Science Closer Than Ever to an HIV Cure

Scientists have confirmed that a 5th person has recently been cured from HIV. This patient joins an incredibly small group of people who have participated in treatments that have effectively eliminated HIV from their systems. Experts agree there is still a plethora of work and trials that need to take place before effective forms of large scale distribution can be applied to the more than 30 million people currently living with the disease. 

The news of another person cured from HIV brings hope to infected patients around the world, and suggests we are one step closer to finding a global cure. HIV has been studied rigorously over the past 50 years, leading to various methods to treat and manage symptoms of the disease, significantly extending patient’s lives and preventing pier-to-pier transmission. Much of the current treatment is focused primarily on reducing active viral loads found in a patient’s blood, and preventing HIV from advancing into its life threatening form as AIDS. 

As people afflicted with the disease are able to live longer and prevent further transmission, scientists are able to continue studying the harmful disease, searching for a global solution. More patient trials are scheduled to take place throughout the remainder of this decade as technology and new understanding of how to control the disease continue to advance bringing us one step closer towards a cure.  

History of HIV

HIV, otherwise known as the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks a person’s immune system increasing their likelihood of succumbing to other opportunistic infections and serious illness, effectively killing them. The disease is a lifelong affliction and can be easily transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of another infected person. 

After contracting HIV a person may experience flu-like symptoms that gradually progress through the three stages of the disease before becoming life threatening. 

• Stage 1 Acute HIV Infection:

• Patient’s have a large quantity of HIV in their blood and are extremely contagious. 

• Patient’s exhibit many persistent flu-like symptoms like fever, sore throat, swollen glands, rash, muscle aches, fatigue. Etc.

• Stage 2 Chronic HIV Infection:

• The asymptomatic HIV infection stage where the disease is still active and producing within the body, but patients will likely not exhibit any symptoms. 

• Without treatment, the stage may continue for a decade or longer.

• Stage 3 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

• The most severe and life threatening stage of HIV infection.

• Patient’s have high viral load and can easily transmit the disease.

• Patient’s exhibit badly damaged immune systems exposing them to various opportunistic diseases and illnesses. 

• Without HIV treatment, people with AIDS typically only live up to three years after progressing to this stage. 

An HIV diagnosis is not life threatening with adequate treatment, however it is almost always fatal if the disease is left untreated and it advances into its later Stage 3 form as AIDs. There is no cure for HIV or AIDS, however doctors have developed significant advancements in medicine usage to effectively treat the symptoms of HIV, prevent its transmission, and extend the lives of infected people. 

There are currently 38.4 million people living with HIV, all who rely on the aid of modern medicines to remain alive. The disease has been dated back to the early 1800s, thought to originate from an interspecies transmission between chimpanzees and humans.The ape virus origins is thought to have entered human populations after hunters came into contact with the infected meat of a population of chimpanzees in Africa. Over the decades following the initial transfer, the disease spread across Africa and into the rest of the world spreading to the United States of America in the mid to late 1970s. 

How Stem Cells Cured HIV

The first patient ever cured from HIV was a German patient named Timothy Ray Brown in 2009. Timothy Brown was first infected with HIV in 1995 as a student in Berlin, where he successfully controlled his viral loads using medication. However his health took a significant turn for the worse in 2006 after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was forced to undergo several operations, including a bone marrow transplant using stem cells.

Due to his positive HIV diagnosis, the doctors operated the allogeneic stem cell transplant using stem cells from a donor with the CCR5 gene mutilation which made them resistant to HIV infections. 

Mr. Brown was forced to halt his HIV medications when starting the stem cell treatment, although he continued to get tested for signs of HIV. As doctor’s continued to monitor him, they were unable to find any signs of HIV in his blood or body for the next three years after his transplant. Additional studies were also able to identify decreases in HIV specific blood antibodies indicating the elimination of functional HIV from his system. 

