Southern Africa: The United States and the Future of HIV/Aids Prevention and Treatment [document] Sep 3, 2009
Results from the South African Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (CHER) trial showed that starting ART before 12 weeks of age significantly reduced early mortality by 76% and HIV progression by 75 ... Granich, R; Dye, C; De Cock, K; Williams, B. Universal voluntary HIV testing with immediate antiretroviral therapy as a strategy for elimination of HIV transmission: a mathematical model, Lancet 373:48-57. (allAfrica.com)
New Study Suggests An Unidentified Source As Cause Of Residual Viremia In HIV-1 Patients On HAART Aug 31, 2009
31, 2009) A new study suggests that an unidentified cellular source may be responsible for residual viremia in HIV-1 patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) ... Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Viremia and Provirus in Resting CD4 T Cells Reveals a Novel Source of Residual Viremia in Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy ... 30, 2008) Under current treatment guidelines, highly active antiretroviral therapy should be considered for HIV-infected patients when their CD4+... (Science Daily)
Rwanda: Antiretroviral Therapy Saves Lives Aug 29, 2009
After six years of free HIV/AIDS treatment for Rwandans, an official with the organization that administers the antiretroviral therapy (ART) says the program has created a new sense of hope for HIV-infected patients ... Winfrida Nukagihana, here with her son Eugene Bisangwa, receives monthly antiretroviral therapy at CHUK hospital. (allAfrica.com)
HIV Integrase Inhibitor Effective For Patients Beginning Antiretroviral Treatment, Study Suggests Aug 21, 2009
20, 2006) Researchers believe antiretroviral therapy (ART) will not be effective in stopping HIV epidemics even if it is made universally available in poorer countries, and that widespread use could even lead. . (Science Daily)
Palliative care for HIV in the era of antiretroviral therapy availability: perspectives of nurses in Lesotho Aug 16, 2009
Other articles by authors. Related articles/pages. (BioMed Central)
WHO: More than 4.9 mln people live with HIV in Asia-Pacific region Aug 10, 2009
Majority of the sufferer has not got Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), the minister said in the statement. The challenges faced by the governments were the development of the program for an early detection for imposing ART, Minister Supari said. (Xinhuanet, China)
Cannibalistic Cells May Help Prevent Infections Aug 6, 2009
7, 2008) Researchers have answered a key question as to why antiretroviral therapy isn't effective in restoring immunity in HIV-infected patients. Once a person is infected with the virus, fibrosis, or. (Science Daily)
Summary for Patients Aug 4, 2009
These treatment combinations are known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Efavirenz is 1 of the drugs used in HAART and is very effective at fighting HIV infection. (Annals of Internal Medicine)
Botswana: Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Lowest in Africa - Study Jul 30, 2009
The Mmabana Study, as the programme is called, also revealed that Maternal Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) from early in the third trimester of pregnancy through six months of breastfeeding is a safe and effective strategy for preventing mother-to-child-transmission of HIV/AIDS while allowing for the benefits of breastfeeding. Dr Shapiro explained that among a sample of 730 HIV-infected pregnant women in Botswana, starting HAART early in the third trimester of pregnancy led to 95... (allAfrica.com)
Africa: Backsliding On Aids Funding [analysis] Jul 29, 2009
Nathan Ford, Edward Mills, and Alexandra Calmy, "Rationing Antiretroviral Therapy in Africa - Treating Too Few, Too Late", New England Journal of Medicine, April 30, 2009. end. (allAfrica.com)
In Vitro Antibody Production Enables HIV Infection Detection In Window Period -- Key To Safer Blood Jul 29, 2009
Combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) restores the T cell population, however not all patients respond to this therapy. (Mar. (Science Daily)
Uganda: Crisis as ARVs Run Out Jul 27, 2009
According to a press release issued by the Uganda Red Cross, Masindi branch last Monday, the Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic in Masindi Hospital is closing in September due to lack of funds. The clinic was established in 2003 to provide care for people living with HIV and other chronic illnesses. (allAfrica.com)
Africa: Optimism Over Stemming HIV/Aids Jul 26, 2009
"The gap between evidence and implementation is particularly apparent between North and South. In the North we have virtually eliminated vertical (mother to child) transmission of HIV infection with the use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). We have unrestricted access to drug combinations, and new, highly-potent, and safer drugs that are easier to adhere to. We also have highly effective second and third line regimens, as well as point of care testing, and routine viral load and... (allAfrica.com)
Protein Excreted In Urine May Be Help In Diagnosing Kidney Disease Caused By HIV Jul 25, 2009
Antiretroviral therapy plays an important role in the treatment of HIVAN, yet despite advances in understanding HIVAN, current recommendations for treatment have largely been based on observational data and can only definitively made after a kidney biopsy. The current study, spearheaded by Columbia University's Jonathan Barasch, M.D., Ph. (Science Daily)
HIV Infection And Chronic Drinking Have A Synergistic, Damaging Effect On The Brain Jul 24, 2009
While highly active antiretroviral therapy has helped to reduce HIV-related cognitive and motor deficits, neuropsychological deficits may continue and even be exacerbated by alcohol. A study of memory deficits has found that HIV infection and chronic alcoholism have synergistic, damaging effects on brain function. (Science Daily)
Pre-chewed Food Could Transmit HIV Jul 23, 2009
Researchers found that only half of the HIV-infected children who survived without antiretroviral therapy maintained. (Sep. (Science Daily)
Earlier HIV Antiviral Treatment Can Be Cost Effective In Areas Of Limited Resources, South African Study Finds Jul 22, 2009
The team reports in the August 4 Annals of Internal Medicine that starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) when the level of CD4 T cells drops below a threshold of 350 per microliter of blood, compared with below 250, would prevent nearly 76,000 deaths and avert 66,000 opportunistic infections over the next five years at an estimated cost of 1,200 per year of life saved ... 21, 2008) A South African treatment study shows that mortality among TB-HIV co-infected patients can be reduced by a... (Science Daily)
Earlier HIV Treatment Could Save Lives Worldwide Jul 22, 2009
MONDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Beginning antiretroviral therapy soon after an HIV diagnosis should be standard care for all, including those in poor nations where cost is a barrier, new research contends. An estimated 76,000 deaths could be prevented and 66,000 infections avoided over a five-year period, the researchers say, if antiretroviral therapy (ART) were started when CD4 T-cell levels drop below 350 per microliter of blood instead of delaying until levels fall below 250. (MEDLINEplus)
South Africa: ARVs Could Be Used to Prevent HIV Infection Jul 21, 2009
In countries such as the US pregnant HIV positive mothers are identified early and initiated onto full antiretroviral therapy, seeing almost zero vertical transmission to the newborn baby during birth. Dr Francois Venter of the Reproductive Health Research Unit in Johannesburg told delegates that the debate around when to start patient on ARVs pertained to a minority as most patients in sub-Saharan Africa started their treatment very late - the average starting at a CD4 count (cells in the... (allAfrica.com)
Focusing HIV Treatment Helps Control Concurrent Hepatitis B Infection Jul 16, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) Prolonged use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat people infected with both HIV and hepatitis B (HBV) helps to better control the hepatitis B infection and could delay or prevent liver complications, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine ... But N;;ez and Tsan Lee, a medical student at the School of Medicine, found that prolonged use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, including one or more... (Science Daily)
HIV-1 Damages Gut Antibody-producing Immune Cells Within Days Of Infection Jul 15, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 14, 2009) The virus that causes AIDS is classified as a lentivirus, a word derived from the Latin prefix, "lenti-," meaning "slow." But new research from the NIAID-funded Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology suggests that HIV-1 is anything but moving at breathtaking speed in destroying and dysregulating the body's gut-based B-cell antibody-producing system. "These new data show that damage to the antibody arm of the immune system begins quickly, within days. We know that by... (Science Daily)
Medical adventurers to set sail on floating mission of mercy Jul 7, 2009
8 million people for malaria; treated 150,000 malnourished children; provided 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral therapy; vaccinated 1. 8 million people against meningitis; and conducted 64,000 surgeries. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
HIV-related Death: Predicting Fatal Fungal Infections Jul 5, 2009
This form of meningitis affects more than 900,000 HIV-infected people globally most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas of the world where antiretroviral therapy for HIV is not available ... (In the U.S., the widespread use of antiretroviral therapy by HIV-infected people, and their preventive use of anti-fungal drugs, has dramatically reduced their rate of fungal meningitis from Cryptococcus neoformans to about 2 ... Combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) restores the T cell... (Science Daily)
Quick HIV test developed Jun 1, 2009
The majority of patients in developing countries start antiretroviral therapy based on symptoms alone. Research shows that if HIV patients wait till they're sick to start treatment they have a much poorer outcome than if treatment were started based on a CD4 count. (India Times, India)
New cellular targets for HIV drug development May 30, 2009
Four of the patients had been treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, called HAART, at or near the time of death. The research team compared brain and lymphoma tissues having heavy concentrations of macrophages with tissues from the spleen and lymph nodes that had a mix of HIV-infected macrophages and T cells. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
When will we get AIDS vaccine? May 28, 2009
Since the mid-1990s, thousands of patients with HIV/AIDS have been successfully treated with combinations of drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapy. In many cases, these drugs have turned a disease that used to be a sure death sentence into a treatable, chronic condition. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Research suggests new cellular targets for HIV drug development May 28, 2009
Four patients had been treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, called HAART, at or near the time of death. The researchers compared brain and lymphoma tissues, which had heavy concentrations of macrophages, with lymphoid tissues such as from the spleen and lymph nodes that had a mix of HIV-infected macrophages and T cells. (EurekAlert!)
