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Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

"An effective vaccine against the AIDS virus may have moved one step closer to reality, researchers said Thursday," the Los Angeles Times reports. "Federal researchers have identified a pair of naturally occurring antibodies that are able to kill more than 90% of all strains of the AIDS virus, a finding they say could lead to the development of new treatments for HIV infections and to the production of the first successful vaccine against the virus" (Maugh, 7/9).

12 Jul 2010

Study examines impact of universal HIV testing, immediate ART program in Washington, DC

Implementing a program of universal HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral treatment for infected individuals could have a major impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC, but a new study finds that it would not halt the epidemic, something that a previous report had projected. In a paper that will appear in the August 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and has been released online, researchers find that the so-called "test-and-treat" strategy could reduce new HIV infections by 15 percent over the next five years while conferring large survival benefits to HIV-infected patients.

12 Jul 2010

World Bank announces new head for its HIV/AIDS program

"The World Bank on Thursday named David Wilson, a Zimbabwean national who has written extensively about AIDS in the developing world, to head the poverty-fighting institution's global HIV/AIDS program," Reuters reports.

12 Jul 2010

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

In a special section in advance of the International AIDS Conference, Science examines the "state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and Ukraine, which account for more than 90% of HIV infections in Eastern Europe."

12 Jul 2010

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

"President Barack Obama said Saturday the country has a 'solemn responsibility' to ensure that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get the help they need. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is to announce new regulations Monday intended to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive government benefits. The new rules will not only apply to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but also those who served in previous conflicts. The regulations drop a provision requiring veterans to prove what caused their illness. Instead, veterans would have to show that the conditions surrounding the time and place of their service could have contributed to their illness" (Pace, 7/10).

12 Jul 2010

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

A program that for a decade helped New York City's poor and elderly navigate their way through insurance problems — and that became a model for a similar federal program — has become a casualty of city budget cuts, an administrator of the program said on Thursday. The $4 million program sent ombudsmen to 25 social service agencies across the city.

9 Jul 2010

HHS to give states $25 million for HIV drugs; Researchers identify antibodies that may help in AIDS vaccine research

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday "that she would provide $25 million more to help states buy life-saving medications for people with H.I.V. or AIDS. Advocates for patients said the money was not nearly enough to eliminate waiting lists, which have surged to record levels as people have lost health insurance, along with their jobs, and states have cut their budgets. Ms. Sebelius said she was 'reallocating and transferring $25 million in existing resources' to provide medicines for people on waiting lists.

9 Jul 2010

AHF: 15 Zambian health care professionals to train HIV Medics

Graduation ceremonies will be held Saturday, July 10th in Lukasa for 15 Zambian health care professionals from several districts throughout the country who have completed an educational training program administered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation. This will enable the graduates to train classes of HIV Medics to work in the country's growing fight against HIV/AIDS.

9 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 9, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about some little-known health reform provisions and how the Obama administration is using technology to help consumers navigate changes resulting from the health overhaul.

9 Jul 2010

State AIDS programs struggle as joblessness increases demand

Growing joblessness and shrinking state and federal budgets have exacerbated the financial burden on the government that provides prescription drug treatment to people with HIV/AIDS. "Now, many people with HIV are losing jobs, along with insurance, or discovering that they are infected at a time when the AIDS Drug Assistance Program — ADAP — they depend on is being overwhelmed by demands being made on it.

9 Jul 2010

Media outlets examine efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS worldwide

Ahead of the International AIDS Conference, set for July 18-23 in Vienna, Austria, Reuters features an interview with Gottfried Hirnschall, the new director of the WHO's HIV Department, who speaks of the need for current funds for the global HIV/AIDS programs to be used more efficiently to achieve universal access to treatment for all HIV/AIDS patients.

