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Two randomized studies in Africa have found that daily antiretroviral therapy can reduce the risk for HIV infection among high-risk heterosexuals.

In the Partners PrEP trial of some 4800 serodiscordant couples, uninfected partners who took daily oral tenofovir had 62% fewer HIV infections and those who took tenofovir plus emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) had 73% fewer infections, compared with placebo recipients. A safety monitoring board recommended that the placebo arm end early.

In addition, the TDF2 study comprising some 1200 uninfected heterosexual men and women found a 63% reduced infection rate with daily TDF/FTC, compared with placebo.

In his blog, , Dr.

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Drugs that treat psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis by suppressing the immune system may also reduce the risk of developing diabetes, at least in people who already have one of these conditions, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Compared to those taking other drugs , patients with psoriasis or RA who were prescribed one of several drugs in a class known as the TNF inhibitors had a 38% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the course of the six-month study. Those who were prescribed hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been used for decades to fight malaria and is also used for RA, had a 46% lower risk.

If youre going to give an immunosuppressant [drug] anyway, it may be that these specific drugs have an added benefit of reducing the risk of future diabetes, says the lead author of the study, Daniel H.

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Women who use oral contraceptives containing the newer progesterone drospirenone (e.g., Yaz, Angeliq) face a two- to threefold higher risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) than those using contraceptives containing levonorgestrel, according to two case-control analyses in .

Researchers used U.S. and U.K. databases to identify cases of idiopathic VTE in women using oral contraceptives containing drospirenone or levonorgestrel, and then matched those women with controls using the same contraceptives who did not develop VTE.

The U.S. cohort, which included 186 cases and 681 controls, showed higher VTE risk with drospirenone than with levonorgestrel (odds ratio, 2.4). Similarly, the U.K.

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FRIDAY, August 13 () — Teenagers who take acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol and many other over-the-counter remedies—may be at increased risk of asthma and some allergic conditions, according to a new study of more than 320,000 children in 50 countries.

Compared with those who never take the popular pain reliever and fever reducer, 13- and 14-year-olds who take acetaminophen at least once a month are 2.5 times more likely to experience asthma symptoms, the study found. Even those who take acetaminophen just once a year are 40% more likely to experience symptoms.

Kids who take acetaminophen may also be at greater risk of certain allergic conditions. Once-

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