The AIDSinfo HIV/AIDS Glossary iPhone Application Is Now Available!

AIDSinfo recently released its first iPhone application, the AIDSinfo HIV/AIDS Glossary App! This follows the release of the mobile AIDSinfo site and marks our commitment to providing users with federally approved HIV/AIDS information optimized for mobile devices. The glossary application, along with all future AIDSinfo applications, will eventually be offered across several mobile platforms, including BlackBerry and Android-enabled phones.

The AIDSinfo HIV/AIDS Glossary application, designed specifically for iPhones, provides on-the-go access to the same HIV/AIDS terms found in the AIDSinfo Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms. The application includes the following features:

• More than 850 HIV/AIDS-related terms clearly defined in both English and Spanish
• Toggle button to switch between the English and Spanish term and definition, allowing the application to function as a translation tool
• Multiple ways to search for terms

AIDSinfo welcomes feedback about the new glossary application. Please send comments or questions to ContactUs@aidsinfo.nih.gov.

More information is available:

• Apple iTunes Store: Download the AIDSinfo HIV/AIDS Glossary App
• AIDSinfo: Search the HIV/AIDS Glossary
• AIDSinfo: Order the HIV/AIDS Glossary

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Viral Load Is an Important Predictor of HIV-Related Illnesses in HIV-Infected Children

“Monitoring children's viral load is standard in the United States. However, the technology to perform viral load testing is difficult and expensive to maintain and, for these reasons, is often unavailable in less developed settings. … The current study is the first to assess the value of adding viral load to monitoring of symptoms and tests of immune function in children receiving anti-HIV treatment in a less developed setting. …

"‘Our study showed that adding viral load monitoring would significantly improve the monitoring regimen used to safeguard the health of children being treated for HIV.’ said George K. Siberry, M.D., M.P.H., senior author of the study. …

"The authors noted that using dried blood spots for viral load testing might provide a cost effective alternative to routine viral load testing methods. Although they did not evaluate this alternative in their study, the authors cited earlier research, of blood spots collected on filter paper. ... 

“The research team found that the measure of a child's most recent viral load was the most effective for predicting illness, especially when the level was above 5,000 copies per milliliter. … The researchers found that this prediction was independent of CD4 cell and hemoglobin levels in the blood as well as the child’s body mass index. A combination of all three measurements most accurately predicted impending illness.” 

More information is available:

• NIH: Press release
• PubMed: Study abstract

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Review of Data Supports Continued Research on Preexposure Prophylaxis of HIV Infection

“Antiretroviral therapy has significantly improved the typical course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in industrialized nations, and life expectancies associated with the infection have increased. However, infection rates have generally remained unchanged, with increases noted among certain subpopulations. The use of systemic preexposure prophylaxis for HIV infection has been proposed as an intervention to reduce the risk of disease transmission in at-risk individuals. The basis of this prophylaxis involves the orchestrated use of antiretrovirals in uninfected individuals either continuously or just before high-risk situations ... . Data from the use of antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection in these scenarios support the concept of preexposure prophylaxis. … Tenofovir-emtricitabine-based regimens may be ideal, given the drugs' pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. … Routine use of preexposure prophylaxis and even knowledge of its existence appear to be very limited. ... Ultimately, its success will depend on proof of cost-effectiveness. Until the many questions concerning optimal use of preexposure prophylaxis for HIV are answered, however, its use should be limited to research-related clinical investigations.”

More information is available:

• PubMed: Study abstract

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