 Hey everyone, Raif Derrazy here, and this is your weekly roundup of the latest HIV news for the week of October 16th through October 22nd I know it's been a while, but here we are This is the week that I've got to cover for you and we'll try to catch up as the weeks go on from here today I'll be going through 14 articles covering topics ranging from whether HIV in the brain correlates with neurocognitive Symptoms, the need for people living with HIV to have anal cancer screening, the case of a man who has controlled HIV for 23 years after a short course of treatment COVID-19 raises the risk of CVD or cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV HIV viral rebound is rare, but possible following Mpox vaccination and more I won't be reading the articles per se But I will give you a brief summary and sometimes throw in my own opinion or commentary If you'd like to access the complete articles, all links will be available in the description box below But first a massive thank you to a few subscribers for their recent super things and donations I'm sorry if I mispronounce your name Anna-Own-Yo $60 PayPal donation. Thank you so much, Tan Anderson for your $30 super chat on my news video and the $29 super thanks on my Paul Edmunds interview All right, let's jump in number one AIDS map man controls HIV for 23 years after a short course of treatment A man diagnosed with HIV in 1998 has been effectively controlling the virus for 23 years without continuous treatment according to a study by Dutch researchers The unique case considered a functional cure or remission involved a complex initial antiretroviral therapy discontinued in 2000 after achieving viral suppression the man remained undetectable for 23 years and Genetic analyses revealed a lack of conventional protective genes, but a unique CD8 immune cell feature Provirus analysis showed viable HIV in his cells with a mutation possibly slowing replication Strong CD8 responses and slower replication Contributed to the exceptional virological control the article uses a couple terms that are common for this type of viral control In the instance where someone and never develops the viremia or a viral load that then has to be treated by ARVs, they're often called Elite controllers in the instance where they do initially develop viremia and consequently have to go on ARVs And then upon removing ARV therapy their body is able to suppress the virus on its own They're often called post treatment controllers When I bring on Michael Luella to talk about the community preferred language document We'll discuss why at least the first term elite controllers may be problematic and what the potential alternatives will be It'll be a really good discussion. There's some contentiousness going on about Some of the terms and whatnot. It's that's why it's an evolving language document and we'll cover that soon Number two abc news people with hiv at higher risk of covet re-infection says the cdc New federal data indicates that individuals with hiv face an increased risk of a re-infection with the covet 19 virus A study conducted by researchers from the centers for disease control and prevention and the chicago department of public health Found that among over 453,000 chicago residents who tested positive for covet 19 About five percent experienced re-infection Notably the re-infection rate was higher among people with hiv at 6.7 percent compared to those without hiv at 5.2 percent So comparing 6.7 to 5.2 percent people with hiv experienced covet 19 re-infection almost 29 percent more often. That's a substantial number People with hiv were more likely to have completed a primary covet vaccine series and booster at 31.8 percent Then those without hiv at only 27 percent So in spite of the increased likelihood of someone living with hiv having had their covet vaccine series and booster They were still more likely to experience covet 19 re-infection Also noteworthy is that quote those who were re-infected were more likely to be male Older and black or african-american compared to those without hiv and quote the findings emphasize the importance of tailored public health guidance and vaccination strategies for individuals with hiv to reduce the elevated risk of re-infection Number three AIDS map covet 19 raises the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with hiv A spanish study presented at the 19th european AIDS conference Reveals that individuals with hiv who contract covet 19 face a 35 higher risk of major cardiovascular events In the following year compared to those with hiv who do not get covet 19 The heightened risk was concentrated in thrombosis Heart failure and other heart disorders the study analyzing data from the ps cis hiv cohort And pad ris pat podris database Emphasize the importance of cardiovascular health and people with hiv recovering from covet 19 Urging vaccination and booster doses to mitigate the increased risk of heart disease in this population number four euro news Scotland launches britain's first anti hiv campaign in 40 years to combat stigma Scotland is witnessing the launch of the uk's first major public health campaign against hiv AIDS in four decades Initiated by the terrence higgins trust also known as tht the leading hiv charity in britain Unlike the earlier campaigns focused on risk This initiative aims to combat the lingering stigma associated with the virus despite significant progress in diagnosis treatment and prevention A recent study funded by the scottish government reveals low levels of knowledge about hiv in scotland with 46 Expressing shame about disclosing their hiv positive status The tht terrence higgins trust campaign Seeks to address these issues and educate the public about advancements in hiv understanding and treatment over the past 40 years Number five the dallas morning news prism health expands condom delivery service to include at-home hiv tests statewide Texans can now receive free at-home hiv tests through the expanded nice package program by prism health north texas Launched in 2020 the program initially offered free monthly condom deliveries Texans can choose from various packages including condoms dental dams and lubricant with an option to add an or a quick in-home test kit Amid rising sexually transmitted infection rates This initiative addresses the need for regular testing as part of prevention Each at-home test costs 25 dollars providing an