Thinking Fast and Slow

The mechanism behind how HIV can develop resistance to a widely prescribed group of drugs has been uncovered by new research, with the findings opening the door to the development of more effective treatments. Today a number of drugs are available which help to control HIV infection, including a group called integrase strand transfer inhibitors. There are four drugs within this family of medication: raltegravir , elvitegravir , dolutegravir , bictegravir . They all work by binding with one of HIV's key enzymes, called integrase, to stop it from inserting the virus genetic information into DNA of human cells. While initially highly effective, over time HIV can develop resistance to these drugs. The study discovered the mechanism HIV uses to develop resistance to this group of drugs. Although the drugs are normally very effective at binding and blocking integrase, over time, the virus can weaken this bond and thus enable its key enzyme to work again. The researchers uncovered ...

New Cancer Drug Approved A new class of cancer drug that can treat a wide range of tumors has been approved for use in Europe. Researchers across the world consider it revolutionary. This approval is a first of its kind, and the doctors termed it as 'exciting'. According to the doctors, tumour- agnostic drug are specific in its mode of action as it targets the genetic abnormality in contrast to conventional chemotherapy. The new cancer drug has the potential to remove side effects. Charlotte Stevenson, a two year old from Belfast. was one of the first patients to benefit from the new cancer drug which was approved. She was diagnosed from infantile fibrosarcoma. It is a cancer of the body's  connective tissue. She has been treated with larotrectinib as part of clinical trial. Infantile fibrosaecoma is caused due to genetic defect abnormality know as NTRK gene fusion. One part pf the DNA merge with another. This led to an alteration in the blueprint in h...

The Structure of DNA Do you recognize this molecule? This is DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. By the end of this blog, you will be able to identify the key structural features of DNA, as well as describe the importance of those features for function. We will look at different representations of the DNA molecule to better view certain details, but all views represent this same structure. Inside the cell, you will most commonly find double- stranded DNA, in which two strands intertwine to form a double helix. The most common form of the DNA double helix, which is what we will discuss here, is also called B-form DNA. Now, let's move to a more simplified representation of DNA to discuss the details. We can unwind the double helix like this so that we can see the chemical structure inside. Each strand is a polynucleotide, meaning the strand is made up of many individual units called nucleotides. A nucleotide has three components, the fiv...

In Biology, "double helix" is a term used to describe the structure of DNA. A DNA double helix consists of two spiral chains of deoxyribonucleic acid. The shape is similar to that of a spiral staircase. DNA is nucleic acid composed of nitrogenous bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine), a five carbon sugar (deoxyribose), and phosphate molecules. The nucleotide bases of DNA represent the stair steps of tyhe staircase, and the deoxyribose and phosphate molecules from the sides of the staircase. Why is DNA twisted? DNA is coiled into chromosomes and tightly packed in the nucleus of our cells. The twisting aspect of DNA is a result of interactions between the molecules that make up DNA and water (H2O). The nitrogenous base that comprise the steps of twisted staircase are held together by hydrogen bonds. Adenine is bonded with thymine (A-T) and guanine pairs with cytosine (G-C). These nitrogenous bases are hydrophobic, meaning that they lack an affinity for water...

A CURE FOR CANCER, WHICH IS 100% EFFECTIVE & COMING BY 2020 Cancer Cancer can be defined as group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Causes of Cancer Most gene mutations occur after you are born and aren't inherited. A number of forces can cause gene mutations, such as smoking, radiation, viruses, cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens), obesity, hormones, chronic inflammation and a lack of exercise.   Cure of Cancer? A medical breakthrough from Israel can effectively cure cancer, the deadly disease that kills millions of people around the world every year. A small team of Israeli scientists is claiming to have a developed a 100% cure like never before, which they expect to be available for cancer patients by early next year. The revolutionary cancer cure treatment us called MuTaTo, which is developed by Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd. (AEBi). MuTaTo stands for multi-targe...

Is HIV AIDS CURABLE? H uman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects almost 36.9 million people on this planet. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 21.7 million people were receiving antiretroviral treatment by end of 2017. That is approximately 59% of people  living with HIV are receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2017. Over the years new medial treatments were developed to prolong the life of AIDS patients. Unlike years when sustaining the life of an HIV patient would be nearly possible, in today's generation these patients continue to live long and healthy lives. An HIV patient in LONDON has just given testimony to this fact as he has become the second known adult in the world to be cured of AIDS virus. The man who resides in Britain received a bone marrow transplant from an HIV resistant donor. This comes 12 years after an American man called Timothy Brown became the  first known person to have functional cure of HIV in Germany in 2007. He became kno...

KNOCK KNEES Knock knees are angular deformities at the knee, in which the head of deformity points inward. A standing child whose knees touch but whose knees touch but whose ankles do not is usually said to have knock knees. During childhood, knock knees are a stage in normal growth and development (physiologic vagus). Between birth and 18 months, an outward- turning(varus) alignment from hip to knee to ankle is normal. The alignment returns to neutral as the child grows. What causes knock knees? Knock knees are usually part of the normal growth and development of the lower extremities. Some cases, especially in a child who's 6 or older, may be a sign of an underlying bone disease, such as osteomalacia or rickets. Obesity can contribute to knock knees- or can cause gait(walking) problems that resemble, but aren't actually, knock knees. The condition can  occasionally result from an injury to the growth area of the shin bone(tibia), which may result in just one kno...