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Copyright 2008. The Friends of AIDS Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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| Community News May/June 2008 |
SMART Study Backs Continuing HAART Even When CD4 Count Is Above 350
Maintaining a CD4+ cell count over 350 cells results in a lower risk of AIDS-related complications
or death among HIV-infected patients, according to the results from an analysis of the SMART
study that was published in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The analysis
showed that, over a mean 16 months of follow-up, patients who were taking HAART and had a
CD4+ cell count above 350 were less than half as likely to experience an opportunistic infection
or die than patients who were not taking HAART and had a CD4+ cell count above 350. The
researchers attributed the difference to the presence of a higher HIV viral load among the
patients who discontinued therapy.
or death among HIV-infected patients, according to the results from an analysis of the SMART
study that was published in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The analysis
showed that, over a mean 16 months of follow-up, patients who were taking HAART and had a
CD4+ cell count above 350 were less than half as likely to experience an opportunistic infection
or die than patients who were not taking HAART and had a CD4+ cell count above 350. The
researchers attributed the difference to the presence of a higher HIV viral load among the
patients who discontinued therapy.
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Study Affirms Value of Initiating HIV Treatment Before CD4 Drops Below 350
In a separate analysis of SMART data published in the same issue of the Journal of Infectious
Diseases, findings from other recent studies regarding the benefits of early HAART initiation
were reaffirmed. Among a subset of SMART trial participants who were either antiretroviral naive
or had not received therapy in the preceding six months, those who initiated HAART with a CD4+
cell count greater than 350 were found to be significantly less likely to develop an opportunistic
infection, develop a serious non-AIDS-defining event or die than patients who initiated HAART
when their CD4+ cell count dropped below 250.
Diseases, findings from other recent studies regarding the benefits of early HAART initiation
were reaffirmed. Among a subset of SMART trial participants who were either antiretroviral naive
or had not received therapy in the preceding six months, those who initiated HAART with a CD4+
cell count greater than 350 were found to be significantly less likely to develop an opportunistic
infection, develop a serious non-AIDS-defining event or die than patients who initiated HAART
when their CD4+ cell count dropped below 250.
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HIV May Reproduce Much Faster Than Previously Thought, Researchers Say
A single, HIV-infected immune cell may produce more than 50,000 copies of HIV during its life
span, according to a new U.S. study. "Previous estimates, which just looked at a cell at a single
point in time, suggested that 100 to 200 viruses might be made in each infected cell. That
estimate was later raised to 1,000 to 2,000," said Alan Perelson, Ph.D., of Los Alamos National
Laboratories, a leading investigator in the study. "But when we looked at a cell over its life span,
we found each cell was making approximately 50,000 viruses -- and it looks like that's the
minimum." The findings, although conducted in SIV-infected rhesus macaques, have potential
implications for our understanding of HIV pathogenesis and disease progression.
span, according to a new U.S. study. "Previous estimates, which just looked at a cell at a single
point in time, suggested that 100 to 200 viruses might be made in each infected cell. That
estimate was later raised to 1,000 to 2,000," said Alan Perelson, Ph.D., of Los Alamos National
Laboratories, a leading investigator in the study. "But when we looked at a cell over its life span,
we found each cell was making approximately 50,000 viruses -- and it looks like that's the
minimum." The findings, although conducted in SIV-infected rhesus macaques, have potential
implications for our understanding of HIV pathogenesis and disease progression.
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| The importance of knowing if you have HIV is getting early medical treatment, learning all you can about HIV disease and protecting yourself and others. Because there are many new drugs and treatments available, people are living longer and healthier lives with HIV/AIDS. CLICK HERE TO FIND A TESTING LOCATION NOW! |
Majority of Patients Will Be Able to Use Intelence
Intelence (etravirine) is likely to work well in the vast majority of people who’ve had treatment
failures from Sustiva (efavirenz) and Viramune (nevirapine), according to a research letter
published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
Intelence is an antiretroviral (ARV) treatment from the class of drugs known as non-nucleoside
reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). It was recently approved for use in people who have
resistance to multiple other ARV treatments. Intelence causes HIV to evolve a fairly different
pattern of drug-resistance mutations than the other approved NNRTIs, and is likely to work even
after people have developed resistance to these older options. There are, however, specific
mutations common to all of the NNRTIs, and some people with resistance from previous NNRTI
use do not respond to Intelence.
In order to determine what proportion of their NNRTI-experienced clinic patients would likely
respond to Intelence, a group of scientists from the St. Stephens Centre at the Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital in London examined the genotypic resistance test results from 743 study
subjects.
The authors found that 90 percent of the 352 patients who had been on a regimen containing
Sustiva would likely respond well to a regimen containing Intelence. Of 391 people who’d been
on a regimen containing Viramune, 88 percent would likely respond to Intelence.
failures from Sustiva (efavirenz) and Viramune (nevirapine), according to a research letter
published in the May 11 issue of AIDS.
Intelence is an antiretroviral (ARV) treatment from the class of drugs known as non-nucleoside
reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). It was recently approved for use in people who have
resistance to multiple other ARV treatments. Intelence causes HIV to evolve a fairly different
pattern of drug-resistance mutations than the other approved NNRTIs, and is likely to work even
after people have developed resistance to these older options. There are, however, specific
mutations common to all of the NNRTIs, and some people with resistance from previous NNRTI
use do not respond to Intelence.
In order to determine what proportion of their NNRTI-experienced clinic patients would likely
respond to Intelence, a group of scientists from the St. Stephens Centre at the Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital in London examined the genotypic resistance test results from 743 study
subjects.
The authors found that 90 percent of the 352 patients who had been on a regimen containing
Sustiva would likely respond well to a regimen containing Intelence. Of 391 people who’d been
on a regimen containing Viramune, 88 percent would likely respond to Intelence.
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