I'm planning changes to this blog and would like to hear what you think (either publicly by a comment, or privately by email to aidsnews@aidsnews.org).
My current thinking is to move the news stories to the right-hand column (via Twitter, but you do not need to use Twitter to read them). Then the main column of the blog will be for discussion, usually around one or more of the news stories.
The previous format was not good for discussion - largely because readers seldom saw blog comments, since they quickly got buried by all the news items coming in. And Twitter encourages many equal voices - important for community discussion and idea development.
The new format should result in more news stories, fewer blog posts, more interaction, and more in-depth discussion.
Thoughts?
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March 10, 2011
February 24, 2011
Get Twitter Announcements for Retroviruses Conference and Beyond - CURE4
AIDS Treatment News set up Twitter account cure4 for communication at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses (formerly called CROI), February 27 - March 2 in Boston.
Main purpose: to let activists and writers at the conference know about important events before they happen. We also tweet conference and related news. We already have 58 tweets there, 3 days before CROI begins.
Anyone can read our tweets; you do NOT need a Twitter account. Just visit twitter.com/cure4. Or see the latest announcements on this page, in the right-hand column.
Alternatively, you can follow cure4 on almost any mobile phone (even without a Twitter account). Just send the text message:
follow cure4
to 40404 (Twitter's U.S. short code -- see Twitter support for more info). To turn off the tweets, send:
unfollow cure4
Note that capitalization does not matter.
If you do have a Twitter account and want us to retweet conference-related events and news, then include the hashtag #cure4 in your tweet, so we can find it quickly.
Main purpose: to let activists and writers at the conference know about important events before they happen. We also tweet conference and related news. We already have 58 tweets there, 3 days before CROI begins.
Anyone can read our tweets; you do NOT need a Twitter account. Just visit twitter.com/cure4. Or see the latest announcements on this page, in the right-hand column.
Alternatively, you can follow cure4 on almost any mobile phone (even without a Twitter account). Just send the text message:
follow cure4
to 40404 (Twitter's U.S. short code -- see Twitter support for more info). To turn off the tweets, send:
unfollow cure4
Note that capitalization does not matter.
If you do have a Twitter account and want us to retweet conference-related events and news, then include the hashtag #cure4 in your tweet, so we can find it quickly.
Statins Might Help HIV Patients, Study Suggests
HON: "Preliminary research suggests that statins restrain the immune systems of HIV patients and may stave off progression of the AIDS-causing virus.
Although it's too soon to recommend the drug for this purpose, the findings of this small study raise the possibility that 'there might be drugs that can help adjust the immune response in HIV patients whether they're taking AIDS medications or not,' said Dr. Brian Agan, director of HIV research with the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md. He works with some of the study's authors."
Although it's too soon to recommend the drug for this purpose, the findings of this small study raise the possibility that 'there might be drugs that can help adjust the immune response in HIV patients whether they're taking AIDS medications or not,' said Dr. Brian Agan, director of HIV research with the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md. He works with some of the study's authors."
U.S. & U.K political climate impacting HIV prevention
Chelsea Now: "As each speaker came to our class, a clear theme of regression began to emerge. Where once these same speakers had talked about social and contextual influences of risky sex and substance use, they now spoke of campaigns based on overly simplistic notions of individual responsibility without context or social influence. We also heard about cuts to NHS funding and a shifting of responsibilities from medical providers who have spent years learning about and treating person with HIV to clinicians who are our equivalent of general practitioners/ family clinicians, untrained in the complexities of HIV medical care."
In Kato’s Africa, USAID Money Spurred Spread of HIV Criminalization Laws
Housing Works: "A decade ago, not a single African country had a law that specifically criminalized HIV exposure. Now, at least 27 African nations punish exposure. These laws open the door for the jailing—or worse—of people with HIV who practice safer sex; mothers who transmit the virus to their children; and even those who have HIV but are undiagnosed.
"The spread of such laws is in part the result of a 2004 model law created by Action for West Africa Region-HIV/AIDS, a five-year project funded at just under $35 million by USAID.
“By funding the creation—and wide dissemination—of a ‘model’ HIV-specific law, USAID has sent mixed messages from the United States,” said Edwin Bernard, editor of HIV and the Criminal Law. “On the one hand, the model law supports human rights by criminalizing stigma and discrimination. But by using vague and imprecise language in its HIV criminalization statute it also creates fear, confusion and the further stigmatization of people living with HIV.”
