AIDS

TREATMENT AND TESTS

 HIV AND AIDS
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
2.AIDS is a
1. HIV is a virus that condition that is
destroys your immune caused by HIV. It is
system considered the
3.Symptoms for HIV
final stage of HIV.
and AIDs
are different for each
person,
because the symptoms
of each condition
come from
opportunistic Infections.

Healthline. (2017). HIV vs.

AIDS: What’s the Difference?.
[online]
COCKTAIL
TREATMENT

IN 1995, THE COMBINATION TREATMENT

KNOWN AS THE “AIDS COCKTAIL” WAS
INTRODUCED TO PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS.
THIS TYPE OF THERAPY HAS OFTEN BEEN
REFERRED TO AS THE HIGHLY ACTIVE
ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (HAART). IT
MAY ALSO BE CALLED COMBINATION
ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (CART), OR
SIMPLY ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART)

Healthline.
(2017). Understandin
g the ‘AIDS Cocktail’.
[online]
• NUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE
INHIBITORS (NRTIS): THE HIV VIRUS REQUIRES
REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE (RT) IN ORDER TO
REPLICATE. BY OFFERING FAULTY VERSIONS
OF THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR REPLICATION
TO THE VIRUSES, THE DRUG THERAPY WORKS
TO BLOCK THE VIRUS’S ABILITY TO
REPLICATE.
• NON-NUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION
INHIBITORS (NNRTIS): THESE INHIBITORS
EFFECTIVELY DISABLE A KEY PROTEIN THAT
HIV REQUIRES TO REPLICATE.
• PROTEASE INHIBITORS (PIS): THIS INHIBITOR
DISABLES THE PROTEIN KNOWN AS
PROTEASE, ANOTHER KEY BUILDING BLOCK
REQUIRED BY HIV TO REPLICATE.
• ENTRY/FUSION INHIBITORS: UNLIKE THE
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED DRUG THERAPIES,
THIS INHIBITOR BLOCKS THE VIRUS’S ABILITY
TO ENTER THE BODY’S CD4 CELLS.
• INTEGRASE INHIBITORS: ONCE HIV HAS
PENETRATED A CD4 CELL, IT INSERTS
GENETIC MATERIAL INTO THE CELLS WITH
THE ASSISTANCE OF A PROTEIN KNOWN AS
INTEGRASE. THIS INHIBITOR BLOCKS THE
VIRUS’S ABILITY TO COMPLETE THIS CRUCIAL
REPLICATION STEP.
SIDE EFFECTS

FEELING QUEASY OR THROWING UP

DIARRHEA
FATIGUE
DIZZINESS
SKIN RASHES
TROUBLE SLEEPING
PAIN, NUMBNESS, OR TINGLING
VACCINES
VACCINES GIVEN BEFORE YOU GET INFECTED
ARE CALLED “PREVENTIVE VACCINES” OR
“PROPHYLACTIC VACCINES,” AND YOU GET
THEM WHILE YOU ARE HEALTHY. THIS ALLOWS
YOUR BODY TO SET UP DEFENSES AGAINST
THOSE DANGERS AHEAD OF TIME.
 Scientists are working to develop one. In
2016, an NIH-supported clinical trial that
was launched to test a possible HIV
vaccine. This vaccine trial, called HVTN
072, is testing whether an experimental
vaccine regimen safely prevents HIV
infection among South African adults.

Aids.gov.
(2017). Vaccines.
[online]
 ELISA TEST
The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
(ELISA) is a technique used to detect
antibodies or infectious agents in a sample.
An ELISA test may be used to diagnose:

 HIV, which causes AIDS

 Lyme disease
 pernicious anemia
 Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)
 rotavirus
 squamous cell carcinoma
 syphilis
 toxoplasmosis
 varicella-zoster virus, which causes chicken pox
and shingles.
Process

Biobest.co.uk. (2017). Biobest,

Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
technique. [online]
 WESTERN BLOT
WESTERN BLOTTING IS AN IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE USED IN CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. BY USING
A WESTERN BLOT, RESEARCHERS ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC PROTEINS FROM A COMPLEX MIXTURE
OF PROTEINS EXTRACTED FROM CELLS.
THE TECHNIQUE USES THREE ELEMENTS TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK:
1. SEPARATION BY SIZE
2. TRANSFER TO A SOLID SUPPORT
3. MARKING TARGET PROTEIN USING A PROPER PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ANTIBODY TO VISUALIZE.

Yang, P. and Mahmood,

T. (2017). Western blot:
Technique, theory, and
trouble shooting.
[online]
 TECHNIQUES
There are different techniques that you can use in western blotting such
as:
Sample Preparation
Cell lysates are the most common form of sample used for western blot.
Protein extraction attempts to collect all the proteins in the cell cytosol.
This should be done in a cold temperature with protease inhibitors to
prevent denaturing of the proteins.
Gel Electrophoresis
Western blot uses two different types of agarose gel: stacking and
separating gel. The higher, stacking gel is slightly acidic (pH 6.8) and has
a lower acrylamide concentration making a porous gel, which
separates protein poorly but allows them to form thin, sharply defined
bands.
Blocking and Antibody Incubation
Blocking is a very important step of western blotting, as it prevents
antibodies from binding to the membrane nonspecifically. Blocking is
often made with 5% BSA or nonfat dried milk diluted in TBST to reduce
the background.