News on Health Topics

In a head-to-head competition held 10 years ago, scientists at the National Institutes of Health tested two promising new types of vaccine to see which might offer the strongest protection against one of the deadliest viruses on earth, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. One vaccine consisted of DNA rings called plasmids, each carrying a gene for one of five HIV proteins. Its goal was to get the recipient’s own cells to make the viral proteins in the hope they would provoke protective reactions by immune cells. Instead of plasmids, the second vaccine used another virus called an adenovirus as a carrier for a single HIV gene encoding a viral protein. The rationale for this combination was to employ a “safe” virus to catch the attention of immune cells while getting them to direct their responses against the HIV protein.

One of us (Weiner) had already been working on DNA vaccines for eight years and was hoping for a major demonstration of the plasmids’ ability to induce immunity against a dreaded pathogen. Instead the test results dealt a major blow to believers in this first generation of DNA vaccines. The DNA recipients displayed only weak immune responses to the five HIV proteins or no response at all, whereas recipients of the adenovirus-based vaccine had robust reactions. To academic and pharmaceutical company researchers, adenoviruses clearly looked like the stronger candidates to take forward in developing HIV vaccines.

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Immune system – National Institutes of Health – Vaccine – HIV – DNA

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Some bacteria have adapted to super-cold environments for millions of years. And scientists have isolated some of the essential genes that allow bacteria to tolerate their harsh living conditions–because these same genes might help in the creation of new vaccines. The investigators published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . [Barry Duplantis et al., http://bit.ly/bqVUWp ]

Researchers from the University of Victoria in British Columbia [and the NIH Laboratory of Intracellular Parasites] isolated temperature-sensitive genes from some bacteria that thrive in the frigid Arctic. They inserted nine of these cold-loving genes into a bacterial pathogen called Francisella tularensis . At about room temperature, the cells propagated. But when they had to cope with warmth equivalent to the core body temps of mammals, the bacteria died.

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Bacteria – Arctic – Gene – Pathogen – University of Victoria

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• Not many! Which could mean only one thing: this post is extraordinary. (either extraordinary genius or extraordinary stupidity, depends on the view point :P

by Norma Erickson. Would you consent to giving your child a vaccine that caused an increased risk of cancer? That may be exactly what you are doing when you consent to Gardasil.
According to Information the manufacturer of this vaccine presented to the FDA prior to approval, if a person has already been exposed to HPV 16 or 18 prior to injection Gardasil increases the risk of precancerous lesions, or worse, by 44.6%.
That statement bears repeating, if you have been exposed to HPV 16 or 18 prior to injection and take the vaccine, you increase your risk of precancerous lesions, or worse, by 44.6%.

Is this information advertised? No! This information was actually presented to the FDA by Merck. It came from their own safety trials. The FDA did not respond by recommending screening for HPV prior to vaccination. The FDA did not even demand a warning be included in the package insert.

Now, Merck’s research is indicating that Gardasil may also ‘provide cross-protection’ against other strains of HPV that are closely related to HPV 16 and 18. (see this article on Medpage Today) This means prior exposure to these additional strains may pose an increased risk for cervical cancer also, if combined with vaccination.

No one appears to be concerned with the increased risk of vaccination combined with prior exposure, as long as you take the vaccine. You will see no advertisements indicating the possibility of increased risk of the very cancer this vaccine is supposed to help you avoid.

Government officials will not be informed of the potential danger. They will be told HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the country and that it must be eradicated. They will be told this vaccine should be mandatory.

As a consumer, you must protect yourself. If you are sexually active or suspect you may have been exposed to HPV, ask your doctor to screen for HPV prior to taking Gardasil. If he, or she, does not know why, educate them. After all, it is your future at stake.

44.6% increased risk of cervical lesions/cancer; or HPV screening before consenting to vaccination — it is your decision. Please, make it an informed one.

by Norma Erickson

http://www.examiner.com/x-40801-Vaccines-Examiner~y2010m6d30-Warning-Gardasil-may-cause-increased-risk-of-cervical-cancer

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Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified long-sought and elusive broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV in a pair of papers published in the July 9 issue of Science . These proteins produced by the immune system are crucial for creating a preventive vaccine , and could also have therapeutic uses developed in the coming years or decades. [More]















HIV – Antibody – Immune system – National Institutes of Health – Vaccine

Related Posts:

• Not many! Which could mean only one thing: this post is extraordinary. (either extraordinary genius or extraordinary stupidity, depends on the view point :P