10 MARCH 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 10

Media Coverage

-- any Prevention Options -- Antibody Related ResearchSTI VaccinesHIV VaccineCombination PreventionMale and Female CondomsCureGeneralHormonal Contraceptives and HIVHPV VaccinesLubricantMicrobicidesMultipurpose Prevention TechnologiesPrEPTherapeutic VaccinesTreatmentVoluntary Medical Male Circumcision

• HIV Incidence Drops Below 2% in Vaginal Ring Follow-ups

  Women who used a dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV prevention were infected at a rate of less than 2%, according to interim data from the concurrent HOPE and DREAM extension trials.

  March 8, 2018

  Multipurpose Prevention Technologies

  Medscape

• Same-day treatment start improves retention in care and viral suppression in Lesotho

  Starting treatment at home, on the day of diagnosis, proved acceptable in rural Lesotho and resulted in improved linkage to care and viral suppression compared with routine care, Niklaus Labhardt of the Swiss Public Health Institute reported on Tuesday at the Conference on Opportunistic Infections in Boston.

  March 7, 2018

  Treatment

  aidsmap

• Starting ART at home improves HIV care in Africa

  Offering same-day, at-home ART initiation improves testing and treatment outcomes compared with standard-of-care in patients who undergo home-based HIV testing, according to study findings presented at CROI.

  March 7, 2018

  Treatment

  Healio

• Blacks largest US group with HIV PrEP indications

  Blacks are the largest group in the United States with indications for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, researchers reported here.

  March 7, 2018

  PrEP

  Healio

• PrEP use growing in US, but not reaching all those in need

  PrEP is only reaching a small proportion of those who could benefit from it. Among the estimated 1.1 million people nationwide who are potential candidates for PrEP, only 8% are receiving it, according to new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although African Americans and Latinos make up about two-thirds of people who stand to benefit from PrEP, they are much less likely than white people to be using it.

  March 7, 2018

  PrEP

  aidsmap

• New HIV infections halved after scale-up of HIV treatment and circumcision in Uganda's hardest-hit district

  The rate of new HIV infections has halved since 2011 in a Ugandan community following large increases in male circumcision, antiretroviral treatment and viral suppression, Joseph Kagaayi of the Rakai Health Sciences Program told the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston on Tuesday.

  March 7, 2018

  Treatment, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision

  aidsmap

• Low-dose hydrocortisone improves learning and memory in women with HIV

  A single 10-mg oral dose of hydrocortisone improved learning and memory for up to 4 hours in a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial of US women with HIV infection. The antiinflammatory had measurable cognitive impacts both 30 minutes and 4 hours after dosing.

  March 7, 2018

  General

  NATAP

• High-intensity exercise has edge over moderate intensity in older group with HIV

  Exercise improved physical function in older sedentary HIV-positive and negative adults, according to results of a 24-week 69-person randomized study. Among people with HIV infection, those randomized to high-intensity exercise gained more strength than counterparts randomized to moderate-intensity exercise.

  March 7, 2018

  General

  NATAP

• 10 reasons why women need an HIV vaccine - and are fighting to create one

  AIDS-related illnesses remain a leading cause of death for women. On International Women’s Day, here’s 10 reasons why developing an HIV vaccine would benefit women and girls around the world.

  March 7, 2018

  HIV Vaccine

  BuzzFeed

• Vaginal ring appears to cut women’s HIV rate in half in new study

  The open-label trial of an antiretroviral (ARV)-infused vaginal ring has shown considerable promise in reducing the risk of HIV among a large group of women in sub-Saharan Africa. The women appeared to use the monthly ring at a high rate, and, according to an interim analysis of the ongoing trial, they have contracted HIV at a rate about half that of what would be expected according to mathematical modeling.

  March 6, 2018

  Microbicides

  POZ

• Epidemics come and go, but surprise is forever

  Has biomedicine learned from the HIV epidemic? Yes and no.

