evolution

Yo yo! Man, I learned all about HIV today!!! *excitement eeks* (who's the nerd? *shifty eyes*)

Its amazing. Its the truth. The more you know about immunology, the less hopeful you become about a possible cure. The less you know about immunology, the more hopeful you are. HIV is 'incredible.' Yup, you know what I mean, just like Sartre is 'incredible!' Its incredible that something that small, yet so complexly simple is capable of mediating so many responses, so many advantages to its survival. Everything our body does to protect us, it takes advantage of to kill us even more.

Essentially, the HIV virus uses CD4 T helper cell receptors and chemokine coreceptors to invade CD4 T helper cells. These helper cells are responsible for identifying and presenting a foreign molecule (antigen) to the B cells and cytotoxic T cells, which produce antibodies that mediate the killing of that foreign molecule. So if the virus gets into the T helper cells, any bacterial or other viral infection cannot be completely presented for an immune response against it. Basically, any such opportunistic pathogen can invade the host and kill it via infection. But the even more surprising thing about HIV is that even macrophages have the CD4 receptors and chemokine coreceptors on them. So, when a macrophage comes happily along to kill the already mutilated T cell, it gets the virus in it too! But even worse, is that the macrophage can cross the Blood Brain Barrier...OOOO..seriously! And so the virus ends up in your brain, your neurons..EVERYWHERE! Even worse, the macrophages and T cells that are damaged induce more and more cytokine and chemokine production (the immune system communicators) which brings more T cells to the infected T cell/macrophage. Normally, this is a good thing, as more macrophages at a site of infection means that site can be better repaired. But no, the HIV totally uses this to get ahold of more and more T cells and macrophages..and its basically the end of the world from there! About 1 person in 100 has HIV (some don't even know it).

Plus, there's a new strain in New York that is completely resistant to any type of drug (that usually target the reverse transcriptase or proteases of HIV)...if such a mutant HIV carrier is given AZT, a potent reverse transcriptase inhibitor, that person will develop resistance to AZT in three days..and there's nothing that can be done to save that person thereafter. Its only about time that such a situation becomes a full blown world wide reality. A slap in the face that the only thing we can really 'win' in the war of survival of the fittest isn't that we'll live forever, rather just live enough to spawn a new generation. But the trick is, it doesn't only apply to us. It applies to all living things on earth. And they're doing whatever they can, just as we think we are, to ensure their survival. Its just so darn scary, because its real, and not many people appreciate it for what it truly is. Its kind of like cancer, there's too many factors, that its impossible to claim that a cure is possible, because these factors are simply constantly changing under the laws of evolution.

Speaking of which, I totally saw evolution taking place today. Imagine the slow-going mellow Dr. Huffman evolving into a full blown sprint towards Haenicke ..no kidding. It was AWESOME! I'm going to miss the dudes in Biochem. My homies, my gangsta protectors. Ya man, you mess wid' me..you mess wid' 'dem! So watch out! *kapow*