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

Health, Social Inequities Drives HIV in Young Men Who Have Sex with Other Men

Researchers sought to identify the factors associated with incident HIV infection among a cohort of racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse young, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Socioeconomic status is key driver of HIV seroconversion, they concluded.

Science

Donations Between People with HIV 'Could Reduce Organ Demand'

People who die infected with HIV represent a potential source for transplantation numbering nearly 400 annual donors in the US, to yield 192 kidneys and 247 livers for the benefit of people living with the infection, according to the estimates of researchers who say there would be knock-on benefit for noninfected patients also waiting for organs.

Treatment

Diabetes Drug May Reduce Heart Attack Risk in HIV Patients

In patients with HIV, a diabetes drug may have benefits beyond lowering blood sugar. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests the drug may prevent cardiovascular problems because it works to reduce inflammation linked to heart disease and stroke in these patients.

High Cost of Sovaldi Hepatitis C Drug Prompts a Call to Void Its Patents

Activists in several countries are seeking to void patents on the blockbuster hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, saying that the price being sought by the manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, was prohibitive.

Miscellaneous

Black Trans Women: In the Crosshairs

LGBT people are more victimized than any other minority. But within that world, trans women of color face the worst of all.

Gender Reassignment for Inmates Emerges As Hot Topic

Ensuring access to gender reassignment surgery for transgender inmates has emerged as a hot topic in the transgender rights movement amid recent developments in court cases filed on behalf of inmates.

Lifelong Republican Turns On His Party, Embraces Obamacare

Luis Lang, who is currently crowdfunding for medical expenses that he can't afford because he didn't sign up for insurance under Obamacare, has become a viral sensation. However, the 49-year-old South Carolina resident says he doesn't want to be the poster child for the Republican Party's opposition to health care reform anymore.

New Blood-Donor Policy, Same Gay Stigma

LAST week, the Food and Drug Administration released highly anticipated draft recommendations that would allow gay men to donate blood after one year of celibacy. While an improvement from the current, highly criticized lifetime ban, the new policy, which was announced in December, still caters to fear and stigma rather than science. It should be reconsidered.

Obamacare Critic Gets Sick, Changes His Mind

It's hardly a secret that the Affordable Care Act has plenty of fierce critics, but once in a while, we're confronted with amazing anecdotes about consumers who thought they hated "Obamacare," right up until they needed it.

Surge in Cases of H.I.V. Tests U.S. Policy on Needle Exchanges

WASHINGTON - In 1988, arch-conservative Senator Jesse Helms successfully pushed Congress to prohibit federal dollars from being used to distribute sterile syringes to intravenous drug users, equating an effort meant to slow the spread of AIDS and other diseases to federal endorsement of drug abuse.

A Transgender Woman's Journey: 'You Feel Desperate, Helpless'

One woman's battles over funding and a lack of understanding from her GP made transition an unnecessarily painful and drawn-out process.