|
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - January 2014
Higher pill burden is associated with poorer adherence to HIV therapy and reduced chances of achieving an undetectable viral load
31 January 2014 - Lower pill burden is associated with higher rates of adherence to HIV treatment and better virological outcomes, according to
the results of a meta-analysis published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The research also showed that adherence was better with once-daily
regimens compared to twice-daily treatment, but once-daily therapy did not have any advantages in terms of virological suppression.
Read more...
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7, 2014 - Join us February 7 for a candlelight march to honor National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). This year's theme is, "We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For."
Dr. Raghbir Singh Bains Honoured with Governor General's Caring Canadian Award
VICTORIA, BC, Canada (January 31, 2014) - Mr Bains did extensive research on HIV-AIDS in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya to curb the menace. For the last few years, he has continuously been arranging seminars, youth camps, and community campaigns to celebrate World AIDS Day for creating awareness about this deadly disease.
Read more...
AbbVie Completes Largest Phase III Program of an All-Oral, Interferon-Free Therapy for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Genotype
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced the completion of its phase III clinical program and released results of four additional studies designed to assess AbbVie's
investigational all-oral, interferon-free therapy with and without ribavirin (RBV) in patients with chronic genotype 1 (GT1) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These results described below confirm previously reported AbbVie data and further
demonstrate high sustained virologic response rates 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12) and tolerability in these GT1 patients.
HIV spreads between immune cells in the gut
Published on Jan 30, 2014 - Researchers have captured high-resolution, 3D images of HIV virus lurking in the intestines of mice with "humanised" immune systems
New cream protects against HIV for 72 hours, say researchers
29 January 2014 - U.S. and Mexican researchers say they've developed a vaginal cream that protects against HIV for 72 hours.
Canada opposes harm reduction policies for drug users
January 29, 2014 - Four drug policy groups monitoring international negotiations underway on reforms to United Nations drug control policies say Canada has joined ranks with China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and
Russia in aggressively opposing European endorsements of health policies aimed at reducing harms, such as HIV transmission, among drug users.
Read more...
Disentangling IDU and HCV Impacts on HIV Outcomes in Canadians
30 January 2014 - Canadians coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) had a worse response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and a higher death rate if they had an injection drug use (IDU) history. The findings could clarify understanding of how HCV affects HIV infection.
Read more...
Canada opposes harm reduction policies for drug users
January 29, 2014 - Four drug policy groups monitoring international negotiations underway on reforms to United Nations drug control
policies say Canada has joined ranks with China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Russia in aggressively opposing European endorsements of health policies aimed at reducing harms, such as HIV transmission, among drug users.
Read more...
Swaziland Receives Medical Equipment to Strengthen Maternal and Child Health Services
Manzini, Swaziland, Jan. 29, 2014 - Supplies will be distributed to facilities throughout the country
The The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)
in collaboration with Project C.U.R.E (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) today donated medical equipment and supplies worth more than U.S. $500,000 to the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland's Ministry of Health (MOH)
to help strengthen health services provided to mothers, infants, and children in the country.
Taking one to tango: how restricting responsibility for safer sex to individuals hinders talking about safer sex
28 January 2014 - A discussion paper based on a Canadian project that invited HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay men to discuss anti-HIV stigma and sexual risk-taking concludes that ideas of "individual responsibility" and "looking after one's health" are flawed
as models of how to deal with the risk of HIV in the gay community.
Read more...
Researchers open door to new HIV therapy
January 28, 2014 - BERKELEY - "We have imaged the molecular details for the first time," said structural biologist James H. Hurley, UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology. "Having these details in hand puts us in striking distance of designing drugs to block the binding site and, in doing so, block HIV infectivity."
HIV conference coming to Prince Albert
January 27, 2014 - A new AIDS conference will help people better understand the disease.
On March 25 and 26, All Nations Hope Network, based out of Regina, will be hosting a Save the Date Saskatchewan HIV Conference at the Prince Albert Exhibition in the city.
Read more...
Changing the course of AIDS: Dawn Averitt at TEDxCharlottesville 2013
Published on Jan 25, 2014 - Dawn Averitt is a change maker. As a strategic visionary, activist, founder of non-profit organizations, projects and initiatives, and as speaker and adventurer, Averitt makes things happen. For the past 20 years, Averitt has been a leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS, specifically as the disease impacts women and girls.
