Trending News: Data Show Need for Doctor-Patient Dialogue in HIV Testing Efforts for Adolescent Men

HIV testing efforts for adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) must be scaled up to include sexual orientation and reassurance of doctor-patient confidentiality to increase active conversations, according to The American Journal of Managed Care. The findings are a result of an interim analysis of data from 2018 and 2019 from A Large Simple Trial Comparing Two Strategies for Management of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (SMART). The study authors suggest that doctors and pediatricians have open conversations with their male patients, including a detailed sexual history and a discussion about sexual orientation.

A new article from the CDC examines pregnancy outcomes among women who received the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine in the STRIVE study, according to Contagion Live. The STRIVE trial, which took place during 2 periods in 2015, tested the safety and efficacy of rVSV-ZEBOV, a recombinant, replication-competent vaccine consisting of a vesicular stomatitis virus modified to express a glycoprotein to catalyze a neutralizing immune response to the Ebola virus. The overall rate of pregnancy loss among vaccinated versus unvaccinated participants was not statistically significant, but the study authors called for larger samples to rule out a meaningful difference in the percentage of pregnancy losses.

New data suggest an eye drop that effectively treats diabetic macular edema (DME) may soon be a reality, according to HCP Live. Results of a phase 2 study from Oculis SA indicate the use of OCS-01, a novel proprietary topical nanoparticle formulation of dexamethasone, could reduce central macular thickness and lead to improvements in visual acuity in patients with DME. The study validates the potential of OCS-01 to provide patients and their physicians with a potentially transformative topical approach for sight-threatening retinal diseases such as DME, according to the study authors.

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