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US investigators have identified a possible association between the use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and an increased risk of having a baby with a cleft lip or palate. The study, published in the January edition of Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, found preliminary evidence seven anti-HIV drugs may increase the risk of this birth abnormality.

Merck & Co's recently approved Victrelis treatment for hepatitis C considerably lessens the effectiveness of some widely used medicines against the virus that causes AIDS, Merck and U.S. regulators said in separate reports.

US investigators have identified a possible association between the use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and an increased risk of having a baby with a cleft lip or palate. The study, published in the January edition of Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, found preliminary evidence seven anti-HIV drugs may increase the risk of this birth abnormality. However, the

Gay men are not the only group of HIV-positive patients who have an increased risk of anal cancer, according to North American research published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers found that incidence of the cancer was also significantly higher in non-gay HIV-positive men as well as HIV-positive women when compared to individuals in the general population.

Gay men are not the only group of HIV-positive patients who have an increased risk of anal cancer, according to North American research published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers found that incidence of the cancer was also significantly higher in non-gay HIV-positive men as well as HIV-positive women when

A member of the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology editorial board has resigned over the publication of a paper written by longtime AIDS denialist Peter Duesberg that says there is no link between HIV and AIDS, Nature reports.

Young men and adolescent boys between the ages of 11 and 21 should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, the cause of genital warts, anal and cervical cancer, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended, in a new Adult Immunization Schedule published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The committee also recommends that all gay

The genital wart vaccine Gardasil significantly reduces the risk of high-grade pre-cancerous anal lesion recurrence in men who have sex with men, US investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The vaccine reduced the risk of lesion recurrence by approximately 50% in the first two years after immunisation. There was some evidence that

Viral load is the only factor associated with a poorer antibody response to the yellow fever vaccine in patients with HIV, according to a French study published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. For patients vaccinated after diagnosis with HIV, an undetectable viral load was the “unique determinant” of

HIV doctors in the US are struggling to meet the demands of a rising patient caseload, according to the findings of a national survey. Two-thirds of HIV treatment providers reported an increase in patient numbers, and a third reported difficulties being reimbursed for the care they provided. The second annual HealthHIV State of Primary

A new report by the National AIDS Trust (NAT), a leading HIV organization in the United Kingdom, concludes that much more needs to be done to address the burgeoning epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among gay men living with HIV.

Only 45% of HIV-positive patients in the US are receiving regular medical monitoring, research published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes suggests.

The performance of OraQuick, a widely used rapid point-of-care test for HIV diagnosis, is slightly poorer when testing oral fluid samples than when testing blood samples, according to a meta-analysis published in the online edition of Lancet Infectious Diseases this week.The authors also found that if the test is used in low-prevalence settings with oral

Vitamin D supplementation is associated with an improvement in a key marker of bone health in HIV-positive young adults treated with tenofovir, US research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows. Treatment with vitamin D3 lead to a significant fall in parathyroid hormone levels, an important regulator of calcium which has a significant role in bone metabolism.

In a bid to reduce the risk of nevirapine resistance after the use of single-dose nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, several research groups are now experimenting with the use of drugs that can speed up the clearance of nevirapine from the mother’s bloodstream after giving birth. For example, adding single dose-carbamazepine, a cheap, readily available anti-convulsant

The addition of the protease inhibitors telaprevir or boceprevir to hepatitis C treatment regimens increases the risk of anaemia, according to a review article published in Liver International. The author also found that telaprevir treatment was associated with an increased risk of rash and itching as well as some anorectal symptoms. However, these side-effects were

Vitamin D supplementation may help prevent hormonal changes that can lead to bone loss among adolescents and young adults being treated for HIV with tenofovir—found in Viread, Truvada and Atripla—according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study published online ahead of print by Clinical Infectious Diseases.

South Africa, home to the highest number of HIV cases in the world, should see a massive reduction by the end of the decade after a sea-change in government policy, a UNAIDS official said Thursday.

Nearly one-third of patients experienced substantial weight loss in the first ten months after starting antiretroviral therapy, leading American and Tanzanian researchers to warn that health care workers in resource-limited settings need to be on the look out for the ill effects of anaemia, malabsorption and malnutrition in patients starting antiretroviral therapy. Three months after starting ART