Ukraine Crackdown Hits Fight Against AIDS
KIEV, Jan 25 2014 (IPS) - Groups battling one of the world's worst HIV/AIDS epidemics say their task may get "catastrophically" harder following the introduction of controversial laws in Ukraine
in response to months of anti-government protests.
Read more...
Motsepe Foundation donate R11 million to Aids campaign
Jan 25, 2014 - The Motsepe Foundation donated R11 million to U2 singer and activist Bono's (RED) campaign, which fights HIV/Aids,
at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday, the foundaion announced.
Read more...
Scientists crowdfunding AIDS vaccine, want to give it away for free
anuary 24, 2014 - By reverse engineering the mechanisms of people born with natural immunity to AIDS, a team of scientists is working to bring a free AIDS vaccine to all the world.
Read more...
Across Europe Biggest Rise in New HIV Rate Involves Young MSM
24 January 2014 - Across Europe the highest proportion of new HIV infections occur in young men who have sex with men (MSM), according to results of a 15-country analysis. New infections almost doubled in MSM between 20 and 29 years old from 2003 to 2012 more than doubled in MSM under 20.
Read more...
Filmmakers Address Gay Seniors Living With HIV in Desert Migration (AUDIO)
Jan 24, 2014 - This week I talked with filmmakers Daniel Cardone and Marc Smolowitz about their new documentary for the HIV Story Project, Desert Migration. Since HIV treatments have improved, many HIV-positive men over 50 from all over the U.S. have decided
that Palm Springs seems like a viable place to retire, a place where health services are great, housing is affordable, and it's always sunny. Cardone and Smolowitz, who are both HIV-positive, are telling these men's stories in their film.
Read more...
Linked with HIV, TB still a crisis despite cure
Jan 24, 2014 - More than half a decade since a cure was found, TB remains a public menace across the East African region as health officials grapple with its links with HIV and the need to tackle increasing numbers of people suffering from the drug-resistant strains of the disease.
Read more...
NIH research network finds many youth have high levels of HIV
January 23, 2014 - Study succeeds at early diagnosis but suggests high risk of HIV infection for youth
More than 30 percent of young males who had sex with other males and who were subsequently enrolled in a government treatment and research network were
to have high levels of HIV, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Significant attrition at each step of the HIV care 'cascade' in British Columbia
23 January 2014 - Only 35% of HIV-positive people in British Columbia have an undetectable viral load
Patients are being lost at each stage of the HIV care 'cascade' in British Columbia, Canada. Investigators from the STOP HIV/AIDS Study group examined data from 1996 to 2011 and estimated the proportion of people engaged with HIV care at each stage of the care continuum, from diagnosis through to viral suppression.
Their findings, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, show that engagement with care improved steadily over the 15 years of the study. However, there was significant attrition at each stage of the care cascade, and in 2011 only 35% of HIV-positive people had an undetectable viral load.
Read more...
The evolution of drug resistance within a HIV population
23-Jan-2014 - A new study published in PLOS Genetics, by Dr Pleuni Pennings and colleagues, found that in some patients a resistance mutation to a
particular drug appeared in a single virus particle, which then rapidly proliferated until the entire viral population within the patient consisted of its progeny and was also resistant to
the drug. In other patients the same resistance mutation occurred in multiple viral particles within a short window of time, which led to a more heterogeneous, but still drug-resistant, viral population.
Silence=Death co-founder on how one poster changed AIDS movement
23-Jan-2014 - Avram Finkelstein to present lecture and workshop at Montreal's Concordia University
Brooklyn artist, writer and activist Avram Finkelstein is a legend in the AIDS movement, for co-founding both the Silence=Death and Gran Fury collectives that changed the way the world looks at AIDS.
Long-term immune response to vaccines is impaired in people with HIV
22 January 2014 - Important implications for monitoring and revaccination strategies
The long-term immune response to most vaccines is impaired in people with HIV, according to the results of a meta-anlaysis published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Comparison with vaccination outcomes
in HIV-negative individuals showed that the effect of immunisations waned more rapidly in people with HIV.
Read more...
 
Celebrating African Grandmothers,
Heroes of the continent:
ART AUCTION
Friday March 7, 2014
7 - 10 pm
Inn at the Quay
900 Quayside Drive
New Westminster BC
Royal City Gogos invite you to attend Celebrating African Grandmothers, Heroes of the continent ART AUCTION. The Royal
City Gogos have undertaken a huge challenge. We invited artists to donate works of art in an homage to African Grandmothers. Eighty-three works were submitted and forty were selected by a jury to form an exhibition entitled Celebrating African Grandmothers, Heroes of the Continent.
