AIDS Weekly articles from August 2002

AIDS Weekly archives from August 2002

Dendritic cell subtype affects viral transmission ability.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the Netherlands have shed new light on the transmission of HIV infection by antigen-presenting cells. "Dendritic cells (DC) support human...

ATP-dependent drug removal can contribute to viral resistance.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - With the help of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a key HIV enzyme can repel agents used to inhibit it, researchers in the United States report. "Removal of...

Drug combinations reduce HIV levels in untreated patients.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Combinations of drugs can significantly reduce the concentration of HIV in patients' bodies, even in those with advanced HIV disease, according to interim results of a study presented at the XIV...

Gender response to HIV therapy is similar, but women experience more side effects.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a study of men and women treated for HIV at an inner city U.S. clinic, investigators from the Emory University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) found that although gender did not affect the response...

New UNC study reveals screening tests can boost early discovery of AIDS virus.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Early, widespread diagnosis of acute infection with HIV is not only possible but also feasible - by pooling blood samples from people being screened for HIV and conducting nucleic acid tests on those...

Pseudotyped viral protein particles provide improved efficacy.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - HIV protein particles can trigger extensive HIV-specific immune responses when wrapped in the shell of a different virus, researchers in France report. "In...

Virus-specific cytotoxic T cells found in breast milk.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Mother's milk contains cells that are capable of suppressing HIV infection, researchers in the United States and Africa report. "Breast-feeding infants of...

Better control of liver enzymes saves lives of HIV patients.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mild-to-moderate elevations in two liver enzymes - increments that are commonly ignored by most physicians - are related to an increased risk of death in people with HIV, according to a University of...

Community building reduces young gay men's HIV risk behavior.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Young gay men - ages 18 to 28 - in Albuquerque reported a 12% decrease in risky sexual behavior as a result of a community-building HIV prevention intervention. Similar cohorts in Austin and Phoenix...

Effective treatment alternative to protease inhibitor-based therapy highlighted.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference show that a greater proportion of patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) containing Sustiva (efavirenz), Bristol-Myers Squibb's...

Growth hormone may stimulate production of T cells to boost body's ability to fight HIV.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Growth hormone may stimulate the production of T cells in HIV-infected patients, research at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology shows. Laura Napolitano, MD, lead investigator of the...

HIV infections in U.S. newborns decline 80% since 1991.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report an estimated 80% decline in the number of infants born with HIV infection in the United States during the last decade....

Health officials discuss AIDS plans.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The head of a global AIDS fund has promised that a detailed spending plan to battle the pandemic would be set up by October. Speaking at the 14th International AIDS Conference, Dr. Richard Feachem...

Majority of HIV-infected mothers and at-risk newborns receive ZDV treatment in groundbreaking Thailand prevention program.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the first year of Thailand's national program to prevent perinatal HIV transmission, more than two-thirds of HIV-infected expectant mothers who had prenatal care also received short-course zidovudine...

Medication adherence 'coaching' significantly impacts health status of AIDS patients.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Taking steps to tailor medication regimens for patients being treated for the first time for HIV infection and to assure that they adhere to those regimens can pay off with improved virologic results...

More money, determination needed to halt the march of AIDS, campaigners say.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More determination and more money must be devoted to the worldwide war against AIDS if the heartless march of HIV across the globe is to be thwarted, experts said as the largest ever gathering of...

New low-cost technologies offer practical solutions for developing world.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New study data from several African countries reveal progress in identifying practical solutions for improving HIV testing, prevention and treatment in highly affected countries. The study results,...

Northwestern researcher calls for simplified, less toxic HIV therapies.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Northwestern University researcher has called on HIV researchers and clinicians to develop more simplified and less toxic strategies to insure patient compliance and quality of life without...

Number of U.S. AIDS cases remain stable after recent declines.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. AIDS cases and HIV infections appear roughly stable overall; however, the overall stability may be masking increases in HIV infections among some populations of heterosexuals as well as gay and...

Protesters drown out U.S. health secretary in Barcelona.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Shrieking protesters at the AIDS conference in Spain drowned out U.S. health secretary Tommy Thompson as he attempted to speak about American global AIDS programs on July 9, 2002. About 40 people...

Rights group says police abuse AIDS workers in India.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Widespread police abuse of AIDS workers is undermining efforts to contain the spread of the lethal disease in India, an international rights group says. In a report released at the International...

