1995

No Thanks: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 23; Gallagher, John; Texas education commissioner Michael Moses recently rejected a $1.35-million federal grant on the grounds that it would have forced the state to discontinue its abstinence-based sex education program. Dianne Hardy-Garcia, executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, said, There had been grumblings about
Finding New Uses for Thalidomide: Nature Medicine (12/95) Vol. 1, No. 12, P. 1230; Gershon, Diane; Midtrial results of a Phase II, placebo-controlled study of thalidomide suggest that the drug is a safe and effective treatment for mouth ulcers in HIV patients. The placebo side of the study therefore has been shut down and all patients will now be able to receive the drug on an open-label basis. The two-part study, w
Some Members of APHA Interested in Forming Caucus on AIDS: Nation's Health (12/95) Vol. 25, No. 11, P. 14; Members of the American Public Health Association (APHA) are considering the formation of a caucus that would focus on the group s future AIDS policies. The worst thing we can do is become silent or complacent about the AIDS epidemic, said member Suzanne Keller. The APHA s AIDS policies, which were adopted in 1982, cov
Treatment with Lamivudine, Zidovudine, or Both in HIV-Positive Patients with 200 to 500 CD4+ Cells per Cubic Millimeter: New England Journal of Medicine (12/21/95) Vol. 333, No. 25, P. 1662; Eron, Joseph J.; Benoit, Sharon L.; Jemsek, Joseph; et al.; To determine the safety and activity of lamivudine plus zidovudine in the treatment of HIV-infection, as compared with either drug alone, Eron et. al. studied more than 360 patients with CD4 levels between 200 and 500 cells. During the double- blind, 24-week study, patients were randomly assigned to receive either lami
BFTI Receives Peruvian Naval Approval to Conduct Trials for Its Rapid Immunochromatographic Assay for Detection of the HIV 1/2 Viruses: Business Wire (12/28/95); The Peruvian Ministry of Interior has approved Bio-Fluorescent Technologies Inc. s (BFTI s) plan to conduct trials of its rapid assay test for the HIV 1/2 virus with the navy. The trials are the first part of the navy s requirements to qualify a product for sale. The navy department intends to provide HIV tests to all
Budget Talks May Continue into Weekend: Washington Post (12/29/95) P. A1; Harris, John F.; Dewar, Helen; President Clinton and Republican congressional leaders affirmed on Thursday their desire to restart budget negotiations, however both parties said they are not likely to reach an agreement in the next few days. The president also vetoed the authorization bill for defense appropriations. Aides report that Clinton object
Isis Drops Human Trials of a Genetic Drug: New York Times (12/29/95) P. D2; Fisher, Lawrence M.; Isis Pharmaceuticals has suspended clinical trials of a potential treatment for genital warts, an antisense compound known as Isis 2105, because it claims that the results and potential market do not merit further development. The company s shares dropped 37.5 cents to $13.25. According to analysts, the minimal decli
Employee with AIDS Loses Award on Appeal: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/29/95) P. B1; Lounsberry, Emilie; The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia reversed on Thursday a $125,000 award to a SEPTA manager who said that his right to privacy had been violated when an administrator discovered he had AIDS by examining employee prescription claims. The court ruled that an employer s need for access to empl
Less HIV Found in Donated Blood: Boston Globe (12/28/95) P. 1; Saltus, Richard; More accurate HIV tests and increased education of potential blood donors have made the risk of receiving an HIV-infected blood transfusion very low, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18 to 27 donations out of the 12 million given each year are tainted with HIV, th
Tracing the Trail of Tainted Blood: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/29/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Thousands of documents emerging in Canada s tainted-blood inquiry indicate that the plasma industry was reliant on high- risk blood donors than it had previously admitted. Specifically, these donors include prisoners, drug addicts, and poor people from the United States , the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia,
Health Insured?: POZ (12/95-01/96) No. 11, P. 28; Hanssens, Catherine; There are numerous legal issues which can arise for an HIV- infected person seeking, or trying to keep, private health insurance. Currently, employers and insurers are in court, attempting to limit the Americans with Disabilities Act s (ADA s) protections against insurance discrimination. Both the ADA s and the Equal E
Living on the Edge: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 25; Simmons, Todd; Australian scientists reported in November that eight Australians failed to develop symptoms of AIDS despite having been infected with HIV for at least 15 years. The researchers determined that the group shared a genetically flawed strain of HIV, a finding which could prove useful in the development of future AIDS trea
