Posted on 07/30/2008 9:57:21 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
HOUSTON -- There is real hope that what’s happening in a Houston lab might lead to a cure for HIV.
“We have found an innovative way to kill the virus by finding this small region of HIV that is unchangeable,” Dr. Sudhir Paul of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston said.
Dr. Paul and Dr. Miguel Escobar aren’t talking about just suppressing HIV – they’re talking about destroying it permanently by arming the immune system with a new weapon lab tests have shown to be effective.
Ford Stuart has been HIV positive for 15 years. He’s on a powerful drug cocktail that keeps the disease in check.
“I’m on four different medications. Three of them are brand new, and it’s the first time that I’ve ever been non-detectible,” Stuart said. “I’m down to about – just for the HIV – about nine pills per day, five in the morning and four at night.”
But Stuart knows HIV mutates, and eventually it will learn how to outsmart his medications.
“The virus is truly complex and has many tricks up its sleeve,” Paul said.
But Dr. Paul thinks he’s cracked a code.
“We’ve discovered the weak spot of HIV,” he said.
Paul and his team have zeroed in on a section of a key protein in HIV’s structure that does not mutate.
“The virus needs at least one constant region, and that is the essence of calling it the Achilles heel,” Paul said.
That Achilles heel is the doctors’ way in. They take advantage of it with something called an abzyme.
It’s naturally produced by people, like lupus patients. When they applied that abzyme to the HIV virus, it permanently disarmed it.
“What we already have in our hand are the abzymes that we could be infusing into the human subjects with HIV infection, essentially to move the virus,” Paul said.
Basically, their idea could be used to control the disease for people who already have it and prevent infection for those at risk.
The theory has held up in lab and animal testing. The next step is human trials.
Meanwhile, every day in Houston, three people are diagnosed with HIV.
The doctors still need funding to launch human trials. In the world of HIV research, that’s often where things fall apart.
“Clinical trials are very expensive,” Paul said.
“That is the worry of the researcher. This is what nightmares are made of – that after 30 years of work, you find it doesn’t work,” Paul said.
But so far, it is working.
“This is the holy grail of HIV research, to develop a preventative vaccine,” Paul said.
“If we can get the viral loads down to a manageable level, that will preclude the need for these conventional drugs,” Escobar said.
Still, even if everything goes well, it’s at least five years before the research could help people with HIV.
The doctors know people like Ford Stuart are waiting.
“There are so many people struggling with the disease because it affects not only your body, but also your psyche, how you perceive yourself,” he said.
If nothing else, the research is promising for the tens of millions waiting for a cure.
If I had a million in the bank, I’d throw $50,000 their way.
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If you would like to be added to the RETHINKING AIDS PING LIST drop me a FReepmail. AIDS is the biggest public health scam in medical history. Like global warming, AIDS is being used to push a powerful leftist political agenda. For over two decades the Public Health Establishment has used your tax dollars and the full power of the federal government to wage a massive propaganda (and intimidation) campaign designed to (A) dupe the American public into believing that HIV is the cause of AIDS (B) scare the public into thinking "we are all at risk" (C) coverup the extreme toxicity of AIDS chemotherapy drugs (which are not just used on "fast-track" gays and junkies, but also given to pregnant mothers, infants, and children) (D) use this fear to push a leftist social agenda that includes socialized medicine, and the promotion of homosexuality and explicit sex "education" to tender-aged school children (E) use their "public health mandate" to bypass the authority of parents and local school boards who object to their social engineering schemes (F) create a massive federal bureaucracy encouraging the use of addictive drugs, to include prescription heroine (G) use threats and intimidation to silence dissenting scientists and to keep the press from covering the debate (H) and finally, to use AIDS as a model to push similar social agendas with respect to future epidemics. Every single point above can be documented on my profile page. |
I think it is wonderful! My granddaughter and DIL just took a CPR class and their instructor told them, when warning them to use gloves and a mouthpiece, that there are 45 children with HIV in our school system.
Yep...always a few billion short for a "privileged" few. Too bad all this money didn't go into a Alzheimer cure
Hopefully, this will lead to them being able to arm the immune system with a new weapon to destroy other diseases, many of which are caused from an auto immune disorder.
“If I had a million in the bank, I’d throw $50,000 their way.”
If I had a million bucks, I’d throw 50,000 towards researching a cure for cancer.
Far more money is spent on AIDS research, a completely preventable disease.
45 wow.
I thought the new CPR was training with just chest compressions not mouth to mouth?
I heard it in MSM so very well could be mis info.
Well like Ship Captains say children and woman first (for the cure).
There was an article saying that why AIDS/HIV is so prevalant among the black pop is because gay black men will hide behind a hetro wife and have kids while still doing the man/man thing in secret.
Dont know how true that is.
Some cancers are preventable also.
