YOU ARE HERE:
[HATIP] #29, June 11 2004: News
A regular electronic newsletter for health care workers and community-based organisations on HIV treatment in resource-limited settings. It is supported by and produced in collaboration with St Stephen's AIDS Trust and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance.

Its publication is also supported by Positive Action of GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim and the Access 4 Trust.
   Last updated: 19.10.05
In this issue


News
A selection of news stories which have appeared since May 21 2004.




An international panel of nearly 50 experts in HIV prevention today warned that as access to antiretroviral treatment is expanded, a major shift in HIV prevention tactics will be needed in order to avoid a rise in HIV transmission and acceleration of the epidemic.




British parliamentarians this week called on the government to use its presidency of the European Union in 2005 and leadership of the G8 to advocate for powerful new mechanisms that can mobilise emergency funds for AIDS relief.




A combination of two antifungal drugs, amphotericin B and flucytosine, has been found to result in the most rapid reduction in cryptococcus levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of people diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis. However, the study was unable to demonstrate whether treatment with this antifungal combination resulted in superior survival when compared with standard treatment in Thailand.




Supplements containing glutamine or alanyl-glutamine can improve the diarrhoea and reduced absorption of antiretroviral drugs seen in AIDS patients, according to a Brazilian study published in the June 15th edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.




The shedding of HIV in vaginal and cervical secretions fluctuates with a woman's menstrual cycle, according to a study published in the June 15th edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases, which is now available on-line. The findings also suggest that the risk of HIV transmission may be higher at certain points in the menstrual cycle.


  • HIV type 2 may not be well controlled by HAART regimens that work against HIV-1

    Antiretroviral drug regimens that are of benefit in treating HIV type 1 infection are less efficacious against HIV-2, according to a case series published in the June 15th edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. This leads the study's authors to call for more clinical trials of HAART for the treatment of HIV-2 infection.




    Monthly prophylactic treatment of female sex workers in Kenya with the antibiotic azithromycin fails to reduce the incidence of HIV-1 infection despite reducing the incidence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to findings from a randomised controlled trial published in the June 2nd edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.




    A small proof-of-concept study has shown that once-daily treatment with ddI (didanosine), 3TC (lamivudine) and efavirenz in a week on, week off
    (WOWO) regimen effectively suppresses viral load for up to 72 weeks. However, the regimen does not cause significant increases in CD4 T-cell counts. This study adds to a growing body of evidence to suggest that short-cycle intermittent regimens are unlikely to be of benefit in treating HIV infection.




    HIV-positive patients beginning antiretroviral therapy after their CD4 counts have fallen to below 200 cells/mm3 are less likely to exhibit full immune reconstitution than those who start with more CD4 T-cells, according to findings presented in the June 1st edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. However, the study confirms that suppression of viral load is the best indicator of successful therapy.




aidsmap resources