For years, public health experts have encouraged primary care physicians (PCPs) to screen for infectious diseases as well as cancers, heart disease risk factors, diabetes, and more. Many assessments for risk-based infections such as hepatitis B (Hep B), hepatitis C (Hep C), HIV, and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were convoluted and constantly changing, resulting … Read more
TOPLINE: Nearly 12% of individuals using preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD) within 6 months of initiating PrEP, whereas nearly 3% were diagnosed before initiation. Fewer than 9% of those diagnosed received any US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved medication for AUD. METHODOLOGY: Researchers carried out a retrospective … Read more
Historically, the presence of HIV infection in a patient with end-stage organ failure has been considered an absolute contraindication for organ transplantation. However, advances in antiretroviral therapy have significantly improved life expectancy for people living with HIV to the extent that the condition is now generally managed as a chronic disease. At the same time, … Read more
TOPLINE: Oral lamivudine, an inflammasome inhibitor originally approved for suppressing HIV, was a relatively safe and effective treatment for improving visual acuity in adults with center-involving diabetic macular edema, a serious complication of diabetic retinopathy. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of oral lamivudine vs placebo in improving visual acuity in … Read more
TOPLINE: A recent study found that antiretroviral therapy adherence below 90% was associated with significantly lower odds of viral suppression among women living with HIV. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed data from community-based prospective cohort study including women living with HIV across British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec between 2013 and 2018. Overall, 1187 participants (median age, 42 … Read more
TOPLINE: Use of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), but not other medications for HIV, was associated with a significantly reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in an analysis of two national databases. NRTIs are antiretroviral drugs that block the activation of inflammasome. METHODOLOGY: This study included data of nearly 272,000 US individuals from two national … Read more
What’s Stalling PrEP’s Success in Europe’s HIV Fight Medscape Source link
Children under 15 account for 4.3% of all new and relapsed tuberculosis (TB) cases in the WHO European Region, which includes Europe and Central Asia, compared with 3.9% in 2022, a 10% increase. The finding was released this week in the 2025 Tuberculosis Surveillance and Monitoring Report. Veronica Cristea, MD The news has prompted urgent … Read more
TOPLINE: Switching from a boosted protease inhibitor (bPI)–based regimen to bictegravir plus emtricitabine plus tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) maintained virological suppression over 48 weeks in patients with HIV who had preexisting resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), however with increased adverse events. METHODOLOGY: This phase 4 trial assessed the safety and efficacy of switching from … Read more
TOPLINE: The life expectancy of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) was found to be reduced compared with that of individuals without TB. Post-TB sequelae also reduced life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy among TB survivors in the United States. METHODOLOGY: Researchers aimed to estimate the health impact of TB, including post-TB sequelae, among survivors in … Read more