HCFA to Help Women Protect Infants from HIV: Nation's Health (12/95) Vol. 25, No. 11, P. 5; The Health Care Financing Administration will work with Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, and Rhode Island to help pregnant women protect their unborn children from HIV. Using material based on National Institutes of Health research, the programs will attempt to educate women about the benefits of HIV counseling and volun
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infects Endothelial and Spindle Cells: Nature Medicine (12/95) Vol. 1, No. 12, P. 1274; Boshoff, Chris; Schulz, Thomas F.; Kennedy, Margaret M.; et al.; Sequences of a new human herpesvirus, called Kaposi s sarcoma- associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8, have been identified in HIV-related and classical Kaposi s sarcoma. To identify the cell types infected in KS tumor tissue with this virus, Boshoff et al. used polymerase chain reaction in situ hybridizatio
Elusive HIV-Suppressor Factors Found: Science (12/08/95) Vol. 270, No. 5242, P. 1560; Balter, Michael; Former National Cancer Institute researcher Robert Gallo recently announced that a team led by himself and Italian scientist Paolo Lusso found three closely related polypeptides that shut down production of many strains of HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV in laboratory cultures. The three so-called chemokines-- known as RANTES, M
India Urged to Seek New Ways to Combat Oldest Job: Reuters (12/26/95); Vaughan, Lisa; An increasing number of women in India are turning to prostitution in order to survive, social workers and activist claim. Jyotsna Chatterji, director of the Delhi-based Joint Women s Program, told a conference on women in prostitution that the pressures of liberalization, urbanization, and migration are stimulating th
AIDS Cases Reported in Two Beijing Colleges: Reuters (12/25/95); Ten students at two colleges in Beijing have AIDS, according to the Yangcheng Evening News. It is extremely urgent to spread the program of prevention of AIDS on China s university campuses, the paper quoted AIDS expert Zeng Yi as saying. The 10 students were found positive in spot tests, though it is not clear whether
The Overselling of Gene Therapy: Washington Post (12/26/95) P. A23; Greenberg, Daniel S.; In an editorial in the Washington Post, Daniel S. Greenberg, editor and publisher of Science & Government, discusses the recent criticism of gene-therapy by a committee of physicians and scientists appointed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH report, directed to researchers and biotechnology compan
Fears, Suits and Regulations Stall Contraceptive Advances: New York Times (12/27/95) P. A1; Lewin, Tamar; There are several factors involved in the delay in creating new contraceptive devices, family planning experts say. Lawsuits, a lengthy government approval process, and fears on the part of both consumers and drug companies have led experts to predict that it will be years before any new methods are made available in t
Epitope Inc.: Stock Jumps 34 Percent on News FDA Approved HIV Test: Wall Street Journal (12/27/95) P. 14; Epitope Inc., Beaverton, Ore., received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) for the marketing of the company s Western blot confirmatory test for use in HIV-1 testing with its OraSure oral-specimen-collection product. Following that news, the company s shares soared $4.50, or 34 perc
Sunday, the Rabbi Got AIDS: Village Voice (12/05/95) Vol. 40, No. 49, P. 27; Beiser, Vince; Most Orthodox Jews are hesitant to acknowledge that AIDS exists in their communities. However experts estimate that in New York, some 15,000 of the area s 2 million Jews are HIV- infected. No one knows how many cases are in the Orthodox societies because virtually all are kept are concealed. Transmission routes such as
HIV Suppression by Interleukin-16: Nature (12/07/95) Vol. 378, No. 6557, P. 563; Baier, Michael; Werner, Albrecht; Bannert, Norbert; et al.; Baier et al. of Germany s Paul-Ehrlich Institute report in the journal Nature that interleukin-16 (IL-16), a previously identified lymphocyte chemoattractant, suppresses the replication of both HIV and the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). African green monkeys that are naturally infected with SIV in the wild have h
Added Challenges in Fighting AIDS: Red Tape, Delays: Miami Herald (12/21/95) P. 1B; Rogers, Peggy; Patients and experts say that HIV-infected Dade County, Fla., residents sometimes must undertake monumental struggles to obtain public assistance. We see people who are very weak, very much in pain, who have to take very long bus rides and then wait hours for services, said Martin Terris, director of planning and commu
Washington Wire: Effects of Federal Shutdown: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. A1; The second federal government shutdown has, among other things, interrupted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s disease tracking efforts with states.