After presenting his patient case at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections additional patients continued to be cured using the same methods.The other cured patients all underwent similar stem cell therapies to combat various forms of blood cancers. This method of treatment is not realistic over large scales because the human stem cell donors that bear the crucial CCR5 HIV resistant genetic mutation only account for approximately 1% of the global population, and stem cell transplantation is an extreme treatment with a myriad of associated risks.

Working Towards an HIV Cure

HIV is an incredibly complex virus that persistently spreads throughout a person’s body once infected. The disease can exhibit periods of latency while continuing to spread through cells in the body, even while under the medication of antiretrovirals (ARV). The main problem for scientists working towards a cure is finding a way to uncover and specifically target these hidden HIV cells that can unfortunately be reanimated if a patient stops using their medications, leading to reinfection.

The first step scientists are exploring on the road to a cure is to influence the hidden HIV cells to produce recognizable HIV proteins that medicine and the body can identify. Once the cells harboring the HIV are identified, specific drugs may be used to tag these cells for the immune system to exterminate. Patients will be given the treatment while continuously using the ARV medication to ensure healthy cells are protected from infection. 

The biggest problem scientists are facing developing this induce and reduce method, is reactivating the hidden HIV without causing health complications to the subject. However, with many of the world’s top scientists working diligently towards this solution, there have already been advances in types of effective medication for identification. 

The scientists remain optimistic that the world is closer than ever to having a cure for this disease. Moving forward, the studies will progress from laboratories into clinical trials, eventually determining the applications for the rest of the infected population. 

Train Derailment in Ohio Threatens State’s Environmental Health

A massive ecological disaster is currently underway in East Palestine Ohio after a severe train derailment releases a variety of different chemicals into the environment. Scientists have been able to identify several of these chemicals released from the train cars including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and isobutylene. 

Health officials are on high alert because many of the harmful chemicals have been known to cause a variety of harm to human health including irritation, breathing difficulties, cancer, and eye damage. The alarm continues to rise as the full breadth of the disaster continues to unfold, raising major concerns about the severity of exposure and contamination resulting from the incident. 

After the initial derailment of the 150 car freight train occurred, authorities decided to burn some of the spilled chemicals to avoid any potential explosions. The chemical burning has sparked additional concerns regarding human and environmental health for the greater portion of eastern Ohio, as the contaminants have now been observed entering the local atmosphere and essential resources like waterways and nearby farms.  

5 Toxic Chemicals Identified Around Derailment

Residents of the Palestine Ohio area have been told it is safe to return home after the initial assessments of the impacted area, however questions still remain over the extent of exposure to the region’s resources and additional safety concerns surrounding the chemical burning. Scientists are working to determine the level of exposure to the soil, air, and water. They have already been able to identify at least 5 different contaminants released by the train derailment. 

1. Vinyl Chloride: This compound is a known carcinogen, observable as a colorless flammable gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) components. PVC is the plastic material used in many different types of packing materials, electronics, medical supplies, and construction products. Extended exposure to vinyl chloride can result in drowsiness, disorientation, extremity numbing, nausea, and eventually cancer. This chemical is also a culprit of severe eye and skin irritation, among many of the initial reports from affecting individuals. Vinyl chloride has also been recorded causing extensive liver damages to those with long term exposure able to seep into soil and pollute groundwater resources. 

2. Butyl acrylate: This colorless liquid chemical is also used to produce various types of plastics, polymers, resins, and material coatings. Butyl acrylate is colorless with a fruity odor causing irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tracts after long exposures. 

3. Isobutylene: A colorless gas utilized in plastic production for packing materials and resins. Exposure to isobutylene causes dizziness and headaches.The shipping company transporting this company reported in an inventory briefing that the cells carrying this chemical had no breaches, although it has still been observed in the scientist’s environmental assessment surveys. 

4. Ethylene glycol: A synthetic compound used in components of paint, ink, hydraulic brake fluid, and antifreeze compounds. Exposure to ethylene glycol has been recorded causing irritation to eyes, skin, and upper respiratory tracts. 

