s secrets. With this exciting new information being brought to light, it is hoped that HIV and its spread can be slowed or even stopped. For now, time and more experimenting are needed.
What an HIV Vaccine Should Be
11 years ago
The concept of an effective HIV vaccination is a difficult theory to comprehend. The fact is that a viable vaccine would have to introduce enough of the disease for the body to create antibodies for it. The issue is that even when a person has full-blown AIDS the body can’t put up any kind of defense. So how to get the body to protect itself against a disease that fights the immune system? That is the difficult challenge that faces researchers who have dedicated themselves to finding a vaccine for HIV.
Researchers are working on such a strategy right now using antibodies from the blood of the rare individuals whose bodies have managed to create some of these elusive antibodies. The idea is to find a way to create antibodies for any person based off of the antibodies of these special few.
The researchers have observed and attempted to reverse engineer the process by which the bodies of these special individuals are able to create effective antibodies. It is hoped that the molecules they have observed at the onset of the antibody creation are the key to an effective vaccine.
While these findings may not directly result in a viable vaccination for HIV, it is clearly a big advancement in what has been a long and frustrating search. Millions upon millions of dollars have been heaped into research over the past several decades, and yet very few strides in the right direction have been taken. Thus, any glimmer of hope is still clung to by researchers.
Since the molecule worked as expected in a test tube setting, animal testing is next. If the molecule can get the bodies of animals to consistently make HIV antibodies, then it can progress to the human testing stage. Years, of course, will go by as the studies continue on.
Correlation Between HIV Worsening and Gut Bacteria
11 years ago
Why do some HIV patients who experience great success from treatments still die younger than the average life expectancy? The reason may lie in the intestines. The bacteria that exists in the gut can increase inflammation that was originally related to the body’s fight against HIV.
Antiretroviral drugs can now help HIV patients to keep from having their immune system completely compromised, thus leading to a normal life span. But whether a person has HIV or not, inflammation can lead to serious health conditions such as heart problems, weight issues and mental deterioration.
HIV causes this sort of inflammation in individuals regardless of whether or not they receive treatment for the condition throughout their entire life. What lets HIV hang around in a patient even when treatment is successful? While this has been a subject of longtime research, the area of study is moving to the intestinal tract.
The idea for the research came from the concept that someone with HIV may have altered gut flora in some way as a result of the condition. The study involved considering samples from those who were infected with the disease but were not undergoing treatment, others who were receiving various forms of treatment and, finally, individuals without the disease as a control group.
What was the verdict? The flora found within the gut of an HIV patient is significantly different from that of a person who does not have the disease. More of the bacteria found in the intestines of the HIV patients was harmful bacteria that can create dangerous inflammation.
Researchers do not yet have a way to restore balance to the gut that has undergone such a drastic change, but more research is underway. Prospects are hopeful that treating this gut condition along with HIV will be the key to keeping HIV patients from suffering from a premature loss of life. It is also hoped that such advancements may allow for treatments that do not need to continue for someone’s entire life in order to hold the disease at bay.
Correlation Between Marital Status and Death from AIDS in Men
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
New data is in that goes all the way back to the 1980s. What does it reveal? That married men were less likely to die from AIDS than single men. The 1980s are an important era to look at the effect of the disease since it was at its peak in the United States at that time.
Women saw a completely different set of factors that affected death rate. While married and single women appear to have been at the same risk, race was definitely a factor, with minorities far more likely to die from the disease. In fact, risk was 700% higher for Latin women and 900% higher for African American women than for their Caucasian counterparts. Race also made a difference when it came to the men, but nowhere near as much. For Latin men the increased risk was 200%. For African American men it was about 270% compared to Caucasian males.
This is the first time that the mortality rate of AIDS was compared based off of marital status. While the data is nearly three decades old, it has only just recently been released for evaluation. Researchers are very interested in this information because of the time period. With no real treatment options, other factors in mortality rate of the disease are more clearly noticeable.
Mortality rate also changed based off of why a man was single. A divorced or widowed man faced a 600% greater risk of death from AIDS, while men who never married were 1,350% more likely to die from the disease.
Thus the primary risk among women existed for African American women, but the primary risk among men was in the single and never married community. Researchers blame the discrepancy on lack of accurate knowledge about the disease as well as health care advantages for the wealthy. Women from minority groups are more likely to be poor and suffer from insufficient health care. Many could not seek medical help, or didn’t see the need to, until the disease had reached a critical stage.
As a result a spotlight has been placed on a correlation between skin color and health care. Cancer studies that show higher mortality rates for minorities only help cement the point.
How HIV Affects the US
11 years ago
AIDSVu is helping us all take a new look at how HIV is affecting the nation as a whole – whether on a city scale, by zip code area, or a nationwide map, this project shows those infected with HIV per capita. What is the benefit of such a project? Prevalence of the disease can now be compared against maps showing potentially significant contributing factors to see if they are truly relevant.
For example, is HIV more prevalent in poor parts of cities or the nation as a whole compared to wealthy areas? Is there a connection between the availability of a quality education and the spread of HIV? Is HIV more common in parts of the country where people frequently do not have health coverage?
It’s not that studies like this haven’t ever been done – but nothing on this scale has ever been so accessible to the public before. We may have heard lump sum figures of how many in the country suffer from HIV, but now we can see a breakdown by stats such as gender, ethnicity, and age.
By revealing which parts of the country have the highest number of HIV diagnoses, it becomes clearer to see whereabouts it is necessary to have the most testing services available, as well as places that treatment centers are most needed.
Data is now available from 20 major US cities, and there are also state maps, all from data collated in 2010 and based on reports from the CDC.
These maps reveal a number of telling truths about the disease, such as the fact that HIV is more prevalent in the Northeastern and Southern parts of the country. It also shows higher infection rates in inner city areas and among minority groups.
Hopefully these maps will create the awareness necessary in fighting the continuing scourge of HIV.
