ScienHub

Last September, the 7th edition of the HIV Clinical Topics took place, an annual flagship event that brings together international experts to share the latest updates on HIV treatment. This meeting, focused on advances in antiretroviral therapies and new drugs in development, once again featured the notable participation of Dr. Rajesh Gandhi, professor of medicine at Harvard University and Director of HIV Clinical Services at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Gandhi shared his vision on the future of HIV treatments, highlighting the development of long-acting therapies as the current major trend: “I believe we are currently moving towards long-acting treatments, some of which can be taken orally on a weekly basis, while others may be administered every six months via injection,” Gandhi explained. He also emphasized the importance of developing therapies that address HIV-associated comorbidities, such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases, and stressed the need to increase resources for HIV care research. “Our hope is that in the future, we will not only be able to manage this infection more effectively, but also work towards its eradication,” he concluded.

On June 7th, healthcare professionals from the Northern Metropolitan region gathered at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute to celebrate the 5th edition of the International Health and #OneHealth Conference.

Dr. Óscar Cabezón, a researcher from the conservation medicine research group (WildCoM) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UABFaculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB, emphasized the importance of understanding and controlling emerging infectious diseases transmitted by ticks to prevent contagious outbreaks.

From his research group, WildCoM, they study the ecology of these diseases from a holistic perspective, highlighting how human-caused environmental changes can influence the presence of a pathogen in the environment. Additionally, he pointed out that climate change, urbanization, and changes in human and animal habits have contributed to the increase in tick-borne diseases, and that more efforts are needed to better understand tick populations and the pathogens they can transmit.

The CTU unit from ScienHub Research Support presented two posters at the XXI National Congress on AIDS and STIs, organized by SEISIDA. The congress focused on the theme “The Ages of HIV,” addressing various perspectives and challenges related to aging and the diversity of PLHIV.

• “Beyond Comorbidities: Over50 Cohort of PLHIV ≥ 50 Years Old Compared to a Control Group”: The results showed a higher prevalence of sleep disorders, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, falls, depression, and loneliness in PLHIV compared to a control group. This underscores the need for specific approaches to geriatric care in PLHIV.
• “Redesigning HIV Care: A Significant Shift in the Profile of Individuals Newly Diagnosed with HIV”: The study concluded that there has been a significant increase in HIV diagnoses in primary care, suggesting a possible lack of information about the infection, a greater diversity of affected population groups, an increase in detection among women, and an increase in AIDS diagnoses. This highlights the need to adopt differentiated approaches for newly diagnosed individuals.

The participation of the CTU team in the congress underscores our commitment to research, advancing the understanding and improvement of care for people with HIV.