Microbicide Trials Network

JAMA. 2010;304(9):954. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1220 Using dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells isolated from human blood, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have identified 2 molecules—peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR- ) and liver X receptor (LXR)—that, when activated by drugs, can inhibit various aspects of HIV transmission (Hanley TM et al.

Source: IRIN A study of HIV-positive people in fishing communities on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda has found that more than a quarter have "superinfections" that threaten both treatment and prevention efforts.

ENTEBBE, 31 August 2010 (IRIN) - A study of HIV-positive people in fishing communities on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda has found that more than a quarter have "recombinant" viruses that might threaten both treatment and prevention efforts.

Woman pocketed the $30 fee for thousands of sperm donations that never occurred An employee of the Eastern Virginia Medical School pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $150,000 from the school by reporting thousands of sperm donations that never occurred -- then pocketing the donor fees.

Woman pocketed the $30 fee for thousands of sperm donations that never occurred NORFOLK — An employee of the Eastern Virginia Medical School pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $150,000 from the school by reporting thousands of sperm donations that never occurred — then pocketing the donor fees.

A panel discussion hosted by BEBASHI (Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues) brought issues surrounding HIV/AIDS to the forefront. The discussion came at a time when Philadelphia is facing growing HIV infection rates. BEBASHI Executive Director Gary Bell launched the discussion by providing some startling statistics. “For the record, Philadelphia’s HIV rates are five times the ...

A Scientific American series examines how recent scientific advances will guide future efforts to thwart HIV/AIDS and also looks at the epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs). When researchers announced during last month's International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 that an antiretroviral-containing vaginal microbicide used by women before and after sex had ...

A Scientific American series examines how recent scientific advances will guide future efforts to thwart HIV/AIDS and also looks at the epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs).

Children with sickle cell disease are especially hard-hit by the H1N1 flu strain, causing more life-threatening complications than the seasonal flu, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

VICTORIA, BC, IRVING, TX and MANCHESTER, NH, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ - UNIT4, the world's leading provider of change-embracing enterprise resource planning (ERP) and financial management software, today released its H1 earnings and reported a seven percent increase in total revenues and an 18 percent increase in license sales. UNIT4 is represented in North America by UNIT4 Business Software and ...

UNIT4, the world's leading provider of change-embracing enterprise resource planning and financial management software, today released its H1 earnings and reported a seven percent increase in total revenues and an 18 percent increase in license sales.

When the first positive results of a research trial for an antiretroviral-based vaginal microbicide gel were announced at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna this July, it marked a significant thinning of the line between HIV treatment and prevention. The same agents that had been designed and developed to slow the virus's proliferation within the human body  now had the potential to be ...

JOHANNESBURG, 23 August 2010 (IRIN) - The recent release of positive results from a microbicide trial in South Africa have kick-started discussions between scientists, activists and community workers about the quickest and most responsible way of getting a product into women's hands.

HIV/AIDS prevention for women should take centre stage during this women’s month, International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) chief Dr Zeda Rosenburg said last week.

Women leaders in South Africa have hailed the outcome of a microbicide gel study, saying it will help protect women who can’t negotiate safe sex with their partners against HIV infection.

It would take five to six years before the first successful microbicide gel to prevent HIV infection in women could be put out for public consumption.

Source: IRIN There were cheers and some tears at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna in July when delegates heard the news that a clinical trial in South Africa, had found a vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral drug, tenofovir, was 39 percent effective at reducing women's risk of contracting HIV during sex.

"Microbicides, vaccines and other new approaches will one day join proven HIV-prevention strategies, including condoms, male circumcision and clean needles. How soon that day comes will depend on whether funders and the scientific community can develop the more collaborative approaches to HIV prevention research needed to address this fast-moving epidemic," Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise leaders ...

We need smarter approaches to clinical trials that test more concepts in less time, for less money, while preserving safety, community engagement and ethical guidelines

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic has become "feminized" advocates have made sustained efforts to gain visibility for women who are HIV positive or living with the effects of HIV.