accessible and private option Especially for those uncomfortable with public testing venues prism health north texas aims to combat the increasing rates of stis Particularly in designated priority areas like dallas and terrant counties the nice package program distributed over 220,000 condoms from september 2022 to august 2023 The at-home hiv test which uses a cheek swab delivers results within 20 to 40 minutes And is 92 effective at detecting hiv The initiative includes resources for treatment and support for those testing positive Emphasizing the importance of addressing hiv and stis with accessible and innovative solutions Number six aids map making pep available in the community could reduce new hiv cases in africa by 31 Making the antiretroviral regimen of tenapha vir, lemivudine and dalu tegra vir also known as tld available in the community for post-exposure prophylaxis or pep After condomless sex without a prescription could reduce hiv acquisition by 31 Over 20 years in african countries according to a modeling study published in lancet global health Currently pep is not widely available in community settings in eastern and southern africa The model used tld a preferred first line treatment regimen in most african countries to assess the potential impact of community access to pep The results showed increased uptake and a 31 decline in hiv incidents over 20 years with cost-effective outcomes While the analysis suggests feasibility Unanswered questions about community tld including its acceptability and potential drawbacks Highlight the need for pilot implementation studies The researchers emphasize the regulatory barriers to access and recommend exploring the distribution of pep packs in public places to enhance accessibility Number seven business wire gilead sciences announces new clinical trial in europe to assess Lenocapavir for hiv prevention as part of landmark purpose program Gilead sciences has initiated purpose five the first phase two clinical trial to evaluate An investigational long-acting hiv prevention option in europe The study will assess the persistence of lenocapavir compared with m tricidabine tenapha vir Disaproxial fumarate also known as f tdf and people who may benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis prep And who are not currently taking prep? Lenocapavir is a first in class hiv capsid inhibitor administered as a twice yearly Subcutaneous or below the skin injection. It is currently approved for hiv treatment in persons with multi drug resistant hiv one infection And is also under investigation for hiv prevention The trial focuses on recruiting participants from groups across france and the united kingdom that are disproportionately affected by hiv And often underrepresented in clinical trials Number eight pause calm sun lenka remains active against drug resistant hiv Results from the capella trial reveal that sun lenka Also known as lenocapavir The first hiv capsid inhibitor remains effective at two years for highly treatment experienced people with multi drug resistant virus Sun lenka developed by gilead sciences was approved in december 2022 For individuals unable to maintain viral suppression on their current antiretroviral regimen The long-acting drug disrupts hiv's capsid and can be administered just once every six months The phase two and three capella trial demonstrated sustained rates of verologic suppression and clinically meaningful increases in cd4 counts at 104 weeks sun lenka's unique mechanism of action makes it effective against hiv that has developed resistance to other medications Number nine cdc expanding prep coverage in the united states to achieve ehe goals The cdc has released preliminary data showing that in 2022 more than one third Of people in the us who could benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis had been prescribed it for the first time This marks progress in hiv prevention efforts aligning with the goals of the ending the hiv epidemic in the us initiative Overall 36 percent of the 1.2 million people who could benefit from prep were prescribed it in 2022 Compared to 23 percent in 2019. However disparities persist with 94 percent of white individuals benefiting from prep compared to 13 percent of black and 24 percent of hispanic latino individuals Efforts must focus on equitable access to hiv testing treatment and prevention to address these disparities and end the hiv epidemic Number 10 the body pro hiv viremia is rare But possible following mpox vaccination italian study finds a study conducted in italy has found that while rare Viral blips and failures can occur after people living with hiv are vaccinated against mpox the study investigated 187 virally suppressed people living with hiv who received the modified vaccine Ankara Bavarian Nordic vaccine Six viral blips and three virologic failures were observed with two failures occurring after the second vaccine dose The study suggests that close monitoring of viral load after mpox vaccination Is essential to identify and treat rare cases of antiretroviral treatment failure appropriately The study's authors recommend administering the vaccine at the person's place of hiv care for easier monitoring Quote blips or failure were also more common in people living with hiv with lower cd4 cd8 ratios And a previous AIDS related event than those without such factors and quote Number 11 the body pro Sero conversion while using depyverine ring does not lead to drug resistant hiv in african study So just so you know sero conversion means when you go from someone who is not living with hiv to someone who is living with hiv That is sero conversion Research has found that the depyverine vaginal ring approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis in sub-saharan africa Is safe and effective in preventing hiv sero conversions Without leading to drug resistant hiv when the virus is acquired while using the ring in an open label study samples from 38 women who sero converted during the study were sequenced and none showed mutations indicating resistance to non-nucleoside transcriptase inhibitors or nn rti's the study emphasizes the continuing To use the depyverine ring after sero conversion did not increase the risk of developing resistance The findings support the safety and effectiveness of the depyverine ring in preventing hiv transmission So this is of some concern for people who are on some form of