Young HIV carriers unaware of virus.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study of young gay and bisexual men in major U.S. cities found that more than three-quarters of those infected with HIV were unaware they had the AIDS virus. The finding, presented during the...

Zimbabwean women very willing to use diaphragms as potential HIV prevention method.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Zimbabwe study of women who were unable to persuade their male partners to use condoms consistently has found that 98% of the women used the diaphragm as an alternative method of contraception and...

Indian firm receives approval for generic AIDS drugs.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Generic AIDS drugs from India's Ranbaxy Laboratories have been found fit for use by the World Health Organization, the pharmaceutical company has announced. The U.N. agency has approved three drugs...

Africa AIDS chief worries the pandemic will continue spreading across the continent.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... 2002 AUG 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- UNAIDS top official for Africa on July 9, 2002, welcomed the world's recent focus on fighting HIV, but called for greater commitment to stop the spread of the deadly virus. About 28 million of the...

Prostratin may aid clearance of viral reservoirs.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A novel agent derived from the bark of a Samoan tree may help eradicate HIV resevoirs in infected patients, researchers say. "The latent reservoir of...

Fumagillin effective for microsporidiosis treatment.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The fungal metabolite fumagillin can resolve intractable intestinal infections in HIV and other patients, according to researchers in France. "Intestinal...

3 million HIV/AIDS sufferers could receive antiretroviral therapy by 2005.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to the urgent need to scale up access to HIV/AIDS treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) joined the International AIDS Society at the XIVth International AIDS Conference to formally...

JC virus levels have low correlation with leukoencephalopathy progression.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - JC virus levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provide little information about neurologic damage in AIDS patients, researchers in Spain argue. "JC virus...

Viral Nef protein has discrepant effects on cytotoxic T cell function.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States and Japan have elucidated the effects of HIV's Nef protein on cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function. "A previous study...

Mutation protects from HIV but increases risk of hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. In Africa alone this incurable immune deficiency caused more than 2 million deaths last year. Yet some people are resistant to...

RDI: Global initiative launched to combat HIV drug resistance.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A radical initiative in HIV management was launched at the XI International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop. The International HIV Resistance Response Database Initiative, or RDI, will combine data...

Los Alamos researchers recommend AIDS vaccine strategies.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory are using their extensive genetic understanding of the HIV-1 virus - the most common form of the virus that causes...

Patients twice as likely to achieve undetectable HIV levels with T-20 than without.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data from two large, internationally conducted phase III trials indicate that combination therapy with T-20 reduced HIV to undetectable levels in the blood in at least twice the percentage of patients...

Study indicates Remune has potential for treating chronically infected HIV-positive patients.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR) announced the presentation of data at the XIV International AIDS Conference which suggest that Remune induced helper T-cell immune responses aimed specifically at HIV...

Study results demonstrate safety and antiviral activity of T-1249.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche and Trimeris, Inc., (TRMS) announced final results of a phase I/II study demonstrating that T-1249, a second-generation fusion inhibitor candidate, was well-tolerated and exhibited antiviral...

ViroLogic study supports greater use of HIV drug resistance testing in newly infected patients.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroLogic, Inc., (VLGC) announced that research published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and reported at the 14th Annual International AIDS Conference...

VaxGen, Genentech amend agreement regarding AIDS vaccine candidate.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VaxGen, Inc., (VXGN) announced that its May 1, 1997, license and supply agreement with Genentech, Inc., (DNA) has been revised to give VaxGen greater flexibility in commercializing the company's AIDS...

Genetic mutations in HIV that may cause resistance to new drug T-20 identified.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) scientists have identified a number of new mutations in the HIV genetic code that may be making the virus resistant to T-20, the first of a new class of experimental...

Global initiative launched to combat HIV drug resistance.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A radical new initiative in HIV management was launched at the XI International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop. The International HIV Resistance Response Database Initiative, or RDI, will combine...

Visible Genetics Inc. expects increased second quarter 2002 revenues.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) reported that it expects 2002 second quarter revenues to be in the range of $4.5-$4.7 million. North American sales of the company's HIV genotyping kit, launched in...

Viral coat protein disrupts CD4 cell antigen responses.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The effects of HIV on helper T cell function may be more extensive than previously believed, researchers say. "The interaction between the HIV-1 envelope...

