 May 14, 2008
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Immune Cells Harbor Infectious Virus
Scientists have confirmed that a cell responsible for early immune responses to infections also offers a way for HIV to escape from the effects of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, according to a study appearing in the June issue of the Journal of Virology and reported by Medical News Today.
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May 13, 2008
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High Cholesterol Good for Hepatitis C Treatment?
Having higher levels of “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is associated with a better response to hepatitis C (HCV) treatment in people infected with both HIV and HCV, say the authors of a study published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
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May 12, 2008
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Spying on an HIV Enzyme
Through sophisticated molecular sleuthing a group of scientists from Harvard and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has shown for the first time just how nimble the HIV enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) really is, according to a report by ScienceDaily.
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Can Antidepressants Also Boost the Immune System?
The antidepressant Celexa (citalopram) increases the activity of natural killer (NK) cells—a critical line of defense against cancer and infectious diseases like HIV—say the authors of a new study published in the May 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry and reported by ScienceDaily.
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GSK Hasn’t Mentioned Heart Attacks Reported in 2005 Letter
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) neglected to mention a 2005 report involving 34 heart attacks among HIV-positive people taking abacavir (found in Ziagen, Epzicom and Trizivir) in its response to the results of a recent study finding a 90 percent increased risk of a heart attack associated with the use of the drug, according to an article today in The Independent.
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May 09, 2008
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Bone Marrow Deficits May Explain Blunted CD4 Response
The suppression and dysfunction of stem cells in bone marrow may help explain why some people don’t experience significant CD4 cell increases after starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, say the authors of a study to be published in a future issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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May 08, 2008
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Higher-Dose Kaletra Plus Rifampicin Creates Liver Toxicity
Taking Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) at doses higher than generally recommended in conjunction with the tuberculosis (TB) medication rifampicin causes serious side effects including vomiting and liver toxicity, say the authors of a study published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
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May 07, 2008
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Majority of Patients Will Be Able to Use Intelence
Intelence (etravirine) is likely to work well in the vast majority of people who’ve had treatment failures from Sustiva (efavirenz) and Viramune (nevirapine), according to a research letter published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
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Antiretrovirals Vital in Treating Cancer
Antireteroviral (ARV) treatment and chemotherapy, more than any other factors, substantially increase the odds that a person with Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)—a type of skin cancer common with HIV—will see their cancer improve and even go away, say the authors of a study published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
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May 06, 2008
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Experimental HCV Treatment Shows Real Promise
Vertex Pharmaceutical’s experimental protease inhibitor for hepatitis C virus (HCV), telaprevir, was more effective when added to standard therapy than standard therapy alone, cuts treatment time from 12 to six months, and may help people who have failed approved treatments, according to several presentations reported by the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project (NATAP) from the recent 43rd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Milan.
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New Report: Some ADAPs Cover HCV Treatment
While the majority of AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) are unable to provide pegylated interferon and ribavirin to HIV-positive people coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), some do extend coverage to those in need of HCV treatment or therapies to manage side effects, according to a new guide produced by the Treatment Action Group (TAG).
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May 05, 2008
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Stimulated Cells Control SIV, and Hopefully HIV
A method for enhancing immune responses to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the monkey version of HIV, was able to significantly control viral reproduction in infected macaques, say the authors of a study published in the online journal PLoS Pathogens.
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May 02, 2008
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“Video Doctor” Reduces Unsafe Sex and Drug Use
People living with HIV who received computerized video risk-reduction counseling before following up with a live doctor had less unprotected sex and used fewer illicit drugs than those who did not, according to the authors of a study published April 23 in the online journal PLoS One.
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May 01, 2008
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Rate of Heart Attacks Stable Despite Increased Risk
Though the number of people with HIV who have risk factors for heart disease and stroke is growing, effective management of those risk factors is keeping the number of heart attacks stable, say the authors of a study published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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