5. Ethylhexyl acrylate: This colorless liquid is used to produce plastics and polymer compounds. Any person exposed can experience irritation to their eyes and skin as well as nausea and sore throats. 

Experts Criticize Disaster Response

Most of the country has been kept in the dark regarding the massive derailment, and many experts are now highly skeptical concerning the actual response from county officials and site surveys. The derailment was overshadowed in the news by sightings of rogue balloons thought to be of Chinese origin over the continental USA, and the superbowl. As more information and public highlighting of the events happening in the Ohio town reach the rest of the country, people are demanding more cohesive explanations regarding how officials are handling the spill. 

So far the conclusions are unsure if officials have done enough to study the effects and potential concerns for immediate and long term impacts the chemical spill could pose to human and environmental health. Evidently there has been a lot of testing and safety discussions since the initial accident, however there has not been any formal reports outlining the comprehensive actions taken to address the contamination concerns and consequences. 

Other expert scientists have also drawn concerns to the potential pollutants that may have been created as a byproduct of the derailment and fire. When some of the identified chemicals are burned they can produce byproducts known as dioxins which are extremely harmful and toxic substances. 

Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency has stated they will be continuing to monitor and survey the quality of Palestine’s air, soil, and water however they have not identified if they will also be testing for the harmful chemical byproducts adding to further criticism. 

The dioxins are heavy sticky compounds able to settle on people’s properties and tracked inside their homes, creating health hazards after being inhaled or ingested. These toxic compounds by products also do not break down easily and can sometimes persist for decades.

Environmental Damages

Initial estimates have been updated to suggest the freight train derailment is responsible for more than 44,000 animal deaths. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) estimates the deaths account for more than 38,000 minnows, plus more than 5,000 additional species that include fish, amphibians, crayfish, and macroinvertebrates. 

Shortly after the derailment officials declared it unsafe to enter waterways in the area unless prepared with specialized protective gear and equipment. Residents reported hundreds if not thousands of fish washing up on the shores of the rivers and streams further downstream from the incident, although officials have observed fish returning to the initial areas closer to where the incident happened. 

Hazardous trains are also required to be fitted with specialized automatic braking systems that would allow trains to brake faster potentially reducing the extent of damage a derailment can cause. Companies are always looking for ways to add more cars to their trains, inadvertently increasing the risk of derailment.

Progress Continues on Africa’s “Great Green Wall”

Climate change has already been observed to have resulting impacts in many regions of the world, including rising sea levels, droughts, famine, increased natural disaster frequency, and expansion of Sahara desert-like conditions across Africa’s plains. 

The Sahara has been gradually contributing to the degradation of surrounding landscapes as global temperatures, and storms force its expansion into the Sahel region along the desert’s southern border. The Sahel region is home to more than 500 million people at a direct risk of diminishing habitable landscapes. Rising atmospheric temperatures, wind storms, and urban expansion are all to blame for the encroaching sands.

Unfortunately, as the Sahara expands southward, it is also consuming limited habitable lands, resources, and agricultural regions and subjugating its populations to increased hardships. Expert climatologists, environmentalists, and botanists gathered to develop and implement a plan to reverse the Sahara expansion and reclaim the land’s vital resources.  

The Great Green Wall Objectives

The Great Green Wall plan was originally launched in 2007 by the African Union. This enormous task involves the cooperation of 22 countries spanning more than 8,000 kilometers across the African continent. The project has been marketed as a living symbol of hope, striving to become the largest living structure on the planet by 2030. 

Foreign investments have also been involved in large aspects of the project relying on key partnerships between the African Union Commission, the Pan African Agency, and various international contributions. 

The project's overarching goals include restoring more than 100 million hectares of degraded land along the desert’s southern border. By restoring that region, the project will sequester approximately 250 million tons of carbon and create over 10 million green jobs in the Sahel region of impacted countries. 

Restore and acquire fertile land, one of Earth’s most valuable resources. 

• Generate economic opportunities for younger generations and support those already established in the urbanizing countries. 

• Provide food security for millions of people who are already facing struggles associated with food shortages, drought, and famine. 

