The Washington Blade; January 23, 1998
Lisa Keen

The MCV (not to be confused with CMV or cytomegalovirus) has been getting more attention lately. MCV causes a sometimes-disfiguring growth of smooth white-colored bumps in clusters and can appear in the face, feet, hands, rectum, and genitals. The Jan. 2 issue of the journal Science carried an article by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reporting that MCV contains an enzyme which enables it to resist the body's immune system or ultraviolet radiation treatment.

In brief...

SOLUTIONS FOR D.C.: Three local groups are hosting a town meeting Friday, Jan. 30, to explore solutions on how the community of people concerned about HIV and AIDS in the D.C. metropolitan area can help improve services for people with HIV and AIDS. The discussion is being hosted by the HIV Community Coalition, Us Helping Us, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, and Transgenders Against Discrimination and Defamation. It will begin at 2 p.m. in Suite 1030-South of the city building at One Judiciary Square. The discussion will be led by two groups of panelists, including Keith Boykin of the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, Pat Hawkins of Whitman-Walker Clinic, Valerie Papaya Mann of the D.C. CARE Consortium, and Martin Vasquez of La Clinica del Pueblo.

PROLONGED HICCUPS: Dr. Larry Lyle, in the February issue of Poz magazine, reports that episodes of hiccups lasting longer than 48 hours in a person with HIV could be a symptom that a serious infection is taking hold in the esophagus, stomach, or brain. Among the disorders that can produce prolonged hiccups, he said, is herpes or CMV ulcers in the esophagus, toxoplasmosis-related lesions on the brain, or yeast infections in the stomach.

NEW PROTEASE UPDATES: The Food and Drug Administration last month gave Triangle Pharmaceuticals in Durham, N.C., permission to begin phase I (human safety and efficacy) trials of a new protease inhibitor DMP-450. And AIDSWEEKLY Plus reported last month that Upjohn's latest protease inhibitor, PNU-140690, appears to be effective against strains of HIV that have become resistant to the protease inhibitor ritonavir, which is already on the market.

PROTEASE ENHANCERS? One problem with some protease inhibitors is that the body has a hard time absorbing the drug. But Reuters news service reported last week that researchers at Vanderbilt University believe they have found a way to improve the bioavailability of protease inhibitors. In the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigations, the researchers report that they believe they can increase the amount of certain protease inhibitors absorbed by the body by inhibiting a substance called the P-glycoprotein. The protease inhibitors studied were indinavir, saquinavir, and nelfinavir.

SUBTYPE 'A' STRAIN IN NEW YORK: Most people with HIV in the United States have a strain of the virus identified as HIV-1/subtype B. Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the Journal of Infectious Diseases that it has identified the first two cases of subtype A in this country. The two cases were in New York and were people who have never traveled outside the United States. People with this different subtype strain may not have their HIV infection detected by commonly used HIV antibody tests.

THE GENE'S THE THING: Researchers have now found a third genetic mutation which appears to explain why a tiny percentage of people infected with HIV never get sick or get sick much more slowly than most. In a report in last week's journal Science, researchers at the National Cancer Institute said this third discovered mutation could cause a person to develop full-blown AIDS seven to 10 years later than most people. The discoveries may guide the development of new drugs to attack HIV.

SOLUTION IN SALIVA? A protein in the saliva called TSP has anti-HIV capabilities and may eventually help prevent the spread of HIV through various mucous membranes, says a study by researchers at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. According to Reuters news service, in the Jan. 5 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the researchers said they found that, "TSP derivatives could potentially be used vaginally, rectally, and orally in condoms, foams, suppositories, mouthwashes, and toothpastes to inhibit" the transmission of HIV.

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