Acute Arthritis in Traveller Reveals Rare Viral Infection

Key Takeaways In cases of acute arthritis, it is crucial to consider infectious causes, particularly viral infections. This recommendation was made by a team of rheumatologists led by Dr Matthias Wahle, head and senior physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany, based on the case of a 59-year-old woman.  … Read more

Two-Drug HIV Therapy Effective Without Resistance Testing

TOPLINE: Dolutegravir plus lamivudine demonstrates noninferiority to the standard-of-care three-drug regimen in treatment-naive patients with HIV without preliminary drug resistance testing. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a randomized, noninferiority, phase 4 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dolutegravir plus lamivudine in untreated patients with HIV with no preliminary drug resistance testing. Overall, 223 participants (median … Read more

Gonorrhea and Syphilis Cases Skyrocket in Europe

Cases of gonorrhea and syphilis skyrocketed between 2022 and 2023 in European Union/European Economic Association countries, reported the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in its latest Annual Epidemiological Reports on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Between 2014 and 2023, the ECDC reported a 321% increase in cases of gonorrhea, a 100% increase in … Read more

Blood Test Predicts How Long Vaccines Will Protect You

How long will vaccine protection last? A simple blood test may have the answer. Researchers at Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, have identified a molecular signature in the blood that appears days after vaccination and predicts the durability of the immune response. Published in Nature Immunology in January, this discovery could transform vaccine development, … Read more

HIV Transmission Bursts Triple Future Transmission Risk

TOPLINE: Lineages involved in transmission bursts of HIV contribute to nearly three times more future transmission events than those not involved in bursts. Adolescents, gender minorities, and those with diagnoses of HIV during acute infection have a higher likelihood for burst involvement. METHODOLOGY: Researchers performed a phylogenetic analysis of data from six geographic regions in … Read more

DoxyPEP Cuts STIs in At-Risk Groups

Doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) has the potential to substantially reduce real-world population-level incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggested. This conclusion was reached by Stephanie E. Cohen, MD, medical director of the San Francisco City Clinic, Department of Public Health in San Francisco, and colleagues after examining STI trends … Read more

Innovations in HIV Care for Women Worldwide

Every week, 4000 young cisgender women aged 15-24 years contract HIV globally, according to 2023 data. Infections in this age group accounted for 44% of the new global infections that year, highlighting the vulnerability of this population to AIDS. Despite these alarming figures, awareness of and access to preventive measures, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) … Read more