Free Science & Technology Newsletter!

Get these great stories sent directly to your email!

email See more free newsletters on the subscribe page.

Type your email address:

Your email address is safe with us. View our Privacy policy.

Vocabulary Hangman:
Try our FREE ArcaMax Vocabulary Hangman Game
The Funnies:
Get free jokes, comics, and more! See them all on
our funnies page
FREE ArcaMax Toolbar:
Get free "Science & Technology" headlines on the ArcaMax Toolbar!

Process of HIV-related dementia is found

NEW YORK (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have found evidence that a component of the cell walls of intestinal bacteria help the human immunodeficiency virus enter the brain.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers said in up to 20 percent of people infected with HIV, the virus manages to escape from the bloodstream and cross into the brain, resulting in HIV-associated dementia and other cognitive disorders.

The Yeshiva University scientists said their findings might lead to the development of strategies for preventing HIV from entering the brain.

"Previous research has suggested that it's not individual HIV viruses that get into the brain, but rather HIV-infected immune cells known as monocytes," said Dr. Harris Goldstein, senior author of the study. "Using an animal model, we wanted to find out first of all whether being infected with HIV enables monocytes to do what they don't usually do -- escape from blood vessels and enter brain tissue."

They discovered that being infected with HIV somehow gives monocytes the capacity to cross an intact blood brain barrier, said Goldstein.

The study is detailed in the Journal of Virology.



Copyright 2008 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 08/20/2008
Share this Story
Digg   del.icio.us   Yahoo   Facebook   Google   

Printer Friendly Version | Send this page to a friend | Post Comment


Rate This Story:

Great - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - Bad




Posted Comments:


Comment archive | Comment FAQ's

Post Comment::

Author:
Subject:



Recent archives Featured news

View Science & Technology ezine stories by date or visit the complete archive

Featured Channel: Politics

The ArcaMax Politics channel is one of 70 content categories offered by ArcaMax Publishing on this ...