AIDS drug prices drop 54% in Latin America, Caribbean.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prices of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS dropped up to 54% last year in Latin America and the Caribbean countries as a result of agreements between ministries of health and drug manufacturers,...

UAB announces results of first HIV patient care cost analysis.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first comprehensive cost analysis of HIV patient care in the era of effective therapy in the United States reveals an average cost difference of more than $20,000 a year to treat patients with...

Brazil to embark on million-dollar international anti-AIDS program.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A top health official said July 16, 2002, that Brazil would embark on a million-dollar program to help poorer countries prevent and control the spread of AIDS. Paulo Teixeira, coordinator of...

Bush names gay physician chief of AIDS policy office.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The White House has made it official: Joseph O'Neill is taking over the helm of President Bush's office on AIDS policy, replacing an openly gay director whose activism rankled some conservatives. ...

Professor focuses on Africa's AIDS orphans.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An Eastern Michigan University nursing professor will return to Africa later this year to research ways to help the burgeoning number of children who have been left orphaned by AIDS. Betty Beard...

South Africa's health minister criticizes UNAIDS fund donation.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- South Africa's health minister accused the U.N.'s Global Fund for AIDS July 20, 2002, of funding anti-AIDS programs without obtaining proper government approval. The fund donated 600 million rand...

Sudan kicking off campaign to fight AIDS.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A campaign to warn Sudanese about AIDS and HIV infection kicked off at weekly sermons in the nation's mosques on July 19, 2002, a health official said in announcing an end to taboos on frank discussion...

Thai government to provide free antiretroviral drugs to more HIV patients.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... 2002 AUG 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Thai government plans to give free HIV drugs to 10,000 patients, expanding a program that covers 3000 people, thanks to a cheap new antiretroviral cocktail it started producing this year, officials...

Prostratin may aid clearance of viral reservoirs.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A novel agent derived from the bark of a Samoan tree may help eradicate HIV resevoirs in infected patients, researchers say. "The latent reservoir of...

Fumagillin effective for microsporidiosis treatment.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The fungal metabolite fumagillin can resolve intractable intestinal infections in HIV and other patients, according to researchers in France. "Intestinal...

3 million HIV/AIDS sufferers could receive antiretroviral therapy by 2005.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to the urgent need to scale up access to HIV/AIDS treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) joined the International AIDS Society at the XIVth International AIDS Conference to formally...

JC virus levels have low correlation with leukoencephalopathy progression.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - JC virus levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provide little information about neurologic damage in AIDS patients, researchers in Spain argue. "JC virus...

Viral Nef protein has discrepant effects on cytotoxic T cell function.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States and Japan have elucidated the effects of HIV's Nef protein on cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function. "A previous study...

Mutation protects from HIV but increases risk of hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. In Africa alone this incurable immune deficiency caused more than 2 million deaths last year. Yet some people are resistant to...

RDI: Global initiative launched to combat HIV drug resistance.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A radical initiative in HIV management was launched at the XI International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop. The International HIV Resistance Response Database Initiative, or RDI, will combine data...

Los Alamos researchers recommend AIDS vaccine strategies.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory are using their extensive genetic understanding of the HIV-1 virus - the most common form of the virus that causes...

Patients twice as likely to achieve undetectable HIV levels with T-20 than without.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data from two large, internationally conducted phase III trials indicate that combination therapy with T-20 reduced HIV to undetectable levels in the blood in at least twice the percentage of patients...

Study indicates Remune has potential for treating chronically infected HIV-positive patients.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR) announced the presentation of data at the XIV International AIDS Conference which suggest that Remune induced helper T-cell immune responses aimed specifically at HIV...

Study results demonstrate safety and antiviral activity of T-1249.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche and Trimeris, Inc., (TRMS) announced final results of a phase I/II study demonstrating that T-1249, a second-generation fusion inhibitor candidate, was well-tolerated and exhibited antiviral...

ViroLogic study supports greater use of HIV drug resistance testing in newly infected patients.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroLogic, Inc., (VLGC) announced that research published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and reported at the 14th Annual International AIDS Conference...

VaxGen, Genentech amend agreement regarding AIDS vaccine candidate.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VaxGen, Inc., (VXGN) announced that its May 1, 1997, license and supply agreement with Genentech, Inc., (DNA) has been revised to give VaxGen greater flexibility in commercializing the company's AIDS...

