HIV vaccine 'five to 10 years away'

Timothy Ray Brown is the first person in the world believed to have recovered from HIV.
He told the Today programme's Andy Hosken that he feels great but that he does not "want to be the only person in the world to be cured from HIV".
Dr Ravindra Gupta, a research fellow at University College London, said that Timothy Ray Brown's case was "very exciting for the field".
"For the first time we've had some insight into the fact that this may be possible," he told the Today programme.
He believes we are five to 10 years away from developing "either a cure strategy or a vaccine".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9741000/9741070.stm

Drug-resistant HIV 'on increase' in sub-Saharan Africa

Drug-resistant HIV has been increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade, according to experts writing in the Lancet.

Studies on 26,000 untreated HIV-positive people in developing countries were reviewed by the team.

They said resistance could build up if people fail to stick to drug regimes, and because monitoring could be poor.

A UK HIV organisation said resistance was a serious problem in Africa where alternative treatments were lacking.

The researchers, from the World Health Organization (WHO) and University College London (UCL) found the most rapid increase in drug resistance occurred in East Africa, at 29% per year. In Southern Africa, it was 14% per year.

There was no change in resistance over time in Latin America and in West and Central Africa.

'Early warning'

Writing in the Lancet, authors Dr Silvia Bertagnolio from the WHO and Dr Ravindra Gupta at UCL said: "Without continued and increased national and international efforts, rising HIV drug resistance could jeopardise a decade-long trend of decreasing HIV/Aids-related illness and death in low- and middle-income countries."

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We need further research into the causes of this drug resistance in Africa”

Deborah Jack National Aids Trust

Dr Gupta told the BBC: "Drug resistance is a consequence of people not taking their medication properly.

"We do expect to see drug resistance, and it's at around 10% in the UK and US. But here, we monitor people regularly and switch people to different drugs if they develop resistance."

He said that quite basic measures could help people to better adhere to drug regimes in developing countries, such as access to food and clean water so they can take their drugs, and monitoring patients as effectively as possible.

The researchers said no changes were needed to the drug regimes, but Dr Gupta said: "This work gives us an early-warning that things could get worse."

Deborah Jack, chief executive of the UK's National Aids Trust (NAT), said: "In the UK we are fortunate that drug resistance is not a serious problem, and if a person has drug resistance there are other combinations of anti-retroviral therapy that we can use to address this.

"Sadly in sub-Saharan Africa fewer treatment options are available. If drug resistance occurs there doesn't tend to be an alternative therapy.

"We need further research into the causes of this drug resistance in Africa, and urgent action to support people daily access to their medication."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18924648 

Cheap colour test picks up HIV

28 October 2012 Last updated at 18:53 GMT

By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News A cheap test which could detect even low levels of viruses and some cancers has been developed by UK researchers.

The colour of a liquid changes to give either a positive or negative result.

The designers from Imperial College London say the device could lead to more widespread testing for HIV and other diseases in parts of the world where other methods are unaffordable.

The prototype, which needs wider testing, is described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

The test can be configured to a unique signature of a disease or virus - such as a protein found on the surface of HIV.

If that marker is present it changes the course of a chemical reaction. The final result is blue if the marker is there, red if the marker is not.

The researchers say this allows the results to be detected with "the naked eye".

Prof Molly Stevens told the BBC: "This method should be used when the presence of a target molecule at ultra-low concentration could improve the diagnosis of disease.

"For example, it is important to detect some molecules at ultra-low concentrations to test cancer recurrence after tumour removal.

"It can also help with diagnosing HIV-infected patients whose viral load is too low to be detected with current methods."

Early testing showed the presence of markers of HIV and prostate cancer could be detected. However, trials on a much larger scale will be needed before it could be used clinically.

The researchers expect their design will cost 10 times less than current tests. They say this will be important in countries where the only options are unaffordable.

Fellow researcher Dr Roberto de la Rica said: "This test could be significantly cheaper to administer, which could pave the way for more widespread use of HIV testing in poorer parts of the world."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20084303 

Now, a test to detect cancer, HIV with naked eye

London , Mon Oct 29 2012, 15:09 hrs

Scientists have developed a new ten times cheaper ultra-sensitive sensor test to detect the early stages of several cancers and viruses, including HIV, with the naked eye.

Researchers from the Imperial College London claim that their visual sensor technology is ten times more sensitive than the current gold standard methods for measuring biomarkers.

These indicate the onset of diseases such as prostate cancer and infection by viruses including HIV. The colour of a liquid changes to give either a positive or negative result.

Researchers say their sensor would benefit countries where sophisticated detection equipment is scarce, enabling cheaper and simpler detection and treatments for patients.

The team tested the effectiveness of the sensor by detecting a biomarker called p24 in blood samples, which indicates HIV infection.

"Unfortunately, the existing gold standard detection methods can be too expensive to be implemented in parts of the world where resources are scarce," Professor Molly Stevens, from the Departments of Materials and Bioengineering, said.

"Our approach affords for improved sensitivity, does not require sophisticated instrumentation and it is ten times cheaper, which could allow more tests to be performed for better screening of many diseases," said Stevens.

