Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It was first recognized in the United States in 1981. AIDS is the advanced form of infection with the HIV virus, which may not cause recognizable disease for a long period after the initial exposure (latency). No vaccine is currently available to prevent HIV infection.
A new North American study shows that starting antiretroviral treatment earlier could reduce the risk of death by up to 94 percent – Begin treatment as early as possible: this general common sense rule seems to apply to most diseases except HIV-AIDS, which is only treated once a certain number of immune cells called “CD4+” cells have disappeared.
Strides Arcolab receives NDA approval from USFDA for Lamivudine and Stavudine under PEPFAR scheme. – Strides Arcolab Limited (Strides) announced that it has received tentative approval from the United States ? Food and Drug Administration for one new drug application (NDA) for fixed dose combination of Lamivudine and Stavudine Tablets 150 mg / 30 mg under the expedited review provisions of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Stanford study first ever to show US AIDS Relief program PEPFAR saved a million lives. PEPFAR is changing the course of the AIDS epidemic. – PEPFAR, which the Bush administration initially established as a five-year, $15 billion plan, has kept people alive by effectively providing funds for AIDS treatment and care, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Study details strategy for boosting ranks of black HIV/AIDS researchers in USA. – About 500,000 African Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS. Yet there are very few African American HIV/AIDS researchers, due to historical, social and other factors that prevent them from training in the biomedical, behavioral and social aspects of HIV/AIDS research.
Increased schooling across sub-Saharan Africa lowering new HIV infections among younger adults. – Increased schooling across sub-Saharan Africa may be lowering new HIV infections among younger adults, according to sociologists, suggesting a shift in a decades-long trend where formal education is considered an AIDS risk factor.
Einstein researcher will help lead South African Research Institute for tuberculosis and HIV – A groundbreaking partnership between the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa will establish an international research center focused on making major scientific contributions to the worldwide effort to control the devastating co-epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and on training a new generation of scientists in Africa.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Experts Say Growing HIV Infection Rate among Women and Girls is Grave Cause for Concern. – In US the percentage of new AIDS cases diagnosed among women more than doubled between 1990 and 2005 (the most recent year for which data is available), increasing from 11 percent to more than 26 percent.
Clinical trial finds microbicide promising as HIV prevention method for women – A clinical trial involving more than 3,000 women in the U.S. and southern Africa demonstrates for the first time the promise of a vaginal microbicide gel for preventing HIV infection in women.
A slightly altered HIV-1 strain can infect pig-tailed macaques in the first animal model for human immunodeficiency virus infection. – By altering just one gene in HIV-1, scientists have succeeded in infecting pig-tailed macaque monkeys with a human version of the virus that has until now been impossible to study directly in animals.
Evolutionary biologist will study HIV with grant from AIDS research foundation – Dr. Sara Sawyer will use a $120,000 grant from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) to study how the HIV virus and the cells it attacks have evolved together over time. The goal of her research is to discover new targets for drugs.
Anti-HIV gel shows promise in large-scale study in women in clinical trials conducted in Africa and the United States. – An investigational vaginal gel intended to prevent HIV infection in women has demonstrated encouraging signs of success in a clinical trial conducted in Africa and the United States.
Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health – The scourge of HIV/AIDS, which continues to affect the African-American community disproportionately, highlights the importance of a comprehensive strategy to address the U.S. epidemic.
