Monkey Study Raises Hope Of HIV AIDS Vaccine
Scientists have tested a trial vaccine that protects rhesus monkeys against infection from a potent form of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a distant relative of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS in humans. Monkeys that received the vaccine were more than 80% less likely to become infected when exposed to SIV than monkeys that received a dummy shot. The new research, led by Harvard Medical School and reported online in the journal Nature on 4 January, has raised hopes that an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine is now a significant step closer because it offers vital clues as to which ingredients may succeed in humans and it identifies new HIV vaccine candidates to test in human trials, which are already being set up.
Sexual Satisfaction In Women Increases With Age
A new study of sexually active older women has found that sexual satisfaction in women increases with age and those not engaging in sex are satisfied with their sex lives. A majority of study participants report frequent arousal and orgasm that continue into old age, despite low sexual desire. The study appears in the January issue of The American Journal of Medicine. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System evaluated sexual activity and satisfaction as reported by 806 older women who are part of the Rancho Bernardo Study (RBS) cohort, a group of women who live in a planned community near San Diego and whose health has been tracked for medical research for 40 years.
Genital Herpes Vaccine Partially Successful
Results of a clinical trial show that an investigational vaccine for genital herpes protected some women against infection from one of the two strains of virus that cause the disease. Although the results show only partial success, the researchers who conducted the trial believe they represent progress towards a genital herpes vaccine. They write about their findings in the 5 January online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. There is currently no cure or approved vaccine for genital herpes, a sexually transmitted disease caused by the viruses herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2), with most infections thought to be caused by the latter (although a surprising finding of this study suggests that could be changing).