AIDS Patients With Serious Complications Benefit From Early Retroviral Use, Study Shows May 21, 2009
(July 1, 2008) The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy may reduce the incidence of HIV in individuals and populations but has been overlooked by public health as a prevention ... 14, 2005) Although clinical progression to AIDS of patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has declined since the introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), there is little. (Science Daily)
Early Use Of Antiretroviral Treatment Improves Survival Rate Of HIV Patients May 18, 2009
(July 1, 2008) The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy may reduce the incidence of HIV in individuals and populations but has been overlooked by public health as a prevention ... Combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) restores the T cell population, however not all patients respond to this therapy. (Science Daily)
Victory! Colombian Government Cuts Price of Abbott's Lifesaving AIDS Drug Kaletra 55%, Says AHF May 12, 2009
Colombia is unable to provide antiretroviral therapy to those who need it. UNAIDS estimates that 33,000 people with AIDS who need ARV therapy now (62% of the total) are not currently accessing it. (PR Newswire)
Africa: Underfunding Global Health [analysis] May 11, 2009
Only one third of HIV-positive people in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to survive have access to treatment in the African region. The coalition fears that national and donor governments are betraying their health commitments, particularly promises to support the universal roll-out of ART by 2010. (allAfrica.com)
If Started Early, HIV Treatment Reduces Death Rates Toward Background Levels In African Countries May 3, 2009
Brinkhof et al. Mortality of HIV-Infected Patients Starting Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Comparison with HIV-Unrelated Mortality. PLoS Medicine, 2009; 6 (4): e1000066 DOI. (Science Daily)
Normal Vaccine Response Possible in Kids with HIV May 1, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Infants who become infected with HIV from their mothers can have a normal immune response to childhood vaccines, provided they begin treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy in the first year of life, the results of a small study suggest. Highly active antiretroviral therapy, better known as HAART, involves treatment with three or more drugs, of various classes, to combat HIV.. (MEDLINEplus)
HIV May Be Increasing in Virulence Apr 17, 2009
These findings agree with those of other researchers, who have reported that patients starting treatment for HIV infection in recent years may have lower CD4+ cell counts at diagnosis and require antiretroviral therapy earlier in the course of disease, Dr. Nancy Crum-Cianflone, from the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California, and colleagues report. The study results stem from an analysis of data for 2174 patients who tested positive for HIV antibodies and were enrolled in the TriService... (MEDLINEplus)
US releases updated clinical guidelines for HIV-associated opportunistic infections Apr 17, 2009
"Although the incidence rate of HIV-associated opportunistic infections has declined dramatically in the United States, primarily due to advances in antiretroviral therapy, these infections continue to threaten the health of many people infected with HIV," says John T. Brooks, M.D., co-author of the guidelines and leader of the HIV Clinical Epidemiology Team in CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention ... Emphasis on the important role of effective antiretroviral therapy in augmenting immune... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
HIV Treatment: Early Administration Of Antiretroviral Therapy Can Improve Survival Apr 12, 2009
The study published in The Lancet, in the framework of the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration, includes information from 15 international cohorts. Data were obtained from 21,247 patients who were followed up during the period prior to instatement of combined antiretroviral therapy and 24,444 patients who were followed up from the beginning of treatment ... The conclusion of the study is that the lowest level for initiating antiretroviral therapy is 350 cells/ L. This will soon be... (Science Daily)
Uganda: Local Jailed in Canada for Spreading HIV Apr 11, 2009
Different court sessions heard that when Aziga was being treated with antiretroviral therapy he lied to several of his partners when asked directly about his HIV status. Two of his sexual partners died in December 2003 and May 2004 from AIDS-related diseases after being infected by Aziga. (allAfrica.com)
