BETA : bulletin of experimental treatments for AIDS : a publication of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation最新文献

Hepatitis C is a life-threatening illness that can progress to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and end-stage liver failure. An estimated one-third of HIV positive people are coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HCV-related liver disease is a major cause of death for people with HIV in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). HCV has made headlines recently due to the approval of the first direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, which promise to revolutionize hepatitis C treatment. Researchers at the 2011 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) annual meeting presented the first data from studies of these drugs in HIV/HCV coinfected people.

Two antiretroviral medicines recently came on the scene for people starting HIV treatment for the first time: Rilpivirine (brand name Edurant) won marketing approval in May, and the following August saw approval of Complera, a single-pill once-daily regimen that joins rilpivirine with two other drugs. This article explains the science behind rilpivirine and Complera and how these drugs measure up to the commonly prescribed efavirenz (Sustiva) and Atripla. lines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), currently lists efavirenz plus tenofovir/emtricitabine as the "preferred" NNRTI-based regimen for people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time. In fact, the DHHS guidelines have listed efavirenz as a component of preferred starter regimens since 1998--a reflection of the drug's potency and long-lasting effects. Yet efavirenz has downsides, most famously its association with central nervous system side effects like dizziness

Peripheral neuropathy is the most common neurological disorder in people with HIV infection. It can be a major source of pain and discomfort and a limiting factor in antiretroviral treatment. Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the mid-1990s, the overall incidence of neurological complications of HIV--such as HIV-associated dementia and central nervous system opportunistic infections--has decreased, however, rates of peripheral nervous system complications remain high.

Inflammation is a broad term for what happens in the body when the immune system is activated to counter a threat. A healthy immune response is key to good health, but ongoing immune activation and inflammation due to a persistent threat such as chronic HIV infection can lead to many different problems throughout the body.

The path of an experimental drug from the laboratory to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is typically long, rocky, and uncertain. It is especially so for a drug that turns common wisdom on its head. Take KP-1461, a new type of antiretroviral drug from Koronis Pharmaceuticals in Seattle. Unlike all of the currently approved anti-HIV drugs, which aim to reduce the amount of virus in the body by blocking viral replication, KP-1461 was designed not to inhibit replication, but rather to force newly created HIV to become less able to infect human cells.

Barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms are the most commonly used forms of birth control among HIV positive women. Sterilization is the second most popular method and hormonal contraception is the third Hormonal contraceptives, when used correctly and consistently, are highly effective in preventing unintended pregnancy and are also useful for treating health conditions such as painful menstruation.