Posts tagged antiretroviral therapy
Soy Sauce And HIV
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Soy Sauce and HIV: Japanese Condiment Sheds New Light
Antiretroviral drug therapies are the key treatments used against HIV today. Such therapies have proven effective and have turned the tide on the virus increasing both life expectancy and quality of life. Yet, it is common for patients suffering from HIV to develop a resistance to some of the therapies of choice. This can be a real problem as substitute therapies are usually harsher and not quite as effective. Soy sauce and HIV, four words that we wouldn’t usually see in combination, may present a solution.
A few years ago, a Japanese company was looking to enhance the flavor of their soy sauce. The discovery of a new compound led to further investigation. It turns out that what they had found was a compound similar to what is currently used in antiviral therapies. The difference with this compound and typical therapies for HIV is in how the compound works against HIV and, especially, in its ability to escape detection from the virus.
The new compound, EFdA, is a nucleoside analogue that tricks the virus and halts reproduction. Compounds such as the ones used in treatment look like the building blocks used by HIV to replicate and spread. The imposter compounds, however, thwart this process thus stunting the spread of the virus. Benefits of EFdA include its ability to remain unnoticed by the virus. Unlike presently used molecules, HIV has not been able to resist their attacks.
Ongoing research continues to show good results. The complexity of its structure is currently the focus of study. There is a sort of ‘key’ that unlocks the compound and sets it off to do its job. Figuring out how the compound is structured will help researchers unlock its potential and put it to use. It is hoped that this will spawn newer, more effective treatments that can last for years without the virus developing resistance. Soy sauce and HIV, who would have known?
HIV Drug That Treats Other Infections
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV and HPV
HIV Drug That Treats Other Infections: Medication Re-Purposing
You may be familiar with the idea of re-purposing: Just spend some time on Pinterest and you can find all sorts of ideas on ways to reuse items for fashion, home décor, furniture and the like. Repurposing can work for medication as well. Take, for example, some of the antiretroviral drugs that are helping HIV-infected patients have a more normal life expectancy. We have now identified an HIV drug that treats other infections.
A recent study showed one of these drugs can be effective against one of the most prevalent and dangerous diseases of our time. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a widespread sexually transmitted disease and an imminent danger due to its strong link to cervical cancer in women. The combination of the rapid spread of this disease across the country (and the whole world) combined with the sheer number of cancers it can cause, has made this a matter of public concern.
A study in Kenya showed that people are three times more likely to end up with HIV if they have ever been infected with HPV. Because of the prevalence in that nation of people ending up with both conditions, studies were conducted in order to see if any HIV drugs in particular would be effective against HPV. A ‘two birds with one stone’ approach, if you will. It was found that the HIV therapy drug Lopinavir could help treat HPV, even if the patient was already in a precancerous stage. This is certainly good news. Hopefully, once the drug has finished clinical trials, it can begin commercial use in the U.S. to help those with HPV.
Finding an HIV drug that treats other infections is clearly good news. However, prevention is far better than a cure. So, what can we do to protect ourselves? A vaccine for HPV exists and it is important to use this option to protect yourself from the virus and from the cancers that HPV can cause. Of course, you should check with your doctor and see if this is the best option for you.
Cell-to-Cell HIV Transmission
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Combating Cell-to-Cell HIV Transmission
HIV viruses can spread in different ways. Some spread from one cell to another through plasma called cell-free transmission, and others spread directly between cells, or cell-to-cell. A recent study tested the ability of antiretroviral drugs to prevent cell-to-cell HIV transmission, which produced very valuable information in regards to how antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) are so effective and how to avoid the virus becoming resistant to the medications.
Researchers at a prominent American university came up with a way to examine the difference between cell-free and cell-to-cell HIV transmission. They went through and tested different types of HIV treatments to see how well they treated both types of virus transmission. These tests included non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), and entry inhibitors (ENT-Is), also called fusion inhibitors. The tests proved that all types of medication, with the exception of NRTIs, were very effective in treating cell-to-cell spread of the virus.
