Washington Blade - October 12, 2001

PORTLAND, Oregon - Doctors in Oregon are now required to report to state health officials the names of people who test positive for HIV, the Oregonian reported. The new policy, which was delayed twice in the past nine months because of concerns about confidentiality, was enacted Oct. 1. Health authorities say the new name-based system will help keep track of the changing epidemic, target prevention efforts toward those most at risk, and make sure newly diagnosed patients get up-to-date care. Under the new policy, the name of the person testing positive for HIV will be reported to the state and held in confidence for up to 90 days while the Department of Human Services follows up with the patient's doctor. When the doctor verifies that the patient is receiving accurate information about treatment and support services, the person's name will be converted to a numerical code. "We take confidentiality very seriously," Dr. Grant Higginson, the state public health officer, told the Oregonian. "The HIV program uses a stand-alone computer that is located in a locked room."

Higginson said the state would impose unspecified "severe penalties" against those who breach confidentiality.

Scientists find link to stopping spread of HIV

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Researchers at the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics have found a way to stop HIV from spreading from one cell to another. Turning the discovery into a marketable treatment will require more study. The finding, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the journal Cell, could help find treatments for other viruses as well. Blocking the spread of HIV involves "turning off" a particular protein, known as Tsg 101, according to the study. The University of Utah researchers, led by biochemist Wes Sundquist, showed that without protein, HIV can't "bud" - leaving the membrane of one cell and infecting other cells.

Scientists are now looking for a practical way to shut down that protein, a process that could take a long time, Sundquist said. Disabling the protein would not cure HIV or AIDS. The virus would still live in the victim's body, but stopping the virus from spreading would prevent symptoms.

HIV and hepatitis showing up in donated blood

ATLANTA (AP) - Some Americans who rushed to donate blood for strangers hurt in the terrorist attacks will get a very personal shock - news that traces of disease have turned up in their contributions. Two weeks after the suicide hijackings, the first letters and phone calls were going out to donors whose blood was rejected because tests detected HIV, hepatitis, or other infectious agents. "They're really at a loss. Some of them are sobbing when they're calling," said Thelma King Thiel, chief executive of Hepatitis Foundation International, which has taken calls from blood donors surprised to learn they have the dangerous virus. Donated blood is screened for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other antigens. Because of the risk of false-positive results, blood that raises flags is sent through more tests to confirm the infections.

The blood banks share positive test results with donors but keep them otherwise confidential.

Physicians more accurate in finding lumps

LONDON - British researchers have found that physicians and surgeons are much more effective in identifying breast lumps compared with detection by mammography, Reuters reported. The study, which was presented at the Seventh Nottingham International Breast Cancer Conference, found that mammography was up to a third less likely to detect lumps than physicians were. However, mammography was much more effective in determining whether lumps were benign or malignant, the physicians said. Dr. Gavin T. Royle and colleagues from the Southampton Breast Unit studied data for 350 women with suspected cancer. They successfully identified lumps in 78 percent of cases, while breast surgeons were found to be slightly more successful with an 82 percent success rate.

Mammography only proved sensitive in 63 percent of patients. "Both [general physician] and breast surgeon clinical examination were more sensitive than mammography in determining if a lump was present," Royle told conference participants.

New HIV drug gains approval from FDA

WASHINGTON - Expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended last Wednesday to grant accelerated approval to a new HIV drug. If the FDA approves the drug, Gilead Sciences Inc.'s Viread, it will be the nation's first new HIV drug in over a year, according to Reuters. The FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee voted to approve the drug based on two studies, which showed that Viread decreased the amount of virus found in the bloodstream through 24 and 28 weeks of treatment. Although the sentiment to approve the drug was unanimous, there was some debate over whether the drug was suitable for all HIV patients. The reviewers also expressed concern about the drug's possible long-term side effects. The drug approval application was filed in May, at which time the FDA said it would review the drug within six months.

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