Research/News - 2013
Rapid Point-of-Care HIV Tests versus Lab Tests
Dec 31, 2013
Researchers looked at the varied performace of rapid point-of-care HIV tests versus traditional laboratory testing in detecting both new/acute and established HIV infections. While some rapid tests were found to perform well, oral fluid rapid tests were found to have less... Read More
HIV Treatment and Racial Disparities
Dec 31, 2013
Researchers looked at racial and ethnic disparities in claims for antiretroviral use during pregnancy for Medicaid enrollees between 2005 - 2007. An important finding was that Hispanic women were almost four times as likely as white women to not receive ARVs during... Read More
HAART and Late Entry Into Prenatal HIV Care
Nov 30, 2013
Researchers found that women, both treatment experienced and treatment naive, who had greater than 50% adherence to HAART during the prenatal period were able to reduce their viral load to under 400 copies/mL in approximately 26 days. Viral load suppression was also... Read More
Universal versus Targeted HIV Screening in Emergency Departments
Nov 30, 2013
The setting of an emergency department poses many challenges for the implementation of an HIV screening program. While universal HIV screening is recommended, the transient population of an ED makes it hard to follow this recommendation. Researchers developed a randomized... Read More
Cured Infant Remains HIV-Free
Nov 21, 2013
The infant born HIV-positive in Mississippi and started on ART at 30 hours of age continues to show no sign of HIV-1 infection at 30 months of age. The infant received ART for 18 months after birth. This case shows the potential for early ART initiation to effect the long-... Read More
C-Sections for HIV-Positive Women
Oct 31, 2013
Although cesarean sections are recommended for preventing perinatal HIV transmission, they are currently not recommended for those women with viral loads less than 400 copies/mL in France and less than 1000 copies/mL in the US. The French Perinatal Cohort study looked at... Read More
Exposure to ARVs In Utero and Language Delays
Oct 31, 2013
Researchers from the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study found no association with exposure to ARVs in utero and language delays for HIV-exposed but negative children overall. However, in utero exposure to atazanavir showed increased odds of language delays for one-year olds... Read More
Current Usefulness of Intrapartum AZT for Perinatal HIV Transmission Prevention
Sep 30, 2013
The French Perinatal Cohort study looked at women delivering between 1997-2010 to detemine the usefulness of intrapartum AZT when a mother receives HAART during pregnancy. Usage of intrapartum AZT was over 95%. Lack of intrapartum AZT was associated with older age,... Read More
Use of Raltegravir to Prevent Perinatal Transmission
Sep 30, 2013
This case report illustrates the use of raltegravir for viral load supression late in pregnancy. Although safety and pharmacokinetic data are not available for the use of raltegravir in pregnant women, it has been used in limited cases where the patient has multidrug... Read More
HIV-Positive Women and High Rates of Intimate Partner Violence
Sep 30, 2013
Women have a higher risk of HIV infection when affected by intimate partner violence. In addition, high rates of intimate partner violence amongst HIV-positive women have been linked to poorer health outcomes, including less engagement in HIV care. Providers should work... Read More
