Zoledronate Protects HIV Positive Men against Bone Loss for at Least 5 Years

The effects of 2 annual doses of zoledronate persist for at least 5 years in HIV positive men on antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a New Zealand study published in the March 14, 2012, advance online edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Complete Coverage of the 2012 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections

HIVandHepatitis.com's complete coverage of the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012), March 5-8, 2012.

Featuring new HIV drugs, HIV cure research, biomedical prevention, HIV-related conditions and complications, basic science, hepatitis C, and HIV/HCV coinfection.

Full listing by topic

HIVandHepatitis.com CROI 2012 section

CROI: Switching to Tenofovir Increases Bone Turnover, Raltegravir Can Improve Bone Density

HIV positive people who substituted tenofovir (Viread) for zidovudine (AZT; Retrovir) in their antiretroviral regimen showed elevated levels of biomarkers associated with bone turnover and decreased bone mineral density (BMD), researchers reported at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last month in Seattle. A related study found that switching from tenofovir to raltegravir (Isentress) led to increases in bone density.

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CROI: HIV Brain Impairment: Who Gets It, and Why?

A number of papers at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle presented advances in research on HIV-related brain impairment and neurocognitive problems.

A couple of problems have dogged research into HIV-related brain impairment. One is how to differentiate between degrees of severity. Psychological tests can detect barely noticeable slowing of performance but the high prevalence of this asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) overestimates the proportion of people with HIV who have real difficulty with working or daily life. We also do not know to what extent ANI is a predictor of the development of significant impairment, because some people improve, especially with antiretroviral treatment (ART).

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CROI: Elevated Blood Pressure Linked to Heart Attack Risk in HIV+ People

HIV positive people with elevated blood pressure are at higher risk for myocardial infarction, or heart attack, even if they do not meet the definition for high blood pressure, researchers reported at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) this month in Seattle.

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CROI: Uncontrolled HIV Linked to Faster Lung Function Decline

People with detectable HIV viral load and advanced immune deficiency are likely to experience greater decreases in lung function over time, with high viral load linked to more impairment than smoking, according to a study presented last week at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle.

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CROI: Metformin, Statins, and ACE Inhibitors May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk of People with HIV

The diabetes drug metformin can help stall progression of calcium build-up in the arteries of HIV positive people with metabolic abnormalities, potentially reducing their risk of cardiovascular events, researchers reported this month at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) in Seattle. Other studies found that statin drugs showed a trend toward lowering the risk of non-AIDS events and death, and an ACE inhibitor reduced blood pressure and certain inflammation biomarkers.

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CROI: Electrocautery Superior to Imiquimod or 5-Fluorouracil for Treatment of Anal Neoplasia

Electrocautery was shown to be more effective and tolerable than topical imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil as a treatment for anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) in HIV positive men who have sex with men (MSM), researchers reported in a late-breaker presentation at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2012) last week in Seattle.

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