World AIDS Day, held every year on 1 December, is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. In this first of two blog posts dedicated to World AIDS Day, Frontiers presents a selection of articles on HIV and AIDS research.

Eradication of HIV and cure of AIDS, now and how?

Frontiers in Immunology

(Jielin Zhang and Clyde Crumpacker)

This paper proposes novel strategies to combat HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy)-resistant HIV and reviews current HIV treatment strategies and their limitations.

Association Study of Lipoprotein (a) Genetic Markers, Traditional Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease in HIV-1-infected Patients

Frontiers in Immunology

(Lander Egaña-Gorroño, Esteban Martínez, Tuixent Escribà, Marta Calvo, José M. Gatell and Mireia Arnedo)

HIV and HAART drugs can interact with the body in many different ways. This paper examines how coronary heart disease affects HIV-infected patients compared to uninfected individuals.

Immune activation and collateral damage in AIDS pathogenesis

Frontiers in Immunology

(Frank Miedema, Mette D. Hazenberg, Kiki Tesselaar, Debbie van Baarle, Rob J. de Boer and José A. M. Borghans)

The body’s immune system response to HIV is the main driving factor behind the development of AIDS. This review lays out how a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of immune activation may help facilitate therapeutic interventions.

Perceived risk modifies the effect of HIV knowledge on sexual risk behaviors

Frontiers in Public Health

(Gholamhossein Noroozinejad, Mosaieb Yarmohmmadi Vasel, Fatemeh Bazrafkan, Mahmoud Sehat, Majid Rezazadeh and Khodabakhsh Ahmadi)

Improved knowledge of HIV isn’t necessarily correlated with less risky sexual behaviour. In a study of intravenous drug users, a research group found that only those individuals who had a low perceived risk of catching HIV benefited from HIV education.

Early Detection of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus in the Central Nervous System Following Oral Administration to Rhesus Macaques

Frontiers in Immunology

(Jeffrey M. Milush, Hui-Ling Chen, Ginger Atteberry and Donald L. Sodora)

In this paper, researchers follow how quickly SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus, a similar virus to HIV) spreads to the central nervous system of rhesus macaques, following oral infection. Knowledge of how HIV spreads throughout the body is important when considering future HIV therapies.

Lessons to be learned from natural control of HIV – future directions, therapeutic, and preventive implications

Frontiers in Immunology

(David Shasha and Bruce D. Walker)

This review outlines progresses in understanding how rare individuals can spontaneously control HIV replication and the impact of studying these individuals could have on controlling the disease.

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Read more articles on HIV and AIDS here.

Find out more about World AIDS Day here.

Read an exclusive interview with John de Wit, director of the Centre for Social Research in Health in Sydney, Australia, here.