Hemagen in Pact to Create Diagnostic Test for AIDS: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. B4; Sheffield Medical Technologies and Hemagen Diagnostics Inc. will collaborate to develop a test to forecast the speed of AIDS progression in patients. According to Sheffield, impending licensing deals for its candidate AIDS and cancer products could generate profit for the firm by 1998. The small biotechnology firm, whi
Vatican Cautions on Sex Education: Washington Post (12/22/95) P. A23; Williams, Daniel; A new handbook from the Vatican urges parents to take their children out of sex-education classes that teach safe sex or deal with sex only as a health issue not-related to Christian values. The guidelines were issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family in a report called Human Sexuality: Truth and Significance.
Nature and Apathy Destroy AIDS Vigil: New York Times (12/22/95) P. A22; Ybarra, Michael J.; San Francisco s AIDS Vigil, a tent city pitched in front of the Federal Building ten years ago in protest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s delays in reviewing treatments for HIV, has come to an end. The campers had withstood pressure from all sides to leave, yet stayed, distributing condoms, AIDS information,
Abbott AIDS-Drug Application: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. B11; Abbott Laboratories has filed a drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its ritonavir . The compound is a protease inhibitor, a class of drugs which have been shown to reduce viral load in HIV-infected patients and boost their immune systems in clinical studies.
How Blood Was Smuggled from AIDS-Ravaged Africa: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/22/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Documents show that between 1985 and 1987, Armour Pharmaceutical Co. bought blood plasma smuggled out of Africa to Europe and then made it into products for human use. The shipments of plasma were mislabeled as animal plasma, but there are no indications that Armour was aware of the deed, which was done by an African s
Drug Seems to Cut AIDS Infection for Workers Stuck with Needles: New York Times (12/22/95) P. A32; Altman, Lawrence K.; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that AZT appears to decrease by nearly 80 percent the risk of HIV infection for health workers accidentally jabbed with needles. With the help of British and French health officials, the CDC assessed 31 health care workers who became infected after such
Doctors Who Treat AIDS Support Each Other: American Medical News (12/11/95) Vol. 38, No. 46, P. 28; Eight Dallas doctors have established a support group to help them deal with the stress of treating dying patients. If I didn t have this group, I do think that I may not have been able to stay involved with treating AIDS patients as long as I have, says Dr. Brady Allen, who has seen 300 people die from AIDS-related ca
Potential AIDS Drug Targets Different Viral Enzyme: Chemical & Engineering News (11/27/95) Vol. 73, No. 48, P. 24; Unlike most other AIDS drugs, which block either reverse transcriptase or protease, a potential AIDS therapy called AR- 177 inhibits integrase, which HIV uses to insert its genetic code into the DNA of the host cell, according to Aronex Pharmaceuticals Robert F. Rando and others. Aronex s oligonucleotide is made up ent
A Short-Term Study of the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of Ritonavir, an Inhibitor of HIV-1 Protease: New England Journal of Medicine (12/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 23, P. 1528; Danner, Sven A.; Carr, Andrew; Leonard, John M; et al.; A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase I and II study of 84 HIV-infected individuals with CD4 levels greater than 50 revealed that the HIV-1 protease inhibitor ritonavir was well-tolerated and had potent anti-HIV activity. Danner et al. report that during the initial four weeks of the study, which was sup
Sequus Pharmaceuticals Initiates Commercial...: Business Wire (12/20/95); Sequus Pharmaceuticals reported on Wednesday that it has begun shipping DOXIL to wholesalers and distributors, following FDA marketing clearance of the drug. According to I. Craig Henderson, chairman and CEO of Sequus, We began receiving orders from the field as soon as we announced FDA market
More than Half a Million AIDS Cases Reported in U.S.: Houston Chronicle (12/20/95) P. 4D; Federal health officials have recorded more than 500,000 cases of AIDS as of last month. Sixty-two percent of those individuals have died. The largest proportion of the cases is among men who have sex with men, but the figure is decreasing. Other categories that combined now account for more cases than men who have sex
