语文360网
HIV has been a widespread epidemic for over 30 years now; despite recent setbacks, researchers around the world are still heavily committed to developing a vaccine that will stop the virus in its tracks and help the millions of people who have yet to suffer its wrath. Now, some researchers are looking for answers to help fight the battle in a place where we might not have searched before: the human mind.
The Economic and Social Research Council recently funded a new study that shows human hope might be a very strong and overlooked tool to help in the war with AIDS. In a nutshell, the study determined that people who had goals and definitive plans for their futures (whether that involved careers, relationships, children or the like) were more likely to stay away from any situations that would give them a high risk of contracting a disease like AIDS; on the contrary, those people who did not have many high hopes for their own future were more likely to engage in actions that would put them at a higher risk. One example widely used in the study is of men who do not have any ambitious hopes or goals for their future when engaging in sexual relations, they are less likely to wear a condom because the instant gratification and pleasure they feel when they do not wear a condom takes precedence over the future risk.
Tony Barnett, a professional from the London School of Economics, agrees with the study, Current policies to tackle HIV/AIDS in Africa emphasize individual behavior such as the ABC approach to prevention: Abstain, Be faithful, Condomise. However, these measures require that people have hope for the future and goals to aim for. And if wider economic and social circumstances are so poor that people lack hope for the future, then these current policies will have limited success. A prime example of this can be seen in the global fight against AIDS: while moderate success has been had in Western civilization, there has not been as great a degree of success in African nations. Consider the fact that in the country of Botswana, the life expectancy is 36 years for somebody with AIDS compared to 71 years for somebody who has not contracted the disease. Recent estimates have shown that within the next decade, the life expectancy may plummet even more to 30 years.
Studies like this one are demonstrating that in order to strengthen the fight against AIDS, researchers need to not only focus on a persons behavior (as many research studies do), but their cultural, economic and social background as well. Researchers in the field of AIDS/HIV studies need to strongly consider that for most people, hope for things like a secure future, a successful adulthood and an ever-growing family tree have an enormous impact on the decisions an individual makes throughout his/her life. Having a disease like HIV/AIDS can literally destroy a persons chances for any kind of hope which, in turn, can affect the entire society as infection rates soar. In Africa, for instance, where most people have little educational and financial support and, thus, bleak futures, young adults are more susceptible to contracting HIV at some point in their lives. Barnett states, Hope is quite straightforward to measure via questionnaires and surveys can help to identify high risk environments. Although there is not a great deal of experience in developing programs to increase hope, policies such as cash support for children, microfinance for small businesses, womens education, reduced discriminations against sexual minorities and health system reform will improve the wider environment. And with more to live for, interventions to encourage individuals to change their behavior are more likely to succeed.
Holle！艾滋病病毒，最近你又在哪里兴风作浪了？听说人类就要消灭你了，我可真替你担心啊！
你的老家在南非吧！在那里，你窗户里吹喇叭名（鸣）声在外，只要那里的人一听到艾滋病三个字，就立即吓得面如土色。你令人望而生畏，对被你施了毒掌的人敬而远之。你战果累累，在南非，每天都有近二百名患艾滋病的儿童出生，这些人中有1/4的活不到自己的第二个生日，听到战报，你可能要高兴得睡不着觉了吧！
你的脾气可真好呀！南非有个叫恩科西的艾滋病患者，居然活到了十二岁！他曾经说过，让世界上的人关心艾滋病人；还有让政府向孕妇提供艾滋病药物，使她们不再把自己的病毒传染给自己的孩子。你听后，火冒三丈，把魔爪伸向了他，置他于死地。你根本不用把他送上西天，他只不过是个纸上谈兵的赵括，只会空口说大话。再说了，你把他杀了，若传出去，后果可就不堪设想了，大家都会说你胆小、懦弱，只敢欺负像恩科西这样的人。
你没有出国旅行吧！那可就太好了。你想想看，出国旅行既要办护照、手续，还要坐飞机，多麻烦哪！如果路上有人劫机，或飞机出了故障，那你可就性命不保了。、
你也别繁殖后代了吧！假如你的孩子长大了，翅膀长硬了，那他可能要篡位了呀！
在这科技发达的21世纪，人类会找到消灭你的方法的，作为你的忠实守卫者，我告诫你一句：
加快脚步，远离人类！
In the 20years since the first cases of AIDS were detected, scientists say they have learned more about this viral disease than any other.
Yet Peter Piot, who directs the United Nations AIDS program, and Stefano Vella of Rome, president of the International AIDS Society, and other experts say reviewing unanswered questions could prove useful as a measure of progress for AIDS and other diseases.
Among the important broader scientific questions that remain：
Why does AIDS predispose infected persons to certain types of cancer and infections？
A long-standing belief is that cancer cells constantly develop and are held in check by a healthy immune system. But AIDS has challenged that belief. People with AIDS are much more prone to certain cancers like non-Hodgkins lymphomas and Kaposis sarcoma , but not to breast, colon and lung, the most common cancers in the United States. This pattern suggests that an impaired immune system, at least the type that occurs in AIDS, does not allow common cancers to develop.
What route does HIV take after it enters the body to destroy the immune system？
When HIV is transmitted sexually, the virus must cross a tissue barrier to enter the body. How that happens is still unclear. The virus might invade directly or be carried by a series of different kinds of cells.
Eventually HIV travels through lymph vessels to lymph nodes and the rest of the lymph system. But what is not known is how the virus proceeds to destroy the bodys CD-4cells that are needed to combat invading infectious agents.
How does HIV subvert the immune sys-tem？
Although HIV kills the immune cells sent to kill the virus, there is widespread variation in the rate at which HIV infected people become ill with AIDS. So scientists ask：Can the elements of the immune system responsible for that variability be identified？If so, can they be used to stop progression to AIDS in infected individuals and possibly prevent infection in the first place？
What is the most effective anti-HIV therapy？
In theory, early treatment should offer the best chance of preserving immune function. But the new drugs do not completely eliminate HIV from the body so the medicines, which can have dangerous side effects, will have to be taken for a lifetime and perhaps changed to combat resistance. The new policy is expected to recommend that treatment be deferred until there are signs the immune system is weakening.
Is a vaccine possible？
There is little question that an effective vaccine is crucial to controlling the epidemic . Yet only one has reached the stage of full testing, and there is wide controversy over the degree of protection it will provide. HIV strains that are transmitted in various areas of the world differ genetically. It is not known whether a vaccine derived from one type of HIV will confer protection against other types.
In the absence of a vaccine, how can HIV be stopped？
Without more incisive , focused behavioral research, prevention messages alone will not stop the global epidemic.