I heard the same thing about chest compresions but it takes awhile for things to trickle down. I did tell them about it and told them that if they didn’t have a mouthpiece they should just do chest compressions.
Most of the kids here with HIV are from Mexico. And who knows about the TB.
If I had a mill I would give to our States Doernbecher Hosp.
They taught me all the good medical care I know when King Vanity was a puppy.
Recently learned he may need surg soon and he asked the Docs why the severly disabled had age limits to care at Doernbecher.
They agreed should not be.
Kids who passed early are now living into adult hood but without the medical care specialists.
Guess KV and others with life long severe health issues now living into adulthood have to be the diamonds in the rough.
It is true. For all races. Qualifying for insurance is the reason.
Well when it comes to bambinos of any kind they are innocent IMO regarding AIDS or any other life threatning health issue.
And God Bless the Docs/Nurses ect who go South to treat the little ones.
Is it the water temp of speed on impact that shocks the immune system into correcting itself. /sarc
Don’t treat them, whack off the “delivery hose” and let HIV die out from a lack of transmission.
This disease has killed many. It remains a threat both to those within and outside of certain populations, including children.
I’m glad we are on the verge of a breakthrough. If so, it means a lot for fighting not just AIDS, but all types of viruses.
“Some cancers are preventable also.”
Most are not. HIV is completely preventable. Yet, look how much more attention and money has been given to AIDS.
“Well when it comes to bambinos of any kind they are innocent IMO regarding AIDS or any other life threatning health issue.”
I can’t imagine anyone not feeling for the children who have aids or any other life threatening illness. It’s still wrong that such a disproportionate amount of resources are spent on a disease that is 100% preventable, and all for political reasons.
So here’s a hypothetical situation:
Suppose you go to do CPR on someone, and before you start you find out the person is homosexual (not gay, there’s nothing gay about them). You then refuse to perform CPR because the person is at a higher risk of having AIDS, and because of the nature of the injuries, you believe performing CPR will put you at risk. Is their reason to believe that you could be charged with a crime if the person died?
If the jump is in cold water, stunt actors coat their neck in grease to prevent an automatic reflex that locks the jaw open, and you drown.
On the other hand a decent neurosurgeon will tell you if you jump onto concrete, laws of physics dictate you need at least 5 stories to do the deed. But to be sure you should go 7.
Are you a cop, firefighter or other person with “a duty to act”?
If no, just shrug and go call 911 - they will take care of things for you....
Exactly. That’s why you should know CPR but not have a card saying you took the class.
AIDS mutates. You want to wait 'til it goes airborne? And even now there are innocent victims; children of infected mothers, spouses of bisexuals, blood recipients, healthcare workers....
It’s a terrible disease. A terrible way to die. Many victims are children. I was listening to a lady a few days ago on tv who said she was a virgin when she married. She got HIV from her husband.
Who knows...if this works..maybe it will open doors for cancer and other disease tx.
As a Registered nurse, I would be. Which is why I carry gloves in my purse and a mouthpiece in my first aid kit in both of my cars. My first aid kit is huge with ABD pads, telfa pads, ace wraps, snake bite kits, sterile saline, etc etc etc.
The “normal” transmission route for HIV has always been in utero from mother to child. Epidemiological data indicates that this is a very, very old virus, probably endemic in humans for centuries if not for millennia. It was only with the exponential increase in expressed homosexual behavior in the 60’s and 70’s that transmission from adult to adult became more common.
Here’s the laugher.
When researchers finally find a way to effectively suppress HIV, they will only have succeeded in curing a completely benign viral infection. But, since AIDS is a syndrome defined as the presence of one or more of several marker diseases in a so-called “HIV positive” individual, these jokers will be breaking their arms slapping each other on the back for “curing” AIDS.
Meanwhile, the incidence of each one of the marker diseases will continue as before, but now, thanks to the billions of dollars in research, it won’t be AIDS.
Ain’t it wonderful, living in the modern, “enlightened” era?!
True.
However as a woman if the Breast Cancer screening was a lil more polite....
I am on high doses of thyroid and so the guy reading the mammo always makes me do a 2nd one and every year.
I skipped my 47th year hoping the water ultra sound test would have been in wide use.
I have to suck it up take an advil/tylonal and go in this month for the big cold concrete block squeeze.
And men think the prostrate test is overly intrusive. One guy even blamed God for putting his prostrate in its place.
Honey God only designed the perfect it is the scientists who came up with the search and seizures.
We are getting ready to have our relay for life in our area so our family will be supporting the walkers/runners.
Always use gloves and the mouthpiece. Period.
For any health care need.
How about the reverse on your hypoth.
What if the provider end is full blown AIDS/HIV and not under any med care.
Do you take time to ask/say no thanks or take the risk and live do to there heroic efforts to save you?
LOL As a non Nurse me too.
