A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

MSM

Center for Black Equity and Pitt Public Health Announce HIV Research Project 

The Center for Black Equity and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health are partnering on a new research project to study reasons for increased risk of HIV infection among African-American men who have sex with men (MSM).

Science

In Search of a Cure, Scientists Look for Where HIV Hides 

While scientists and doctors have hopes of helping the 34 million people infected with HIV live disease-free, some basic questions remain about the virus, like where it hides in the human body. Special correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the latest steps in the search for an AIDS cure and renewed support from the government

Treatment

Breast Cancer Drug Fights Lethal Fungal Infection in HIV/AIDS Patients 

A drug used to treat breast cancer may soon have another use - as a weapon against a lethal fungal infection that kills more HIV/AIDS patients than tuberculosis. The potential new use for tamoxifen was discovered as part of a screening process of older, already approved drugs.

Miscellaneous

Blue Cross Decision Affects Some HIV/AIDS Enrollees 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana said Monday that it will no longer allow community groups to use money from a federal program for HIV/AIDS patients

to enroll those patients in insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.

In Texting Era, Crisis Hotlines Put Help at Youths' Fingertips 

The conversation began abruptly, with the anonymous teenager getting straight to the point: She had just told her family that she was really a boy trapped in a female body. "Now my family hates me," she told a crisis counselor.

Life After Jan. 1: Kentucky Clinic Offers Early Glimpse at Realities of Health-Care Law 

in Breathitt County, KY. - The envelopes began arriving in December across eastern Kentucky, one of the sickest and poorest corners of the country.

Most States Lag in Health Insurance SignUps 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Most states are still lagging when it comes to sign-ups under President Barack Obama's health care law, but an Associated Press analysis of numbers reported Wednesday finds a dozen high-achievers getting ahead of the game.

N.F.L. Prospect Michael Sam Proudly Says What Teammates Knew: He's Gay 

Coaches at the University of Missouri divided players into small groups at a preseason football practice last year for a team-building exercise. One by one, players were asked to talk about themselves - where they grew up, why they chose Missouri and what others might not know about them.

Over 1 Million Added to Rolls of Health Plan 

WASHINGTON - More than 1.1 million people signed up for health insurance through federal and state marketplaces in January, according to the government, and the number of young people enrolling increased faster than that of any other group.

Prescription Painkillers Seen as a Gateway to Heroin 

The life of a heroin addict is not the same as it was 20 years ago, and the biggest reason is what some doctors call "heroin lite": prescription opiates. These medications are more available than ever, and reliably whet an appetite that, once formed never entirely fades.