New research has revealed that a drug prescribed for patients with herpes can also slow down the progression of HIV-1, preventing the virus from becoming full-blown AIDS.  The effect of the drug, called acyclovir, was studied on almost 3,400 people in Africa who were infected with HIV-1 and herpes simplex virus type 2.

According to the study, conducted in the University of Washington and lead by Dr. Jairam Lingappa, the risk of HIV progression was reduced by as much as 16 percent in those who took 400 milligrams of acyclovir twice a day.  However, the drug does not prevent the virus... Read More »

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have found that individuals who were tested positive for HIV may be prone from premature aging of the brain, either because of the infection itself, the treatment needed to control it, or both.

The study involves the use of magnetic resonance imaging scanners to study the brains of 26 HIV+ patients and 25 uninfected subjects.  The researchers have found that HIV patients have considerably lower amount of blood flowing through the brain compared to control respondents.  Also, the cognitive functions of HIV patients were equivalent to those of uninfected individual who were 15... Read More »

A recent research conducted by chemists at University of California in San Diego and statisticians at Harvard University have developed a new way of tracking down mutations in HIV that can cause drug resistance.  The findings, which was published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, would allow doctors to customize their prescriptions to particular strains of the virus found in individual patients.

Drug resistance has been the bane in HIV treatment, as its mutations (developed by poor replications) have caused the virus to "fight back" the drugs that are intended to stop HIV from... Read More »

A study has revealed that suicide rates among HIV patients in Switzerland have decreased by more than half after highly active antiretroviral therapy was introduced in 1996.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that causes AIDS.  Meanwhile, highly active antiretroviral therapy (otherwise known as HAART) has been associated with an increase among patients' CD4 white blood cells, indicating an improvement on how their bodies battle the disease.

However, this same study stated that despite the positive development, the suicide rate among HIV patients remains higher when being viewed in a general population.  The research, led by Olivia Keiser from University... Read More »

A recent study published over at The Lancet Oncology states that HIV-infected patients with higher CD4 counts were less likely to develop several types of cancers.

Some cancer types can be caused by HIV infection (usually referred to as AIDS-defining cancers), but the study suggests that other possible risk factors include low CD4 count, high viral load, and antiretroviral therapy.

According to the researchers, 30 to 40 percent of HIV-positive patients will be diagnosed with cancer.  Among these AIDS-defining cancers include, Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cervical cancer.  Other types of cancer common among HIV-infected patients, but not AIDS-defining, include lung, liver... Read More »

After more than 15 years of trial and error, two powerful new antibodies to HIV have been discovered.  Research scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative are hoping that their recent discoveries may potentially lead to the development of a new way to immunize against the dreaded virus.

Although several HIV antibodies that aim to neutralize the virus have been available to the broad public, these latest antibodies are said to have 10 times more effective at disarming the virus-at least according to lab tests.  Researchers have also found out that these new antibodies are also... Read More »

Lambda Legal, a UK-based LGBT rights group, has called on the US government to lift the ban on people living with HIV from entering or residing in the United States.  This comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the US Department of Health and Human Services has proposed removing the viral disease from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance for immigrants coming to the North American country.

Scotts Schoettes of Lambda Legal said they had written to the CDC supporting their proposal, urging the organization to "move swiftly to finalize and implement the proposed regulations... Read More »

With the advancement in HIV treatment, a 2007 report released by National Center for Health Statistics indicates that there was a 10-percent drop in overall HIV-related death rate in the United States.  It was the biggest one-year decline in HIV-related mortality since 1998.

Representatives of NCHS, which is under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are surprised by the findings especially on how much number of HIV-related death cases have decreased.  They still find it unclear whether this trend would continue in the coming years.

Although the disease is not one of the 15 leading causes of death among Americans in... Read More »