treatment news
Higher rates of HIV in US black gay men may be due to smaller choice of partners and more age mixing
The study found that participants had an average of about one sexual encounter a week and that 54% of these were with partners they already knew. Over a quarter (27%) of these involved unprotected anal or vaginal sex. Participants’ age made no difference to whether they had unprotected sex, but race did. Black men were only a third as likely to report unprotected sex in any one encounter as men of other ethnicities (odds ratio 0.32, p 0.01). In multivariate analysis, however, taking age, the sexual familiarity of the partner and their HIV...
read moreHPV Vaccine May Protect With Two Doses Instead of Three
May 17, 2013 HPV Vaccine May Protect With Two Doses Instead of Three Girls between the ages of 9 and 13 were randomized evenly to receive either three doses of Gardasil (261 girls) at 0, 2 and 6 months or two doses at 0 and 6 months (259 girls). In addition, 310 young women ages 16 to 26 received the three-dose schedule. Investigators measured antibody levels at 0, 7, 18, 24 and 36 months. Among the girls who took two doses of the vaccine, their responses to strains 16 and 18 of HPV one month after their last vaccine dose proved...
read moreHeavy Drinking Linked to HIV Transmissions
May 16, 2013 Heavy Drinking Linked to HIV Transmissions At the study’s baseline, the median number of drinks per week the men reported was eight, with the middle two quartiles ranging between two and 16 drinks. Thirty percent of the participants reported multiple partners with whom they had unprotected receptive anal intercourse over the previous two years. During more than 35,870 person-years of follow-up, 529 of the men contracted HIV. The researchers deduced that moderate drinking, defined as an average of one to14 drinks per...
read moreDramatic improvements in HIV testing are possible – local leadership and multiple initiatives required
In Brighton Hove the proportion of new HIV diagnoses which are made outside of sexual health and antenatal clinics has increased from 25.7% in 2000 to 57.8% in 2012, driven by improvements in HIV testing in primary care and community settings. Moreover, there has been a dramatic improvement in the diagnosis of recent HIV infection. Brighton Hove is the area of the UK with the highest HIV prevalence after London. The analysis was presented to the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) conference in Bristol yesterday. Since...
read moreEngagement with health care leads to more prompt HIV diagnosis and higher rates of virological suppression among gay men
Pre-existing connection with primary health care is associated with more prompt diagnosis of HIV infection and an increased likelihood of virological suppression one year after diagnosis among gay men, investigators from the United States report in AIDS Patient Care and STDs. The findings of the study could have implications for ‘test and treat’ strategies currently being proposed as a way of controlling the ongoing HIV epidemic among gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States and other countries....
read moreTriple therapy for hepatitis C is effective after liver transplantation, but side-effects are common
Adding the approved HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir (Incivo or Incivek) to pegylated interferon and ribavirin can increase sustained viral response rates even for difficult-to-treat liver transplant recipients, but adverse events are common, researchers reported at the 48th International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) last month in Amsterdam. While many hepatitis C patients await interferon-free direct-acting antiviral regimens, others have advanced liver disease and need treatment now. This group includes liver transplant recipients, as HCV...
read moreNanoparticles May Transport HIV Meds to the Brain
May 15, 2013 Nanoparticles May Transport HIV Meds to the Brain The researchers bound the drug to MENs inserted into macrophage immune cells. They then used magnetic energy to draw the drug through a cell membrane manufactured as a laboratory version of the blood-brain barrier. Next the use of a low-energy electrical current prompted the drug’s release from the nanoparticle. Tests confirmed the functional and structural integrity of the drug after its release. To read the Miami Herald story, click here. To read the study abstract, click...
read moreHepatitis E virus infection can cause rapid liver cirrhosis in people with HIV who have low CD4 cell counts
Infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause rapid liver fibrosis in people with HIV who have low CD4 cell counts, case reports published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases show. Spanish investigators reported two instances of HEV infection in gay men with HIV who had severe immunosuppression. Treatment with ribavirin monotherapy led to normalisation of liver function and temporary suppression of HEV replication. “Chronic HEV…can lead to cirrhosis within less than three years,” comment the authors. “In the...
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