• Establish climate resilience in the key Sahara/Sahel region, where climate change has already forced temperatures to rise faster than anywhere else on Earth 

• Create a new, natural world wonder that spans across the 8 000 kilometer region. 

With the finite plans in place and progress already well underway, many additional public campaigns have also aided fundraising efforts and overall contributions. The urgent initiative aims for a complete timeline of 2030 by instilling a global wide movement centering the Great Green Wall as a symbol of hope for impacted communities. 

The wall's completion by 2030 will have significant welfare impacts on global climate change, food security, and resource migration conflicts. Scientists hope the wall will become a lasting partnership of man and nature working together to provide resources and habitation for many generations. 

Planning The Great Green Wall

Installation for the Great Green Wall was originally planned to span from the Djibouti region in the east to Senegal in the west. The restoration area belt was expected to be approximately 15 kilometers wide, spanning the massive 8,000 kilometers across the Sahara’s southern border. 

Each of the involved countries has specific objectives attached to its section as it relates to their regional necessities. Using an integrated landscape approach has allowed local context to be applied to the wall’s development, addressing land degradation, climate change mitigations, biodiversity, and forestry efforts. Other goals slated by impacted counties include reducing erosion, creating green jobs, increasing crop yields, and improving the number of arable areas for agricultural development. 

Employee Safety Moving to Digital EHS Platforms

Recent reports by the National Safety Council (NSC) suggest environmental, health, and safety (EHS) software can significantly enhance employee safety operations, preventing severe injuries and fatalities while on the job. 

EHS software uses various platforms, mobile applications, and technologies that can be applied to virtually any workplace. The NSC report was released as it continues its Work to Zero initiative designed to eliminate workplace fatalities using technology. 

NSC Work to Zero Initiative 

The National Safety Council decided to employ a Work to Zero Initiative to prevent all workplace fatalities by the year 2050 with new incorporations of various technologies. Thousands of workers continue to die each year in the national workforce prompting experts at the NSC to innovate and solve complicated workplace safety issues. 

Experts agree that with emerging technologies, the thousands of worker fatalities can be eliminated by increasing safety protocols and protecting employees. 

The NSC approach is designed off on three guiding principles:

• Research

• Experts will research and analyze the most effective technologies that can solve workplace safety problems and how those technologies can be implemented in the workplace. 

• Education

• Education on the new technologies and their implementation will be provided to the employees and employer to ensure the correct adaptation and encourage adoption within industries. 

• Partnerships 

• Continue to foster stakeholder partnerships to strengthen everyone’s work, safety, implementation, and protocol. 

The critical importance of partnerships will continue to foster growth and sharing across multiple industries to achieve the zero fatality goal by 2050. With cross-industry communication and sharing, more protocols, technologies, and integration methods will positively impact employees everywhere.

Current advisory boards for the Work to Zero Initiative are actively assessing new technologies for implementation, and many experts agree the way to zero fatalities is through user-friendly mobile applications, software, and safety protocols that can be accessed at the swipe of a finger. Most of the modern workforce has access to mobile devices like cell phones, laptops, and tablets, allowing much greater access to safety technologies than ever before. 

Advantages of Software and Mobile Applications

The National Safety Council has continuously released reports analyzing new technologies and ways they can be implemented for employee safety. Their most recent report, “Managing Risks with EHS Software and Mobile Applications,” built upon earlier reports assessing mapping technologies and solutions for reducing severe workplace injuries and fatalities. 

The new white paper report discovered many advantageous reasons and ways employers can utilize EHS mobile applications and software in their work towards zero by 2050. EHS mobile applications can provide deeper safety insights by helping employees track and monitor their safety compliance while encouraging continually evolving safety procedures as companies change. Mobile delivery of safety information also allows users to be notified when updates are cataloged so they can maintain the most current safety information about their workplace. Having up-to-date delivery of new safety information will allow employers to ensure compliance with mandates and restrictions applied within their industries. 

