Posts tagged HIV
HIV-Infected Cells Don’t Stand a Chance with New Drug
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in Experimental Treatment
Healthy cells are programmed to self-destruct, in a sense, when they become infected or diseased. Unfortunately HIV manipulates this internal self-destruct mode in the cells it infiltrates. A new pharmaceutical drug, Ciclopirox, shows promise in the advancement of HIV treatment.
This anti-fungal topical treatment came up with effective and hopeful results in recent studies. In HIV-infected cells, the drug attacks the mitochondria. By doing this, it inflicts a death blow to the infected cell, wiping out every trace of the HIV. In effect, it reactivates the cell’s self-destruct mode. Not only that, it prevents the HIV from replicating itself. In these two ways, this generally topical treatment proves very effective when dealing with HIV. Normally, Ciclopirox is administered to patients for treatment of skin and gynecological issues. However, in this new study, when used in a culture, HIV was cleared and did not reemerge once the drug was removed.
This is significant, since current forms of HIV treatment include combination drug therapies that inhibit HIV. While these therapies and treatments can help control HIV, they cannot eradicate the virus. If a patient should stop their treatment, HIV comes back at an astounding rate. With Ciclopirox, it is hoped that a means of prevention and perhaps a cure may finally be on the horizon.
Ciclopirox is already an FDA-approved drug. This means the process for using the cream in prevention of sexually transmitting HIV can be expedited. Other testing is already underway in hopes of further findings. The treatment is well tolerated, as healthy cells are unaffected by the drug.
Another promising treatment option is the drug Deferiprone, which is also showing promising results in the lab. Unlike the topical Ciclopirox, this drug can be taken internally, and as previous studies have already been published, it is hoped that this treatment, too, can become an option in the near future.
Bisexual Men and HIV Risks
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
It has been assumed for a while now that bisexual men pose a large threat to their female partners in the transmission of HIV. The claim was that bisexual men could bridge the gender gap by having relations with men and then transmitting the virus to female partners. While the transmitting of HIV among bisexuals does exist, investigation as to whether they pose a greater threat was the object of a recent study.
In the U.S. there is about an estimated one million bisexual men. Of these, over 100,000 have HIV. This number measures up to the CDC’s estimates. The likelihood of passing on the infection to their partners is not far off from that of other groups. The results of the study then show that the claims previously mentioned have been slightly exaggerated: While it is possible for this group to transmit HIV to their partners, there does not seem to be any greater risk in this group than in homosexual men or with female partners. Risk
The research that has been done thus far clearly shows, however, that protected sex yields the best outcome and greatly reduces the transmission of viral infection. In this matter, bisexual men fared better, as safer practices mean less transmission. Homosexual men show a tendency to be more lax in this regard. Technically, with this in mind, it puts the bisexual man in a better statistical arena.
Still, in light of this research, physicians and experts alike stress the importance of education and safe sex practices. These are essential to helping curb the spread of HIV. Risk factors due to lifestyle should not be ignored just because numbers were not as high as some may have thought. In this case, researchers are looking to further investigate into this group of bisexual men so as to get a clearer picture of how to reduce transmission.
New Protein Could Be Breakthrough in HIV Prevention
11 years ago
The race to eradicate HIV and improve the vaccine has led to an exciting new development. Researchers within the last few weeks have published new findings regarding a protein and sugar molecule that has the potential to not only neutralize HIV, but that can connect to various strains of the virus as well.
The protein that was created mimics the outer layer of the HIV. The part of the layer that can bind to antibodies is the area researchers were targeting. This key part of the cell is where neutralizing the virus takes place. One of the factors that make the creation of this protein so important is that it may help scientists answer some of the most complex issues facing the prevention of HIV. For one thing, an antibody that can target multiple strains of the virus is hard to come by. Another problem is the response of the immune system: At times it is beneficial, but other responses can be negative and unwanted. Researchers are hoping that, with this protein, the immune system will be free to respond in a positive, beneficial way. The protein with the sugar molecule is better able to bond to the outer coat of the virus. It is hoped that broad-spectrum antibodies will be allowed to form. If this happens, the antibodies that can do the most neutralizing will have a better chance to complete their task.
Another benefit to the proteins is the potential to trigger a response from the white blood cells that produce antibodies. Should the antibodies produced by these B cells do what researchers are hoping, results could be disastrous for the virus. This aspect is what scientists are focusing on to develop an effective vaccine. Much more information is needed, as well as testing on animal subjects. This does not, however, negate the importance that this finding will have on the future of the battle against HIV.
Discovering How HIV Is Transmitted Sexually
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that there are 34 million individuals worldwide who are HIV-positive. This staggering number becomes even more tragic in the light of how debilitating and deadly the disease is. To make matters worse, there is no cure or vaccination for HIV despite incredible amounts of research that have been performed to this point. Researchers are now using animal models to get a better look at how the disease functions. There was not, however, a model that shows the process of what is now the most common means of transmitting HIV – sex between a male and female.
Recently, the first reports have been made using heterosexual intercourse between rodents. These reports may shed some more light on how this disease is transmitted. The most interesting finding is that a woman’s likelihood of having HIV transmitted to her via intercourse depends on what point she is at in her monthly menstrual cycle.
This is the first time that researchers have been able to study the disease actually being transmitted during sexual relations. In the past, researchers had always had to introduce the disease into the vagina of the female rodent. While the research was still beneficial, it did not have the same natural ramifications as actually seeing how the disease is passed during sex between a male and a female.
These new studies have allowed researchers to recognize that the conditions in the female reproductive system have a bearing on transmission of HIV. Researchers hope to be able to find a way to reduce the risk of infection for those who are the most likely to contract the disease. This is best way to slow the spread of HIV, which despite treatments, is still one of the most prevalent diseases plaguing mankind today.
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.