Except I carry a AEI G Button replacement kit and a Size 8 cuffless Shiley kit.
And the other stuff for at least a 7 day in hosp stay cause it takes that long to get supplies down to the floor and I cant do didly without my 14suct caths/saline/hydro peroxide ect ect.. : )
I think if I need CPR, I won’t be able to ask. If I could ask, I’d probably ask for a busty blond.
LOL As a non Nurse me too.
Except I carry a AEI G Button replacement kit and a Size 8 cuffless Shiley kit.
And the other stuff for at least a 7 day in hosp stay cause it takes that long to get supplies down to the floor and I cant do didly without my 14suct caths/saline/hydro peroxide ect ect.. : )
Oh yeah and my LLBean printed duct tape.
But why would the healthcare provider be bleeding on you? They should be wearing gloves anyways. I was once stuck with a bone marrow aspiration needle and it went right through my hand. The guy was gay and had just returned from France. He did not have HIV but it scared the crap out of me. I was also stuck in the ER as a student doing a clinical rotation in my senior year. He was a homeless guy who they brought in because the cops found him freezing to death, high on drugs and alcohol, and had soiled himself which was all over him. We were taking his clothes off and I had gloves on but a hypodermic needle in his pants stuck me. Two dirty needle sticks in my career and no clean sticks. I’m just glad I didn’t get HIV or Hepatitis. It is scary to be stuck with a dirty needle I can tell you that.
The worst part is that the patient can refuse to be tested for HIV in which case you have to wait 6 months to know you are clear. In my case, the patients didn’t refuse but they could have.
I don't think they stopped, but it would be nice to rid the world of this disease for a lot of reasons.
Hah.
Busty small waisted blonde or busting out all over stomach down to her knees blonde?
Guess if your going lack of O2 you can hallucinate the one sexy one.
I guess one would just hope a CPR person would step up period and not some hoodlums grabbing your wallet instead. Now that my FRiend would be fate.
Extreme case scenario.
A victim of an auto accident helping but they too are injured.
I saw a person slumped over the wheel of their car stopped dead in the middle of a two lane 45mph road one night and called 911 was told to NOT try to assist.
My first thought because the car was so perfect in the lane and running with lights on that it could be a heart attack victim, they were older with a bowl hair cut so could not identify the sex in the dark.
911 said chances are they are passed out DUI and may become combative.
So I just backed into a drive way out of harms way if in case another vehicle came flying through (had a plan to warn them to stop). Waited for Sheriff Dep to show up and went on home just around the corner.
I was going slow that night as it had been a 20hr day and was being cautious of darting deer.
It was crazy like stay in your car No get out and see if you can get a license BUTONLY if it is Safe ....can you see what kind of car make and model ITS DARK
Kinda back and forth thing and I did not want to tick off the dispatcher and get into legal trouble. No ambulance siren so must have been a non medical emerg.
I think your one answer sums it up pretty tight Political reasons.
I didnt know that about the grease on the neck thing.
Ya know every year a tv reporter will with the Sherrif Dept on hand jump into the newly melted ice flow to the rivers to show young people the dangers.
That would be a good tip ...tell em to grease up their necks first so they can talk better.
Plastic surg gloves are great for picking up the dog doo when walking the Lab out of town.
I have a lab too. I just use a shovel and plastic bags though. Usually, I make my boys do it as part of their chores.....LOL.
Big girls need love too!
One of my college roommates could not get enough loving from the big girls. In his taste, the bigger the better. No joke! He was 6’1”, about 135 lbs.
HIV is not transmitted orally. If your scenario involves rivers of blood streaming from their mouth, I don’t think you’ll have a problem for failing to perform mouth-to-mouth.
Key word on respite with the Labs.
At home we have a Poop Thief that comes to the property once a week.
I am the only able body other than the three Labs and never trained them to scoop up after wards.
boy would that be a training lesson to sell. : )
AIDS remains a threat to innocents. Rape victims, unsuspecting wives of secret fags (Michelle Obama?), AIDS babies.
In a rare bout of statism for me though I’d have quarantined all people with AIDS long ago.
I’d just pretend to pass out or something if put in a position like that if I were a nurse. I’d make a lousy nurse.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“There are so many people struggling with the disease because it affects not only your body, but also your psyche, how you perceive yourself,” he said.”
The first response to HIV was not to protect the public but to uphold PC.
If Christians are as deferential to the Truth of God as the Politically Correct are with their own truths the Christians are lableled “fanatic” “sick” “blind”.
How many are dead today because of the PC response to the HIV epidemic?
HIV got a better look at it’s host than could ever happen in Nature. No animal could ever have passed on or exchanged copies of this thing at the rate that homosexuals did. For this reason HIV will be tough if not impossible to defeat.
Anyone see Omega Man or I am Legend? The law of unintended consequences is just screaming in my head right now.
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