NAPWA

AZT-based antiretroviral therapy is associated with lower increases in CD4 cell counts than other HIV treatment regimens, according to a study published in the online edition of AIDS. Investigators analysed immunological outcomes in over 72,000 people starting first-line treatment in southern Africa. People taking AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir and various generic versions) had significantly lower

Seventy per cent of Italian HIV specialists who answered an online survey would prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to people in their care who ask for it, at least in some circumstances, a study has found. The survey uncovered considerable training needs around PrEP. Most specialists described their knowledge of PrEP as “not detailed”. Most said they

Caseworkers helped 50% of HIV-positive people in New York City who had dropped out of care re-engage with HIV medical care, investigators report in the online edition of AIDS. Feeling well was the main reason why these people had initially disengaged from care. Named-based HIV surveillance data and clinical records were used to identify

Limited partner choice, wider age gaps between partners, and mistaken beliefs about HIV status in regular partners are all driving the substantially higher rates of HIV in US black gay men relative to other ethnicities, a recent study suggests. The study also found that higher rates of HIV in black gay men were not

In Brighton & Hove the proportion of new HIV diagnoses which are made outside of sexual health and antenatal clinics has increased from 25.7% in 2000 to 57.8% in 2012, driven by improvements in HIV testing in primary care and community settings. Moreover, there has been a dramatic improvement in the diagnosis of recent

Adding the approved HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir (Incivo or Incivek) to pegylated interferon and ribavirin can increase sustained viral response rates even for difficult-to-treat liver transplant recipients, but adverse events are common, researchers reported at the 48th International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) last month in Amsterdam. While many hepatitis C patients await interferon-free direct-acting antiviral regimens, others

Pre-existing connection with primary health care is associated with more prompt diagnosis of HIV infection and an increased likelihood of virological suppression one year after diagnosis among gay men, investigators from the United States report in AIDS Patient Care and STDs. The findings of the study could have implications for 'test and treat' strategies

Infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause rapid liver fibrosis in people with HIV who have low CD4 cell counts, case reports published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases show. Spanish investigators reported two instances of HEV infection in gay men with HIV who had severe immunosuppression. Treatment with ribavirin monotherapy

There is a highly significant relationship between frequency and intensity of drug and alcohol use and risky sex among American HIV-negative gay men, a study published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes shows. “HIV risk among MSM [men who have sex with men] increases with both frequency of

People who believe their care providers know them as a person are more likely to keep their HIV clinic appointments, research conducted in the United States and published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes shows. Patients also kept more appointments if their care providers treated them with dignity and

New combinations of hepatitis C drugs could have major public health benefits, a modelling study published in the online edition of Hepatology shows. Scaling-up treatment rates in Edinburgh, Melbourne and Vancouver has the potential to achieve significant reductions in prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injecting drug users, the model shows. Doubling current treatment

A study (Frentz) that looked at genetic similarities in the HIV from recently diagnosed people in 24 European countries found that among ‘clusters’ of closely related viruses (which indicate networks of transmission), a quarter of people who were in a cluster were connected to people diagnosed in other countries. This was the particularly

Access to hepatitis C treatment in low- and middle-income countries is being restricted by the high cost of interferon and a lack of commitment to treating the disease, leading to a growing gap between the prospects of patients in the wealthiest nations and the rest of the world, advocates reported at the 48th International

Low level HIV replication in semen persists in almost 10% of gay men taking antiretroviral therapy, investigators from the United States report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A low-level viral load in the blood and shedding of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) in semen were associated with the detection

The UK needs to “be doing so much more” in response to hepatitis C, according to a new report. Supported by a consortium of leading hepatitis C charities, Confronting the silent epidemic: a critical review of hepatitis C management in the UK  highlighted a 300% increase in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related deaths since 1996

Oral infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is common among gay men, Dutch investigators report in the online edition of AIDS. Prevalence was especially high among HIV-positive gay men, who were also more likely to be infected with the strains of HPV associated with a high-risk of cancers of the head and neck. “This study

An all-oral regimen containing three next-generation antivirals taken for either 12 or 24 weeks produced sustained virological response in more than 90% of previously untreated genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C patients in a phase 2a study, according to interim findings presented last week at the 48th International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) in Amsterdam. The

The Global Forum for MSM and HIV has released an analysis of its 2012 Global Men’s Health and Rights Study (GMHRS) concentrating on young men under 30 who have sex with men (MSM), complementing the full report which came out in December 2012. Taken together, both reports reveal that MSM globally are faced with high levels

European governments must move quickly to ensure that compassionate use arrangements are put into place to allow access to new hepatitis C drugs for people with cirrhosis, advocates and doctors said at the 48th International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) in Amsterdam last week. However, clear differences in opinion emerged between patients and doctors regarding who

A second-generation hepatitis C protease inhibitor, simeprevir, cured around 80% of previously untreated people with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection when combined with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, Professor Michael Manns of the University of Hannover Medical School reported on Saturday at the International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) in Amsterdam. On the basis of