prep that perhaps say as an example someone Acquired the hiv virus and they're still in that window period where if they were to take an hiv test It would come up negative So they go to the doctor they've acquired hiv But nobody knows the test comes up negative and the doctor says here. I'll put you on prep to help you Keep you safe and prevent you from getting hiv So this person is now living with hiv unbeknownst to that person unbeknownst to the doctor And now they're on prep the concern is for someone who is in that position that while on taking prep that they will That will encourage the virus to develop drug resistance because as we know prep Isn't able to fight the virus in people who are living with hiv. It's only prevention measure if Someone like myself were to take prep. It would be of no good. And in fact, it might be Negative consequence because it might encourage my virus to develop a resistance to say if I was taking trivada It would develop resistance to trivada For someone living with hiv trivada would have to be taken in combination with another drug That's why we have combination therapies for people living with hiv So the depivering ring is a form of prep and what they're saying that this study found is that certain women had Acquired hiv. We're now living with hiv While they were also using the depivering ring as prep. So there's concern. Would it develop Resistance in the hiv virus and fortunately in the study at least it showed that no one Had developed any kind of mutations resistance to the depivering ring. That's a great sign And so now hopefully that means we can have less concern over these types of situations popping up when it comes to the Depivering ring number 13 aids map hiv in the brain. Does it correlate with neurocognitive symptoms? Swiss researchers have explored the presence of hiv in cerebrospinal fluid CSF and its correlation with neurocognitive symptoms. The study published in the journal of acquired immunodeficiency syndromes involved 288 participants with neurocognitive symptoms who underwent lumbar puncture. That is When they poke you in the spine They found viral escape in csf in 25 participants But there was no clear link between its presence and symptoms The study questioned the justification of invasive lumbar puncture for routine clinical care as the correlation between viral escape And neurocognitive symptoms in undetectable individuals on treatment remains uncertain Noteworthy quote the virus analyzed from three of the participants with detectable csf Cerebrospinal fluid viral load was resistant to the treatment They were taking at the time of the measurement while the virus in their blood had no resistance This highlights the isolated nature of the central nervous system and that some virological events may take place independently in that anatomical site and quote another part of the article states quote one area of I found this on the web now, bitch Another part of the article states quote one area of possibility that so far has been underexplored Is immune interventions for the central nervous system instead of focusing on the virus directly when already undetectable Immune responses could be improved through various brain targeted anti-inflammatories or other drugs So that the immunological environment of the csf is more favorable for and conducive to brain health I find that really interesting and I didn't know that Could occur that someone like myself could be undetectable on on treatment successful No virus of the blood and still have this active virus in the cerebrospinal fluid that has developed a resistance to my medication totally new um Learned something new every day and but the I think the the key takeaway from this study is that they Didn't see any correlation between those who had the virus in their csf and those who didn't with Neurocognitive symptoms, so that doesn't seem to be a At least on face value direct link to Neurocognitive symptoms But I'm sure that they're going to do a lot more studying of that now that they found that out number 14 nata p only half of the msm with hiv getting screened for anal cancer msm stands for men who have sex with men A retrospective study conducted by Yale school of medicine Revealed that only about half of hiv positive men who have sex with men attending an academic hiv clinic with an anal cancer screening program got screened with an anal pap test or high resolution Anoscopy through a five-year follow-up the study focused on 432 men and researchers noted that some men who have sex with men with a higher risk of anal cancer were less likely to get screened anal pap testing was also found to be blind To high-grade anal lesions not a good thing the study highlights the challenges of using anal pap as a screening test in the Real world and emphasizes the need for better screening tests and Implementation models for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus and hiv positive men who have sex with men This is another one of those things that We need to continue to have discussions about as far as comorbidities go and aging with hiv for those of us living with hiv there are certain risk factors just like this anal cancer and providing a Structured guidance to health care providers So that they can guide us As we get older to do certain things at certain junctures along our life path So maybe like every five years we get this anal cancer screening But these are all things that should be packaged together all the things that we should be concerned about neurocognitive impairment cardiovascular disease, you know hypertension, whatever it is In this case anal cancer screening So that we know Periodically the types of tests that we need to take the certain things that we need to look out for what we can do to prevent them What we can do to treat them etc etc and have it all Congregated in one place so it's not like we're like scrambling on the worldwide web to find these Things here and there and kind of try to piecemeal it together on our own. That's not right All right links to all these articles can be found in the description box below this video Be sure to like this video subscribe if you haven't already hit that bell So you get a notification every time a new video comes out and please share this with anyone who might find value in this Content that is the best way that you can help support me and this channel until next time. Cheers