AIDS: Much of the good news in AIDS treatment is buried in medical literature that is technical and difficult to read. This overview of current research in progress describes the positive findings of several studies. One study shows that only 55 percent of those diagnosed in 1983 survived for a year, while 90 percent diagnosed 10 years later survive. Protease inhibitors, new treatments stressing combination therapy, and greater precision in tracking disease progression via viral load are all major contributors to this decreased mortality.