I have to run for a stats exam, but i do want to say that the HIV threads here are alarmingly

[La Lioness Priyanka]

incorrect and irresponsible

i would write a longer op, but dont have the time. So i will let CNN answer WHY we dont have a cure. Calling something a cure, when it's not really a cure, can be dangerous because it undermines efforts for HIV prevention, which is really all we have to "cure" AIDS

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/15/why-hiv-advance-is-not-a-universal-cure/

Please read this before calling me names. In this particular case, i have a lot more at stake than most, and if this really was a cure, i would have been one of the happiest people around. I think we have reason to be optimistic, but we DO NOT HAVE A CURE yet.

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[DURHAM D]

2. +1

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Good luck on your test, and I agree with your premise.

[MNBrewer]

4. I don't think any of the threads are saying that the "cure" is universal

[EOTE]

8. I think threads saying "We have cured AIDS!!!"

Pretty much implies it's universal. I agree with the OP. This is something to be excited about, but the hyperbole surrounding this is absolutely ridiculous.

[Statistical]

16. Where does this imaginary thread exist? Oh yeah it doesn't.

Nobody implied the cure was universal.

Every thread on the subject outlined the limits of this treatment. However a man was cured of HIV. The treatment was complex, difficult, risky, and costly but he was cured of HIV.

Prior to this nobody had been cured of HIV. There was no option no matter how complex, difficult, risky, or costly.

[EOTE]

18. Errrr, did you look before posting?

Because that very thread has been up toward the top of GD for quite some time. In fact, quite a few people implied that the cure was universal.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x10552

[MNBrewer]

20. The vast majority of the threads are less hyperbolic

[EOTE]

22. So what is your point exactly?

That those insane, over the top threads shouldn't be condemned because there are more threads that are a bit more sane?

[Raster]

5. Highly recommended!

[Deep13]

6. Right. It was irresponsible for anyone in the press to call it a cure.

It may help us find one eventually. Or it may not since as noted it may not have cured this one patient. Reminds me of all the miracle cures for cancer the (mostly internet) press has announced in the past ten years.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. not to mention if you really want to applaud science, you need to respect the scientific way

which entail being able to replicate something many times over.

[Deep13]

24. Right, one patient proves nothing.

I wish there was a cure or a vaccine, but retroviruses are really sneaky.

[TheWraith]

7. YES! THANK YOU!

Jeez, I've been practically ripping my hair out over this shit. It's not just bad science reporting, it's spreading DANGEROUS MISINFORMATION.

[hunter]

9. Kick.

This kind of cancer treatment is always an act of desperation.

When a bone marrow transplant goes wrong it goes horribly wrong.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Yes, I would have to agree. At this point I'm not seeing anything that says there

is a definitive, nearly fool-proof cure for all patients.... YET. Promising, but still needs to be replicated many times over before it can be called a true cure.

But it's very hopeful though, and I pray that it pans out because a lot of people need it to.

Good luck on your exam. :thumbsup: :)

[Lucian]

12. Yes! You are absolutely right.

It's not a cure yet. It's got a looooooooooooooooooooong way to go before it's called one.

[Puregonzo1188]

13. Thank you. It's interesting, because even the Huffington Post article so many people are linking to

states that it's not a cure for HIV.

That being said it is good news nonetheless.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. ofcourse it is. even if its isnt a cure, if its cured this one person

its good news for that person.

i am optimistic that random cures like this will someday lead to a universal cure. but that cure isnt here yet.

[Statistical]

15. Whatever. I made one of those threads. The man was cured. Period.

I also outlined how complex, dangerous, and limited his cure was.

The reality is he has been cured of HIV. Period.

[Deep13]

25. The reality is the test has not detected HIV antibodies.

It is not certain that he was cured. It may be that the anti-rejection drugs for the marrow transplant are suppressing antibody production.

[Statistical]

26. It has been 40 months since the procedure.

The patient has been off anti-rejection and anti-viral drugs for over 3 years. They have done every known test to detect HIV even those not normally done due to cost/complexity for over 3 years. That patient has undergone long-term weekly testing at a level far beyond the general public and no test shows even a hint of HIV.

http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/abstract/blood-2010-09-309591v1

"HIV entry into CD4+ cells requires interaction with a cellular receptor, generally either CCR5 or CXCR4. We have previously reported the case of an HIV-infected patient in whom viral replication remained absent despite discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy after transplantation with CCR532/32 stem cells. However, it was expected that the long-lived viral reservoir would lead to HIV rebound and disease progression during the process of immune reconstitution. In the present study, we demonstrate successful reconstitution of CD4+ T cells at the systemic level as well as in the gut mucosal immune system following CCR532/32 stem cell transplantation, while the patient remains without any sign of HIV infection. This was observed although recovered CD4+ T cells contain a high proportion of activated memory CD4+ T cells, i.e. the preferential targets of HIV, and are susceptible to productive infection with CXCR4-tropic HIV. Furthermore, during the process of immune reconstitution, we found evidence for the replacement of long-lived host tissue cells with donor-derived cells indicating that the size of the viral reservoir has been reduced over time. In conclusion, our results strongly suggest that cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient.

[frustrated_lefty]

17. To head one of the inevitable conjectures off at the pass:

Because there is a limit to the number of bone marrow matches with naturally HIV-resistant donors, the logical theory is that we can genetically engineer autologous stem cells so that they incorporate the necessary mutation. Basically, this means taking stem cells from the patient, engineering them, and then re-implanting the engineered cells. It's a way to get around the need for a bone marrow match.

Studies of that sort have been underway for years. One of the fundamental problems is that the technology currently used to "engineer" stem cells also has an extremely high (~50%) chance of making them cancerous. We're still a few steps away from something that can be broadly applicable.

[OhioChick]

19. You're absolutely right....

While this is a wonderful step in the right direction of eventually curing HIV infection, a cure it is not, yet. I sincerely hope with all this buzz about a "cure" that people read and understand the fine print of the articles and continue to practice safe sex.

From an article: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/health/man-appears-to-be-cured-of-aids-after-unusual-blood-transfusion

"It's an interesting proof-of-concept that with pretty extraordinary measures a patient could be cured of HIV," but it is far too risky to become standard therapy even if matched donors could be found, said Dr. Michael Saag of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He is past chairman of the HIV Medicine Association, an organization of doctors who specialize in treating AIDS.

"We can't really apply this particular approach to healthy individuals because the risk is just too high," especially when drugs can keep HIV in check in most cases, Saag said. Unless someone with HIV also had cancer, a transplant would not likely be considered, he said.

Also important from your article:

2. The chances of finding a bone marrow donor with two copies of this genetic mutation for every one of the 33 million people worldwide living with HIV or AIDS is not realistic because only one percent of Caucasians and zero percent of African Americans or Asians have this particular genetic mutation.

[TheWraith]

21. I posted another thread on this point explaining WHY this is such an issue.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x15445

[Captain Cave Man]

23. You are absolutely right.

AIDS is ultimately preventable.

:toast:

[Jamastiene]

27. K&R

Thank you.

[bigwillq]

28. K and R (nt)