AIDSmeds: "The “Berlin Patient”—a man living with HIV who underwent a transplant involving HIV-resistant stem cells in 2007 for the treatment of leukemia—has been classified as cured of his HIV, according to an update of the patient’s experience published online, ahead of print, on December 8 by the journal Blood. The man has remained off HIV treatment for three-and-a-half years with normal CD4 counts and no evidence of HIV replication.
"Though it was initially suspected that HIV archived in the man’s cells would begin proliferating once his immune system began to recover from pre- and post-transplantation treatment, this was not observed and the team monitoring the patient now conclude, 'our results strongly suggest that cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient.'"
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December 13, 2010
Development of a Low Bias Method for Characterizing Viral Populations Using Next Generation Sequencing Technology
PLoS ONE: : "The goal of this work is to develop a novel method for amplifying viral RNA into large quantities of DNA suitable for processing into Illumina (or other) libraries without relying on PCR and primers that assume specific sequences are present within the sample. By avoiding the use of virus-specific primers, one can reduce the bias associated with this step and potentially amplify the entire 9709 base pair HIV genome with unprecedented levels of coverage."
Note: This study is using new genetic techniques to better understand how HIV becomes resistant to drugs.
Note: This study is using new genetic techniques to better understand how HIV becomes resistant to drugs.
December 12, 2010
HIV/AIDS at WikiLeaks: 10 cables have AIDS news (so far)
As of today WikiLeaks has released only about 0.5% (1344 cables out of 251,287 total) of the leaked State Department cables, creating headlines around the world. Only 10 of the 1344 already released include the word HIV (a good search term for finding AIDS-related information). If you click on a cable, you can use the local search in your browser (often control-F) to find the HIV references quickly.
Here are the 10 cables that mention HIV, starting with the most recent:
10LUANDA84
09PRETORIA2245
09KAMPALA1197
09LONDON2005
09STATE80163
09STATE37561
09STATE37566
08STATE116392
07BEIJING1840
01PRETORIA1173
Best estimate of the total number of cables with HIV/AIDS information but not yet released: about 1800.
Also see our news blog of WikiLeaks tweets, at www.RepliCounts.org (in a green box on the right of that page).
Note: Please let us know of sites that include a search of all the released cables at once. To find the 10 above, we had to download a copy of the cables into a folder, then search locally for 'HIV'.
Here are the 10 cables that mention HIV, starting with the most recent:
10LUANDA84
09PRETORIA2245
09KAMPALA1197
09LONDON2005
09STATE80163
09STATE37561
09STATE37566
08STATE116392
07BEIJING1840
01PRETORIA1173
Best estimate of the total number of cables with HIV/AIDS information but not yet released: about 1800.
Also see our news blog of WikiLeaks tweets, at www.RepliCounts.org (in a green box on the right of that page).
Note: Please let us know of sites that include a search of all the released cables at once. To find the 10 above, we had to download a copy of the cables into a folder, then search locally for 'HIV'.
Too long a wait for housing
Philadelphia Inquirer: "We represent a group of 80 medical and public-health professionals who have authored a consensus statement on this crisis. The group includes experienced physicians such as Ellen Tedaldi, the director of Temple's comprehensive HIV program and the doctor who treated Carlos when he was first diagnosed.
"We present the scientific documentation for the effectiveness of subsidized housing in HIV prevention and treatment and urge city government to recognize that providing housing for people living with HIV and AIDS is an essential public-health intervention (see www.housingistreatment.org). Our city must house everyone on the waiting list and expand the reach of the federal housing program to include people before they become so sick that they are on the verge of very painful deaths. These small steps, which will cost the city approximately 0.1 percent of its current budget, are necessary components of any plan to effectively combat our alarming HIV epidemic.
"Unlike too many others, Carlos Gonzalez was fortunate enough to see his condition improve. After two years on the waiting list, Carlos began receiving rental subsidies in early 2010. He now lives in a one-bedroom apartment in South Philadelphia. Because he is able to take all scheduled treatment doses, the HIV virus cannot be detected in his blood. As a result, his immune system is much stronger, and he no longer spends two weeks each year in a hospital bed.
