The so-called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a viral disease with no cure. However, there are now treatments that can maintain a good quality of life in sufferers. There are many patients who can demonstrate this. Santiago is one of them when he learned he was HIV positive was depressed a lot, “was the end of the world, I thought I would die in a month,” recalls between smiling and sad, because that was more than 20 years now looks healthy and energetic, he was always very active and the disease does not prevent him from continuing with their many projects.

At first glance, today nobody notices that James is HIV positive, in confidence unless he tells her experience, their fears and sometimes it was changing its treatment. The latter was important for your health, and new discoveries now found drugs and methods that may help prevent infection from their partners and from mother to child. For example, a study by researchers from Africa and the United States, published in the journal Lancet, found that HIV patients who continued antiretroviral therapy (ART) were much less likely to infect their partners.

ART therapy involves taking a combination of drugs that reduce the amount of HIV virus in the blood of an infected person and increases the body’s defenses (the number of CD4 cells) at six months of starting therapy. Specifically, taking the drug combination reduced the likelihood of HIV transmission by 92% of cases.

While this type of treatment for HIV exists since 1996 and changed the way of treating HIV patients, allowing them to extend and improve their quality of life was not yet known to what extent the ART therapy reduced the risk of transmission.

However, this finding corroborates and reinforces the importance of receiving and making appropriate treatment, once you are diagnosed / or HIV. Thus, not only can reduce the presence of virus in your blood but also the possibility of infecting your partner or, if you’re pregnant, your baby.

Worldwide efforts are made to the prevention and treatment of HIV. This is the case of UNICEF (the United Nations Fund for Children), which recently created a new method for distributing drugs to 30,000 pregnant women in different African countries, with this expected to reduce the numbers of infection. In this case there is a great scientific discovery but a color-coded package containing drugs against HIV.

Specialists are based on the idea that in many cases the prevention and treatment of HIV / AIDS depends on social issues rather than medical. Proper dissemination of information and provide access to needed medicines can help prevent and treat disease and to give them every tool possible to patients for each treatment can continue properly according to their condition.

If you suffer from HIV, do not hesitate to go to a specialist clinic. Learn about the different treatments you can follow to maintain good quality of life, protect yourself and protect others. Similarly, if you think you can be infected, be encouraged to make the studies to be aware of your body and your health and to take steps either to fight HIV or prevent it.

As in the case of Santiago, the following antiretroviral therapy can cause the levels of virus in your blood are so low that hardly detected. Is not it wonderful? That way you’re watching your health and that of those who want as your partner or your baby.

The requirements for a microbe is considered a probiotic are simple. The microbe must be alive when administered, must be documented to have a health benefit and should be administered at levels shown to confer the benefit.

A report on “Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Food” is more complete than minimum charges probiotic experienced a necessity.

The results were:

* The Probiotics must be identified in the genus, species and strain level, using appropriate molecular and physiological techniques.

* The strain must be registered in an internationally recognized collection of crops so that scientists can duplicate the published research on the strain.

* Tests in vitro and in appropriate animals should be conducted to better understand the physiological properties of strain. However, the choice of what tests should be based, is relevant to the role probiotics offered. You should take care not to overstretch the findings of in vitro and animal tests have not been validated and has not been shown to be important in the host.

* Before use, the safety of the microbe must be considered thoroughly.

* Controlled studies should be conducted to document a health benefit on the host.

* Ability to keep alive the probiotic at the levels required in the final product through the lifetime.

Those with some familiarity in this field may notice that this list of requirements does not include such qualities as ability to attach to intestinal cells, resistance to bile and acid, bacteriocin production, anti-pathogen activity, man, to survive intestinal transit , among others. This is because the array of potential targets for health, hosts, and methods of delivery are so diverse that any property beyond those listed above is important for only a subset of probiotics, or because it is unclear whether these benefits are truly predictive of the functionality in vitro.

For example, it mentions that the probiotic to survive intestinal transit to be effective. Although there is no doubt that the ability of probiotics to grow and metabolize according to transit the intestinal tract may contribute to sickness benefits, there are also cases where this may not be necessary. For example, preliminary research suggests that some probiotics can reduce levels of Streptococcus mutans, the cause of dental caries, oral microbial community. A health benefit of this type require no survival through the gut.

