Big HIV Prevention Study Halted, but Experts Won’t ‘Throw in the Towel’

HIV-1 virions (green) can be seen on the surface of a lymphocyte. Image courtesy of the CDCs Public Health Image Library.

One of the most critical fronts in the war against AIDS is staving off future HIV infections. The challenge can be especially daunting within the most vulnerable populations – like African communities where women are sometimes subjected to sexual relations against their wills.

In fact, this particular population forms the study group for one of the most recently attempted prevention trials. Eager to arm these women with strategies to protect themselves, scientists recruited 1,900 female volunteers spread across Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania to help test if a daily pill (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, known by the brand name Truvada) could keep the virus in check. (In theory, the drug works not by stopping the virus from penetrating cells, but rather, by keeping viruses from turning the cells into all-out virus replication factories.)

Last week’s headlines, unfortunately, said early data shows that women taking the drug fared no better than those assigned a sugar pill.

Even so, experts like URMC’s Dr. Amneris Luque warn that a handful of similar prior studies are simply too encouraging for us to completely “throw in the towel” this time around.

Other confounding factors could be at play in this most recent trial, she warns. For instance, if women in the study didn’t take their pills vigilantly, that could explain the inefficacy. Or, Luque said, perhaps this has more to do with that fact that gel-type therapies applied directly to the vaginal/cervical area may do a better job of checking the virus than do mere pills.

To hear more of Dr. Luque’s insights  on the halted study, watch the clip below.

Amneris Luque, M.D., associate professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, serves as medical director for URMC’s AIDS Clinic. Under Luque’s leadership since 1994, the clinic has been designated by the New York State Department of Health as a “Center of Excellence” for more than two decades.

To learn more about HIV research underway at URMC, click here.

It’s February: Love Your Heart

Make no mistake: while the stereotypical heart attack victim in the movies might be male, heart disease is an equal opportunity killer. In fact, it’s the number one cause of death among women 20 and older, killing almost one every minute.

The good news? Research shows that, even if saddled with a family history of the disease, there are steps each of us can take to become more heart-healthy. Simple things — like following a proper diet, keeping active, not smoking, not drinking excessively, and partnering with a primary care doctor to monitor cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and weight — can go a long way in lowering one’s risk for a heart attack or stroke.

So, in light of February being American Heart Month, we’ve tapped Dr. Gladys Velarde, director of our Strong Women’s Heart Program, to give a few quick tips (for everyone, and then especially for women) for maintaining for a healthier heart.

To hear her advice, watch the clip below.

Curious how the Women’s Heart Program is making a difference for patients here in Rochester? Click here.

Prenatal Libations: Can Moms-to-be have an Occasional Glass of Wine?

New U.K.-based research published last week suggests that enjoying the occasional alcoholic refreshment during pregnancy may not have significant developmental impact on babies up to age 5.

This sort of light drinking – no more than a couple of small glasses of wine, or half-pint glasses of beer, each week – does not appear to hinder children’s performance on a battery of behavioral and cognitive tests.

But in the clip below, expert Dr. Eva Pressman cautions that the study isn’t perfect, and may not give the whole story.  (You can also read more about the study, as covered by WebMD, here.)

Dr. Pressman directs the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at URMC’s Strong Memorial Hospital. Pregnant? You can click here to learn more about our maternity care.

The Mammography Mess: To Scan, or Not to Scan?

Pink ribbons abound, as this is the month for breast cancer awareness.

But for many women, it might as well be the month for breast cancer confusion. Lately, when it comes to the value of annual mammograms, one scientific report after another only muddies the issue more.

Questions loom large:

“Is it cost-effective to start screenings at age 40?”

“Can’t mammograms turn up ‘false positives’ – that is, ‘harmless’ cancers that don’t actually need treatment?”

“How much do mammograms really cut the rate of breast cancer deaths?”

“Last November, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that most women stop getting routine mammograms in their 40s,” said URMC expert Dr. Avice O’Connell.

“Since then, many women have opted out of mammograms, believing this was OK,” she said. “But the new Health Care Law adopted this past spring specifically says we should ignore the 2009 Task Force recommendations in favor of earlier guidelines.”

Need some more light shed on this issue? Watch this week’s clip to hear Dr. O’Connell makes sense of the reports.

(In this video, Dr. O’Connell is specifically addressing a Norwegian study, published Sept. 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that the screenings account for just 10 percent of the reduction in breast cancer deaths. Since then, however, Swedish findings released late last week showed that when mammography is made available to women, there could be as much as a one-third reduction in mortality from breast cancer.)

Dr. O’Connell is chief of Women’s Imaging for URMC’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Breast Care Center. She is also the director of Highland Breast Imaging, one of the few all-digital, full-service breast imaging and diagnostic centers in the area.

Need a mammogram? Click here.