Helmut Albrecht

Abacavir/3TC vs. Tenofovir/FTC: Interim Results from ACTG 5202

On February 28, 2008, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported that the protocol for ACTG 5202 is being modified because of reduced virologic response in a subset of patients who were receiving abacavir/3TC. This highly anticipated, phase III, multicenter trial involves 1858 HIV-infected adults in the U.S. who were randomized to begin antiretroviral therapy with one of four regimens: The comparison between NRTI backbones is double-blinded, with patients taking a placebo pill for whichever NRTI combination they are not receiving. The comparison between efavirenz …

Anemia and Survival

The availability of potent antiretroviral therapy has reduced the incidence of severe anemia associated with HIV infection; however, mild-to-moderate anemia remains common, with prevalence rates ranging from 13% to 46% in asymptomatic individuals, according to recent studies. In large cohorts of HIV-infected patients, anemia has been associated with accelerated disease progression, decreased survival rates, reduced functional capacity and quality of life, and, possibly, an increased risk of AIDS-associated dementia. Most of these studies, however, were conducted before the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy. Researchers from the Womens Interagency HIV Study assessed the …

HIV and Community-Acquired MRSA

Community-acquired MRSA infections are increasingly common in HIV-positive people. This article summarizes current knowledge regarding risk factors and management of these infections.

New Data on HIV and Viral Hepatitis Coinfection

a substantial proportion of HIV-infected patients are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or both. How best to

Disappointing Data from Anti-HIV Microbicide Trials

Despite some progress, anti-HIV microbicides have generally yielded disappointing results, and the studies presented at this year’s IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention were no exception. Trials Halted As previously reported, two phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of cellulose sulfate were stopped earlier this year, after one of the trials showed an increased incidence of HIV infection among women using the investigational compound (ACC Feb 12 2007). Now, researchers have provided more details about those trials. The CONRAD study took place in Africa and India and involved 1428 HIV-uninfected women (mean age, 30) who had multiple sex partners …

Crystal Meth and HIV/AIDS: The Perfect Storm?

Crystal methamphetamine (CM) is an extremely addictive stimulant that increases sexual arousal while reducing inhibition and judgment. Its use is

The Viral Load: How Low Is Low Enough?

Treatment success in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy is closely associated with suppression of viral replication. However, many patients do not reach the goal of an undetectable viral load. Whether a low, but detectable, viral load is acceptable in some treatment-experienced patients is uncertain. Of the 5574 patients in the Collaborations in HIV Outcomes Research/United States (CHORUS) cohort, this analysis included 3010 individuals who maintained stable viral loads in one of three strata ( 20,000 copies/mL) on at least two consecutive measurements taken over …

Time to ART Initiation — Breaking Down the Numbers

Recent HIV treatment guidelines advocating earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) will, if followed, increase the number of patients eligible to receive costly medications. Appropriate resource allocation for this situation will require reliable studies of the natural history of HIV infection. To that end, researchers recently evaluated the time from HIV seroconversion to various CD4-cell-count thresholds, using data from CASCADE, an international collaboration of 25 cohorts of individuals …

CCR5 Antagonists — Out with the Old, In with the New?

Maraviroc — the only currently licensed CCR5 antagonist — has proven effective in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients but is

Nurse-Led Monitoring of HIV Therapy

In the U.S., quality of care and likelihood of survival for HIV-infected patients correlate with the HIV experience of their providers. But in areas