The Washington Blade; Friday, February 21, 1997
Lisa Keen
A physician practice group in D.C. is seeking volunteers for three clinical trials it is conducting:
--One study needs 16 or more volunteers for a study of the drug BIC-C parvum to treat cryptosporidium-related diarrhea. Participants must have CD4 counts between zero and 180.
--A study of oxandrolone to treat severe weight loss in men with HIV infection needs 20 to 25 participants. Participants should have lost from 10 to 20 percent of their normal weight.
--A third study needs about 50 volunteers to study the Remount vaccine. Participants must have a CD4 count between 300 and 549 and have no opportunistic infections.
The studies are being conducted by the Continuity Care Center, a physician practice group at 1145 19th St., NW. For more information, call Linda Green at (202) 833-1222.
**Gallo expresses doubt about eradication
Famed AIDS researcher Robert Gallo told a meeting of scientists last week that he has serious doubts about whether HIV can be completely eliminated from the body. According to United Press International, Gallo was speaking in Seattle Feb. 13 to the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"In most cases, when treatment is discontinued, the disease comes back," UPI quoted Gallo as saying.
In fact, a number of reports at the Fourth Retroviruses Conference held in D.C. last month provided some signs that, at least in some cases, people who achieved undetectable levels of virus on triple-drug therapies did have rebound in viral levels. One study, for instance, from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases found there were "two categories of response" to therapy involving indinavir-AZT-3TC. One group had undetectable levels of virus for almost two years; the other had a "rebound in blood virus levels" in as quickly as six weeks.
In brief ...
PREVENTION: A committee of nongovernment experts on AIDS prevention told the National Institutes of Health last week that AIDS prevention efforts in the United States have been significantly hampered by politics. The committee urged NIH to support programs which teach people how to use condoms, how to negotiate with partners for safer sex, and to support needle exchange programs.
NEW BOOKLET: The Treatment Action Group has released a new 134-page booklet with the latest information on the standard of treatment for common opportunistic infections. The information, The AI Report, is available by sending a $10 donation to TAG at 200 East 10th Street, No. 601, NYC 10003, or at its Web site http://www.aidsnyc.erg/network/tag/tag.html.
HERB BANNED: The Kenyan government has banned the sale of a purported herb-based AIDS treatment there called Pearl Omega. According to Associated Press, Kenyan law allows the sale of herb-based treatments but the producer of Pearl Omega has failed to provide documentation of the drug's composition.
MICRO COPTIC: Scientists in Israel reported this month they have discovered a new protein, called NICK, that is pivotal in turning the immune system on to fight HIV. According to their report in the Feb. 6 issue of Nature, a British medical journal, the discovery could direct researchers to find drugs which are aimed at activating this protein.
MENTAL HEALTH: Scientists in Boston reported last week that HIV penetrates the central nervous system with the aid of two specific co-receptors (CCR3 and CCR5), in addition to the CD4 receptor. In the Feb. 13 issue of Nature, they say their findings may help develop new therapies to stop HIV replication in the brain and central nervous system.
FIGHTING NAUSEA: POZ magazine's March issue includes some tips for fighting nausea, including ginger tea, peppermint tea, fennel tea, and catnip tea. The magazine quotes an herbalist in Chicago as saying that catnip tea also helps stimulate the appetite and is "very soothing to the digestive tract." Many other suggestions are included, too.
VIRODENE P058: The South African Medicines Control Board stopped researchers from continued testing in humans of a substance called Virodene P058 earlier this month after learning that it contained an industrial solvent called dimethylformamide. The scientists developing the alleged AIDS treatment say it kills the AIDS virus and repairs the immune system. But they have not submitted their data for scientific peer scrutiny. Associated Press reported Feb. 6 that an independent review panel found "serious and unresolved safety issues" in the substance.
970221
WB970209
Copyright © 1997 - The Washington Blade. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of The Washington Blade content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of the Blade. The Washington Blade shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The Washington Blade.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1997. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1997. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .