Abstract
A wide variety of up-to-date results and knowledge were presented at the 10th International AIDS Meeting, Yokohama. Epidemiologically, most interest was focused on the discovery of a new HIV subtype O, which cannot be reliably detected by currently available ELISA kits. Clinically, it is gradually appreciated that one single most important parameter is the viral load; the extent of viral load can help explain many clinical observations. Another eye-catching finding was the report of a clinical follow-up of a group of long-term nonprogressors. If the underlying operative mechanism can be elucidated, we can learn the necessary elements for halting HIV infection progression. Therapeutically, the trend has shifted to combination therapy, preferentially 3-drug combination of 2 RT inhibitors and 1 protease inhibitor. For the vaccine development, many novel vectors were introduced, but their potentials are unknown at present. The successful application of single-cell in situ PCR has changed our perception of HIV infection. This powerful technique can detect a single viral genome inside cells and revealed that a large proportion of cells already harbor HIV genomes soon after the entry of HIV into the body. A direct viral effect may fully explain subsequent T cell depletion without invoking a lot of indirect mechanisms such as apoptosis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Biomedical Science |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 1 1995 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- AIDS
- Epidemiology
- HIV
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry, medical
- Pharmacology (medical)