Vatican Publishes Sex Guide for Good Catholics: Reuters (12/20/95); Webber, Jude; The Vatican has put out a new sex education guide for parents that says that safe sex is immoral and dangerous policy. The handbook notes, Without wanting to take away from them their rightful autonomy, parents must know how to say no to their children when it is necessary. The 60-page book, which was compiled by the P
Venture into the Transplant Unknown: Washington Times (12/21/95) P. A18; Ambrose, Jay; The promise of last week s baboon bone marrow transplant into an AIDS patient is that scientists not only attempted to produce essentially a second immune system, but they also aspired to learn more about cross-species medicine, writes columnist Jay Ambrose in the Washington Times. A key risk involved is that baboons c
Blue Cross May Force Illness-Prone New Yorkers into Managed Care Plans: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (12/21/95); Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, New York state s largest insurer, may cancel thousands of individual and family Tradition Plus health insurance policies that enable some of the sickest people to select their own physicians and hospitals. Consumer advocates claim that the insurer s forced move of these people into ma
U.S. Agency Targets Minnesota Young Adults with AIDS- Prevention Ads: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (12/21/95); Skog, Jason; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new national safe sex ad campaign aimed at young people in late November, called Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The series of radio and television spots show young adults speaking candidly about AIDS, sex, and abstinence. CDC spokesman Michael Gr
AIDS Drug Also Fights Hepatitis B: Washington Post (12/21/95) P. A9; Researchers report in today s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that the recently approved AIDS drug 3TC appears to suppress the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in people with chronic infections. Currently, the only available treatment for hepatitis B is interferon, which can eliminate the virus in some 33 percent o
5 Tips for Running Program That Exchanges Needles: AIDS Alert (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 12, P. 149; Although it seems unlikely that the federal government will act on recommendations to fund needle exchange programs (NEPs), individuals can still work for state and local efforts, according to Prof. Peter Lurie of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California in San Francisco. Lurie, an author
Chronic Diarrhoea in HIV+ Patients: Role of Enterocytozoon Bieneusi: Journal of the American Medical Association (12/06/95) Vol. 274, No. 21, P. 1657; Bernard et al. studied HIV-infected individuals to determine the various characteristics of chronic diarrhea related to the disease. The researchers isolated 34 pathogenic agents in some 50 percent of the patients. The most frequently identified pathogen was Enterocytozoon bieneusi, which was found in nearly one-quarte
A Preliminary Study of Ritonavir, an Inhibitor of HIV-1 Protease, to Treat HIV-1 Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (12/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 23, P. 1534; Markowitz, Martin; Saag, Michael; Powderly, William G.; et al.; Markowitz et al. conducted a study of the safety and efficacy of ritonavir , a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 protease in vitro, in 62 HIV-1-infected patients. The 12-week trial consisted of a four-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded stage which was followed by an eight-week dose-blinded phase. Among the 52
Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. Filed Form 8-K: CDA Investnet (12/19/95); The FDA has granted marketing approval for Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. s Doxil for the treatment of Kaposi s sarcoma in AIDS patients for whom conventional combination chemotherapy is ineffective or who are intolerant to such therapy. Furthermore, the company has established a Patient Assistance Program to help selecte
AIDS Ministry Names Another New Director: Richmond-Times Dispatch (12/19/95) P. B5; The Richmond AIDS Ministry (RAM) has tapped Sheila Crowley, former head of The Daily Planet, to be its third executive director in two years. According to Claire Forsyth, president of RAM s board of directors, Crowley possesses the right management experience and skills necessary to help guide [us] through our next pha
