HIV

A survey from Thailand noted that there is room for growth in HIV testing and identified the factors associated with testing.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with other men (MSM) during episodes of high-risk behavior could benefit from short-term use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to lessen their chances of contracting HIV, a new study reports.

An investigation into the use of fingolimod as antiretroviral therapy against HIV-1 revealed 2 potential targets for the immunosuppressive drug: S1P receptors and SAMHD1, an antiviral restriction factor.

HIV-specific antibodies of 3 immunoglobulin isotypes are readily found in human saliva, providing a potential second reliable method of detecting the virus that may be used as a painless alternative to a blood draw.

Of 5 HIV treatment effects evaluated in a recent study, short-term efficacy on physical activity ability and long-term efficacy on life expectancy were the top preferences for younger and older patients, respectively.

A 3-year endeavor to scale up HIV prevention and education efforts among men who have sex with men in Dhaka, Bangladesh, showed only modest gains in the country where intercourse with a same-sex partner could mean a lifetime jail sentence.

Bacterial changes in the oral cavity from immunosuppression, not HIV itself, are more likely to blame for the greater incidence of oral caries in children 6 months to 6 years, reports a study from the Department of Oral Biology at the Rutgers University School of Dental Medicine.

HIV-positive individuals with end-stage kidney disease may now have a larger pool of kidneys available to them, with recent study results from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showing that kidneys from HIV-positive deceased donors can be used in addition to those from HIV-negative donors.

Having health insurance, a higher level of education, and more money were associated with a greater likelihood of caregivers disclosing their HIV status in the community, either positive or negative, while being male and living in a rural location indicated a lesser likelihood, reports AIDS Research and Therapy.

Writing in Nature, scientists found the antibodies fell into 2 distinct groups, targeting different regions of the viral spike. Thus, they say, the battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be opened on separate fronts, much like the approach Ho and others have studied in HIV and some forms of cancer.

Stigma perpetuated in a health care setting has been linked to greater odds of poor outcomes in the HIV continuum of care for antiretroviral treatment adherence and reduced viral suppression among persons living with HIV in Florida.

To effectively end the HIV epidemic in the United States, combination strategies should be tailored according to need, backed by evidence-based interventions, and scaled according to location, report study results in The Lancet HIV.

A pair of late-breaking abstracts presented during AIDS 2020, this year’s virtual meeting of the International AIDS Society, detailed the effects that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had on trends in at-risk sexual behaviors and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, both in the United States and in Australia, due to shelter-in-place orders and social distancing.

The study examined the association of having a consistent HIV health care provider with related clinical outcomes, with an emphasis on a long-term physician-patient relationship.

A recent analysis conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS found donor governments spent $7.8 billion for HIV in 2019, a decrease of $165 million from the previous year. This number is similar to that spent a decade ago, despite a 25% increase of individuals now living with HIV in regions receiving the aid.

Patients with HIV who have been heavily treated but are failing their current regimen have few treatment options and are at risk of progressing to AIDS and death.

Previously associated with elite controller status, having an inherent low viral reservoir is now possibly linked to individuals with chronic HIV infection who initiate treatment with antiretrovirals more than 6 months after becoming infected.

Between January and July 2020, The American Journal of Managed Care®’s (AJMC®) most-read stories ranged from breaking COVID-19 news to revisions of blood donation guidance.

Being on an antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimen of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine may lower the risk of HIV-positive individuals contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

These findings highlighted that adherence to drugs is not the sole issue to address in patients with comorbidities also serving as vital factors in designing managed care plans.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included CMS proposing rules for value-based contracting in Medicaid; claims data highlighting racial disparities in COVID-19 effects; an interview with Anthony Fauci, MD, on the progress made against HIV.

Individuals who self-report a problem with drugs, especially opioids, are more likely to have uncontrolled HIV, to not be adherent to antiretroviral therapy, and to engage less in primary care for their infection but more in risky behaviors, including sharing needles and having multiple concurrent sexual partners.

To mark the 25th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care®, we spoke with Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci has been at NIAID for 36 years, and he gave a keynote address at the 6th International AIDS Conference in San Francisco in 1990. Here he speaks on progress that has been made in the fight against HIV and AIDS, from AZT to Truvada to undetectable viral loads; why there is no cure just yet; and how the first tumultuous years of the AIDS crisis shaped research for decades to come.

As I recall the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, what stands out most is its profound human cost and the courage of those who helped our society transcend it. We are in the midst of a time in which the human toll of COVID-19 and the enormity of the path ahead are clear.