Aidss Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

The destiny of a individual who has contracted the virus, which causes AIDS, HIV ( Human Immuno-deficiency Virus ) is undeniably grim. However when diagnosed with AIDSs it should non be taken as an immediate decease sentence. AIDS sick persons can contend off most of the symptoms and live a reasonably productive life for many old ages after diagnosing. The followers will be entailed in the organic structure of this AIDS analysis ; a description as to what AIDS is, and the difference between AIDS and HIV. The cause of AIDS and what can be done to handle it once it is contracted. A complete description as to how the virus plants and why it s so difficult to happen a remedy for the virus. Finally all of the constituents and parts that make the virus map will be included. Virtually all issues and information sing the AIDS virus will be touched upon throughout this enlightening study.

AIDS what is it?

AIDS more officially known as acquired immune lack syndrome, is non itself a individual disease. More of a drastically damaged or restricted immune system, which leaves AIDS sick persons extremely susceptible to a broad scope of infections and diseases other than the AIDS itself. AIDS is known to be caused by the human immuno-deficiency virus ( HIV ) , which is spread in several ways. Infected seeds, vaginal fluids, and blood are some of the ways it is transmitted. ( The Medical Advisor 1997, p.96 ) Before traveling excessively much further into the particulars of AIDS and HIV it is of import to clear up the difference.

AIDS vs. HIV what is the difference?

When the disease was foremost discovered people were merely believing AIDS and what the effects of it would be. But if lone AIDS is thought of so an full phase of the disease is missed. Since AIDS is truly merely one phase of the HIV virus. Thinking in more right footings the disease of concern is the HIV infection. AIDS is simply the terminal phase of the initial infection. A individual can go septic with HIV and non hold AIDS merely because the AIDS phase has non come into consequence yet.

Progression of HIV infection, taking to AIDS:

HIV is a chronic infection significance that it will go on over a long clip, it is besides a progressive disease significance that it will continually acquire worse. What it existent does is onslaught and destruct the immune system and produces a broad scope of ill and lay waste toing symptoms. These symptoms may nevertheless change from patient to patient. The advancement of the disease merely put progresss in distinguishable phases. Besides the rate of patterned advance is different among patients. ( Packer 1998, pgs.41-2 )

The different phases of HIV infection:

The initial exposure to HIV is the first phase to the viral infection. Exposure to HIV as mentioned earlier can be in several ways ; through sexual contact in anyhow, needle sharing, or blood exposure, or even from female parent to infant during child birth. It takes about six hebdomads after exposure before the victim begins to experience like he/she has the grippe. This is known as the early HIV infection phase. Besides known as the ague phase. The grippe like symptoms may or may non be terrible, enduring from 3 to 14 yearss, in rare instances longer than that. However the ruin to these symptoms is that frequently victims are incognizant of the unwellness they really have or are in denial because the person will retrieve and look wholly healthy after the grippe phase. Once these symptoms dissipate the following phase is so entered. This phase is a more complex phase of the virus known as the symptomless phase. At this point there are no symptoms of unwellness and the individual will experience absolutely normal, and this phase can frequently last up to 10 old ages or more. Unfortunately during the early HIV infection and the symptomless phase the disease is extremely infective. This is a consequence of such high degrees of virus in the organic structure.

After the terminal of the symptomless phase the grippe like symptoms will return. This clip, nevertheless a little more terrible. The septic person will happen that they will hold big swollen secretory organs, those being the most common symptom. For that vary ground the phase is called the PGL or ( relentless generalized lymphadenopathy ) phase. This phase can last from three months to a twelvemonth. ( Packer 1998, p.42 )

Finally the AIDS phase is reached. However at that place has yet to be a remedy uncovered, no unsusceptibility, and no vaccinum. The mean life expectacy for person diagnosed with AIDS from clip of diagnosing until decease is three old ages. But with recent medical interventions patients are now populating longer and longer.

What Causes AIDS?

