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• Feb 1, 2009 PARTNERS IN PREVENTION Phase III study of suppressive acyclovir treatment for HSV-2 on HIV transmission (Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)
  
  No evidence of reduced rates of HIV transmission, but there were reduced rates of genital ulcers and HIV viral load. Results...    more...  
• Sweden HIV/AIDS Statistics for Sweden Total population in thousands (2007): 9,119 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 6,200 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007):  0.1 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 6,200 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 2,900 *...    more...  
• Oct 31, 2005 RE: Draft International Guidelines for Ethical Review of Epidemiological Studies. The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on the CIOMS draft ES Guidelines. AVAC is a not-for-profit public interest organization dedicated to accelerating ethical research and global delivery of vaccines to fight the AIDS pandemic. Among other activities,...    more...  
• Apr 29, 2005 Comments on FDA's Draft Guidance for Industry: Considerations for Plasmid DNA The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) appreciates this opportunity to comment on the FDA's draft DNA Vaccine Guidance. AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to ethical research and accelerating global delivery of vaccines to fight the AIDS pandemic. To...    more...  
• Jun 1, 2012 HPTN 052 Phase III trial of ARV therapy and HIV primary care versus HIV primary care alone in HIV-serodiscordant couples (Botswana, Brazil, India, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, Zimbabwe)    more...  
• Apr 1, 2012 HVTN 505 Phase II of the VRC's DNA prime / Ad5-boost vaccine strategy on post-HIV infection viral (US)    more...  
• Mar 1, 2009 ALVAC-AIDSVAX (RV 144) Phase III trial of a prime-boost vaccine strategy ALVAC plus AIDSVAX (Thailand)
  
  Initial data show that vaccine recipients were 31% less likely than placebo recipients to become HIV-infected. There was no observed effect on viral load. Additional data analysis is ongoing.    more...  
• Apr 1, 2009 MDP 301 Phase III trial of the vaginal microbicide PRO 2000 (South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)
  
  No evidence of benefit. Results announced November 2009.    more...  
• Jan 1, 2010 CDC 4323 Phase II trial of once-daily oral TDF (US)
  
  The trial reported no serious adverse events and preliminary data show PrEP use did not have a significant effect on HIV risk behavior. Additional data expected in 2011.    more...  
• Jan 1, 2012 CDC 4370 Phase II/III trial of once-daily oral TDF (Thailand)    more...  
• Dec 31, 2010 iPrEx Phase III trial of once-daily oral TDF/FTC (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, US)
  
  Showed that once-daily TDF/FTC reduced risk of HIV infection gay men, transgender women and other men who have sex with men an average of 43.8%. Results announced November 2010.    more...  
• Feb 1, 2010 CAPRISA 004 Phase IIb trial of the vaginal microbicide tenofovir gel (South Africa)
  
  There were 39 percent fewer infections among women who received 1% tenofovir gel compared to women who received the placebo gel. Results announced July 2010.    more...  
• Aug 1, 2011 TDF2 (CDC 4940)

  Phase II trial of once-daily TDF/FTC (Botswana)

  Analysis of the active and placebo arms indicated that daily oral TDF/FTC reduced the risk of HIV infection in both men and women participants by an estimated 62.6 percent compared to those who received the placebo.

     more...  
• Jul 13, 2011 PARTNERS PrEP

  Phase III trial of once-daily oral TDF and once-daily oral TDF/FTC (Kenya, Uganda)

  In July, DSMB recommended placebo arm discontinue after early data showed daily oral TDF reduced HIV by an estimated 62 percent and daily oral TDF/FTC reduced HIV risk by an estimated 73 percent...    more...  

• Apr 14, 2011 FEM-PrEP Phase III trial of a once-daily dose of TDF/FTC (Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania)
  
  Study's data review committee determined that the trial would not be able to answer the question of whether the study drug decreased risk of HIV infection among HIV-negative women at risk via sexual...    more...  
• May 1, 2012 VOICE (MTN-003) Phase IIb trial of once-daily oral TDF, once-daily oral TDF/FTC, and 1% tenofovir gel (South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe)    more...  
• May 26, 2005 Comments on FDA's Draft Guidance for Industry on Using a Centralized Institutional Review Boards Process in Multicenter Clinical Trials (IRB Guidance) Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the FDA's IRB Guidance. We are current or former volunteers, representatives of participants in clinical trial research, on authorized Community Advisory Board (CABs) which review government sponsored clinical trials testing vaccines to fight...    more...  
• May 20, 2005 Re: Proposed Criteria for Determinations of Equivalent Protection (EP Criteria Proposal) The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on the OHRP's EP Criteria Proposal and the associated Report of the Equivalent Protections Working Group. AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to ethical research and...    more...  
• Jan 13, 2006 Guidance on Reporting and Reviewing Adverse Events and Unanticipated Problems Involving Risks to Subjects or Others (Guidance) The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on OHRP's Guidance cited above. AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to accelerating ethical research and global delivery of vaccines to fight the AIDS pandemic. AVAC itself or in...    more...  
• Oct 10, 2003 Comments on FDA's Proposed Rule -- Safety Reporting Requirements for Human Drug and Biological Products 425 Market Street, 32nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 Writer's Direct Contact 415/268-7469 RReinhar@mofo.com Via E-Mail FDADockets@oc.fda.gov And hardcopy followup by U.S. Mail Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061...    more...  
• Sep 7, 2004 RE: Docket No. 2004N-0018; Human Subject Protection -- Foreign Clinical Studies Not Conducted Under an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is a volunteer and nonprofit organization dedicated to ethical research and global delivery of AIDS vaccines. We are pleased to submit these comments regarding FDA's proposed rule on acceptance of foreign clinical studies not conducted under an IND as...    more...  
• Apr 17, 2005 Comments on FDA's Hearing and Workshop - Reporting of Adverse Events to Institutional Review Boards (IRB) The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) appreciates this opportunity to comment on the FDA's IRB adverse event reporting hearing and workshop (IRB workshop). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to ethical research and global delivery of vaccines to fight...    more...  
• Sep 22, 2005 Draft Manuscript for "Handbook for Good Clinical Research Practice (GCP): Guidance for Implementation". WHO 2005 The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on the WHO's Draft Manuscript: "Handbook for Good Clinical Research Practice (GCP): Guidance for Implementation" (Draft). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to ethical research...    more...  
• Nov 1, 2004 Re: Enhanced Public Access to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Information -- (Notice) 69 Fed. Reg. 56074, September 17, 2004 The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) appreciates this opportunity to supplement our previous comments to NIH dated August 6 and 25, 2004 and now in support of the formal published concept dated September 17, 2004 to increase public access to NIH health related research information. Copies...    more...  
• Aug 6, 2004 RE: Open Access Publication of Scientific Research -- FY 2005 Appropriations Our organizations are volunteer and nonprofit HIV/AIDS treatment, vaccine, and prevention advocacy groups with a long history of community participation in all aspects of government and privately sponsored research to fight the AIDS pandemic. In that capacity, we support at July 16, 2004 House...    more...  
• Rwanda HIV/AIDS Statistics for Rwanda Total population in thousands (2007): 9,725 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 150,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 2.8 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 130,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 78,000 *...    more...  
• Dec 20, 2008 AVAC Think-Tank on Intermittent Dosing of PrEP
  In December 2008, AVAC held a one-day think tank where colleagues from multiple agencies and research disciplines discussed key scientific questions to be addressed in evaluating the merits of future prevention research on intermittent use of pre-exposure prophylaxis ("iPrEP") for prevention...    more...  
• Jan 14, 2009 AVAC Think Tank on PrEP Financing in the US
  Colleagues from multiple disciplines met for a one-day, AVAC-sponsored think tank examining how PrEP for HIV prevention might be funded or reimbursed through insurance mechanisms in the United States should it prove safe and effective. The think tank took forward discussions on PrEP...    more...  
• Apr 13, 2004 Innovation or Stagnation? -- Challenge and Opportunity on the Critical Path to New Medical Products ( Thank you for the opportunity to comment to the FDA and the Science Board as the Agency launches the program described in the Critical Path White Paper (or "Proposal" -- http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/criticalpath/whitepaper.html). We are nonprofit and volunteer patient advocates working in...    more...  
• May 14, 2004 International Conference on Harmonisation: Draft Guidance on E2E Pharmcovigilance Planning ( Thank you for providing an opportunity for consumer representatives and patient advocates to comment on the ICH-E2E draft guidance that FDA and others would use to plan risk identification activities during postmarketing periods for drugs or biologics. The importance of followup risk...    more...  
• Jan 10, 2006 Advanced Market Commitments -- Consultation 2005 The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on DFID's Consultation Document on Advanced Market Commitments (AMCs). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to accelerating ethical research and global delivery of vaccines to...    more...  
• Oct 27, 2006 Guidance for Industry - Development of Preventive HIV Vaccines for Use in Pediatric Populations (Guidance) Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments regarding the FDA's Guidance for development of preventive HIV vaccines for use in pediatric populations. These comments are submitted on behalf of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest...    more...  
• Nov 13, 2006 Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation & Intellectual Property The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) welcomes this opportunity to comment on the Report of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (the "Report"). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to accelerating...    more...  
• May 22, 2006 Prompt Action to Revise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy to Ensure The American Public Has Free and Timely Access to the Results of Research Funded by our Tax Dollars We are writing to urge that you take prompt action to revise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy to ensure the American public has free and timely access to the results of research funded by our tax dollars. AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest organization...    more...  
• Nov 12, 2006 FIC Strategic Plan to Guide Center Activities in the Next 5 years. Thank you for the opportunity announced on your website to provide suggestions to help the FIC build its next strategic plan for reducing disparities in global health. We are nongovernmental patient advocates and representatives of study populations, individually and in HIV/AIDS organizations. We...    more...  
• Dec 6, 2007 Proposed Rule - Issuance of a Visa and Authorization for Temporary Admission Into the United States for Certain Nonimmigrant Aliens Infected With HIV (HIV Waiver Application Proposal) Please accept these comments requesting DHS to withdraw the impractical and unfair HIV Waiver Application Proposal cited above. These comments ask DHS to prepare alternative rules, grounded in supportable and compassionate public health policy, in keeping with internationally accepted principles...    more...  
• Feb 6, 2009 Guidance for Industry: Tropical Disease Priority Vouchers, Docket No. FDA 2008-N-0567. The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), the Alliance for Microbicide Development (AMD), the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Global Campaign for Microbicide Development (GCM) are pleased to respond to the FDA's...    more...  
• Apr 24, 2002 Comments on Department of Health and Human Services ("DHHS") Proposed Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information The organization and the individual joint signators to this letter appreciate the opportunity to submit comments on the Proposed Privacy Rule. Individual signators have provided names and, in some cases, also the names of affiliates we work with to inform you about our backgrounds, but we do not...    more...  
• Jul 29, 2004 Re: Critical Path Initiative, Docket No. 2004-N-0181; 69 Fed. Reg. 21839, April 22, 2004 The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) is pleased to submit these comments to identify pressing scientific or technical hurdles, along with solutions, in medical product development as part of FDA's Critical Path Initiative (Initiative). AVAC is a volunteer and nonprofit public interest...    more...  
• Apr 20, 2005 Comments on FDA's Hearing and Workshop - Reporting of Adverse Events to Institutional Review Boards (IRB) Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the FDA's IRB adverse event reporting hearing and workshop (IRB workshop). We are current or former volunteers, representatives of participants in human subject research, on authorized Community Advisory Board (CABs) which review government sponsored...    more...  
• Aug 23, 2009 Preparing for PrEP: A Stakeholder's Dialogue
  The UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and various partners convened a day-long dialogue in advance of the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) to discuss PrEP research, the possible social and cultural implications of PrEP and also...    more...  
• Jan 1, 2009 HPTN 035 Phase II/IIb trial of two microbicides, BufferGel and 0.5% PRO 2000/5 gel (Malawi, South Africa, US, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
  
  There were fewer infections in women using PRO 2000 than in women using the placebo gel, but this difference was not statistically significant. No evidence of...    more...  
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• Botswana HIV/AIDS Statistics for Botswana Total population in thousands (2007): 1,882 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 300,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 23.9 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 280,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007: 170,000...    more...  
• Brazil HIV/AIDS Statistics for Brazil Total population in thousands (2007): 191,791 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 730,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.6 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 710,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):...    more...  
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• China HIV/AIDS Statistics for China Total population in thousands (2007): 1,328,630 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 700,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.1 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 690,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):...    more...  
• Ecuador HIV/AIDS Statistics for Ecuador Total population in thousands (2007): 13,341 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 26,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007):  0.3 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 25,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):...    more...  
• United States of America HIV/AIDS Statistics for the United States of America Total population in thousands (2007): 305,826 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 1,200,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.6 * Women aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  0.3 * Men aged 15 to 24...    more...  
• Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS Statistics for Zimbabwe Total population in thousands (2007): 13,349 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 1,300,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 15.3 * Prevalence male aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  2.9 * Adults aged 15 and up living with...    more...  
• Jan 1, 2007 CONRAD CELLULOSE SULFATE Phase III trial of the microbicide cellulose sulfate gel (Benin, India, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe)
  
  Trial stopped early, January 2007. No evidence of benefit. There were more infections among women using the candidate gel than those using placebo gel, but this was not...    more...  
• Feb 1, 2007 FHI CELLULOSE SULFATE Phase III trial of cellulose sulfate gel to (Nigeria)
  
  Trial stopped in January 2007 following announcement of data from CONRAD trial of CS. No evidence of safety concerns or of effectiveness. Results announced, July 2007.    more...  
• Apr 1, 2007 STEP (HVTN 502/MERCK 023) Phase IIb trial of MRK-Ad5 HIV vaccine candidate (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dom. Rep., Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rico, US)
  
  Trial halted immunizations, September 2007. Data analysis found no evidence of benefit and potential for increased risk of HIV infection among...    more...  
• May 1, 2007 PHAMBILI (HVTN 503) Phase IIb trial of MRK-Ad5 HIV vaccine candidate (South Africa)
  
  Trial halted enrollment and immunizations, September 2007, following Step trial announcement. Follow-up continues.    more...  
• Mar 1, 2007 MIRA Phase III trial of the female diaphragm (South Africa, Zimbabwe)
  
  No evidence of benefit. Results announced July 2007.    more...  
• Jan 1, 2008 HSV-2 SUPPRESSION (HPTN 039) Phase III trial of suppressive acyclovir treatment for the reduction of HIV infection in HSV-2 seropositive individuals (Peru, South Africa, US, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
  
  No evidence of benefit. Results announced February 2008.    more...  
• Feb 1, 2008 MALE CIRCUMCISION IN HIV-POSITIVE MEN Large-scale trial of male circumcision for HIV-positive men and its potential protective effect for HIV-negative female partners of HIV-positive circumcised males (Uganda)
  
  Trial stopped enrollment, December 2006. No statistically significant conclusions could be drawn from sample...    more...  
• United Kingdom HIV/AIDS Statistics for the United Kingdom Total population in thousands (2007): 60,769 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 77,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.2 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 77,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007:...    more...  
• Uganda HIV/AIDS Statistics for Uganda Total population in thousands (2007): 30,884 * Number of people living with HIV (2007):  940,000 * Women aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  3.9 * Men aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  1.3 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):...    more...  
• India HIV/AIDS Statistics for India Total population in thousands (2007): 1,169,016 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 2,400,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.3 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 2,300,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007:...    more...  
• Kenya HIV/AIDS Statistics for Kenya Total population in thousands (2007): 37,538 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 1,500,000 -- 2,000,000 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):  1,400,000-1,800,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):  800,000-1,100,000 *...    more...  
• Malawi HIV/AIDS Statistics for Malawi Total population in thousands (2007): 13,925 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 930,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007):  11.9 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007):  840,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV...    more...  
• Peru HIV/AIDS Statistics for Peru Total population in thousands (2007): 27,903 * Number of people living with HIV (2007):   76,000 * Women aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  0.3 * Men aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate (2007):  0.5 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV...    more...  
• South Africa HIV/AIDS Statistics for South Africa Total population in thousands (2007): 48,577 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 5,700,000 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 5,400,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 3,200,000 * Women aged 15 to 24 prevalence rate...    more...  
• Tanzania HIV/AIDS Statistics for Tanzania Total population in thousands (2007): 40,454 * Number of people living with HIV (2007):  1,400,000 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 1,300,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 760,000 * Deaths due to AIDS (2007): 96,000 *    more...  
• Thailand HIV/AIDS Statistics for Thailand Total population in thousands (2007): 63,884 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 610,000 * Adult aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 1.4 * Women aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007):  1.2 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV...    more...  
• Switzerland HIV/AIDS Statistics for Switzerland Total population in thousands (2007): 7,484 * Number of people living with HIV (2007): 25,000 * Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate (2007): 0.6 * Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 25,000 * Women aged 15 and up living with HIV (2007): 9,200...    more...  
• Jul 22, 2010 AIDS 2010: global health leaders say stigma exacerbates HIV epidemic among black gay/bi men From pre-conference events to the massive human rights march through downtown Vienna, world leaders, public health experts and HIV activists honed in with laser-like precision on a common message at The 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna : The ongoing persecution and criminalization of... The Body       more...  
• Mar 1, 2008 CARRAGUARD Phase III trial of the microbicide Carraguard (South Africa)
  
