[Guardian Angels Pattaya]

Cheap Drug could finish off HIV

Currently the main treatment for HIV infection is called HAART...This is short for Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment. Involving a cocktail of drugs this treatment keeps HIV in check. However the virus is not eradicated from the body but manages to persist in a latent state.

Now the latest studies at the University of North Carolina USA researchers recently tried augmenting HAART to see if they could get to these latent viruses. They selected four patients taking HAART and gave them in addition a drug that prevents HIV from fusing with healthy cells. The four were then given Valporic acid twice a Day for three months. this drug is known to inhibit the production of a chemical that helps HIV linger in the latent state. In three of the patients levels of latent HIV fell by 75%.[/size]

The researchers are quoted as saying: "Our findings suggest that eradication of established HIV infection may be achieved by a staged approach .This finding, though not definitive, suggests that new approaches will allow the cure of HIV in the near future"

Information received by GAP (GUARDIAN ANGELS PATTAYA)

Our GAP Care Center is for People living with HIV in Pattaya, and helping with the social side of HIV in conjunction with Dr Philippe Seur HAART 2000 and The Camillion Center Rayong, contact us on guardianangelspattaya@hotmail.com for any help advice of sponsorship you may need, or can give.

We all hope you have a wonderful happy Christmas and prosperous New Year, try to make a difference with at least one poor guy this year even if its only kindness hugs and understanding.

[one2go]

Saying " A cure for HIV" is a bit premature. Here is some additional information on the use of valproic acid:

As for valproic acid, this drug is better known by its brand name: Depakote. This is a very popular drug for the management of bipolar diorder, epilepsy, and migraine headaches. As for HIV research, test tube studies have demonstrated that valproic acid blocks a cellular enzyme called histone deacetylase-1 (HDAC-1). Among other things, this cellular enzyme helps the reverse transcribed form of HIV (HIV-DNA) remain dormant inside a cell's DNA. We've learned that HIV-DNA can remain dormant for many years inside cells, which makes it virtually impossible for current drugs to eradicate HIV from the body. Using valproic acid, it may be possible to "purge" these cells of HIV-DNA, which would allow the other drugs we have available to eradicate the infection.

In an August issue of The Lancet, a very important British peer-reviewed medical journal, a team of Texas researchers conducted a small "proof-of-concept" study of valproic acid in four HIV-positive people who had undetectable viral loads upon entering the study. The four patients added Fuzeon to their regimen -- to make it even stronger -- and also added valproic acid in an effort to reduce the number of dormant HIV-infected CD4+ cells in the body. After approximately 18 weeks, all four patients saw a significant decrease in the number of dormant HIV-positive CD4+ cells, ranging from 29% in one patient to 84% in another patient.

Given that this study only enrolled four patients, it's difficult -- impossible, really -- to draw any firm conclusions. What these data do conclude, however, is that additional research is necessary.

Of course, this is not the first time an agent has been used to purge dormant HIV from resting CD4+ cells. For example, a team of researchers has tried this approach using interleukin-2 (IL-2). And while significant reductions in the dormant HIV-infected CD4+ cell population was noted, it simply wasn't enough to achieve eradication of the virus. Here's hoping we have better luck with valproic acid. Another concern is the fact that valproic acid is associated with a number of side effects -- although very few were seen in the four-person proof-of-concept study -- and significant drug-drug interactions. So, again, more research is definitely needed to determine the potential effectiveness and safety of this drug.

[GayPattayan]

Thanks for the great detail and thorough explanation. We have all heard far too many claims of having come up with "the cure", but your explanation of the process and of results, even in such a small trial, is greatly appreciated. Let's hope follow up trials involving far more people will lead to at least some higher success in eradicating this disease.

-- G.P.

[Yimsuai]

That 'thorough explanation by HaveAGo' was originally posted on 29 September 2005 on the AidsMeds community forum by Tim Horn, a writer and editor for several Aids organisations.


Original post:

http://www.aidsmeds.com/Fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=23957

Tim Horn's profile:

http://www.aidsmeds.com/AboutUs.htm

I believe that out of respect for the intellectual property laws of the country where this Web site is hosted and general ethical principles, it is a policy of this forum for contributors to credit their sources. In this instance, an entire post by another author on a different forum was copied and pasted here without any attribution whatsoever. I would also like to believe that this was an oversight on the part of HaveAGo and have taken the initiative to rectify it.

Your welcome, HaveAGo.

[Farang Boss]

delete

[one2go]

I did not mean to imply that was my original quote, and I dont think GayPattayan thought it was my writing either. Funny to hear from Yimsuai complaining about inappropriate behavior on this board. Talk about the kettle calling the pot black . At least when you were "The Colonel", I had some respect for you. Your posts used to be informative and clever. Now they are just bitter and attacking.

[homintern]

Whenever I see the "cure for AIDS" headline and then read the story, it seems that what's being offered is the same as a "cure for diabetes" ie. no cure at all, but a drug regimen to neutralise that particular condition

[marc11864]

A weakening virus?

According to an "ADVOCATE REPORT" in the December 6th edition of The Advocate, some Belgian researchers are predicting an end to HIV related deaths within 50 to 60 years.

The researchers are a team of Belgian scientists who said that as the AIDS virus mutates to thwart the bodies immune system, it is slowly losing it's ability to kill, effectively weakening the virus. Other experts including Marco Vitoria, an AIDS expert at the World Health Organization (WHO)however, cautioned that HIV could still remain virulent for hundreds of years as viral weakening is a very slow process.

The phrase, "To every silver lining, there is a cloud." comes to mind... :roll: