Senator Hillary Clinton Signed The AIDS Pledge

Rumors had it that Senator Hillary Clinton did not have the intention of signing the AIDS pledge, that seeks a US presidential candidate to allot $50 billion to be used in the next 5 years to combat AIDS epidemic.

However, on October 26, Senator Clinton signed the pledge to support HIV/AIDS activists to fight the ever increasing problem of HIV and AIDS around the globe. Clinton's spokesman said that Senator Clinton signed the AIDS pledge but is also working on a formal AIDS policy that will help millions of people currently suffering HIV and AIDS.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 39.5 million people have HIV (2006). HIV Vaccine trials are underway and none of them have come up with an effective vaccine type that helps protect an individual to all HIV types since HIV mutates very fast and more and more are strains are becoming drug resistant.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general information about HIV/AIDS.

HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

Structure of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, courtesy of NIAID.

For more information view our questions and answers on HIV science.

Electron microscope image of HIV, seen as small spheres on the surface of white blood cells.

AIDS

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS. For more information view our questions and answers on HIV science.

Genetic Predisposition A Likely Reason for Progression to AIDS Among Individuals with HIV

A new study at the University of Texas HealthScience Center in San Antonio were able to identity two specific genes that can be blamed for HIV-infected individuals' predisposition to AIDS. Two genes that were identified during the study, CCR5 and CCL3L1, were the main culprit as to why some people are more likely to develop AIDS than others.

Previously, it was thought that viral loads (the amount of virus present in the blood), was the primary determinant why individuals who are infected with HIV will more likely to develop than any other individuals. The new study reveals a different story.

Individuals with specific combination of the two genes above which controls the entry of HIV particles into cells with CD4 markers (certain binding sites for T4 white blood cells) and works on cellular immune response respectively have greater chances of their health condition to worsen compared to other individuals who don't. Read more at Science Daily.

This study was made possible by National Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases (NIAID) and was published at the October issue of Nature Immunology.