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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - August 2013
People with HIV/HCV-co-infection and advanced liver fibrosis can rapidly develop decompensated liver disease
30 August 2013 - Implications for use of new anti-HCV drugs
People living with HIV who have hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection and advanced liver fibrosis can rapidly develop decompensated liver disease even though they do not have cirrhosis of the liver, according to Spanish research published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The authors believe their findings have implications for HCV treatment strategies and that people with advanced fibrosis should be considered for early therapy with combinations based on boceprevir or telaprevir.
Read more...
HSV-2 Not Linked to CD4 Decline in Canadian Group With HIV Infection
31 August 2013 - Infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) did not affect yearly drop in CD4 count in antiretroviral-naive Canadian adults. But HSV-2 coinfection doubled chances of a combined endpoint-time to starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) or reaching a CD4 count below 350 cells/µL.
Read more...
Drug design success propels efforts to fight HIV with a combination of 2 FDA-approved drugs
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (08/30/2013) - A University of Minnesota research team featuring researchers from the Institute for Molecular
Virology, School of Dentistry and Center for Drug Design has developed a new delivery system for a combination of two FDA approved drugs that may serve as an effective treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Global AIDS mortality fell by over 20% in last five years, but large inequalities remain between countries
30 August 2013 - The overall annual death rate from AIDS has fallen by 21% since 2006, the most recent study in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) series shows. However, while a number of countries with large HIV burdens have
significantly reduced the epidemic's death and disability toll, there is huge disparity in achievement between different regions and neighbouring nations.
Read more...
Low-Level HIV, High-Level CMV Tied to Seminal HIV Shedding in US MSM
30 August 2013 - A viral load between 50 and 500 copies/mL (versus under 50) in blood and high-level cytomegalovirus (CMV) in semen correlated with detectable HIV RNA in semen of antiretroviral-treated men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States.
Read more...
Persisently detectable viral load at any level increases risk of HIV treatment failure
29 August 2013 - For people taking HIV therapy, a persistent detectable viral load at any level is associated with an increased risk of virologic failure, Canadian research published in the online edition of Clinical
Infectious Diseases shows. Comparison with people who maintained an undetectable viral load showed that ongoing, low-level HIV replication between 50 and 199 copies/ml doubled the risk of a subsequent increase in viral load to above 1000 copies/ml - a recognised benchmark for virologic failure.
Read more...
ART Tied to Regression of Cervical Cancer Prelude in Canadian Women
29 August 2013 - Taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) tripled chances that cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL)-a cervical cancer precursor-would regress in a study of more than
1000 Canadian women with and without HIV infection. But compared with HIV-negative women, those with HIV had higher prevalence and acquisition of human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes SIL, cervical cancer, and other cancers.
Read more...
Infection risk at New Brunswick hospital affects nearly 2,500 women
28 August 2013 - Colposcopy clinic didn't always follow sterilization rules for biopsy forceps over 14 years
Nearly 2,500 women who underwent biopsies at the Miramichi Regional Hospital's colposcopy clinic in New Brunswick may be at risk of HIV and other infections because standard sterilizing procedures weren't always followed
over a 14-year period, Horizon Health Network officials say.
Read more...
High rates of anal HPV infection among young gay men
28 August 2013 - Prevalence and incidence have implications for vaccination strategies
Prevalence and incidence of anal human papillomavirus (HPV) are high among young gay men, according to US research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Overall prevalence of anal HPV infection was 70%,
and HPV 16 and/or HPV 18 - the HPV types most associated with anal cancer - were detected in 37% of study participants.
Read more...
Russia faces alarming growth in HIV infections
August 27, 2013 - The number of people living with the virus in the country continues to rise, with 704,000 cases of HIV infection registered by the Federal AIDS Prevention and Treatment Center as of November 2012.
The HIV epidemic is one of the most pressing public health problems in Russia today. According to the latest UNAIDS global report, Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the only regions in the world where HIV is spreading at a growing rate.
