fibrotest – a test which uses results from blood tests to predict liver damage and which may become an alternative option to liver biopsy in some patients.
Glossary
Selected words and phrases
late breaker – in research, this is a study presented at a medical meeting that was submitted to the conference organisers after the main programme had been decided. There are usually only a few dozen late-breakers, where the last minute results are thought important enough to include – like ‘late-breaking news’. Although this studies often contain the most exciting news, they are given much less time to present their results – maybe less than 10 minutes compared to a normal 15 or 20 minute session. These summary results are also difficult to verify because they include fewer slides and fewer details.
sarcoma – medical term for cancer that affects bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, skin or other connective tissue.
CD4 cells are white blood cells in your immune system. CD4 cells signal to CD8 cells to destroy a virus. CD4 cells are also used by HIV as factories to reproduce in.
Intermediate level resistance – when a drug still has some impact on HIV, but when this is reduced (compared to wild-type HIV) because there is some drug resistance.