9 Jul 2010

Biomagnetics, LANL collaborate to develop device for tuberculosis diagnosis

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary technology for diagnostic systems for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced the signing of an agreement with Los Alamos National Security, LLC where Los Alamos National Laboratory's scientific and engineering staffs will attempt to identify new potential human tuberculosis biomarkers and will develop a validated assay to detect human tuberculosis using a currently known biomarker to be used in combination with the waveguide-based optical biosensor platform.

9 Jul 2010

American, Canadian officials discuss global health developments at recent G8, G20 summits

The recent G8 summit in Canada's Muskoka region took an important step forward in improving maternal and child health in developing countries, Canadian and American officials said at a forum Wednesday in Washington, DC.

9 Jul 2010

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the issuance of patents covering compositions and methods of using its synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The Company's intellectual property portfolio currently contains over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide and includes claims for TLR-targeted compounds, second-generation antisense chemistry, and oral delivery of certain oligonucleotides.

8 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 8, 2010

Today's headlines reflect the continued coverage of President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to head CMS as well as other developments related to Medicaid, the health insurance industry and state challenges to the health reform law.

8 Jul 2010

Experts to sound alarm on the worsening global AIDS crisis among MSM

Many of the world's leading experts on the health and human rights of men who have sex with men (MSM) will gather on Tuesday, July 20 for a press briefing to sound the alarm on the worsening global AIDS crisis among MSM -- and the role that tragic human rights violations and ignorance play in the spread of the epidemic.

8 Jul 2010

AHF denounces Obama administration plan to address AIDS drug crisis with $25M

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, will host a press teleconference tomorrow, Thursday, July 8th at 10:00 AM Pacific/1:00 PM Eastern, to denounce an Obama administration plan to address AIDS drug crisis with an insufficient $25 million as "too little, too late."

8 Jul 2010

Increasing HAART treatment for HIV/AIDS patients will provide significant cost savings: Study

Increasing highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment for people with HIV/AIDS will provide significant cost savings over a relatively short period of time, according to a formal economic analysis led by researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) at Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia.

8 Jul 2010

LSUHSC awarded $4M grant to study cannabinoid treatment for HIV infection

Patricia Molina, MD, PhD, Professor and Head of Physiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has been awarded a $4 million grant over five years by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to study how cannabinoids, the principal psychoactive component of marijuana, produce subtle changes in gene activity that affect how a person responds to HIV infection.

8 Jul 2010

VA addresses health concerns including possible HIV exposure and Veterans' general poor health

"The Democratic chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee lambasted the Obama administration over its handling of an incident at a St. Louis VA center in which more than 1,800 veterans were told they may have been exposed to HIV. ... The Department of Veterans Affairs last month sent a letter to 1,812 patients informing them that could have been exposed to HIV and other deadly viruses because of dental equipment that was insufficiently sterilized over a period of 13 months."

7 Jul 2010

HIV 1 News and Research

Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

Study examines impact of universal HIV testing, immediate ART program in Washington, DC

World Bank announces new head for its HIV/AIDS program

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

HHS to give states $25 million for HIV drugs; Researchers identify antibodies that may help in AIDS vaccine research

AHF: 15 Zambian health care professionals to train HIV Medics

First Edition: July 9, 2010

State AIDS programs struggle as joblessness increases demand

Media outlets examine efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS worldwide

Biomagnetics, LANL collaborate to develop device for tuberculosis diagnosis

American, Canadian officials discuss global health developments at recent G8, G20 summits

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

First Edition: July 8, 2010

Experts to sound alarm on the worsening global AIDS crisis among MSM

AHF denounces Obama administration plan to address AIDS drug crisis with $25M

Increasing HAART treatment for HIV/AIDS patients will provide significant cost savings: Study

LSUHSC awarded $4M grant to study cannabinoid treatment for HIV infection

VA addresses health concerns including possible HIV exposure and Veterans' general poor health

Decoding Cannabis: Differentiating Hemp and Marijuana

Deciphering the Microbiome with The Microsetta Initiative

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

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