As more users transfer to mobile software applications to acquire and reference safety materials, the cost savings for overhead expenditures will also decrease. Access and maintenance of these systems can all be completed remotely, reducing company costs and mitigating excess spending involved with employee compensation, recruitment, and illness. The final major benefit of utilizing mobile EHS software will finally allow entire companies to become streamlined in their safety protocols. The EHS software can be accessed by anyone at the company keeping employees, employers, and contractors on the same page regarding specific safety instructions. 

Benefits of EHS Mobile Application Software

• Deeper Safety Insights

• Employers can track, monitor, and evolve safety information by utilizing centralized EHS maintenance system data. 

• Ensure Regulation Compliance

• EHS platforms utilize cloud-based storage allowing users to stay up-to-date on policy modifications, specific safety instructions, and relevant policies. The easy access provided by mobile users will also ensure compliance with safety protocols among users. 

• Cost Savings

• Implementing EHS mobile software will mitigate any excess expenditures associated with employee compensation, recruitment, and illness. 

• Streamlined Policy

• Easy access to EHS software by mobile devices, laptops, and tablets will streamline safety information and provide accurate time safety alerts while in the workplace. 

While implementing new environmental, health, and safety software tools do provide outstanding benefits to the average workplace, several specific instances may conflict within the industry. 

Disadvantages of Software and Mobile Applications

Overarching disadvantages to this type of safety software do bear some difficulties for large industries that require specific customization of their EHS software, and also the limitations of developing any comprehensive EHS protocols that would apply to smaller companies. 

To ensure employees are receiving a sufficient level of technical expertise, they must be able to select software with technical support and resources to operate safely. 

Currently, the EHS software is still in earlier developmental stages, wielding only about an 8 percent adoption of artificial intelligence (A.I.) within their programming. The overwhelming consensus in the utilization aspect of EHS in the workplace by almost 67 percent agree that A.I. should be an integral focus to evolve this technology within the following year. 

After this kind of employee safety technological tool's initial rollouts, the larger industries created highly customized implementation projects to meet their needs. Smaller companies were more likely to select modular implementations that provided standard EHS protocols at a lower cost. The divergence of the two types of industry created some disadvantages as large companies must spend extended amounts of time and money to achieve adequate EHS programs that they can utilize. However, on the other side of the equation, smaller companies are forced to acquire more comprehensive programs that may not precisely fit their company’s needs but come at a more affordable cost.  

Improving EHS Workflow Through Digitization

As the EHS mobile applications and software continue to be improved and implemented across various workplaces and industries, the NSC’s goal is continually chasing zero employee fatalities over the next 25 years. It is encouraging to see many different types of EHS software being hosted by many vendors.

These EHS tools are extremely powerful and, if used correctly, can significantly limit errors, increase data solutions, streamline workflows, and protect employees worldwide.

China Abandons Zero Covid Policy

This past weekend, China abandoned its previous policy of fighting for zero percent of covid inflicted patients in its country. This new movement has been brought on by widespread protests, international pressures, and media highlighting the mistreatment of large portions of the country’s population. 

As China breaks down its covid barriers, many citizens are also reentering international travel centers. The world is responding with increased precautionary measures surrounding border entries. 

Public Outcry Influences Scrapping the Zero Covid Policy

As countries begin to observe increased travel from China amidst the scrapping of their strict covid lockdown measures, there have been many discussions over precautionary measures to prevent covid spikes. 

China has been experiencing severe surges in positive covid cases over the past six months, with current case numbers well over 30,000 with more than 5,000 positive cases added daily. The alarming increase in cases was partially responsible for the ambitious policy targeting a zero percentage of infection across the enormous country.

The zero covid policy consisted of extraneous lockdowns, travel restrictions, public zoning, and widespread testing mandates. Although many media outlets are blocked and restricted within the country, some videos that made it to the western world shined a light on the egregious lockdown procedures officials were enacting across Chinese cities. 

Many people were forcibly locked into their apartment buildings, grocery stores, and even taxis when officials determined there was a positive case. The public outcry began to heighten with widespread protests, international media pressure, and significant losses of lives due to unforeseen complications associated with strict lockdown measures. 