Researchers also tested samples for the biomarker called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), which is an early indicator for Prostate Cancer. The team say the sensor can also be reconfigured for other viruses and diseases where the specific biomarker is known.

The sensor works by analysing serum, derived from blood, in a disposable container. If the result is positive for p24 or PSA, there is a reaction that generates irregular clumps of nanoparticles, which give off a distinctive blue hue in a solution inside the container.

If the results are negative the nanoparticles separate into ball-like shapes, creating a reddish hue. Both reactions can be easily seen by the naked eye.
The team also said that the sensor was so sensitive that it was able to detect minute levels of p24 in samples where patients had low viral loads, which could not be diagnosed using existing tests such as the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test and the gold standard nucleic acid based test.
"We have developed a test that we hope will enable previously undetectable HIV infections and indicators of cancer to be picked up, which would mean people could be treated sooner," researcher Roberto de la Rica, said in a statement.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/now-a-test-to-detect-cancer-hiv-with-naked-eye/1023494/

Drugs-on-flight concerns aired to DG (CA)

IMPHAL, Oct 25 : In view of frequent seizures of banned drugs from flights coming into Manipur, the State Govern-ment has reportedly high- lighted the issue to the Director General of Civil Aviation even as the State Home Minister has issued strong instruction to law enforcing agents to tackle the menace of drug smuggling in the right earnest.
Interacting with news-persons at his office chamber today, Home Minister Gai-khangam described incidents of drug smuggling case as alarming for it would have an adverse impact on the upcoming generation.
Taking serious note of flights being used to frequently ship in psychotropic drugs into Manipur, he said despite law enforcing agents confiscating huge consignment of drugs in the recent past there is still disturbing inflow of harmful drugs.
Stating that police have been instructed to tackle the issue with all seriousness, Gaikhangam maintained that the instruction include impartial action against anybody found involved in drug trade.
Observing that any sort of leniency against drug traffickers would only lead to destroying the future pillars of Manipur, he also noted that frequent seizure of drugs through the flight route is an indication that a clandestine network is very much at work.
Reiterating his assertion that there should be no leniency in tackling the crime, the Minister confided that police investigators have been asked to furnish status report with regard to recent seizure of drugs from the Imphal Post Office.
Not ruling out possibility of Post Office personnel involved in drug smuggling, he asserted that appropriate action would be initiated against the guilty ones based on the police report.
Reacting to a query on the Supreme Court of India reportedly seeking a reply from the Government of Manipur related to repealing of Armed Forces Special Powers' Act from the State, he said the apex Court directive has not been received by the State as yet.
The Minister also informed that chargesheet has been finalised in connection with the rape of a woman from Tamenglong district at a Bishnupur district area some months back.
Hearing on the same case has already commenced, he added.
http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-20474-drugsonflight-concerns-aired-to-dg-ca/ 

2 held with drugs at IGIA

NEW DELHI, Oct 23: Two men were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau at IGI airport on Monday morning after they were found to be in possession of 60kg of pseudoephedrine tablets. One of the accused is the son of a deceased Manipur police staffer, hinting at a possible connection with an arrest on October 6 where three passengers, including a constable of Manipur police, were caught at the airport carrying the same drug.
“Around 9am on Monday, two passengers who were carrying huge bags came to gate no 3 of terminal 1D. They were identified as Md Akhtar Hussain and Amir Khan. The two were to fly to Guwahati on GoAir flight G2-606 at 10.55 am. The two looked extremely nervous and based on profiling, they were stopped at the gate itself and their bags were checked,” said Hemendra Singh, PRO, CISF.
During checking, the CISF staff recovered a large number of tablets that were later confirmed to be pseudoephedrine, a non-prescription anti-congestant which leads to hyperactivity if taken in large quantity. Hussain is 21-year-old and a resident of Pmojing in Manipur’s Thoubal district. Khan’s father, now deceased, worked in the Manipur police.
http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-20409-2-held-with-drugs-at-igia/ 

 

IMPHAL, Oct 18:105 gms of heroin (No 4) smuggled from Moreh in a detergent powder packets have been seized by a combined team of Imphal West District Police Special Intelligence Unit and Narcotic Cell this afternoon.

Heroin seized

On receiving specific inputs about smuggling in heroin from Moreh in a passenger-carrier Maruti van, the combined team halted the van in front of Imphal police station and seized the banned substance from a woman.
Among many detergent powders of the brand names E-Lan and Top carried in the van, one packet of E-Lan detergent was found packed in a suspicious manner, said a senior police officer.
The packet was opened and weighed in front of SDPO Modhunimai and its weight was found to be 105 gms. On examining the substance using testing kits, it was found to be heroin. The other packets were found to be genuine detergents.
The woman who has been apprehended along with the banned substance has been identified as Abem (33) d/o Md Sahidur.
The banned substance was bought at Rs 1100 per gram and it was usually sold at Rs 2000 per gram at Imphal. The price is three times higher in international markets.
Based on these market prices, the seized heroin was worth Rs 1,15,000 at the place of origin, Rs 2,10,000 at Imphal and Rs 6,30,000 in international markets, said the official.
 http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-20246-heroin-seized/