HIV and ID Observations

Somewhere in our genome, we are programmed to use the end of the year as a time to reflect on the previous 12 months — and to make lists!

If you don’t believe me, there’s barely a publication or web site out there that hasn’t already succumbed, and we’re just in early December.

And what we can learn from these lists! For example, did you know that the the #4 search for 2012 on Bing was Gangnam Style Dance? I did not — confess I didn’t even know what it was before today — but the video below has had nearly 900 million views. Key question: Can it get to a billion with our help?

Regardless, Journal Watch/AIDS Clinical Care is not immune to this annual List Mania, and hence I’m pleased to present our Editors’ picks for the Top Stories of 2012. As usual, we select those stories that have the greatest clinical impact, or are particularly ground-breaking in their public health or pre-clinical findings. This year we’re limiting it to published papers, guidelines, and approvals rather than meeting reports and press releases.

Some of the published papers have obvious direct relevance today, such as the studies on and the FDA approval of co-formulated TDF/FTC/EVG/c (“Quad”), and its subsequent listing in HIV treatment guidelines; ditto FDA approval of TDF/FTC for PrEP. By contrast, the data on dolutegravir are likely to become even more important next year, with the anticipated publication of studies already presented at major meetings, and the likely FDA approval of this drug. And the study on “waking up HIV” is an early salvo in what should be a growing body of literature on HIV cure strategies.

Without further ado, here are the Top (published) Stories of 2012:

1.        DHHS Guidelines Add Tenofovir/FTC/Elvitegravir/Cobicistat as an Alternative Regimen for First-Line HIV Treatment 

2.        Tenofovir/FTC Approved for PrEP . . .

3.        Undetectable VL – not a guarantee against transmitting HIV

4.        HIV and the clinical manifestations of accelerated aging

5.        Even at high CD4 counts, mortality high in untreated HIV

6.        The latest “vital signs” on HIV epidemic 

7.        Dolutegravir holds promise

8.        No more excuses: VL monitoring lowers costs 

9.        HCV is an emerging epidemic among HIV-positive MSM

10.    Waking up HIV

Now it’s time to dance: