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

Semi-Soft Vaginal Drug-Delivery Suppository Could Limit Spread of HIV, AIDS 

A unique method for delivering compounds that could positively impact the global battle against HIV and AIDS may be possible, thanks to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Science

Inflammatory Response in Early HIV Breaks Down Intestinal Lining, But Help May Come from Friendly Bacteria 

Researchers at UC Davis have made some surprising discoveries about the body's initial responses to HIV infection. Studying simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the team found that specialized cells in the intestine called Paneth cells are early responders to viral invasion and are the source of gut inflammation by producing a cytokine called interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β).

Leaky Gut-A Source of Non-AIDS Complications in HIV-Positive Patients 

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is no longer a fatal condition, thanks to newer medications inhibiting the retrovirus, but a puzzling phenomenon has surfaced among these patients-non-AIDS complications. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have resolved the mystery with their discovery of the leaky gut as the offender. Bacterial products seep out of the colon, trigger inflammation throughout the body and set into motion the processes of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, chronic kidney and metabolic diseases, and cancer. Their findings appear in an edition this summer of PLOS Pathogens.

Steroids Raise Cancer Risk in TB-Associated HIV  

The addition of steroids to tuberculosis (TB) therapy can offer anti-inflammatory benefit to patients with tuberculous pericarditis, a rare cardiac manifestation of TB.

Treatment

Key Issues Affecting the Care of HIV-Positive Adolescents 

Adolescents face a host of unique -- and often underappreciated -- challenges to effective health care and successful HIV treatment. John Steever, M.D., a physician in the Adolescent Health Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, is deeply familiar with these challenges: He oversees care for roughly 100 HIV-positive youth.

Miscellaneous

Amazon, Twitter and Instagram Will Click4Life to Fight AIDS, Will You? 

The landscape of the Internet has been given an overhaul.

Bracing for New Challenges in Year 2 of Health Care Law 

The first year of enrollment under the federal health care law was marred by the troubled start of HealthCare.gov, rampant confusion among consumers and a steep learning curve for insurers and government officials alike.

Gang Involvement Associated with High-Risk Health Behaviors for Girls 

Being involved in a gang poses considerable health-related risks for adolescent African American girls, including more casual sex partners and substance abuse combined with less testing for HIV and less knowledge about preventing sexually transmitted diseases, according to a new study.

Health Care Spending to Rise, Federal Experts Predict 

WASHINGTON - Government experts on Wednesday predicted a rebound in national health care spending, after four years of exceptionally slow growth, because of expansions in coverage and improvements in the economy.

What Doctors Can't Do 

Mary White makes house calls. She's a senior community health worker in Philadelphia in the IMPaCT program at the Penn Center for Community Health Workers. She has 25 of the University of Pennsylvania Health System's toughest patients. It's her job to help them set health goals and, step by step, carry them out.