HIV Support Scotland UK - HIV Scotland UK

Welcome to this HIV/AIDS Information Resources Centre.

This web site discusses HIV and AIDS, including sexuality and relationships.
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This HIV/AIDS Information Resources Centre based in Scotland UK, offers free advice and information on HIV/AIDS from a personal perspective.

Whether you are Gay, Bisexual, Heterosexual or Transsexual learning to cope and live with HIV and AIDS is difficult. This site tries to show how you can live a fulfilling and happy life even with this virus.

You will find some very frank discussion of sexual behaviour and its relationship to the HIV virus. The aim of this site is not to shock but to inform and educate.

There is no cure for HIV/AIDS nor any prospect of one on the horizon, even an effective vaccine is proving very difficult to achieve. So, prevention through education and the experience of others worldwide is for the moment, the only weapon we have.

Speaking for myself, having been infected with the HIV virus back in the early 1990's, I can honestly say it changed my entire life. I'm just glad I am still here to share my experiences with you. I hope you too will feel able to share your experiences with me and the many other people who visit this site looking for advice, guidance and a little re-assurance.

HIV/AIDS Treatment News

Study Raises Sudden Cardiac Death Concerns in People With HIV

Thu, May 17, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

Sudden cardiac death—when death occurs within a very short period of time after the onset of heart attack symptoms—accounted for most of the cardiac and non-AIDS natural deaths seen in a chart review of people living with HIV receiving care at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), according to a new report published May 15 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

PEPFAR Works: Hundreds of Thousands of African Lives Saved

Wed, May 16, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) saved more than 740,000 African lives between 2004 and 2008, according to a new report published in the May 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Orasure In-Home HIV Test Gets Unanimous Approval Recommendation

Tue, May 15, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

Orasure’s oral swab-based rapid in-home HIV test has been recommended for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Blood Products Advisory Committee. If the FDA follows its advisory committee’s recommendation, the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test will be the first complete screening assay for purchase over-the-counter (OTC) from pharmacies and internet retailers.

National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day is May 15

Mon, May 14, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

Tuesday, May 15, marks the debut of the annual National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day. Coordinated by the Latino Commission on AIDS, this important series of events, primarily focusing on the need for increased screening and testing in Latino communities, will take place annually on May 15 and will coincide with viral hepatitis testing and educational programming during National Hepatitis Awareness month.

Gilead Quad Tablet Gets FDA Committee Approval Nod

Fri, May 11, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has voted 13 to 1 in support of approval of Gilead’s “Quad,” the unofficial name for a fixed-dose combination tablet containing the elvitegravir, cobicistat, Viread (tenofovir) and Emtriva (emtricitabine). Should the FDA follow the recommendation of its Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, which met at the DoubleTree Hotel in Silver Spring on May 11, the drug will be the third all-in-one regimen to be approved by the agency.

Truvada Receives PrEP Approval Recommendation

Fri, May 11, 2012 5:00 am +0100 BST

In a series of votes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine) has been recommended for approval as the first prescription drug to prevent HIV among those at risk for the infection.

Aidsmap News

Hepatitis C testing rate low and knowledge of the infection poor in the US 'baby boomer' generation

Fri, May 18, 2012 11:00 am +0100 BST

Only a quarter of US individuals in the generation most likely to have hepatitis C have ever been tested for the infection, results of a survey conducted by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) show. Moreover, 80% of patients in the "baby boomer" generation (born between 1945 and 1965) did not consider themselves as having any

HIV infection is an independent risk factor for stroke

Fri, May 18, 2012 8:50 am +0100 BST

HIV infection is associated with an increased risk of stroke, US research published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes shows. The association between HIV and stroke was significant even after controlling for traditional risk factors. Viral load was the most important HIV-specific risk factor."Stroke risk was increased in

HIV infections are being missed in UK patients with suspected glandular fever

Fri, May 18, 2012 8:00 am +0100 BST

HIV infections in patients with suspected glandular fever are often missed, investigators from south London report in HIV Medicine. Retrospective testing showed that 1.3% of patients were infected with HIV and that three-quarters of these infections remained undiagnosed after presentation to a GP. The authors suggest that opt-out HIV tests should be offered to

South Africa exceeds 2007-11 treatment targets by 50%

Thu, May 17, 2012 8:40 am +0100 BST

South Africa exceeded national targets for new patients starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) by around 50% between 2007 and 2011 - achieving treatment coverage of close to 80% of eligible adults - according to new research carried out by Dr Leigh F Johnson, actuarial scientist at the University of Cape Town, published in the March

US regulators set to approve HIV home-testing kit

Wed, May 16, 2012 4:50 pm +0100 BST

HIV home testing is soon likely to become legal in the United States, following a unanimous vote in support of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test by a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test that may be made available over-the-counter is designed to be used at home, without medical

Standard hepatitis C therapy improves insulin resistance in HIV/hepatitis C co-infected patients

Wed, May 16, 2012 8:50 am +0100 BST

Treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is associated with lasting improvements in insulin resistance among HIV-positive people co-infected with hepatitis C, investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Hepatitis C therapy was also associated with transient falls in levels of cholesterol. "Our data demonstrate that treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin can significantly

BI 201335 & BI 207127 and ribavirin shows good efficacy, including hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis

Tue, May 15, 2012 9:40 am +0100 BST

An interferon-free regimen of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor BI 201335, the non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor BI 207127, and ribavirin produced sustained virological response in 68% of previously untreated genotype 1 hepatitis C patients, with favourable safety and efficacy among people with liver cirrhosis, researchers reported at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) last

US regulators vote for approval of PrEP by large majority

Fri, May 11, 2012 8:20 pm +0100 BST

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a decisive step yesterday towards approving the use of the combination pill Truvada (tenofovir/FTC) as a prevention method for HIV-negative people.The FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee (ADAC) voted by a majority of 19 to 3 in favour of recommending Truvada as PrEP

Canadian cohort shows viral suppression most likely with atazanavir/ritonavir-based HIV treatment after 6 months

Fri, May 11, 2012 10:50 am +0100 BST

Antiretroviral therapy based on the ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor atazanavir (Reyataz) was more likely to achieve virological suppression after six months than treatment containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (Sustiva, also in the combination pill Atripla) among people with HIV starting treatment in the Canadian province of British Columbia, investigators report in the

Ribavirin dose reduction is effective for managing anaemia in patients using boceprevir or telaprevir

Fri, May 11, 2012 10:20 am +0100 BST

Reducing the dose of ribavirin and adding erythropoietin are both good options for managing anaemia in hepatitis C patients treated with boceprevir (Victrelis) triple therapy, according to study findings presented at the 47th International Liver Congress (EASL 2012) in Barcelona. A related study found that ribavirin reduction also did not impair cure rates with

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This site was last updated 19th March, 2012

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AIDS in the Twenty-First Century Tony Barnett	The No Nonsense Guide to HIV/AIDS Shereen Usdin	Sexually Transmitted Infections David Barlow	28: Stories of AIDS in Africa Stephanie Nolen

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