HIV/AIDS

News, opinions and meeting coverage in HIV/AIDS.

Lab Mystery: How Did Worker Get HIV Infection?

"Perfect storm of errors," researchers speculate

Medical Schools Boost Pain Management Education

In light of opioid epidemic, more schools focus on thoughtful prescribing

10 Questions: Joel Gallant, MD

Insurance companies are the biggest barrier for physicians treating HIV, said Joel Gallant, MD, of the Southwest CARE Center in Santa Fe, NM

Is SAMHSA to Blame for a Broken Mental Health System?

Two members of Congress differ on how to fix a failing system

'Failure to Communicate' Drives Misdiagnosis

Electronic medical records also need to be improved, says Mark Graber, MD

Doctors Urged to Practice 'Conservative Diagnosis'

And sharing cell phone numbers is a good idea

PodMed: A Medical News Roundup From Johns Hopkins

This week's topics include complications following surgery for urinary incontinence, real-life data on HIV prevention in high-risk men, transmission of pertussis among siblings, and telemedicine recommendations.

Patient Registries See Promise and Challenges Ahead

Physician-driven registries adapt to a changing health system

Injecting Opioid Tied to Blood Clotting Disorder

Are most clinicians aware of this side effect of oxymorphone drug abuse?

Gross Anatomy: Rare Alga Growth From Human Tissue Sample

The culture was negative, so what's all this green stuff?

5 Steps in Talking With Patients About Alternative Medicine

Ask, explain, respect, collaborate, compromise.

HIV Drug Cleared of Cognition Hit

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Although it has well-known psychiatric side effects, the HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva) does not affect cognition, a researcher said here.

Three-Drug Cocktail Has Promise in TB

MELBOURNE, Australia -- An experimental, three-drug tuberculosis treatment regimen demonstrated bactericidal activity in patients with drug-sensitive or multidrug-resistant disease, researchers reported here.

Tesamorelin May Help HIV Patients Shed Fat

MELBOURNE, Australia -- HIV-infected patients treated with tesamorelin, a growth hormone releasing hormone analog, achieved modest reductions in abdominal and liver fat, researchers said.

HIV Prophylaxis May Cut Herpes Risk

Drug therapy to prevent HIV infection also appeared to reduce the risk of catching another virus, herpes simplex 2, among heterosexual men and women, researchers reported.

HIV Case Linked to Lesbian Sex

In an uncommon occurrence, a Texas woman appears to have acquired HIV through sex with another woman, the CDC reported.

FDA Panel Says Yes to Home HIV Test

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee has voted 17-0 to recommend approval of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test. If approved, it will be the first over-the-counter home HIV test.

FDA Staff Flags False Results of Home HIV Test

WASHINGTON -- FDA reviewers expressed concern over the risk of false negative and false positive results if the agency approved the first-ever over-the-counter at-home HIV test.

Interferon-Free Hepatitis C Tx Hits Snag

SEATTLE -- Results in a hard-to-treat patient population have clouded the future of a closely watched agent that acts against hepatitis C directly.

Circumcision Tied to Drop in Herpes, Too

SEATTLE -- African men who underwent circumcision not only reduced their risk of contracting HIV infection, they also were significantly less likely to be infected with herpes simplex virus-2, researchers reported here.

FDA Adds More Warnings for Lipitor, Crestor, and Zocor

WASHINGTON -- Statins may cause drug-drug interactions for patients taking drugs to treat HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C, according to a new statin warning from the FDA.

Lab Notes: Red Wine Before Radiation and Red Clover for Hair Loss

Red is the color of the day, as components of red wine and red clover lead this week's Lab Notes, but the blues get their turn in the spotlight, too, as depressed people outshine cheerier folks in some elements of decision making.

ACTHIV: HIV HAART Therapy Urged for All

DENVER -- Universal treatment for today's HIV patients is "a real game-changer" that could dramatically slow transmission of the virus and the progress of the pandemic, according to Julio Montaner, MD, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

HIV Transmitted by Blood Donor, CDC Reports

A rare case of HIV transmission through blood transfusion -- only the third on record this decade -- was reported by the CDC today.

Medicare to Cover Some HIV Facial Atrophy Shots

Medicare will cover injections to compensate for facial fat lost to HIV treatments in patients who show resultant symptoms of depression, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said.

CROI: Fauci Sets High Goals for HIV Research

SAN FRANCISCO -- In a plenary session at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Anthony Fauci, MD, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, laid out several areas where "high-risk" research could yield "high-impact" results. He discusses them in this exclusive InFocus™ report.

The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade

From genome to hormones, doctors pick the top medical advances of the decade.

HIV-Positive Surgeon Allowed Back into OR

TEL AVIV -- An HIV-infected cardiothoracic surgeon here has been cleared to resume operating without restrictions after a 10-year lookback investigation found no spread of the disease to patients, reported Israeli and CDC investigators.

IAS: HIV Treatment Requires Cardiac Assessment

SYDNEY -- As the long-term prognosis for patients with HIV improves, it becomes more important to assess the patient's risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues, researchers suggested here.

Trichomoniasis Increases HIV Risk

SEATTLE -- For women, infection with a common sexually transmitted disease sharply increases the risk of contracting HIV, according to researchers here.

AACAP: HIV-Infection in Children Leads to More Psychiatric Symptoms

SAN DIEGO -- For a variety of factors, HIV-infected children appear to have more psychiatric problems than uninfected children, researchers reported here.

Colonoscopy Patients Put at Infection Risk

MONROEVILLE, Pa.-About 200 patients who underwent colonoscopy at a Pittsburgh-area hospital were urged to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing because the colonoscopes were improperly disinfected.