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5 news posts in HIV & AIDS

Tat vaccine could provide a functional cure for HIV

Recipients of the vaccine develop characteristics of spontaneous ‘post-treatment controllers’, whose immune system can control the reactivation of HIV after discontinuing therapy; Frontiers in Immunology

Image of condoms. Research shows consistent condom use among Western Australian sex workers has declined over past decades: Frontiers in Public Health

Challenges for sex workers in holding the line in condom use

Criminalization of sex work is a primary factor behind a decline in consistent condom use among sex workers in one Australian state: Frontiers in Public Health

Health

01 Dec 2015

World AIDS Day 2015 – 1st December

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes HIV infection, which can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Since AIDS was clinically first observed in the USA in 1981, HIV infection has become one of the most important global health issues in the world. Held on 1st December annually since 1988, World AIDS Day gives people an opportunity to show support for people living with HIV and acknowledge those who have died. To support the global goal to stop the transmission of HIV, it is also a day to raise awareness about the prevention and control of AIDS. Although HIV infection was first detected in 1981, with the disease it causes being named AIDS in 1983 and the virus itself HIV in 1984, it is important to note that AIDS did not originate in 1981. There are two viruses associated with AIDS: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 is less pathogenic than HIV-1 and is mostly restricted to West Africa. HIV-2 is structurally similar to a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strain, SIVsm, which infects the sooty mangabey monkey. It is hypothesized that SIV crossed the species barrier to humans when contaminated animal blood entered cuts on the hands of people who were in […]

Health

28 Nov 2013

World AIDS Day 2013

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 […]

Health

28 Nov 2013

Professor John de Wit discusses HIV research and self-regulation

Frontiers presents an exclusive interview with Professor John de Wit, director of the Centre for Social Research in Health, Sydney, Australia. He recently joined Frontiers as an associate editor for the HIV and AIDS editorial board. What drove you to focus more on the social aspects of HIV rather than the biomedical? When I was a psychology student, at what is now called Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands), my interest was in understanding and changing the factors that shape people’s experiences and behaviours. I was in particular fascinated by theories of attitudes and attitude change, through communication. When I became aware of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s and had to decide on a topic for my master’s thesis, it seemed logical to look at the efficacy of HIV education in schools. This first research experience made me realise just how difficult it is to change people’s beliefs, attitudes and practices. My research over the 20 years since that early experience has been concerned with what I consider not only the most fascinating riddle of them all, but also a key component of an effective HIV response: the question why we do what we do, even if it can put us in harm’s way, and […]