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Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly comes to end after approving many new resolutions

The Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly closed today after approving new resolutions on WHO's Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors; the Sustainable Development Goals; the International Health Regulations; tobacco control; road traffic deaths and injuries; nutrition; HIV, hepatitis and STIs; mycetoma; research and development; access to medicines and integrated health services.

31 May 2016

UN’s 90-90-90 program could be a cost-effective way to control global AIDS epidemic

A new study finds that implementing the United Nations targets for HIV testing and treatment would be an expensive but ultimately very cost-effective way to increase survival, reduce the number of children orphaned by HIV, and contain the global AIDS epidemic.

31 May 2016

ART alone not sufficient to reduce arterial inflammation among HIV-infected patients, study finds

Initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after diagnosis of an HIV infection did not prevent the progression of significant arterial inflammation in a small group of previously untreated patients.

26 May 2016

Understanding structure of HIV-1 protease vital to development of next-generation HIV drugs

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world’s most serious health and development challenges.

24 May 2016

Gene editing technology helps excise segment of HIV-1 DNA from genomes of living animals

Using gene editing technology, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have, for the first time, successfully excised a segment of HIV-1 DNA - the virus responsible for AIDS - from the genomes of living animals.

20 May 2016

Study shows expression of high-affinity TCRs linked with spontaneous control of HIV infection

A small number of patients infected by HIV spontaneously control viral replication without antiretroviral therapy, and do not develop the disease. The ability of these rare patients, known as "HIV controllers", to suppress HIV replication appears to be down to a highly effective immune response.

19 May 2016

Altered coagulation caused by HIV virus linked to increased risk of non-AIDS diseases

With more than 36.9 million people infected globally, HIV continues to be a major public health issue. Those living with the virus are at an increased risk for other non-AIDS diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and though it's not entirely clear why, this has been associated with inflammation and abnormal blood clotting.

13 May 2016

Same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients may lead to better health outcomes

A clinical trial of same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV patients in South Africa led to a higher proportion of people starting treatment and to better health outcomes, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher.

12 May 2016

New antibody-based therapy may provide better strategy for long-term control of HIV

The development of antiretroviral therapy, a combination of drugs that slows the replication of HIV in the body, has transformed the treatment of this infection. What was once a certain death sentence is now a chronic condition that people can live with for decades.

9 May 2016

New HIV infections and transmission rate in the U.S. drop, but fall short of NHAS goals

The number of new HIV infections and the transmission rate in the United States dropped by 11 and 17 percent, respectively, between 2010 and 2015, but fell short of the goals put forth by President Obama's U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported this week in the journal AIDS and Behavior.

4 May 2016

Researchers use highly accurate biomarker to measure aging in HIV infected patients

Thanks to combination antiretroviral therapies, many people with HIV can expect to live decades after being infected. Yet doctors have observed these patients often show signs of premature aging.

22 Apr 2016

Developing countries face health financing crisis due to low domestic investment, stagnating international aid

Two major studies published in The Lancet reveal the health financing crisis facing developing countries as a result of low domestic investment and stagnating international aid, which could leave millions of people without access to even the most basic health services.

18 Apr 2016

Researchers develop novel method to store microfluidic devices for CD4 T cell testing

Providing vital health care services to people in developing countries without reliable electricity, refrigeration and state-of-the-art medical equipment poses a number of challenges. Inspired by pregnancy tests, researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Stanford University, and Baskent University in Turkey, have developed a novel method to store microfluidic devices for CD4 T cell testing in extreme weather conditions for up to six months without refrigeration.

14 Apr 2016

Studies offer alternative conclusions on efficacy of DAAs for HIV and HCV co-infected patients

Two separate studies presented today at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain have offered alternative conclusions regarding the efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) among patients co-infected with HIV and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

13 Apr 2016

NHS England to provide crucial funding for Janssen's HIV treatment, REZOLSTA

Janssen-Cilag Ltd today announced that NHS England will provide crucial funding for its once-daily, fixed-dose combination of darunavir and the pharmacoenhancer, cobicistat, called REZOLSTA.

31 Mar 2016

Study suggests strong treatment programs can help make headway against AIDS epidemic

Botswana appears to have achieved very high rates of HIV diagnosis, treatment, and viral suppression--much better than most Western nations, including the United States--according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues in Botswana.

24 Mar 2016

Antibodies given within one day of SHIV exposure can clear the virus

Scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center today revealed that infant rhesus macaques treated with antibodies within 24 hours of being exposed to SHIV, a chimeric simian virus that bears the HIV envelope protein, were completely cleared of the virus.

22 Mar 2016

Specialized gene editing system paves way to eventual cure for HIV patients

A specialized gene editing system designed by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is paving the way to an eventual cure for patients infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

22 Mar 2016

Simple TB screening and isoniazid can be effective for HIV patients at risk for TB

The number one killer of HIV patients in resource-limited areas, including parts of Africa and India, is tuberculosis (TB), underscoring the need for optimal treatments and effective strategies to address this deadly co-infection. But TB is harder to detect in HIV-infected patients and diagnostic test results take time, so many healthcare providers prescribe multi-drug TB treatments as a precaution.

20 Mar 2016

Clinical study finds no added benefit of using four TB drugs to save people with advanced HIV/AIDS

In a report on the so-called REMEMBER (Reducing Early Mortality and Early Morbidity by Empiric Tuberculosis Treatment) study -- a 10-nation, randomized clinical trial of adult outpatients -- investigators concluded that there was no added benefit of using four drugs for TB over just using one drug, isoniazid, to save lives in people with advanced HIV/AIDS.

18 Mar 2016