  No evidence of benefit. Results announced February 2008.    more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 AIDS 2010 calls for treatment and prevention support for men having sex with men As the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread, new research shows it's taking an increasing toll on men-having-sex-with-men or MSM.  The issue was addressed at the 18th International AIDS conference in Vienna, with calls for greater funding and human rights efforts. Activists say men having... Voice of America       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 AVAC and partners release new HIV prevention research reports AVAC and various partner organizations recently released new reports on the state of the prevention research field: The Thai Way Forward , a preview of the AVAC Report 2010 Turning the Page , looks at some of the questions and reactions that the landmark Thai vaccine study raised for... AVAC       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Structure and function of broadly reactive antibody PG16 reveal an H3 subdomain that mediates potent neutralization of HIV-1 [Vaccines] Development of an effective vaccine against HIV-1 will likely require elicitation of broad and potent neutralizing antibodies against the trimeric surface envelope glycoprotein (Env). Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) PG9 and PG16 neutralize ~80% of HIV-1 isolates across all clades with extraordinary... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Are women who work in bars, guesthouses and similar facilities a suitable study population for vaginal microbicide trials in Africa? [Microbicide] Background A feasibility study was conducted to investigate whether an occupational at-risk cohort of women in Mwanza, Tanzania are a suitable study population for future phase III vaginal microbicide trials. Methodology/Principal Findings 1573 women aged 16-54 y working in traditional and... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Randomized controlled trials of interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections: learning from the past to plan for the future Globally, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent a significant source of morbidity and disproportionately impact the health of women and children. The number of randomized controlled trials testing interventions to prevent STIs has dramatically increased over time. To assess their... Epidemiologic Reviews       more...  
• May 30, 2010 A pre-Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference meeting of social researchers to advance a research agenda for HIV prevention work for men who have sex with men in Asia The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University will host a two day workshop which will bring together 20 social researchers from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines currently working in the area of MSM. The two... Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Restoring U.S. foreign aid to health President Obama, his foreign policy team, and Congress are on the cusp of redefining how the United States approaches foreign assistance. As they undertake their aid reform effort this year, they're promising to get serious about ensuring that American funds are used wisely. They're right to... Hill's Congress Blog       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Henry Gabelnick receives lifetime achievement award CONRAD is pleased to announce that Executive Director, Henry Gabelnick, Ph.D, was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the 6th International Microbicides 2010 Conference. This year's conference, Building Bridges to HIV Prevention, was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 22-25 and before an... CONRAD       more...  
• May 29, 2010 Under pressure, Malawi's leader pardons gay couple Malawi's president on Saturday pardoned a gay couple who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered their release but insisted that homosexuality was still illegal in his conservative southern African nation. President Bingu wa Mutharika announced the pardon on "humanitarian grounds... Associated Press       more...  
• Jun 28, 2010 Revealed: Men in Green a circumcision campaign [Male circumcision] Revealed: The men who covered their faces and made different poses in Mbabane belong to theatre group Pelepele, and were commissioned by PSI to market male circumcision. Yesterday, Litsemba Letfu Male clinic, a sister organisation to Population Service International (PSI), unveiled the group as... Times of Swaziland       more...  
• May 30, 2010 Treatment crisis a wake-up call over lost chances in Aids war Now that Uganda's donors are cutting funding for Aids drugs, the authorities may have to talk more about prevention and less about treatment. It is time to recall the 1990s, reports Rodney Muhumuza. One of the patients at the Joint Clinical Research Centre is a well-educated man who first... Daily Monitor       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Government starts public male circumcision next month [Male circumcision] The government is set to launch the National Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) policy next month which will enable youth get free circumcision services, an official from the Health ministry has said. The policy will give priority to teenagers between the ages of 15 to 25 years. Highlighting the draft... Daily Monitor       more...  
• Jun 26, 2010 Anti-HIV drugs slash risk of virus transmission by 92 percent People with HIV reduced the risk of handing on the AIDS virus by an astonishing 92 percent while they were taking antiretroviral drugs, according to a trial reported on Thursday. The research provides the strongest evidence to date that drugs which treat the human immunodeficiency virus could... Agence France-Presse       more...  
• May 27, 2010 ARV usage to prevent HIV could result in drug resistance -- study A research finding has revealed that using anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to prevent HIV could result in drug resistance if routine screening is not done. This was the finding of a study circulated at the ongoing M2010 conference at David Lawrence Convention Centre here, in asking whether drug... Times of Zambia       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Kenya: Putting HIV-positive people at the centre of prevention People living with HIV must take their place at the forefront of HIV prevention efforts in Kenya if they are to be truly successful, senior government officials said at the launch of a set of national guidelines for rolling out "Prevention with Positives" in the capital, Nairobi. "We have... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Zuma urged to push G-20 for universal HIV care The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has urged President Jacob Zuma to advocate universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and care when he meets other Group of 20 (G-20) leaders in Canada later this month. The AIDS lobby group sent a letter to Mr Zuma on Friday urging him, as president of the... BusinessDay       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 3 Namibian women with HIV say they were sterilized Supporters of three HIV-positive women in Namibia who say they were sterilized without their consent held protests to support the women's decision to sue the government, a legal aid group said Wednesday. The Legal Assistance Center said protesters began staging sit-ins at two state hospitals in... Associated Press       more...  
• May 26, 2010 LSHTM welcomes new Director The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is delighted to announce that its new Director will be Professor Peter Piot. He will take over the role from Professor Sir Andy Haines in September. Baron Piot is currently Director of the Institute for Global Health and Professor of... London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)       more...  
• May 1, 2010 After 25 million deaths, search continues for HIV vaccine In the three decades since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, nearly 60 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV and more than 25 million have died of HIV-related causes. Every day, at least 7,400 people become newly HIV-infected. Despite progress in providing treatment to people who need... Frontlines (USAID)       more...  
• Jun 10, 2010 At World Cup, South African AIDS activists hope to spread word of prevention Slathered in face paint, toting samba drums and waving national flags, the world's most ardent soccer fans are streaming into South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. And they're being met by a host of reminders not to forget the tournament's most essential accessory: a condom. South Africa has the... Washington Post       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 Microbicides set to empower women Researchers exploring possibilities of a prevention method that will help protect women from HIV infection are hopeful that the first clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of an Antiretroviral (ARV)-based microbicide gel running in a number of countries including Zimbabwe will yield... The Standard       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Female condom popular in U.S. AIDS capital, Washington Katitia Pitts stands before a small group of people at a health centre in Washington and waves a female condom in the air. "It squeaks, ... but it protects," she says. The condoms, which have been on the market for years, have finally been discovered by health officials in Washington, DC, where... Deutsche Presse-Agentur       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 HIV vaccine -- keeping hope alive It took 105 years for researchers to develop a vaccine against the deadly typhoid disease and 89 to get one against polio. This is what Mitchell Warren, the executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) often tells anxious prevention advocates seeking answers to why it has... The Standard       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 To stop Aids, we must empower women African women are no strangers to overcoming adversity. Every day across Tanzania, women perform small miracles, working long hours or traveling great distances to provide for their families. Increasingly, they are starting small businesses and running for office -- while at the same time... The Citizen       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Industry looks to buck bias in emerging 'adaptive' designs Commentary Adaptive clinical trials, in which aspects such as medical endpoints and sample sizes can be modified midtrial, are catching on in the pharmaceutical industry to make drug development both faster and cheaper. But as the industry stakes out shortcuts, many researchers are concerned... Nature Medicine       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 When the presumption of innocence is not beneficial: periodic presumptive treatment for STIs and HIV in female sex workers The recent announcement that a prime-boost combination of two HIV vaccine candidates had a partial protective efficacy of around 31% in phase III clinical trials in Thailand is encouraging, but for the foreseeable future the prevention of HIV acquisition will continue to require a multifactorial... Sexually Transmitted Infections       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Vaginal microbicides save money: a model of cost-effectiveness in South Africa and the USA Objective To determine the hypothetical cost-effectiveness of vaginal microbicides preventing male to female HIV transmission. Methods A mathematical epidemiological and cost-effectiveness model using data from South Africa and the USA was used. The prospective 1-year-long intervention... Sexually Transmitted Infections       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Increasing support for contraception as HIV prevention: stakeholder mapping to identify influential individuals and their perceptions Background Voluntary contraceptive use by HIV-positive women currently prevents more HIV-positive births, at a lower cost, than anti-retroviral drug (ARV) regimens. Despite this evidence, most prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs focus solely on providing ARV prophylaxis... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Gates Foundation CEO: Listening is key to success On a recent trip to Mozambique, Jeffrey Raikes, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, cornered two rice farmers for a chat. Both farmed in the same area, on different parts of the same river, growing the same variety of rice. Yet one farmer had yields larger than the other, Raikes... USA Today       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Uganda: Respect our gates of life I am back from a trip I am finding difficult to narrate to my children. The conference in Pittsburgh, USA, was about microbicides, a gel that is being tested in humans to kill HIV on spot. It is applied into the vagina and has shown more exciting success in animals than Nambooze's victory in... New Vision       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 The search for an ARV microbicide [Microbicide] "Antiretroviral microbicides for prevention -- such promise needs urgent research. How can I stand idly by and not take up this challenge?" asks Professor Salim "Slim" Abdool Karim, Head of the Centre for AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). He was eferrring to Caprisa 004, a... Health-e News Service       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 WHO: HIV Programme highlights significant achievements towards universal access A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), HIV/AIDS Programme Highlights 2008-09, outlines major accomplishments of the agency in collaboration with countries and partners in promoting interventions to accelerate the progress towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment,... World Health Organization (WHO)       more...  
• May 30, 2010 6000 Zimbabwean men circumcised [Male circumcision] At least 6000 men have been circumcised in a pilot project which the ministry of health has been carrying out with the government setting up a national campaign of the program which is likely to reduce country's HIV prevalence to a single digit, a senior health practitioner has said. Currently... ZimEye       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Prevalence and correlates of heterosexual anal intercourse among clients attending public sexually transmitted disease clinics in Los Angeles County Objective: To identify demographic and behavioral correlates of heterosexual anal intercourse (AI), as well as associations with sexually transmitted infections (STI) among clients attending public sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Relationship characteristics associated with anal sex among female drug users Background: Anal sex is an important yet little studied HIV risk behavior for women. Methods: Using information collected on recent sexual encounters, we examined the influence of sex partner and relationship characteristics on the likelihood of engaging in anal sex among women with a high... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Heterosexual anal intercourse has the potential to cause a significant loss of power in vaginal microbicide effectiveness studies [Microbicide] Background: Vaginal microbicides are topical products being studied for their potential to reduce the risk of penile-vaginal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. Because the sexual acts that lead to infection in effectiveness trials are unobserved, identification of an effective... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• HIV transmission in serodiscordant heterosexual couples Antiretroviral treatment inhibits HIV viral replication and reduces plasma viral load. Low plasma viral load is associated with a lower probability of HIV transmission, which opens the possibility of treatment to reduce HIV transmission.[1,2] The feasibility, potential effectiveness, and risks... British Journal of Medicine       more...  
• May 28, 2010 Commentary: Probability of HIV transmission through anal intercourse Anal intercourse remains the most common means of HIV transmission in most of the developed world. Homosexual men represent the largest group of new HIV infections in Australia,[1] Western Europe and North America.[2] The rate of HIV diagnosis in homosexual men is on the increase in these... International Journal of Epidemiology       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Microvirin, a novel alpha(1,2)-mannose-specific lectin isolated from microcystis aeruginosa, has comparable anti-HIV-1 activity as cyanovirin-N, but a much higher safety profile [Microbicide] Microvirin (MVN), a recently isolated lectin from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806, shares 33% identity with the potent anti-HIV protein cyanovirin-N (CV-N) isolated from Nostoc ellipsosporum and both lectins bind to similar carbohydrate structures. MVN is able to inhibit... Journal of Biological Chemistry       more...  
• May 26, 2010 Recent key advances in human immunodeficiency virus medicine and implications for China In this article we summarize several recent major developments in human immunodeficiency virus treatment, prevention, outcome, and social policy change. Updated international guidelines endorse more aggressive treatment strategies and safer antiretroviral drugs. New antiretroviral options are... AIDS Research and Therapy       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Next Generation PrEP (R01) Request for Applications (RFA) Number:   RFA-AI-10-012 Key Dates Opening Date:   October 2, 2010 Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): October 2, 2010 Application Due Date(s): November 2, 2010  Overview Content Purpose. The National Institute of Allergy and... National Institute Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Heterosexual HIV-1 transmission after initiation of antiretroviral therapy: a prospective cohort analysis Background High plasma HIV-1 RNA concentrations are associated with increased risk of HIV-1 transmission. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces plasma HIV-1 concentrations. We aimed to assess the effect of ART use by patients infected with HIV-1 on risk of transmission to their... Lancet       more...  
• May 20, 2010 Researchers start up cell with synthetic genome A fully synthesized genome transforms one species of bacterium into another. Scientists have built a bacterial genome from scratch and used it to 'reboot' a cell from a different species of bacterium. Daniel Gibson and his colleagues at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland,... Nature       more...  
• May 26, 2010 SA leads way in anti-HIV tests New HIV infections in South Africa could be almost eliminated by combining prevention tools that have been proven to reduce transmission, an expert on the virus told a conference in the US yesterday. Dr Susan Buchbinder said scientific trials had shown that medical male circumcision, condoms... Times Live       more...  
• May 26, 2010 US, Nigeria partner on HIV/AIDS vaccine [Vaccine] In line with its new thinking in bilateral relations with Nigeria, the United States government said yesterday it was embarking on a joint HIV/AIDS vaccine research effort. Speaking while inspecting a medical centre at the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja, the US Deputy Secretary of State,... This Day       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Acceptability of male circumcision for the prevention of HIV among high-risk heterosexual men in Thailand [Male circumcision] Limited data are available on circumcision prevalence and acceptability among Thai men to prevent human immunodeficiency virus. Of 408 high-risk heterosexual men, 12.3% were circumcised. 14.2% and 24.9% expressed willingness to be circumcised before and after circumcision education, respectively.... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Combined antiretroviral treatment and heterosexual transmission of HIV-1: cross sectional and prospective cohort study Objective To estimate the risk and probability of heterosexual transmission of HIV-1 from infected people taking combined antiretroviral treatment. Design Cross sectional and prospective cohort studies. Setting HIV clinic in Madrid, Spain. Participants Stable heterosexual couples with... British Journal of Medicine       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Microbicides: the quest for user-friendly formulations [Microbicides] A large number of presentations at the Microbicides 2010 Conference in Pittsburgh documented the development of microbicides very different from gels or creams. Vaginal rings, quick-dissolve pills and thin films smaller than sticks of gum are all being tested. Poor adherence was probably one of... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 31, 2010 Awareness of male 'cut' high in Nyanza [Male circumcision] More women than men in Nyanza Province associate male circumcision with HIV prevention although awareness of the procedure is high among both genders. This was contained in the results of a survey by the National Aids and STD Control Programme and Unicef. The survey carried out by Infotrak... Daily Nation       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Researchers upbeat on HIV drugs HIV and Aids researchers from across the world are hopeful there will be breakthroughs in two years that will bring a glimmer of hope to people infected with the virus. Speaking at the International Microbicide Conference that ended in Pittsburgh last week, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the... Herald       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Is bigger better? To close the gap between research and development, a number of funding organizations focus their efforts on large, translations research projects rather than small research teams and individual scientists. Yet, as Paul van Helden argues, if the support for small, investigator-driven research... EMBO reports       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Preexposure prophylaxis and predicted condom use among high-risk men who have sex with men [PrEP] Objectives: Preexposure prophylaxis (PREP) is an emerging HIV prevention strategy; however, many fear it may lead to neglect of traditional risk reduction practices through behavioral disinhibition or risk compensation. Methods: Participants were 180 HIV-negative high-risk men who have sex... AIDS       more...  
• May 20, 2010 HIV vaccine acceptability: a systematic review and meta-analysis [Vaccine] Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature to examine HIV vaccine acceptability and factors impacting acceptability of future HIV vaccines. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles that assessed HIV vaccine acceptability. Methods: We used a... AIDS       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Potential impact of new WHO criteria for antiretroviral treatment for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission We reviewed the potential impact of new WHO criteria for antiretroviral therapy using data from 1025 HIV-infected women and infants followed for 24 months in Lusaka, Zambia. The new criteria require initiating therapy among 68% of pregnant women and, if fully effective, would prevent 92% of... AIDS       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Adherence to ARV prevention methods is challenging, partly because they don't treat illness [PrEP] There are particular challenges to encouraging and accurately measuring adherence in research trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), researchers reported in a series of presentations at the Fifth International Conference of HIV Treatment Adherence in Miami this week. Participants feel... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 28, 2010 Ray of light for an Aids vaccine [Vaccine] After years of what often seemed like an impossible pursuit, Aids vaccine researchers have a renewed sense of hope. To commemorate World Aids Vaccine Day recently, the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) screened a new documentary, H is for Human , and hosted a panel discussion on Aids... Star       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Treatment and PrEP could be on a 'collision course', warns resistance expert The world needs to prepare for a resurgence of HIV drug resistance if pre-exposure prophylaxis is widely adopted, a veteran HIV researcher warned the Microbicides 2010 Conference last week. Dr John Mellors of the University of Pittsburgh has studied the dynamics of viral suppression and how drug... Aidsmap       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Vaginal gel that kills herpes may be ready by 2012 [Microbicide] The world's first herpes-killing vaginal gel may go on sale within two years, said its developer Starpharma Holdings Ltd., which plans to start patient studies on its effectiveness. Starpharma is in discussions with "a number of groups" about trials of its VivaGel product in women at risk of... Bloomberg       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 What happens to people who become HIV positive in prevention trials? [Microbicides] One of the most contentious issues in HIV prevention trials has been the question of who is responsible for the care of people who become infected during the trial, and whether they are entitled to compensation. Two presentations at the Microbicides 2010 Conference investigated what actually... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 26, 2010 Africa must change mind set to fight HIV - McGowan [Microbicide] As the world waits to see whether the tenofovir microbicide tested in South Africa will block HIV infection -- the results will be released in July -- marketing expert Paul McGowan from the agency Added Value spoke about the role that marketing could play in promoting any successful... Times Live       more...  
