Dark, Who Knows & Maybes...

 

It's still & wet.  More rain is expected, great, more grass & bugs.  We may not need the AC any more this month, possibly this year.  

The car is still in the shop.  They haven't figured out the issue.  If they don't, it's a waiting game with the car. That sucks.

I found a suggestion of an article.  It's at best midway to a novel approach.  The piece is about PrEP's efficacy.  The current  versions are effective, but only if the regimen is maintained properly.  There are a lot of reasons that may not happen.  The only long acting PrEP options are injections that must be administered by a medical profession.  That may not be an option.   

This work talks about a new antiretroviral from Merck.  This is still an oral option, but has the advantage of being long acting, monthly dose.  This med is based on a Nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor called Islatravir.  So far, this is in the development & research phase.  Human studies are underway.  A monthly dose PrEP could be a game changer.  It could lead to options for people living with HIV as well.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Unexpected...

 

I've been on Lamivudine my entire HIV treatment.  It was developed in the late 80's & patented in 1995.   It is an antiviral medication used primarily in treating HIV & hepatitis.  

Sometimes older meds are found to be beneficial in other illnesses.   This article details such an instance between Lamivudine & Diabetic Macular Edema.  Early research has shown this med is performing better than the standard regimen, an eye injection.  

Give the piece a read, it's an interesting development.   That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Just What...

 

I saw 2 articles on HIV suppression yesterday, both are questionable.  Each is over the same subject, here's the 1st & then 2nd.  These articles concern an alternative approach to viral suppression not elimination.   

The studies are early in their research & involve non-human primates.  They focus on TIP (Therapeutic Interfering Particles.)  In this instance, that basically refers to a "defanged" version of HIV.  Grey's Anatomy did an episode concerning this approach.  TIP isn't new, variations have been around since the 1950's.  The idea is to introduce a rapidly reproducing, less dangerous version of the virus.   It's like a weed choking out grass.  The TIP HIV would outperform the original virus.

This research isn't near fruition & has been focused on theoretical & animal applications.  It may or may not move into human studies.  It isn't a cure, but could be a long term suppressive approach.  It may be a long ways off or never come to be.

My worry is simple, this is a virus.  A version of HIV none the less.  Viruses are driven to survive by replication & evolution.  This TIP may be harmless in a lab, but in the wild, there's only conjecture.  Would this be a boon or brand new horror show?

I'm glad the research is ongoing.  Still aspects of it are concerning.  This could be how Stephen King's  Captain Trips gets started.   Or it could ultimately control/end HIV..

Take care.

Cya....

Newer Novel...

 

This piece is light but discusses a new approach to  HIV.  This method is uses a nanomedical application of RNA to inhibit viral replication.  This process uses small interfering RNA.  The point of this is in the name, they interfere with other cells.  

The original article is a little scant, but it hits the highlights for a newer method being developed.  The Wiki page gives a much fuller detailing of the RNA aspect of the technique.  Give them a read, this may be the future of HIV treatment.

Cya...

Easiest To Read...

 

The biggest problem in curing HIV is the reservoir of the virus hidden away in the DNA of cells.   This article is about a newer approach to handling the issue.  This is a complex subject & this was the most understandable of the pieces I found.  

The approach works by modulating the activity of these cells by altering a immune response, which is usually inflammation.  By doing this, the medication  not only reduces inflammation, it also shortens the lifespan of the host cells hiding the virus.  Thus starving it out or basically siege warfare.

This was complex & there are other pieces reporting on it.   Find the article that suits you best & give it a read.  It's a novel approach.

It's hot, but supposed to cool down some today.  It might storm.  If it does, I hope it's not bad.  We don't need that on top of all of this.

Take care.

Cya...

Modified Approach...

 

This piece is about the use of bispecific proteins as treatment for HIV.  This approach affects T-cells with a modified protein to boost their ability to fight off illness such as HIV, cancer & other autoimmune issues. 

Will this work?  The jury's out on that.  If it does or just improves research, it's a good step forward.  Give  this a read.

Take care.

Cya...

Warm Waiting...

 

I thought I'd found a new article today, but it was research being done with mice.  While, interesting, medical research at that level often never goes further or takes years to come to fruition.   I try not to post on anything so novel. 

We're waiting for a plumber.  The toilet is making noise & we want it handled.  He could be today or tomorrow.   Hopefully, it's an easy fix.

Today is supposed to be the last day in the 90s.  By this time next week, it probably won't break the mid 80s.  I hope the temps don't plummet too fast.   I'd like an actual seasonal transition.  Not the periodic door slamming we've been having for a while.  Then again, Summer barely poked its head in the door, before ducking out again.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Drear & Possibilities...

 

Let's start with, May Sucks!  I haven't felt much like myself for weeks & probably won't the rest of May.  It's still raining & looks to all day.  It at  least made  the monthly rain average.  Still, May Sucks!

I found an interesting  article this  morning. It was very vague, so I won't cite it.   The idea was novel.   The research was attempting to develop an method where the meds given to HIV+ people might approach the virus in a different  way.  Focused more on weakening the virus than eliminating it. 

This wasn't being presented as a cure all.  It proposed the idea of treating HIV so  it was driven so far back, it'd  take significant time for the virus to reemerge.  Therefore,  lessening to need for daily regimen of antivirals.  Perhaps after  a month on this type of  treatment, the virus would be dormant for several months.  Then the meds could be reintroduced.  Followed by another  period of  dormancy.   It's  not perfect, but possibly better than what we have now.  It might  also be  more achievable than an outright cure.

Cya...