It is suspected by scientists that there are at least two viruses that cause AIDS: HIV V1 and HIV V2. On a worldly scale the viruses infect equal Numberss of people. However in North America HIV V1 prevails. The exact sequence and procedures in which HIV undergoes is non wholly known by research workers as of yet. And some are even oppugning whether the virus really causes AIDS or merely shows up in brotherhood with it. The ground why HIV becomes so harmful to worlds is because for some ground it is able to come in the human organic structure through minor cuts or little scratchs, mucose membranes in the oral cavity, vagina, or rectum without being detected by the immune system. This enables it to do its harm to T cells without even being spotted doing a complete immune system failure. Patients will so develop infections that will necessarily kill them. Ironically it is non the virus that does the killing it is the other diseases and infections that the immune system fails to halt that kills the patient.

Many believe that AIDS is a extremely contagious disease but this is merely a misconception. In fact it s non extremely contagious at all. The lone manner it can be contracted as mentioned a few times earlier is through unprotected vaginal, unwritten, or anal sex with an septic spouse, or to portion tainted blood, which may happen through IV-drug usage or transfusions.

To clear up even further you can non acquire AIDS from snoging. A protein in human spit will maintain the AIDS virus from infecting white blood cells. The protein will so attach to white blood cells and protects them from infection. This recent find may take to new clinical research and plausible intervention methods. By perchance one twenty-four hours shooting this protein straight into the blood stream to maintain the virus from assailing blood cells. There is besides no demand to worry about AIDS being transmitted from person who you live with. It can non be transferred by lavatory seats or objects handled by the septic since being outside of the organic structure and being in the hostile environment of the outer universe is really harmful to the virus, and about instantly dies. Nor is it possible for person to acquire the virus if you portion nutrient with person who is infected for the same grounds. ( The Medical Advisor 1997, p97 )

Treatments

It is enevitable for about everyon

vitamin E who develops matured AIDS to finally yield to the power of the disease and have a complete organic structure failure and dice. Even though this is true there are antibiotic and antiviral drugs that can protract life for several old ages. The National Institute of Alergy and Ifectious Diseases or ( NIAID ) has found a of course produced protein that may change good rebuild AIDS damaged immune systems. This freshly discovered protein is called interleukin 2, what the protein does is increase the T cell counts in the immune system. However it failed to work for people who were in the advanced phases of AIDS, and unfortunatly it has terrible side effects, including roseola, sickness, diarrhoea, and depression.

Conventional Medicines and Drugs for interventions

There are 3 chief types of drug interventions:

1 ) Nucleoside contrary RNA polymerase inhibitors ( NRTIs ) . The major drugs under this class include Retrovir ( AZT ) , dideoxycytosine ( dideoxycytosine ) , dideoxyinosine ( dideoxyinosine ) , stavudine ( D4T ) , 3TC ( 3TC ) , and abacavir succinate.

2 ) Non-Nucleoside contrary RNA polymerase inhibitors ( NNRTIs ) work in the same manner as NRTIs but work on a different portion of the virus. The major drugs under this class are delavirdine, nerivapine and efairenz.

3 ) Protease inhibitors work in a similar manner to NRTIs, but they interrupt the virus eplication at a ulterior phase in its development. The major drugs in this category include Norvir, saquinivir, indanvir and nelfavir.

Because HIV can go immune to drugs at certain phases in its development, they are normally used in combinations. One such drug regimen is called extremely active anti-retroviral therapy or HAART. Combinations of drugs are taken orally and the 14 patients tested utilizing this plan showed an addition in the lymph cell cell count. ( Eron Joseph..May17, 1999 )

Treatments in proving

Vaccines are being investigated, nevertheless these vaccinums would include a diminished signifier of the virus. Doctors are loath to shoot anyone with even a diminished signifier of the virus for the fright that it may do an HIV infection. In plants related to making effectual vaccinums, scientists from NIAID have developed a vaccinum with a self-destruction cistron which allows itself to be killed off one time its occupation is complete. Therefore the diminished HIV carries an excess cistron taken from the herpes virus. Then the cells, which become infected with the HIV, can be selectively destroyed with a ganciclovir, which is a herpes medical specialty. The vaccinum has merely been tested in trial tubings so far, but animate being and human tests are being planned.

