News and Publications from the CFAR, NYU/Bellevue AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, and the
Prevention Project
The Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium (NARC) supported by the NIH was established in 1993. The NARC has greatly enhanced our knowledge in the understanding and treatment of HIV associated neurologic diseases such as peripheral neuropathy, cognitive impairment and opportunistic infections such as cytomegalovirus and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. We are proud to announce that our Clinical Trial Unit site was selected to be a NARC site under the direction of Dr Judith Aberg. We have already began enrolling patients in a NARC/ACTG supported study evaluating the role of minocycline, an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug, for the treatment of HIV associated cognitive impairment (dementia). We are working in close collaboration with Dr. David Simpson, Director of the Neuro-AIDS Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital. If you are interested in learning more about the NARC, please click here
Cardiovascular Complications in HIV Management: Past, Present, and Future authored by Dr Judith Aberg, published in JAIDS (2009;50:54–64)
Overton ET, Kang M, Umbleja T, Alston BL, Bastow B, Koziel MJ, Peters MG, Yu JY and Aberg JA for the A5220 Protocol Team. ACTG 5220: Hepatitis B Vaccine Responses in HIV-infected Persons Using Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF). 48th International Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy/Infectious Disease Society of America 46th Annual Meeting. Washington, DC. October 25-28, 2008. Abstract G-395
Fish Oil and Fenofibrate for the Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia in HIV-infected Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy: Results of ACTG A5186, co-authored by Dr Judith Aberg, published in JAIDS (2008;47(4):459-66.).
In anticipation of the revised CDC HIV screening recommendations, Bellevue Hospital
initiated a multi-disciplinary pilot project early in January 2006 to test all inpatients for
HIV in the Department of Medicine service, regardless of risk. Dr. Becky Marsh co-presents the
findings in a poster session at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
(CROI) 2007 in Los Angeles, California.
Another Perfect Storm Demetre
Daskalakis, MD writes about the potential for a Shigella outbreak among men who have sex with
men (MSM). The article appears in the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)'s journal,
Clinical Infectious Diseases.