How to Thwart a Thyroid Problem
Winter 2014 - It seems that people with HIV are slightly more likely than the general population to develop a thyroid problem, though most will never experience a thyroid problem of any kind. All the same, it's one of
those things that's worth being aware of because treatments exist to manage such conditions effectively.
From the Front Lines: A Snapshot of the Epidemic
Winter 2014 - "Know your epidemic, know your response." This UNAIDS rallying cry reflects the fact that there is not one single global HIV epidemic, but many, and that no one response will stop the spread of HIV.
The same can be said for the epidemic in Canada
Modelling study - self testing could lead to more HIV infections
20 January 2014 - If gay men replace clinic-based HIV testing with less sensitive home tests, the prevalence and incidence of HIV could rise, American researchers report in the January edition of Sexually
Transmitted Diseases. Because home tests have longer window periods than laboratory tests, there is a danger that men with recent HIV infection remain undiagnosed, the model suggests.
Read more...
ViiV Healthcare's new HIV medicine TivicayT (dolutegravir) is approved in Europe
London, UK, 21 January 2014 - ViiV Healthcare today announced that the European Commission has approved TivicayTM (dolutegravir), an integrase inhibitor, for
use in combination with other anti-retroviral medicinal products for the treatment of HIV infected adults and adolescents above 12 years of age.
Using Facebook to help trace and control the spread of an outbreak of syphilis
21 January 2014 - Since the late 1990s new cases of HIV and syphilis have been increasing in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Canada, Australia,
Western Europe and the U.S. Syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can injure tissues, resulting in inflammation and sores (sometimes painless) on or inside delicate ano-genital tissues, the mouth and throat.
The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) Urges Equal Access of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in Ontario
January 2014 - Toronto - ACT has released a position statement regarding issues surrounding the access to PEP in Ontario to compliment concurrent PEP programming, services and outreach initiatives
The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) is advocating for the equal access of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis to all Ontarians.
Two North American surveys engage doctors about their attitudes towards PrEP
17 January 2014 - In the case of HIV, some clinical trials have found that taking a combination of anti-HIV drugs prior to possible exposure to the virus can reduce the
risk of becoming infected. This approach is called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). This approach is called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Also, in cases where someone is not taking PrEP and may have been exposed
to HIV, taking a combination of anti-HIV drugs within 72 hours of exposure every day for 28 consecutive days can greatly reduce the risk of subsequently developing HIV infection. This approach is called Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).
Gay men's HIV risk varies hugely between individuals and over time, cohort study finds
17 January 2014 - Implications for PrEP programming
A study that looked at the way risk of HIV transmission changed over time in a group of gay men during a six- to eight-year period has found that there was vast variation in the degree of risk men subjected themselves to, the length of time they were at risk and, as a result, HIV incidence.
Read more...
Uptick in HIV Cases Worries SF Officials
Jan 17, 2014 - After six years of steady decreases in new HIV cases in San Francisco, the end of that trend in 2012 is causing concern among local health officials.
Read more...
Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival
In his new book "Body Counts," Sean Strub, founder of the groundbreaking POZ magazine, producer of the hit play "The Night
Larry Kramer Kissed Me," and the first openly HIV-positive candidate for US Congress, charts his remarkable life-a story of politics and AIDS and a powerful testament to loss, hope, and survival.
The 11-Year-Old HIV/AIDS Activist Who Moved Oprah to Tears
Published on Jan 17, 2014 - Born HIV-positive, doctors originally told Hydeia Broadbent's adoptive parents that she wouldn't live past the age of 5. Yet in 1996, the 11-year-old activist
was already speaking publicly about her disease and appearing on national television, including The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Suits Dinner - January 27 2014 - Newton Bakery Restauant
SUITS - POZ GAY WORKING MEN'S DINNER GROUP
Come out and join other working guys for a monthly dinner January 27, 5.30-8.00 at Newton Bakery Restaurant 158 Pender Street E.
Somalia Showcases Achievements in HIV/AIDS Awareness
January 17, 2014 - For the first time ever, the Somali National AIDS Commissiona participated in the 17th International Conference on AIDS in Cape Town,
South Africa, last month. With over 7,000 leading scientists, policymakers, government leaders, and people living with HIV/AID in attendance, Somalia was able to showcase their achievements in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and treatment.
Read more...