"Today, Carlos is a certified HIV counselor. He gives back to the community and provides hope to others going through the same struggles he successfully overcame. Because he knows that so many of the people he reaches out to on the streets will not survive the wait for housing, Carlos has become a tireless advocate. We stand with him in asking Mayor Nutter and City Council to end the waiting list for housing assistance for people living with HIV and AIDS."
"We present the scientific documentation for the effectiveness of subsidized housing in HIV prevention and treatment and urge city government to recognize that providing housing for people living with HIV and AIDS is an essential public-health intervention (see www.housingistreatment.org). Our city must house everyone on the waiting list and expand the reach of the federal housing program to include people before they become so sick that they are on the verge of very painful deaths. These small steps, which will cost the city approximately 0.1 percent of its current budget, are necessary components of any plan to effectively combat our alarming HIV epidemic.
"Unlike too many others, Carlos Gonzalez was fortunate enough to see his condition improve. After two years on the waiting list, Carlos began receiving rental subsidies in early 2010. He now lives in a one-bedroom apartment in South Philadelphia. Because he is able to take all scheduled treatment doses, the HIV virus cannot be detected in his blood. As a result, his immune system is much stronger, and he no longer spends two weeks each year in a hospital bed.
"Today, Carlos is a certified HIV counselor. He gives back to the community and provides hope to others going through the same struggles he successfully overcame. Because he knows that so many of the people he reaches out to on the streets will not survive the wait for housing, Carlos has become a tireless advocate. We stand with him in asking Mayor Nutter and City Council to end the waiting list for housing assistance for people living with HIV and AIDS."
December 10, 2010
India-EU generic drug row 'resolved' at Brussels summit
BBC News: "A row between the EU and India over the transit of generic drugs through Europe has been resolved, negotiators told Reuters news agency.
"As a result of the deal at an India-EU summit in Brussels, an Indian complaint to the World Trade Organization will be suspended, India's trade minister said."
Note: We seem to have been wrong in the comment below. See the Daily Nation [Kenya]: Deal Spells Doom for Our Chronically Sick.
Comment: This has been an AIDS issue for some time. If Indian companies make generic drugs legally and ships them to African countries (for example) where they are also legal, can EU stop the shipments in transit -- in Amsterdam, for example, because the drugs do not meet European intellectual-property requirements? The European Union has done so, presumably at the request of multinational pharmaceutical companies.
We don't know the details of this new deal. It's probably a victory, since India would never be happy with letting that interference continue.
"As a result of the deal at an India-EU summit in Brussels, an Indian complaint to the World Trade Organization will be suspended, India's trade minister said."
Note: We seem to have been wrong in the comment below. See the Daily Nation [Kenya]: Deal Spells Doom for Our Chronically Sick.
We don't know the details of this new deal. It's probably a victory, since India would never be happy with letting that interference continue.
December 8, 2010
Aspirin Helps Reduce Cancer Deaths, Study Finds
NYTimes.com: "Many Americans take aspirin to lower their risk of heart disease, but a new study suggests a remarkable added benefit, reporting that patients who took aspirin regularly for a period of several years were 21 percent less likely decades later to die of solid tumor cancers, including cancers of the stomach, esophagus and lung.
"As part of the new study, published online Monday in the journal Lancet, researchers examined the cancer death rates of 25,570 patients who had participated in eight different randomized controlled trials of aspirin that ended up to 20 years earlier."
Note and comment:
Abstract available at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62110-1/fulltext
Sorry, The Lancet charges $31.50 to non-subscribers just to download a full-text copy of this article -- though The Lancet contributed nothing to the cost of doing the research. Many other medical journals do the same (and many others don't). Our (conservative) estimate of The Lancet's profit margin for this transaction is 100,000% -- yes, one hundred thousand percent -- assuming a cost of 3 cents for its server to download the article (it's probably much less).
Researchers don't like this system because it reduces the usefulness and impact of their work. Often they put up with it only because they do not have a couple thousand dollars to pay expenses for peer-reviewed online open-access publication, for example in PLoS (Public Library of Science) journals. (If researchers just uploaded their work to a blog, the medical/scientific/academic/media world would seldom take it seriously -- because it's so hard to judge credibility, when even full peer review frequently gets is wrong). How different from the worlds of mathematics or astronomy, for example, where there is much less money attached, making transparency and effective collaboration far easier, since there's so much less motive to keep secrets or to scam.)
