Positively Aware Covers CROI, Videos Now Available
New Data Reveal Alarming Rates of HIV and STDs Among Gay Men in the U.S.
ISIS and GayCities.com Join Forces to Reverse HIV/STD Trends
Men 18-45 Years Old Needed for HIV Vaccine Study
Bananas (Yes, Bananas!) May Inhibit HIV Infection
Positively Aware Covers CROI, Videos Now Available
Last month in San Francisco, the 17th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections took place and Positively Aware was there. Editor Jeff Berry and associate editor Enid Vázquez attended the four-day conference, which covered a multitude of topics from the latest in new drug development to emerging complications to discussion of current therapies. The May/June issue of PA will include their coverage of the conference.
Videos of various speakers at the conference are available here. And go here to see Jeff Berry (in a suit and tie!) moderating a panel discussion with Dr. Kathleen Squires and Dr. Pablo Tebas, who give their overviews of the information prevented on anti-retrovirals at the conference.
Click here to discuss this topic in our discussion forum
New Data Reveal Alarming Rates of HIV and STDs Among Gay Men in the U.S.
On March 15, at the National STD Prevention Conference in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data that indicate that rates of HIV infection among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are more than 44 times higher than rates among heterosexual men and more than 40 times higher than women. Rates of syphilis, an STD that can facilitate HIV infection, are reported to be more than 46 times higher among gay men and other MSM than among heterosexual men and more than 71 times higher than among women.
“These rates, when coupled with existing data indicating that gay and bisexual men make up the majority of new HIV and syphilis infections, are further evidence that prevention for gay and bisexual men of all races must be our highest priority at all levels,” said Julie M. Scofield, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). “It is time to value the lives of gay men in our communities. They are fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, colleagues and friends, and it is time to fight for their lives,” continued Scofield.
“This new data is a clarion call to deal with the persistent neglect of the health of gay and bisexual men across the country,” said William Smith, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD). “Thankfully, the President has recognized the situation and called for increased resources for HIV and STD prevention efforts for MSM. Now it is Congress’ turn and they need to expand upon the President’s request.”
Click here to discuss this topic in our discussion forum
ISIS and GayCities.com Join Forces to Reverse HIV/STD Trends
In response to the new CDC data, ISIS (www.isis-inc.org) issued a press release announcing that it has partnered with GayCities.com to provide referrals to free and low-cost HIV and STD testing in 95 U.S. cities. According to the report, “ISIS' partnership with GayCities.com is another cutting edge way to increase access to services for those who need it most.”
On GayCities.com, users can already find reviews of gay bars, restaurants, hotels, and events in locations from Seattle to Jacksonville. With the addition of community organizations that provide HIV and STD testing, gay men and other MSM can now "take charge of their health in a trusted place online where they're comfortable," according to ISIS Executive Director Deb Levine.
Click here to discuss this topic in our discussion forum
Men 18-45 Years Old Needed for HIV Vaccine Study
In a joint press release issued by the International AIDS Society (IAS) and the U.K.'s Stop AIDS Chicago is one of the sites for a new study from the HIV Vaccine Trial Network, HVTN 505. The study is now enrolling HIV-negative men who are circumcised and 18-45 years old. They cannot get HIV from the vaccine. The men will receive financial compensation for participating. This is a randomized study, meaning that the men will be given the vaccine being studied or a placebo (fake drug). In addition, the men will receive information on how to lower their risk of becoming HIV-positive.
For more information, call 800-575-5758 or 312-413-5897, e-mail wish@uic.edu, or visit www.hopetakesaction.org.
Click here to discuss this topic in our discussion forum
Bananas (Yes, Bananas!) May Inhibit HIV Infection
In a March 15 report in the online All Headline News, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School announced that they have found that “a potent new inhibitor of HIV, derived from bananas, may unlock the key to new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.”
Bananas contain lectins, sugar-binding proteins that are becoming the subject of intense study because of their ability to inhibit a variety of infections, including HIV. Lectins can identify a foreign invader, like a virus, and attach themselves to the pathogen. What the early findings suggest, according to the report, is that the lectin in bananas “can inhibit HIV infection by binding to the sugar-rich HIV-1 envelope protein, gp120, and blocking its entry to the body.”
In laboratory tests, the banana lectin, called BanLec, was “as potent as two current anti-HIV drugs,” researchers said. Its potential for having an urgently needed positive affect on HIV prevention, especially in resource-poor locations, is great because it could become a less expensive new component of applied vaginal microbicides.
Additionally, therapies employing the compound from bananas could be cheaper to create than current anti-retroviral medications, which use synthetically produced components. Furthermore, BanLec may provide a wider range of protection.
Researchers say that even modest success using the compound could save millions of lives. Some estimates calculated that even if it is only 60% effective against HIV, it may prevent up to 2.5 million HIV infections in three years.
Click here to discuss this topic in our discussion forum
