Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A gel that has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in women during vaginal sex has also shown promise toward preventing transmission during anal sex, US researchers said Monday.
"HIV was significantly inhibited in tissue samples from participants who used tenofovir gel daily for one week compared to tissue from participants who used the placebo gel," the study said.
The results came from the first clinical trial of tenofovir gel for rectal use, and were released at a medical conference in Boston.
The study size was small, comprising just 18 men and women who were sexually abstinent and HIV negative and who used the rectally applied gel for a week.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Pittsburgh then took biopsies of rectal tissue from the subjects and exposed the tissue to HIV in a lab to see how the product protected against infection.
They also tested an oral tablet and a single daily dose of rectal gel, and found those methods provided no protection against HIV.
"We are very encouraged about these findings that indicate applying tenofovir gel topically to the rectum could be a promising approach to HIV prevention," said lead author Peter Anton, director of the Center for Prevention Research at UCLA.
ksh/oh
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments