Durability of first-line antiretroviral regimens in the era of integrase inhibitors: a cohort of HIV-positive individuals in Spain, 2014-2015.

BACKGROUND: We compared time to treatment change (TC), viral suppression (VS) and change in CD4+ T-cell counts of first-line antiretroviral regimens (ART). METHODS: We analysed HIV treatment-naive adults from the Cohort of the Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS) initiating the most commonly used ART regimens from September 2014 to November 2015. We used proportional hazards models on the sub-distribution hazard to estimate sub-distribution hazard ratios (sHR) for time to TC, logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for VS (viral load <50 copies/ml), and linear regression to assess mean differences in CD4+ T-cell changes from ART initiation. RESULTS: Among 960 individuals, tenofovir (TDF)/emtricitabine (FTC)/rilpivirine (RPV) was the most frequently prescribed regimen (24.2%), followed by elvitegravir (EVG)/cobicistat (COBI)/TDF/FTC (22.8%), abacavir (ABC)/lamivudine (3TC)/dolutegavir (DTG; 17.4%), TDF/FTC+darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) or darunavir/cobicistat (DRV/c; 12.1%), TDF/FTC/efavirenz (EFV; 8.8%), TDF/FTC+raltegravir (RAL; 7.7%) and TDF/FTC+DTG (7.0%). Initiating ART with TDF/FTC+DRV/r or DRV/c (adjusted sHR: 2.96; 95% CI: 1.44, 6.08), TDF/FTC/EFV (2.18; 0.98, 4.82), TDF/FTC+RAL (2.37; 1.08, 5.22) and TDF/FTC+DTG (6.34; 3.18, 12.64) was associated with a higher risk of TC compared to ABC/3TC/DTG. At 24 weeks, VS was lower in TDF/FTC+DRV/r or DRV/c (adjusted OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.74) compared with ABC/3TC/DTG, and CD4+ T-cell increase was lower in patients initiating with TDF/FTC/RPV (adjusted mean difference: -75.9, 95% CI: -130.6, -21.2) compared with those who did with ABC/3TC/DTG. CONCLUSIONS: Time to TC, VS and change in CD4+ T-cell counts varies by initial regimen. These differences may be useful for making decision when initiating ART.

Cartoons and AIDS: safer sex, HIV, and AIDS in Ralf König's comics.

Ralf König is the best-selling author of comic book novels, and his stories of gay men coming to terms with contemporary society have resonated with hundreds of thousands of German readers and film-goers. König's characters, like the author himself, have great difficulty adhering to the demand that condoms be used. The article describes how König develops this theme through a variety of works from 1985 through 1999, and analyzes the intertwined relationships among the author, his characters, and the society that is both portrayed in his works and that reads his works.

[The challenges of otherness: thoughts on gender and sexuality among activists from a Rio de Janeiro AIDS NGO]. / Os desafios da alteridade: considerações sobre gênero e sexualidade entre militantes de uma ONG/AIDS carioca.

The article analyzes the experiences of a group of activists in the AIDS movement who belonged to an AIDS NGO in Rio de Janeiro between 1989 and 2001. It examines the encounter between the various discourses that guided the action of NGOs in their battles against the advance of the disease and against the discrimination of AIDS victims: gender equity, sexual freedom, and experiences with sexuality, gender, and AIDS recounted by the institute's activists. Interviews were conducted with thirteen activists from the NGO known as Grupo Pela Vidda-RJ, nine of whom were HIV-positive. Interviewees comprised eight women, two male heterosexuals, two male homosexuals, and one male bisexual.

When a celebrity contracts a disease: the example of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's announcement that he was HIV positive.

This meta-analysis summarizes the available data concerning the impact that the public announcement that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a National Basketball Association All-Star, had tested positive for HIV. The results demonstrate that the announcement increased the level of accurate knowledge in persons, the number of persons getting tested for HIV, and the desire to obtain more information about HIV and AIDS. For adults the impact of the announcement was to increase the perception of vulnerability while for children/adolescents the announcement diminished the perception of risk.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in America, 1981 to 1997: epidemiologic and therapeutic considerations.

In the last 16 years, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has evolved from a mysterious syndrome apparently afflicting only gay men, into a viral illness affecting every segment of society. Until the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy, HIV appeared to be universally fatal. New therapies and technologies have been developed offering normal or near-normal life spans for some people living with HIV. Coincident with the development of life-prolonging therapies has been the realization that competent HIV care requires the integration of medical care, social services, and psychological support services to promote therapeutic adherence and maximize quality of life.