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• HIV CARE TODAY
New at TheBody.com: Resource Center on Keeping Up With Your Meds
Even in an era of expanding once-daily treatment options, many HIV-infected patients struggle with adherence. Non-adherence remains the most common cause of antiretroviral resistance; addressing its causes and helping patients overcome obstacles to adherence is a critical component of successful patient care. TheBody.com's newly launched resource center provides patients with invaluable advice and information aimed at helping them maximize their adherence.
 A "Gut Feeling" Emerges in HIV
"The effects of HIV and HAART on gut health was highlighted recently at the 13th International Workshop on Adverse Drug Reactions and Co-Morbidities in HIV in Rome, Italy," Nelson Vergel, B.S.Ch.E., M.B.A., writes. In this blog entry, he recaps two key presentations, one by Collin Ellis of the University of California-Davis and one by Michael Dube, M.D., of the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.
 "Novel" Approaches to Initial HIV Therapy
"It's been several years since the 'preferred' or 'recommended' initial regimens for HIV treatment have been consolidated" into four tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada)-based combinations, Paul Sax, M.D., writes. "Now along come two interesting papers testing alternative initial treatment strategies. Both have quite interesting results that definitely got my attention when presented earlier this year at major meetings, small size of the studies notwithstanding."
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• HIV NEWS & VIEWS
 Southern U.S. Tour Addresses Toll of AIDS on Black Women
"We're here to say it's up to us .... We know that with HIV/AIDS there is no cure, but it can be prevented," says C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA). The organization kicked off its tour in Baton Rouge, focusing on HIV awareness among black women by using the personal stories of women living with HIV/AIDS to educate and empower.
 National Debt "Super Committee" Republicans Could Jeopardize AIDS Programs
"[The U.S.] Congress has just finalized the roster for the super committee -- the group of lawmakers charged with charting much of the country's fiscal future -- meaning it's time to examine how the committee's decisions could shape AIDS programs in the U.S.," Julie Turkewitz of Housing Works writes. At first look, she finds that examination yields causes for concern.
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• HIV/STD TRANSMISSION & TESTING
Addressing the Gaping Hole in HIV Prevention: A Plea for Public Health Action
"The CDC has yet again released a report highlighting the growing HIV disparity in young, black men who have sex with men," Lisa Fitzpatrick, M.D., M.P.H., writes. "Unless we are content to continue applying cosmetics to conceal this gaping public health wound, we must confront the issues that have long been ignored and stop the bleeding."
 If HIV Testing Technology Has Changed, Why Haven't HIV Testing Guidelines?
"The United States Public Health Service HIV-testing-algorithm guidelines have not changed substantially since they were first devised in the late 1980s, even though new and improved diagnostic-testing technologies have been developed and are currently in widespread use," Bob Frascino, M.D., writes. The reason, he explains, lies partly with the infamously cloudy "window period."
 Dr. Ronald Valdiserri Highlights From the U.S. National HIV Prevention Conference
More than 3,000 attendees gathered in Atlanta for an annual HIV prevention conference hosted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As Ronald Valdiserri, M.D., M.P.H., explains, the first day of the conference was headlined by discussions about the first year of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the rising rates of HIV among young black men who have sex with men.
For more highlights from the U.S. National HIV Prevention Conference, read Valdisseri's recaps of day two, day three and day four.
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• THE PATIENT PERSPECTIVE: FEATURED ON THEBODY.COM
 Mark S. King: 7 Ways to Save Money on Your HIV Meds
"With all the doctor appointments and wellness activities we engage in, living with HIV/AIDS can be a full-time job. And the truth is, it doesn't pay very well," Mark S. King says. "We've all been feeling the pinch of tough economic times. So I hope you'll find some savings in this new video."
 Is Your HIV Treatment Working? Warning Signs and False Alarms
The first few months after starting HIV treatment are pivotal in determining whether a patient's first HAART regimen will be successful. Yet if one is brand-new to HIV/AIDS treatment, how can they know what success is? This article will help patients tell the difference between a warning sign that their regimen might not be right for them and a normal signal that his/her body is still adjusting to medications.
 Adjusting to Life on HIV Treatment: Tips From Experts
We asked a range of knowledgeable HIV physicians, nurses, and other HIV care providers to answer this question: "What key piece of advice do you have for HIV-positive people who have just started treatment and are adjusting to life on HIV meds?"
 Jessie Irene Snyder: Beneath an Angel's Wings (Part One)
How much can a person endure and keep on not only living, but holding onto her will to dream? Jessie Snyder of Nashville recounts a journey beset with overlapping challenges: teen parenthood, poverty, family tragedies, navigating social services and battling addiction, all while living with HIV/AIDS in the early years of the epidemic. In part one of a two-part piece, Jessie shares her struggles as a poz teen mom in the '80s and '90s.
In part two, Jessie loses her mom and daughter, plunges deeply into drug use and finds herself balancing on the knife's edge of succumbing to hopelessness.
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