Reduced Neurotropic Factor May Explain Cognitive Impairment in HIV+ People

HIV's gp120 envelope protein appears to interfere with production of a natural compound that promotes connections between neurons in the brain, researchers reported in the July 11, 2012, Journal of Neuroscience. The investigators suggested that this may contribute to neurocognitive problems in people with HIV, and possibly other types of cognitive decline such as senile dementia.

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Bisphosphonate Drugs Linked to Atypical Femur Fractures, but Absolute Risk is Small

Use of bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used to manage bone loss and prevent fractures, actually appears to increase the likelihood of an unusual type of femur (thigh bone) fracture, according to a retrospective analysis described in the advance online edition of Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers emphasized, however, that the absolute risk of atypical femur breaks remains very low.

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HIV+ People Should Be Able to Receive Organs from HIV+ Donors, Experts Say

Legislators should lift a federal ban that prevents people with HIV from receiving organs donated by other HIV positive people, experts urged at a Congressional briefing on June 27, 2012.

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HIV Infection Associated with Increased Risk of Lung Cancer and Other non-AIDS Malignancies

HIV positive people have about a 70% higher rate of lung cancer compared with a similar HIV negative population, according to a U.S. veterans study described in the May 15, 2012, issue of AIDS. Related studies of cancer risk presented at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) in March also saw higher rates of non-AIDS malignancies among people with HIV.

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CDC Immunization Committee Recommends 2 Pneumococcal Vaccines for Immunocompromised Adults

People with compromised immune systems, including those with advanced HIV disease, should receive a combination of 2 different vaccines to prevent pneumococcal disease, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended at its meeting last week in Atlanta.

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Zoledronate Protects HIV Positive Men against Bone Loss for at Least 5 Years

The effects of 2 annual doses of zoledronate persist for at least 5 years in HIV positive men on antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a New Zealand study published in the March 14, 2012, advance online edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Visceral Fat Reduction in HIV+ People on Tesamorelin Improves Metabolic Profile

The synthetic growth hormone-releasing factor tesamorelin (Egrifta) reduces internal abdominal fat in people with HIV, which in turn leads to improvements in lipid and glucose levels, researchers reported in the June 2012 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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CROI 2012: Switching to Tenofovir Increases Bone Turnover, Raltegravir Can Improve Bone Density

HIV positive people who substituted tenofovir (Viread) for zidovudine (AZT; Retrovir) in their antiretroviral regimen showed elevated levels of biomarkers associated with bone turnover and decreased bone mineral density (BMD), researchers reported at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last month in Seattle. A related study found that switching from tenofovir to raltegravir (Isentress) led to increases in bone density.

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HIV/HCV Coinfected People Have Higher Risk of Hip Fractures

HIV positive people who also have hepatitis C virus (HCV) are more prone to hip fractures than people with HIV alone, HCV alone, or neither virus, according to research published in the May 22, 2012, advance online edition of Hepatology.

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CROI 2012: Elevated Blood Pressure Linked to Heart Attack Risk in HIV+ People

HIV positive people with elevated blood pressure are at higher risk for myocardial infarction, or heart attack, even if they do not meet the definition for high blood pressure, researchers reported at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) this month in Seattle.

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Young Men on Antiretroviral Therapy at Risk for Bone Loss

HIV positive adolescent and young adult men taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) -- especially protease inhibitors -- have lower average bone mineral density than HIV negative men of the same age, researchers reported in the May 9, 2012, advance online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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CROI 2012: Metformin, Statins, and ACE Inhibitors May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk of People with HIV

The diabetes drug metformin can help stall progression of calcium build-up in the arteries of HIV positive people with metabolic abnormalities, potentially reducing their risk of cardiovascular events, researchers reported this month at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) in Seattle. Other studies found that statin drugs showed a trend toward lowering the risk of non-AIDS events and death, and an ACE inhibitor reduced blood pressure and certain inflammation biomarkers.

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Starting ART below 350 CD4 Cells is Associated with Impaired Artery Function

HIV positive people who ever had a CD4 T-cell count below 350 cells/mm³ are more likely to have reduced flow-mediated dilation, a sign of blood vessel dysfunction linked to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, according to a study described in the June 1, 2012, issue of AIDS. These findings suggest that starting antiretroviral treatment above this CD4 level may be beneficial.

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Coverage of the 2012 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections

HIVandHepatitis.com's complete coverage of the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012), March 5-8, 2012.

Featuring new HIV drugs, HIV cure research, biomedical prevention, HIV-related conditions and complications, basic science, hepatitis C, and HIV/HCV coinfection.

Full listing by topic

HIVandHepatitis.com CROI 2012 section

3/16/12

Cryptococcal Meningitis Study Halted after Early HIV Treatment Linked to Higher Mortality

A study looking at timing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people with cryptococcal meningitis was stopped early because patients who started HIV treatment immediately had a higher risk of death than those who waited until a few weeks after starting meningitis treatment.

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CROI 2012: HIV Brain Impairment: Who Gets It, and Why?

A number of papers at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle presented advances in research on HIV-related brain impairment and neurocognitive problems.

A couple of problems have dogged research into HIV-related brain impairment. One is how to differentiate between degrees of severity. Psychological tests can detect barely noticeable slowing of performance but the high prevalence of this asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) overestimates the proportion of people with HIV who have real difficulty with working or daily life. We also do not know to what extent ANI is a predictor of the development of significant impairment, because some people improve, especially with antiretroviral treatment (ART).

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ASCO 2012: Breast Cancer Outcomes among HIV Positive Women

Women with HIV can do well on a variety of different types of treatment for breast cancer, but they are prone to infections and blood cell deficiencies and may benefit from adjunct therapies, researchers reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (ASCO 2012) taking place this week in Chicago.

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CROI 2012: Uncontrolled HIV Linked to Faster Lung Function Decline

People with detectable HIV viral load and advanced immune deficiency are likely to experience greater decreases in lung function over time, with high viral load linked to more impairment than smoking, according to a study presented last week at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle.

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HIV Infection Linked to Increased Stroke Risk

HIV positive people may have a higher risk of stroke independent of traditional risk factors, with the largest relative increase among younger people and women, according to study findings published in the May 10, 2012, advance online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

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CROI 2012: Electrocautery Superior to Imiquimod or 5-Fluorouracil for Treatment of Anal Neoplasia

Electrocautery was shown to be more effective and tolerable than topical imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil as a treatment for anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) in HIV positive men who have sex with men (MSM), researchers reported in a late-breaker presentation at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle.

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