  March 6, 2018

  General

  BioWorld

• New ways to fight HIV and tuberculosis emerge at AIDS conference

  Some people naturally handle HIV infection better than others, but only two clear genetic explanations have ever been found. Now, a new study… finds a third: a genetic signature that leads to a better control of the virus in people of African descent. It could clarify sometimes puzzling differences in the way the disease progresses in untreated people, and it might offer clues about new treatment strategies.

  March 5, 2018

  General

  Science

• Exploring factors that contribute to increased risk of HIV infection in transgender women

  Transgender participants were found to have had a higher median of sexual partners over the course of their lifetime compared with cis-women and MSM. The median number of sexual partners for transgender women was 53, whereas MSM had a median of 25 partners, and CW had a median of 3 partners.

  March 5, 2018

  General

  Contagion Live

• MSM found to underestimate risk of HIV infection, hindering uptake of PrEP

  In an oral abstract session at the 25th Conference for Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in Boston, Massachusetts, Jill Blumenthal, MD, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, discussed how inaccurate HIV risk perception by MSM remains an obstacle to prevention, despite greater access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

  March 5, 2018

  PrEP

  Contagion Live

• Risk of acquiring HIV increases during and after pregnancy, research suggests

  New research suggests that a woman’s risk of acquiring HIV through sex with a male partner infected with HIV increases during pregnancy and is highest during the postpartum period.

  March 5, 2018

  General

  MD Magazine

• The quest to cure HIV through international interdisciplinary collaboration

  Julie M. Overbaugh, PhD… was presented with the honor of delivering the opening lecture for the 25th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)….. Overbaugh’s presentation highlighted the work accomplished in the Nairobi Breastfeeding clinical trial, the subsequent research that was inspired by it and the power of international, interdisciplinary collaboration.

  March 5, 2018

  Cure

  MD Magazine

• Experimental antibody plus TLR7 agonist maintains viral suppression in monkeys

  Treatment with a broadly neutralising antibody plus an immune-stimulating drug led to long-term viral remission after interrupting antiretroviral therapy in a monkey study, according to data presented at the 25th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2018) this week in Boston.

  March 5, 2018

  Antibody Related Research, Treatment

  EATG

Published Research

-- any Prevention Options -- Antibody Related ResearchSTI VaccinesHIV VaccineCombination PreventionMale and Female CondomsCureGeneralHormonal Contraceptives and HIVHPV VaccinesLubricantMicrobicidesMultipurpose Prevention TechnologiesPrEPTherapeutic VaccinesTreatmentVoluntary Medical Male Circumcision

• Retention in HIV care during pregnancy and the postpartum period in the Option B+ era: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in Afric

  Retention rates in prevention of mother-to-child transmission under option B+ were below those of the general adult population, necessitating interventions targeting the complex circumstances of women initiating care under option B+. Improved and standardized procedures to track and report retention are needed to accurately represent care engagement and capture undocumented transfers within the health system.

  April 15, 2018

  Treatment

  JAIDS

• HIV drug resistance in adults receiving early vs. delayed antiretroviral therapy: HPTN 052

  In HPTN 052, the frequency of new drug resistance at virologic failure was lower in adults with early ART initiation. The main factor associated with reduced drug resistance with early ART was lower baseline viral load.

  April 15, 2018

  Treatment

  JAIDS

• Phylogenetic analysis as a forensic tool in HIV transmission investigations

  In this literature review, we revisit HIV court case investigations published in the scientific literature, as well as the methodological aspects important for the application and standardization of phylogenetic analyses methods as a forensic tool.

  March 13, 2018

  AIDS

• Effect of offering same-day ART vs usual health facility referral during home-based HIV testing on linkage to care and viral suppression among adults with HIV in Lesotho

  Among adults in rural Lesotho, a setting of high HIV prevalence, offering same-day home-based ART initiation to individuals who tested positive during home-based HIV testing, compared with usual care and standard clinic referral, significantly increased linkage to care at 3 months and HIV viral suppression at 12 months. These findings support the practice of offering same-day ART initiation during home-based HIV testing.

  March 6, 2018

  Treatment

  JAMA

Announcements