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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...
Novel intervention halves death rate in those with HIV who inject drugs
An intervention designed to facilitate treatment for HIV and substance use was associated with a 50% reduction in mortality for people living with HIV...
Patient navigation programmes linked to continuation of HIV care
Patient navigation programmes in HIV care are positively associated with HIV care continuum outcomes such as maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and retention in...
Appropriate pain management may have role in key HIV treatment outcomes
Chronic pain was reported by a quarter of people living with HIV in US study. Among people reporting ongoing pain of moderate intensity or...
Neuro-psychiatric side effects with dolutegravir
A large study by French researchers at CHU de Martinique, INSERM UMR 1027 - Toulouse, Nice University Hospital, Pitié Salpetrière University Hospital, Paris, Marseille...
One in nine people could control viral load after stopping treatment
A US collaboration that pooled data from 14 scientific studies containing between them more than 600 HIV-positive people has found that 67 of them...
Critical need for integrated health services in HIV-affected populations
Many young adults living with perinatally acquired HIV infection reach young adult milestones related to school, employment and sexual relationships, research shows. "We were...
Janssen announces positive results from ATLAS study
Janssen has announced positive top-line results from a Phase 3 trial for an investigational long-acting 2-drug regimen for HIV-1 infection.
According to an Infectious Disease...
Attitude a top attribute for preferred healthcare provider — Zambia study
As a healthcare patient, what would you sacrifice for a provider with a nice – rather than rude – attitude? Medical Xpress reports that...
Pressing need to address heavy drinking among MSM with HIV
Among the more than 1m people in the US living with HIV, 19% meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder. The consequences can...
Dolutegravir monotherapy an unsafe switch option
Using dolutegravir alone, as maintenance treatment after achieving undetectable viral load on a three-drug regimen, results in an unacceptable rate of viral rebound and...
Patients receiving methadone and HIV drugs spend less time with detectable viral load
People on methadone maintenance treatment spent less time with a detectable viral load above 1,500 copies/ml, potentially reducing the risk of HIV transmission, a...
Surprise HIV finding in SA circumcision study
Circumcision is a proven intervention that reduces the chance of contracting HIV by 60%, but a study has found that medically circumcised older men...
Another 2-drug HIV antiretroviral regimen emerges
Not only is there a once-daily pill that can control HIV infection with just 2 drugs and fewer side effects than the customary 3-...
Dolutegravir brings faster viral suppression in late pregnancy
Among 60 women presenting to routine antenatal clinics in Kampala, Uganda and Cape Town, South Africa with undiagnosed HIV in late pregnancy, viral load...
No more neural tube defects reported in Botswana dolutegravir study
From 1 May to 15 July 2018 there were no more neural tube defects reported among infants born to women taking dolutegravir (DTG) at...
Reproductive health needs of women with HIV in SSA
The needs for safe conception services and a wider choice of contraception for women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa were highlighted recently at...
Treating adverse events resulting from vaccinations in HIV-positive individuals
Although HIV dysregulates the immune system, recent research does not indicate unexpected patterns of adverse events (AEs) resulting from vaccinations in HIV-positive individuals, according...
Similar virological suppression for those switching to once-daily darunavir/ritonavir
Stable patients on a twice-daily lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r)-based second-line regimen who switched to a once-daily 400/100 mg darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) one maintained similar virological suppression to...