During these experiments, scientists also tested how these drugs react when treating cell-free transmission. When they added more viruses to a certain area of cells, raising the multiplicity of infection (MOI), they found that the drugs reacted much like they did when treating cell-to-cell transmission. In this instance, as in the one before, NRTIs did not do well in fighting the virus. Because there were a higher number of infected cells, the quantity of the drug necessary to combat it was also higher. The drugs were also more effective when combined, proving that combined ARTs are some of the most useful for suppressing HIV. No matter what a patient is prescribed, however, it is important that they take their medicine as ordered to avoid the cells becoming drug- resistant. In addition, for an HIV drug to be most effective, they must be able to handle a high MOI—that is, a high ratio of infectious cells to target cells—to effectively combat cell-to-cell HIV transmission.
HIV Patients Fare Better Visiting Just One Clinic
10 years ago
“Continual and consistent therapy is better”—this is according to a recent study conducted on HIV patients and the clinics they visited. While most can appreciate why this is so, especially when it comes to the complexities involved in antiretroviral therapy (or ART), the importance of continuity of care is even more pronounced in these cases.
Patients and clinics were followed for a period of time to analyze the quality of care given and the compliance of HIV patients. It was found that most patients who visited different clinics received care that was, at times, less than adequate. Most of the time, care was inconsistent and patient follow-through was poor. This could be seen in higher viral loads in HIV patients who visited numerous clinics when compared to those who went to just one.
Those who were more likely to frequent various clinics were younger women normally in their first year of treatment. This practice of going to different clinics could be in part due to fear of social stigma, needing to seek treatment for diseases other than HIV, or other reasons. This trend worries researchers and clinicians alike—the quality of care and overall health of those HIV patients is at stake. The results of the study are now beneficial, meaning the system can now be altered to ensure that care is continuous and consistent. Making changes in order for clinics to provide better care means less ART errors and a lessening of viral load in new patients. Patient follow-through is likely to increase when they receive a measure of consistency, especially when it comes to complicated ART regimens.
As far as social effects are concerned, researchers are eager for a change in how clinics play into HIV treatment. If patients are not receiving, taking and following up with therapies and drug treatments, the risks of complications and transmission increases. Physicians hope that by making the system more efficient, these risks can be reduced.
Infectious Disease Specialists A Benefit to HIV Inpatients
10 years ago
Hospitalized patients face certain challenges when dealing with existing medical issues. For patients with HIV, the challenges can be critical if not handled expertly. This is especially true when they are admitted for medical reasons other than HIV. Infection, surgery or other issues or complications can throw off their ART or antiretroviral treatment. What can be done?
It has been reviewed that when a hospitalized HIV patient is seen by an infectious disease physician, the results are generally better. The complex regimen of HIV therapies can be confusing for staff members not used to regularly handling such issues. For these reasons, errors are often made, such as a wrong dosage or prescribing other drugs with ART contraindications. Infectious disease doctors and pharmacists can provide the required level of care.
Recent studies are showing that a great percentage of HIV patients seen by an infectious disease specialist report less errors than those who didn’t. Also the number of errors that were corrected or caught in time was remarkably higher. Due to education and familiarity with HIV therapy, specialists in the field are better equipped when it comes to managing certain aspects of inpatient care. In the end, patients required fewer hours of medical attention and demonstrated overall improvement in health when compared with HIV patients not seen by an infectious disease specialist.
In the case of medication and ART, pharmacists and clinicians trained in infectious disease evaluated, altered and administered drugs as needed. They were accurately able to determine risk and benefit for changes that were made. This type of consideration resulted in better management of medical issues with as little interference as possible with HIV therapies. These studies clearly indicate that there are indeed great benefits for an HIV patient to be under the charge of an infectious disease physician when admitted for other reasons to the hospital.
