Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in HIV & AIDS for November 2006. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Intermittent HIV Therapy Increases Risk of Death
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Intermittent rather than continuous antiretroviral therapy significantly increases the risk of opportunistic infections and death in HIV-infected individuals, largely due to fewer CD4+ T cells and higher viral load, researchers report in the Nov. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Surgical Techniques Improve HIV-Associated Facial Wasting
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy can be successfully treated with either lipofilling or submalar silicone implants, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
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Imiquimod Improves Anal Neoplasia in Men with HIV
THURSDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The local immune response modifier imiquimod appears to be safe and effective for treating anal intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV-positive men, according to the results of an open-label pilot study published in the November issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Injections Counter HIV-Associated Facial Wasting
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with HIV-associated facial wasting, or lipoatrophy, treatment with serial injections of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is safe, effective and well-tolerated, according to the results of a study published in the November issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
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Greater Risk of COPD in HIV-Positive Men
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-positive men have a 50 percent to 60 percent higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than HIV-negative men, according to a study in the November issue of Chest.
Hepatitis C, Alcoholism Linked to Liver Cancer in HIV Patients
FRIDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Although HIV-positive veterans have higher rates of hepatocellular carcinoma than HIV-negative veterans, alcoholism and hepatitis C virus appear to account for the increased risk, not HIV status, according to a paper in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Phase I HIV Gene Therapy Trial Shows Promising Results
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A phase I trial in which five HIV-infected patients were treated with a conditionally replicating, therapeutic lentiviral vector targeting HIV suggests that the treatment is safe and has not caused insertional mutagenesis or emergence of replication-competent lentivirus, according to results published online Nov. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
U.S. Adults Favor Balanced Sex Education Programs
MONDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- American adults of all political stripes support comprehensive sex education programs that teach children about abstinence and other ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Teenagers' Attitudes About Sex Similar Worldwide
FRIDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Safe-sex programs aimed at young people must take into account social factors and teenagers' attitudes if they are to succeed, according to a study published in the Nov. 4 issue of The Lancet. The study found strong similarities between the factors that affect the sexual behavior of teens in different countries.
Most Gay/Bisexual Men Know HIV Status of Partner
THURSDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Most gay or bisexual men are aware of the HIV status of their primary partners but are less aware of the status of secondary partners, according to the results of a study published in the Oct. 24 issue of AIDS.
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