New antibody attacks 99% of HIV strains

Post by xelxebar » Tue, Sep 26, 2017, 5:47 AM UTC

jondubois wrote: post #198

smitherfield wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the most virulent 1%, it's 1% which have unusual mutations that cause them to be resistant to this treatment, but which usually reduce their fitness in other respects. (This can be seen in humans as well, e.g. malaria resistance->sickle-cell). The fastest-multiplying viruses are also (obviously) going to be the most common, in the absence of treatment.

This is really fascinating how being really good at something often correlates with being less good at other things (in this case antibiotic resistance seems to be inversely proportional to the potency of the bacteria). This is true not just for bacteria but also for other living creatures; for example animals that have lots of children have very short average lifespans. It makes me think that every living species mu…

Post by kentosi » Wed, Sep 27, 2017, 9:57 PM UTC

cloistered wrote: post #135

kentosi wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The concept doesn't exist in the States, sadly. Americans please correct me, but here it's more symptomatic with sexual health: You have a rash/etc, so you go see the doctor. There's no early-detection system where you are reminded to get into a clinic every 2-3 months and get a full test (blood test, swabs, etc) for all the usual suspects: HIV, herpes, chlamydia, etc.

I live in Baltimore, and I'm on PrEP. Everyone I know who takes it, including myself, is required to get tested for STDs every 3 months.

Post by makomk » Thu, Sep 28, 2017, 6:49 PM UTC

toast0 wrote: post #229

TimPC wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Canadian in the US to me this feels like a different kind of horror show. I play bridge and as a result I've been exposed to quite a lot of the elderly dying as a result of chronic conditions given the demographics of the game/sport. In Canada, it seemed we had a charity fundraiser 2-3 times a year for someone affected by some condition the government didn't want to cover due to cost. In the US, I deal with a le…

There's certainly a discussion to be had on what level of care should be provided, how to pay for it, and what to do when the care required isn't provided. I don't hear a lot of complaints about medicare not covering important things (but I only have limited exposure to that), and I assume a US single payer system would essentially be Medicare for all. I do hear complaints about Medicare not paying providers enough,…