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

Do HIV Positive Guys Make the Best Boyfriends? 

I need to confess something. Ever since those early days of the AIDS crisis, I have been attracted to guys who are HIV-positive. Mainly, I wanted someone with a job who was able to support himself, a place to live other than his parents' basement, and a sense of style and humor that most people would appreciate, but above all, someone who sees the whole picture. By that I mean someone who can see past his own nose - a good deed doer, in other words. Those are the guys who, I think, have potential for the best chemistry.

Prevention

Booze and Many Sex Partners Don't Click With HIV Prevention 

The more people drink and the more sex partners they have, the less likely they are to engage with an HIV prevention program. Publishing their findings in Psychology Health & Medicine, investigators designed a correlational field study of 350 people at high risk for acquiring HIV.

Coalition Seeks Increase in U.S. Sexual Health Care Services 

Despite being available at no cost through the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. the health care reform law, or ACA), recommended sexual health care services are not being used by more than half of all Americans, according to a statement by the National Coalition for Sexual Health (NCSH).

Science

Researchers Figure Out Staying Power of HIV-Fighting Enzyme 

Johns Hopkins biochemists have figured out what is needed to activate and sustain the virus-fighting activity of an enzyme found in CD4+ T cells, the human immune cells infected by HIV. The discovery could launch a more effective strategy for preventing the spread of HIV in the body with drugs targeting this enzyme, they say. A summary of their work was published online on April 21 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tracking Proteins in Single HIV Particle 

A new technique to examine how proteins interact with each other at the level of a single HIV viral particle has been developed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists. The technique allows scientists to study the life-threatening virus in detail and makes screening potential anti-HIV drugs quicker and more efficient. The technique can also be used to study other diseases.

Treatment

Soy Sauce Molecule May Unlock Drug Therapy for HIV Patients 

For HIV patients being treated with anti-AIDS medications, resistance to drug therapy regimens is commonplace. Often, patients develop resistance to first-line drug therapies, such as Tenofovir, and are forced to adopt more potent medications. Virologists now are testing the next generation of medications that stop HIV from spreading, and are using a molecule related to flavor enhancers found in soy sauce, to develop compounds that are more potent than Tenofovir.

Miscellaneous

Drinking, Even Casual Amounts, Poses Much Greater Risk for Advanced Liver Disease in HIV/hepatitis C Patients 

There is a much stronger association between alcohol use and advanced liver fibrosis in co-infected patients compared to uninfected, research has demonstrated. Even light ("nonhazardous") drinking -- which typically poses a relatively low risk for uninfected persons -- was linked to an increased risk of liver fibrosis in the co-infected group of study participants.

Missouri's Michael Sam Honored with Arthur Ashe Courage Award 

Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam was honored for his courage displayed last season with one of the highest honors out there. Sam was named the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The award will be presented to the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year at the 2014 ESPYs later this summer (July 16).

A Victory for Iowans Living with HIV and AIDS 

In the early hours of May 1, a historic bill passed the Iowa House that will modernize Iowa's discriminatory HIV law and forever change how people living with HIV will be treated. The current law was based on outdated science and beliefs that actually discouraged testing and disclosure because of the severe penalties associated with simply knowing one's status.

Uninsured Rate Drops to New Low as Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge 

According to Gallup's most recent data, 13.4 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in April. That's down from 15 percent in March and 18 percent in the third quarter of 2013.