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AIDS Vaccine Breakthrough

Doc Ruby writes "Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in MD, USA announced they've disrupted the means by which HIV stops the immune system from attacking it. From the article: 'Scientists say they have found a way to disarm the AIDS virus in research that could lead to a vaccine. Researchers have discovered that if they eliminate a cholesterol membrane surrounding the virus, HIV cannot disrupt communication among disease-fighting cells and the immune system returns to normal. [...] "By stealing cholesterol from the envelope of the virus, we can neutralize the subversion," said Graham. "We've broken the code; we can shut down the type of interference that HIV is having on the immune system."'"

7 of 417 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Nope, it is still in the future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Sigh. This is such a shallow argument.

    The religious argument is "Listen, we think you should only have sex with the person you're married with, and you should also procreate." You can agree with this or not (I don't, for the record), but you can't twist it.

    It's like trying to explain the game of chess to somebody. He asks: "Shouldn't we wear helmets for protection? For when we bash our heads together trying to confuse the opponent?" and you explain "We aren't supposed to bash our heads together - that's actually an offense. We don't wear helmets. Really, it's a non-issue." and he keeps insisting "But I *like* bashing heads together. Can't we wear helmets anyway? If we bash our heads together and we get hurt, it's *your* fault for preventing us to wear helmets."

    At some point, you should give up and say "Perhaps chess is not your type of game, and you should go play something else."

    So the "thing" with religion is that it's very tough for religious people to say the latter. So that's a valid accusation - not that they're unwilling to change the rules of their game.

  2. Re:Nope, it is still in the future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Let them die, there are to many of those subhumans anyway, I want to keep my life standard (house, cars, 100$ scotch bottle ...), and AIDS killing the underdeveloped nation seems to me like a good thing. I wished it killed faster. But to help the virus, let's stop giving them aids drugs since anyway as a nation were broke and our remaining negative money should be spend on the poor at home first anyway.

  3. Lazy journalism. by dave420 · · Score: -1, Troll

    AIDS is a syndrome (hence the S on the end), and is not a virus. That alone makes trusting the article's veracity without severe corroboration a dangerous endeavour indeed.

  4. Re:The future is here at last by DigiShaman · · Score: -1, Troll

    How about by not being such a promiscuous slut / manwhore? Being in an honest and monogamous relationship does wonders at stopping the spread of STDs. Instead, we're focusing on drugs and condoms so humanity can continue on with its wonton fuckfest.

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
  5. Re:The future is here at last by Oxford_Comma_Lover · · Score: 1, Troll

    How about by not being such a promiscuous slut / manwhore? Being in an honest and monogamous relationship does wonders at stopping the spread of STDs. Instead, we're focusing on drugs and condoms so humanity can continue on with its wonton fuckfest.

    I don't know what you mean by "instead." Lots of people live honest and monogamous relationships.

    Including many people who are HIV positive.

    People also get it from blood, or from rape--including trafficking.

    If we didn't have condoms, the problem would be much worse. You can say "X is better," and even be right, but pretending some people aren't going to have sex no matter the consequences is naive at best. We should have as many ways to prevent the spread of HIV as reasonably possible and be honest and open about the problem.

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    -- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!
  6. Re:The future is here at last by justforgetme · · Score: -1, Troll

    the right-wingers would want to stop it from being distributed

    They sure would be, but I think it has more to do with the fact that Medical companies make a lot of money on the "die slowly, take massive amount of medication" strategy. By just running around and curing anyone with a couple of pills all those honest, hard working, busynessmen will end up with income suport!

    And then who is going to pitch in for the next elections?

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    -- no sig today
  7. Re:The future is here at last by Delarth799 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Right because the only way people can spread STDs is through sex Capt. Superiority with his high and mighty monogamous, never gonna end, relationship. People never get it through things like sharing needles or anything no.