HIV selectively suppresses anti-HIV defense cells

A new study confirms what HIV researchers until now only suspected: HIV selectively disables the immune system's response against the virus by disproportionately infecting the very cells designed to fight it. In fact, CD4+ T cells programmed to fight HIV are two to five times more likely to be infected with HIV than CD4+T cells programmed to take on other pathogens.

Breastfeeding still a life-saving formula

Recent studies indicate that exclusive breastfeeding causes a notable reduction in HIV rates of mother-to-child-transmission, and that it bears more benefits than formula feeding.

The impact on households of HIV/AIDS

Chris Desmond, Research Fellow, and Jeff Gow, Research Associate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Health Economics & HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD), summarise a survey on the impact on households of adult illness and death and the taking in of orphans.

Communication strategies for youth around HIV/AIDS

In a 23-country study among children whose homes had electricity, over 90 percent watched an average of three hours of television per day. In virtually all developing countries, most young women have regular access to television and radio. Experience shows that the most effective communication programmes involve both mass media and face-to-face communication such as peer education in small groups.

Alcohol and HIV: a study among sexually active adults in rural southwest Uganda

Alcohol consumption in developing countries increases the risk of HIV infection, possibly explaining the lower prevalence of HIV infection among Muslims, a study has found.

Vitamin A supplements can aid children's growth

Delayed growth among children suffering from HIV/AIDS, malaria and persistent diarrhoea in developing countries could be improved with Vitamin A supplements, a new study has found.

The 'Pill' linked to aggressive HIV

In a study of 115 sex workers with HIV, those who were on hormonal contraceptives - primarily birth control pills or injectable progesterone - at the time of infection had a five- to seven-fold higher risk of becoming infected with multiple strains of HIV than those not on hormones. And having multiple strains of the virus leads to faster disease progression, said Dr. Manish Sagar of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

HIV, Stigma and Parent-to-child-transmission

The Panos Institute recently carried out some research into HIV-related stigma in four different countries, India, Ukraine, Burkina Faso and Zambia. Although the countries and the research sites were very different, it was clear that in each place it is women who are stigmatised and discriminated against the most.

New findings explain T-cell loss in HIV infection

For a number of years, many scientists have believed that HIV depletes its primary target, CD4+ T cells, by blocking new T-cell production. Two independent studies now challenge that point of view, showing that HIV does not block such production but instead accelerates the division of existing cells.

AIDS and HIV Transmission: Resistant African Sex Workers may have specific Antibody Responses

African sex workers who become resistant to HIV infection can develop antibodies that target the virus in vaginal fluid, researchers say. Prof. Laurent Belec and colleagues at INSERM Unit 430 at Broussais Hospital, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, France, Project RETRO-CI, the National Program for the Fight Against AIDS in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia investigated antibody activity in persistently sero-negative sex workers.