About Face: City to Pay for AIDS Housing: Houston Chronicle (12/19/95) P. 22A; Robinson, James; The city of Houston is expected to reverse itself and provide about $700,000 for AIDS housing. The move would basically undo a decision made by the City Council last November, in which it deferred to local opposition and essentially ended the project being undertaken by Brentwood Baptist Church. By providing the money,
Krever Given More Time to File Blood-Probe Report: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/19/95) P. A5; Canadian Justice Horace Krever has been allotted additional time to sift through the enormous amount of evidence given in the country s tainted-blood scandal before filing his final report. The federal Privy Council Office has given Krever until Sept. 30, 1996 to complete the report, said government spokesman Gerald Si
New Drugs Hurt BioChem Shares: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/19/95) P. B13; Northfield, Stephen; Within the past few weeks, both Canadian and U.S. health authorities have granted approval to 3TC , an AIDS drug discovered by BioChem Pharma Inc. and co-developed with Glaxo Wellcome , but BioChem stock has dropped. The company says it cannot explain the sudden dip in share price, but analysts blame several f
The Healing Power of Prayer Is Tested by Science: Wall Street Journal (12/20/95) P. B1; Pereira, Joseph; Researchers across the country are trying to determine what effect prayer has on healing. Critics, however, are outraged that public funds are being spent on such studies. Interest in prayer was boosted in the mid-1980s, when a study of nearly 400 coronary patients found that the prayed-for group was much less likely t
Agouron's AIDS Drug Races Against Time and Titans: Wall Street Journal (12/20/95) P. B4; Rundle, Rhonda L.; Agouron Pharmaceuticals is fourth in the rush to commercialize a new class of AIDS drugs called protease inhibitors . Leader Hoffmann-La Roche recently became the first to receive approval for a protease inhibitor. To win a piece of the HIV market, the small company must demonstrate tha
Trials of Marijuana's Medical Potential Languish as Government Just Says No: Scientist (11/27/95) Vol. 9, No. 23, P. 1; Gwynne, Peter; Researchers say that at present, no trials involving the medical use of marijuana are being conducted. Supporters of such studies attribute the lack of action to the federal government, charging that the current administration, as well as its predecessors, is unjustly concerned about being thought of as lenient toward
Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Lysis Inhibited by Viable HIV Mutants: Science (11/24/95) Vol. 270, No. 5240, P. 1360; Meier, Ute-Christiane; Klenerman, Paul; Griffin, Philip; Although it is not fully understood why the immune response fails to destroy HIV in most patients, the mutation of viral antigens may play a role. Meier et al. report that they observed significant inhibition of specific antiviral lysis when cytotoxic T lymphocytes were engaged in CD4-positive cells that were acutely i
High Level of AIDS Needed to Infect Infants: Baltimore Sun (12/19/95) P. 2A; Researchers from the New York State Department of Health report that high levels of HIV in the bloodstream of pregnant women are needed before the virus can be transmitted to the infants. The researchers, who studied 30 pregnant women, said that patients with 50,000 viruses per milliliter of blood had a 75-percent chan
AIDS Patients' Stories Still Need to Be Told: Houston Chronicle (12/19/95) P. 3D; Ager, Susan; In a Houston Chronicle editorial, Susan Ager writes that media coverage of AIDS has changed considerably since the disease s first appearance in this country. She notes that schoolchildren know all about the disease and that it is now referred to by name in obituaries instead of by euphemism. However, she is concerned
Defense Bill Includes Automatic Dismissal For Those With AIDS: Baltimore Sun (12/19/95) P. 2A; A defense bill awaiting final Congressional action this week would call for the automatic dismissal of service members who are HIV-infected. President Clinton has identified this provision as one that could prompt him to veto the bill. Senate negotiators proposed removing the provision, but House members passed the mea
When Doctors and Patients Decide to Test the Far Limits of Treatment: New York Times (12/19/95) P. C3; Altman, Lawrence K.; As the fifteenth anniversary of the discovery of AIDS approaches, doctors and patients are increasingly frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for the disease. As a result, they are collaborating with their patients to test the limits of experimental treatment. One of the most dramatic recent examples is that o
