Recently diagnosed with HIV? Click here

Positive Living April 2006

Cover Story

Viral rebound: How stop-start spelled the end for SMART

Positive Living article — Thursday, 27 April 2006

The sudden cancellation of a large HIV clinical studyA clinical trial is a research study to answer specific questions about vaccines or new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work in people. Trials are in four phases: Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. has significant implications for how we treat HIV. KIRSTY MACHON reports. read more »

Tags: clinical trials, treatment interruption, treatment side effects

News

Surge in new infections

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

A substantial rise in new HIV diagnoses in Victoria has meant the number of people diagnosed Australia wide has continued to rise, causing widespread concern among governments and community groups. read more »

Psychologists to be covered by Medicare

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

A $1.8 billion, five year plan announced by Prime Minister John Howard in early April will increase mental health services and provide Medicare rebates for psychologists for the first time. read more »

Feature

Christmas with the HIV children in Romania

Positive Living article • Don Hindle • 27 April 2006

Don Hindle visits the Sigureni Hospital in Romania, where an energetic doctor is caring for a group of HIV-positive orphans. read more »

Dealing with depression

Positive Living article • David Menadue • 27 April 2006

Feeling blue from time to time is normal, but when the blues won't go away there is much that can be done to deal with depression. DAVID MENADUE investigates. read more »

Treatment breaks: an individual perspective

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

With the SMART trial making treatment interruptions a much less attractive option for people with HIV, we take a look at one man’s experience of taking a break from treatments. read more »

Rocky Mountain CROI

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

The 13th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) took place in Denver, Colorado, from February 5 to 8. The major breaking news from this conference was the premature cancellation of the SMART study, but as usual, this important conference produced a great deal more than a single story. read more »

The T-20 conundrum

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

What is the place of T-20 in the spectrum of HIV treatment, and when is the best time to start treatment on T-20? These were among the questions considered at a meeting in Sydney on Saturday 8 April. read more »

Regular

Backgrounder

Power-packed proteases

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

In the last issue, we took a look at the nucleoside analogue 'backbone' of anti-HIV treatment, but a strong backbone is only part of the story -- it needs something to hold up. This Backgrounder looks at the protease inhibitorA type of anti-HIV drug that works by preventing the production of an enzyme, protease, that HIV needs to replicate. class of drugs. read more »

News Briefs

News and treatments briefs

Positive Living article • Paul Kidd • 27 April 2006

HIV-related news in brief from the April 2006 edition of Positive Living. read more »

Positive Voices

One Day

Positive Living article • Ian J Thompson • 27 April 2006

Not all my days are the same, but Thursday is the day I do my volunteer work for PLWHAPerson (or People) Living with HIV/AIDS. NSW, something I look forward to each week. Going into the office makes me feel good, it gives me purpose and motivation, and allows me to enter an environment that I always find welcoming, friendly and rewarding. read more »

Complementary Therapies

Acupuncture

Positive Living article • Jim Arachne • 27 April 2006

Acupuncture, one of the major branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used by HIV-positive people for many years. Acupuncture can help relieve the symptoms of HIV infection or treatment side effects, and can support general health. read more »

Text size: font smallerfont normalfont larger print-friendly version of this pagePDF version of this pageemail this page to a friend

From Positive Living

Positive Living is NAPWA's national HIV treatments publication, published four times a year. More information.

You can read PL on this website, subscribe to our free email version, or pick up a free copy in your local gay and lesbian community newspaper. If you'd rather receive PL through the post, we are happy to provide a free subscription to positive people anywhere in Australia.

Positive Living is distributed with generous assistance from Gilead Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline.
Gilead and GlaxoSmithKline logos

Download PDF version

AttachmentSize
PDF version of this issue994.3 KB

HIV Clinical Trials update

Recently updated entries from the NAPWA Clinical Trials database.

more