At least the probiotics should be safe, effective, and should maintain its effectiveness and power through the end of shelf life. This requires a responsible approach by the producer and consumer. The producer must identify strains and storage conditions that will ensure consumers that live probiotic levels remain effective through the end of life. Consumers should store and use the product according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: www.articuloz.com/otros-articulos/que-hace-un-probiotico-972834.html
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Lactulose is a synthetic carbohydrate prebiotic composed of natural sugars fructose and galactose.

Lactulose is the ideal nutrient for microorganisms beneficial to health, ie bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and serves to stabilize and recover our physiological intestinal flora.

In nature, prebiotics found in vegetables such as garlic, asparagus or onions, and also in foods like yogurt and milk.

What is the role of lactulose?

In addition to exercising a prebiotic effect, ie to stabilize the physiological intestinal flora, lactulose is also indicated to treat constipation (medical term: obstipation). Before being absorbed by the intestinal bacteria, lactulose exerts an osmotic effect: introducing water into the intestinal lumen and thus increases the volume of stool. In turn, this stimulates the muscles of the intestine and promotes bowel movements.

In addition, lactulose is the preferred way to treat kidney detoxifying properties due to its non-aggressive.

Potential application areas of lactulose

Lactulose may help combat inflammatory bowel disease and gallstones. Although there are still no conclusive studies in this regard, early indications suggest that lactulose could also help to prevent infections and bowel cancer.

The evidence also suggest that lactulose is beneficial for the treatment of atopy. Atopy is a hypersensitivity reaction congenital skin or mucous tunics to different environmental agents.

The occurrence of atopy is related, among other reasons, with impaired intestinal flora. A review with newborn babies was found that the risk of atopy decreased by providing certain bacteria of the strain of lactobacilli, ie, a strain of those bacteria that breed in profusion by lactulose.

Studies seem to confirm the theory that the administration of lactulose is beneficial to the balance of intestinal flora. To find out exactly how it relates to the processes of the immune system still needs further testing.

What is the tolerance of lactulose?

Usually, the prebiotics tolerance, given in correct doses, is very good. Thus, lactulose is also indicated for the treatment of children by administering a smaller dose.

Source: www.duphalac.com/patienten/prebioticeffect/0,,10296-10-0,00.htm
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Unlike probiotics, ie live microorganisms, prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates. These prebiotics stimulate the growth and activity of batteries beneficial intestinal flora. One of the best non-digestible carbohydrate lactulose is investigated. Lactulose is, as such, a prebiotic.

What is the human intestinal flora?

The intestine of an adult contains approximately 1014 bacteria, divided into more than 400 species and subspecies than reaching a weight of 1 to 1.5 kg.

Bacteria, being unicellular organisms, have the ability to run by themselves all the vital metabolism, so that the intestinal flora can be considered as a large and complex body metabolising body. Therefore, this “body” influences on our health and wellbeing.

What are the beneficial microorganisms to the health of the flora gut?

In the large intestine differ between microorganisms beneficial to health, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, microorganisms that can cause illnesses such as E. coli, Salmonella and Clostridium. The latter can not absorb lactulose. Driving the growth of microorganisms beneficial to health by the lactulose reduces potential pathogens.

Other important functions of a healthy intestinal flora are:

Growth inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms
Improved immune system activity
Recovery of intestinal flora after antibiotic treatment
Production of digestive enzymes
Inhibition of virus (eg., Rotavirus)

Source: www.duphalac.com/patienten/prebioticeffect/0,,10296-10-0,00.htm
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This disease is an inflammation of the gastric chamber, resulting in a reddening of the gastric mucosa. It is caused by abuse of alcohol and painkillers, but is also produced by infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

The condition of these symptoms are usually seen dissipated by eating food, especially milk.

But only with food intake, gastritis does not dissipate, and treatment is necessary. That is why in otramedicina offer a home remedy to prevent the suffering of these problems.

The ingredients are:

• 3 cups soy milk
• 5 sprigs parsley
• 5 sprigs Watercress

Liquefies all this, and for six months after taking this remedy every meal. Gradually the symptoms of burning and discomfort will be diluted, until it completely healed gastritis.

The Ebola virus, like all viruses “hot”, no cure and no specific treatment. The treatment used today is to maintain the life of the person by methods of resuscitation (CPR, artificial respiration) and control bleeding as far as possible.

As for a vaccine, investigations are underway but these are complicated because we still do not know all the proteins of the virus and because there are only 2 or three laboratories equipped to work with a virus such as these.

