HIV test •

Scientists develop AIDS vaccine that may completely cure HIV

September 12, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

In a discovery that could act as pathbreaking in the field of science, researchers have claimed to have developed an AIDS vaccine that can completely clear the traces of HIV viruses from the body.

“A promising new AIDS vaccine may be able to completely eradicate the deadly HIV from the body,” scientists have claimed.

The HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate that has been developed at Oregon Health & Science University holds the capacity to effectively remove all traces of an AIDS-causing virus from non-human primates, researchers said.

Study

The scientists carried study on monkeys. The promising vaccine is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys.

The findings suggested that the vaccine would be successful in curing HIV in humans also.

Scientists are hopeful of testing an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate in humans.

“To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer,” said Louis Picker, associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.

“This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body,” said Picker.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

HIV +ve tested Porn star Cameron Bay says “I am distressed” as Los Angeles adult industry comes to a halt

August 24, 2013 By Janet Vasquez 1 Comment

A day after the Los Angeles porn industry came to a halt after one of the female actress was diagnosed HIV positive, the search for the source of the deadly AIDS causing virus is on.

According to the sources, Anthony Weiner’s latest online mistress Sydney Leathers may have been exposed to the HIV virus while filming her recent porn movie.

Cameron Bay, the female porn star who got infected with the HIV, revealed she shot her most recent sex scene with Xander Corvus, the man who played Anthony Weiner with Leathers in her porn debut Weiner And Me, released on Friday.
Bay said she was in ‘extreme distraught and in disbelief’. She also said that she will undergo an additional test to confirm the result.

According to Bay, she received her last clean bill of health on July 27.

Meanwhile, Leathers said both she and Xander got tested prior to shooting their scene, and both were deemed ‘healthy’.

It is noteworthy, the presence of STDs sometimes does not come up in tests for up to three months after exposure. It takes the body two-to-eight weeks to make antibodies against HIV – known as the window period. Tests done immediately after the exposure or within this window period may not detect the virus and give a false negative result.

The porn industry of Los Angeles announced suspension of production of adult films for an indefinite period after Bay turned out HIV positive during a routine medical examination.

The trade group said film producers have called off the production work temporarily and the same will be resumed after all of Bay’s partners and other actors are notified and tested.

Bay has been in and out of the industry several times since 2010, and has had several run-ins with the law in the past, including a six month prison stint in Arizona, ending in May 2008. Bay had also achieved some notoriety by participating in the VH1 reality show Tool Academy in 2009.

The incident comes amid continued opposition on the part of many companies that produce adult films to a recently enacted law in Los Angeles County that requires porn actors to use condoms on the set.

The multibillion-dollar adult film industry is centered in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.

Rapid HIV Test gets Nod by FDA to Battle Against AIDS

August 12, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

The first rapid test for HIV that detects viral antigens as well as antibodies to the virus has received green signal from Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The pioneering rapid HIV test has the ability to simultaneously detect HIV-1 p24 antigen as well as antibodies to both HIV Type 1 and Type 2. This will help in earlier detection of HIV infection that is possible with purely serological tests, according to the FDA.

“This test helps diagnose HIV infection at an earlier time in outreach settings, allowing individuals to seek medical care at an early stage,” the FDA statement reads.

The test is a remarkable development in the medical field as earlier diagnosis of these deadly viruses may also help to reduce additional HIV transmission. The advantages of this test have huge implications for combating AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and other underdeveloped areas of the world.

The test may be used with serum, plasma, or venous or fingerstick whole blood samples and can be used in remote locations “to identify HIV-infected individuals who might not be able to be tested in traditional health care settings,” the statement reads.

By detecting a viral antigen along with anti-HIV antibodies, the test can distinguish new from established HIV-1 infections, the FDA noted.

The FDA cautioned that the test does not distinguish between antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2, and that it is not suitable for screening potential blood donors.

HIV infection further leads to deadly disease called AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) which damages natural defense mechanisms of the human body by destroying CD4+ T cells. It is a type of white blood cell which helps the body fight diseases.

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year around 50,000 people are infected with HIV in the US.

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