Q News

CALGARY, Alberta (Observer Update) When Dr. Luc Montagnier painstakingly teased out the source of the new mysterious AIDS syndrome in a Paris laboratory 25 years ago, the very concept of the disease sparked panic in many people, reported 365Gay.com. But people have become complacent and infections are on the rise, even in many developed countries, because they trust science will develop a vaccine or cure that in reality may be many years away, Montagnier said.

“It seems that the young generation has forgotten about prevention, because they think there are cures for HIV, that it’s no big deal,” the Nobel Prize winner said after giving a talk in Calgary. “But it is, because HIV treatment is very heavy, has to be kept for the rest of their lives, and if they are young this is really a burden.”

The rush for a cure, while important, should never overshadow the push for prevention, said Montagnier, who shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Francoise Barre-Sinoussi for identifying the virus that causes AIDS. He disputes the idea that modern medicine makes AIDS a controllable disease. While a cocktail of drugs can keep people alive for decades, the punishing side effects can make life miserable, painful or even cause death, he added. “In the long-term they may die not of AIDS, but of a side effect: cardiovascular, obesity and hypertension, brain disease,” he said. ...

NEW YORK CITY (Observer Update) - HIVPlusMag.com reported that in The Journal of Immunology a report published that HIV+ with gum disease might experience faster HIV disease progression. They report that butyric acid, which is produced in the mouth because of gum disease, allows HIV to proliferate in immune system cells.

The study marks the first time gum disease has been linked with HIV disease progression. Previous research has shown that gum disease and other oral problems can lead to or worsen diabetes and heart disease.

"Serious periodontal disease could lead to the development [of AIDS] among HIV-positive people, although the probability largely depends on individual physical strength,” lead researcher Kuniyasu Ochiai of Nihon University told Agence France-Press. He added that there are “fears that even those who were unaware that they had contracted HIV could develop AIDS once they have periodontal disease." ...