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.

Prevention

To Halt AIDS, Stop Brief Risk Counseling, Concentrate on Testing, National Study Says 

For decades, people seeking an HIV test have been counseled on realistic and achievable steps they could take to avoid infection. But a national study led by Miller School investigators has determined that, given the rapid HIV tests available today, the resources devoted to pre-test counseling would be better spent on universal testing that could detect more HIV cases earlier, and link newly infected people to the treatment that could halt the spread of the virus.

Science

Cheaper, Greener Way to Make New Drugs by Shifting Evolution into Reverse 

This alternative approach to creating artificial organic molecules, called bioretrosynthesis, was first proposed four years ago by Brian Bachmann, associate professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University. Now Bachmann and a team of collaborators report that they have succeeded in using the method to produce the HIV drug didanosine.

Cutting HIV in Drug Users Can Benefit Others' AIDS Mortality 

(HealthDay)-Efforts to curb HIV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) and non-injecting drug users (NIDUs) may reduce AIDS and AIDS-related mortality among heterosexuals, according to a study published in the April issue of the Annals of Epidemiology.

Disappointing Test Results as Drugs Fail to Reawaken Dormant HIV Infection 

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report that compounds they hoped would "wake up" dormant reservoirs of HIV inside immune system T cells - a strategy designed to reverse latency and make the cells vulnerable to destruction - have failed to do so in laboratory tests of such white blood cells taken directly from patients infected with HIV.

Past HIV Vaccine Trials Reveal New Path to Success 

A multi-national research team led by Duke Medicine scientists has identified a subclass of antibodies associated with an effective immune response to an HIV vaccine.

Miscellaneous

FAQ: What are the Penalties for Not Getting Health Insurance? 

If you're uninsured, now's the time to buy a plan. March 31 is the end of the annual open enrollment period when people who don't have coverage through their employers can sign up on or off their state's marketplace. With limited exceptions, people who miss this enrollment window will be unable to sign up for health insurance until next fall for coverage that starts in January 2015. In addition to being uninsured, you will face a penalty for not having coverage. The fine may be bigger than you expect. Here are the details:

HHS Grants Extra Time to Enroll for Health Care 

WASHINGTON (AP) - People who've started applying for health insurance but aren't able to finish before the March 31 enrollment deadline will get extra time, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.

Male Circumcision Lowers HIV Rates in Women as Well 

Male circumcision, which has been found to reduce female-to-male transmission of HIV by 60 percent, also reduces women's likelihood of acquiring the virus, although by a smaller 15 percent margin, according to a study reported by aidsmap and presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston. Addressing a major concern of skeptics, the study also found that circumcision did not affect rates of extramarital condom use.

President Obama Announces Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, as Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy 

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama announced the appointment of Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, as the Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). A leading HIV/AIDS policy expert, Douglas most recently served as Senior Vice President for Community, Health, and Public Policy at the Justice Resource Institute (JRI). As the Director of ONAP, he will lead the Administration's work to reduce new HIV infections, improve health outcomes for people living with HIV, and eliminate HIV health disparities in the United States.