Penn HIV Researchers Deploy Large-Scale Intervention Project in South Africa
January 16, 2014 - A large-scale human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) intervention/education effort aimed at helping South African men take a proactive role in the prevention of that disease has proven successful, an important development considering that country has the largest number of HIV infections in the world.
Pursuit of HIV Cure Gets Funding Boost from amfAR
NEW YORK, January 15, 2014 - amfAR Consortium allows five teams of researchers to collaborate on studies aimed at eliminating HIV
A network of leading HIV/AIDS researchers are continuing to pave the road toward a cure for HIV with a boost of funding on Wednesday from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
on Monday announced the launch of a multi-site clinical study in Asia that will address obstacles to treating hepatitis C in people co-infected with HIV. The research grants, totaling more than
$913,000, will enable five teams of scientists working at leading research institutions in the United States and around the globe to collaborate on studies aimed at curing HIV.
HIV Epidemic Plagues Russia as Government Rejects Prevention Methods
January 13, 2014 - Hidden from the outside world and abetted by policies that critics say promote infections rather than curbing them, the HIV scourge plaguing Russia is one that even the poorest countries have begun to subdue.
Read more...
Tricky Protein May Help HIV Vaccine Development
January 13, 2014 - DURHAM, NC - Newly described three-part protein could guide future efforts at Duke
Duke scientists have taken aim at what may be an Achilles' heel of the HIV virus.
Combining expertise in biochemistry, immunology and advanced computation, researchers at Duke University have determined the structure of a key part of the HIV envelope protein, the gp41 membrane proximal external region (MPER), which previously eluded detailed structural description.
Viral microRNAs responsible for causing AIDS-related cancer, new USC study shows
13-Jan-2014 - LOS ANGELES - Molecular cluster and its cellular targets could help with drug development
For the first time, scientists and engineers have identified a critical cancer-causing component in the virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common cancer among HIV-infected people.
The discovery lays the foundation for developing drugs that prevent Kaposi's sarcoma and other related cancers.
Study identifies population of stem-like cells where HIV persists in spite of treatment
12-Jan-2014 - Recently discovered T memory stem cells may be long-term viral reservoir, potential targets for future treatment
Although antiviral therapy against HIV suppresses viral replication and allows infected individuals to live relatively healthy lives for many years, the virus persists in the body, and replication resumes
if treatment is interrupted. Now investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard may have found where the virus hides - in a small group of recently identified T cells with stem-cell-like properties.
Most U.S. Providers Support PrEP, but Not Many Have Prescribed It
10 January 2014 - About three-quarters of infectious disease physicians in North America said they favored HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but only 9% reported that they had prescribed Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) for this purpose, according to a report in the December 6, 2013, advance edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Read more...
BC-CfE supports nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx for Global AIDS Coordinator
10 January, 2014 - VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - U.S. President Barack Obama has announced the nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx for Global AIDS Coordinator, a move
applauded by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE).
NIH-created toxin can kill HIV-infected cells that persist despite treatment
9-Jan-2014 - Approach could potentially be part of future HIV cure strategy
A team including University of North Carolina and NIH scientists has demonstrated in a mouse model that an HIV-specific poison can kill cells in which the virus is actively reproducing
despite antiretroviral therapy. According to the researchers, such a targeted poison could complement antiretroviral therapy, which dramatically reduces the replication of HIV in infected cells but does not eliminate them.
AVAC applauds nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx as US Global AIDS Coordinator
January 9, 2014 - New York - "We at AVAC are extremely excited that President Obama has nominated an innovative and visionary person to lead the U.S. government's fight against
HIV/AIDS. The program, now 10 years old, is at a critical juncture, and Dr. Deborah Birx is the ideal leader for the work that lies ahead.
amfAR Hails Nomination of Global Health Leader Dr. Deborah Birx as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2014 - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, enthusiastically welcomed President Barack Obama's nomination of Deborah Birx,
M.D., as the new U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. The Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator is responsible for administering the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), launched by President George W. Bush in 2008.
UNC research demonstrates "guided missile" strategy to kill hidden HIV
January 9, 2014 - The finding provides a new route to killing persistent HIV-infected cells- a major roadblock to a cure.
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have deployed a potential new weapon against HIV - a combination therapy that targets HIV-infected cells that standard therapies cannot kill.
Northern Initiative Positive Action Community Grants 2013
January 9, 2014 - ViiV Healthcare Canada's Northern Initiative Positive Action Community Grants program recently awarded $50,000 in the first call for proposals focused on HIV prevention education and awareness for Aboriginal men, women and youth in Canada.