Genetic mutations in HIV that may cause resistance to new drug T-20 identified.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) scientists have identified a number of new mutations in the HIV genetic code that may be making the virus resistant to T-20, the first of a new class of experimental...

Global initiative launched to combat HIV drug resistance.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A radical new initiative in HIV management was launched at the XI International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop. The International HIV Resistance Response Database Initiative, or RDI, will combine...

Visible Genetics Inc. expects increased second quarter 2002 revenues.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) reported that it expects 2002 second quarter revenues to be in the range of $4.5-$4.7 million. North American sales of the company's HIV genotyping kit, launched in...

Viral coat protein disrupts CD4 cell antigen responses.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The effects of HIV on helper T cell function may be more extensive than previously believed, researchers say. "The interaction between the HIV-1 envelope...

AIDS drug prices drop 54% in Latin America, Caribbean.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prices of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS dropped up to 54% last year in Latin America and the Caribbean countries as a result of agreements between ministries of health and drug manufacturers,...

UAB announces results of first HIV patient care cost analysis.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first comprehensive cost analysis of HIV patient care in the era of effective therapy in the United States reveals an average cost difference of more than $20,000 a year to treat patients with...

Brazil to embark on million-dollar international anti-AIDS program.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A top health official said July 16, 2002, that Brazil would embark on a million-dollar program to help poorer countries prevent and control the spread of AIDS. Paulo Teixeira, coordinator of...

Bush names gay physician chief of AIDS policy office.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The White House has made it official: Joseph O'Neill is taking over the helm of President Bush's office on AIDS policy, replacing an openly gay director whose activism rankled some conservatives. ...

Professor focuses on Africa's AIDS orphans.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An Eastern Michigan University nursing professor will return to Africa later this year to research ways to help the burgeoning number of children who have been left orphaned by AIDS. Betty Beard...

South Africa's health minister criticizes UNAIDS fund donation.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- South Africa's health minister accused the U.N.'s Global Fund for AIDS July 20, 2002, of funding anti-AIDS programs without obtaining proper government approval. The fund donated 600 million rand...

Sudan kicking off campaign to fight AIDS.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A campaign to warn Sudanese about AIDS and HIV infection kicked off at weekly sermons in the nation's mosques on July 19, 2002, a health official said in announcing an end to taboos on frank discussion...

Thai government to provide free antiretroviral drugs to more HIV patients.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... 2002 AUG 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Thai government plans to give free HIV drugs to 10,000 patients, expanding a program that covers 3000 people, thanks to a cheap new antiretroviral cocktail it started producing this year, officials...

Humoral response may enhance viral infectivity.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Antibody-based immune activity after HIV exposure may actually make it easier for the virus to infect cells, researchers in Canada report. "The humoral...

Protease inhibitor multitherapy has limited efficacy for infants.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Infants infected with HIV can be treated with multiple antiretroviral agents although such therapy has limited effectiveness, researchers report. Albert...

Effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy demonstrated in Africa.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tritherapies using antiretroviral drugs have proven their worth in industrialized countries in the fight against AIDS. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of people infected with HIV live,...

Long-term interruption of HIV treatment may be safe in certain patients.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interrupting anti-HIV treatment for an extended period and then reinitiating therapy might be safe in some patients, according to a study by Northwestern University infectious disease experts. ...

High CSF viral loads presage neurological impairment.(cerebrospinal fluid)
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Health care workers should monitor brain and spinal viral loads in HIV patients, researchers in California say. "If cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) human...

Antibody genes from patients induce broad antiviral activity.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Antibody genes from HIV patients could form the basis for an effective HIV vaccine, researchers in the United States report. "Although several human...

Drug resistance may prove more pervasive in African HIV.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetic differences between the subtypes of HIV prevalent in Africa and the subtype dominant in the United States and Western Europe appear to amplify the effects of drug-resistant mutations in the...

Atazanavir improves cholesterol and triglyceride levels in HIV patients.
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atazanavir, a potent new HIV-fighting protease inhibitor, reduces high cholesterol and triglyceride levels that may be caused by other protease inhibitors, a Northwestern University researcher reported...

Tipranavir suppresses HIV/AIDS virus resistant to available protease inhibitors.(Brief Article)
August 26, 2002... 2002 AUG 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Study findings demonstrate that a tipranavir-based HIV/AIDS treatment regimen produced a significant reduction in HIV-1 levels in patients who previously had received treatment with multiple protease...