Aiding AIDS
research has shown that if an Indian gets infected with the human immuno virus (hiv), the chances are that it will quickly develop into a case of full-blown aids ( acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The problem seems to be that Indians have a preponderance of susceptible genes, which increases the rate of progression of the disease.
The study was conducted at the department of transplant immunology and immunogenetics of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. The yet-to-be-published results were compared with the figures available for Caucasians and presented at the First National Conference of aids Society of India held in Delhi from April 2-4. Led by N K Mehra, the group studied the role of cellular proteins such as the Human Leukocyte Antigen (hla) and chemokines that are involved in aids progression.
The gene coding for hla occurs either as hla-b *35 py or as hla-b*35 px. The py variant is linked to slow progression while the latter is associated with quick progression of aids. The researchers found the px group is 2.5 times more common among Indians as compared to Caucasians. Further, a gene
Related Content
- Counting the cost 2023: a year of climate breakdown
- 2023 global snapshot on HIV and AIDS: progress and priorities for children, adolescents and pregnant women
- Order of the Supreme Court of India regarding provision of free sanitary pads for school girls and separate female toilets in government schools, 06/11/2023
- The path that ends AIDS: global AIDS update 2023
- A triple dividend: the health, social and economic gains from financing the HIV response in Africa
- Counting the cost 2022: a year of climate breakdown