These laboratories are located in the U.S. and Russia, and the best known are the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in Atlanta, Georgia, and USAMRIID (United Estates Infectius Army Medical Research of Diseases, Research Center for Infectious Diseases Army U.S. rough translation).

The Soviet Union (Russia) to manipulate this virus for military purposes, it is easy to reproduce in laboratories, highly efficient aerosol, highly contagious Ebola mortality can reach 90%, and most important is that there is no specific treatment.

Calif.. CDC and known outbreaks

This virus has been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Level 4 Security-biohazardous. This means that for those in Level 4 (hotspot) to use maximum caution biological (use of biohazard suits, similar to those of astronauts, three pairs of gloves and the environment should be most effective filters for air and waste. Also after working at Level 4 should enter the decontamination shower (called gray zone) which is a 7 minute shower which is sprayed with the most potent chemicals and disinfectants. We are not working at Level 4 until one has years of experience.

The first place was identified was a co-epidemic in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and Sudan. The strain of Zaire is the deadliest in nearly 90%. The Sudan had a 60%, about 30% less, but quickly expanded. These were the most significant outbreaks. There have been outbreaks in England, Sweden, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and the U.S.. All had fewer than 10 cases and almost no deaths occurred. The most significant outbreaks: RDC (the place of first outbreak), Sudan (also where the first outbreak occurred), Congo, Gabon and Uganda.

They discover how Ebola virus infects cells

(NC & T) The Ebola virus reproduction in laboratory-grown cells is severely hampered by certain chemicals that inhibit enzymes, according to a team of experts whose research has been supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The researchers identified two cellular enzymes Ebola virus needs to reproduce. When those enzymes are blocked, the virus loses most of its infectivity.

Ebola virus, like the Marburg virus now alarming Angola, is a filovirus, a family of viruses that cause severe hemorrhagic fevers, and often fatal. Finding medical countermeasures for viral hemorrhagic fevers is a priority for global public health, not only because these diseases occur naturally, but also because, according to Elias A. alert Zerhouni, NIH director, could be used for bioterrorism.

This research sheds light on the mechanisms of Ebola virus uses to enter cells. Anthony S. Fauci, NIAID director, is convinced that the findings raise the possibility of a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy that could be effective against multiple hemorrhagic fever viruses.

The study’s lead author, James M. Cunningham, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston and his colleagues discovered two cellular enzymes Ebola virus uses to choose and cut up one of the viral surface proteins. Once this protein is snipped apart, the virus is free to begin multiplying. The scientists applied broad-spectrum enzyme inhibitors to mammalian cells before exposing them to Ebola virus. When one specific cellular enzyme, cathepsin B, was inhibited, the infectivity of Ebola virus dropped to near zero. Another enzyme, cathepsin L, also demonstrated an important role in the infection process.

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The Ebola virus is responsible for an acute febrile illness, severe and often very deadly affects humans and primates. It produces a hemorrhagic fever similar characteristics to Argentina hemorrhagic fever (Junin virus). Is called hemorrhagic fever because it presents with high fever associated with generalized bleeding.

The recognition of the virus was first made during a simultaneous epidemic in Zaire and Sudan. Of the total 550 cases, killed 470. The epidemic spread through direct contact with the sick and the reuse of needles. In 1995 there was another outbreak in Zaire, where 250 cases were diagnosed of whom 80% died. Despite extensive research is still unknown what the natural reservoir of the virus, so it is unknown how the virus which infects humans and starts the epidemic.

Viruses are usually named with the name of the country or place where they were discovered. The responsibility of giving the name to a virus that lies in discovering it.

Ebola Virus Symptoms

The symptoms of Ebola are similar to those of other diseases such as malaria, common in Africa and other diseases.

After an incubation period of three to nine days, nonspecific symptoms like malaise, headache, conjunctivitis, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting. Typically, the fever is 39 to 40 ° C. After one to three days, watery diarrhea is observed mental disorders. The most reliable clinical sign is the appearance between the fifth and seventh day of a rash on the face and neck that expands into a centrifuge to members, while appearing skin hemorrhages, gastrointestinal, kidney and eye. Other manifestations include the inflation of the heart muscle, pancreas, spleen and liver.

The virus is very contagious from person to person, the person spread the virus through blood and other secretions (saliva, sweat, semen, vaginal secretions). There is no drug to cure the disease nor the vaccine that prevents there.