Gene makes some HIV-infected patients more at risk for fungal disease
August 27, 2013 - HIV-infected people who carry a gene for a specific protein face a 20-fold greater risk of contracting cryptococcal disease, according to a study published in mBio,
the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
A fifth of gay men in a relationship with an HIV-negative man have not tested for HIV while in their current relationship
26 August 2013 - Higher levels of trust associated with not testing
A fifth of gay men in a relationship with an HIV-negative male partner have not had an HIV test while in their present relationship, results of US research published in the online edition of the
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes show. Factors associated with not having a test included younger age,
lower levels of education, having a sexually "closed" relationship and greater levels of trust.
Read more...
Suits Dinner - August 26th, 2013 - Taki's Taverna
SUITS - POZ WORKING MEN'S DINNER GROUP
Monday August 26 - Taki's Taverna 1106 Davie Street , Vancouver, BC.
This monthly dinner offers working men a chance to build community and combat isolation and stigma. SUITS provides a forum where HIV poz men can meet other professionals, network and have a positive influence on the community.
Kenyan sex workers and men who have sex with men find PrEP acceptable but worry about others' assumptions
23 August 2013 - Different formulation and no post-sex dose preferred
Qualitative interviews from an already published placebo-controlled study of 66 men who have sex with men (MSM) and five female sex workers (FSWs) in Kenya who took tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada)-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) found that participants found PrEP generally acceptable and easy to take.
However, it also discovered that participants had significant concerns about stigma and gossip. In addition, they experienced practical difficulties such as being away from home; those who took an intermittent dose found it hard to take the post-sex dose which was part of this regimen.
Read more...
AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador wants you to be prepared and get your Condom On
August 23, 2013 - The campaign came out of a study of post-secondary students on condom use and chlamydia that found young people didn't always have acess to condoms and that they weren't aware of all the ways that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could be passed from person to person.
Read more...
High proportion of Canadian patients with HIV-HCV co-infection and liver cirrhosis are not having ultrasounds to check for liver cancer
22 August 2013 - Over a third of HIV-positive people with hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhosis are not having regular ultrasound examinations to check for possible liver cancer, Canadian research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows.
Read more...
AIDS Committee of Toronto: Thirty years of confronting an epidemic
Aug 20 2013 - Getting government and health-care agents to pay attention to the emerging AIDS crisis was a frustrating experience.
It's 1983 and on the minds of everyone in gay communities across North America is news of a strange new illness, mainly affecting gay men that first appeared in the U.S. in 1981. By 1983, Health Canada reports 28 deaths due to
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in Canada, a conservative number by their own admission; it would jump to over 1,400 just 10 years later.
Read more...
The InSite Story - short
Aug 20, 2013 - From PHS Community Services Society
Patients with HIV Who Miss Clinic Visits Have Significantly Greater Risk of Death
ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 20, 2013 - Findings demonstrate need to increase outreach to at-risk groups
HIV-positive patients who miss at least one medical office visit in the first year after their HIV diagnosis have a 71 percent increased risk of death in comparison with HIV-positive patients who did not miss office visits, according to a new study published in the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
UNAIDS urges rapid expansion of access to HIV antiretroviral medicines
August 19, 2013 - BC-CfE champions approach to scale up antiretroviral treatment to 15 million people worldwide by 2015
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) applauds the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for launching a new framework to accelerate action towards the aim of reaching 15 million people with antiretroviral treatment by 2015.
REINSPiRE: Celebrating Life & Stories from the Quilt
Time: Thursday, September 5th 7PM - 9PM
Where: Creekside Community Recreation Centre, 1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, B.C.
A Special Reception & Re-Unveiling
of "One World - One Hope" and the NAMES Project - Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre in Vancouver, BC.
Join us for this special viewing of local panels from the NAMES Project - Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt and the local " One World - One Hope " quilt created by renowned Vancouver artist Joe Average.
Breaking the Silence: Voices of Chronic Hepatitis C
- Feature Documentary
Published on Aug 16, 2013 - As part of our commitment to hepatitis C, Janssen Therapeutics has created Breaking the Silence: Voices of Chronic Hepatitis C, which focuses on the experiences that patients, caregivers, and providers face during their journey with hepatitis C.
Aging With HIV
August 16, 2013 - Those who were among the first to contract HIV and were lucky enough
to have their lives spared are now in uncharted territory: growing old with what was once a death sentence. What
are the physical and psychological effects of aging with HIV?
