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HIV/AIDS
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.
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.
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.
STD and HIV risk concerns could be baseless
A small study assessing the infectiousness of HIV-positive gay men taking antiretroviral therapy found that all had an undetectable viral load in the rectum.
Outcomes no better with single-pill regimens
One pill a day HIV treatments such as atripla, stribild and eviplera have the same rates of virological failure, drug resistance and side-effects as multiple tablet regimens, according to a meta-analysis.
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.
Some weight gain linked to lower HIV mortality
A weight gain of 4-9 kilograms was associated with lower mortality in normal-weight, HIV-infected individuals. However, there was no benefit in gaining weight for patients who were overweight or obese at the start of treatment.
Recent infection may not be highly infectious
People recently infected with HIV may not be as highly infectious as previously believed, bolstering the strategy of treating patients with antiretroviral drugs before the onset of Aids to prevent transmission.
Promising HIV-1 and HSV-2 studies
US research has found a powerfully effective vaccine against herpes viruses that might also be a good candidate as a vaccine vector for other mucosal diseases, particularly HIV and tuberculosis. In separate research it was found valacyclovir reduces HIV-1 levels – even when patients do not have herpes.
Scientists moving closer to HIV vaccination
Salk scientists claim to be a step closer to creating a drug capable of preventing HIV by customising a powerful defence system used by many bacteria and training this scissor-like machinery to recognise the HI virus.
New HIV tx approach reduces deaths
A new low-cost approach to care for patients with advanced HIV in Tanzania and Zambia, combining community support and screening for a type of meningitis, has reduced deaths by 28%.
Tool visualises body SIV replication live
A non-invasive method has been developed to image simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in real-time, in vivo. This allows for the capture of viral dynamics of SIV, the animal model of human HIV infection.
Study to look at new ARV tx for HCV
The US National Institutes of Health has launched a clinical trial to examine whether primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can use a new antiviral therapy as effectively as specialist physicians to treat people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection alone, or co-infected with HIV.
Young UK men in the dark over HIV
Three quarters of young men in the UK who are gay or bisexual don't receive any information about same-sex relationships at school, with two thirds going without HIV testing advice.
Viral load associated with fat gain
HIV infection or inflammatory changes associated with it may be responsible for fat accumulation and body fat redistribution, rather than HIV drugs, according to Case Western University research.
HIV attachment inhibitor 'well tolerated'
Fostemsavir, a first-in-class HIV attachment inhibitor that stops the virus from binding to and entering cells, was well-tolerated and demonstrated good antiviral activity a study has shown.
ARTs boost post-operative survival rates
Post-operative mortality rates were low among patients infected with HIV who are receiving ART, and those mortality rates were influenced as much by age and poor nutritional status as CD4 cell counts.
Virus itself controls replication
It is generally believed that HIV does not replicate in dormant immune cells. Now, two studies propose that the virus itself – not cells – controls whether HIV is replicating, and that periods of latency paradoxically give the virus a survival advantage.
Drug regime has chronic kidney disease risk
Three antiretroviral drugs are associated with a slowly increasing rate of chronic kidney disease over time.
Origin of AIDS viruses points to gorillas
Two of the four known groups of human Aids viruses (HIV-1 groups O and P) have originated in gorillas, according to an international team of scientists.
FDA approves single tablet regimen
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Triumeq, ViiV Healthcare's single-tablet, triple-combination antiretroviral (ARV) regimen, as a first-line therapy to treat HIV. T
US-funded abstinence programmes fail
Nearly $1.3bn spent on US-funded programmes to promote abstinence and faithfulness in sub-Saharan Africa had no significant impact, an analysis of sexual behaviour data has shown.
HIV/TB combination reduces morbidity
Early HIV treatment, combined with therapy to prevent tuberculosis, sharply reduced morbidity in a randomised trial in Côte d'Ivoire.
PrEP successes in Europe and Canada
Two studies of PrEP in gay men and trans women in Europe and Canada have demonstrated that the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduced the rate of infection by 86%.
Vaginal microbicide gel disappoints
FACTS 001, a South African study testing the efficacy against HIV of a vaginal microbicide gel found it was not efficacious enough to overcome the barriers to adherence posed by participants' lifestyles and especially their youth.
Combo regimen lowers mother-child transmission
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of three-drug antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy leads to a significantly lower rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission, a seven-country randomised study as shown.
Need for repeat testing in pregnancy
A large proportion of women in sub-Saharan Africa who are at high risk of transmitting HIV to their infants during breastfeeding are likely still to be undiagnosed, a large three-country survey found.
Study first to combine PrEP and ART
Giving both pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) to heterosexual couples where one partner has HIV can almost eliminate the chance of infection in the HIV-negative partner.