• Jun 10, 2010 Research into lubes has worrisome findings New research has found that some lubricants used in anal or vaginal sex can cause damage to those tissues that can leave people more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Surprisingly, this is the first time that anyone has even looked at the question of whether basic... Bay Area Reporter       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 Global: Factory closure could leave 7,000 babies without ARVs Civil society activists are protesting the closure of a factory that produces the only UN World Health Organization-pre-qualified version of a life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drug for infants. Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), which owns the French factory that produces... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 East Africa: Pregnancy and HIV vaccine trials Unintended pregnancies during East African clinical trials of an HIV vaccine are proving problematic. "One or two women dropping out of a study of 40 people makes a big difference to the data," said Prof Omu Anzala, programme director of the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative (KAVI). "One of the... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 Kenya: For the first time, money for ARVs Kenya has set aside an unprecedented 900 million shillings (US$11.25 million) for the first time in its annual budget to purchase life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) medication; AIDS activists have welcomed the move but say more needs to be invested. "It is quite commendable that the... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 11, 2010 Big spending on science promised for East Africa A 30 per cent salary hike for Ugandan scientists and US$20 million for Tanzanian research were among the science highlights in the two countries' national budgets for 2010/11. The spending pledges -- unveiled yesterday (10 June) -- go some way to fulfilling promises made recently by... SciDev.Net       more...  
• Jan 29, 2010 University leadership for innovation in global health and HIV/AIDS diagnostics Medical products used in the developed world often fail to adequately serve resource-limited settings where electricity, transportation and health care workers are not readily available. We suggest that the problem is not only a lack of coordinated financial resources to purchase existing medical... Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice       more...  
• Jun 10, 2010 Researchers, USAID seek more money to fight neglected tropical diseases U.S. researchers, pharmaceutical companies and government officials say they are making progress in an effort to curb what are called neglected tropical diseases, but that they need more money and outside help. A panel on neglected tropical diseases was held in Washington Thursday. The... Voice of America       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Drug patents: prescription for problems One of our longtime favorite commenters, Yancy Ward, who is himself a researcher, writes a perspicacious argument that the method for patenting molecules in the pharmaceutical industry is creating a bunch of problems: One thing that I have believed is that the future will/should belong to... The Atlantic       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 Agile raises $45M for contraceptive patch trials Agile Therapeutics pulled the wraps off a $45 million Series B preferred stock financing this morning--the company's first financing round since it landed $17.6 million in 2007. The funding will allow Agile to complete Phase III clinical development and file for marketing approval for its... FierceBiotech       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 USAID's policy-planning shop takes shape Even though the administration's two major policy reviews on development are missing in action and the U.S. Agency for International Development is still full of senior vacancies, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah is moving ahead with his promise to give the agency back its capability to think... The Cable       more...  
• Jun 11, 2010 Global HIV/AIDS policy in transition In 2007, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) concluded that "Global HIV incidence likely peaked in the late 1990s", due to "natural trends in the epidemic as well as the result of prevention programmes". The slow decline in new infections together with a recent rise in... Science       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 DAIDS Council-approved concepts: potential opportunities Editor's Note: NIAID concepts represent early planning stages for initiatives: program announcements, requests for applications, and solicitations.  Approval of a concept by NIAID's Advisory Council does not guarantee that it will become an initiative. NIAID makes that decision based on... National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Pregnancy rate disrupts Aids vaccine trials Aids vaccine researchers are frustrated by the high pregnancy rates among women participating in clinical trials. Now they want abstinence scrapped as a family planning method in future Aids vaccine clinical studies. Writing of their frustrations in the current issue of the East African Medical... Daily Nation       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 HIV incidence assays with improved specificity (R01) Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-10-212 Opening Date:   August 7, 2010 AIDS Application Due Date(s): Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#AIDS . Purpose: This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the... National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 Sexual transmission of HIV Editor's note: The  July 2010 issue of Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS covers the sexual transmission of HIV. Articles included in this special issue (July 2010 - Volume 5 - Issue 4)  are listed here. HIV prevention 2010: where are we now and where are we going?... Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 African women begin test of vaginal ring intended to kill HIV virus The first test of a long-acting vaginal ring loaded with an HIV-preventing drug has begun enrolling women in southern Africa. With no prospects for an AIDS vaccine in the next decade or longer, the AIDS community has high hopes for "microbicides," the general term for substances that kill... Washington Post       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Africa: Mother knows best One after the other, the women entered the doctor's office full of hope and expectation and left with a sense of doom: their pregnancies were confirmed but so was their HIV status -- positive. To them it sounded like a death sentence, for themselves and their unborn babies. No matter how... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 11, 2010 D.C. AIDS program faces uncertainty after director resigns The abrupt resignation of Shannon L. Hader leaves the HIV/AIDS Administration without a strong leader at a time when federal agencies are pouring millions of dollars into the District to study its epidemic infection rate, the city prepares to host the massive International AIDS Conference and... Washington Post       more...  
• Jun 10, 2010 Have we made the face of AIDS too pretty? Epidemic, plague, scourge, disaster -- what are they talking about? Sometimes the face of HIV/AIDS looks almost pretty these days, making the horrific scenes from 20 years ago seem almost like nothing more than a bad dream. Gone are the visions of lesion-scarred young men turning into...    more...  
• Jun 11, 2010 Zimbabwean women struggle to negotiate safe sex Thandiwe has full blown Aids. However, she said she regrets that were it not for the patriarchal society she could not be in the situation that she is in now. Thandiwe said despite the fact that she knew that her husband was promiscuous she did not have the courage to negotiate for safe sex.... The Zimbabwean       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 PrEP could reduce condom use by some gay men A substantial proportion of gay men say they would reduce their condom use if pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) proves to be effective, US investigators report in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes . The investigators found that the availability of 80%... Aidsmap       more...  
• Jun 2, 2010 Herpes simplex virus infects skin [gamma][delta] T cells before Langerhans cells and impedes migration of infected Langerhans cells by inducing apoptosis and blocking E-cadherin downregulation The role individual skin dendritic cell (DC) subsets play in the immune response to HSV remains unclear. We investigated the effect of HSV on DC virus uptake, viability, and migration after cutaneous infection in vitro and in vivo. HSV increased the emigration of skin DCs from whole skin explants... Journal of Immunology       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 Over 200 circumcised in bid to fight HIV-Aids More than 200 men and boys had themselves circumcised in the first government-supported circumcision camp at Eshowe, northern KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend. The provincial department of health and several non-governmental organisations -- the Reproductive Health Research Unit, Mother... Sowetan       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Is this the start of a backlash against circumcision? The Dutch have always had liberal views on sex. They led the world in developing open and frank sex education and were rewarded with one of the lowest rates of teenage pregnancy. But their tolerant nature has now hit the brick wall of religious conviction. The Royal Dutch Medical Association... New Zealand Herald       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 HIV and the rise of complacency There's a scene in Jonathan Harvey's play, Canary, in which two gay men -- one young, one middle-aged -- are about to have sex with each other for the first time. The younger one announces that he is into "BB" -- barebacked sex or sex without a condom. His older conquest is... The Times (UK)       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Grassroot Soccer targets HIV education in South Africa The punishment is brutal -- three pushups! -- each time one of the children kicks a soccer ball into a cone. It's worse if the child hits a cone again. Three pushups for the entire team. The cones represent HIV-related risks, like multiple partners or drug abuse. This activity teaches a...    more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 Kenya holds major HIV/ AIDS forum The Fourth International Conference on Peer Education, Sexuality, HIV and Aids opens at the Kenya capital city of Nairobi from this Wednesday at a time when the country is making significant progress in providing healthcare for all. The meeting, which will be attended by Peer Educators,... All Voices       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Australian researchers pave way for new herpes vaccine Researchers with the University of Sydney in Australia say the results of recent research could help them to develop a vaccine for the herpes simplex virus. The results, which were recently published in the Journal of Immunology , showed how skin cells are affected by the virus, which is... Bio Prep Watch       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Challenges, strategies, and lessons learned from a participatory community intervention study to promote female condoms among rural sex workers in southern China China faces a rapidly emerging HIV epidemic and nationwide resurgence of sexually transmitted infections associated with a growing sex industry. Community empowerment and capacity building through community-based participatory research partnerships show promise for developing, testing, and... AIDS Education and Prevention       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 Lube: slippery when wet, but is it safe? It's been lube mania post-Microbicides 2010, where we heard a lot of interesting new data about the safety of sexual lubricants. Since, there has been a ton of media. Click here for a sample of the coverage, both good and hyperbolic. So, what does it all mean? Please join IRMA and AVAC for... International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA)       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 Targeted Request for Proposals MSM Initiative Community Awards Latin America Region Deadline: 14 July 2010 amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research is pleased to announce new funding for projects that address HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Latin America region. Grassroots organizations in low and middle income countries of the Latin America region are... amfAR       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 Call for Abstracts: Global Health & Innovation Conference Unite for Sight's must-attend, thought-leading conference convenes leaders, changemakers, and participants from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship. The conference convenes 2,200 people from all 50 states and from 50 countries. Conference... Unite for Sight       more...  
• May 27, 2010 Evidence of effective adherence interventions is still limited Perhaps tellingly, the Fifth International Conference on HIV Treatment Adherence conference in Miami this week was not bursting with evaluations of adherence interventions which conclusively demonstrated that a given intervention was effective in a specific population. Indeed, when Mahnaz... Aidsmap       more...  
• Jun 6, 2010 TB trial splits HIV community One of South Africa's most eminent HIV scientists has been accused of causing "preventable deaths" during a clinical trial he conducted on people co-infected with HIV and TB. Reaction to the trial, published this year in the New England Journal of Medicine , has split the South African HIV/AIDS... Health-e       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 ARV vaginal ring next prevention hope Researchers have started testing the safety of a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug in South Africa in the hope that it has the potential to prevent HIV infection in women. The clinical trial, known as IPM 015 will test the safety and acceptability of the dapivirine-containing... Health-e       more...  
• Jun 3, 2010 New Aids infections worrying - Museveni The number of new HIV infections is worrying and all efforts to reverse the trend should be put in place, [Uganda] President Museveni has said. Mr Museveni was on Monday speaking at a parliamentary event to award 12 individuals who have contributed to the fight against HIV/Aids in their... Daily Monitor       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 Gender equity is the key to maternal and child health This week's issue of The Lancet covers a range of global issues on maternal, newborn, and child health. On June 7-9, Washington, DC, USA, will host the Women Deliver and Countdown to 2015 joint conference, which will build on the current momentum behind achieving Millennium Development Goals... Lancet       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 HIV and maternal mortality: turning the tide The two top causes of death in women of reproductive age globally are HIV/AIDS and complications related to pregnancy and childbearing, which account for 19% and 15% of all deaths in women aged 15-44 years, respectively. The growing burden of HIV infection in young sexually active women and the... Lancet       more...  
• Jun 3, 2010 South Africa: Activists call for integrated HIV/TB services A consortium of AIDS organizations has given the South African government three months to deliver on promises to integrate TB and HIV services. A local AIDS lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), international medical charity Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), and the AIDS and Rights... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 UN chief opens women's health summit UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on world governments to work with the United Nations to improve women's and children's health by the UN-set target date of 2015. "I am here today with a clear message: if we act now, and act together, we can deliver for women," Ban said in the... Agence France-Presse       more...  
• Jun 3, 2010 Don't get ill On taking over as [South African] minister of health a year ago, Aaron Motsoaledi declared himself "shocked" by the state of the public health-care system. Media horror stories about dirty and overcrowded hospitals, long waiting times, lack of medicines and a shortage of medical staff were... The Economist       more...  
• Jun 3, 2010 Our aid will hit the spot Britain has this week fundamentally changed the way we support the world's poorest. There won't be any less money -- in fact, there'll be more. But we are taking a new approach to the way that money is spent, and how spending is monitored. It's time to bring greater transparency and... The Guardian       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Markers of inflammation, coagulation, and renal function are elevated in adults with HIV infection Background. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication and immune activation may increase inflammation and coagulation biomarkers. Limited data exist comparing such biomarkers in persons with and without HIV infection. Methods. For persons 45-76 years of age, levels of... Journal of Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 HIV prevalence among female sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis Background The Brazilian response towards AIDS epidemic is well known, but the absence of a systematic review of vulnerable populations - men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and drug users (DU) remains a main gap in the available literature. Our goal was to conduct a... BMC Public Health       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 How women avoid HIV For decades public health professionals and researchers have been battling HIV and studying the links between mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and ways to empower females to practise safe sex due to the prevalence of male-to-female transmission. Strides have been made but the rate of... AFP Relax News       more...  
• Mar 1, 2010 New study examines integrated family planning and HIV services in western Kenya Women in sub-Saharan Africa bear a significant burden in the HIV epidemic: two-thirds of those living with HIV/AIDS live in the region, and an estimated 60% of those infected are women. Evidence is building that the reproductive health needs of many HIV-infected women are unmet, one result of... Ibis Reproductive Health Newsletter       more...  
• Jun 4, 2010 South Africa: Drug resistance, alcohol and money A complex mix of issues drives drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) patients to default on medication, not least of which are alcohol and money, according to new research presented by Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), the international medical charity, at the South African TB Conference in the... PlusNews       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Long-term biological and behavioural impact of an adolescent sexual health intervention in Tanzania: Follow-up survey of the community-based MEMA kwa Vijana trial Background The ability of specific behaviour-change interventions to reduce HIV infection in young people remains questionable. Since January 1999, an adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) intervention has been implemented in ten randomly chosen intervention communities in rural... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 Pregnant women deserve better Clinical trials routinely exclude expectant mothers. This is unethical and unscientific, and regulators must mandate change, says Francoise Baylis, in the second of three related pieces on gender bias in biomedicine. International ethical guidelines drawn up by the Council for International... Nature       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 New vaginal ring borrows from birth control to fight AIDS A non-profit that develops drugs against HIV/AIDS said Tuesday it is launching the first study in Africa of a groundbreaking device to fight AIDS: a vaginal ring with a difference. Where most vaginal rings deliver contraceptive hormones, the one developed by the International Partnership for... Agence France-Presse       more...  
• May 1, 2010 Validation of rapid HIV antibody tests in 5 African countries The sensitivity and specificity of 3 rapid HIV antibody tests were assessed at 5 clinical trial sites in Africa and 1 site in the United States using a minimum of 100 HIV antibody positive samples and 100 HIV antibody negative samples at each site. The overall sensitivity and specificity for the... Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (JIAPAC)       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Vaccination with peptide mimetics of the gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate yields neutralizing antisera against HIV-1 isolates Eliciting a broadly neutralizing polyclonal antibody response against HIV-1 remains a major challenge. One approach to vaccine development is prevention of HIV-1 entry into cells by blocking the fusion of viral and cell membranes. More specifically, our goal is to elicit neutralizing antibodies... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 Momentum, mandates, and money: achieving health MDGs Recent years have seen an unprecedented surge of global attention to maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH). However, despite repeated commitments and calls for action, no major, specific new funding has been directed at the MNCH continuum of care during the past 12-18 months. A UN event in... Lancet       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 Expanding HAART treatment to all currently eligible individuals under the 2008 IAS-USA guidelines in British Columbia, Canada Background In 2008, the IAS-USA published the revised guidelines for the use of HAART in adults substantially increasing the number of individuals eligible for HAART. The epidemic in British Columbia (BC) is mainly among men who have sex with men and those with injection drug use. Here, we... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jun 7, 2010 Gates Foundation commits $1.5 billion for mother and child health Calling on world health leaders to do more to prevent deaths of mothers and their newborn babies, Melinda Gates said today the Gates Foundation is pledging $1.5 billion over the next five years for family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition in developing countries. It's the second... Seattle Times       more...  
• Jun 5, 2010 Women Deliver conference focuses on MDG 5 With maternal and reproductive health as a global priority, a three-day conference, Women Deliver 2010, has kicked off in Washington DC under the theme "Invest in women. It pays." The event's main focus is to highlight that the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) will not be achieved without... UNAIDS       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Microbicide ring offers hope to vulnerable women The young Congolese woman was fetching water from a well when the gang surrounded her, threw her to the ground and brutally raped her at gunpoint. But her troubles were only beginning: months later she found that she was infected with HIV. The deadly virus that causes AIDS, contracted through... Toronto Star       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 800 men circumcised in KZN More than 800 men have been circumcised in KwaZulu-Natal to help combat HIV infections, said premier Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday. "So far 800 males have been circumcised as of the end of April. We are very happy with the programme," said Mkhize. He said the provincial government had set a target of... South African Press Association       more...  
• Jun 8, 2010 Uganda's fight against HIV Dr. Peter Mugyenyi discusses how far Uganda has come in the fight against HIV/AIDS. CNN       more   
• Jun 3, 2010 AVAC launches call for applications for 2010-2011 Advocacy Fellowships AVAC is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2010-2011 AVAC HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellowship Program. The submission deadline for the Advocacy Fellowship applications is Monday, 19 July 2010 . Visit http://www.avac.org/ht/d/sp/i/305/pid/305 to download application... AVAC       more...  
