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

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Against STDs Promising Among Some HIV-Positive Gay Men 

Taking 100 mg of the antibiotic doxycycline daily significantly reduced the risk of acquiring another sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a pilot study among 30 HIV-positive gay men in Los Angeles.

Science

Deferring Hepatitis C Treatment Can Lead to Liver Cancer and Death, Despite Cure 

People with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection who delay hepatitis C treatment remain at risk for liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death even after being cured - with outcomes worsening the longer it is put off - indicating that treatment should not be deferred until advanced disease, according to a presentation at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2015) last week in Seattle, USA. Treating only after progression to cirrhosis increased the risk of liver-related death by more than five-fold and the duration of infectiousness by four-fold.

Experimental Herpes Vaccine Upends Traditional Approach and Shows Promise

A new type of vaccine could be the first-ever for preventing genital herpes--one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, affecting 500 million people worldwide. Using a counterintuitive approach, researchers were able to prevent both infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 2, which causes genital herpes.

Re-Infection Due to Ongoing Risk Probably the Cause of HCV Recurrence After SVR 

Rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) reoccurrence after successful therapy differ markedly between risk groups, according to the results of a meta-analysis presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

Miscellaneous

Affordable Care Act Cost Estimate Drops Due to Lower Subsidies, Enrollment 

U.S. Congressional forecasters on Monday once again cut their estimate of Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage costs, citing unexpectedly less spending on premium subsidies and lower enrollment rates through exchanges set up under the 2010 reform.

All-Women's Wellesley College to Admit Transgender Students 

President H. Kim Bottomly and trustees' chairwoman Laura Daignault Gates said in a letter Wednesday that "Wellesley will consider for admission any applicant who lives as a woman and consistently identifies as a woman."

Budget Office Again Reduces Its Estimate on Cost of the Affordable Care Act 

WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Office on Monday again lowered its estimate of the cost of the Affordable Care Act, citing slow growth of health insurance premiums as a major factor.

Florida Senate Panel Pushes Medicaid Expansion Forward, But Still a Long Shot 

TALLAHASSEE - A state Senate panel on Tuesday approved a sweeping proposal that would allow Florida to use billions of federal dollars to expand healthcare coverage to about 800,000 low-income residents - if it's able to overcome two big hurdles.

For Some in Transgender Community, It's Never Too Late to Make a Change 

Some late transitioners grew up in an era of rigid gender stereotypes, which they have internalized and been oppressed by.

What Will Happen if Court Nixes ACA Health Insurance Subsidies? It's Not Pretty 

Many Americans have a lot riding on the Supreme Court's ruling in the latest lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.

When Visibility Is Not Enough 

The executive director of the Transgender Law Center on the inequities that transgender people continue to face.