AIDS News and Research

RSS

Rabies vaccine approach against HIV shows promise

Rabies, a relentless, ancient scourge, may hold a key to defeating another implacable foe: HIV. Scientists at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have used a drastically weakened rabies virus to ferry HIV-related proteins into animals, in essence, vaccinating them against an AIDS-like disease.

3 Apr 2007

Obstetric fistula, impact on women

Reuters on Friday examined obstetric fistula and its impact on women living with the condition (Ringler, Reuters, 3/30). Obstetric fistulas develop when a fetus becomes lodged during labor in the narrow birth canal of a girl or young woman, causing pressure that blocks the flow of blood to vital tissues and tearing holes in the bowel, urethra or both, causing incontinence.

3 Apr 2007

All U.S. States to begin names-based reporting of HIV cases by end of 2007

All U.S. states and Washington, D.C., by the end of 2007 will begin recording HIV cases using names-based reporting systems rather than code-based reporting systems, the AP/Springfield State Journal Register reports.

3 Apr 2007

Millions of children living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries need immediate access to treatment

There is an immediate need for the provision of antiretroviral therapy developed for children, including smaller pills and combination therapies, as well as enhanced medical training to provide care to HIV-positive children in developing countries, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement published on Monday in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

3 Apr 2007

India plans to provide 300,000 HIV-positive adults, 40,000 HIV-positive children with access to no-cost antiretrovirals

India's National AIDS Control Organization, which this month is scheduled to launch the third phase of its National AIDS Control Program, plans to provide 300,000 HIV-positive adults and 40,000 children ages 15 and younger living with the virus with access to no-cost antiretroviral drugs, the Indian Express reports.

3 Apr 2007

International community should focus on 'critical' health conditions, including HIV/AIDS epidemic, of Myanmar's population

The international community "needs an approach that focuses not on fostering democratic governance" in Myanmar "but on the critical health and education needs," including curbing the spread of HIV, among the country's "long suffering" population.

3 Apr 2007

Filtering white cells from donor blood before transfusion is much safer for patients

The practice of removing the white cells from blood is called leukoreduction. But despite the recommendations of two national advisory committees in 10 years that voted in favor of all patients in the United States receiving leukoreduced blood, ("universal leukoreduction"), the practice is still not wholly supported in the medical community, nor recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. Part of the reason is fear of increased cost.

3 Apr 2007

New understanding of the mechanics of hearing

Modern hearing aids, though quite sophisticated, still do not faithfully reproduce sound as hearing people perceive it.

3 Apr 2007

Few surgeons routinely refer breast cancer patients for reconstruction

Forty-four percent of surgeons do not refer the majority of their breast cancer patients to a plastic surgeon prior to the initial surgery when the woman is choosing her treatment course, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Apr 2007

Community-based measures fail to reduce HIV levels

Interventions that target individuals with a high risk of contracting HIV have a negligible impact on HIV transmission in the general population, according to a new study of communities in Zimbabwe, published today.

2 Apr 2007

HIV-1 control program fails in Zimbabwe

A trial in Zimbabwe has shown that a programme of integrated peer education, condom distribution, and management of sexually transmitted infections did not reduce the overall incidence of HIV-1.

2 Apr 2007

HIV in Asia set to explode

The number of HIV-positive people in Asia could more than double to 20 million during the next five years unless funding levels increase and governments respond more effectively to the epidemic, officials from the Commission on AIDS in Asia said on Friday at a two-day Southeast Asia sub-regional workshop in Manila, the Philippines, the AP/ABCNews reports.

2 Apr 2007

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief making significant contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

...but it needs to strengthen its prevention efforts and develop programs that ensure long-term sustainability in focus countries, according to a report released Friday by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, the Washington Post reports

2 Apr 2007

Lesotho struggles to contain spread of tuberculosis

Lesotho is "struggling to contain" the spread of tuberculosis in the face of its HIV/AIDS epidemic, IRIN News reports. In 2006, the country reported 12,000 new TB cases, but TB expert Peter Saranchuk of Medecins Sans Frontieres said the actual number of cases likely is much higher.

2 Apr 2007

More Ugandan men seeking circumcisions to lower HIV risk

An increasing number of Ugandan men are seeking circumcisions in response to increasing evidence that the procedure could reduce a man's risk of contracting HIV, the AP/Advocate reports

2 Apr 2007

Breast-feeding exclusively lowers risk of vertical HIV transmission to children in developing countries

HIV-positive women in developing countries could reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants if they exclusively breast-feed rather than supplement breast milk with formula, animal milk or solid food, according to a study published in the March 31 edition of the Lancet, Reuters reports.

2 Apr 2007

USAID is extending its HIV/AIDS prevention and care project in Pakistan

USAID is extending its HIV/AIDS prevention and care project in Pakistan by awarding grants to three organizations working to combat the disease among high-risk groups in the country, USAID Director for Pakistan Jonathan Addleton said last week at the grant awards ceremony, the PakTribune reports.

2 Apr 2007

Efficacy of Ugandan HIV prevention programs decreasing

The efficacy of Uganda's HIV prevention programs is decreasing because a new generation of young people are no longer receiving the messages of fidelity that helped curb the country's HIV epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Washington Post reports.

2 Apr 2007

Bahrain launches campaign to involve religious leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS

Officials in Bahrain have launched a wide-scale campaign aimed at involving religious leaders in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, the Gulf Daily News reports.

2 Apr 2007

California Senate Committee approves bill that would allow HIV-positive men to have sperm washed

The California Senate Health Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a bill (SB 443) that would allow HIV-positive men to have their sperm washed and used for fertility treatments, including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, under certain guidelines, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

2 Apr 2007

AIDS News and Research

Rabies vaccine approach against HIV shows promise

Obstetric fistula, impact on women

All U.S. States to begin names-based reporting of HIV cases by end of 2007

Millions of children living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries need immediate access to treatment

India plans to provide 300,000 HIV-positive adults, 40,000 HIV-positive children with access to no-cost antiretrovirals

International community should focus on 'critical' health conditions, including HIV/AIDS epidemic, of Myanmar's population

Filtering white cells from donor blood before transfusion is much safer for patients

New understanding of the mechanics of hearing

Few surgeons routinely refer breast cancer patients for reconstruction

Community-based measures fail to reduce HIV levels

HIV-1 control program fails in Zimbabwe

HIV in Asia set to explode

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief making significant contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

Lesotho struggles to contain spread of tuberculosis

More Ugandan men seeking circumcisions to lower HIV risk

Breast-feeding exclusively lowers risk of vertical HIV transmission to children in developing countries

USAID is extending its HIV/AIDS prevention and care project in Pakistan

Efficacy of Ugandan HIV prevention programs decreasing

Bahrain launches campaign to involve religious leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS

California Senate Committee approves bill that would allow HIV-positive men to have sperm washed

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

Latest News