Our point is not that The Lancet is mercenary, but that we have a harmful, long-time public-policy failure. While the funding of this research is listed as "none" (welcome, in our view, since funding introduces very serious corruption in medical research -- but unwelcome in that the lack of explicit Federal funding will let The Lancet restrict the article for decades) taxpayers largely pay for the research infrastructure which made this research possible. And Congress creates the intellectual-property laws for the benefit of the very rich and the largest corporations, in return for campaign contributions and other favors -- without regard to the public interest.
Meanwhile, off to the drugstore for low-dose aspirin. Ask your doctor first, if you have serious medical problems.
"As part of the new study, published online Monday in the journal Lancet, researchers examined the cancer death rates of 25,570 patients who had participated in eight different randomized controlled trials of aspirin that ended up to 20 years earlier."
Note and comment:
Abstract available at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62110-1/fulltext
Sorry, The Lancet charges $31.50 to non-subscribers just to download a full-text copy of this article -- though The Lancet contributed nothing to the cost of doing the research. Many other medical journals do the same (and many others don't). Our (conservative) estimate of The Lancet's profit margin for this transaction is 100,000% -- yes, one hundred thousand percent -- assuming a cost of 3 cents for its server to download the article (it's probably much less).
Researchers don't like this system because it reduces the usefulness and impact of their work. Often they put up with it only because they do not have a couple thousand dollars to pay expenses for peer-reviewed online open-access publication, for example in PLoS (Public Library of Science) journals. (If researchers just uploaded their work to a blog, the medical/scientific/academic/media world would seldom take it seriously -- because it's so hard to judge credibility, when even full peer review frequently gets is wrong). How different from the worlds of mathematics or astronomy, for example, where there is much less money attached, making transparency and effective collaboration far easier, since there's so much less motive to keep secrets or to scam.)
Our point is not that The Lancet is mercenary, but that we have a harmful, long-time public-policy failure. While the funding of this research is listed as "none" (welcome, in our view, since funding introduces very serious corruption in medical research -- but unwelcome in that the lack of explicit Federal funding will let The Lancet restrict the article for decades) taxpayers largely pay for the research infrastructure which made this research possible. And Congress creates the intellectual-property laws for the benefit of the very rich and the largest corporations, in return for campaign contributions and other favors -- without regard to the public interest.
Meanwhile, off to the drugstore for low-dose aspirin. Ask your doctor first, if you have serious medical problems.
December 5, 2010
Alicia Keys, Other Celebs “Kill” Social Media Identities for HIV/AIDS Charity
The Afro-American Newspapers: "To support Keys’ Keep a Child Alive charity, the stars signed off of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Their Twitter and Facebook sites will remain active with information on how to donate, but the stars themselves will refrain from posting personal updates or new information to their social media profiles while the campaign is underway.
"Supporters can donate $5 or $10 through text messages or through the Keep a Child Alive Web site. Once the charity’s $1 million goal is reached, the stars will resume posting on the sites.
"Just two days after the campaign’s Dec. 1 launch, fans had contributed more than $200,500 to bring their favorites back to 'life.'"
"Supporters can donate $5 or $10 through text messages or through the Keep a Child Alive Web site. Once the charity’s $1 million goal is reached, the stars will resume posting on the sites.
"Just two days after the campaign’s Dec. 1 launch, fans had contributed more than $200,500 to bring their favorites back to 'life.'"
December 1, 2010
Presidential Proclamation--World AIDS Day
The White House: "On this World AIDS Day, as we approach the thirtieth year of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we reflect on the many Americans and others around the globe lost to this devastating disease, and pledge our support to the 33 million people worldwide who live with HIV/AIDS. We also recommit to building on the great strides made in fighting HIV, to preventing the spread of the disease, to continuing our efforts to combat stigma and discrimination, and to finding a cure."
AIDS Activism Growing on Campuses
NYTimes.com: "Mr. Messac, the University of Pennsylvania medical student, explored the origins of Mr. Bush’s AIDS program in a 120-page paper, 'Lazarus at America’s Doorstep,' for his Harvard undergraduate thesis. Mr. Carel, who spent last summer working at a hospital in the rural South African village of Tugela Ferry, now studies Zulu and persuaded a visiting professor from South Africa to let him take her upper-level course on 'the political economy of AIDS.' (He had to skip Zulu class for the Emanuel protest; he said his professor understood.)
