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

Advocating Pill, U.S. Signals Shift to Prevent AIDS 

Federal health officials recommended Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk for AIDS take a daily pill that has been shown to prevent infection with the virus that causes it.

Home Sampling for HIV testing - High Demand, 1 in 60 are HIV Positive 

UK pilot project more successful at recruiting gay men than African people

Ask Well: AIDS and Truvada 

New federal guidelines urge gay men and others who have unprotected sex to take a daily dose of the drug Truvada to curb H.I.V. infections and AIDS. Donald G. McNeil Jr. responds to reader questions.

Science

Hitting a Moving Target: AIDS Vaccine Could Work Against Changeable Site on HIV 

A vaccine or other therapy directed at a single site on a surface protein of HIV could in principle neutralize nearly all strains of the virus -- thanks to the diversity of targets the site presents to the human immune system.

Recycled Blood is Better than Donated Blood for Transfusions, Hopkins Study Finds 

We recycle a lot of things - paper, plastic, metal, blood.

Yes, blood. During some surgeries, operating room personnel try to capture as much blood as possible and return the red blood cells to your system, instead of, or in addition to, donated blood from a blood bank. They find that patients have better outcomes when transfused with their own blood.

Scientists Report Breakthrough in HIV/AIDS Research 

The first direct proof of a long-suspected cause of multiple HIV-related health complications was recently obtained by a team led by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research (CVR). The finding supports complementary therapies to antiretroviral drugs to significantly slow HIV progression.

Miscellaneous

A Lion Still Roars, With Gratitude 

Larry Kramer Lives to See His 'Normal Heart' Filmed for TV

Mayor de Blasio Touts Reduced Rent for People with AIDS or HIV 

The mayor spoke about the lower rent program during Sunday's AIDS Walk. De Blasio and Gov. Cuomo struck a deal earlier this year that will cap rent for people with AIDS or HIV receiving subsidies at 30% of their income.

New CDC Campaign Gets People Talking About HIV 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched Start Talking. Stop HIV., a new national communication campaign encouraging gay and bisexual men to talk openly with their sexual partners about HIV risk and prevention strategies.

Rating A Health Law's Success 

Scientists will look to certain diseases to measure the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act.

'Woodwork Effect' Fuels Medicaid Growth and Cost Increases for Non-Expansion States 

Washington - Seventeen states that chose not to expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act ended up with more program beneficiaries - partly because of all the hoopla surrounding the health law, according to a new analysis by Avalere Health.