$11.9M grant expands women's HIV study to Southeast
Aug. 16, 2013 - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year grant of $11.9 million to researchers at Emory University to study the HIV epidemic among women as part of a recent expansion of the Women's Interagency HIV Cohort Study (WIHS).
Read more...
Positive Wellness: Culturally Relevant Linkages to Care Webinar
Date: Aug 29, 2013
Time: 01:00 PM MDT
Duration: 1 hour
Host(s): Jamie Folsom
Linkage to care is a vital component of the prevention and treatment landscape, however, American Indian and Alaska Native people are displaying some of the lowest rates of linkage to care.
Participants on this webinar will gain an understanding of what constitutes effective HIV linkage to care, and explore an existing framework that NNAAPC has created and begun to diffuse with tribal communities across the country.
Measuring the Treatment Part of "Test and Treat" in HIV+ of NYC
15 August 2013 - People with a CD4 count below 350 cells/µL and those starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in more recent years were more likely to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load in
a population-based study of HIV-positive people in New York City. The findings have implications for a "test and treat" policy in which everyone who tests positive for HIV starts ART immediately, regardless of CD4 count.
Read more...
More Than Half of MSM in US HIV Group Have Unprotected Anal Sex
15 August 2013 - Among sexually active men, 54% reported unprotected anal sex, including 37% who had insertive anal sex and 42% who had receptive anal sex.
Four in 10 sexually active men reported unprotected anal sex with an HIV-negative male partner or a male partner of unknown HIV status, including 24% who had insertive anal sex and 31% who had receptive anal sex.
Read more...
The CTN and the struggle against HIV in Saskatchewan: with David Cox
Published on Aug 14, 2013 - Chief Administrative Officer David Cox talks about how the CTN works with researchers and community members across Canada and is supporting those working against the HIV epidemic in Saskatchewan.
New Drug Approved to Treat HIV-1
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) - The virus that causes AIDS
Tivicay (dolutegravir) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat infection with HIV-1, a strain of the virus that causes AIDS.
Read more...
High prevalence of heart rhythm disturbance among HIV-positive people on methadone maintenance therapy
13 August 2013 - Higher dose of methadone an important risk factor
Spanish investigators have identified a high prevalence of a potentially life-threatening disturbance in heart rhythm among HIV-positive people receiving methadone maintenance therapy. ECG examinations showed that 36% of their participants had QTc prolongation, a condition
that can lead to sudden cardiac-related death.
Read more...
Do you remember the greatest day you ever had as a kid?
Published on Aug 12, 2013 - BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Imagine an AIDS Free Generation. With your help, Together, we can STOP HIV/AIDS.
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is launching its Treatment as Prevention social media campaign within the province to help stop the spread of HIV. In fact, we are the only province in Canada demonstrating a consistent decline in new cases of HIV, and morbidity and mortality.
POZ Interview: Older and Wiser
Published on Aug 12, 2013 - As featured in the September 2013 issue of POZ, Kim Hunter, Cesar Carrasco, Perry Halkitis and all the others who have lived with HIV/AIDS 25 years or more are battle-scarred and full of survival savvy.
UNAIDS calls for youth activists on HIV to be change agents
GENEVA, 12 August 2013 - On this International Youth Day, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) calls on young people to use their creativity and
leadership in the AIDS response.
HIV Care Registry website live
August 11, 2013 - POSITIVE LIVING BC now has a website where you can search for service providers near you that have experience working with HIV-positive individuals!
The Farha Foundation to Receive Montreal Pride's Claude-Tourangeau Award
Aug. 9, 2013 - MONTREAL, QUEBEC - Farha Foundation Joins Montreal Pride Events
Join Montréal Pride and the Farha Foundation on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 7:45 p.m. at the TD Music stage, located at Place Émilie-Gamelin, where
the Farha Foundation will receive the Claude-Tourangeau Award. Montréal Pride will present a donation to the Farha Foundation along with the award, accepted by Evelyn Farha - mother of founder Ron Farha and Nancy Farha - the Farha Foundation's Director and Ron's sister.
