| '  Mild brain impairment caused by HIV has become “a silent epidemic” that needs better screening tools and more research to effectively address it, said Dr. Victor Valcour, who presented on HIV and brain injury at a session on long-term complications of HIV and antiretroviral therapy at the 2010 International AIDS Conference. “The rate of [brain] impairment in patients with HIV is much, much higher” than in the general population, said Dr. Valcour, a physician at the Memory and Aging Center at the University of California in San Francisco, where he is also an Associate Professor in geriatric medicine and neurology. “About half of patients who have HIV will have abnormal [brain] testing,” he said. HIV is known to cause damage to the brain that can lead to impairment or, in severe cases, dementia. Brain impairment can involve loss of memory, motor skills, and concentration abilities,… Read the full story » | . |
Michigan And New York Now Accepting Applications For Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans – Michigan and New York have begun accepting applications for their new pre-existing condition insurance plans. The plans are available to individuals with certain pre-existing conditions, including HIV, who have been without health insurance for at least six months and are residents of the respective state. The plans are part of the new federal health care reform law, which requires every state to develop an insurance plan for individuals who have been denied coverage due to chronic illness or permanent injury (see related AIDS Beacon news). For more information, please see the NY Bridge Plan website, the Michigan PHP website, or the federal Healthcare.gov website.
Studies Find That Vitamin A Increases The Amount Of HIV In Breast Milk – Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have found that vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements are not safe in HIV-positive women who are breastfeeding because they may increase the amount of HIV in breast milk, raising the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby. The researchers think the supplements may increase the risk of breast inflammation, which can allow small amounts of blood to leak into the milk. Breastfeeding is not recommended for women with HIV in the United States, but is recommended in places where clean drinking water is scarce as long as women are receiving antiretroviral therapy. For more information, please visit the University of Michigan website.
Coalition For A National AIDS Strategy To Host Webinars On The National HIV/AIDS Strategy – The Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy will host two identical webinars to provide more details about implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was introduced by President Obama on July 13. The presenters will cover the important aspects of the Strategy, current efforts in implementation, and the need for community advocacy. The 90 minute webinars will be held on Thursday, September 2 at 1 p.m. EST and Tuesday, September 7 at 6 p.m. EST. For more information, please visit the AIDS.gov website.
People with HIV should be screened regularly for kidney disease because even slight kidney damage can lead to an increased risk of heart problems, according to a presentation at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria.
Dr. Mohamed Atta, an Associate Professor of Medicine in nephrology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and medical director of the Dialysis Center at DaVita Health Care in Baltimore, spoke about kidney complications and deferred versus early HIV treatment at a session on side effects of antiretroviral therapy.
Kidney disease is a…
Although the cause of increased heart problems in people with HIV remains unclear, both antiretroviral drugs and the virus itself appear to play an important role.
These are the conclusions of a presentation by Dr. Georg Behrens on heart disease in people with HIV, which was included in a session on side effects of antiretroviral therapy at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria.
Dr. Behrens, an assistant professor at Hanover Medical School in Germany who studies the metabolic side effects of HIV therapy, began his talk by noting…
A session on side effects of antiretroviral therapy at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria included a presentation on bone loss in people with HIV and its possible causes and risk factors. The presenter, Dr. Patrick Mallon, confirmed that people with HIV experience greater bone loss than people without HIV; however, he also argued that the link between bone loss and antiretroviral medications, weight, and vitamin D deficiency remains unclear.
Dr. Mallon, an infectious diseases specialist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin and a lecturer at the…
New Clinical Trial Recruits HIV-Discordant Couples For An Artificial Insemination Study – A new clinical trial at the Boston Medical Center is currently recruiting participants. The study will test the efficacy and safety of intrauterine insemination, a type of artificial insemination, in HIV-discordant couples (couples in which only one person is HIV positive). To be eligible, men must be HIV positive and on stable HAART with an undetectable viral load (amount of virus in the blood) and women must be HIV negative. Women will be tested for HIV status during and after pregnancy, and their babies will be tested at the age of 3 months. Researchers intend to enroll 50 participants in the pilot study. For more information, please visit the United States Clinical Trials registry.
Website Launched For 2010 National Latino AIDS Awareness Day – A new website has been launched for the 2010 National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). The website contains information on community events, HIV testing, and care for Latino/Hispanic-Americans. Resources are available in both Spanish and English. NLAAD will occur this year on October 15. For more information, please see the NLAAD website.
Black AIDS Institute And Merck Create New Black HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network – The Black AIDS Institute and the pharmaceutical company Merck have announced the establishment of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN). The goals of BTAN include improving HIV care and treatment for the African-American community, strengthening leadership and advocacy, and educating African-American communities about HIV and AIDS. The Network will sponsor regional training for advocates and will have an educational website. BTAN’s first action will be to set up pilot advocacy communities in Jackson, MS; Philadelphia; and Houston. For more information, please see the Black AIDS Institute and Merck websites.