• Actinohivin, a broadly neutralizing prokaryotic lectin, inhibits HIV-1 infection by specifically targeting high-mannose type glycans on the gp120 envelope [Microbicide] The lectin actinohivin (AH) is a monomeric carbohydrate-binding agent (CBA) with three carbohydrate-binding sites. AH strongly interacts with gp120 derived from different X4 and R5 HIV strains, with SIV gp130 and with HIV-1 gp41 at affinity constants (KD) in the lower nM range. The gp120 and gp41... Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Ending AIDS: grounds for despair, cynicism or hope? [Vaccines] The global response to AIDS is in trouble. There are yawning gaps in funding for proven prevention and treatment and a crisis in political will for continued support of AIDS programs. Those of us working on the AIDS epidemic face skepticism about whether disease-specific funding for AIDS is cost... Huffington Post       more...  
• May 13, 2010 The wavering war on AIDS (Editorial) The global war on AIDS has racked up enormous successes over the past decade, most notably by providing drugs for millions of infected people in developing countries who would be doomed without this life-prolonging treatment. Now the campaign is faltering. Donations from the United States... New York Times       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Excluding pregnancy among women initiating antiretroviral therapy: efficacy of a family planning job aid Background Guidelines for initiating ART recommend pregnancy testing, typically a urine test, as part of the basic laboratory package. The principal reason for this recommendation is that Efavirenz, a first-line antiretroviral medication, has the potential of causing birth defects when used in... BMC Public Health       more...  
• May 12, 2010 Strong HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte proliferative responses in healthy individuals immunized with a HIV-1 DNA vaccine and boosted with HIV-1 recombinant Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) We investigated HIV-1-vaccine-induced lymphoproliferative responses in healthy volunteers immunized intradermally or intramuscularly (with or without adjuvant GM-CSF protein) with DNA expressing HIV-1 gag, env, rev and rt at months 0, 1 and 3 using a Biojector and boosted at nine months with MVA... Journal of Virology       more...  
• May 12, 2010 A limited number of SIVenv variants are transmitted to rhesus macaques vaginally inoculated with SIVmac251 Single genome amplification (SGA) and sequencing of HIV-1 RNA in plasma of acutely infected humans allows the identification and enumeration of transmitted/founder viruses responsible for productive systemic infection. Use of this strategy as a means for identifying transmitted viruses suggested... Journal of Virology       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Bioethicists assail a celebrated TB/HIV treatment trial A heralded clinical study in South Africa that assessed the best treatment strategy for people infected with HIV who are receiving drugs for tuberculosis should never have been done, argue two bioethicists in an online posting published 5 May by the Hastings Center, a bioethics research... Science       more...  
• May 7, 2010 The impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on HIV epidemics in Africa and India: a simulation study [PrEP] Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising new HIV prevention method, especially for women. An urgent demand for implementation of PrEP is expected at the moment efficacy has been demonstrated in clinical trials. We explored the long-term impact of PrEP on HIV transmission in... PLoS ONE       more...  
• May 12, 2010 Zimbabwe: More women using female condom - survey [Female condoms] The National Aids Council says its statistics show more women are now willing to use the female condom, with commercial sex workers topping the list of users. Married couples, however, generally shun use of the female condom. This year, NAC has recorded a 125 percent increase in use of both... Herald (Zimbabwe)       more...  
• May 10, 2010 Zambia: Chief wants subjects compensated [Microbicides] Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka has called on Government to intervene in the compensation of victims of failed microbicide trials in his kingdom. The chief said there was need for the microbicide development programme (MDP)to compensate the victims of its failed exercise who ended up... AllAfrica       more...  
• May 11, 2010 World Progress in Maternal and Child Health, and the Future Role For the U.S. May 24 from 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. ET: The Kaiser Family Foundation will hold a policy forum at their Washington, D.C. office to look at the progress in reaching Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, and the evolving U.S. role in improving maternal and child health in developing countries.... Kaiser Family Foundation       more...  
• May 1, 2010 South-South entrepreneurial collaboration in health biotech In recent decades, developing countries have sought to reduce their reliance on trade with the economically and politically dominant northern, or developed, countries, favoring instead South-South partnerships that synergize strengths and bolster competitiveness. Entrepreneurial firms in... Nature Biotechnology       more...  
• May 11, 2010 R&D prioritized by US global development policy draft, USAID administrator A draft of the National Security Council's document on US global development policy, recently published in Foreign Policy's "The Cable," reveals several vital and promising developments in foreign assistance reform. The document, which outlines details from the Presidential Study Directive-7,... Global Health Technologies Coalition       more...  
• May 12, 2010 New Promise in the Search for HIV, TB, and Malaria Vaccines [Vaccines] Date: 17 May 17 2010 Host: Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, Global Health Council, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Jenner Society, PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, US Military HIV Research Program, US Military Malaria...    more...  
• Apr 28, 2010 Reagent Resource Support Program for AIDS Vaccine Development [Vaccines] Presolicitation Notice Information The discovery and development of an AIDS vaccine is among the highest research priorities of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and among the principal missions of NIAID's Division of AIDS (DAIDS). To support this mission, the... National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases       more...  
• May 14, 2010 In South Africa, an unlikely leader on AIDS In a nation ravaged by AIDS, a disease still hidden in shadows of stigma and shame, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has begun to engage in an extraordinarily open conversation about sex, AIDS and H.I.V. prevention, one ignited in part by his own recent admission that he had unprotected sex... New York Times       more...  
• May 14, 2010 South Africa: Straight talk with South Africa's Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, appointed South Africa's Health Minister about a year ago, is in charge of the world's largest antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme. Many AIDS activists credit him with helping to usher in a new approach to HIV and AIDS, including changes to treatment guidelines... IRIN/PlusNews       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Govt urged to fund AIDS study [Microbicides] The Government should support alternative ways of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the director general of the Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. Kihumuro Apuuli, has urged. "While a lot of money is spent on treating the infected, funding for preventive initiatives like the research on Microbicides... New Vision       more...  
• Apr 28, 2010 Defining high HIV incidence subgroups of Australian homosexual men: implications for conducting HIV prevention trials in low HIV prevalence settings Objectives The aim of the study was to assess whether subpopulations with sufficiently high HIV incidences for HIV prevention trials can be identified in low HIV incidence settings such as Australia. Methods In a community-based cohort study of HIV-negative homosexually active men in Sydney,... HIV Medicine       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Preference and practices relating to lubricant use during anal intercourse: implications for rectal microbicides [Microbicides] Background: The importance of the acceptability of rectal microbicides for HIV and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) prevention is widely recognised. Given relatively consistent use of lubricants for anal intercourse (AI) and the potential for lubricant-like rectal microbicides,... Sexual Health       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Wear and care of the SILCS diaphragm: experience from three countries Background: Women have been regularly underestimated in their ability to care for and wear cervical barrier devices such as diaphragms appropriately. Methods: Data from two non-randomised, non-blinded, non-significant risk acceptability studies of a novel cervical barrier device, the SILCS... Sexual Health       more...  
• May 13, 2010 Bridewealth and sexual and reproductive practices among women in Harare, Zimbabwe This paper examines the relationship between bridewealth, socio-demographics, and sexual and reproductive practices among a group of women in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study sample was recruited as part of a six-month safety trial of the diaphragm and a microbicide, between August 2004 and April 2005... AIDS Care       more...  
• May 11, 2010 Assessing male spousal engagement with prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) programs in western Kenya The importance of male spousal involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) programs is incremental to maintain family health and adherence to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention regimens. This study examined reasons for men's involvement in pMTCT... AIDS Care       more...  
• May 16, 2010 Canada must help stop HIV spread in poor countries: expert Canada must do more to help prevent the spread of HIV throughout the world, an expert told a national HIV/AIDS conference Sunday. Dr. Allan Ronald, who received a lifetime achievement award at the Canadian Association for HIV Researchers conference, said Canada is lagging behind other countries... Vancouver Sun       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Out of Africa, an Aids vaccine is on the way - and it will empower women most [Vaccines] Africa has long borne the brunt of the Aids pandemic. The disease has spread across sub-Saharan Africa at an alarming rate, leaving in its wake millions of orphans, felling men and women in their most productive years and rendering countless families destitute. Yet, as we mark this year's World... East African       more...  
• May 11, 2010 Giving developing countries the best shot: an overview of vaccine access and R&D [Vaccines] Vaccines have made possible some of the greatest public health successes of the past century. Immunisation helps avert an estimated 2.5 million child deaths each year, as well as millions more bouts of illness and disability. Poor countries as well as rich have benefited, although developing... Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)       more...  
• May 11, 2010 amfAR Consortium To Speed Search for HIV/AIDS Cure Placing the search for a cure for HIV/AIDS firmly at the center of its research efforts, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, on Tuesday announced the first round of grants to a consortium of leading researchers to develop strategies for eradicating HIV infection. The initial round of... amfAR       more...  
• May 11, 2010 Uganda: Minister's turnaround on HIV bill raises concern Ugandan AIDS activists have expressed concern over a decision by the Ministry of Health to back an HIV/AIDS bill that would criminalize the deliberate transmission of HIV. Last week, State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties, Richard Nduhura, appeared before the parliamentary... IRIN Plus News       more...  
• May 12, 2010 Chinese expert seeks to kill HIV with another virus The idea doesn't sound complicated: Make one virus able to kill another. Liu Chang, a 28-year-old instructor with medical school of Nankai University in Tiajin, proposes to create a virus in the lab that could kill HIV, the virus causing the deadly AIDS, which kills people worldwide. His idea... China Daily       more...  
• May 13, 2010 High multiplicity infection by HIV-1 in men who have sex with men Elucidating virus-host interactions responsible for HIV-1 transmission is important for advancing HIV-1 prevention strategies. To this end, single genome amplification (SGA) and sequencing of HIV-1 within the context of a model of random virus evolution has made possible for the first time an... PLoS Pathogen       more...  
• May 14, 2010 What to do with $88 million? [Vaccines] Community health and prevention measures like safe injection sites? Vaccine delivery initiatives? International AIDS programs? Basic research? Having seen the flagship initiative of Canada's long-term HIV vaccine strategy blasted out of existence with the cancellation of plans to construct a... Canadian Medical Association Journal       more...  
• May 11, 2010 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund vaccine research [Vaccines] The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced backing for 78 science projects on Tuesday, including a vaccine triggered by human sweat and a laser vaccine. The $34 billion Bill & Melinda Gates fund invests in scientific projects that are aimed at improving global health. Each of the... Vaccine News Daily       more...  
• May 7, 2010 2010 National Institutes of Health (NIH) International Training Institute on Engaging Communities to Improve Global Health: Reducing Disease Burden through Collaborative Approaches An intensive training course for academics and researchers from low- and middle-income sub-Saharan African countries (see full eligibility criteria). The course will address essential conceptual, methodological, and practical issues inherent in planning and conducting community engagement and...    more...  
• May 8, 2010 S. Africa, changing track on AIDS, faces challenges South Africa's renewed commitment to combat AIDS has drawn praise, but in the worst-hit province in the worst-hit country in the world, life - and death - hasn't changed much because of stigma and a lack of resources. After years of official denial and delay, South Africa's... Associated Press       more...  
• May 3, 2010 Adherence to antiretroviral therapy and HIV transmission risks: implications for test-and-treat approaches to HIV prevention [Treatment as Prevention] HIV transmission may be prevented by effectively suppressing viral replication with antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, adherence is essential to the success of ART, including for reducing HIV transmission risk behaviors. This study examined the association of nonadherence versus adherence... AIDS Patient Care and STDs       more...  
• May 5, 2010 Violence victimisation, sexual risk and sexually transmitted infection symptoms among female sex workers in Thailand Background/Objectives Commercial sex work is a primary context for heterosexual HIV/AIDS transmission. Violence victimisation is considered to compromise women's ability to protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI); little research has investigated violence as it... Sexually Transmitted Infections       more...  
• May 7, 2010 Africa: AIDS activists ousted during World Economic Forum The Tanzanian government has deported several AIDS activists and cancelled a demonstration to protest decreasing funding for HIV at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.  "We met with [South African singer and AIDS activist] Yvonne Chaka Chaka and gave... PlusNews       more...  
• May 5, 2010 US reports 56,300 HIV/AIDS cases annually An alarming 56,300 new infections of HIV/AIDS are reported each year in the United States alone. And 1.1 million people are living with HIV, of whom 20% do not know they are infected. The global count of new annual infections stands at 2.7 million, as per the facts revealed last week during a... TopNews       more...  
• May 6, 2010 South Africa's clinical research in Clinical research in South Africa is in serious decline because of two decades of "disinvestment" - leading to an ageing workforce, "chronic underfunding" of its Medical Research Council and "grossly insufficient" funding for research professorships, says a report. Lack of government funding is... SciDev.net       more...  
• May 4, 2010 UN commends Global Fund's decision to start new funding cycle to combat AIDS The United Nations agency focusing on HIV/AIDS has welcomed a decision by the global fund which manages resources to combat the disease to start receiving proposals for grants this month, saying the decision will enable countries to maintain the momentum of efforts to stem the spread of the... UN News Centre       more...  
• Apr 23, 2010 Increased risk of HIV acquisition among Kenyan men with human papillomavirus infection [HPV] Background. Few data on the effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition are available. Methods. HIV-seronegative, sexually active, 18-24-year-old Kenyan men participating in a randomized trial of male circumcision provided exfoliated... Journal of Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Apr 1, 2010 Future HIV vaccine acceptability among young adults in South Africa [Vaccines] Developing and disseminating a preventive HIV vaccine is a primary scientific and public health objective. However, little is known about HIV vaccine acceptability in the high-prevalence setting of South Africa - where young adults are likely to be targeted in early dissemination efforts.... Health Education & Behavior       more...  
• May 7, 2010 HIV vaccine research a field apart from classic vaccinology [Vaccines] HIV vaccine research is diverging from classic vaccinology and its focus on the adaptive immune response, to a field of its own. There has been a shift from protecting against infection to changing the nature of the infection, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and... Medscape Today       more...  
• May 5, 2010 New hope for HIV vaccine efforts [Vaccines] US researchers say they are a step closer to understanding why some people have natural protection against HIV. They believe rare individuals who progress very slowly to Aids when infected make white blood cells that are better at fighting the virus. The findings, published in Nature , may help... BBC News       more...  
• May 5, 2010 Well-trained immune cells keep HIV in check A computer model proposes a solution to a long-standing mystery in HIV research - why a small percentage of people infected with the virus never develop full-blown AIDS. The answer lies in how the immune cells that recognize invaders are educated, and suggests new strategies for designing an HIV... Nature       more...  
• May 6, 2010 Acyclovir and transmission of HIV-1 from persons infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2 To the Editor: The findings of Celum et al. (Feb. 4 issue)[1] add to the disappointing outcomes of trials investigating whether treatment of sexually transmitted infections reduces transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Despite this intervention failure, the subgroup... New England Journal of Medicine       more...  
• May 5, 2010 Harkin has 'no magic formula' for boosting NIH budget Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who traded the chairman's gavel of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee over many years, have worked plenty of magic when it comes toboosting the budget of the National Institutes of Health. But comments by... CQ HealthBeat News       more...  
• May 10, 2010 Population-average models and sexual network studies are complementary approaches to study HIV risk We thank Helleringer and Reniers for their thoughtful response to our recent manuscript. 1 They point out several important challenges of interpreting the average, population-level effect of an individual-level exposure (HIV testing and counselling, or HTC) on an individual-level outcome... International Journal of Epidemiology       more...  
• Apr 15, 2010 Shah and Grady respond Onyeabor's letter highlighted some of the ethical complexities inherent in posttrial access. Although we agree that ethically, individuals benefiting from antiretroviral therapy should continue to receive it, the challenge for all of us involved in the ethical conduct of research is to be clear... American Journal of Public Health       more...  
• May 11, 2010 How homophobia is fuelling Africa's HIV epidemic Rumours of a gay wedding spark a riot at an HIV clinic in Kenya, closing it for two days; a pair of men who plan to wed are jailed for months without bail in Malawi; a law before the Ugandan parliament seeks to impose the death penalty for homosexual acts and would prosecute parents, colleagues,... British Medical Journal       more...  
• Apr 27, 2010 Comparative effectiveness research: challenges for medical journals In order to optimize health outcomes within the constraints of inevitably limited resources, low- and high-income countries alike require unbiased means of assessing health care interventions for their relative effectiveness. Such interventions include diagnostic tests and treatments (both... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• May 12, 2010 Scientists explore use of anti-HIV drugs as a means to slow HIV transmission [Treatment as Prevention] As the number of new HIV infections continues to outstrip treatment capacity, the need for better prevention strategies becomes ever more apparent. Although attempts to develop an HIV/AIDS vaccine have been discouraging, other approaches to slow the spread of HIV are sparking interest, report... Journal of the American Medical Association       more...  
• Contraceptive compliance lags behind the science The causes underlying unintended pregnancies are many and complex. But there is no doubt that the vast majority could be prevented by contraceptives that are already available and easily accessible. People just need to stick with them. The pill is very effective. Only 1 in 1,000 women will... Nature Medicine       more...  
• May 10, 2010 Towards consensus practices to qualify safety biomarkers for use in early drug development Application of any new biomarker to support safety-related decisions during regulated phases of drug development requires provision of a substantial data set that critically assesses analytical and biological performance of that biomarker. Such an approach enables stakeholders from industry and... Nature Biotechnology       more...  
• May 8, 2010 Tide turns for drug manufacturing in Africa With several efforts underway to increase the local production of drugs in developing countries, Tatum Anderson assesses the pros and cons of manufacturing medicines in Africa. A drugs producer in Uganda has become the first in a least developed country (LDC) - a category reserved for the... Lancet       more...  
• May 11, 2010 Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, Margaret I. Johnston, and Gary J. Nabel, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, May 18 [Vaccines] More people today have access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS than ever before. Yet for every person who begins treatment for HIV infection, two to three others become newly infected. Treatment alone will not curtail the HIV/AIDS pandemic. To control and ultimately end this... National Institutes of Health News       more...  
• May 7, 2010 DNA of pig viruses found in Merck vaccine [Vaccines] The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that fragments of two types of pig viruses were found in Merck & Co.'s Rotateq vaccine, but the agency didn't immediately say whether the vaccine should be avoided. An FDA vaccine-advisory panel had already scheduled a meeting for Friday to... Wall Street Journal       more...  
• May 9, 2010 After long scientific search, still no cure for AIDS Despite decades of effort, no magic bullet for AIDS has been invented. The obstacles are huge. The virus mutates as fast in a day as a flu virus does in a year, but can also lie dormant indefinitely. Since no one has ever been cured, there is no natural defense to mimic. And, since it attacks... New York Times       more...  
• May 10, 2010 HIV/Aids activist flees China for US One of China's most prominent HIV/Aids activists has fled to the US with his family owing to increasing pressure from the Chinese authorities. Wan Yanhai's departure comes less than a year after another Aids campaigner moved to America, and amid warnings that officials are clamping down on the... Guardian (UK)       more...  
• May 10, 2010 Taming the walking time-bomb Nigeria, together with over 120 countries in 2006 made an historic commitment to scale-up the national response towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. But while HIV prevalence and new infections are declining, cries of stigma and donor fatigue are... Guardian (Nigeria)       more...  