Living with HIV: One Woman's Inspiring Story
January 9, 2014 - What do you do when you find yourself afflicted by a insidious, incurable disease like HIV/AIDS? According to Penny DeNoble, an HIV/AIDS activist and former schoolteacher from Denver,
Col., you fight back. You fight back with every tooth and nail, because it's the only way to survive.
Read more...
amfAR's TREAT Asia Program Begins Hepatitis C Treatment Study in HIV Co-Infected Patients in Asia
Jan. 8, 2014 - NEW YORK, NY - Study Aims to Develop a Model of Care for Hepatitis C Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, on Monday announced the launch of a multi-site clinical study in Asia that will address obstacles to treating hepatitis C in people co-infected with HIV.
The study aims to develop a pilot model of care for hepatitis C treatment in resource-limited settings that can be replicated in the region, where treatment for the disease is costly and rarely accessible.
The Importance of Integrative Medicine in the Treatment of HIV/AIDS
January 7, 2014 - As public awareness about the therapeutic value of alternative approaches to health and wellness increases, a growing number of individuals and groups within the scientific community are calling attention to the benefits of an integrative approach to AIDS.
Given President Obama's recent pledge of $100 million towards a cure for HIV/AIDS, it is clear that drugs alone are not the answer. By shifting the paradigm to one that embraces and incorporates proven natural methods, we have the potential to revolutionize modern HIV/AIDS treatments and empower individuals to achieve
greater health and longevity.
Read more...
Jamaican wins 2013 Congressional Black Caucus Award
January 07, 2014 - WASHINGTON, United States (JIS) - Jamaican-born Howard University assistant Professor of Medicine Dr Goulda Downer is the recipient of the 2013 Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust Leadership in Advocacy Award.
High viral load levels in young people newly linked with HIV care in the US
08 January 2014 - High viral load levels in young people newly linked with HIV care in the US
Approximately a third of young people newly linked to HIV care in the United States have viral loads that indicate a high risk of onward transmission, according to research published in the online edition of AIDS. Young men who have sex with men (MSM)
had a mean viral load of approximately 125,000 copies/ml, significantly higher than the average of 47,000 copies/ml recorded in their heterosexual peers.
Read more...
African studies identify strategies for improving treatment adherence, retention in care
07 January 2014 - Getting people tested for HIV is one thing; getting them onto antiretrovirals (ARVs) another; and retaining them in care for a long period something else entirely. A session at the
17th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Cape Town, South Africa, last month, considered which patients are least likely to be retained in care, and innovative strategies to keep patients in care in the long run, using limited resources.
Read more...
UNAIDS directed to support revised national targets for HIV treatment
January 4, 2014 - After meeting for 3 days in Geneva in late December, the board requested that UNAIDS member states adopt the 2013 WHO guidelines on access to HIV treatment.
Read more...
30 years on, Gallo sees 'functional cure' for HIV
January 4, 2014 - AIDS has killed more than 36 million people around the world since the early 1980s. A similar number
of people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that Gallo and French scientists co-discovered.
Canada's offer to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS falls short of international peers
January 3, 2014 - Given these circumstances, Canada's newly announced contributions are not nearly enough, especially when compared to our international peers. This newest pledge is equal to approximately $6 per Canadian per year, far less than the nearly $8 per UK citizen and $10 per Nordic citizen.
NAFDAC suspends use of Nigerian government's 'substandard' HIV drug
January 3,2014 - The drug was deemed substandard by persons living with HIV.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has suspended the use of Tryonex, a
brand of Antiretroviral, ARVs, medicines in the country. This was due to concerns expressed by Treatment Action Movement, TAM, a coalition
of HIV activists in Nigeria and other similar organisations.
Read more...
Relapse of "cured" HIV patients spurs AIDS science on
LONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Scientists seeking a cure for AIDS say they have been inspired, not crushed, by a major setback in which two HIV positive patients believed to have been cured found the virus re-invading their bodies once more.
Read more...
2013: Nigeria: Anti-gay bill would hinder fight against AIDS
January 2, 2014 - AIDS activist Stephen Chukwumah of Nigeria recently described the complications that would be created for people battling AIDS if Nigeria enacts the
so-called "Jail the Gays Bill," which the Senate passed on Dec. 18 and asked President Goodluck Jonathan to sign.
Read more...
2013: Sustaining the battle against HIV/AIDS
January 1, 2014 - "Empowering women will help us to drive down the prevalence of HIV and ensure the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
Read more...
| 
