illini319 0 Report post Posted March 27, 2006 The initial reports were not a fake... at least that they are published in peer reviewed journals. Of course this doesn't necessarily mean that the results were NOT faked... but that is a different discussion for a different topic. Anyway, it's great that they have found what could potentially be a good therapy for HIV. Let's hope that whatever pharma gets their hand on it, doesn't charge too much money. I highly doubt that though. I should also say, not to sound callous, that HIV has quickly become a chronic disease (at least in developed countries). HIV and Cardiovascular diseases are, for the most part, preventable diseases. Yes, I acknowledge the unfortunate cases of blood transfusions and such. But, one could argue that through more rigorous screening procedures those things have been minimized and are fundamentally preventable. So, in essence it is good that HIV may find a match (at least until a mutation renders it resistant...), but I'm still hoping for more effective therapies against cancer. Most cancers are not preventable... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evought 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) Hold your horses folks - this might be one of the ultimate scientific breakthroughs in recent times. All the so called "cures" for AIDS so far have been nothing but retroviral agents (cocktails of several expensive drugs) - that only served to inhibit the AIDS virus. None were able to purge them from your body for good. They could only limit the activity of the virus allowing you to lead a normal (almost) life till the end. But with this new report in the Salt Lake Tribune, it seems Paul D. Savage of Brigham Young University has invented a compound that actually HUNTS DOWN the AIDS virus in your body and kills them. This compound acts on all known variants/strains of HIV. Here's an exerpt from the article: This might very well be the dawn of a new day for those infected with this ghastly and fatal Syndrome. I pray to God that this cure turns out to be TRUE to its fullest. m^e This could be good, but it is not the first attempt. In 2000-2004 they thought they had found a chemical to do exactly this (hyperforin) and it did, in vitro (in the lab) but not in vivo (in a human). After getting approval for the human trials, they found out that it did not work as expected. Now they have been using hyperforin (a plant-based compound by the way) to clean tainted blood supplies, where it apparently works quite well, but inside the body, the virus has too many places to hide. It goes into stealth mode (like chicken pox/shingles) and pops out again later. Hopefully, this new compound can get to where it can hurt the virus without overly nasty side-effects. Of course, the side-effects would have to be really nasty for it to not be worth it if you would otherwise die of AIDS. As you say, pray for success. Edited March 28, 2006 by evought (see edit history) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virtuous8 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2006 The best cure of AIDS is abstention from any sexual behaviors and thoughts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evought 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2006 The best cure of AIDS is abstention from any sexual behaviors and thoughts. Mostly true, unless you get it through a blood transfusion or from someone you help at a roadside. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
