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New hiv research may yield better treatments
While existing treatments for HIV/AIDS are reasonably effective, medical experts are worried by the emergence of new strains of drug resistant HIV and an apparent increase in risky sexual behaviors. Researchers in New York believe that the emergence of new HIV variants could be related to events like POZ Parties, where HIV infected men engage in unprotected sex. And recent research carried out in Florida has only amplified such concerns; indicating that up to one-third of men who have sex with men may be engaging in unprotected anal intercourse while on vacation. The emergence of drug resistant HIV super-infections could be closely tied to such behaviors, and while health authorities are looking to ramp-up prevention efforts, researchers are continuing to search for better treatments to tackle these new HIV strains.
One of the most promising new areas of research comes from Ohio State University, where researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that the body's cells use to fight off the HIV virus. Researcher Richard Fishel explained that two proteins that normally help repair cellular DNA can also destroy the DNA made by HIV after it enters a human cell. Without this DNA, the HIV virus cannot survive and reproduce.
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