Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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New Hope for HIV Treatment
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FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDayNews) -- An artificial HIV gene could help in efforts to develop an HIV vaccine, say Duke University Medical Center scientists. They found the protein produced by an artificial HIV-1 gene called CON6 triggered anti-HIV-1 immune responses in animals. This kind of protein could serve as the basis for vaccines to protect against various HIV strains. Demonstrating that artificial genes produce biologically functional proteins is a major advance in the development of an HIV vaccine, the researchers said. "This study is proof that we can induce both cellular and humoral immune responses using an artificial HIV-1 gene. This is a beachhead from which we can move forward in vaccine development," study author Dr. Feng Gao, an associate research professor of medicine, said in a prepared statement. Cellular immune responses are those made by specialized immune cells called killer T-cells, and helper T-cells. Antibodies circulating in the blood are responsible for humoral immune responses, the researchers said. The study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Virology. More information AIDSinfo has more about HIV vaccine research.
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