Blood Bank Setup Faulted in HIV-Tainted Transfusion: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/19/95) P. B1; Meyer, Josh; The Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles has been named in a $1.5-million lawsuit alleging that the facility s mismanagement resulted in the transfusion of HIV- positive blood to Aleta J. Clemons. Clemons had entered the county-run facility for a routine hysterectomy. The suit, which also names the
The Czar Trip: Advocate (12/12/95) No. 696, P. 22; Moss, J. Jennings; The Dec. 6 White House conference on AIDS will mark President Clinton s most public involvement with the disease since he took office. However, one difficulty that the president--and thus Patricia Fleming, the national AIDS policy director--may face is that his dealings with AIDS often produce two contradictory critici
Grapefruit Juice and Saquinavir: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 5; James, John S.; Hoffmann-La Roche s saquinavir has very low bioavailability, in part, because it is poorly absorbed and because it is quickly destroyed by an enzyme called CYP3A4. A small study of the protease inhibitor in 12 HIV-negative subjects showed that chemicals in grapefruit juice inhibit that enzyme. Participants who drank on
Across the USA: Nebraska: USA Today (12/15/95) P. 8A; The Nebraska Supreme Court will not review a case in which a court ruled that a four-year-old child should be returned to the home of a foster mother who has AIDS. The boy has been cared for by the woman and her husband since he was three months old.
Blood Processing Plant Crucial, Red Cross Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/15/95) P. A8; Picard, Andre; To avoid a tainted blood tragedy similar to the one experienced in the 1980s, the Canadian Red Cross must proceed with construction of a $300-million fractionation plant, the head of the agency said. According to Douglas Lindores, secretary-general of the humanitarian group, if the organization loses control of the blo
Potent New Weapon: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/15/95) P. A9; Cimons, Marlene; Protease inhibitors are an apparently effective new class of AIDS drugs that attack HIV at a later stage than the family of drugs known as nucleoside analogs do and cause a remarkable drop in the amount of virus detectable in HIV-infected patients blood. However, like the older nucleoside analogs, such as
The Fight Goes On for Thalidomide's Victims: Reuters (12/18/95); Fox, Maggie; Thalidomide, the drug that was found in 1961 to have caused thousands of severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women, is making a comeback. The drug is being tested as a possible treatment for AIDS, Alzheimer s disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions; has been approved for use in AIDS patient
On AIDS Drug, Profits over Patients: New York Times (12/18/95) P. A16; Greene, Jeffrey B.; Kramer, Larry; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration s (FDA s) recent approval of Hoffmann-La Roche s Invirase will be welcomed by HIV-infected individuals and health care providers, write Jeffrey B. Greene, a clinical associate professor of Medicine at New York University, and Larry Kramer, co-founder of Gay Men s Health Crisis, in
Voices: Is It Morally Acceptable to Use Baboon Cells to Combat AIDS?: USA Today (12/18/95) P. 10A; Last week, AIDS patient Jeff Getty had baboon bone marrow cells infused into his body in an attempt to slow disease progression. The technique is controversial, with concerns being voiced about transmitting animal diseases to humans and cruelty to animals. USA Today surveyed its readers on these issues, asking whether
Animal-to-Human Transplants Worry Disease Controllers: Washington Times (12/18/95) P. A8; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is entering the debate over the federal government s role in regulating cross-species transplants, or xenotransplants. CDC epidemiologist Louisa Chapman says that the question of whether such transplants could spread new diseases among humans is real. Some 150 d
AIDS Patient Who Received Baboon Cells Is 'Doing Well': New York Times (12/18/95) P. A15; Altman, Lawrence K.; Physicians report that Jeff Getty, the man who received a baboon bone marrow transplant last week in an attempt to fight AIDS, is doing very well. Getty is in an isolation room at San Francisco General Hospital to help prevent infection while his immune system is even more weakened by the chemotherapy and radiation he