"The students have also befriended a longtime veteran of the AIDS wars, Gregg Gonsalves, who at 47 is completing his undergraduate degree in evolutionary biology on a full scholarship at Yale. Mr. Gonsalves often lectures public-health classes on what he calls “ancient history” — the work of groups like Act Up in the 1990s.
"'Theirs is not a first-person commitment, in the sense that none of them is living with H.I.V.,' Mr. Gonsalves said of the new AIDS protesters. 'It’s all based out of a sense of solidarity and social justice. I used to wonder where the next generation would come from. They’re here.'
"Inside the White House, Dr. Emanuel, for one, is not impressed. He says the students are serving up tired arguments about dollar amounts that ignore the Obama administration’s emphasis on spending money more efficiently and offering services, like circumcision, that can reduce the spread of H.I.V. While Mr. Bush emphasized AIDS and malaria, Mr. Obama is promoting a six-year, $63 billion 'global health initiative' that seeks to address a range of diseases, with emphasis on women and children."
"The students have also befriended a longtime veteran of the AIDS wars, Gregg Gonsalves, who at 47 is completing his undergraduate degree in evolutionary biology on a full scholarship at Yale. Mr. Gonsalves often lectures public-health classes on what he calls “ancient history” — the work of groups like Act Up in the 1990s.
"'Theirs is not a first-person commitment, in the sense that none of them is living with H.I.V.,' Mr. Gonsalves said of the new AIDS protesters. 'It’s all based out of a sense of solidarity and social justice. I used to wonder where the next generation would come from. They’re here.'
"Inside the White House, Dr. Emanuel, for one, is not impressed. He says the students are serving up tired arguments about dollar amounts that ignore the Obama administration’s emphasis on spending money more efficiently and offering services, like circumcision, that can reduce the spread of H.I.V. While Mr. Bush emphasized AIDS and malaria, Mr. Obama is promoting a six-year, $63 billion 'global health initiative' that seeks to address a range of diseases, with emphasis on women and children."
World AIDS Day funeral at the White House
ACT UP Philadelphia: For 1.8 million who died this year without treatment. Excellent photos by ACT UP photographer Katie Riek -- click the title above.
On World AIDS Day, activists renew push for a cure
WHYY, Philadelphia: "Last year, the AIDS Policy Project launched a campaign to get more money to fund research for a cure. Kate Krauss, executive director of the project, said she was surprised to learn that very little money was available -- she estimates only 3 percent of the AIDS budget at the National Institutes of Health goes toward finding a cure. But, she said, the research that is happening is promising.
"'So, it's actually a really exciting time, a pivotal time. And it's a question of whether this epidemic ... what we do now, is going to determine whether this epidemic lasts for five or 10 years, or whether it lasts 30 or 40 years,' she said. 'Can we break down these research obstacles? Can we get researchers new money?'
"Krauss, who launched a letter-writing campaign out of her home in West Philadelphia, wants to quadruple the funding that the NIH directs toward finding a cure. Her work has garnered national attention from advocates and researchers.
"'This has not escalated into a demand for a cure, or research for a cure,' said Larry Kramer, the founder of ACT-UP, an activist group that has pushed for AIDS prevention and treatment since 1988. 'And what this group from Philadelphia has done on their own is to reignite this issue and try and run with it.'"
"'So, it's actually a really exciting time, a pivotal time. And it's a question of whether this epidemic ... what we do now, is going to determine whether this epidemic lasts for five or 10 years, or whether it lasts 30 or 40 years,' she said. 'Can we break down these research obstacles? Can we get researchers new money?'
"Krauss, who launched a letter-writing campaign out of her home in West Philadelphia, wants to quadruple the funding that the NIH directs toward finding a cure. Her work has garnered national attention from advocates and researchers.
"'This has not escalated into a demand for a cure, or research for a cure,' said Larry Kramer, the founder of ACT-UP, an activist group that has pushed for AIDS prevention and treatment since 1988. 'And what this group from Philadelphia has done on their own is to reignite this issue and try and run with it.'"
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