Monkeys Achieve Drug-Free Control of HIV
August 9, 2013 - Adding both an arthritis drug and a chemotherapy drug to a highly intensified antiretroviral regimen appears to have led to a drug-free control of HIV among macaque monkeys.
Publishing their findings in the journal Retrovirology, a group of Italian and American researchers added the gold salt auranofin and the chemosensitizing agent buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to a five-drug antiretroviral regimen given to macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).
Read more...
Positively Aware's special issue on PrEP now available
August 9, 2013 - CHICAGO - A special issue of Positively Aware magazine focusing on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for helping to prevent HIV is now available, both in print and online at positivelyaware.com.
Read more...
Few AIDS diagnoses among people with higher CD4 cell counts, but risk remains elevated for those with a count below 750
09 August 2013 - Incidence of AIDS-defining illnesses remains elevated even when the CD4 cell count is between 500 and 749 cells/mm3, European research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows.
Read more...
WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR BRAIN HEALTH
August 2013 - HIV web survey from McGill University
We are inviting you to participate in a survey on brain health and your cognitive and mental abilities
We are a group of researchers from McGill University, Montreal Quebec, and other parts of Canada who are interested in understanding the effects of HIV on cognitive and mental functioning.
Gay Men, AGE 60+ Focus Group
Be part of the FOCUS GROUP
Gay Men, AGE 60+
Gay men, Age 60+ are invited to share their views as part of a focus group to be held on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
When: Wednesday, August 14, at 12:30
Where: Barclay Manor, 1447 Barclay Street, Piano Room
Gay Poz Sex: Finding Your Way with Dr. Trevor Hart
Published on Aug 8, 2013 - Dr. Trevor Hart, principal investigator with CTN 271 Gay Poz Sex (GPS), explains all about GPS.
GPS is a sexual health program for gay and bisexual men who are HIV-positive.
Only 25% of HIV-Positive People in US Enter Care and Suppress HIV
08 August 2013 - Among an estimated 1.1 million people with HIV infection across the United States, only two thirds were diagnosed and linked to care, and only one quarter reached an undetectable viral load on treatment. Results were worse for younger than for older people.
Read more...
HIV/AIDS series: Thousands in B.C. infected and don't know it
August 8, 2013 - Thousands of people in B.C. - including as many as 200 on Vancouver Island - are infected with HIV and don't know it.
The B.C. Ministry of Health is concerned that about 3,500 people unaware they have the virus might infect others and delay their own treatment. There are already 11,700 known cases of HIV in B.C. as of 2011, including 888 on the Island as of 2012.
Read more...
Immune suppression and smoking history are risks for HPV-related anal disease in HIV-positive gay men
08 August 2013 - Prior infection with chlamydia a significant risk factor for infection with high-risk HPV types
Risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated anal disease in HIV-positive gay men are similar to those already known to increase the risk of HPV-related cervical disease, research published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases shows.
Read more...
Condom program at risk in Cape Breton after donations stop
Aug 7, 2013 - Nova Scotia goverment won't fund condoms for the AIDS Coalition program
The Nova Scotia government has said it does not want its funding used to supply condoms.
Read more...
HIV/AIDS series: B.C. a leader in offering free tests, treatment to reduce HIV cases
August 7, 2013 - B.C. leads the country in tackling HIV, but experts worry the lack of a nationwide strategy puts all Canadians at a higher risk of contracting the infection.
Read more...
Community study finds no evidence of widespread HCV epidemic among HIV-negative gay men in London
07 August 2013 - Prevalence in HIV-negative men similar to the general population; HCV predominantly diagnosed in HIV-positive gay men
Approximately 1% of HIV-negative gay men in London had antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 2008, results of a community survey published in HIV Medicine show. The study's findings
support those of clinic-based research which found no evidence of an HCV epidemic among HIV-negative gay men.
Read more...
Seventeen years from the edge of the abyss
August 7, 2013 - David Hoe was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. He was within days of death in 1996 when new drugs pulled him back from the brink. Now 70, Hoe is alive to tell the tale to a new generation that has lost the fear factor.
Read more...