U.S./China AIDS Research Proposed: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 2; James, John S.; There is increasing professional and community support for a proposed joint U.S./Chinese research collaboration in San Francisco. If any such work takes place, it should prove very useful to AIDS research. China , for example, has conducted extensive research in Tanzania , working with local professio
Scope of the AIDS Epidemic in the United States: Science (11/24/95) Vol. 270, No. 5240, P. 1372; Rosenberg, Philip S.; In the journal Science, Philip S. Rosenberg reports that a deconvolution method called backcalculation was used to estimate the nation s age-specific HIV infection rates as of January 1993. Using this technique, there were an estimated 630,000 to 897,000 HIV-infected children and adults--including up to 150,000 women--
Tight Budget Forces End of AIDS Journal: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/14/95) P. 9C; The Journal for Moving On, a volunteer-produced magazine for people with HIV and AIDS in Missouri, has suspended publication due to a lack of funding. Matt Wagner, executive director of the Moving On Coalition, said that the decision to halt publication was the result of statewide AIDS funding difficulties. The bimonth
Westside: AIDS Facility for the Homeless Opens: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/15/95) P. B3; The Hollywood Community Housing Corp. opened a complex on Tuesday that will house homeless HIV and AIDS patients. Residents of the home, known as Itis, will receive job training and placement, as well as medical care. Jack Gardner, executive director of the Hollywood Community Housing Corp. observed that the home will
AIDS Patient Expecting to Die Stole from Job: Washington Times (12/15/95) P. C7; A former claims clerk for Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield pleaded guilty to seven felony charges, including grand larceny, computer fraud, and forgery. AIDS patient Lloyd Mitchell Weaver Jr. informed police that he thought he would die before he was arrested. Weaver used some $560,000 in stolen Trigon funds to buy numero
Work on Mild H.I.V. Type May Aid Search for AIDS Vaccine: New York Times (12/15/95) P. A38; Hilchey, Tim; Mount Sinai Medical Center researchers say they have identified a relatively mild strain of HIV that can inhibit reproduction in a more virulent strain. In the Journal of Molecular Medicine, Dr. Jay Rappaport--an associate professor of immunobiology at Mount Sinai--and others, including researchers at the National Inst
State Aid for Gallo Urged: Baltimore Sun (12/15/95) P. 1C; Frece, John W.; Government and business leaders from Maryland urged approval on Thursday of state funding for Dr. Robert C. Gallo s planned institute of Human Virology. House Appropriations Chairman Howard P. Rawlings and Senate Budget and Taxation Chairwoman Barbara A. Hoffmann anticipated that their committees would approve the init
Fund That Denied Benefits for AIDS Settles EEOC Suit: Wall Street Journal (12/15/95) P. B10; Felsenthal, Edward; In one of the largest settlements ever in a lawsuit against a health plan for denying AIDS coverage, the Mason Tenders District Council Welfare Fund agreed to pay $1 million to 14 people with AIDS or their survivors. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had charged that the employee-benefit fund for New York con
Patient Faced Risks for AIDS Causes: New York Times (12/15/95) P. A37; AIDS patient Jeff Getty has been described as a man of both passion and extremes. Evidence of this is seen in his request to be injected with the bone marrow of a baboon in an attempt to boost an immune system ravaged by AIDS. Getty s battle to receive the transplant, a process that could either help or hurt him, is hi
Dying AIDS Patient Gets Baboon Marrow Transplant: Washington Post (12/15/95) P. A1; Schwartz, John; Weiss, Rick; On Thursday night, AIDS patient and activist Jeff Getty received baboon bone marrow cells in an effort to boost his immune system. Earlier this week, Getty noted that the procedure was risky and had dubious potential for success. Yet he also said that there are few treatments for late-stage AIDS patients, and that he w
Agenda: Respect Yourself: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 12; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new public-service-announcement campaign titled Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The effort includes 12 television and seven radio commercials geared toward the 18-25 -age group. One ad featuring gay men shows a young African- American man walk
