Last Chance to Take Visitor Survey
It's not too late to take The Body's Summer 2001 Visitor Survey and win an Amazon.com gift certificate! Tell us what you like and dislike about our site! Survey will go down August 31, 2001.
The Latest on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Therapeutic drug monitoring is likely to provide another useful piece of information -- along with CD4+ cell counts, viral load and resistance testing -- to help assess the effectiveness of anti-HIV regimens as well as reducing the risk for certain side effects. For more on this new test, read Project Inform's new article.
Emerging HIV Reserarch Theories
Advances in basic science have greatly improved the care of people living with HIV. Project Inform reports on a few major recent discoveries and sheds light on a new emerging theory about the role and implications of cholesterol in HIV infection.
Why You Should Become An Advocate
Judith Dillard is the perfect example of why grassroots advocacy works. Once homeless, she is now a treatment advocate for Women Alive. She says women will always be left out unless they speak up. For more on Dillard and why grassroots advocacy works, click here.
Getting the Immune System to Fight Back
David Pieribone writes in Positive Living from AIDS Project Los Angeles how the immune system can be coaxed to fight back.
Rescue Regimens
Body Positive looks at choosing the right HIV therapy while still keeping in mind the need for future options if treatment fails. They also look at some current options in "rescue regimens," i.e., treatment given to someone once they have cycled through the three classes of HIV drugs and treatment has failed.
Why HIV Specialists Are Better
A study published in the June 2001 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine by Academy member Valerie E. Stone, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues suggests that generalist physicians and those with little experience in treating HIV need expert advice to deal with the increasingly complex treatment options. Read the details from The Nexus, newsletter of the American Academy of HIV Medicine.
New Definition of HIV Specialist
The American Academy of HIV Medicine has released its definition of an HIV specialist. Does your doctor meet these specifications?
HIV Prevention for the Over Fifty Set
The New York Association on HIV Over Fifty and The Ryan Center introduce older adults to the world of HIV through comic book-style scenarios. Read the story in Body Positive.
News Roundup
Missed the news last month? Browse through Body Positive's HIV/AIDS news roundup.
Common Emergencies for HIV-Positive People
HIV is associated with several diseases that may be life-threatening and need quick intervention by healthcare workers. These emergencies could be related to complications from the use of anti-HIV medication or opportunistic infections that occur as the immune system gets weaker. Click here to read this article from The Center for AIDS.
The Latest on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
With the latest AIDS treatments have also come reports of elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (types of fat) in the blood. This new article from The Center for AIDS offers a cardiologist's view on testing and treatment.
Treating Drug-Resistant Herpes
Unfortunately, cases of herpes resistant to Zovirax, Valtrex and Famvir are increasingly leaving doctors and their patients with few options. However, a group of doctors in New York recently reported the case of a person with AIDS who successfully recovered from drug-resistant herpes when he was treated with the immune booster Aldara (imiquimod). Read the latest report from the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange.
Party Drugs and HIV
At a recent Community Research Initiative on AIDS Forum in New York, Drs. Carragher and Cheslow provided background information on party drugs, discussed the psychological aspects of party drug use and addressed special issues for HIV-positive people using party drugs.
The Latest on Hepatitis
Hepatitis infection is not usually fatal, and with close monitoring and treatment if necessary, people with hepatitis and HIV can expect relatively good health. Read this recent forum summary about hepatitis B basics, liver toxicity and hepatitis C and HIV coinfection, from Community Research Initiative on AIDS.
STDs in the USA
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, in the United States:
- STDs infect approximately 12 million persons each year.
- 774,467 AIDS cases, nearly two-thirds of which were sexually transmitted, have been reported since 1981.
- An estimated 800,000 to 900,000 persons are living with HIV.
- An estimated one-third of those living with HIV are aware of their status and are in treatment, one-third are aware but not in treatment, and one-third have not been tested and are not aware.
- An estimated 40,000 new HIV infections occur each year.
Click here to read more.
Women and AIDS
Read this review by Project Inform on the current state of women and AIDS.
Online Expert for Women with HIV
Got questions on women and HIV? Ask your questions on side effects
or gender differences in treatment and testing. Dr. Judith Aberg is available to answer your questions!
The Facts About Needle Exchange
Why needle exchange works. The facts from AIDS Action.
Web Highlights
A Selection of the Top HIV/AIDS Stories from Across the Internet
Dr. Joel Gallant and Others Report on The 1st IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment
From The Hopkins HIV Report (September 1, 2001)
Diagnosing In the Dark
A complex mix of symptoms and a shrinking number of AIDS physicians can add up to an opportunistic infection identification crapshoot. Diarrhea, fatigue or nausea may be dismissed as drug side effects even when caused by an OI or HIV itself.
From Being Alive (September 2001)
Study Shows "Very Low" HIV Risk from Oral Sex
New research estimates possibility of infection somewhere between 0-2 percent
From Washington Blade (August 24, 2001)
A Starchy Substance that Drains Cholesterol from Cell Membranes Can Completely Block HIV Transmission
From the Journal of American Medical Association (August 22-29, 2001)
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