Kaletra, Lexiva and Ziagen increase MIs
The DAD study presented controversial data on increased cardiovascular risks caused by Kaletra, Lexiva and Ziagen
Month: February 2009
Rosoglitazone for lipoatrophy
4 mg a day of rosiglitazone produced a gain of fat under the skin of 900 grams versus 300 grams in placebo in patients not taking zerit or azt after 48 weeksInsulin resistance improved. No weight gain. It is not known if rosiglitazone will increase cardiovascular risks in poz people as it has in hiv …
Gileads booster gs9350
Gilead is developing a booster than can do what Norvir does to boost drug levels. It seems that 150 mg of their booser may be equivalent to 100 mgIt seems that it may be more lipid friendly than norvir. No data on gut side effects were presentedThey are using it in their quad formulation of …
Cancers in hiv
From 99 til 07 infection related cancers like anal have decreased slightly but are still a lot higher in incidence than in HIV hegatives. Liver, oral-throat and hodgkins lyphoma have increased 2-4 percent. 20305 poz patients were followed from 99 til 2007 at kaiser permanente in California. Mostly gay white men, however.
Opportunistic infections
By Dr ChaissonTB has decreased a lot in AfricaTreating poz patients who have TB with HAART and TB treatment (rifampin)at the same time works best to improve survival.Immune reconstitution disease in those with HIV and TB is a strong factor in complications. Those with cryptococal meningitis and hiv have higher mortality with immune reconstitution.Prednisone is …
Complications and OIs
Richard Chaisson from John Hopkins presented survival and mortality data.There is a direct relation between economic development and mortality. Haiti has the highest mortality rate in the americas and argentina, the us and canada have the lowest.Head, esophagus, anal lung and bladder cancers have increased in poz patientsFactors involved are immune defficiency, inflammation, pro coagulation …
Vaccine Strategy
Dr richard koup reviewed where we are in vaccines. Vaxgen, the merck vaccine and the canarypox vaccines were not succesfulThree trials were stopped in 2007. The STEP trial showed that those with pre existing exposure to adenovirus ad5 had a higher infection rates on the vaccine versus placebo. Those infected were also mostly uncircumcised. Those …
HIV infection in the brain
Dr Gonzalez also explained that immune activation may also have a worse effect on the brain than the virus itself. Activated infected monocytes penetrate the blood brain barrier .People with high LPS (lipopoly saccharides that come from a leaky gut) in their blood had higher dementia also.