WHAT WE'RE READING

A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

Science

Discovery of Key Component of HIV Yields New Drug Target

Scientists have discovered an essential feature of HIV that the virus uses to infect cells whilst avoiding detection by the immune system. This discovery presents a new drug target and the opportunity to re-evaluate existing treatments for HIV to improve their efficacy.

HIV Is Not a Super-Spreader of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

While the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic fuels tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks, it does not drive the development and transmission of multidrug-resistance in TB patients as previously suspected, according to a study published in eLife.

Rapidly Linking Adolescents Diagnosed With HIV to Care Is Vital

Rapidly linking adolescents to medical care after they are diagnosed with HIV increases their likelihood of staying in care, aidsmap reports. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, researchers analyzed data from 15 Adolescent Medicine Trials Network Clinic sites in 13 cities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Miscellaneous

D.C. Center Holds Post-International AIDS Conference Panel

A panel discussion took place Monday night on the developments that took place during last month's 2016 International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa.

Despite Court Ruling, EEOC To Continue Taking Anti-Gay Bias Claims

Despite a federal appeals court ruling that determined current law provides "no protection from nor redress for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," the U.S. agency charged with enforcing federal workplace civil rights law will continue to accept and investigate charges of anti-gay employment discrimination in the court's jurisdiction.

Finding Good Pain Treatment Is Hard. If You're Not White, It's Even Harder.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Roslyn Lewis was at work at a dollar store here, pushing a heavy cart of dog food, when something popped in her back: an explosion of pain. At the emergency room the next day, doctors gave her Motrin and sent her home.

Gay and Transgender Egyptians, Surveilled and Entrapped, Are Driven Underground

CAIRO - The last days of the government of Hosni Mubarak and the turbulent revolution that followed were tense, occasionally gut-wrenching times for many in Egypt. But for gay and transgender Egyptians, it was also a period of unaccustomed freedom.

The Horror of the Baltimore Police Department

A Department of Justice report finds widespread constitutional violations, the targeting of African Americans, and a culture of retaliation.

Is It Time to Roll Back the Laws on Spreading HIV?

Take our quiz on which criminal penalties remain in force.

Mike Pence's Response to H.I.V. Outbreak: Prayer, Then a Change of Heart

AUSTIN, Ind. - On the evening of March 24, 2015, Sheriff Dan McClain got an unexpected voice mail: "This is Gov. Mike Pence calling. I would welcome the opportunity to get your counsel on what's going on in Scott County."

Obamacare Appears to Be Making People Healthier

Obamacare has provided health insurance to some 20 million people. But are they any better off?

This has been the central question as we've been watching the complex and expensive health law unfurl. We knew the law was giving people coverage, but information about whether it's protecting people from debt or helping them become more healthy has been slower to emerge.