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New HIV/heart disease study launched in SA
A new drug trial study launched in South Africa is targeting life-threatening diseases in people living with HIV.
According to an IoL report, studies have...
Significant role of sexual violence in HIV infection and depression
Sexual violence plays a significant role in HIV infection and depression, according to ground-breaking research with women living in Rustenburg. Conducted by humanitarian organisation...
Treatment or watchful waiting for cervical abnormalities in HIV women?
Close monitoring of earlier-stage cervical abnormalities (CIN-2) may be preferable to treatment for many women with HIV, a US study suggests.
The findings, presented at...
Experimental STI prophylaxis in PrEP users
Use of the antibiotic doxycycline as on-demand post-exposure prophylaxis by men who have sex with men (MSM) taking part in the Ipergay HIV pre-exposure...
Prednisone reduces TB-IRIS risk in HIV patients
Patients with HIV had significantly less risk for clinical deterioration due to tuberculosis–related inflammation when given prednisone early in their treatment regimen in a...
Linkage to care following HIV diagnosis the biggest weakness
A study carried out through the Africa Health Research Institute in KwaZulu-Natal, found that less than half of the population with HIV in the...
Living longer with HIV associated with depression
Longer time living with diagnosed HIV infection is strongly associated with depression, anxiety and poor quality of life, according to UK research. Older age...
ART creating complacency and risky behaviour
A survey spanning 19 years of participants at a gay pride event in the US notes a consistent increase in the occurrence of condomless...
Legalising some sex work helps reduce HIV incidence
Countries that have legalised some aspects of sex work have fewer sex workers living with HIV than countries that criminalise all aspects of sex...
Starting Tx immediately after diagnosis not harmful for adolescents
A lack of lengthy preparation before starting HIV treatment does not result in an increased risk of death or loss to follow-up in adolescents,...
Reduced health trade-offs in HIV+ and diabetes patients
HIV-positive people who received healthy food and snacks for six months were more likely to adhere to their medication regimens, and they, as well...
Cognitive impairment risk high for patients with HIV
More than half of patients with HIV who participated in a cross-sectional study screened positive for cognitive impairment, researchers in Ireland reported.
According to a...
Vitamin D deficiency negates efficacy of statins in people with HIV
People living with HIV who take statins are less likely to experience cholesterol reductions and more likely to develop painful muscle damage as a...
Initiating ART reduces risk of bacterial infection in HIV+ patients
Immediate ART reduces the risk of several severe bacterial infections in HIV-positive people with high CD4 cell count, found a University College London study.
Initiating,...
HIV treatment might boost susceptibility to syphilis
The antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection might inadvertently be boosting gay/bisexual men’s susceptibility to the bacteria responsible for syphilis, Treponema pallidum, conclude...
Male hypogonadism frequent in young/middle-aged men on ART
Around one in six young and middle-aged HIV-positive men doing well on antiretroviral therapy (ART) had low testosterone levels, French investigators led by Marie...
Regular economic incentives improve ART adherence
The provision of regular low-value economic incentives can improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to research conducted in Uganda. People were eligible for...
Modification of US health guidelines on PrEP recommended
US federal health guidelines on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV transmission should be modified because current standards could miss some who should be...
More improvements than declines in liver fibrosis score with combination ART
Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) was associated with more improvements than declines in liver fibrosis score in HIV-infected patients with or without hepatitis coinfections, according...
Miscarriage and stillbirth risk increases in smokers with HIV
Smoking 'dramatically' increases the risk of pregnancy loss in HIV-positive women, US investigators report.
Researchers from the large Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) examined the...
Viral load rebounds in women who start Tx during pregnancy or postpartum
Approximately one-third of HIV-positive women who attain viral suppression after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy experience a significant rebound in viral load in...
Viral suppression maintained after switch
Switching to a 2-drug regimen of dolutegravir plus rilpivirine maintained viral suppression among people on successful 3- or 4-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a...
PrEP dramatically reducing new HIV infections, says London clinic
Increasing access to Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) through online marketplaces appears to have at least partly contributed to a dramatic recent drop...
Questioning the need for adding statins
Despite studies showing the positive effects of statins on inflammatory and immune activation markers among HIV patients, a Harvard data analysis questions whether the time is right to recommend statins for HIV patients.
SA men hit lower immunity levels faster
Male HIV patients in rural South Africa reach the low immunity levels required to become eligible for antiretroviral treatment in less than half the time it takes for women.
Fresh clues to neurological damage
A new investigative approach in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys shows the caustic interplay between macrophage and monocyte traffic in the central nervous system, the onset of HIV infection and the formation of brain lesions.
Use of raltegravir supported
The use of raltegravir in HIV-infected pregnant women was well tolerated and effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, according to recent findings.
Viral suppression with 85% adherence rates
Some modern HIV treatment regimens can achieve viral suppression with adherence rates as low as 85%, investigators from the US Veteran Aging Cohort Study report.
High HCV rate in African HIV patients
In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers found high levels of infection with hepatitis C (HCV) across Africa, particularly in people infected with HIV.
Deficiencies in how HIV/Aids is tackled
The first SA National Student Sexual Health HIV Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour Survey has highlighted some complacency in how HIV-Aids is tackled at higher education institutions.
HIV increases risk of hardening arteries
HIV infection is associated with an increased risk of hardening of the arteries, a US study finds.
Unintended consequences of circumcision
A study of HIV-infected men in Uganda has identified an unintended consequence of male circumcision: a possible increased risk of infecting female partners during healing.
Gender equality encourages safer sex
HIV-positive South African women under the age of 26 were more likely to have used a condom during their last episode of intercourse if they had more gender-equal views.
Protein vaccine could boost immune system
A vaccine containing a protein necessary for virus replication can boost an HIV-infected patient's immune system, according to recent clinical research.
Non-disclosure has no effect on HIV outcomes
A large UK survey found that those individuals who chose not to disclose their HIV status to other people were no more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety, to have difficulty adhering to antiretroviral therapy or to have worse HIV outcomes.
Stimulant use negatives less than thought
Researchers found no association between any frequency of stimulant use and mortality, and only a modest association between high-frequency stimulant use and the combined outcomes of mortality and progression to Aids.
Community-based programmes lauded
Strengthening and expanding community-based approaches to delivering HIV treatment is vital to the long-term success of the Aids response, according to a report by Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and UNAIDS.
Congenital heart defect risk from retrovir
First trimester exposure to retrovir was associated with congenital heart defects, according to results of the ANRS-EPF French Peri-natal Cohort and the nested PRIMEVA randomised trial.
HIV initiatives must be integrated
HIV and Aids workplace initiatives should be integrated into national Aids programmes and a wide range of health approaches, including occupational safety and health, says a report launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in South Africa.
Resistance to PrEP can occur
Recent data suggest that resistance to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), while rare, can occur with both treatment initiation during acute seronegative infection and in PrEP breakthrough infections.