•  HIV TREATMENT & PATIENT CARE

Exclusive: Joel Gallant, M.D., M.P.H., Summarizes Revised U.S. DHHS HIV Treatment Guidelines
Looking for an expert summary of the latest revisions to the official U.S. DHHS HIV treatment guidelines? Check out this exclusive interview with Joel Gallant, M.D., M.P.H., a prominent HIV physician/researcher and former member of the expert panel responsible for revising the guidelines. Dr. Gallant walks us through the updated guidelines and explains the importance of the new revisions. (Article and podcast from The Body PRO)


Better to Stay on Failing HAART Than Interrupt Treatment, Studies Suggest
There is an ongoing debate over whether it is better for patients to continue to take a failing HAART regimen -- and thus risk the emergence of resistance mutations -- or to stop therapy entirely until a new regimen can be crafted. Two studies presented in Glasgow at the Ninth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV argue in favor of continuing therapy. One study demonstrated that patients who stopped their failing regimen began to experience CD4+ cell declines even at low viral load levels. Meanwhile, a British study suggested that even if a patient experiences a suboptimal CD4 response to therapy, it is still more advantageous to remain on the current regimen than to stop treatment altogether. (Article from aidsmap.com)


Structured HIV Treatment Interruptions Get Fresh Look in Italian Study
The landmark SMART study appeared to all but slam the door on structured HIV treatment interruptions, after finding higher morbidity and mortality rates among patients who received intermittent HAART based on their CD4+ cell count than among patients who received continuous HAART. An Italian study presented at the Ninth Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection in Glasgow, however, may wrench that door back open: The findings from the long-term, 329-patient LOTTI study suggest that stopping HAART at a CD4+ cell count of 700 and resuming at 350 may result in the same clinical outcome as receiving HAART continuously. (Article from aidsmap.com)

•  HIV/HAART-RELATED COMPLICATIONS

How Does HIV Damage the Brain? Researchers Find Another Piece of the Puzzle
Patients with advanced HIV disease are often at higher risk for dementia. But emerging evidence suggests that even patients with a fully suppressed viral load may be more likely to experience neurocognitive complications. Most of the blame for these problems appears to lie with a chemical known as Tat, which is released by cells infected with HIV. New research is zeroing in on exactly how Tat harms brain cells, in hopes of helping researchers determine how to short-circuit that process. (Article from PLoS One)


Two-Year Study of Vicriviroc Finds Low Rate of Complications
Over the course of 96 weeks, treatment-experienced patients taking the experimental CCR5 antagonist vicriviroc maintained viral suppression and experienced few serious adverse effects or AIDS-related complications, a recent study found. Although there have been concerns that vicriviroc might increase cancer risk, this study is reassuring: Of 196 patients participants (many of whom initiated vicriviroc-based therapy with a low CD4+ cell count), few developed a malignancy, and those who did were thought to have done so for reasons other than vicriviroc use. (Article from Project Inform)

•  ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY FOR INFANTS

Newborns of HIV-Infected Women Can Take Shorter Antiretroviral Course, Study Suggests
Providing HIV treatment to the newborn children of HIV-infected women for four weeks is equivalent to the standard six-week course of neonatal therapy, a new Irish study suggests. HAART use among pregnant women has dramatically slashed the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission, but there has been little research examining how long a baby exposed to HIV should be treated. Irish researchers examined 835 infants with HIV-infected mothers and found that, after four weeks of treatment, 99% of the infants were HIV uninfected. (Article from Project Inform)


Immediate HIV Treatment for HIV-Infected Babies Dramatically Increases Survival, Study Finds
Official U.S. treatment guidelines for HIV-infected infants were changed earlier this year. It is now recommended that antiretroviral therapy be administered to all HIV-infected infants less than 1 year of age, even if they show no signs of an unhealthy immune system. These new guidelines were motivated by a South African study published in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The randomized study found that HIV-infected babies who initiated treatment immediately were 76% less likely to die than babies for whom treatment was withheld until their CD4 percentage dropped below a certain threshold or they developed AIDS-related symptoms. (Article from kaisernetwork.org)

•  HIV TRANSMISSION & TESTING

High Rates of HIV Reported in Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, Pa., HIV incidence is occurring at a rate five times higher than the U.S. national average -- and more than 50% higher than in New York City, according to health officials. "It's a wake-up call that we've got to do better," said John Cella, the city's top AIDS official. As this article explains, the rise of HIV in Philadelphia reflects the dramatic, frightening inroads that the virus has made among African Americans and Latinos. (Article from the Philadelphia Inquirer)

•  HIV IN THE NEWS

Visit TheBody.com's 2008 World AIDS Day Center
As practitioners working on the front lines of the HIV pandemic, you don't need World AIDS Day to remind you how important HIV awareness is. But this day nonetheless reminds us just how critical it is that we all constantly strive to be better educators and activists in the world at large. We hope you'll visit TheBody.com's 2008 World AIDS Day Center for inspiration as you decide how you can best observe this year's World AIDS Day on Monday, Dec. 1. (Special section from TheBody.com, The Body PRO's sister site for HIV-infected and affected people)


Obama Picks Daschle as No. 1 Health Official; Where Does He Stand on HIV?
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has made one of his most critical cabinet picks -- at least for the HIV community. He has chosen former senator Tom Daschle to be U.S. Secretary of Heath and Human Services (HHS), which will make him the country's top health official. According to the HIV advocacy group Housing Works, Daschle has demonstrated his commitment to issues such as universal health care, syringe exchange and the global fight against HIV. However, Daschle has yet to speak out regarding the epidemic in the United States. "We need to understand quickly what his thoughts are on national AIDS," says Julie Davids of the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project. (Article from Housing Works)


With Economy Ailing, New York City Braces for Cuts to HIV Programs
As stocks on Wall Street continue to nose-dive, New York City's HIV programs are expecting hard times ahead. Last June, the city reduced by $6 million its funding for HIV programs that provided services such as needle exchange, HIV testing and other HIV-related services. Now all city agencies, including those related to HIV, have been asked to trim another 7.5 percent from their budgets over the next two years. However, HIV advocates argue that funding for HIV services should hold steady, no matter how the economy is doing. "Regardless of the economic situation, people will continue to be at risk [for HIV]," says Tracie Gardner of the Legal Action Center. (Article from Housing Works)


Global HIV Funding Latest Casualty of Financial Crisis, UNAIDS Leader Says
Global HIV treatment and prevention efforts might suffer as a result of the world's expanding financial crisis, warns outgoing UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot. In a recent speech, Piot explained how soaring food and energy costs could increase HIV transmission, and how major donors like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria may be forced to scale back their commitments to low-income nations -- many of which are completely dependent on donations to keep their supply of antiretrovirals flowing. (Article from kaisernetwork.org)