•  HIV TREATMENT & COMPLICATIONS

Swiss Researchers Propose Scoring System to Assess KS Progression Risk
If you have HIV-infected patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), how likely is it that their KS will progress? Researchers with the Swiss HIV Cohort Study have proposed a straightforward scoring system that may help HIV clinicians assess disease progression risk among their patients with KS. The researchers developed the scoring system after analyzing data from 144 HIV-infected patients with KS and isolating baseline factors that are associated with a worse KS outcome. These baseline factors include KS tumor stage, CD4+ cell count and the presence of human herpesvirus 8, which causes KS. (Study abstract from AIDS)

For a summary of the study findings from aidsmap.com, click here.


Neurosyphilis Appears More Common Among HIV-Infected Patients, MSM in Los Angeles
Neurosyphilis is more common among HIV-infected people with syphilis than HIV-uninfected people with syphilis, and men who have sex with men (MSM) may be particularly at risk, according to researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a study published in the May issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the researchers reported 109 cases of neurosyphilis among 7,083 syphilis cases diagnosed in Los Angeles from 2001 to 2004. Of those 109 neurosyphilis cases, 68% were among HIV-infected people and 65% were among MSM. (Study abstract from Sexually Transmitted Diseases)

•  HIV PATHOGENESIS

Recent Research Developments on HIV and the Gut
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a critical part in the establishment of HIV infection, and appears to be targeted by HIV throughout all stages of infection. A wealth of recent research has taught us much about the relationship between HIV and the gut; this in-depth, technical report by Saurabh Mehandru, M.D., provides a rundown of what we have learned -- and lays out some of the questions to which we still seek answers. (Article from The PRN Notebook)

•  HIV TRANSMISSION

Universal HIV Treatment, Adherence Could Reduce HIV Transmission 62%, Canadian Study Finds
If every HIV-infected person in the Canadian province of British Columbia initiated treatment before his or her CD4+ cell count fell below 200, HIV transmission would fall 62% from its current rate by 2030, according to a new study published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Only 50% of all HIV-infected people in the province currently begin HAART before their CD4+ cell count slips below 200, the researchers note, and average adherence is only approximately 78%. That confluence of treatment and adherence rates would result in a small increase in annual HIV incidence by 2030, the researchers calculated. By contrast, rapid expansion of HIV treatment coverage, provided adherence rates could be increased to 95%, would result in both a significant fall in HIV transmission and in the overall cost of HIV-related care over the long term, the study says. (Study abstract from Journal of Infectious Diseases)

For a summary of the study findings from aidsmap.com, click here.


Risky Sex Up Among Dutch MSM During HAART Era, Study Finds
In contrast to the calculations of the Canadian study above, some epidemiologists worry that the widespread availability of effective HAART in developed countries may lull HIV-uninfected people into a sense of complacency that paradoxically leads them to put themselves at greater risk for HIV acquisition. A study from the Netherlands published in the May 31 issue of AIDS appears to validate that concern: It found that since HAART became widely available in the Netherlands in 1996, risky sexual behavior among Dutch men who have sex with men (MSM) has increased 66%. (Study from the journal AIDS)


U.S. HIV Testing Day: Free Awareness Poster PDFs Available
Looking for materials to post or distribute in preparation for U.S. National HIV Testing Day on June 27? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering a set of population-specific awareness posters, which are available online in PDF format. English and Spanish versions are available. (Materials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)


The HIV Vaccine Pipeline (Yes, There Still Is One)
Despite the high-profile failure of the STEP HIV vaccine trial and other vaccines in recent years, there remain more than two dozen HIV vaccines in various stages of development. This chart provides a comprehensive, informative summary detailing the current state of each of these experimental vaccines. (Chart from Treatment Action Group)

It has been a long year of soul-searching in the field of HIV vaccine development. Many scientists and organizations have offered their views on what the future holds, including the HIV advocacy organization Treatment Action Group, which recently offered an in-depth answer to the question: Where does HIV vaccine research go from here? Treatment Action Group also issued a statement expressing concern about the PAVE100A study, a proposed vaccine trial that the group suggests may be doomed before it even starts.


Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Observed
HIV has ravaged the Caribbean region, which is second in HIV prevalence only to sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to turn this tide, the Caribbean HIV community in the United States observed the third annual National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on June 8. The day is meant to inspire individuals of Caribbean descent to not only remember members of their community who have been affected by the HIV pandemic, but to also help fight stigma and ignorance about HIV in the United States and in their homelands. (Press release from the National Minority AIDS Council)

A major barrier to effective HIV care and prevention in many Caribbean nations is stigma, which has been fueled by the criminalization of sex between men. Read a detailed assessment of HIV stigma (among other issues) in the Caribbean by the international HIV organization AVERT, or read this grim report on homosexuality and HIV in Jamaica (entitled Hated to Death) from Human Rights Watch.

To learn more about HIV in the Caribbean, browse The Body PRO's collection of materials.


Updated U.S. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Slides Released by CDC
New surveillance slides on the U.S. HIV epidemic have been released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Coinciding with the release earlier this year of updated surveillance data through the end of 2006, the slide set focuses on AIDS cases in adults and adolescents. It includes year-by-year trend reporting and results broken down by region, state, population area and gender. (Slides from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

•  PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Fellowships Encourage Minority Physicians to Specialize in HIV Care
Most HIV specialists are white, but the majority of new HIV cases in the United States today are among people of color. To address this ethnic disparity, the HIV Medicine Association has begun offering fellowships to give young physicians of color the opportunity to spend a year caring for HIV-infected minorities. One of this year's winners, Damaris Olagundoye, M.D., chose to specialize in HIV after learning that African-American women are the United States' fastest-growing population of new HIV cases. "Unfortunately, HIV is a disease that has a stigma attached to it," she says. "Because of that, I feel drawn to these patients." (Press release from the HIV Medicine Association)

•  U.S. HIV POLICY

Join the Call to Repeal the U.S. Funding Ban on Needle Exchange
Advocates have stepped up their efforts to legalize funding for needle-exchange programs throughout the United States -- and they need your help! The U.S. government recently lifted its ban on allowing the city of Washington, D.C., to fund needle-exchange programs, but a ban remains on using federal funds for needle-exchange programs. The Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project is calling on all people in the United States to call their representative in Congress and urge him or her to support a repeal of the needle-exchange federal funding ban. (Article from Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project)


In Debate Over Routine HIV Testing, GMHC Backs Written Consent
The ongoing debate over how to increase HIV testing rates has flared up in New York state. Although U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines now recommend routine, opt-out HIV testing for virtually all adults, many HIV advocates have expressed concern about the potential ramifications of these guidelines for the privacy of HIV-infected individuals. In a new, in-depth policy analysis, the New York City-based HIV organization Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) explains why it feels written informed consent must be obtained before an HIV test is administered. (Press release from Gay Men's Health Crisis)

Click here to read GMHC's complete report on New York HIV testing law.


U.S. Social Security Disability Benefits Do Not Meet Needs of HIV-Infected People, Advocates Say
As potent as modern HIV treatment has become, many HIV-infected individuals in the United States still find their health compromised to the extent that they must seek out federal disability benefits. However, as the realities of living with HIV have evolved in the United States, advocates say that the eligibility rules for disability benefits have not kept pace. Equipped with firsthand evidence of past problems faced by those with HIV who apply for disability benefits through the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lambda Legal's HIV Project and other HIV organizations have issued a formal letter calling on the Social Security Administration to update its rules so that they more effectively match the realities of living with HIV today. (Press release from Lambda Legal)