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 March 31, 2009
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Most South Carolina HIV Patients Not in Care
Only 35 percent of people who know they are HIV positive in South Carolina are consistently receiving medical care, according to a study published in AIDS Clinical Care and reported by Journal Watch.
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March 30, 2009
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Innovative Video Captures Cell-to-Cell HIV Transfer
By creating a molecular clone of infectious HIV and inserting a special gene into its genetic code, scientists were able to film how the virus spreads directly from infected CD4 cells to uninfected ones, The Daily Telegraph reports. Researchers hope that the digital video will lead to new breakthroughs in treatment and vaccine development. (Watch the video.)
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March 27, 2009
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CD4 Cells Also Increase in HIV, Hep C Coinfection
Being infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) doesn’t prevent people with HIV from experiencing increases in CD4 cells after starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and reported by aidsmap.
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| March 25, 2009
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March 24, 2009
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Treatment Adherence: Still Important
People who regularly miss doses of their antiretroviral (ARV) regimen have an increased risk of death, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
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March 23, 2009
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More Help for Uninsured Patients
Together Rx Access, a multicompany collaborative patient assistance program that provides free prescription drugs for people without health insurance, has widened its eligibility criteria so that 90 percent of uninsured Americans will qualify.
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March 20, 2009
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Kidney Tube Dysfunction in Tenofovir Users
Tenofovir (found in Viread, Truvada and Atripla) is associated with an increased risk for kidney tube dysfunction in people with HIV, notably as they age, according to a study published in the March 27 issue of AIDS. People with damaged kidney tubes can ultimately have problems not only with their kidneys, but also with bone mineral absorption.
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March 19, 2009
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Apricitabine Efficacy, Safety Hold Up Over 96 Weeks
Apricitabine (AVX754)—an experimental nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)—can be used safely and effectively for nearly two years in combination with other antiretrovirals, according to a press release by Avexa Limited, the drug’s developer.
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March 18, 2009
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HPV Infection Rates High in HIV-Positive MSM
Nearly 100 percent of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) are infected anally with the human papillomavirus (HPV), and once infected, few are able to clear the virus, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases and reported by aidsmap.
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March 17, 2009
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Lymphoma Drug Wakes Up Dormant HIV
A drug approved to treat lymphoma, Zolinza (vorinostat, SAHA) can wake up CD4 cells latently infected with HIV and render them vulnerable to antiretroviral (ARV) medication, according to a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and reported by EurekAlert. Activating these dormant cells is a goal for researchers who hope to find ways to either eradicate the virus or help the body control HIV infection without ARV therapy.
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March 16, 2009
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Older Age Linked to Less Depression
Older HIV-positive adults have richer and more satisfying social support and less depression than younger HIV-positive adults, according to a study published online March 11 in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
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March 13, 2009
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Big Leap Forward in HIV Vaccine Science
For the first time, researchers have been able to create an HIV vaccine capable of neutralizing multiple strains of the virus in animals, according to a study published online March 11 in the Journal of Virology and reported by ScienceDaily. The authors caution that this is just a first step toward creating an effective vaccine for humans, but a big step nonetheless.
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March 12, 2009
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Low-Dose Efavirenz Safe for Some
Efavirenz (found in Sustiva and Atripla) may be safe and effective at one third the standard dose in some people, according to a research letter published January 28 in AIDS and reported by aidsmap. Specifically for HIV-positive people with a key genetic characteristic, lowering the dose may completely resolve the pesky central nervous system (CNS) side effects of efavirenz.
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March 11, 2009
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Antiretrovirals Reduce AIDS Deaths, But Some Illnesses Remain Serious
People who begin antiretroviral (ARV) therapy before their CD4 cells drop below 200 have a significantly reduced risk of developing an AIDS-defining opportunistic illness (OI), but some OIs remain deadly, according to a study published online March 10 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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March 10, 2009
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Noninvasive Hep C Test Nearly as Good as a Biopsy
A noninvasive method for determining liver damage, called transient elastography, is nearly as accurate as a liver biopsy in people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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| March 09, 2009
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March 06, 2009
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Call for a Coordinated Cure Effort
Several top researchers, a noted AIDS activist and two industry scientists have called for a collaborative and coordinated effort to find ways to eradicate HIV from the body, according to an article they’ve written in the March 6 issue of Science and reported on by aidsmap. They claim that eradication will be extremely difficult to achieve, but that failing to shoot for it is unacceptable.
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March 05, 2009
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Drug Levels in Hair Predict Treatment Success
Measuring protease inhibitor (PI) concentrations in hair samples can help predict antiretroviral (ARV) treatment success, according to a study published in the February 20 issue of AIDS.
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March 04, 2009
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Methadone and Protease Inhibitor Interaction Called Into Question
Protease inhibitors and methadone do not interact the way researchers long believed, according to a study in the March issue of the journal Anesthesiology and reported by ScienceDaily. The new findings suggest that recommended dose adjustments of methadone—a popular treatment for people in recovery from opiate drug use—for those undergoing antiretroviral therapy may not be required.
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CROI 2009: HIV and Women
 At the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Montreal, David Evans talks with Valerie Stone, MD, a researcher and physician at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital about disease progression in women, challenges with contraceptives and screening for cervical cancer.
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March 03, 2009
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Study: Reyataz Negatively Affects Blood Vessel Function
The protease inhibitor Reyataz (atazanavir) negatively affects the normal functioning of blood vessels, as has been seen with other protease inhibitors, according to a study published in the May 2009 issue of Heart. The authors suggest that Reyataz reduces the ability of arteries to widen (dilate), a sign of cardiovascular disease (CVD) tied to plaque buildup in the blood vessels.
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March 02, 2009
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Some HIV Drugs May Cause Pulmonary Hypertension
Certain HIV drugs may cause dysfunction in the cells that line the blood vessels leading to the lungs, thus increasing blood pressure and potentially increasing the risk for heart disease, according to a study published in the February 13 issue of The American Journal of Pathology and reported by ScienceDaily.
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