Cancer drug could cure AIDS!
A cure for AIDS has got a step
closer after it was found that a common cancer drug can purge the disease as it
lies dormant in the body.
Current treatments are effective at
reducing levels of the disease in the bloodstream – but a drug that can “knock
out” the disease when it lies dormant is thought to be key to a cure, the Daily
Mail reported Thursday. Tests on eight HIV-positive men found that the drug
vorinostat was highly effective in “unmasking” the hidden reservoirs in the
body – which the researchers say is a vital step towards eradicating HIV from
the body.
“This work provides compelling
evidence for a new strategy to directly attack and eradicate latent HIV
infection,” said David Margolis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. The existence of persistent reservoirs of dormant HIV in the immune
system that are not attacked by anti-AIDS drugs is believed to be a major
reason why infection reemerges once patients stop taking their medication.
28.07.2012
Pearls can now be of help in treating cancer
Pearls rich in essential minerals can help treat
killer diseases like cancer, a leading scientist has claimed.
In a series of experiments by Ajai Kumar Sonkar
at the Pearl Aquaculture Research Foundation in Port Blair, pearls produced
through special culture technique have been found to contain traces of several
metals and minerals which are known to have major health benefits.
"We have produced the pearls in a
controlled environment in the lab in most aseptic conditions. They are found to
contain traces of metal and minerals such as zinc, copper, magnesium, iron,
calcium, sodium and potassium," Sonkar said.
"These micro-nutrients are essential for
various body functions such as metabolism, growth and immunity. Of them, zinc
has been found to be playing a major role in preventing fatal diseases like
cancer," he told PTI. A study, published recently in the British Journal
of Cancer, has also established zinc's anti-tumour role that prevents the
growth of cancer cells.
Other studies have also found that zinc
deficiency in the body causes delayed healing of wounds. It is also found to
play a leading role in weight loss, help decrease the severity and duration of
cold and several other illnesses. According to Sonkar, they have produced
pearls from four different species of pearl oysters. "The bio availability
of zinc in the pearls can be exploited to help treat several diseases."
For scientific analysis, the scientist had sent
samples of pearl powder to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's
Central Institute of Fisheries Technology in Cochin, which established the
pearls do contain all the mentioned metals and minerals.
Now, Sonkar wanted to carry out a comprehensive
clinical test to find out health benefits of the specially cultured pearls.
"I have already been approached by some
prestigious laboratories from abroad and a workout process is going on,"
he said and hoped that "some miraculous result to counter the notorious
deseases could be found, if a comprehensive clinical analysis is
conducted".
In the pearl culturing operation, one to
three-years-old oysters undergo surgical implantation, known as seeding, in which
mantle issue is taken from the donor oyster and grafted in the recipient oyster
along with the nucleus.
Then these oysters are kept in laboratory
condition for healing, after which they are transferred to the sea placed in
the cages where they remain six months to two year for pearl formation. The
oyster can produce more than one pearl in its life time by taking good care of
it, including regular cleaning of the outer shell to remove seaweed.
Source: www.dnaindia.com 28.07.2012
There is no
defeat except for those who give up
Joseph B. Wirthlin
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