HIV / AIDS
When I wrote my post about wanting to be a microbiologist, I wanted to squeeze some stuff in there about HIV and/or AIDS, but I didn't want to make the post go on forever. My husband started a conversation last night that caused me to do a little research on something I learned awhile ago.
I learned at the genetic conference that there are some people who are immune to the HIV disease. Their body cannot receive the virus. They studied these people (more than six years ago!) and found out what part of the cell takes in the virus. There is a receptor called CCR4. The study showed that people with a CCR4 deficiency were immune to the virus. They had developed a treatment that would be a series of shots in people with high risk for HIV. The shot would enter their body and teach the body to produce cells that are CCR4-deficient. CCR4 is the receptor that takes the HIV into the cell. The last thing I heard on this is that they had to figure out what CCR4 was responsible for so that they could know whether it had importance to the body or if they could just start giving shots to make people CCR4 deficient.
My husband opened my ming back to all this last night when he told me about a vaccine that scientists had developed that shows promise in preventing HIV. I got online last night and looked at one of my favorite web sites that I hadn't visited forever...just in case anyone ever thinks about going into biology, nursing or anything health related, remember this: OMIM. Do a search at google for it. The web site is a government web site that is one where I could just drool over all the information that is on there. This place is always up-to-date and it just blows my mind how much information one could find there.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I went to OMIM and they have found out what the CCR4 does. I searched for something about the CCR4 deficiency, but I couldn't find anything. There are other vaccines that are currently being tested in some of the major US cities and there are many more being tested internationally. I think scientists are well on their way to preventing HIV, but the question remains....how do people who are infected have a better quality of life?
My opinion: Don't screw around and this crap won't happen to you! If you get AIDS from sharing needles, then what the heck were you thinking doing the drugs in the first place?! If it happens through a blood transfusion, then I think you're lying because that just doesn't happen any more. That's my two cents...seriously, I have compassion for people, but when I was in high school, we had a teenage girl come to the school to speak to us. She was infected with HIV and someone asked her, since you have been infected, do you continue to have unprotected sex with uninfected people? She said she does it all the time! So then, the question was asked, doesn't it make you feel bad that you could infect others? She said that she tells them before hand that she is infected and that the person says it's ok. What a strange world we live in...
I learned at the genetic conference that there are some people who are immune to the HIV disease. Their body cannot receive the virus. They studied these people (more than six years ago!) and found out what part of the cell takes in the virus. There is a receptor called CCR4. The study showed that people with a CCR4 deficiency were immune to the virus. They had developed a treatment that would be a series of shots in people with high risk for HIV. The shot would enter their body and teach the body to produce cells that are CCR4-deficient. CCR4 is the receptor that takes the HIV into the cell. The last thing I heard on this is that they had to figure out what CCR4 was responsible for so that they could know whether it had importance to the body or if they could just start giving shots to make people CCR4 deficient.
My husband opened my ming back to all this last night when he told me about a vaccine that scientists had developed that shows promise in preventing HIV. I got online last night and looked at one of my favorite web sites that I hadn't visited forever...just in case anyone ever thinks about going into biology, nursing or anything health related, remember this: OMIM. Do a search at google for it. The web site is a government web site that is one where I could just drool over all the information that is on there. This place is always up-to-date and it just blows my mind how much information one could find there.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I went to OMIM and they have found out what the CCR4 does. I searched for something about the CCR4 deficiency, but I couldn't find anything. There are other vaccines that are currently being tested in some of the major US cities and there are many more being tested internationally. I think scientists are well on their way to preventing HIV, but the question remains....how do people who are infected have a better quality of life?
My opinion: Don't screw around and this crap won't happen to you! If you get AIDS from sharing needles, then what the heck were you thinking doing the drugs in the first place?! If it happens through a blood transfusion, then I think you're lying because that just doesn't happen any more. That's my two cents...seriously, I have compassion for people, but when I was in high school, we had a teenage girl come to the school to speak to us. She was infected with HIV and someone asked her, since you have been infected, do you continue to have unprotected sex with uninfected people? She said she does it all the time! So then, the question was asked, doesn't it make you feel bad that you could infect others? She said that she tells them before hand that she is infected and that the person says it's ok. What a strange world we live in...
posted by Nichole at 6:23 AM
2 Comments:
A guy from my class at Knightstown died from aids just 3 weeks before graduation. He was straight, and clean of drugs. He actually did get it from a blood transfusion that he recieved in the second grade. But, or course, that was in the 80's, and blood donations weren't as carefully checked in those days. Back when they found out he contracted HIV, the entire school C.A.B school system had a big educational thing on HIV and aids. We watched the Ryan White movie, and had a speaker come in. It's a sad thing, but it sure is good to hear that they're making progress in the research to find a prevention (other than abstenance and anti-drug use).
Your first 4 paragraphs were so scientific and mind boggling and then that last paragraph there's no beating around the bush you're straight to the point. That's what I love about you.
The best man at our wedding died of aids. It's a terrible thing and I'm glad they are getting closer to a cure. I just hope people find the true cure which is Jesus.
Love ya, Brenda
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