Highlights from Recent Conferences -- Top Conference Stories

Harvey S. Bartnof, MD

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Service updates HIV treatment guidelines.
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates treatment guidelines for people with active tuberculosis who are taking HAART.
• HAART plus cytokines can help to flush HIV from resting "reservoir" cells, but some HIV DNA remains.
• Efavirenz (Sustiva) can cause a false-positive screening test for cannabinoids (marijuana).
• Efavirenz increases total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) "good" cholesterol.
• After failure of an amprenavir/AZT/3TC regimen, "salvage therapy" with either indinavir/nevirapine/d4T/3TC or saquinavir/ritonavir/d4T/ddI may be successful.
• Interleukin-2 (IL-2) causes low thyroid hormone levels in 10% of people.
• After starting HAART, the risk of shingles (herpes zoster) temporarily increases.
• HAART may increase the rate of warts in people with HIV.
• High blood lipid (fat) levels associated with HAART respond to therapy with gemfibrozil (Lopid) and/or atorvastatin (Lipitor).
• Men taking a protease inhibitor may develop female-appearing breasts.
• Congenital clubfoot may be a birth defect associated with maternal use of HAART.
• HIV viral load response after one year of therapy may be predicted by viral load at 8-12 weeks.
• A high HIV viral load is associated with poor adherence to HIV therapy.
• People may be able to tolerate ritonavir (Norvir) better if they have normal body fat and are taking vitamin and mineral supplements.
• Ritonavir is used for a non-HIV-related indication.
• Nevirapine (Viramune) causes opiate withdrawal in seven people on methadone maintenance.
• One hundred and thirty-two San Franciscans have taken post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after HIV exposure related to unprotected sex or sharing of injection works.
• AIDS-related dementia is linked with Alzheimer's disease gene.
• A decrease in hepatitis C viral load may occur after one year of anti-HIV HAART.
• Neither acupuncture nor amitriptyline (Elavil) show benefits over placebo for treating HIV-related peripheral neuropathy.
• The lowest (nadir) CD4 count before anti-HIV therapy correlates with future risk for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
• Candida yeast infection in HIV positive women correlates better with HIV viral load than with CD4 cell count.
• A sample of over 1,000 U.S. mothers who had just given birth had poor HIV/AIDS knowledge scores.

DT 19990110
DOCN BE990111