Milk protein shown to have antiretroviral activity

Milk protein shown to have antiretroviral activity

Who would have known what nature had in store for us. When we were looking for innovative strategies to tackle HIV in a corner of a Molecular Virology laboratory, the answer might have been lurking right under our noses. Tenascin C, a protein found in milk has been shown to have a structure which binds and inhibits viral membrane protein of HIV. This apart from reinforcing public health strategies to promote breastfeeding in babies of HIV affected mothers, will give new light to advances in Proteomics approach to anti HIV measures.
Click on the above orange link to read on.

Showing Polio the Finger: A Lesson in Public Health

Just a few months left to Eradication!!

Scepticemia

As students of Public Health, we, in India, are witnessing history in the making. It is not often that one gets to see, and be a part of a revolution that is the eradication of a disease. I know that global polio eradication is still under threat because of multiple issues. And with countries in which eradication had been achieved falling prey to re-emergence of the virus, the question looms large whether we shall be able to achieve global eradication in time (or ever at all!). However, India is merely weeks away from reaching the third consecutive year without registering a single polio case and is well on its way to become one of the countries with eradication status. One prime driver for this sustained success has been the massive vaccination campaign that has targeted the disease in a way one has never seen before.

As part of the push…

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30 month old infant cured of HIV-1 after treatment with effective Highly active Anti-retroviral drugs

30 month old infant cured of HIV-1 after treatment with effective Highly active Anti-retroviral drugs

The child was born of a mother who had not received any HIV prophylaxis in the antenatal period. Following a treatment from 30 hours age to 15 months age with multiple ART drugs, currently at the age of 36 months, the child remains in care (sic), and at least 18 months after the cessation of ART, the child has no detectable level of HIV-1 RNA!

NEJM published this article on October 23, 2013. Click on the orange link above and read on.