• May 8, 2010 HIV is the biggest killer of women - but is it? WHO's 2009 report entitled Women and health 1 contains a sentence that has unfortunately made headlines and been featured in a UNAIDS press release. 2 "Globally, HIV is the leading cause of death and disease in women of reproductive age" (p 43). 1 Although the estimated 682 000... Lancet       more...  
• May 10, 2010 Innate and adaptive immune correlates of vaccine and adjuvant-induced control of mucosal transmission of SIV in macaques [Vaccines] Adjuvant effects on innate as well as adaptive immunity may be critical for inducing protection against mucosal HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) exposure. We therefore studied effects of Toll-like receptor agonists and IL-15 as mucosal adjuvants on both innate and adaptive immunity in... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences       more...  
• May 10, 2010 President's plan pledges greater funds to reduce violence against women and girls The US international AIDS effort known as PEPFAR (the president's emergency plan for AIDS relief) has pledged an additional $30m for programmes aimed at reducing gender based violence in three partner nations: Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The announcement came... British Medical Journal       more...  
• Jul 19, 2009 The Promise and Perils of ARV-Based Prevention: A Dialogue of Optimism & Informed Skepticism
  AVAC and the International AIDS Society (IAS) co-organized a satellite session on ARV-based prevention at the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town. The session, The Promise and Perils of ARV-Based Prevention: A Dialogue of Optimism & Informed Skepticism,...    more...  
• May 24, 2010 Innate and adaptive immune correlates of vaccine and adjuvant-induced control of mucosal transmission of SIV in macaques [Vaccines] Adjuvant effects on innate as well as adaptive immunity may be critical for inducing protection against mucosal HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) exposure. We therefore studied effects of Toll-like receptor agonists and IL-15 as mucosal adjuvants on both innate and adaptive immunity in... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences       more...  
• May 23, 2010 Vaginal gel developed that could protect from HIV [Microbicide] Researchers say a vaginal gel could protect from HIV, based on preliminary findings in monkeys that obtained protection from a virus similar to HIV. The study is the first experiment using an antimicrobial gel with an integrase inhibitor that is currently used to prevent HIV from replicating and... eMaxhealth       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Crunch time for microbicides, says top researcher [Microbicide] Professor Robin Shattock, director of the microbicide research programme at St George's Hospital in London, warned delegates in an opening plenary at the Microbicides 2010 Conference in Pittsburgh yesterday that "we stand at a critical timepoint in microbicide development". "There is a... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 23, 2010 Six existing drug classes now being tested as microbicides [Microbicide] A number of presentations at the Microbicides 2010 Conference in Pittsburgh concerned microbicide research using established classes of HIV drugs that have not been used as microbicides before. Trial of microbicides and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in humans have so far only involved two... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 21, 2010 Letter to the President of Zambia regarding the marginalization of men who have sex with men in the fight against HIV/AIDS Dear President Banda, Vice President Kunda, and Ministers Simbao and Mangani: Human Rights Watch is a leading independent non-governmental organization, founded in 1978, that monitors human rights developments in more than eighty countries around the world. Since 2001, Human Rights Watch has... Human Rights Watch       more...  
• May 18, 2010 U.S.-India Bilateral Collaborative Research Partnerships (CRP) on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS and Co-morbidities (R21) Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AI-10-022 Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): July 2, 2010 Application Due Date(s): August 3, 2010 Purpose.   This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits Exploratory/Developmental (R21) applications from United States (U.S.)-funded... National Institutes of Health (NIH)       more...  
• May 19, 2010 Another global health fund? Here's why The World Health Assembly, the annual gathering of health ministers in Geneva, Switzerland, served as a backdrop on Monday for the launch of a new idea to stimulate research and development on diseases that affect mostly poor countries. The so-called PDP+ Fund, proposed by the International Aids... ScienceInsider       more...  
• May 23, 2010 Female-to-male HIV transmission risk doubles during pregnancy Men in a relationship with an HIV-positive woman face double the risk of becoming infected themselves when their partner is pregnant, new research reveals. The finding is slated for presentation Sunday at the International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh. The two-year study -- launched... HealthDay       more...  
• May 24, 2010 State of the ART of microbicides to prevent HIV [Microbicides] The microbicides field has undoubtedly moved and shifted a lot in the past decade. Now, with first generation microbicides candidate products up and gone, antiretroviral treatment (ART)-drug based microbicides in spotlight, and only three major microbicides efficacy studies remaining, the need... Citizen News Service       more...  
• May 13, 2010 Diaphragm for STI and HIV prevention: is it a safe method for women at high risk? Female sex workers (n = 140) were enrolled in a 6-month acceptability trial of the diaphragm. We randomized a subset (n = 40) to receive colposcopies after 1 month of diaphragm use or after 1 month of observation before commencing diaphragm use. Adverse events were mild in nature. Frequency of... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• May 13, 2010 Men who have sex with men in the United States: demographic and behavioral characteristics and prevalence of HIV and HSV-2 infection: results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 Objectives: To describe demographic and behavioral characteristics and the prevalence of HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections in men who had sex with men identified through a nationally representative, population-based survey. Methods: As part of National Health and... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• May 20, 2010 Horizons synthesis background papers A special section of Public Health Reports (PHR) (March-April 2010) was produced that contains six articles that provide a synopsis of research conducted under the Horizons program from 1997 to 2008. We hope that in providing this backward-looking but forward-thinking review of work... Population Council       more...  
• May 25, 2010 Microbicides progressing well in fight against HIV [Microbicide] The development of new microbicides to protect against HIV infection is progressing steadily with promising options in the pipeline, researchers reported today at the M2010 Microbicides conference in Pittsburgh, in the US. Microbicides are substances, like gels or creams, designed to stop HIV or... Times Live       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Researchers try new approaches to preventing HIV Tablets, insertable rings and dissolving films can effectively deliver drugs to help protect women and perhaps men from infection with the AIDS virus, researchers reported on Monday. They also found evidence that using such an approach -- called a microbicide -- may help overcome some of the... Reuters       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Using ARVs to prevent HIV could result in drug resistance Their scientific methods may have been quite different, but their conclusions were not. In asking whether drug resistance could be a problem if antiretroviral (ARV) drugs become a mainstay for HIV prevention, the two studies - one involving a mathematical model and the other assays of cells and... Citizen News Service       more...  
• May 21, 2010 Bisexual concurrency, bisexual partnerships, and HIV among Southern African men who have sex with men (MSM) Objectives The sexual behaviour of men who have sex with men (MSM) in southern Africa has been little studied. We present here the first data on bisexual partnerships and bisexual concurrency among MSM in Malawi, Namibia and Botswana. Methods A cross-sectional probe of a convenience sample... Sexually Transmitted Infections       more...  
• May 25, 2010 Initial surveys of MSM in Nigeria show high levels of bisexual behaviour and low condom and lube use Two surveys of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria who are attending local HIV support organisations show that between a third and half of men who are attracted to other men define as bisexual and as many have had vaginal sex with a women as anal sex with a man. The 'snapshot' survey adds... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Making AIDS a priority To the Editor: Re " In South Africa, an Unlikely Leader on AIDS " (front page, May 15): That government and tribal leaders acknowledge the reality of H.I.V. and AIDS and endorse safe-sex practices is crucial in diminishing the spread of and stigma associated with H.I.V. and AIDS in South... NY Times       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Africa ripe for rectal microbicides [Microbicides] Africa needs microbicides for both vaginal and rectal use in prevention of mucosal infection of HIV, a mini-symposium at the ongoing International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US was told. The symposium heard that the contribution to HIV flame in Africa by the anal route... Africa Science News       more...  
• May 26, 2010 USAID funding opportunity: Biomedical Research in Reproductive Health Purpose: Support a limited number of awards using combined family planning and microbicides funding to address a focused set of family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) issues.  Funds may support the R&D, regulatory approval, and introduction of new contraceptives that fill... United States Agency for International Development (USAID)       more...  
• May 25, 2010 Researchers searching for new ways to protect women against HIV [Microbicide] The number of women infected with HIV has risen worldwide. In the hardest hit region, Sub-Saharan Africa, six out of ten adults living with the virus are women. Researchers are gathering in Pittsburgh this week to discuss novel methods of preventing women from becoming infected. The products are... KPBS       more...  
• May 25, 2010 2010 Omololu Falobi Award for Excellence in HIV Prevention Research Community Advocacy presented to a pioneering community educator who brings the voices of community members and participants to research process A community educator who developed innovative ways to link women in Tanzanian villages with life-saving HIV prevention information and with HIV prevention research trials has received the second Omololu Falobi Award for Excellence in HIV Prevention Research Community Advocacy . The award was... AVAC       more...  
• May 26, 2010 Women in South Africa greatly over-estimate condom use in microbicide study [Microbicide] Surveys of condom use in women based on self-report may be seriously unreliable, to the extent of overestimating true use by 100%, the Microbicides 2010 Conference heard yesterday. This finding comes from a South African survey but if it applies broadly it may have significant effects on trial... Aidsmap       more...  
• May 25, 2010 Lubricant use may raise HIV infection risk during anal sex The use of lubricants during unprotected anal intercourse may indirectly raise the risk of HIV transmission in the receptive partner, among both men and women, new research warns. Concern about the possibility is being raised in the form of two new studies, and revolves around the fact that HIV... HealthDay News       more...  
• May 24, 2010 Not just a handmaiden: critical role of social science in HIV prevention research It is well understood that both the efficacy and effectiveness of HIV Prevention research trial products (such as microbicides) depends upon their actual use by the clinical trial participants. "Use is a function of human behaviour and action that is affected by an individual, interpersonal,... Citizen News Service       more...  
• May 24, 2010 PrEP needs to be well controlled, monitored to limit HIV drug resistance Anyone who is going to take antiretroviral drugs for prevention -- either orally or through a microbicide -- must know his or her HIV status to avoid drug resistance developing, Dr John Mellors from the University of Pittsburgh said at the M2010 Microbicides conference today. "If... Times Live       more...  
• May 20, 2010 Malawian gay couple jailed for 14 years Judge sentences Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza to maximum prison term for sodomy and indecency The worst fears of a gay couple in Malawi and supporters across the world were realised today when they were sentenced to 14 years in jail with hard labour. Steven Monjeza, 26, and... Guardian (UK)       more...  
• May 19, 2010 Uganda: HIV Bill tabled in Parliament The HIV Prevention and Control Bill was yesterday presented to Parliament with measures to curb the spread of the disease. It was drafted by the parliamentary committee on HIV/AIDS and tabled by MP Beatrice Rwakimari. During consultative meetings on the draft, several individuals and civil... New Vision       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Back to the beginning in the HIV fight We need to re-ring the alarm about HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men. In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released statistics showing significant disparities between rates of HIV and syphilis infection among men who have sex with men and the rest of the US... Boston Globe       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Turning the page in HIV prevention research: an AIDS vaccine is possible -- AVAC examines the way forward For more than a decade, researchers and advocates have marked HIV Vaccine Awareness Day with varying degrees of hope, cynicism and despair. This year, in large part because of the results of the Thai Prime-Boost vaccine study, there is greater cause for hope than ever before and a renewed sense... AVAC       more...  
• May 17, 2010 HIV among gay, bisexual men at alarming highs in Asia HIV prevalence among gay and bisexual men has hit alarming levels in Asia and most of them do not have access to services and care due to punitive laws which drive them underground, a U.N.-backed report said on Monday. The situation may worsen if countries fail to reverse laws that criminalize... Reuters       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) Fund Title: Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) Grant Amounts: Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $ 2,640,000, based on availability of funds; Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $15,000,000, based on 5 years, at $3,000,000 per year. (This amount is an estimate, and is... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention       more...  
• May 18, 2010 Significantly reduced CCR5-tropic HIV-1 replication in vitro in cells from subjects previously immunized with Vaccinia Virus Background At present, the relatively sudden appearance and explosive spread of HIV throughout Africa and around the world beginning in the 1950s have never been adequately explained. Theorizing that this phenomenon may be somehow related to the eradication of smallpox followed by the... BMC Immunology       more...  
• May 18, 2010 US, Tanzania launch medication assisted therapy for drug users The United States in collaboration with the Tanzanian government Monday announced the establishment of the first Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) programme for drug users in sub-Saharan Africa, a crucial part of HIV control that allows addicts to return to a regular, productive and healthier... Afrique en ligne       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Is there hope for an AIDS vaccine in our lifetime? [Vaccines] Today, 7,500 people will get infected by HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, which has no cure. Over 300 of these will be Ugandans. That is, on average, around 13 people per hour. Eight of these will most likely be women. These calculations are based on the 2010 statistics from Uganda AIDS... New Vision       more...  
• May 14, 2010 Uganda: Studies on the HIV vaccine [Vaccines] May 18, is World Vaccine Awareness Day. Uganda was home to the first-ever HIV vaccine trial in Africa in 1995, which was conducted at the Joint Clinical Research Centre. Since that time, Uganda has remained an important contributor to HIV vaccine research and development. HIV Vaccine Awareness... New Vision       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Smallpox demise linked to spread of HIV infection The worldwide eradication of smallpox may, inadvertently, have helped spread HIV infection, scientists believe. Experts say the vaccine used to wipe out smallpox offered some protection against the Aids virus and, now it is no longer used, HIV has flourished. The US investigators said... BBC News       more...  
• May 17, 2010 International Rectal Microbicide Advocates release update on new HIV prevention technology International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) will officially release its third landmark report -- "From Promise to Product: Advancing Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy" -- at the 2010 International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, PA taking place May 22-25, 2010. The ambitious,... International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA)       more...  
• May 17, 2010 HIV vaccine research will benefit communities Each year on May 18, people around the world commemorate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. This is done to recognise and thank the thousands of volunteers, community members, health professionals, researchers and scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine. People who... New Vision       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Latest attempt to block HIV: stronger vaginal gels [Microbicides] Try after try to make vaginal creams that could repel the AIDS virus have failed. Now researchers are testing if a drug used to treat HIV infection finally might give women a tool to prevent it -- by infusing the medicine into vaginal gels and contraceptive-style rings. Even... Associated Press       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Novel recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG, ovine atadenovirus, and modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccines combine to induce robust HIV-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses in rhesus macaques Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), which elicits a degree of protective immunity against tuberculosis, is the most widely used vaccine in the world. Due to its persistence and immunogenicity, BCG has been proposed as a vector for vaccines against other infections, including... Journal of Virology       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Engineering of Lactobacillus jensenii to secrete RANTES and a CCR5 antagonist analogue as live HIV-1 blockers [Microbicides] The development of effective microbicides for the prevention of HIV-1 sexual transmission represents a primary goal for the control of the AIDS epidemics worldwide. A promising strategy is the use of bacteria belonging to the vaginal microbiota as live microbicides for the topical production of... Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Social stigma major challenge with AIDS, says researcher who isolated virus When Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and her colleagues set out in the early 1980s to isolate the virus that causes AIDS, the odds were against them. "This was not a good situation, to try to locate a virus from nothing," Barre-Sinoussi told a conference of HIV experts Friday at the 19th... Montreal Gazette       more...  
• May 20, 2010 How we're living with HIV If someone like 23-year-old Erik H. had walked through the doors of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in the 1980s and asked how long he had to live, the answer would have been grim. We'd have told the recent college graduate that he probably had less than a year.... Parade       more...  
• May 17, 2010 Prothymosin-a [alpha] inhibits HIV-1 via toll-like receptor 4-mediated type I interferon induction Induction of type I interferons (IFN) is a central feature of innate immune responses to microbial pathogens and is mediated via Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent and -independent pathways. Prothymosin-a [alpha] (ProTa), a small acidic protein produced and released by CD8+ T cells, inhibits... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences       more...  
• May 19, 2010 Transparency at the Food and Drug Administration On his first full day in office, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum calling for "creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government." The Department of Health and Human Services embraced this goal, and in June 2009, the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),... New England Journal of Medicine       more...  
• May 18, 2010 Neglected diseases fund touted Initiative seeks billions of dollars to develop promising drugs and vaccines. Despite decades of research into drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue fever, few products have made it through clinical development and into the hands of the millions who... Nature       more...  
• May 18, 2010 Over 200,000 people accessing ARVs The number of people on anti-retroviral therapy has increased from 67,525 in 2005, to 200,213 in 2009, MPs have noted. In a report to Parliament yesterday, MPs on the HIV/AIDS committee said there has been significant progress in the provision of treatment and care for people living with... New Vision       more...  
• May 18, 2010 Nigeria: HIV - Stakeholders want prevention to take centre stage Stakeholders at the just concluded 5th National HIV & AIDS conference have called for immediate scaling up of HIV prevention strategies, saying it is the only way the fight against the disease could be won. The 4-day conference, which was organized by Network for HIV & AIDS Research in... Vanguard       more...  
• May 19, 2010 Pledge to stop mother-to-baby HIV spread A campaign is being launched to try to enlist public support to ensure no more children are born with HIV by 2015. It is the work of the Global Fund, which uses donations from governments to fight HIV, TB and malaria. The Born HIV Free campaign comes at a critical time, with the fund seeking... BBC News       more...  
• May 17, 2010 International Day Against Homophobia (17th May) May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia. Homophobia is considered one of the main obstacles in implementing HIV prevention strategies. Of the 192 member states of the United Nations, 85 have laws that still criminalize homosexual behaviour and, in some of these countries, conviction... UNAIDS       more...  
• Apr 12, 2010 Immune mechanisms of protection: can adjuvants rise to the challenge? [Vaccines] For many diseases vaccines are lacking or only partly effective. Research on protective immunity and adjuvants that generate vigorous immune responses may help generate effective vaccines against such pathogens. Review The immune system is functionally diverse, able to make a refined... BMC Biology       more...  
• May 19, 2010 Safety and immunogenicity of novel recombinant BCG and modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccines in neonate rhesus macaques [Vaccines] Although major inroads into making antiretroviral therapy available in resource-poor countries have been made, there is an urgent need for an effective vaccine administered shortly after birth, which would protect infants from acquiring human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) through... Journal of Virology       more...  
• May 18, 2010 Workers discuss ethics of primate research Health care professionals credit biomedical research using animals with any number of A-list therapies -- some relieve pain, others save lives. And yet, critics charge the research isn't as useful as it could, or even should, be. And some feel it's flatly unethical. Inside the Wisconsin... Channel 3000       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Future HIV vaccines: if we build it, will they come? On the eve of the world's biggest AIDS conference this month in Austria, a new research review shows many people wouldn't get inoculated against HIV even if a vaccine was developed. The authoritative review -- published in this month's edition of the journal AIDS -- was led by Peter A. Newman,... ScienceDaily       more...  
