I note that the article carefully avoids mentioning how he contracted the disease.

No doubt just an innocent victim who caught it from tainted food or breathing the virus in from another sufferer who sneezed at the wrong time. Personal responsibility couldn't possibly have helped him.

It's called Anally Injected Death Sentence for a reason guys. It's good that there's a cure, but sad that it's been 100% preventable from day 1.

Chariset: Weaver95: if we cure HIV/AIDS, the evangelical community in the US is gonna hit the gotdamn roof.

We'll rejoice, asshat.

Welcome to my favorites list, sistah.

Magic Johnson?

Chariset: And I'll thank you not to tar us all with the same brush.

Get around to actually kicking the hatemongers out of your club and then we'll talk.

I remember reading about this several years ago, when it happened. But as I recall it's NOT a functional cure because the bone marrow transplant, and radiation therapy tends to kill people at a fairly high rate. And within the current batch of drugs on the market, most patients can survive for quite a long time, instead of rolling the dice on this cure.

I was cured of aids, too. The cure? Get cochlear implants.

Timothy Ray Brown?

Not JD Shapely?

/Nothing is obscure on FARK

mister aj: I note that the article carefully avoids mentioning how he contracted the disease.

Yes, and for a good reason: it's completely irrelevant.

Lachwen: Chariset: And I'll thank you not to tar us all with the same brush.

Get around to actually kicking the hatemongers out of your club and then we'll talk.
Club? What is it with this idea that people are responsible for the behaviour of people they've never even met? This is an idea shared by most kinds of bigots - blacks should all be thrown out of this country until they stop the gangbangers, mooslims shouldn't have any rights until they've stopped terrorism. It's absolute bullshiat, that's what it is. You're responsible for yourself and your kids, that's it.

Hey, I heard that a white atheist who lived near you committed a crime. Why didn't you stop him you worthless piece of shiat? White atheists are scum. etc. etc.

Well then, they better get cracking on cures for NRS and UBT, hadn't they?

Gawdzila: This Face Left Blank: The bit that confuses me is that the plague was a bacterium, and HIV is a virus. Being resistant against one wouldn't, I would think, be something that would help one be resistant against the other.

I'm not a biologist, but this seems like a bit of a simplistic analysis. I do know that there are many types of white blood cells, and many of them have several functions. For instance, the same type of cells that fight viruses are also responsible for producing anti-bodies. It doesn't seem that far-fetched that whatever mutation helped make some people's white cells more effective against bubonic plague also made them resistant to infection by HIV.

You well may be right. I never claimed otherwise. However, I was under the impression that viruses and bacterium are defended against, by and large, by different mechanisms.

I'm open to further clarification from folks who have a medical/pathology/biology background, which is why I posted.

Just another attempt by the lame stream media to push for increasing abortions in this country. Now they can say, "Look, we need abortions in order to cure HIV. We need those precious, precious stem cells so we can cure those democrat-voting sodomites of their acquired affliction". It's the perfect storm of sin. Don't worry, Judgment Day is upon us all.

Yay scientists! That is so Takei!

video man: Reminds me of a documentary I watched on North Korea. An eye doctor was allowed into North Korea to do some cataract surgeries. They open the first patient's eye bandages, and what's the first thing she does? Gives praise to Kim Jong-il, and wishes death on the American imperialist. Not a farking word of thanks for the surgeon. Sickening.

Those are uncanny and highly disturbing parallels indeed.

cambie: This isn't new news. I remember reading about it here a while back. And it was said that it's not a viable treatment for most HIV patients.

And did anyone else learn from this article that some caucasians are immune to HIV? That's news to me.

I had heard about this. It comes from a gene mutation. When it first came out a few years ago that some people have a natural immunity, a bunch of places cropped up on the Internet offering to do genetic testing to test for the gene, but they have all since been shut down. It's too bad, too - knowing if you have an immunity to a dangerous disease would be useful info.

Also, I don't think Mr. Brown is the first guy - I remember reading about this a couple of years ago... unless he is the guy in the article I read. There was a guy who's HIV suddenly disappeared and they suspected it was from something similar to this.

I Have The Touch of a Shocked Monkey: Still no cure for cancer.

Well, except for that chemothereapy stuff we've had for a while.

/Cancer is a multitude of conditions, so it's gonna be a damn long time before all cancers are cured
//Probably a while before there's a viable HIV cure too, it's a real pesky virus

This Face Left Blank: Gothnet: FTFA - "Some say it goes back to the Great Plague; People who survived the plague developed an immunity, and that immunity was passed down to their heirs today."

Nice to see Lamarckian evolution in action!

Whoever wrote the article needs a basic evolutionary biology lesson.



(Unless resistance really can passed down like that... pretty sure that retro-combinatory DNA adjustment like that is not normal)

The bit that confuses me is that the plague was a bacterium, and HIV is a virus. Being resistant against one wouldn't, I would think, be something that would help one be resistant against the other. Perhaps the survives of the plague had stronger immune systems in general.


It's been a long time since I studied it in immunology, but from what I remember it has to do with a specific protein (CCR5) found on the surface of t-helper cells. Both Y pestis and the HIV virus use this protein as a "handle" to get inside and destroy the t-helper cells, which ultimately disrupts immune system function.

People that possess a single defective CCR5 gene (remember, you have 2 since you have homologous pairs of chromosomes) have been shown to resist Y pestis and HIV infections, while people who possess two defective CCR5 genes have shown strong resistance or even immunity to both.

I can't remember if faulty CCR5 proteins cause deficiencies in other immunological functions, but when wave after wave of black plague ravaged Europe over hundreds of years, this defect became very advantageous in terms of darwinian fitness.

Secret Polish Boyfriend: The bad news is that this requires Ancient DNA. The good news is that they already have the requisite gene therapy, and after you receive it, you can run the weapons platform in Antarctica.

Well, sure. Like I always say, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn".

mister aj: I note that the article carefully avoids mentioning how he contracted the disease.

No doubt just an innocent victim who caught it from tainted food or breathing the virus in from another sufferer who sneezed at the wrong time. Personal responsibility couldn't possibly have helped him.

It's called Anally Injected Death Sentence for a reason guys. It's good that there's a cure, but sad that it's been 100% preventable from day 1.


I don't usually do this, but you've just been offensive enough that I can live without ever reading anything you say, ever again.
/ignore

Didn't take long for the Christian bashers to show up in this thread...

Great news, good time had by all.....

/Except the American fundamental Christians
//Screw them

Makh: Give that man a high five.

*snort* I see what you did there. Well done, sir.

Joe The Plumber: Magic Johnson?


I see what you did there.... high five!

JonnyBGoode: Didn't take long for the Christian bashers to show up in this thread...

Didn't take long for Christians to start thanking god for this scientific breakthrough...

HaywoodJablonski: Why not praise science

Praise science? That's like thanking gravity for catching a ball or thanking grammar for reading a good book.

This isn't a religious based criticism of the phrase, you see. But science is a process of understanding things. A puzzle, if you will. You don't thank the puzzle for finding a piece, you thank the people involved in finding the piece that fit.

JonnyBGoode: Didn't take long for the Christian bashers to show up in this thread...

If you are an enlightened Christian, the shoe doesn't fit - and no one is asking YOU to wear it.
Don't be so damn sensitive. We non-believers manage to live in a society where we get to hear our beliefs (or lack thereof) publicly trashed every day and twice on Sundays - and you don't hear me crying about it.
I thought God was supposed to give people strength.
Guess not.

9Speed: This Face Left Blank: Gothnet: FTFA - "Some say it goes back to the Great Plague; People who survived the plague developed an immunity, and that immunity was passed down to their heirs today."

Nice to see Lamarckian evolution in action!

Whoever wrote the article needs a basic evolutionary biology lesson.



(Unless resistance really can passed down like that... pretty sure that retro-combinatory DNA adjustment like that is not normal)

The bit that confuses me is that the plague was a bacterium, and HIV is a virus. Being resistant against one wouldn't, I would think, be something that would help one be resistant against the other. Perhaps the survives of the plague had stronger immune systems in general.


It's been a long time since I studied it in immunology, but from what I remember it has to do with a specific protein (CCR5) found on the surface of t-helper cells. Both Y pestis and the HIV virus use this protein as a "handle" to get inside and destroy the t-helper cells, which ultimately disrupts immune system function.

People that possess a single defective CCR5 gene (remember, you have 2 since you have homologous pairs of chromosomes) have been shown to resist Y pestis and HIV infections, while people who possess two defective CCR5 genes have shown strong resistance or even immunity to both.

I can't remember if faulty CCR5 proteins cause deficiencies in other immunological functions, but when wave after wave of black plague ravaged Europe over hundreds of years, this defect became very advantageous in terms of darwinian fitness.

Ahh, so Y pestis actually attacks the immune cells, as does HIV. That's something they have in common, despite one being a bacterium and one being a virus. Having that in common makes it easier to see where a common resistance could occur. Thank you.

One percent of Caucasians are immune? Is there a test to see if you're immune besides spending a few weeks in Bangkok?

SuperDuper28: But then what will keep the population of gays in check?

Can I just skip to the part where someone says "thatsthejoke.jpg"?

Lachwen: Chariset: And I'll thank you not to tar us all with the same brush.

Get around to actually kicking the hatemongers out of your club and then we'll talk.

To Chariset: if I remember correctly from those who are still Christian in my family, to best thing to do in a case like this, where there are people who will hate you know matter what you say, do, think or feel.. because they are prejudiced against the group you belong to... is to sigh, smile, praise the most high for the joy you experience for the opportunity, and ask that god's blessings touch them in their life. Has that changed?

BraveNewCheneyWorld: One percent of Caucasians are immune? Is there a test to see if you're immune besides spending a few weeks in Bangkok?

It's 1% of Scandinavians IIRC

BraveNewCheneyWorld: One percent of Caucasians are immune? Is there a test to see if you're immune besides spending a few weeks in Bangkok?

The first persons I heard who were 'immune' were those three female prostitutes in Africa. I guess that very specific Caucasian immunity (which would go back to why 'race' doesn't really exist as it currently is used today) is related to the three African women. I also guess Caucasian immunity is sexier than those who were originally thought immune.

oouter: Oh wait... that was Cancer they cured..

/be back in a few months...

I love that movie, flaws and all; though I wish they hadn't CGI'd the Darkseekers. That first moment after the lady scientist says yes they cured cancer was one of the greatest shock scenes in recent movie history.

But I was told Obamacare would stifle medical advancement.

I'm not giving Obama any credit here, I'm just saying that maybe the idea of giving more Americans access to healthcare would fark medical research is bullshiat.

This Face Left Blank: 9Speed: This Face Left Blank: Gothnet: FTFA - "Some say it goes back to the Great Plague; People who survived the plague developed an immunity, and that immunity was passed down to their heirs today."

Nice to see Lamarckian evolution in action!

Whoever wrote the article needs a basic evolutionary biology lesson.



(Unless resistance really can passed down like that... pretty sure that retro-combinatory DNA adjustment like that is not normal)

The bit that confuses me is that the plague was a bacterium, and HIV is a virus. Being resistant against one wouldn't, I would think, be something that would help one be resistant against the other. Perhaps the survives of the plague had stronger immune systems in general.


It's been a long time since I studied it in immunology, but from what I remember it has to do with a specific protein (CCR5) found on the surface of t-helper cells. Both Y pestis and the HIV virus use this protein as a "handle" to get inside and destroy the t-helper cells, which ultimately disrupts immune system function.

People that possess a single defective CCR5 gene (remember, you have 2 since you have homologous pairs of chromosomes) have been shown to resist Y pestis and HIV infections, while people who possess two defective CCR5 genes have shown strong resistance or even immunity to both.

I can't remember if faulty CCR5 proteins cause deficiencies in other immunological functions, but when wave after wave of black plague ravaged Europe over hundreds of years, this defect became very advantageous in terms of darwinian fitness.

Ahh, so Y pestis actually attacks the immune cells, as does HIV. That's something they have in common, despite one being a bacterium and one being a virus. Having that in common makes it easier to see where a common resistance could occur. Thank you.

Actually, the mechanisms the body uses to fight bacterium and viruses are pretty
much the same. The big difference is that bacteria are far more complex, hence more vulnerable, and the body does a much better job against them than it does viruses, in most cases. It can also benefit from relatively primitive forms of "help" (antibiotics, sulfas, etc.) in the fight against bacteria.
But it's complicated, and I'm as ignorant as any layman - what scientists have accomplished in microbiology and epidemiology in the last century is really pretty staggering in it's awesomeness. From a few "home lab" experiments has sprung a field in which a scientists can devote a career to studying a single diease or organism, and finding ways to combat it.
There is, actually, a source of the Miraculous.
It's the human mind.

mister aj: I note that the article carefully avoids mentioning how he contracted the disease.

- Anally Injected Death Sentence is clever (though wrong, in the case of women contracting it).

- It doesn't matter how he contracted the disease; it matters if the 'cure' can be replicated successfully multiple times.

FlyPanAm: But I was told Obamacare would stifle medical advancement.

I'm not giving Obama any credit here, I'm just saying that maybe the idea of giving more Americans access to healthcare would fark medical research is bullshiat.

What's that? You're suggesting that a failing, semi-defunct political party whose base is dying of old age would engage in lying, distortion, and character assassination in a futile attempt to regain their lost power?
The Devil you say!

FlyPanAm: But I was told Obamacare would stifle medical advancement.

I'm not giving Obama any credit here, I'm just saying that maybe the idea of giving more Americans access to healthcare would fark medical research is bullshiat.

That's a cousin to the argument that keeping the health information of poor people, who are most likely to use public health facilities, that keeping that information private farks up medical research therefore that information has to be released in order for public health facilities to keep receiving federal funds, yes?

How did he get HIV in the first place?

Gawdzila: This Face Left Blank: The bit that confuses me is that the plague was a bacterium, and HIV is a virus. Being resistant against one wouldn't, I would think, be something that would help one be resistant against the other.

I'm not a biologist, but this seems like a bit of a simplistic analysis. I do know that there are many types of white blood cells, and many of them have several functions. For instance, the same type of cells that fight viruses are also responsible for producing anti-bodies. It doesn't seem that far-fetched that whatever mutation helped make some people's white cells more effective against bubonic plague also made them resistant to infection by HIV.

There is also the passing of immunity from mother to child. A infant gets mom' s immunities in utero and through breast milk. How this changes/effects stem cells I have no clue, but it could be that inutero stem cells create a basic memory, a starting point to reproduce then. Then once the cell is released the immune system updates. Kind of like getting antivirus from the computer manufacture that you have to update to fight of disease. Infants immune systems are not blank slates they have been getting information since conception.

/transfer immunity http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12727640

BraveNewCheneyWorld: One percent of Caucasians are immune? Is there a test to see if you're immune besides spending a few weeks in Bangkok?

Spend a few days in Ghana.

like the fisting of an angry god: Timothy Ray Brown?

Not JD Shapely?

/Nothing is obscure on FARK

came for this, leaving satisfied there are some Farkers who still read

//Gibson for the win

I like those science shirts too... But his cure was cancer therapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. From which he has neurological problems. And this was neither easy on him nor cheap.

So yeah, maybe not.

Sergeant Pecker's Lonely Hearts Club Gang Bang: SkorzenyNinja: So it took three decades. Three decades, everyone.

That is how long it took for the CIA to release a vaccine to the very disease it released onto the streets of America and the jungles of Africa. Three whole decades.

Now, we have to wonder why. How does the curing of the AIDs virus fit into the grand Illuminati conspiracy here?

Only time will tell.

They're just getting everybody's hopes up, making it that much more devestating when they unleash SuperAIDS.

I've got my vial of SuperAIDS, for duck hunting.

Charles Martel: How did he get HIV in the first place?

He rescued a rich, white, bleeding HIV+ baby from a horrific car crash. Brown had a gash on his arm, the fluids mixed and it was a one in a billion chance that he got infected.

/seriously. Why does it matter?