Africa is home to the majority of people with HIV (PWH) worldwide. Improved availability and access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) has improved survival, resulting in an ageing population now facing long-term HIV-associated morbidity, including musculoskeletal conditions. There is growing evidence on the impact of chronic HIV infection and ART on muscle and bone health. Musculoskeletal complications among PWH increase the risk of injury, disability, pain, reduces quality of life, and incurs substantive healthcare and economic costs. This review discusses mechanisms by which HIV may affect bone and muscle, including direct cellular stress, indirect chronic inflammation, immunosenescence and hormonal dysregulation, as well as ART-related effects. It appraises evidence for bone and muscle health among PWH across different age groups and populations in Africa. Potential interventions such as improved nutrition, physical activity, vitamin D and calcium supplementation, and use of bisphosphonates to attenuate musculoskeletal morbidity are discussed. Musculoskeletal health services need to be integrated into core HIV-care services. Routine fracture risk assessments and robust preventive management strategies should become the norm, to reduce musculoskeletal morbidity among PWH in Africa.

Despite the relatively low transmission rates of HIV-1, the virus accounted for 1.5 million new infections in 2020, with widespread infection and devastating sequelae. Various mechanisms have been described, which exacerbate HIV-1 progression, including concurrent infection with other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Epidemiological evidence has suggested the strongest association between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and HIV-1 compared to other STIs and the presence of untreated N. gonorrhoeae before infection with HIV-1 has been shown to enhance viral infection. Molecular investigation has corroborated this by showing that presence of N. gonorrhoeae enables transmission of HIV-1 across the epithelial membrane, enhances replication of HIV-1, increases viral shedding, and heightens immune dysregulation. Gonorrhoea infections are rapidly increasing worldwide providing a potential platform for increased HIV-1 incidence. Furthermore, whilst treatment of N. gonorrhoeae in parallel infection alleviates HIV-1 progression and transmission, this is becoming a less viable option as the threat of multidrug resistance within N. gonorrhoeae proliferates. These findings highlight the requirement for greater surveillance of concurrent infections to tackle the HIV-1 epidemic and warrant monitoring of the resistance crisis in N. gonorrhoeae to prevent worsening outcomes of HIV-1 patients.

We assessed integrase resistance in 837 treatment-experienced people with HIV (PWH) with virological failure (2022-2024) in Portugal. Major resistance mutations were found in 5.5%, with N155H and R263K being the most common. Resistance was more frequent in non-B subtypes and often co-occurred with resistance to other antiretroviral classes. Though prevalence remains low, the findings highlight the need for continued surveillance to inform treatment decisions, especially as integrase inhibitors like dolutegravir, bictegravir and cabotegravir become more widely used.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively controls HIV replication but adherence in infants and children remains a challenge. This study analyzed broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) resistance in viral isolates from perinatally infected infants from Mozambique. We found high intra-individual bNAb resistance heterogeneity, unrelated to viral burden, and evidence for early or preexisting resistance. These findings underscore the importance of individualized resistance screening and reinforce the need for accessible, adherence-supportive ART strategies in pediatric HIV.

To characterize all-cause unplanned 30-day readmissions among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) of all-stages by HIV status in the US.

There is limited evidence concerning the relationship between cardiometabolic characteristics and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and potential effects of statin therapy among people with HIV (PWH).

To compare HIV incidence among female sex workers (FSW) and single mothers, and to determine the factors associated with seroconversion among both populations.

In Nigeria, adolescents and young adults (AYA) who engage in multiple sexual partnerships, transactional sex, and needle-sharing are eligible for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and are prioritized for HIV testing. AYA with PrEP-eligible behaviors should be using facility-based HIV testing services. We examined associations between these behaviors and facility-based HIV testing among AYA aged 14-24 years.

To ensure the safe use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends laboratory testing with specific tests for all individuals before PrEP initiation.

To compare cognitive function and identify correlates of lower cognitive functioning among children and youth exposed to HIV (CHEU) aged 7-18 years and peers unexposed to HIV (CHU).

To compare Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) utilization and adherence before and after expansion of a drug coverage program.

Examine the proportion of people with HIV engaging in behaviours associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after successful direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment and establish longitudinal patterns of behavioural risk over time.

Despite longer life expectancies, those aging with HIV experience increased comorbidity and other health challenges relative to the general population. Alterations in the composition of the gut microbiome are associated with increased immune activation and aging, but few studies have explored the association of the gut microbiome with adverse age-related outcomes in people living with HIV. We assessed the relationship between gut microbiome composition and healthy aging in HIV.

Inequalities in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) cascade across subpopulations remain an ongoing challenge in the global HIV response. Eswatini achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 ART cascade targets by 2020, with differentiated programs to minimize inequalities across subpopulations, including for female sex workers (FSW) and their clients. We sought to estimate the impacts of this achievement, through a retrospective impact evaluation of ART scale-up in Eswatini.

This study aimed to assess the burden, severity, and pattern of Coronary artery disease (CAD) in people with HIV (PWH), as well as its relationship with metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.

The bidirectional increase of visitors between Vietnam and Japan has raised concerns about the spread of CRF01_AE; however, the epidemiological characteristics of CRF01_AE in Vietnam and its relationship with Japan remain unclear. We compared the CRF01_AE gene sequences from Vietnam and Japan to understand their epidemiolocal relationships.

People with HIV experience conventional and HIV-specific risk factors for increased blood pressure and may have different trajectories than people without HIV. Using data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), we describe longitudinal patterns in blood pressure, hypertension, and vital status for people with HIV and without HIV.

This study aimed to report a novel HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF) identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China.

This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with the onset and progression of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) in People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLWH).