HIV Finnaly cured... maybe.

[Jarvan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/03/us-doctors-cure-child-born-hiv

It's not a complete cure yet, and may not work on everyone, but wow, this really is impressive.

[Ardwen]

Be more impressive if they knew why it worked for this child

[Jarvan]

Be more impressive if they knew why it worked for this child

True.. but hey, one step at a time.

[Atlanteax]

Be more impressive if they knew why it worked for this child


The team believe the child was cured because the treatment was so potent and given swiftly after birth. The drugs stopped the virus from replicating in short-lived, active immune cells, but another effect was crucial. The drugs also blocked the infection of other, long-lived white blood cells, called CD4, which can harbour HIV for years. These CD4 cells behave like hideouts, and can replace HIV that is lost when active immune cells die.

The treatment would not work in older children or adults because the virus will have already infected their CD4 cells.

It was pre-CD4, that's why.

[Archigeek]

Be more impressive if they knew why it worked for this child

Actually it sounds like they have a pretty strong idea on that. The theory is that with a very agressive early treatment, the virus doesn't have a chance to develop resevoir hiding places. If that's the case, an agressive early treatment could be effective for other infants as well. Kind of makes you wonder if the same would work for non-infants immediately after exposure.

[Kastrel]

Actually it sounds like they have a pretty strong idea on that. The theory is that with a very agressive early treatment, the virus doesn't have a chance to develop resevoir hiding places. If that's the case, an agressive early treatment could be effective for other infants as well. Kind of makes you wonder if the same would work for non-infants immediately after exposure.

That certainly makes sense. I wonder if there is an element to the infant immune system that has something to do with it . . . either a relative lack of development of those cells, or an adaptability.

[msconstrew]

That certainly makes sense. I wonder if there is an element to the infant immune system that has something to do with it . . . either a relative lack of development of those cells, or an adaptability.

There are a ton of studies on this, which you can find if you just google. It's also a hot topic in the legal world to the extent that there is a question about whether the state can compel a woman to take anti-viral medication while pregnant in order to lessen the chances of the baby being born with HIV. Further, it's been known for YEARS now that even babies who are born testing as HIV positive do not necessarily stay HIV positive; once the mother's antibodies leave the baby's system, I believe it's less than 50% that test HIV positive past the age of two. And this is especially true if the mother does not breastfeed.

[TheEschaton]

Probably not, these short lived immune cells are a result of birth I believe, while the baby's own immune system is forming. In adult infection, normal immune cell macrophages are infected, but they are not considered particularly short-lived. If they can figure out the mechanism to prevent the spread to CD4 white blood cells though, that'd be huge.

[msconstrew]

I was just about to post a PDF of a paper I wrote on this subject, but my Real Life Name is in the "properties" portion of the PDF. So ... no.

[Atlanteax]

I was just about to post a PDF of a paper I wrote on this subject, but my Real Life Name is in the "properties" portion of the PDF. So ... no.

But you'd get love letters from Paradii!

[msconstrew]

But you'd get love letters from Paradii!

If they didn't talk about my profession, I don't think that I could possibly understand them.

[AnticorRifling]

This is going to severely hinder any new Rage Against the Machine songs.

[875000]

This is going to severely hinder any new Rage Against the Machine songs.

Fortunately, there is a hot new singer ready to take up the mantle ...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=uguXNL93fWg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DuguXNL93fWg

[Jayvn]

I stopped reading at Mississippi doctors... due to the imagery of river folk with moonshine jugs. I remember a few years back when they thought a child miraculously cured itself of hiv.. because when they initially tested it it had the mother's immune system stuff going on and appeared to have hiv...the child did not have hiv...
And here I was hoping for a population thinning mechanism that would bypass our ability to overcome every damn thing that should keep us in check. We need to set lions loose to start picking off the weak and dying...

[Vorpodu]

So now there is only one thing left to do...harvest children for their immune systems.

[Jayvn]

I heard this year is going to be a bumper crop

[Atlanteax]

So now there is only one thing left to do...harvest children for their immune systems.

Death Panels!!

[Latrinsorm]

If they didn't talk about my profession, I don't think that I could possibly understand them.I laughed, but I still think you and Paradii are too awesome not to be friends.

[Paradii]

I laughed, but I still think you and Paradii are too awesome not to be friends.


I wrote a paper on why we shouldn't, but of course my Real Life Name was in the "properties" portion of the pdf, so alas I can't share it either.

[msconstrew]

I laughed, but I still think you and Paradii are too awesome not to be friends.

I am actually impressed he saw through all those posts about weight lifting, running, cooking, baking and travel, and that he realized it's all either directly or indirectly related to me being a lawyer. I bet no one else knew my utter narcissism ran so deep.

[AnticorRifling]

I bet no one else knew my utter narcissism ran so deep.

We all knew.

But don't worry Paradii won't post his paper because the website he uses to cite his references for him has errors. Think off the time that wastes!