Passive immunotherapy involves shooting late phase AIDS patients with the plasma of early HIV patients with the hopes that the plasmas will hike the advanced patient s immune system and assist contend off AIDS associated infections. ( The Medical Advisor 1997, ps.97-99 )

The Virus and how it works

Amazingly, although non good HIV is one of the most adaptable viruses of all time found. It has been described by scientists as the stealing encroacher, elusive mark, and a oblique disguiser. The familial make-up of the virus makes it virtually impossible to halt since it is invariably accommodating to medical specialties and anti-viral drugs. And there are several different strands of HIV.

A Retrovirus

HIV is classified as an RNA or ( ribonucleic acid ) virus because it s familial information is contained in RNA alternatively of Deoxyribonucleic acid or ( Deoxyribonucleic acid ) . The difference is that RNA is a individual strand of familial stuff that contains familial traits. Since it belongs to the retrovirus household, it has many characteristics in common. Such as:

H They have two individual strands of RNA

H They have a membrane-like outer screen besides known as an envelope

H They reproduce or replicate utilizing the Deoxyribonucleic acid of host cells

H They hide themselves in the Deoxyribonucleic acid of the host cell

The undertaking of the retrovirus is to change over their RNA to DNA. This transition is called rearward written text, or ( retrotransmission ) . It is necessary to hold Reverse Transcription for reproduction. This besides allows the retrovirus use the protein doing ability of it s host cell which it would non possess entirely. Through the whole procedure of integrating the viruses familial information begins to look the same as that of the host cell. Making it undetectable by the immune system.

The first measure involved for the virus to infect its host is to foremost do a DNA transcript of their RNA. Then a 2nd transcript is made. Then this dual strand of DNA is incorporated in the host cell s DNA. When the host cell replicates its familial stuff in bend it besides replicates the viral familial stuff. Using this method the virus uses the host as a virus-making mill. ( Packer 1998, pg. 34-5 ) That is why it is impossible to happen a remedy for HIV and AIDS because the viral information is implanted into the familial information of the cells. In order to rectify this there would hold to be some sort of familial use involved, to take the viral Deoxyribonucleic acid without damaging the cells.

For ocular elucidation of the viral bring forthing mill see appendix 1.1

Structure of HIV

HIV really has a really simple construction. It is a membrane of proteins that contain familial stuff interior. The parts are shown in appendix 1.2 Each portion non merely has a name but there is a mention figure to compare portion to description.

Envelope Protein:

An outside covering, that serves as a protective membrane. This envelope has glycoprotein, ( molecules of sugar and protein ) that gives the virus its rough expression. Each bump has two glycoproteins. One is a top protein ( gp120 ) , and the other is a root like formation, a transmembrane glycoprotein ( gp41 )

Inner Shell:

An inner shell, or besides know as matrix protein ( p17 ) , lies beneath the envelope and they are attached.

Core:

HIV has a nucleus of mirid bug protein ( p24 ) . The nucleus surrounds the familial information

and nucleic acid protein ( p7 ) .

Ribonucleic acid:

HIV s familial stuff is RNA. The RNA is present as two individual strands that contain the cistrons with specific codifications for the viral proteins, viral enzymes, and regulative proteins of HIV.

Enzymes:

All retroviruses have three enzymes: contrary RNA polymerase, integrase, and peptidase. These are the enzymes that help with retroviral reproduction in the host cell. The rearward RNA polymerase helps in the edifice of a individual strand of Deoxyribonucleic acid that is a transcript of HIV RNA. And besides it destroys the original RNA molecule as the new DNA is made.

See appendix 1.2 for diagram relating to parts of HIV virus. ( Packer 1998, pg.35-7 ) for all listed definitions.

Appendix 1.1

Viral Factory in Host Cell

Appendix 1.2

The Parts of the AIDS Virus