Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The San Francisco Examiner - Wednesday, May 28, 1997
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
They should be dead by now.
In November 1991, scientists gave each a big injection of simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, the monkey version of the AIDS virus, reports Daniel Haney of the Associated Press.
The shot contained 1,000 times more SIV than it usually takes to cause an infection. Ordinarily, this virus starts an insidious disease process that eventually destroys the monkeys' immune systems and kills them - just as its cousin, HIV, does to people - only faster, usually within two years.
Yet nothing happened. By every measure, these animals and two others that got lower doses are entirely healthy. There is no sign of SIV in their blood or anywhere else. They simply did not catch the virus.
What saved the monkeys was an experimental vaccine. Two years earlier, scientists had given them a weakened form of SIV. The virus was normal in every way except that one of its nine genes was clipped out.
Losing this gene, called nef, throttles the virus's ability to make new copies of itself. Crippled, it caused a low-grade infection but did not seem to hurt the monkeys. And somehow it primed their immune defenses to ward off real SIV.
The experiment is a landmark in AIDS research. It is the first - and still the best - proof that a vaccine to protect people from catching HIV is even possible.
Treatment news
*Thalidomide, the sedative banned since the 1960s for causing birth defects, has re-emerged as the only effective treatment for AIDS-related mouth ulcers.
A study, published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that a month of treatment dramatically relieves this painful condition and clears it up entirely in about half of those who take the drug.
Sixteen of 29 who got thalidomide, or 55 percent, had complete healing of their ulcers, compared with just two of 28 in a comparison group. Ninety percent of those getting thalidomide were helped at least somewhat.
But the treatment also appeared to increase blood levels of HIV somewhat. So doctors cautioned against giving the drug for longer than the month tested in the study.
*The drug Doxil has been shown to be an effective initial treatment for advanced AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, according to a study by UCLA researchers.
The study was designed to evaluate how KS tumors responded to Doxil alone and how well patients tolerated the addition of other chemotherapy drugs to Doxil, said Dr. Ronald Mitsuyasu of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Although the tumors of both groups of patients showed a similar response, patients on Doxil alone had less toxicity and a higher quality of life, he reported.
Newsletter seeks support
The nonprofit newsletter AIDS Treatment News needs help. In the last year, tight finances have forced the newsletter to miss conferences, delay equipment upgrades and cut staff. To help, send a tax-deductible contribution to AIDS Treatment News Associates, 584-B Castro St., S.F. CA 94114-1465.
Events
* "Financial Planning," a workshop on the basics of financial planning to help with future fiscal security, sponsored by Kaiser Medical Center, will be Monday from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church, 150 Eureka St. Call (415) 202-3520.
*African Americans are invited to join free workshops for family members, relatives and friends taking care of people with HIV, sponsored by Home Care Companions, on June 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 at the Center for African and African American Arts and Culture, the Sargent Johnson Gallery, 762 Fulton St.
The workshops offer hands-on nursing skills, as well as discussion of subjects such as common medical problems, ways to control pain and manage side effects of HIV, legal and guardianship issues and ways to organize a home for care-giving. Preregistration required. Call (415) 824-3269.
* "OK, I've Decided To Go Back To Work Or Change My Career," a discussion to help people get started in finding the right job, sponsored by Kaiser Medical Center, will be June 9 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church, 150 Eureka St. Call (415) 202-3520.
* "Staying Fit and Keeping Health," a free afternoon seminar on nutrition and lean body mass maintenance for people with HIV, sponsored by Healing Alternatives Foundation, will be June 14 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church, 150 Eureka St. Guests include Drs. Carl Grunfeld and Lark Lands. Call (415) 626-4053.
The toll
Gregg Lee Carron, 48, whose work as a set builder, advertising stylist and visual merchandising designer took him to the showrooms of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto ... Scott W. Baldwin, 48, an ordained deacon and priest who served as a canon at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, Vt., and was consecrated bishop in the Ecumenical Catholic Church in San Francisco. Here in The City, he founded a business, Your Printer, on Caesar Chavez Street and then co-founded the Home Communities of Francis & Clare.
Date
reported / Cases / Deaths
S.F. 4/1 23,974 16,692
Calif. 4/1 99,908 64,137
U.S. 4/1 548,102 343,000
WHO(rprtd) 4/1 8,400,000 6,400,000
Figures are cumulative since June 1981.
To contribute to AIDSWEEK, call (415) 777-7867.
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