Protests Arise From Strict Lockdowns

Protests are not common in China, with its strict unitary and communist government. However, amidst many rigorous and extensive lockdown measures, protests began to gain traction in many large Chinese cities. 

Many citizens began to protest after being forcibly locked into their apartments for the 14-day quarantine period outlined by health officials like the CDC. There appear to be many instances where the people locked in the building had to struggle for food and water, as they could not access necessary resources themselves, relying entirely on government subsidies that were few and far between. 

Several recorded examples of people getting arrested after attempting to leave their apartments, and many others suffered injuries and even death in the mandated lockdowns. 

Significant protests began after a fire broke out in a locked-down apartment building in late November, killing ten people and injuring many others. This was the second major fire disaster in the nation amidst these severe lockdowns. 

The Chinese public outcries and comments on social media calling for justice, demanding to understand if the lives were lost due to the covid restrictions hampering rescue efforts. Of course, many points to the inability of fire rescue to adequately approach the 15-story high-rise where the fire began due to roadblocks and covid infrastructure at the building’s base.

Chinese covid protocols were categorized into risk levels, and it is still unknown which level of restriction this building faced at the time of the emergency. Local officials said in a statement that this block was on a low-risk enforcement level, meaning residents could leave their buildings provided they self-monitor and avoid gatherings. However, local communities around the compound shared the building had recently been placed under stricter enforcement potential making it more difficult for residents to evacuate quickly. 

Efforts to quell the fire were also hampered by cars in the parking lot with dead batteries from sitting so long, preventing the fire trucks from getting close enough to disperse water on the upper floors, which were also engulfed in flames. 

China’s New Covid Protocols

China has responded to the increasing pressures to reassess its protocols and has released new forms of restrictions to combat covid. 

• People are no longer required to relocate to state facilities or quarantine if they or someone they have contact with test positive for covid. 

• China has also ended its mass testing program, which means it will no longer have an accurate assessment of its ongoing cases. 

As of November, Chinese officials also released statistics that they have successfully vaccinated almost 40% of people over 80 years old with two doses of covid vaccines. These people are in the demographic for the most risk of severe covid complications. 

Precautionary Measures Applied to Chinese Flights and Tourists Across the EU and USA

Some EU countries have responded to the entrance of many Chinese tourists with mandatory testing despite controversies over its injustice and political motivations. Many argue that mandatory testing is not an effective use of resources or time due to the high vaccination rates already prevalent across Europe. 

The decision to implement testing continued, though, as there have been constant misrepresentations of current infection statistics by China and unknown information on the rise of new variants due to a lack of data. 

Chinese officials suggested that these restrictions are politically motivated and threatened to retaliate against unjust policies. 

The United States of America has also enacted its policies toward incoming travelers from China. US officials cited a need for adequate and transparent covid data for the decision to require entry tests. The decision is also backed by scientists who want to allow time to slow the disease's spread via travel and identify any potential new strains. 

The consensus is shared by many areas of the world as other countries, including Japan, Australia, India, Taiwan, and Malaysia, will require any travelers arriving from China to test negative for covid. 

How Will Traveling Look To and From China in 2023

1. Travelers entering China will no longer have to quarantine, as anyone arriving previously had to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a state facility. Some cities may still enact a form of quarantine for international and domestic travelers as their populations may be more vulnerable to the effects of covid. 

2. The EU calls for European-wide mandatory testing for all travelers from China, with many countries already enacting their policies. The USA, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and many more will be joining the European country's testing mandates. 

3. Many Chinese will likely be traveling this year as they have had some of the most severe and strict lockdowns during the pandemic. Many citizens will have to renew their passports as almost three years have passed since tourism was open in the country.  

4. It needs to be clarified how many cases China is currently facing and what kind of variants travelers may be spreading abroad. The scrapped mandated testing and misreporting of data have led to many inconclusive reports concerning the accuracy of covid infections.