Scientists have eliminated HIV in rats
AN important breakthrough has been made in the eradication of Aids. Scientists have found they can successfully snip out the HIV virus from mouse cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
Right now patients with the deadly virus must use a concoction of anti-retroviral medications to suppress the virus from replicating. However, CRISPR/Cas9 can be programmed to chop out any genetic code in the body with scissor-like precision, including, possibly, all HIV-1 DNA within the body. And if you cut out the DNA, you stop the virus from being able to make copies of itself.
First published in the journal Molecular Therapy, the team is the first to show HIV can be completely annihilated from the body using CRISPR. And with impressive effect. After just one treatment, scientists were able to show the technique had successfully removed all traces of the infection within mouse organs and tissue.
However, it’s not a permanent solution and it’s still early days for the crew — the study merely builds on a previous proof-of-concept study they conducted last year and the technique has only been used on mice so far. But, should the scientists be able to replicate their findings, the technique could move to human trials in the future.
“The next stage would be to repeat the study in primates, a more suitable animal model where HIV infection induces disease, in order to further demonstrate elimination of HIV-1 DNA in latently infected T cells and other sanctuary sites for HIV-1, including brain cells,” said co-author of the study Dr Khalili in a statement. “Our eventual goal is a clinical trial in human patients.” — techcrunch.com GREETINGS Health Care column readers. Today’s article is mainly for parents, expecting parents, grandparents, primary care givers and basically anybody planning on having a baby. What is bottle feeding tooth decay? Baby bottle tooth decay is tooth decay in infants and young children. It may also be called: infant caries, early childhood caries (ECC) or bottle mouth. Baby bottle tooth decay usually occurs on the front teeth, incisors commonly known as “rabbit teeth”.
Even though they are temporary, your child’s baby (milk) teeth are important, and are still susceptible to cavities (tooth decay). Children need strong, healthy teeth to: (1) chew their food (2) speak and have a good-looking smile (3) their first teeth also help make sure their adult (permanent) teeth come in (erupt) correctly. What causes bottle feeding tooth decay? There are many factors which can cause tooth decay. One common cause is the frequent, prolonged exposure of the baby’s teeth to drinks that contain sugar, bacteria in the mouth thrive on this sugar and make acids that attack the teeth. Tooth decay can occur when the baby is put to bed with a bottle, or when a bottle is used as a pacifier for a fussy baby. If your infant or toddler does not receive an adequate amount of fluoride, they may also have an increased risk for tooth decay.
You may already know that putting your baby down at night with a bottle can lead to baby bottle tooth decay, but what you might not know is that other habits can lead to early dental issues.
Your baby may not have teeth, but that doesn’t mean you can skip oral hygiene altogether. You can avoid baby bottle tooth decay by wiping your little one’s gums after feedings to get rid of bacteria and sugar particles. When your little one has finished eating, use a clean gauze square or washcloth dipped in water to clean the gums. What are the signs of baby bottle tooth decay? The caries caused by decay can occur in any of the teeth. However, they most often occur on the upper front teeth (called upper incisors). Caries can appear as dark or brown spots on the teeth. As the decay worsens, children might experience pain and swelling around the teeth.