These symptoms as stated above, are mistaken for other diseases, thus performing a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) said in English that if their numbers in Spanish (PCR) is mistaken for the Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. This technique or study to identify the virus is a specific test, and indeed very expensive, making the polymerase reaction (which is located in the chromosomes or chromatin). Their reaction stands for polymerase chain.

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The main goal of biologists has been the molecular study of viruses and their interaction with the host cell. The study of bacteriophage replication in bacteria discovered the existence of messenger RNA, carrying the genetic code of DNA needed for protein synthesis. Studies with these viruses have also been instrumental in defining the biochemical factors that start and end the use of genetic information. Knowledge of the mechanisms of control of viral replication is critical to understanding the biochemical events in higher organisms.

The viruses are useful as model systems for studying the mechanisms that control genetic information, because in essence are small pieces of information. This allows scientists to study replication systems simpler and more manageable, but that function on the same principles as those of the host cell. Much of the research on the virus replicative pretends to know the mechanism to find and how to control growth and eliminate viral diseases. Studies on viral diseases have greatly contributed to understanding the body’s immune response against infectious agents. Studying this response have been thoroughly described serum antibodies and the secretions of mucous membranes, which help the body eliminate foreign elements such as viruses. Now, the scientific interest is focused on research designed to isolate certain viral genes. They could clone to produce large quantities of certain proteins, which would be used as vaccines.

9. Bacteriophage T4

This transmission electron micrograph shows a T4 bacteriophage, a virus that infects only bacteria (in some cases only Escherichia coli). Phages lack any reproductive mechanism and exploit the mechanisms of the bacterium to replicate. They do this by holding on to the cell walls with fibers, by way of legs, visible here. The tail is a sheath that contracts to inject the contents of the head, the genetic material (DNA) within the host. In 25 minutes, are capable of successfully using the reproductive mechanisms of bacteria and viral progeny fills the cell. Then, the packed bacteria burst, releasing about 100 new copies of the bacteriophage.

10. Viral Structure

Some bacteriophages (viruses that parasitize bacteria), left, have a rather complicated structure and sophisticated. The phage T4, pictured here, consists of five proteins and the following parts: head, tail, a collar or necklace, a basal plate and fibers for legs. In contrast, a flu virus, right, is simpler. A lipid envelope surrounding the protein shell, or capsid, which, like the bacteriophage genetic material coiled locks. Since this involved projecting two types of protein in the form of spikes, which determine the properties of the virus infectivity. The human hosts must produce new immune defenses whenever they mutate, hence annual vaccinations are done.

11. Viral replication

Outside a host cell, a virus is an inert particle. But once inside the cell, the virus reproduces so many times and thousands of individuals who leave the cell to find others that parasitize. Pathogenic viruses act by destroying or damaging cells when they leave those in which have been reproduced.

12. Virus

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, particles composed of genetic material (DNA or RNA, but not both) surrounded by a protective protein coat. Are inert outside the host, inside, they enter a dynamic phase in which replicate using the host cell enzymes, nucleic acids, its amino acids and its mechanisms of reproduction. They carry out what they can not perform alone. Viral replication leads often damage to the host: diseases such as herpes, rabies, influenza, some cancers, polio and yellow fever are viral in origin. Between 1000 to 1500 known viruses, there are about 250 to cause disease in humans (about 100 of which cause the common cold), and 100 infect different animals.

credit to: Martín Buczyner

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Viruses are spread from person to person, causing new cases of the disease. Many of them, as those responsible for influenza and measles, are transmitted by inhalation, through its dissemination in the infected droplets emitted by coughing and sneezing. Others, like those that cause diarrhea are spread by fecal-oral route. In other cases, the spread is through the bite of insects, such as yellow fever and arboviruses. Viral diseases may be endemic (specific to one area), affecting susceptible individuals, or epidemic, which appear in waves and attack much of the population. An example is the emergence of epidemic flu worldwide, almost always once a year.

6. Treatment

The treatments against viral infections are often not entirely satisfactory, since most of the drugs that kill viruses also affect cells in which they play. The alpha-adamantanamine is used in some countries to treat respiratory infections caused by influenza A and isatin-beta-thiosemicarbazone, effective against smallpox. Certain substances similar to precursors of nucleic acids may be useful against severe herpes infections.

