According to recent research published in the Journal of Virology, "The fusion of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to host cells is a dynamic process governed by the interaction between glycoproteins on the viral envelope and the major receptor, CD4, and coreceptor on the surface of the cell. How these receptors organize at the virion-cell interface to promote a fusion-competent site is not well understood."
A first-ever, national study conducted in South Africa found that 27.5 percent of men who have ever been married or lived with a partner report perpetrating physical violence against their current or most recent female partner. This study,led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, Yale School of Public Health, and the University of Cape Town in South Africa, appears in the September 9, 2008, issue of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal.)
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of a new, lower-strength tablet formulation of the company's leading HIV protease inhibitor, Kaletra(R) (lopinavir/ritonavir). In addition, the CHMP has adopted a positive opinion, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), for Aluvia(R) (lopinavir/ritonavir), the tradename of the same lower-strength tablet formulation in developing countries.
Fresh data on HIV/AIDS are presented in the report 'Mandatory neonatal male circumcision in Sub-Saharan Africa: medical and ethical analysis.' According to recent research from the United States, "The majority of those infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to antiretroviral therapy, which is known to prolong the lives of HIV-positive persons in industrialized countries.
Prescription drugs now used to treat human immunodeficiency virus infection in adults may prevent the vaginal transmission of HIV, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria announced the launch of The Global Fund Corporate Champions program, an innovative way for multinational corporations to significantly invest in the fight against the three diseases.
The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has rejected four key HIV/AIDS drug patents held by Gilead Sciences that relate to the drug known generically as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), a key weapon in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Gilead markets TDF in the United States under the brand name VIREAD and as a part of its ATRIPLA combination product.
A new strategy to hunt for human viruses described in this week’s issue of the journal Science by the husband-and-wife team who found the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma has revealed a previously unknown virus strongly associated with another rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. In the paper, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers, Huichen Feng, Ph.D., Masahiro Shuda, Ph.D., Yuan Chang, M.D., and Patrick Moore, M.D., M.P.H., explain a nearly decade-long effort to harness the sequencing technology to identify the virus, which they call Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV). While the research team emphasizes that their work does not prove MCV to be the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, if the findings are confirmed, they may lead to new cancer treatment and prevention options.
New structural details illustrate how a promising class of antibodies may block human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection and reveal valuable clues for design of an effective HIV-1 vaccine. The findings, published by Cell Press in the January issue of Immunity, are particularly significant as antibody induction appears to be a key and necessary component of an effective HIV vaccine, evidenced by the recent failure of vaccines that stimulated only the T cell arm of the immune system to protect humans from contracting HIV-1.
HIV infections appear to be concentrating among the least educated people in Africa, reversing previous patterns which saw higher levels of infection among the most educated, according to a study published in the journal AIDS.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today urged California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to reconsider and reverse $11 million of proposed budget cuts in AIDS services that will reduce and threaten vital lifesaving care and services for Californians living with HIV/AIDS as he seeks to close a $14 billion deficit in the state budget. Late last year, the Governor asked state department and program heads to submit proposed 2008 budgets which included across the board cuts of ten percent. AHF is urging the governor to instead seek budget cost savings by cutting bureaucracy and eliminating corporate loopholes rather than by cutting critical public health services, particularly those for Californians living with HIV/AIDS.
BOSTON--By coaxing the HIV-1 protein to reveal a hidden portion of its protein coat, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School have provided a newly detailed picture of how protective, or so-called broadly neutralizing, antibodies block HIV-1 infection.
More than 98 per cent of men who are circumcised can enjoy the same levels of sexual satisfaction and performance as men who are not, according to a study of nearly 4,500 males published in the January issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.
Two deadly and highly infectious viruses -- both potential bioterror threats -- may have met their match in a new drug developed by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City
New research, 'Impact of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors on mitochondria in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy,' is the subject of a report. According to recent research from the United States, "Mitochondrial toxicity induced by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) has been reported to be responsible for various adverse effects. The relative impact of NRTIs on the mitochondria of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1)-infected children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is unknown."
"HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) induces membrane fusion as a result of sequential binding to CD4 and chemokine receptors ( CCR5 or CXCR4). The critical determinants of CCR5 coreceptor function are the N- terminal domain ( Nt) and the second extracellular loop," scientists writing in the journal Retrovirology report.
Researchers at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University have created the first educational video for patients to explain rapid tests for HIV, a relatively new tool in the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
The blood transfusion community should consider pathogen inactivation methods as an alternative way to assure the safety and availability of the nation's blood supply, a pathologist wrote in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology (AJCP).
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