• Jul 18, 2010 Many false-positive HIV test results for those in AIDS vaccine trials Almost half of HIV-negative people who participate in clinical trials for HIV vaccines end up testing positive on routine HIV tests -- even though they're not actually infected, a new study shows. The reason: They underwent what experts call "vaccine-induced seropositivity/reactivity" (VISP),... HealthDay       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Kenya makes strides in fight against HIV/AIDS As the AIDS/HIVS 2010 conference takes place in Vienna, Austria, Kenya is among states that will receive praise for having made tremendous steps in its fight against HIV/AIDS. Kenya has particularly made great strides in increasing awareness about HIV/AIDS to halt new infections, preventing... English.news.cn       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 African men line up to lose their foreskins to prevent AIDS, studies show At least 100,000 men in Africa have volunteered to be circumcised to lower their chances of catching HIV, four years after studies showing the procedure could prevent infections. More than 90,000 men have been circumcised in Kenya since October 2008, including 36,000 over 30 working days late... Bloomberg       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Cash rewards with counseling could help prevent STIs Giving out cash can be an effective tool in combating sexually transmitted infections in rural Africa, according to a new study conducted jointly by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the Development Research Group at the World Bank and the Ifakara Health Institute in... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100718204805.htm       more...  
• Jul 19, 2010 Global: Funding pall hangs over AIDS 2010 conference A chaotic protest against reduced funding for HIV delayed the opening of the International AIDS Conference, where money, or the lack of it, is likely to dominate proceedings. Dozens of activists stormed the stage of Vienna's Reed Messe Centre, holding a giant banner reading "No Retreat, Fund... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 18, 2010 Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise releases overview of obstacles in HIV vaccine research The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a unique alliance of independent organizations dedicated to accelerating the development of a preventive HIV vaccine, has released a new overview of the major obstacles to developing the safe and effective vaccines that could one day help end the AIDS... Botswana Gazzette       more...  
• Jul 19, 2010 Effectiveness and safety of tenofovir gel, an antiretroviral microbicide, for the prevention of HIV infection in women The CAPRISA 004 trial assessed effectiveness and safety of a 1% vaginal gel formulation of tenofovir, a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor, for the prevention of HIV acquisition in women. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted comparing tenofovir gel (n = 445) with... Science       more...  
• Jul 19, 2010 Providing prevention for men who have sex with men could significantly reduce HIV infections in many countries A mathematical model developed by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University shows that developing effective 'combination prevention' programmes for men who have sex with men (MSM), including both biomedical and behavioural interventions, would significantly reduce the... Aidsmap       more...  
• Jul 19, 2010 Bill Clinton on HIV/AIDS: much more needs to be done Former President Bill Clinton addressed the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna Monday. He said while much progress has been made in the fight against the epidemic, much more remains to be done, including on human rights. Mr. Clinton was the keynote speaker at Monday's plenary session... Voice of America       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 Glaxo takes new AIDS drug into final-stage tests GlaxoSmithKline and its partner Shionogi are progressing a new drug against HIV into final-stage clinical testing, ramping up competition in a class of AIDS drugs known as integrase inhibitors. The two drugmakers said on Wednesday they would be progressing the experimental medicine,... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Turning the page to a new era in HIV prevention research: AVAC Report warns promising developments in biomedical HIV prevention could be undermined by current conditions of the global AIDS response A new report from AVAC surveys the state of biomedical HIV prevention research, including the first evidence of vaccine-induced protection in humans and the emergence of ARV-based prevention -- and provides strategic recommendations for moving forward in a time of constrained resources and... AVAC       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Obama's new effort to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS Preventing people from contracting HIV, one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against AIDS in America, is getting renewed attention from the Obama administration. On the same day that Bill Gates called for more funding and stronger leadership to combat HIV/AIDS, President Obama, in a move... Newsweek       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 Microbicide clinical trials pipeline update June 2010 This issue of these regularly published updates is current as of June 2010. Download it here . AVAC       more...  
• Jul 11, 2010 Telebriefing for advocates to discuss results of the CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial You are warmly invited to join a tele-briefing for Advocates hosted by the Global Campaign for Microbicides to discuss the findings of the CAPRISA 004 trial on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 at 9am Washington DC/2 pm London/3pm Vienna and Johannesburg. CAPRISA 004 is the first trial of an... Global Campaign for Microbicides       more...  
• Aug 15, 2010 Selected HIV prevention research articles from current issue of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Editor's Note: This issue of JAIDS (15 August, Volume 54, Issue 5) features several articles relevant to HIV prevention research. Links to abstracts of selected articles are provided below. IL-8 decreases HIV-1 transcription in peripheral blood lymphocytes and ectocervical tissue explants... JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 UNAIDS satellite explores paving the way towards virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV UNAIDS hosted a satellite at AIDS 2010 on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV 19 July. It was co-chaired by Antony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF and Hiroki Nakatani, Assistant Director General of World Health Organization (WHO) and coordinated by Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of... Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Report warns flat global funding for HIV prevention research may limit ability of researchers to move promising approaches forward Following significant advances in vaccine and microbicide research, including results presented today of 39% efficacy in the CAPRISA 004 microbicide gel trial among women in South Africa, a new report released today warns that flat funding for HIV prevention research may limit researchers'... HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Safety of 1% tenofovir vaginal microbicide gel in South African women: results of the CAPRISA 004 trial (Abstract TUSS0504) Background A microbicide is urgently needed, especially for women who cannot negotiate mutual monogamy and condom use. The CAPRISA 004 trial assessed the effectiveness and safety of candidate microbicide, 1% Tenofovir gel. Methods We conducted this randomized, placebo-controlled trial... XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010)       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Do systemic and genital tract tenofovir concentrations predict HIV seroconversion in the CAPRISA 004 tenofovir gel trial? (Abstract TUSS0503) Background CAPRISA 004 is a two-arm, double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial assessing the effectiveness and safety of 1% tenofovir (TNF) gel in 889 women. 98 participants became HIV positive. This pharmacology study assesses whether the presence or absence of TNF is associated with... XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010)       more...  
• Jul 22, 2010 Microbicides and circumcision could achieve modest cuts in HIV infections in Africa Three mathematical models presented at the Eighteenth International AIDS Conference in Vienna have found that circumcision and a microbicide, used separately or together, could produce modest reductions in HIV incidence. The models, by  Andrew Cox of the London School of Hygiene and... Aidsmap       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 This week in PLoS Medicine Editor's Note: Links to the following articles of interest published 20 July in PLoS Medicine are provided in each citation below. Improving prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV care and related services in eastern Rwanda Lim Y, Kim JY, Rich M, et al. HIV testing for... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• Jul 22, 2010 J&J AIDS drug shows promise, raises questions Two pivotal trials of a Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) experimental HIV drug found it worked as well as an existing drug, with fewer side effects but also with nearly twice as many patients failing to respond to treatment. The drug, rilpivirine or TMC278, is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 22, 2010 New edition of Guidelines for involving communities in HIV prevention research released at International AIDS Conference The draft second edition of The Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials were released yesterday at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna by AVAC and UNAIDS. The GPP Guidelines aim to provide trial funders, sponsors, and implementers with systematic... AVAC       more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 Special coverage of AIDS 2010 Conference in Vienna This issue of the Weekly News Digest is dedicated to the 18th International AIDS Conference -- "AIDS 2010" -- held in Vienna, Austria, from 18-23 July. Non-conference-related material that appeared in this same time period is being held for inclusion in next week's issue of the News... AVAC       more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 Global: Hunting for a "cure" for HIV A successful microbicide trial and the promise of HIV treatment as prevention have dominated the scientific breakthroughs making headlines at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, but scientists working on a cure for HIV say they are making slow but significant headway in finding a... IRIN PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 Gilead AIDS drug safe for HIV prevention in study Gilead's HIV drug tenofovir is safe to be given to men at high risk of contracting the virus as a preventative measure, scientists said on Friday, but further trials are needed to test its efficacy. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 16, 2010 Global: New UN agency for women -- first battle won The new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will pump the bulk of its projected US$500 million annual budget into programming to directly benefit the world's most vulnerable women, but this unprecedented boost may still leave the agency lacking influence and impact, civil... IRIN PlusNews       more...  
• Aug 1, 2010 Selective induction of host genes by MVA-B, a candidate vaccine against HIV/AIDS The aim of this study was to define the effects on antigen-presenting cells of the expression of HIV antigens from an attenuated poxvirus vector. We have analyzed the transcriptional changes in gene expression following infection of human immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC) with... Journal of Virology       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Africa: Need for African govts to increase health spending At the recent International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi appealed to donors to desist from cutting aid to support AIDS programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. The irony of his call, however, is that countries in Africa are not increasing their spending on... Health-e       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 Special issue of JAMA on HIV/AIDS Editor's Note: The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a special theme issue on HIV/AIDS at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/304/3/239 . Links to articles of interest are included below. Vaccine-induced HIV seropositivity/reactivity in noninfected HIV... Journal of the American Medical Association       more...  
• Jul 15, 2010 Global: The big five at AIDS 2010 "Rights Here, Right Now" is the theme of the 18th International AIDS Conference, also known as "AIDS 2010", opening on 18 July in Vienna, Austria. Around 25,000 policy-makers, programme implementers, scientists, community workers, activists and people living with HIV will gather to discuss the... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 Africa: Better prevention needed for HIV-exposed babies About half the babies exposed to HIV may not be getting the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs they need to be born HIV-free and stay that way, say the findings of a four-country study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study, conducted in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire,...    more...  
• Jul 19, 2010 Preliminary results suggest good safety and adherence profile for PrEP People taking either daily or intermittent pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection had few side effects and relatively good adherence to these regimens, according to data presented Monday, July 19, at the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) being held July 18 to 23 in... AIDSmeds.com       more...  
• Jul 18, 2010 Drugs, microbicide gel, money top issues at AIDS meet A global AIDS forum was getting underway here on Sunday, with major announcements expected over six days on the drugs that have turned HIV from killer to a chronic but manageable disease, and the quest for a virus-thwarting gel. Overshadowing the long-awaited meeting, though, are renewed... PhysOrg.com       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 HIV's holy grail: Hopeful talk of a cure for AIDS Can AIDS be cured? It has long been a taboo to use the C-word when discussing the response to the pandemic, but scientists at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna are seriously discussing the idea that the human immunodeficiency virus can be eliminated from the body, or at least battered... The Globe and Mail       more...  
• Jul 16, 2010 Global: A radical new UNAIDS treatment strategy UNAIDS has launched a simpler, more cost-effective approach to HIV treatment, aimed at simultaneously achieving two holy grails of the AIDS response: drastic reductions in AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections. The approach, dubbed "Treatment 2.0", aims to drastically scale up testing and... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 17, 2010 Many forks loom in road to AIDS vaccine AIDS experts and advocates gathering in Vienna this weekend for a conference on the pandemic will hear about progress in protecting people from the deadly virus using drugs, and ways to affect behavior. No breakthrough news is expected on a vaccine. But researchers are more hopeful than they... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 18, 2010 IAC: As HAART use went up, new infections fell After the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for people living with HIV infection, the number of patients being treated grew five-fold in one Canadian province, but the number of new cases has been cut in half. Between 1996 and 2009, the number of patients receiving... MedPage Today       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 New phase in global AIDS battle AIDS experts gather in Vienna on Sunday for a six-day rally on the new options emerging in a war which after nearly three turbulent decades is entering a stable, promising phase. Expected to draw more than 20,000 researchers, policymakers and grassroots workers, the International AIDS Conference... Agence France-Presse (AFP)       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 PPAR[gamma] and LXR signaling inhibit dendritic cell-mediated HIV-1 capture and trans-infection Dendritic cells (DCs) contribute to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission and dissemination by capturing and transporting infectious virus from the mucosa to draining lymph nodes, and transferring these virus particles to CD4+ T cells with high efficiency. Toll-like receptor... PLoS Pathogen       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 Behavioral intervention program can reduce incidence of HIV, STIs among female sex workers: researchers A team of researchers from the University of California San Diego and Mexico has found that even a modest behavioral intervention program averaging just 35 minutes can measurably reduce the incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers in the U.S.-Mexico... News-Medical.Net       more...  
• Jul 5, 2010 Mass vaccination has reduced the incidence of genital warts by 60%: report Genital warts, commonly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the decline after routine vaccination of Australian women with a vaccine against HPV. The sexual partners of these women are also beneficiaries of the vaccine. The study was conducted by the University of NSW and it found that... News-Medical.Net       more...  
• Jul 7, 2010 Minutes after HIV transmittal can be vital to AIDS prevention A top U.S. health official says the first few minutes after HIV infection may be a window of opportunity to prevent the AIDS virus from firmly taking hold in the body. The HIV that's present during initial infection is different from the virus that replicates over time.  And that difference... Voice of America       more...  
• Jul 6, 2010 Zimbabwe: Pregnancies get in the way of ARV drug trials Researchers conducting local trials to determine if anti-retroviral drugs Tenofovir and Truvada can protect women from acquiring HIV have expressed concern over the rate at which participants in the trials are falling pregnant. Microbicide Trials Network - an arm of the University of Zimbabwe... The Herald       more...  
• Jun 30, 2010 Original viral genetic sequences still present months after initial infection, says study 'Founder' strain of close cousin of HIV still present months later. Scientists have been surprised to learn that, despite thousands of changes that viruses like HIV undergo in rapid fashion to evade the body's immune system, the original version that caused the infection is still present in the... News-Medical.Net       more...  
• Jun 1, 2010 Genital hygiene practices of fishermen targeted for a topical microbicide intervention against sexually transmitted infections in Kisumu, Kenya Research on hygiene has been relatively limited in the current era of rigorous observational studies and clinical trials. We set out to investigate the perception and practices of genital hygiene among fishermen working on the beaches along Lake Victoria, targeted for a topical male microbicide... International Journal of STD & AIDS       more...  
• Jul 7, 2010 Immunization with wild-type or CD4 binding-defective HIV-1 Env trimers reduces viremia equivalently following heterologous SHIV challenge We recently reported that rhesus macaques inoculated with CD4 binding-competent and CD4 binding-defective soluble YU2-derived HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers in adjuvant generate comparable levels of Env-specific binding antibodies (Abs) and T cell responses. We also showed that Abs... Journal of Virology       more...  
• Jul 2, 2010 African nations rarely team up on biomed, finds study Africa has quality research and development (R&D) capacity but its distribution is uneven and collaboration across the continent remains poor, according to a study. Researchers in Tunisia and Switzerland assessed Africa's biomedical research landscape as part of the development of the... SciDev.Net       more...  
• Jul 2, 2010 Middle East's HIV efforts hampered by poor data A dearth of data, and lack of science-based policymaking, are hampering efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to a major scientific study. 'Characterizing the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa: Time for Strategic Action'... SciDev.Net       more...  
• Jun 25, 2010 The long emergency Is AIDS still an emergency? How you answer that question probably says a lot about whether you think U.S. President Barack Obama's approach to fighting HIV/AIDS abroad is a good idea or a dangerous detour.  In recent weeks, a growing number of organizations have stepped forward to... Foreign Policy       more...  
• Jun 29, 2010 Anti-HIV activity in cervical-vaginal secretions from HIV-positive and -negative women correlate with innate antimicrobial levels and IgG antibodies Background We investigated the impact of antimicrobials in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) from HIV(+) and HIV(-) women on target cell infection with HIV. Since female reproductive tract (FRT) secretions contain a spectrum of antimicrobials, we hypothesized that CVL from healthy HIV(+) and (-)... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 South Africa tackles prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission Around 70,000 babies are born with HIV in South Africa every year. It is one of the main contributors to the country's high infant mortality rate. In a hopeful sign, programs aimed at preventing the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child are meeting with success. One such program is... Voice of America       more...  
• Jul 6, 2010 Africa: Money no protection from HIV A new study has challenged widely held assumptions about income level in relation to HIV, finding that neither wealth nor poverty are reliable predictors of HIV infection in Africa. Previously, the argument that poverty drove HIV epidemics was supported by the World Bank and UNAIDS, as well as... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 3, 2010 Meena Saraswathi Seshu: tackling HIV for India's sex workers When Meena Seshu first entered a brothel in rural India, she was expecting a melodramatic scene from a Bollywood film, in which poor helpless women were being victimised by brutal, aggressive men. Seshu, who runs SANGRAM, an Indian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works with sex workers... The Lancet       more...  
• Jul 17, 2010 HIV vaccine acceptability: a systematic review and meta-analysis Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature to examine HIV vaccine acceptability and factors impacting acceptability of future HIV vaccines. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles that assessed HIV vaccine acceptability. Methods We used a... AIDS       more...  
• Jul 6, 2010 Improving implementation: building research capacity in maternal, neonatal, and child health in Africa Editor's note: This paper is part of a PLoS Medicine series on maternal, neonatal, and child health in Africa. This PLoS Medicine series began by outlining how much we fail mothers, newborns, and children in Africa by not implementing effectively what we know saves lives and improves... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• Jul 8, 2010 Rational design of envelope identifies broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to HIV-1 Cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are found in the sera of many HIV-1-infected subjects, but the virologic basis of their neutralization remains poorly understood. We used knowledge of HIV-1 envelope (Env) structure to develop antigenically resurfaced glycoproteins specific for the... Science       more...  
• Mar 10, 2010 The epidemiology of bacterial vaginosis in relation to sexual behaviour Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) has been most consistently linked to sexual behaviour, and the epidemiological profile of BV mirrors that of established sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It remains a matter of debate however whether BV pathogenesis does actually involve sexual... BMC Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jul 13, 2010 PVP-coated silver nanoparticles block the transmission of cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 in human cervical culture Background Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that polyvinylpyrrolidone coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-coated AgNPs) have antiviral activity against HIV-1 at non-cytotoxic concentrations. These particles also demonstrate broad spectrum virucidal activity by preventing the... Journal of Nanobiotechnology       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 The renaissance in HIV vaccine development -- future directions From July 18 through July 23, 2010, delegates from around the globe will convene for the biennial International AIDS Conference in Vienna. They will discuss our current risk of losing the war against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Despite an unprecedented outpouring of resources and... New England Journal of Medicine       more...  