One promising antiviral agent is interferon, which is a non-toxic protein produced by some animal cells infected with viruses and can protect other cells against such infections. Is currently studying the effectiveness of the drug to fight cancer. Until recently, these studies were limited by their limited availability, but new techniques of cloning the genetic material, produce large amounts of this protein. In a few years you may know whether interferon is really effective as an antiviral agent.

The only effective way to prevent viral infections is the use of vaccines. Vaccination against smallpox worldwide in the 1970s, eradicated the disease. It has developed many human virus vaccines and other animals. Among infections suffered by people include measles, rubella, polio and influenza. Immunization with an antiviral vaccine stimulates the body’s immune mechanism, which produces antibodies that protect you when you return to contact with the same virus. Vaccines contain viruses always altered so they can not cause disease.

7. Infections in plants

The virus originated wide variety of plant diseases and serious damage to crops. The most common are produced by the virus of turnip yellow mosaic, the potato virus X (potato) and snuff mosaic virus. Plants have rigid cell walls that viruses can not cross, so that the most important for propagation is provided by the animals that feed on them. Often, insects inoculated into healthy plants that carry the virus on its mouth parts, from other infected plants. Also nematodes, roundworms can transmit the infection when they feed on the roots.

Plant viruses can accumulate huge amounts within infected cells. For example, the snuff mosaic virus may represent up to 10% of the dry weight of the plant. Studies of the interaction between virus and host cells are limited because the infection is via an insect vector. Also, do not typically available in the laboratory of cell cultures susceptible to infection by plant viruses.

credit to: Martín Buczyner

The virus, lacking the enzymes and metabolic precursors necessary for its own replication, they must obtain them from the host cell they infect. Viral replication is a process that includes several separate synthesis and subsequent assembly of all components to give rise to new infectious particles. Replication is initiated when the virus enters the cell: cellular enzymes remove the cover and the DNA or RNA is contacted with the ribosome, directing the synthesis of proteins. The virus nucleic acid autoduplicates and, once synthesized protein subunits that form the capsid, the resulting components are assembled into new viruses. A single virus particle can cause a progeny of thousands. Some viruses are released by destroying the infected cell, and yet leave the cell without destroying it by a process of exocytosis that leverages own cell membranes. In some cases the infection is ‘silent’, ie the viruses replicate inside the cell without evident harm.

RNA-containing viruses are unique replicative systems, since the RNA autoduplicates without the involvement of DNA. In some cases, viral RNA functions as messenger RNA, and replicates indirectly using the ribosomal system and the metabolic precursors of the host cell. In others, the virus carried in the cover-dependent RNA enzyme that directs the synthesis process. Other RNA viruses, retroviruses, may produce an enzyme that synthesizes DNA from RNA. Formed DNA then acts as the viral genetic material.

During an infection, bacteriophages and animal viruses differ in their interaction with host cell surface. For example, in the cycle of bacteriophage T7, which infects the bacterium Escherichia coli, there are no stages or descapsidación adsorption. The virus binds first to the cell and then injects its DNA into it. However, once the nucleic acid enters the cell, the basic events of viral replication are the same.

4. Viruses in Medicine

Viruses represent a major challenge to medical science in combating infectious diseases. Many viruses cause major human diseases and diversity.

Among viral diseases include the common cold, which affects millions of people each year. Other diseases have serious consequences. Among them is rabies, hemorrhagic fevers, encephalitis, polio and yellow fever. However, most disease-causing viruses that cause severe discomfort only, provided that the patient will not be serious complications. Some of these are influenza, measles, mumps, fever with fever (herpes simplex), chickenpox, shingles (also known as herpes zoster), respiratory diseases, acute diarrhea, warts and hepatitis. Other viral agents as the cause of rubella (German measles) and cytomegalovirus, may cause serious anomalies or abortions. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a retrovirus. There are two known retrovirus associated with certain human cancers and is suspected of some forms of papillomavirus. There is evidence, increasingly, of viruses that might be involved in some types of cancer, chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis and other degenerative diseases. Some viruses take a long time to cause symptoms, and produce so-called slow virus diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and kuru, which gradually destroys the brain.

Even today you find viruses responsible for important human diseases. Most can be isolated and identified with current methods of laboratory, although the process normally takes several days. One of them is rotavirus gastroenteritis caused by the child.

credit to: Martín Buczyner

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