HIV

A large epidemiologic study in Baltimore and Philadelphia shows that patients with mental illness are 4 times more likely to have HIV infection than the general population. Results of this study reveal a need for routine HIV screening in mental health facilities.

The National Institutes of Health guidelines for prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child were updated on March 28, 2014.

HIV-specialized pharmacies meet the complex needs of HIV-positive patients, helping to provide comprehensive patient care and improve medication adherence to both anti-retroviral therapies and non-HIV medications.

Therapies for hepatitis C, cancer, and orphan conditions are among the specialty drugs expected to receive approval in 2014.

By offering quick and convenient tests for diseases such as influenza, HIV, and hepatitis C, community pharmacies could help improve prevention and treatment.

Fewer opioid treatment centers are offering HIV testing to patients, and are testing fewer patients overall, a recent study suggests.

Patients with co-infection are 80% more likely to have serious liver disease than patients with hepatitis C alone, study finds.

Researchers safely infuse engineered immune cells in groundbreaking gene therapy study.

A molecular geneticist has set out to crowdfund his dream of producing a less time-consuming method of analyzing and sequencing DNA.

Of the 3 to 4 million Americans with chronic HCV infection, only 13% to 18% have received treatment. Understanding the current guidelines in HCV treatment and understanding the current role of direct-acting antiviral agents is an important priority for pharmacists.

In 2013, many new medications and new indications were approved.

A child born infected with HIV in California began treatment hours after birth, and is clear of virus 9 months later.

A significant proportion of teens who were perinatally infected with HIV are at an increased risk for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study.

Patients with HIV and AIDS who abuse alcohol are more likely to be nonadherent to antiretroviral treatment, a recent study conducted in Vietnam finds.

Fewer opioid treatment programs are offering onsite testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, despite guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending routine HIV testing in all health care settings.

A study suggests that antiretroviral therapy has benefits even in patients who do not show a virologic or immunologic response.

The race is on to develop a topical preventive agent for reducing the transmission of HIV. Researchers at the University of Texas report in vitro efficacy of a vaginal cream containing silver nanoparticles. Other researchers are already reporting favorable results in human studies of an antiretroviral-containing gel.

Most patients receiving antiretroviral therapy do not meet the minimum threshold for medication adherence, but patients on single-tablet medication regimens tended to meet that threshold.

Saliva tests for detecting anti–hepatitis C antibodies may not be as effective in patients who also have an HIV infection.

An immunotoxin code-named 3B3-PE38 may help shut down HIV-infected cells, according to researchers reporting results of a trial in 40 humanized mice.

A testing program that screens for HIV when patients have indicator disease can catch the virus early, but should be coupled with patient education.

FIT biotech, a Finnish company, expects to begin clinical trials of a vaccine for HIV-infected patients in 2014.

An HIV-infected baby treated aggressively with antiretroviral therapy starting shortly after birth remains virus-free at the age of 3 years despite having ceased treatment at the age of 18 months.