• Jul 15, 2010 Early versus standard antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected adults in Haiti Background For adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who have CD4+ T-cell counts that are greater than 200 and less than 350 per cubic millimeter and who live in areas with limited resources, the optimal time to initiate antiretroviral therapy remains uncertain. Methods... New England Journal of Medicine       more...  
• Jul 12, 2010 Inside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The headquarters of probably the most powerful charity in the world, and one of the most quietly influential international organisations of any sort, currently stand between a derelict restaurant and a row of elderly car repair businesses. Gentrification has yet to fully colonise this section of... Guardian       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Poll ranks AIDS as top health issue AIDS is the world's most important health-care issue according to people all over the world who were polled for their perceptions of the AIDS epidemic in a new survey commissioned by UNAIDS. Optimism about the state of the global AIDS epidemic and progress in responding to it varied widely,... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 13, 2010 South Africa: Government greenlights three-month supply of ARVs In a bid to ease pressure on South Africa's over-burdened public health sector, the government has given hospitals and clinics permission to give patients on HIV/AIDS treatment a three-month supply of their antiretroviral medication (ARVs). In a recent memo the Department of Health said there... PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Early HIV therapy saves lives The earlier anti-HIV treatment starts, the better, according to a randomized trial from Haiti. Early treatment reduced the risk of death by 75% and the rate of new tuberculosis diagnoses by half, according to Daniel Fitzgerald, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and... MedPage Today       more...  
• Feb 9, 2010 Intravaginal practices, vaginal infections and HIV acquisition: systematic review and meta-analysis Background Intravaginal practices are commonly used by women to manage their vaginal health and sexual life. These practices could, however, affect intravaginal mucosal integrity. The objectives of this study were to examine evidence for associations between: intravaginal practices and... PLoS ONE       more...  
• May 1, 2010 Development of an in vitro dual-chamber model of the female genital tract as a screening tool for epithelial toxicity Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is the predominant mode of infection worldwide. However, the early steps of transepithelial infection still need to be clarified. Using epithelial cells, originating from the female genital tract, and peripheral blood mononuclear... Journal of Virological Methods       more...  
• Jul 12, 2010 KaiserEDU.org resources on HIV/AIDS Global HIV Tutorial: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/global-hiv-2010/player.html Kim Boortz, policy analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation, presents an overview of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and the latest in data and trends. This narrated slide tutorial covers HIV/AIDS prevalence... Kaiser Family Foundation       more...  
• Jul 9, 2010 Advance in quest for HIV vaccine HIV research is undergoing a renaissance that could lead to new ways to develop vaccines against the AIDS virus and other viral diseases. In the latest development, U.S. government scientists say they have discovered three powerful antibodies, the strongest of which neutralizes 91% of HIV... Wall Street Journal       more...  
• Jul 8, 2010 Structural basis for broad and potent neutralization of HIV-1 by antibody VRC01 During HIV-1 infection, antibodies are generated against the region of the viral gp120 envelope glycoprotein that binds CD4, the primary receptor for HIV-1. Among these antibodies, VRC01 achieves broad neutralization of diverse viral strains. Here, we determine the crystal structure of VRC01 in... Science       more...  
• Jul 13, 2010 Time for efficiency in fighting AIDS: Bill Gates No big influxes of new money are coming to fight the AIDS pandemic, but some smarter targeting and using approaches that have been shown to work can still save lives, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said on Tuesday. Focusing more treatment on women in Africa, drug users in places... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 15, 2010 Outlook: HIV/AIDS (Special Supplement) Editor's Note: All of the articles in this Supplement are are available free online and are listed below. Click titles to link to full text of each article. HIV/AIDS , Apoorva Mandavilli On high alert , Emma Marris Learning from the elite , Bijal Trivedi The primate connection ,... Nature       more...  
• Jul 9, 2010 Test and treat DC: forecasting the impact of a comprehensive HIV strategy in Washington DC Background The United States and international agencies have signaled their commitment to containing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic via early case identification and linkage to antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately at diagnosis. We forecast outcomes of this approach if... Clinical Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jul 13, 2010 International AIDS Conference 2010 webcast schedule Stay tuned for webcasts of sessions from the XVIII International AIDS Conference including a live webcast of the Opening Session on 18 July. For the AIDS 2010 webcast schedule, visit http://www.aids2010.org/WebContent/File/AIDS2010_Webcast_Schedule.pdf . AIDS 2010       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 HIV prevention and AVAC at the 18th International AIDS Conference, Vienna This update includes information on biomedical prevention research-related events at the upcoming XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) that will take place from 18-23 July in Vienna. For those of you who will not be attending, this update describes ways to follow the news from afar.... AVAC       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 High hopes for first ARV-based microbicide: results to be presented at Vienna Injecting drug users are not the only focus of the AIDS Conference in Vienna next week. One of the priorities for African delegates will be the release of the results of the CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial next Tuesday, 20 July at 1pm. This randomised controlled trial in South Africa tested the... Times Live       more...  
• Aug 3, 2010 Bid to expand female condom programme to 17 states India has decided to step up its female condom (FC) programme in a big way in a bid to control the spread of HIV among women. With nearly 50% of the 1.7 lakh fresh cases of HIV reported annually being women, the drive will be expanded from eight states to 17 in the next few months. Though... Times of India       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Human papillomavirus vaccination practices: survey of US physicians 18 months after licensure Objectives The goals were to assess, in a nationally representative network of pediatricians and family physicians, (1) human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination practices, (2) perceived barriers to vaccination, and (3) factors associated with whether physicians strongly recommended HPV vaccine... Pediatrics       more...  
• Aug 24, 2010 Current issue of AIDS: Volume 24, Issue 13 Opinion Piece Periconception pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission: benefits, risks, and challenges to implementation Matthews LT, Baeten JM, Celum C, et al.  Basic Science Vaccine-induced IgG2 anti-HIV p24 is associated with control of HIV in patients with... AIDS       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 Intravaginal and Menstrual Practices among Women Working in Food and Recreational facilities in Mwanza, Tanzania: implications for microbicide trials Intravaginal and menstrual practices may potentially influence results of trials of microbicides for HIV prevention through effects on the vaginal environment and on adherence to microbicide and placebo products. As part of the feasibility study for the Microbicides Development Programme Phase 3... AIDS and Behavior       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Violence and HIV Having a violent male partner or little power in a relationship with a man increases the risk of acquiring HIV infection for women living in rural South Africa, according to a study by researchers in South Africa and the United States (Jewkes RK et al. Lancet . 10.1016/50140-6736(10)60548... Journal of the American Medical Association       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Mucosal trafficking of vector-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes following adenovirus serotype 5 Vaccination of rhesus monkeys Post-hoc analysis of the phase 2b Step study evaluating a recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5)-based HIV-1 vaccine candidate suggested a potential increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition in subjects who were baseline Ad5 seropositive and uncircumcised. These concerns profoundly impacted the HIV-1... Journal of Virology       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Sexual violence, HSV-2 and HIV are important predictors for infertility in Rwanda Background In order to formulate cost-effective health interventions aimed at preventing infertility it is necessary to identify modifiable risk factors for infertility in sub-Saharan Africa. This case-control study examined potential predictors and their population attributable fraction... Human Reproduction       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Soluble HIV-1 Env trimers in adjuvant elicit potent and diverse functional B cell responses in primates Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Envs) have proven difficult to elicit by immunization. Therefore, to identify effective Env neutralization targets, efforts are underway to define the specificities of bNAbs in chronically infected individuals. For... Journal of Experimental Medicine       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Human anti-HIV-neutralizing antibodies frequently target a conserved epitope essential for viral fitness The identification and characterization of conserved epitopes on the HIV-1 viral spike that are immunogenic in humans and targeted by neutralizing antibodies is an important step in vaccine design. Antibody cloning experiments revealed that 32% of all HIV-neutralizing antibodies expressed by the... Journal of Experimental Medicine       more...  
• Aug 3, 2010 Outcome reporting among drug trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov Background Clinical trial registries are in widespread use to promote transparency around trials and their results. Objective To describe characteristics of drug trials listed in ClinicalTrials.gov and examine whether the funding source of these trials is associated with favorable... Annals of Internal Medicine       more...  
• Development Innovation Ventures The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) issued a new grant opportunity entitled "Development Innovation Ventures" that seeks proposals for three stages of research and innovation: Stage 1: concept, for up to $100,000 Stage 2: impact testing in a country, for... United States Agency for International Development (USAID)       more...  
• Jul 30, 2010 Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program for HIV Topical Microbicides (IPCP-HTM) (U19) Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AI-10-006 This is a reissue of RFA-AI-08-057 Key Dates Letters of Intent Receipt Date: October 15, 2010 Application Receipt Date: November 17, 2010 Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July, 2011 Expiration Date:  November 18, 2010... National Institutes of Health (NIH)       more...  
• Jul 30, 2010 USAID Administrator Raj Shah unveils US strategy to achieve the MDGs The Obama administration's long-awaited strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals was released today . The 28 page document commits the United States to the MDGs and promises to "raise the profile of development in [the United States'] diplomatic engagement with strategic allies... UN Dispatch       more...  
• Jul 31, 2010 The future of the International AIDS Society The International AIDS Society admits it has governance problems after the sudden departure of its Executive Director Robin Gorna. Pamela Das reports. On July 18-23, the International AIDS Society (IAS) convened its biennial conference in Vienna, Austria. A notable absence at the meeting was the... The Lancet       more...  
• Sep 1, 2010 Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS: September 2010 issue focuses on HIV vaccine research Editor's Note: The September issue of Current Opinion in HIV/AIDS includes several articles on the status and direction of HIV vaccine research following the STEP trial. Its entire Table of Contents, with links to article abstracts, follows below. Overview of STEP and Phambili trial... Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 'Tough' chief to defend MRC Britain's biomedical establishment has given an enthusiastic welcome to the incoming chief executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC). John Savill was named last week as the man who will steer the agency through a round of public-spending cuts expected this autumn. In 2008-09, the... Nature       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Bill strengthening FDA drug safety power enters congress Quality control problems have increased focus on biopharm and the role of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This has led to a number of bills being introduced, the latest of which, the Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010 was put forward yesterday. The bill would allow the FDA to... in-PharmaTechnologist.com       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 The hunt is on for the elusive female condom More than a decade after it was introduced, the humble female condom remains a mystery to many South African women .Now a small NGO is building a case against the government to force the Health department to share information about what it has done to bring the female condom into the light. The... Mail and Guardian       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Industry-paid studies likely to favor company drug When drugmakers fund studies of their own products, the results are much more likely to be positive than when the government picks up the bill, US researchers said Monday. They found that about 85 percent of industry-backed studies reported positive outcomes, compared to only half of those with... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Zimbabwe aims to circumcise 80% of young men in drive against HIV A big effort is under way to circumcise 80% of young men in Zimbabwe after a study four years ago found that the operation reduced the chance of contracting HIV by 60%. Yet the procedure is still not widely available across sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV prevalence is high, the International Aids... The Guardian       more...  
• Jul 12, 2010 Phosphorothioate 2' deoxyribose oligomers as microbicides that inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and block Toll-like receptor (TLR)7/9-triggering by HIV-1 Topical microbicides may prove to be an important strategy to prevent HIV-1 transmission. We examined the safety and efficacy of sequence non-specific phosphorothioate 2' deoxyribose oligomers as potential novel microbicides. A short, 13mer poly-T phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide (OPB-T)... Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy       more...  
• Jul 9, 2010 Safety and anti-HIV assessments of natural vaginal cleansing products in an established topical microbicides in vitro testing algorithm Background At present, there is no effective vaccine or other approved product for the prevention of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. It has been reported that women in resource-poor communities use vaginally applied citrus juices as topical... AIDS Research and Therapy       more...  
• Aug 15, 2010 Protective properties of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (MC1220) incorporated into liposome against intravaginal challenge of rhesus macaques with RT-SHIV In the absence of an effective vaccine against HIV, it is urgent to develop an effective alternative such as a microbicide. Single and repeated applications of MC1220 microbicide were evaluated in macaques. First, animals were given a single application of 0.5% or 1.5% MC1220-containing... Virology       more...  
• Aug 5, 2010 AIDS drugs flow to the third world Salim Abdool Karim received a standing ovation at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna last month when the South African doctor announced that a vaginal gel reduced the risk of sexual transmission of HIV to women by more than half. The advance was hailed as a breakthrough for the world's... Bloomberg Business Week       more...  
• Aug 6, 2010 South Africa: Unpaid VCT counsellors threaten to walk out After months of non-payment, lay counsellors vital to government's ambitious target of testing 15 million South Africans for HIV by April 2011, are threatening to walk out of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) clinics. Lay counsellors in at least two of South Africa's nine provinces -... PlusNews       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Persistence of genital tract T cell responses in HIV-infected women on highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) Initiation of highly-active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected individuals is associated with control of viraemia, improved CD4 counts and declining systemic HIV-specific immune responses. While HAART effectively reduces plasma viraemia, it remains unclear how effectively... Journal of Virology       more...  
• Aug 5, 2010 Giving diaphragms to sex workers may not up risk-taking Giving sex workers diaphragm contraceptives does not seem to have the unintended effect of lowering their condom use, a new study suggests. The study, which followed 140 female sex workers in Kenya, found that after the women received diaphragms, along with counseling on condom use and safer-sex... Reuters       more...  
• Aug 5, 2010 Rwanda: HIV research could save millions - Mujawamariya The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Jean d'Arc Mujawamariya, has commended Project Ubuzima for the clinical research its carrying out in microbicides, as an alternative HIV prevention tool especially for women, terming it as "a new initiative that could help protect millions of women... The New Times       more...  
• Aug 6, 2010 Interview with Ernest Hopkins and Bob Grant about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Miguel Gomez, Director of AIDS.gov, recently sat down with Ernest Hopkins, Legislative Director at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and Bob Grant, M.D.,M.P.H., Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institute at University of California San Francisco , to talk about pre-exposure prophylaxis... U.S. Department of Health and Human Services       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 S. Africa recruiting men to combat AIDS For years, health workers in the country with the highest burden of AIDS focused their prevention efforts on women, all but ignoring half the population. Now a new campaign is admitting that most South African men need to contribute to the war against a virus that has infected 5.2 million people... Detroit Free Press       more...  
• Aug 7, 2010 The price of success In striving to improve health systems, and health itself, success can come with a high price. Take the rare piece of good news that emerged from the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna last month. The number of young people infected with HIV has fallen by a quarter in 12 of the 25... The Lancet       more...  
• Jul 12, 2010 Planning for pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission: challenges and opportunities There are currently several ongoing or planned trials evaluating the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as a preventative approach to reducing the transmission of HIV. PrEP may prove ineffective, demonstrate partial efficacy, or show high efficacy and have the potential to reduce HIV... Journal of the International AIDS Society       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 Gates lays out approach to reducing financial impact of AIDS epidemic In a plenary speech here at AIDS 2010: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and nonexecutive chairman of Microsoft, opened by telling the audience that in these times of constrained national budgets and investments in global health,... Medscape Medical News       more...  
• Aug 1, 2010 Male 'cut' boosts drive against Aids: report Expertise taken to Swaziland Last month, a Kenyan medical team offered to support Swaziland's male circumcision programme. Six nurses from the Nyanza Reproductive Health Society spent 25 days in the southern African country helping to provide medical male circumcision for HIV prevention to 406... Daily Nation       more...  
• Jul 9, 2010 Microbicides in the prevention of HIV infection: current status and future directions More than 28 years since the first cases of HIV/AIDS, there is still no cure or vaccine. The worst affected region is sub-Saharan Africa and, increasingly, it is young women who are bearing the brunt of the epidemic. Consequently, there is an urgent need for HIV prevention options for women in... Drugs       more...  
• Aug 3, 2010 Zambia: Researchers' HIV gel success claims receive mixed feelings The pronouncements that researchers had achieved an important break-through in the fight against HIV and genital herpes with a vaginal gel that significantly reduces a woman's risk of being infected with these viruses has been received with mixed feelings. The results of the safety and... Times of Zambia       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Mngxitama wrong on microbicide In his column in Sowetan on July 27 2010 (" Research on HIV prevention gel put black lives at risk "), Andile Mngxitama viciously attacks South African researchers who recently announced a huge breakthrough in the development of a microbicide, a gel that they hope women will be able to use to... Sowetan       more...  
• Aug 3, 2010 Obama hosts dialogue with young African leaders President Barack Obama hosted a group of young African business and civil leaders at the White House on Tuesday, part of his administration's outreach to a region of the world often overlooked at the top levels of U.S. diplomacy. The meeting, a town hall-style forum with more than 100... CNN       more...  
• Aug 4, 2010 Only 74% of Canadians would get HIV vaccine: study If a vaccine against HIV existed, a huge chunk of Canadians wouldn't bother getting it, a new study finds. Potentially shunning the vaccine includes Canadians most at risk for contracting HIV: ethnic minorities, injection drug users and men who have sex with men. The study, out of the University... Toronto Sun       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Female condoms range from 'strange' to 'natural' They've been called noisy, unwieldy and like a plastic bag. Yet, major health campaigns in Washington, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City are promoting female condoms to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved female condoms in 1993, they haven't... CNN       more...  
• Aug 3, 2010 Female condoms being heavily promoted The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved female condoms in 1993, but they are still evolving and not yet widely embraced. Advocates say the condoms are another tool to empower and protect women from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. The first female condoms received mixed... All Voices       more...  
• Aug 5, 2010 International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) (U01) Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AI-10-030 This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is a reissue of RFA-AI-05-014. Key Dates Letters of Intent Receipt Date: October 8, 2010 Application Receipt Date: November 10, 2010 Earliest Anticipated Start Date:  July, 2011... National Institutes of Health (NIH)       more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 Modeling HIV vaccines in Brazil: assessing the impact of a future HIV vaccine on reducing new infections, mortality and number of people receiving ARV Background The AIDS epidemic in Brazil remains concentrated in populations with high vulnerability to HIV infection, and the development of an HIV vaccine could make an important contribution to prevention. This study modeled the HIV epidemic and estimated the potential impact of an HIV... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jul 16, 2010 Mayo leads new clinical trial search Mayo Clinic researchers are heading up a new cooperative research model for clinical trials that could take years out of the life cycle of a trial and accelerate the amount of time it takes to translate the results to new drugs and treatments. More than 3,100 institutions in the United States... Jacksonville Business Journal       more...  