Dr. Julio Montaner receives the highest award of honour from the Canadian Medical Association
6 August 2013 - Dr. Montaner has made significant contributions to the fight against HIV and AIDS both nationally and internationally. Through his leadership and collaborative work, Dr. Montaner has greatly contributed to increasing Canada's capacity in this area of research and has made advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
New report calls for expanding evidence-based treatment for opioid dependence
Vancouver, B.C. [August 6, 2013] - Access to heroin and opioid medical treatment should be expanded to reduce the harms associated with addiction, according to a new report from researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE).
Ketamine use linked to liver and other problems in HIV-positive people
6 August 2013 - Doctors in Brighton, UK, have reported two cases of injury to the liver and bile ducts that have been linked to ketamine use.
In both cases the affected men were HIV positive and it appeared that the concentration of ketamine in their bodies may have been affected by their HIV treatment.
Focusing on Sex Workers to Prevent the Spread of HIV
August 6, 2013 - MSF Offers Targeted Health Services for Sex Workers in Malawi
Read more...
AIDS VANCOUVER AT PRIDE PARADE 2013 VANCOUVER
Published on Aug 6, 2013 - Pride Parade, Vancouver. AIDS VANCOUVER at Pride Parade, 2013, Vancouver. Bradford McIntyre at Pride Parade in Vancouver on 4th August, 2013.
A quarter of HIV/HCV-co-infected people in EuroSIDA have received HCV therapy
06 August 2013 - A quarter of HIV-positive people in the EuroSIDA cohort with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection have received HCV therapy, a study published in
HIV Medicine shows. The proportion of people treated increased significantly between 1998 and 2007 but then fell, possibly because patients and doctors were awaiting for the arrival of new direct-acting anti-HCV drugs.
Read more...
Over 80 Percent of Gay Men Take PrEP The Wrong Way
August 06 2013 - New study shows that the majority of gay and bisexual men in Australia do not know how to take antiretrovirals.
Out of the 685 men in the study, 27 reported that they had used anti-HIV meds and, of those, 18 men only used it once. How the daily medication was taken is the biggest shocker: A full 85% said they've taken PrEP only after sex and after they thought they'd been exposed to
HIV (instead of before exposure, as is neccessary for the medication to work). Atiny fraction of men used PrEP both before and after sex.
Read more...
Scientists May Have Created the First HIV Vaccine
August 06 2013 - Brazilian scientists announced that they will begin testing a new HIV vaccine on monkeys later this year. The vaccine works by maintaining a viral load so low that will keep an HIV-positive person from developing an immunodieficiency and transmitting the virus to an uninfected person.
Read more...
AIDS deaths falling sharply in eastern, southern Africa
August 5 2013 - 'This is only the beginning of what we can achieve,' Canadian AIDS researcher says
Brazilian scientists announced that they will begin testing a new HIV vaccine on monkeys later this year. The vaccine works by maintaining a viral load so low that will keep an HIV-positive person from developing an immunodieficiency and transmitting the virus to an uninfected person.
Read more...
Building momentum to stop new HIV infections among children and keep their mothers alive
02 August 2013 - In 2012, more than 200 000 children were newly infected with HIV among the 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where almost 90% of the world's HIV transmissions to children occur. While this was a 38% decline from 2009, it still means that nearly 600 children were newly infected each day.
CATIE Webinar Series: Sexual Transmission of HIV
Webinar 1
HIV's biological journey from sexual exposure to infection
Tuesday, August 13, 2013, 1pm EST
Webinar 2
Challenges and approaches to communicating sexual HIV transmission risk
Tuesday, August 27, 2013, 1pm EST
Pride Legacy Awards 2013 reception honours winners
Aug 2, 2013 - The winners of the inaugural Pride Legacy Awards gathered at the Metropolitan Hotel in downtown Vancouver for a special luncheon reception.
The awards were presented at the Imperial on July 20 to honour those who have devoted themselves to the development and improvement of local LGBT communities.
Dr. Julio Montaner to receive Canadian Medical Association's highest honour
Vancouver, B.C. [August 1, 2013] - Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), has been awarded the 2013 Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Frederic Newton Gisborne Starr Award.
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