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
Stopping HIV in its tracks: New subdermal implant delivers potent antiretroviral drugs
A novel, subdermal implant delivering potent antiretroviral drugs shows extreme promise in stopping the spread of HIV, researchers report. Scientists say that they have developed a matchstick size implant, similar to a contraceptive implant, that successfully delivers a controlled, sustained release of ARV drugs up to 40 days in dogs with no adverse side effects.
The U.K.'s New At-Home HIV Test Is Better Than Anything We Have In The U.S.
In the U.K., checking your HIV status is now nearly as easy as taking a pregnancy test. BioSure UK has begun selling a $45 take-home HIV test that lets customers prick their fingers, smear the blood on a testing stick, and get their HIV results within 15 minutes.
BioSure's test goes beyond any of the at-home tests available on the U.S. market, which are either not as fast or not as accurate. When asked if any test similar to BioSure's new take-home test was in development, Tara Goodin, a press officer for the Food and Drug Administration, said: "The FDA cannot confirm the existence of or comment on any current/pending product applications."
Science
Mathematical Model Seeks Functional Cure for HIV
(Medical Xpress)-Individuals with the natural ability to control HIV infection in the absence of treatment are referred to as elite controllers (ECs). Such individuals maintain undetectable viral loads less than 50 copies per mL without therapy. Elite controllers have clinical characteristics that differ from noncontrollers, including protective HLA alleles and a tendency to maintain a much stronger cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) response.
Miscellaneous
Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist and member of the Kardashian family, ended months of speculation Friday night when he announced during an ABC television special that he identified as a woman and was making the transition from male to female.
Get a Job? Most Welfare Recipients Already Have One
It's poor-paying jobs, not unemployment, that strains the welfare system.
Loving v. Marriage
Opponents of same-sex unions try to convince the Supreme Court that the state has no interest in "love and commitment."
The Myth of Police Reform
The real problem is the belief that all our social problems can be solved with force.
The Most Racist Places in America, According to Google
Where do America's most racist people live? "The rural Northeast and South," suggests a new study just published in PLOS ONE.
The New White House Social Secretary is a Philly Home Girl
DEESHA DYER has come a long way from her days of handing out free condoms at Fluid and other local nightclubs.
These days, instead of trying to persuade partygoers to get themselves tested for HIV, she's in charge of all of the social functions at the White House.
9 Things Everyone Needs to Stop Saying About Trans People Immediately
Now that Bruce Jenner has publicly come out, there's increased public interest about what it means to be transgender.
Much of the reaction to Jenner's interview has been positive, but some have taken the opportunity to reveal their own ignorance about matters of gender identity. While Jenner's coming out has helped dispel many myths about being transgender, it's clear there's still a long way to go to ensure everyone understands what makes gender complex and personal. To be better allies (and sympathetic human beings) we can start by getting rid of the following phrases completely:
Nonviolence as Compliance
Officials calling for calm can offer no rational justification for Gray's death, and so they appeal for order.
Trans People Need an Icon. But Bruce Jenner is the Worst Possible Choice.
Just as the transgender experience is beginning to be normalized in American culture, it will be swept up with the ultimate symbol of abnormality and dysfunction: the Kardashian family.
Undue Force - Sun Investigates - The Baltimore Sun
The city has paid about $5.7 million since 2011 over lawsuits claiming that police officers brazenly beat up alleged suspects. One hidden cost: The perception that officers are violent can poison the relationship between residents and police.