"The spread of such laws is in part the result of a 2004 model law created by Action for West Africa Region-HIV/AIDS, a five-year project funded at just under $35 million by USAID.
“By funding the creation—and wide dissemination—of a ‘model’ HIV-specific law, USAID has sent mixed messages from the United States,” said Edwin Bernard, editor of HIV and the Criminal Law. “On the one hand, the model law supports human rights by criminalizing stigma and discrimination. But by using vague and imprecise language in its HIV criminalization statute it also creates fear, confusion and the further stigmatization of people living with HIV.”
February 22, 2011
Nano-sized vaccines
MIT news release: "MIT engineers have designed a new type of nanoparticle that could safely and effectively deliver vaccines for diseases such as HIV and malaria."
February 21, 2011
CDC Estimates Half of New HIV Infections Occur Among Black Americans
HIV/AIDS Clinical Care: "CDC researchers analyzed data on new HIV diagnoses from 2005 through 2008 in 37 states that had longstanding HIV surveillance systems. Although blacks made up only 14% of the population in these states, they accounted for half of the new HIV diagnoses made. Forty-five percent of the men with new diagnoses were black, as were 66% of the women."
Dr. Robert C Gallo Interview: HIV Research at a Crossroad?
hiv-reservoir.net (Jan. 13, 2011): "Alain Lafeuillade: it looks like the terms ‘HIV sterilizing cure’ and ‘HIV functional cure’ are no longer ‘dirty’ words for scientists. What is the main gap in our knowledge about HIV persistence that should be resolved before we can envision new strategies to reach these goals?
"Robert C. Gallo: The answer is clearly demonstrating the precise cell types that are the source of persisting HIV. This means cells that go beyond the common memory T cells that currently are chiefly studied, and demonstrating that by so-called “purging” these cells by activation mechanisms will lead to death of these cells. At the moment this is the assumption."
"Robert C. Gallo: The answer is clearly demonstrating the precise cell types that are the source of persisting HIV. This means cells that go beyond the common memory T cells that currently are chiefly studied, and demonstrating that by so-called “purging” these cells by activation mechanisms will lead to death of these cells. At the moment this is the assumption."
February 20, 2011
Fast online review of antiretroviral advances at CROI, March 3
ViralEd: "This 1.5-hour live Internet symposium will review and discuss the key studies on antiretroviral therapy presented at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The symposium will feature five well-known and recognized thought leaders in the HIV field, with four serving as presenting faculty/discussants and one as program moderator."
Comment (JSJ): There will be many reviews of the important Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston (Feb. 27 - March 2), most of them weeks or months later. This review has 5 top experts -- and happens on March 3, the day after the conference ends. It's free online for anyone, but you need to preregister.
I'm attending CROI, but will also watch this summary on the antiretroviral therapy advances presented there.
Comment (JSJ): There will be many reviews of the important Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston (Feb. 27 - March 2), most of them weeks or months later. This review has 5 top experts -- and happens on March 3, the day after the conference ends. It's free online for anyone, but you need to preregister.
I'm attending CROI, but will also watch this summary on the antiretroviral therapy advances presented there.
Positively Confined
Positively Confined [POZ blog]: "An HIV positive man incarcerated somewhere in America shares his insight and advice from behind bars."
Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of TBR-652, a CCR5/CCR2 Antagonist, in HIV-1-Infected, Treatment-Experienced, CCR5 Antagonist-Naive Subjects
JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes: "Conclusions: TBR-652 caused significant reductions in HIV-1 RNA at all doses. Significant increases in MCP-1 levels suggested strong CCR2 blockade. TBR-652 was generally well tolerated with no dose-limiting AEs. PD indicate that TBR-652 warrants further investigation as an unboosted, once-daily, oral CCR5 antagonist with potentially important CCR2-mediated anti-inflammatory effects."
February 18, 2011
Most detailed 3D-model of HIV ever made
Photoblog: "The winners of the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, sponsored jointly by the journal Science and the National Science Foundation, share spectacular photographs, graphics, illustrations and videos that engage viewers by conveying the complex substance of science through different art forms. This detailed 3-D model of the human immunodeficiency virus won first place in the illustration category."
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