The Washington Blade Online - July 21, 1998
Lisa Keen

The finding, reported in the July 10 issue of Science magazine, came in an examination of a protein in the nucleus of the HIV. That protein, Vpr, is responsible for transporting the nucleus of the virus into the body's CD4 cell but it can also stop the CD4 cell from completing its own cycle of reproduction, contributing to immune dysfunction.

Researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles reported last year that CD4 cells stopped, or arrested, in this particular phase of their cycles by Vpr soon die off. This month, they reported that the Vpr is able to "arrest" the CD4 cells even after the virus has been stopped from replicating by the use of the nucleoside AZT, the non-nucleoside nevirapine, or protease inhibitors (indinavir or nelfinavir).

Ten percent surviving 25 years or more

About 13 percent of people with HIV survive for 25 years or longer without developing full-blown AIDS, according to a study from the National Cancer Institute, published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology.

The study followed 201 Gay and bisexual men with HIV in the U.S. and Denmark for 14 years, between 1981 and 1995, then, based on the data collected during those years, calculated that, after 25 years, ten percent "may survive for up to 25 years without developing AIDS." The study suggested that the 10 percent estimate might be considered "conservative," since new, more powerful antiviral drugs have become available since 1995.

Getting back the muscle after wasting

A study of 51 men with HIV and wasting found that those taking testosterone injections for six months experienced "significant" increases in their lean body mass and improvements in their quality of life. The study, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, was published in the July 1 Annals of Internal Medicine.

But a separate study, in the July 1 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that nutritional supplements did not help patients increase muscle tissue. Marc Hellerstein and colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital gave 39 patients one of two nutritional supplements commercially available (Advera and Ensure) and found that, while the patients did increase their intake of protein, vitamins, and other nutritional substances, they did not increase their "fat-free mass," or lean muscle tissue. This latter study took place before protease inhibitors were in use, but patients were taking nucleoside analogs.

The San Francisco researchers concluded that people with HIV and wasting have "altered" metabolism. Asked whether there is any reason to believe that that altered metabolism might be responsible for some of the fat distribution problems being seen in many patients now, Hellerstein said "absolutely."

"We don't know exactly what metabolic abnormalities are involved in the lipid abnormalities...but we believe that they must be there."

In brief...

GENEVA ROUNDUP JULY 30: The Carl Vogel Foundation is hosting a special "interactive community update" on the International Conference on AIDS Thursday, July 30, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill. For more information, call (202) 638-0750.

AZT BENEFIT IN AVERTING DEMENTIA: Researchers in London say a study of records of more than 1,100 people with AIDS in the early 1990s found that those who started AZT before developing full-blown AIDS were less likely to suffer AIDS-related brain infections, compared to those who did not take AZT. According to Reuters, the report appears in the July issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.

3TC HELPFUL AGAINST HEPATITIS: Another nucleoside analog, 3TC, is apparently beneficial against hepatitis B infection. According to a report from the University of Hong Kong, published in the July 9 New England Journal of Medicine, 3TC was able to decrease inflammation from chronic hepatitis B in 56 percent of 358 patients, compared to only 25 percent of patients who found improvement after taking a placebo.

SALVAGE THERAPY PROSPECT: Echoing preliminary reports at the AIDS Conference in Geneva, an article in the July 9 issue of the journal AIDS indicates that patients who fail on the protease inhibitors indinavir or ritonavir may experience some brief benefit by switching to a four-drug therapy. Dr. Steven G. Deeks at San Francisco General Hospital reports that 14 of 18 patients deteriorating on ritonavir or indinavir who switched to a regimen of ritonavir-saquinavir-two nucleosides were able to drop their viral loads by 1.4 logs after a month. By six months, however, most had seen their viral loads rebound significantly.
980721
WB980701

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. 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, 1998. 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. .