HIV Treatment: ALERTS! articles from April - June 2002

HIV Treatment: ALERTS! archives from April - June 2002

Welcome.
April 1, 2002... This is the second year of HIV Treatment ALERTS! and we hope you find this newsletter helpful and informative. The science and medicine of HIV change constantly. The "best" way to treat HIV today could be very different tomorrow. That's what...

Mission & beliefs.
April 1, 2002... "We believe the well being of HIV-infected individuals begins with their affirmative participation in the process of treatment, and that often they do not have access, resources, or abilities to participate on their own. As such, The Center for...

Tips for making the most of your medical care.
April 1, 2002... Do doctor visits make you nervous? When you are sitting in the exam room with your health care provider, do you suddenly forget what you wanted to talk about? Try these 3 simple tips to prepare yourself and make the most out of each visit. ...

Conference highlights.
April 1, 2002... The Annual Retrovirus Conference is the major HIV research meeting in the US. Each year, several thousand healthcare providers, researchers, and community activists meet for 5 days to review the latest developments in the field of HIV....

Keeping it real: speaking up for yourself or does HIV cause laryngitis?
April 1, 2002... No, this isn't an article about problems with your voice box. It's a reflection of what has been happening around The Center for AIDS (The CFA) lately. Our client traffic and phone calls often keep us informed of what is "seen and heard" on the...

Patient/doctor Q & A: Chris Lahart, MD, gives some expert advice on problems faced by patients with HIV.
April 1, 2002... Q: I have been taking nevirapine (Viramune) with d4T (Zerit) and 3TC (Epivir) for over 2 years. I am not taking any other medications. My T cells are at 420 and my viral load is undetectable. The drugs have been working fine, but lately my...

Calendar.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... APRIL 10 Journal Club Noon at The Center for AIDS 1407 Hawthorne Brown bag lunch 11-14 Global Impact Tours[SM] Texas Trail of Independence Bike Tour to benefit the Center for AIDS For...

Clinical trial information.
April 1, 2002... STUDY TO FOCUS ON PATIENTS WITH DRUG-RESISTANT HIV The Montrose Clinic is now enrolling patient volunteers for a study of multi-drug resistance. The study (called CPCRA 064) will use viral resistance testing to see what drugs might still...

Fact sheet: viread: viread is supplied in 300 mg tablets that are almond shaped, light blue film coated, and embossed with "Gilead" and "4331" on one side and with "300" on the other side.
April 1, 2002... Also known as: tenofovir, tenofovir DF, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, PMPA, and bis(POC)PMPA. Background. Viread is an anti-HIV drug manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc. The FDA approved Viread for use in fighting HIV in October 2001. ...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an official recommended dose for combining the protease inhibitors amprenavir (Agenerase) and ritonavir (Norvir). (FDA Bits).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an official recommended dose for combining the protease inhibitors amprenavir (Agenerase) and ritonavir (Norvir). When the two are used in combination, 1200 mg of Agenerase can be given with...

The FDA has approved a new version of the anti-HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva). (FDA Bits).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * The FDA has approved a new version of the anti-HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva). The new 600 mg tablet will replace the three 200-mg tablets that are usually required once a day. The new tablet reduces the number of pills needed, which is a small...

Bad to worse? (Treatment News).(side effects for Videx and Zerit)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Last issue's "Treatment News" (see HIV Treatment ALERTS! November 2001: www.centerforaids.org/rita/alerts/alerts1101.htm) described a possible side effect of NRTI drugs: muscle weakness as a sign of lactic acidosis. Bristol-Myers Squibb, the...

Add the dietary supplement kava to your list of herbs to watch out for: a recent FDA bulletin warns that the herb (sometimes called "kava kava" or "Piper methysticum") may be toxic to the liver. (FDA Bits).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * Add the dietary supplement kava to your list of herbs to watch out for: a recent FDA bulletin warns that the herb (sometimes called "kava kava" or "Piper methysticum") may be toxic to the liver. Kava can be found as a supplement by itself, or...

Lift! (Treatment News).(weight training for AIDS/HIV patients to help treat AIDS wasting syndrome)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Weight training (sometimes called "resistance training") can be an important component to an exercise program, as shown by a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (33:11, p. 1811, 2001). In the study, researchers at...

Kidney failure in women with HIV. (Treatment News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... A study published in the journal Kidney International (61, p. 195, 2002) points to some factors that could predict kidney failure in women with HIV. The study looked at more than 2000 HIV-positive women and found that roughly one third of the...

Cancer concerns. (Treatment News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * A review of medical records of patients with HIV shows that bacterial pneumonia and a cancer known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are now more common than back in 1993 to 1995. These years were during a time before combination anti-HIV...

Getting high may damage the immune system. (Bottom Lines).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... A study of specially bred mice transplanted with human immune cells has shown that cocaine increases the production and spread of HIV. Mice given cocaine by injection had much greater losses of T cells and increases in viral load than mice...

Brain drain. (Bottom Lines).(HIV dementia)
April 1, 2002... HIV-associated dementia is possible in people with AIDS. Fortunately, since new anti-HIV medications came out in the mid 90s, less dementia is being seen overall. However, medical professionals know that HIV still affects the brain. HIV can...

Definitions. (Bottom Lines).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Control: a special situation in research where no drug is given or no test is done. For example, a control group that gets a sugar pill might be compared to an experimental group that gets a real medication to see what are the effects of the...

Useful resources.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... "A nationally syndicated, weekly, radio news-magazine delivering the latest information on personal health and well-being topics, including HIV disease, cancer, diabetes, stress, gay and lesbian health, women's health and more."...

Bread of Life, Inc. (Community Spotlight).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Bread of Life began in 1992 as an outreach program of St. John's United Methodist Church. A cornerstone of this downtown Houston organization is its Daybreak Community Health Center, which offers health care services to uninsured or indigent...