• Jul 26, 2010 Results of Vac-4x HIV vaccine announced Researchers with the Oslo University and Bionor Immuno at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, recently released the results of a re-vaccination study of Norway's largest hospital using the company's furthest advanced HIV vaccine candidate, Vac-4x. Researchers said 26 of... VaccineNewsDaily.com       more...  
• Aug 1, 2010 Comparison of sexual behavior data collected using a coital diary and a clinic-based interview during a microbicide pilot study in Mwanza, Tanzania Background The performance of coital diaries (CDs) and clinic-based interviews to measure sexual behavior was compared during a pilot study for a Phase III microbicide trial. Methods In Mwanza, 59 women were enrolled for 4 weeks and provided with 20 placebo gels. Weekly, women were given... Sexually Transmitted Diseases       more...  
• Jul 26, 2010 Rational design of HIV vaccine and microbicides: report of the EUROPRISE annual conference EUROPRISE is a Network of Excellence sponsored from 2007 to 2011 by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Program. The Network encompasses a wide portfolio of activities ranging from an integrated research program in the field of HIV vaccines and microbicides to training, dissemination... Journal of Translational Medicine       more...  
• Jul 26, 2010 NCI awards $4.1 million to test HPV microbicide The National Cancer Institute has awarded researchers $4.1 million to test whether the microbicide Carraguard® can prevent of new human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in women.  Carraguard was tested against HIV, but was not effective. However, it is estimated to be 1000 times more... Examiner       more...  
• Jul 23, 2010 Gay men don't engage in riskier sex when taking AIDS pills, CDC study says Gay and bisexual men didn't have riskier sex or suffer serious side effects while using Gilead Sciences Inc.'s Viread in a study of whether taking pills to prevent HIV infection would loosen inhibitions or harm health. Gay and bisexual men who took a daily pill -- either Viread or a placebo --... Bloomberg       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 Some drug firms keen, others reluctant on AIDS pool Drugmakers Merck, Tibotec and Gilead are in advanced talks with UNITAID about a patent pool to make AIDS drugs more widely available to the poor, the health funding agency said on Wednesday. But ViiV Healthcare -- a GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer joint venture company for AIDS drugs and a key player... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Gilead Q2 profit and HIV drug sales miss estimates Second-quarter sales of Gilead Sciences Inc's core HIV drugs fell short of Wall Street estimates, and its shares fell 1 percent after-hours on Tuesday. The biotech company also cut $100 million from its 2010 sales outlook, citing currency exchange rates, including a weaker euro. Earlier this... Reuters       more...  
• Jul 26, 2010 Get prepared for PrEP: "treatment as prevention" moves ahead What if you could use a product -- and not a condom -- to prevent getting infected with HIV? That may feel like a fantasy, but it's actually edging closer to reality. At the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, the exciting South African CAPRISA study showed that using a... The Body       more...  
• Jul 27, 2010 Good early results for herpes vaccine Antigenics says it has achieved positive results in an early stage human trial for a potential herpes vaccine. A vaccine, if approved, would be a blockbuster pharmaceutical product -- 60 million Americans are infected with herpes simplex virus-2, more commonly known as genital herpes.... Boston Business Journal       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 2010 National Summit on HIV Diagnosis, Prevention and Access to Care Call for Abstracts November 17-19 2010 Gaylord National Hotel, National Harbor, MD CALL FOR ABSTRACTS   The Scientific Planning Committee for the 2010 National Summit on HIV Diagnosis, Prevention and Access to Care is issuing a Call for Abstracts for presentations at the upcoming National Summit... Forum for Collaborative HIV Research       more...  
• Jul 27, 2010 HIV in maternal and child heath: concurrent crises demand cooperation In June, PLoS Medicine published a series of articles on interventions to tackle the burden of maternal, neonatal, and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and how to implement those interventions most effectively. Reducing child mortality and improving maternal health are two of eight... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• Jul 30, 2010 Money woes cast shadow over HIV/AIDS, but ray of light in South Africa At the 18th International AIDS Conference last week, the South African government -- which from 1999 to 2008 had a president who questioned whether HIV even caused disease and a health minister who advocated lemons and garlic for treatment -- declared that "Today, we are guided by science."... Science       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Lack of funding threatens the future of HIV drug therapy in the developing world Ten years ago, many experts thought you couldn't bring antiretroviral therapy to people with AIDS in poor countries. The drugs cost too much, there weren't enough doctors, the patients wouldn't take the medicines correctly, and the risk of creating a resistant virus was too high. None of that... Washington Post       more...  
• Jul 27, 2010 Senate spending panel approves $1 billion boost for NIH Like its House of Representatives counterpart 2 weeks ago, a Senate subcommittee today matched President Barack Obama's request for a $1 billion increase in 2011 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). That raise would bring the agency's total budget to $32 billion, or 3.5% above the 2010... Science Magazine       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 Global: "Seek, test, treat and retain" to stem HIV among drug users Activists and scientists at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna called on governments to stop criminalizing drug users and instead to provide them with addiction and HIV treatment. "Sooner or later, people have to figure out that we're not going to be able to solve the HIV epidemic if we... IRIN PlusNews       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 Gates lays out approach to reducing financial impact of AIDS epidemic In a plenary speech at here at AIDS 2010: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and nonexecutive chairman of Microsoft, opened by telling the audience that in these times of constrained national budgets and investments in global... Medscape Today       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 Obama's overdue AIDS bill Having met President Obama, I'm confident that he's a man of conscience who shares my commitment to bringing hope and care to the world's poor. But I am saddened by his decision to spend less than he promised to treat AIDS patients in Africa. George W. Bush made an impressive commitment to the... The New York Times       more...  
• Jul 20, 2010 EU to invest 6.4 billion (Euro) in research Research organisations, universities and industry, will receive a sum of 6.4 billion (Euro) next year in the European Commission's largest ever allocation for research and innovation. Research commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn said on Monday (19 July) when presenting the plan that around... EU Observer       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 Mass male circumcision in poor settings is feasible, AIDS conference hears Programmes of mass circumcision of men could be scaled up rapidly in poor settings, delegates heard at the 19th international AIDS conference in Vienna last week. Scaling up male circumcision to 80% of adult men and male newborns in eastern and southern Africa by 2015 could avert more than four... British Medical Journal       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 DC pushes female condoms to fight HIV epidemic Charlene Cotton will talk to anyone about sex. Several days a week she stands behind a table decorated with a bowl of flavored condoms and safer sex pamphlets, calling to women passing on the street, "Come check out my table. Don't be scared." She asks: "Have you heard of the female condom?"... Associated Press       more...  
• Jul 30, 2010 Gates Foundation's Tachi Yamada: Biotechies and VCs are missing out on global health Tachi Yamada was a big name in Big Pharma before he took the top global health job at the world's richest charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. But no single organization -- not even a multi-national, multi-billion dollar R&D shop at GlaxoSmithKline, or the Gates... Xconomy       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Female condoms, HIV prevention: will new version be hit...or dud? Will a new version of the female condom catch on? Officials in HIV-ravaged Washington, D.C., certainly hope so. They've launched a citywide campaign to get women and their partners to think about giving the new and improved disease- and unwanted pregnancy buster a try. The original version was a... CBS News       more...  
• Jul 22, 2010 Communications Handbook for Clinical Trials Formally released at the 2010 AIDS Conference, this handbook provides practical guidance to clinical trial staff and research partners on how to anticipate and respond to the special communications challenges posed by the conduct of clinical research. Using context-specific case studies and... Microbicides Media and Communications Initiative       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Biomedical Prevention of HIV Research Education (R25) Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AI-10-027 Key Dates Opening Date: September 9, 2010 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov) Purpose This FOA issued by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of... National Institutes of Health (NIH)       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 A Closer Look: Stories of Impact The Population Council's 2009 Annual Report is now available online. In this year's report, Population Council staff members take you to the grassroots of our work so that you can understand the impact of our research and programs on HIV and AIDS; poverty, gender, and youth; and reproductive... Population Council       more...  
• Jul 28, 2010 New IAVI Policy Briefs: Promoting AIDS Vaccine R&D in Brazil The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is pleased to share with you the results of our latest policy research work, focused on Brazil's expanding scientific capacity and global leadership in the response to HIV/AIDS. Two policy briefs and an article just published in a peer-reviewed... International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)       more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Uganda needs new strategies to combat HIV The 18th International AIDS Conference was recently held in Austria with delegates from across the world including prominent names such as Bill Gates and former US president Bill Clinton. The conference ended with so many unanswered questions, key among them was the failure by several... New Vision       more...  
• AIDS 2010: The New York City Perspective on the XVIII International AIDS Conference GMHC and the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies present AIDS 2010: The New York City Perspective on the XVIII International AIDS Conference Date/Time: Thursday, August 5, 2010 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM Location: The Tisch Building, 11th floor, 119 West 24th Street, NYC (between 6th and...    more...  
• Jul 29, 2010 Black and white researchers are saving black women's lives In his column published in the Sowetan on 27 July 2010 (see " Research on HIV prevention gel put black lives at risk " below), Andile Mngxitama viciously attacks South African researchers who recently announced a huge breakthrough in the development of a microbicide, a gel that they hope women... Nonkosi Khumalo, TAC Chairperson       more...  
• Aug 15, 2010 Magnitude and breadth of a nonprotective neutralizing antibody response in an efficacy trial of a candidate HIV-1 gp120 vaccine Background A candidate vaccine consisting of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subunit gp120 protein was found previously to be nonprotective in an efficacy trial (Vax004) despite strong antibody responses against the vaccine antigens. Here we assessed the magnitude and breadth of... Journal of Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jul 27, 2010 AIDS Clinical Trials Group 5197: a placebo-controlled trial of immunization of HIV-1-infected persons with a replication-deficient adenovirus type 5 vaccine expressing the HIV-1 core protein Background . Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific cellular immunity contributes to the control of HIV-1 replication. HIV-1-infected volunteers who were receiving antiretroviral therapy were given a replication-defective adenovirus type 5 HIV-1 gag vaccine in a randomized, blinded... Journal of Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 "Women's Bodies are Shops": beliefs about transactional sex and implications for understanding gender power and HIV prevention in Tanzania Although transactional sex has been linked to undesirable sexual health outcomes, there is a lack of clarity as to the meaning of the practice, which appears to extend beyond behaviors related to women's economic circumstances. This article explored the perspectives of parents and unmarried young... Archives of Sexual Behavior       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 Assessing the accuracy of adherence and sexual behaviour data in the MDP301 vaginal microbicides trial using a mixed methods and triangulation model Background Accurate data on adherence and sexual behaviour are crucial in microbicide (and other HIV-related) research. In the absence of a "gold standard" the collection of such data relies largely on participant self-reporting. The Microbicides Development Programme has developed a mixed... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jul 21, 2010 A mixed methods and triangulation model for increasing the accuracy of adherence and sexual behaviour data: the Microbicides Development Programme Background The collection of accurate data on adherence and sexual behaviour is crucial in microbicide (and other HIV-related) research. In the absence of a "gold standard" the collection of such data relies largely on participant self-reporting. After reviewing available methods, this paper... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jul 26, 2010 Assessment of changes in condom use among female sex workers in a prospective cohort study introducing diaphragm use for disease prevention Changes in the rates of condom use and number of sexual partners were evaluated among 140 female sex workers in Kibera, Kenya, participating in a 6-month study of diaphragm safety and acceptability for prevention of sexually transmitted infections conducted in 2004-2005. Analyses were stratified... American Journal of Epidemiology       more...  
• Jul 14, 2010 Protection of rhesus macaques from vaginal infection by vaginally delivered maraviroc, an inhibitor of HIV-1 entry via the CCR5 co-receptor An effective vaginal microbicide could reduce human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission to women. Among microbicide candidates in clinical development is Maraviroc (MVC), a small-molecule drug that binds the CCR5 co-receptor and impedes HIV-1 entry into cells. Delivered... Journal of Infectious Diseases       more...  
• Jun 22, 2010 Pharmacokinetics of 2 dapivirine vaginal microbicide gels and their safety vs. hydroxyethyl cellulose-based universal placebo gel Dapivirine, a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is in development as a microbicide for the protection of women against HIV infection. A randomized, double-blind, phase 1 trial was conducted in 36 healthy HIV-negative women to compare the pharmacokinetics of 2 dapivirine vaginal gel... JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes       more...  
• Aug 2, 2010 Rational Design of HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Network Annual Conference Date 15-18 November 2010 Venue Tiara Park Atlantic Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal Programme and Abstracts The Steering Committee meeting will take place on Monday, 15th November, at 17.00. The main conference will start at 8.30 on Tuesday, 16th November and close with lunch on Thursday,... EUROPRISE       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 New issue of Px Wire: Prevention from Pittsburgh to Vienna Now available is this quarter's issue of Px Wire , AVAC's update on biomedical prevention research worldwide. Download the current issue here ( July-September 2010 Volume 3, Number 3 ). In this issue you'll find a brief review of highlights from the biannual International Microbicides... AVAC       more...  
• Jun 16, 2010 A simpler tool for estimation of HIV incidence from cross-sectional, age-specific prevalence data Background HIV incidence estimates are crucial in understanding and predicting the HIV/AIDS epidemic and identifying sub-populations and regions most at risk for the epidemic. However, incidence estimation is a challenge due to the nature of the disease and type of data available. This paper... Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health       more...  
• Jun 21, 2010 Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection: Views and perceptions about swallowing nevirapine in rural Lilongwe, Malawi Background In 2006 the World Health Organization described the status of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) service implementation as unacceptable, with an urgent need for a renewed public health approach to improve access. For PMTCT to be effective it needs to be accessible,... BMC Public Health       more...  
• Jun 17, 2010 Community engagement in research: frameworks for education and peer review Community engagement in research may enhance a community's ability to address its own health needs and health disparities issues while ensuring that researchers understand community priorities. However, there are researchers with limited understanding of and experience with effective methods of... American Journal of Public Health       more...  
• Jun 16, 2010 Triple-punch gene therapy targets HIV A combination gene therapy that endows human stem cells with three ways to resist HIV has passed its first safety test in humans. Four patients with AIDS who were infused with these cells tolerated the treatment, and the cells produced their anti-HIV weapons for up to two years. The study is... Nature       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 Comparative analysis of immune responses induced by vaccination with SIV antigens by recombinant Ad5 vector or plasmid DNA in rhesus macaques DNA vaccines have undergone important enhancements in their design, formulation, and delivery process. Past literature supports that DNA vaccines are not as immunogenic in nonhuman primates as live vector systems. The most potent recombinant vector system for induction of cellular immune... Molecular Therapy       more...  
• Jun 18, 2010 Circumcisions kill 20 boys in South Africa Twenty South African boys have died following botched circumcisions in the Eastern Cape Province. "The deaths occurred over the past 12 days, with nine of them occurring over the past 24 hours," said a provincial health spokesperson. Some 60 boys have been rescued from 11 initiation schools... BCC News       more...  
• Jun 18, 2010 SAfrica protesters march for US AIDS funding Thousands of South African protesters marched on the U.S. consulate Thursday to demand the U.S. increase its AIDS funding for Africa, weeks after U.S. officials said their biggest AIDS fund would not substantially rise. The protesters, clad in green T-shirts emblazoned with the words... Associated Press       more...  
• Jun 16, 2010 Zambia dismisses fears of looming health crisis Zambia on Wednesday played down fears of a looming health crisis after the Global Fund suspended more than $300 million in health assistance to the country citing corruption. The freeze, the latest graft scandal to hit President Rupiah Banda before an election due next year, is likely to affect... Reuters       more...  
• Jun 16, 2010 NAS, UNFPA conduct five day training on female condom use The National Aids Secretariat in partnership with UNFPA on Monday 14th June 2010 commenced a five-day training of trainer's workshop on condom programming at the Hotel 5:10 in the east end of Freetown. Thirty participants from across the country and other stakeholders from different... Sierra Express Media       more...  
• Jun 21, 2010 The AIDS funding dilemma Dr. Jerome Kabakyenga has just walked a pair of visitors through a pair of vividly different Ugandan hospital laboratories -- one ultramodern, the other an outdated relic. In the first, highly trained technicians investigate blood samples using a battery of high-throughput computerized... Miller-McCune       more...  
• Jun 17, 2010 Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: an evaluation of PMTCT implementation and integration into routine maternal, child and women's health services Objectives To evaluate prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) implementation and integration of PMTCT with routine maternal and child health services in two districts of KwaZulu-Natal; to report PMTCT coverage, to compare recorded and reported information, and to describe... Tropical Medicine and International Health       more...  
• Jun 9, 2010 What is new in HIV/AIDS research in developing countries? HIV epidemic has had greatest impact in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and mainly in East and Southern Africa with HIV prevalence in some parts going up to 30%. In the recent years, considerable HIV research on prevention, treatment and care, and vaccine has been conducted in many developing countries... Tropical Medicine and International Health       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 A low-molecular-weight entry inhibitor of both CCR5- and CXCR4-tropic strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 targets a novel site on gp41 A low-molecular-weight human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) inhibitor, PF-68742 (molecular weight, 573), has been identified in a high-throughput screen for compounds that block HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env)-mediated fusion. The compound is shown to be potent against R5 and X4 isolates... Journal of Virology       more...  
• Jun 17, 2010 Increasing HIV infections among the youth threaten labour force The future of Kenya's workforce is at risk as new HIV infections among the youth rise, a regional conference has been told. New infection trends reveal the youth, young children and married couples form the highest risk groups in the country. "These mixed epidemic groups now form the most... Business Daily       more...  
• Jul 1, 2010 Can AIDS be cured? In an aging research building at the University of Southern California, a $14.5 million biomedical experiment is under way that until a few years ago would have made many AIDS researchers snicker at its ambition. Mice are the main research subjects (for now), and some 300 of them live in a room... Technology Review       more...  
• Jun 21, 2010 Maternal health: time to deliver A shocking number of women die or are disabled each year trying to give birth -- more than 10 million women, according to the WHO, 99% of whom are in developing countries [1]. The maternal health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) -- to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters and to provide... PLoS Medicine       more...  
• Jun 15, 2010 HIV-1 neutralization profile and plant-based recombinant expression of actinohivin, an env glycan-specific lectin devoid of T-cell mitogenic activity The development of a topical microbicide blocking the sexual transmission of HIV-1 is urgently needed to control the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The actinomycete-derived lectin actinohivin (AH) is highly specific to a cluster of high-mannose-type glycans uniquely found on the viral envelope (Env).... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jun 11, 2010 A vaccine encoding conserved promiscuous HIV CD4 epitopes induces broad T cell responses in mice transgenic to multiple common HLA class II molecules Current HIV vaccine approaches are focused on immunogens encoding whole HIV antigenic proteins that mainly elicit cytotoxic CD8+ responses. Mounting evidence points toward a critical role for CD4+ T cells in the control of immunodeficiency virus replication, probably due to cognate help.... PLoS ONE       more...  
• Jun 14, 2010 A decline in new HIV infections in South Africa: estimating HIV incidence from three national HIV surveys in 2002, 2005 and 2008 Background Three national HIV household surveys were conducted in South Africa, in 2002, 2005 and 2008. A novelty of the 2008 survey was the addition of serological testing to ascertain antiretroviral treatment (ART) use. Methods and Principal Findings We used a validated mathematical... PLoS ONE       more...  

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