HIV/AIDS News

According to results from the ongoing Tsepamo study in Botswana, infants born to women who took the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir for HIV infection from conception remained at an elevated risk for neural tube defects, with three in 1,000 born with these conditions. However, the findings, which were presented at the International AIDS Society Conference in Mexico City and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that the risk is significantly lower than previously estimated.

Although subspecialization training encompassing two fellowships is almost unheard of, this experience is where I began my journey in infectious disease clinical practice. As a fourth-year medical student rotating on the pediatric infectious disease service, getting the opportunity to observe the breadth of disease in the category, gain a deeper understanding of “bugs and drugs” and hone my diagnostic skills from truly gifted physicians was awe-inspiring. What impressed me most was that all of the attendings I met were both excellent diagnosticians and had excellent general practitioner skills.

Study findings showed that patients with HIV who are coinfected with HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis face a substantially increased risk for high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia, suggesting that C. trachomatis may enhance the oncogenic potential of HPV, researchers said.

The NIH awarded the Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, or CHAVD, a 7-year, $129 million grant to develop novel vaccine candidates designed to protect against numerous strains of HIV, according to a news release.

The prevalence of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, or HSILs, is 27% among women with HIV in the Unites States, and researchers said that “it is likely” the prevalence is “much higher than previously estimated,” based on findings from the AIDS Malignancy Consortium 084 study.

An analysis of 17 years of national surveillance data showed that all forms of rifampin resistance in patients with tuberculosis were positively associated with HIV infection, delayed culture conversion and increased mortality, researchers reported.

Vibration-controlled transient elastography outperformed aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index and Fibrosis-4 index as a noninvasive biomarker for advanced fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B and HIV coinfection, according to a study published in Hepatology.

Same-day initiation of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV prevention was found to be safe, feasible and well-received among patients at a walk-in STD clinic, according to a recently published study.

ART stewardship teams helped identify and correct ART-related errors, resulting in improved care for patients with HIV, according to findings published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Survey results suggested that nurse practitioners who work in offices where the staff is supportive of routine HIV screening are more likely screen patients for infection.