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Targeting intimate partner violence reduces HIV infection rates
Aggressively targeting intimate partner violence (IPV) in health care systems leads to lower rates of HIV infection among women, according to a study led...
Negligible risk of transmitting HIV when on ART
There is a negligible risk of transmitting HIV during sex when a person living with HIV is on antiretroviral therapy and maintains a viral...
Cellphone technology helps detect HIV virus
Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital have designed a portable and affordable mobile diagnostic tool, utilising a cellphone and nanotechnology, with the ability to...
Early HIV treatment reduces risk of liver fibrosis
Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the risk of liver fibrosis progression in people living with HIV, including in people who do not have co-infection...
High prevalence of hypertension among South Africans starting ART
There is a high prevalence and incidence of hypertension among HIV-positive people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa, according to research. A fifth...
R4P2018 conference session reviews U=U
One of the last sessions at R4P2018 included six talks about U=U, one of which reviewed the evidence about breastfeeding. This is important because...
Dolutegravir plus darunavir maintains viral suppression without NRTIs
A dual antiretroviral regimen containing dolutegravir (Tivicay) and boosted darunavir (Prezista) maintains viral suppression in most people who switch from a suppressive three-drug regimen,...
Reaching the men who are the partners of the young women with HIV in SA
In the high-prevalence countries of southern Africa, young women under 25 bear the brunt of the epidemic, with continued high rates of HIV infection....
The Miami monkey 'cured' with two antibodies
A “functional cure” of HIV has been achieved in one monkey given gene therapy that induced it to make two broadly neutralising antibodies against...
Mental health affects every stage of HIV diagnosis and treatment
HIV clinicians need to be aware that mental health affects every stage of HIV diagnosis and treatment, and manage issues just as they would...
Cameroon trial on on dolutegravir versus efavirenz
Dolutegravir-based treatment was no more effective than treatment based on a 400mg dose of efavirenz, a randomised trial conducted in Cameroon has found. However,...
Two-drug protease inhibitor as effective as three-drug treatment
Antiretroviral treatment with a boosted protease inhibitor and one other drug is just as effective as three-drug antiretroviral therapy containing a boosted protease inhibitor...
Bictegravir matches dolutegravir in first line treatment
A triple combination containing the new integrase inhibitor bictegravir proved just as effective as a dolutegravir-based combination in suppressing viral load over 96 weeks,...
Beyond Truvada, what is the future of PrEP?
The recent HIV Research for Prevention conference (HIVR4P 2018) in Madrid reviewed the current menu of agents and novel delivery modalities in development for...
PrEP 'safe and effective for widespread use'
Research presented at the HIV Drug Therapy Conference in Glasgow shows that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could be given to millions of people worldwide with...
Low rates of effective contraception in young US women
Data has found that effective contraception, condoms, and dual contraceptive method use were inadequate in a cohort of young HIV-positive women, highlighting a need...
Ring releasing ARV and contraceptive hormone well tolerated
In the first clinical study of a vaginal ring that releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine as well as a contraceptive hormone, there were no...
High HIV incidence indicates need for increased interventions for MSM and TGW
Researchers from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) have presented results from the HPTN 075 Study at the HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) conference...
Managing pain in PLWH
Pain is very common among people living with HIV (PLWH) and has a major impact on quality of life and use of healthcare resources,...
Combined treatment effective for stopping smoking, anxiety and depression
A randomised control trial by researchers at the department of psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, department of psychology, University of...
Drug resistance accumulates fast in people with low but detectable viral loads – study
A study measuring HIV drug resistance at two time-points in Kenyan patients on second-line, protease inhibitor-based regimens has found very high levels of drug...
ART reduces neurocognitive impairment risk
Initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) may reduce the risk for neurocognitive impairment in patients living with HIV, according to study results.
The study included participants from...
Long-acting injectable implant shows promise
An ultra-long-acting, injectable, and removable formulation of dolutegravir has proved effective in animal models.
A persistent challenge in HIV/Aids treatment and prevention is medication adherence...
PrEP prescriptions low due to unfamiliarity and attitudes
The use of PrEP remains low in primary care settings, with only 14% of residents polled at East Carolina University not even having heard...
Kindness and time are key factors in treatment retention in SA adolescents
Experiencing kindness from health staff, having someone to attend clinics with, and not being rushed in appointments are among a handful of factors strongly...
HIV risk behaviour research challenges stereotypical 'sugar daddy' image
The male partners of adolescent girls and young women in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and South Africa report substantial HIV risk behaviours, but the data also challenge...
Efavirenz could increase neurological risk for unborn child
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a vital treatment that helps prevent a pregnant woman from passing HIV to her baby, but one type of ART...
Biktarvy is effective and safe for new HIV patients through to 96 weeks
A US study has underscored the role of Biktarvy as a first-line treatment option for appropriate adults living with HIV who are new to therapy.
Biktarvy...
High rates of smoking in people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
Having HIV is associated with a greater likelihood of cigarette smoking and using smokeless tobacco, according to US research conducted in 25 countries in...
Powerful antibodies can completely suppress HIV for several months
Anti-HIV drugs have prevented millions of early deaths from Aids, but infected people must take the pills every day, for life. Now, two studies...
PEPFAR has funded 15m circumcisions in sub-Saharan Africa
PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief) has supported the voluntary medical male circumcisions (VMMC) of 15,269,720 men and boys in 14...
Older age and baseline kidney function the key risk factors for CKD in people with HIV
Older age and lower baseline kidney function are the only significant risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in HIV-positive adults,...
Study confirms STIs make no difference to undetectability and infectiousness in ART
A study conducted with gay men in Thailand has found that people who are diagnosed with HIV and start antiretroviral therapy (ART) are no...
Zoledronic acid more effective than switching tenofovir for low bone mineral density
Two infusions of zoledronic acid resulted in significantly greater increases in bone mineral density over 24 months than switching from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)...
Food insecurity adds to HIV risk in SA
People who struggle to get food on the table are more likely to test positive for HIV in South Africa, according to a study...
Exercise could protect against cognitive impairment in women with HIV
Physical activity may protect against cognitive impairment in women living with HIV, according to a study. Researchers at the Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University...
Symptom screen less likely to detect active TB in people on ART
The four-symptom screen for active tuberculosis (TB) that is recommended for all people living with HIV in lower-income settings is less likely to detect...
Innovative delivery implant for long-term PrEP administration
A nanochannel delivery implant (NDI) can deliver pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) antiretroviral (ARV) drugs subcutaneously, according to study results.
PrEP with ARVs can prevent HIV transmission...
Peer support crucial for many people living with HIV
Social support from peers living with HIV is of a different nature to the support received from people who do not have that direct,...
Protecting pregnant women in clinical trials is a delicate balancing act
Treatment decisions during pregnancy are a balancing act that should be informed by available data and expert input, notes an article in The New...