The investigators anticipate that this study will provide insights into the impact of increases in lean body mass and weight on survival and disease progression. In the ACTG, protocol 892 will attempt to correlate changes in viral load with changes in body composition and total body weight. ACTG 313 is comparing a regimen of megace and testosterone enenthate vs. megace alone. The primary objective of this study is to assess whether treatment with megace and testosterone leads to increased lean body mass, rather than the accrual of fat seen with megace alone. ACTG 329, a study enrolling women with HIV wasting syndrome, is assessing whether treatment with nandrolone results in weight gain and increases in lean body mass.
Nandrolone is a male hormone called androgen with minimal masculinizing effects.