Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

IDSA and HIVMA are surprised and disappointed that the Senate removed one of the most cost-effective provisions—the Prevention and Wellness Fund—from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to be voted on today. This $5.8 billion provision—less than one-tenth of one percent of the total stimulus package—would have invested in immunizations, health promotion, HIV/AIDS prevention, ... Full story

HIV/HCV co-infected individuals who achieve a complete early response to interferon-based therapy for chronic hepatitis C have a 51% chance of achieving a sustained virological response using an extended 72-week course of treatment, researchers reported on Tuesday at the Sixteenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal, Canada. ... "Many patients found extended duration therapy difficult ... Full story

HIV infection itself appears to increase the thickness of the carotid artery and is therefore a significant independent risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD)—ultimately increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke—according to a new study presented Wednesday, February 11, at the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Montreal." Full story

The report is called Home Truths: Facing the Facts on Children, AIDS and Poverty. It's a two-year study done by an independent alliance of researchers, policymakers, activists and others called the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS. "A co-chair of the alliance is Jim Yong Kim, director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights ... Full story

DID the HIV & AIDS pandemic begin about a century ago in Africa? This is the possibility an international team of scientists investigating African human tissue samples preserved for nearly at least half a century wants the world to accept. Based on their findings, they are saying the HIV & AIDS pandemic probably began at least ... Full story

"Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have piggybacked antibodies onto radioactive payloads to deliver doses of radiation that selectively target and destroy microbial and HIV-infected cells. The experimental treatment — called radioimmunotherapy, or RIT — holds promise for treating various infectious diseases, including HIV and cancers caused by viruses. ... "RIT, which is ... Full story

HIV gene therapy trial promising "Keith Alcorn, of the HIV information service NAM, said: "The viral load responses in this study were very modest, and for any other sort of product would not justify going forward. "However, the researchers have shown enough of an effect for us to be hopeful that a gene therapy approach to HIV ... Full story

Patient advocates have voiced opposition to opt-out screening for HIV testing because of legitimate concerns that it would not ensure that patients feel they actually have the choice to accept or decline testing," said Anish P. Mahajan M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at UCLA. "We found ... Full story

Finding a microbicide is one of the thorniest problems in AIDS research. "Women in poor countries need a vaginal gel that blocks the AIDS virus but not sperm because many still want children. They also need one that can be inserted secretly: for too many women, any action that implies that a partner is infected is likely ... Full story

A quarter of Swaziland's workforce is absent from work because of HIV/AIDS, says a report by the International Monetary Fund. "The disease in Swaziland, which has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence and is also one of the poorest, has shaved about 1.3 percent from its annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth, the IMF said. ... "The IMF attributed ... Full story