Thursday, September 21, 2017

New Antibody Attacks 99% Of HIV Strains

HIVScientists have engineered an antibody that attacks 99% of HIV strains and can prevent infection in primates.It is built to attack three critical parts of the virus - making it harder for HIV to resist its effects.The work is a collaboration between the US National Institutes of Health and the pharmaceutical company Sanofi.The International Aids Society said it was an "exciting breakthrough". Human trials will start in 2018 to see if it can prevent or treat infection.Our bodies struggle to fight HIV because of the virus' incredible ability to mutate and change its appearance.There varieties of HIV - or strains - in a single patient are comparable to those of influenza during a worldwide flu season.So the immune system finds itself in a fight against an insurmountable number of strains of HIV.

Super-antibodies

But after years of infection, a small number of patients develop powerful weapons called "broadly neutralising antibodies" that attack something fundamental to HIV and can kill large swathes of HIV strains.
Researchers have been trying to use broadly neutralising antibodies as a way to treat HIV, or prevent infection in the first place.

The study, published in the journal Science, combines three such antibodies into an even more powerful "tri-specific antibody".
Dr Gary Nabel, the chief scientific officer at Sanofi and one of the report authors, told the BBC News website: "They are more potent and have greater breadth than any single naturally occurring antibody that's been discovered."
The best naturally occurring antibodies will target 90% of HIV strains.
"We're getting 99% coverage, and getting coverage at very low concentrations of the antibody," said Dr Nabel.
Experiments on 24 monkeys showed none of those given the tri-specific antibody developed an infection when they were later injected with the virus.
Dr Nabel said: "It was quite an impressive degree of protection."
The work included scientists at Harvard Medical School, The Scripps Research Institute, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

'Exciting'

Clinical trials to test the antibody in people will start next year.
Prof Linda-Gail Bekker, the president of the International Aids Society, told the BBC: "This paper reports an exciting breakthrough.
"These super-engineered antibodies seem to go beyond the natural and could have more applications than we have imagined to date.
"It's early days yet, and as a scientist I look forward to seeing the first trials get off the ground in 2018.
"As a doctor in Africa, I feel the urgency to confirm these findings in humans as soon as possible."
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it was an intriguing approach.
He added: "Combinations of antibodies that each bind to a distinct site on HIV may best overcome the defences of the virus in the effort to achieve effective antibody-based treatment and prevention."
(Source-BBC)

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A Person Attempted To Enter Former President Mahinda Rajapakshe's Official Residence Has Been Arrested

Security forces had arrested a person with a sharp
object who attempted to enter the official residence of former president Mahinda Rajapakshe in Colombo yesterday (21).

The details of the person and the reason of his visit to the former President's house house have not yet been revealed.

Eight Female Tea Estate Workers Had Been Hospitalized Due To A Wasp Attack

Eight female estatate  workers attached to a tea estate
in Bagawanthalawa area had been injured and hospitalized due to a wasp attack occurred while plucking tea leaves it has been reported.

The injured have been admitted to the Bagawanthalawa Hospital for treatment.

Three Persons Had Been Injured And Hospitalized Due To A Road Accident

Three persons had been injured and hospitalied after
the Three Wheeler they were travelling in toppled over near the Hambanthota-Siribopura fly over bridge  on last Wednesday (20) night.

The injured were admitted to the Hambanthota Hospital for treatment.

The Three wheeler driver ,His wife and their two year old child had been injured and hospitalized due to the accident which occurred as a result of the driver not been able to control the speed of the vehicle it has been revealed.

Hambanthota Police are conducting an investigation on the incident.

Two Persons Had Been Arrested Over Maintaining A Fake Foreign Currancy Printing Center

Two persons have been arrested over maintaining a fake foreign currency notes printing center in siththankeni area ,Jaffna since long time.

The fake foreign currency notes printing center had been raided after a person worked there came to a Money convert center in Jaffna to convert 10,100 canadian dollars .After identifying the Canadian dollar notes were fake ones ,Police had arrested him as per the information provided by a worker attached to the Money convert center.

Afterwards Police have also arrested the owner of the Money convert center and the two suspects are due to be produced before the Jaffna Court tomorrow (22).

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QUOTES FOR LIFE





A Person Had Been Sentenced Four Death Sentences Over The Killing Of Four Persons

North Central provincial high court has today
(21)sentenced a 28 year old person four death sentences over the killing of four persons in the same family in July 2010.

Accordingly the accused who is a resident of Mihindupura in Eppawela area had been sentenced to death over the killing of father,mother,daughter and son of the same family related to him .

The death sentences had been imposed on the accused after he was found guilty over all the charges levelled against him by the Attorney General.


Coconut Price Has Reached Rs.100-Politicians Are In Sleep

The price of the coconuts in the local market has sky-

rocketed at present possibly due to the short supply of it ,it has been reported.

Due to the cutting of Coconut treas and giving those coconut cultivation lands to built houses has been identified as the main reason behind the short supply of Coconuts to the market.

Now the price of a medium size Coconut in the market  is around Rs.83- 100 according to the market sources.

The most notable incident is not a single political
Party or an organization has paid attention to the difficulties faced by the housewives in the country as the result of skyrocketing Coconut prices and protest against the increase like in previous occassions.

A Driver Was Killed Due To A Head On Collision Between Two Tipper Trucks

A Tipper truck driver was killed and another Tipper
truck driver critically  injured and hospitalized due to a head on collision occurred between two Tipper Trucks at 08th post in Malabe ,on Battaramulle-Kaduwela msin road today (21).

The critically injured Tipper truck drivers had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital and one
  driver had succumbed to his injuries after admission to the hospital.The deceased had been identified as a resident of Kurunagala area.

Two trade stalls also got damaged due to the incident.


People Evacuated From A Six Storied Building In Slave Island Due To A Shaking

Authorities had evacuated around 100 persons
attached to a private company  in a six storied building at Kumar rathnam road,Slave Island in Colombo today (21)due to the shaking of the Building it has been reported.

Officials of National Building Research Organization (NBRO) and the Disaster Management Center (DMC) had arrived in the Building to investigate the cause of the shaking .

The officials are investigating whether an excavation made nearby road by another private company  to store power lines caused the shaking or not .

HEALTH TIP


Four Police Officers Were Injured Due To An Assault In Thanamalwila Assault

 A Drunken driver and another group had assaulted four officers of the Thanamalwila  Police  who were on  traffic duty yesterday(18).The inj...