Infectious Bite Treated as Bloodborne Transmission: AIDS Alert (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 12, P. 155; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will not alter its guidelines for preventing transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, despite having confirmed the first case of HIV transmission through biting. CDC spokeswoman Michelle Bonds explains, We are talking about blood-to-blood transmission. If you
AIDS Vaccine 'Needs Focused Effort' as Drug Firms Back off Research: Nature (11/23/95) Vol. 378, No. 6555, P. 323; Butler, Declan; There is a growing consensus that the scientific world desperately needs to increase its AIDS vaccine development efforts, a sentiment that is being propelled by the increasing recognition that only a vaccine can stem the epidemic in developing nations. This need for a new vaccine strategy is anticipated to be the prim
Suspect Arrested in Killing of Lesbian Activists: Reuters (12/13/95); Oregon police have arrested and charged a man with two counts of aggravated murder in last week s killing of two lesbian activists. Robert James Acremant has been charged in the murders of domestic partners Roxanna Ellis and Michelle Abdill, a Medford, Ore., police officer said. Civil rights activists were outraged at
U.S. Soldier Charged with Assault for Unprotected Sex: Reuters (12/13/95); The U.S. Army has filed assault charges against Specialist Kevin Barrow of the 41st Engineer Battalion at Ft. Drum, N.Y. for having unprotected sexual intercourse with a female soldier and not disclosing his HIV-positive status to her. According to army spokesman Maj. Rudy Cohen, Barrows violated a Defense Department s
Md. Firm Shares in Drug Tests on Cancer: Baltimore Sun (12/13/95) P. 1C; Guidera, Mark; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. will finance biotechnology firm EntreMed in a five-year joint research effort to study the use of thalidomide as a cancer therapy. Since its banning in 1962, thalidomide has become popular again as a potential treatment for several serious diseases, including AIDS, leprosy, and cancer. This m
Advocates for Young Sue New York City: New York Times (12/14/95) P. B1; Bernstein, Nina; Two advocacy groups for abused and neglected children-- Children s Rights Inc. and Lawyers for Children--filed a class action suit on Wednesday, seeking a takeover of New York City s child welfare agency by a court-appointed receiver. The advocates claimed that the death of six-year-old Elisa Izquierdo--who was beaten
Baboon Bone Marrow Transplant to AIDS Patient Planned: Reuters (12/14/95); Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Pittsburgh are scheduled to conduct an experimental and controversial transplant of baboon bone marrow into an AIDS patient today. San Francisco General Hospital spokeswoman Alice Trinkl said the infusion of bone marrow cells will
The Shocking Truth about Studies: Scientists' Love/Hate Relationship with AZT: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 100; Gower, Timothy; It often seems as if scientific research flip-flops, with studies contradicting each other for such reasons as flawed data or differences in scientific methodology. For example, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of AZT was stopped early for ethical reasons in 1986 because the death rat
First 500,000 AIDS Cases--United States, 1995: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (11/24/95) Vol. 44, No. 46, P. 849; A total of 501,310 AIDS cases had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Oct. 31, 1995. More than 62 percent of these individuals have died. Nearly half of the cases were reported between 1993 and 1995, while 10 percent were reported in the years between 1981 and 1987 and 41 percent
Japan Activists Urge Action in HIV Blood Scandal: Reuters (12/12/95); Some 2,000 Japanese students and labor activists protested outside the Health and Welfare Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday, demanding that the Health Minister and other officials relinquish their positions for not having done more to stop the use of contaminated blood products in the 1980s. Nineteen -year-old Ryuhei Kawada
U.S. Prosecutors Drop Charges for AIDS-Infected Man: Reuters (12/12/95); U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman announced on Tuesday that a British man who has been charged with receiving millions of dollars stolen from AT&T will not be tried because he has AIDS. Pitman explained, It s twofold--first it is not humanitarian to send someone for his remaining days to prison, and [second] to house and
Interfaith Task Force Marks 10th Year: Boston Globe (12/12/95) P. 38; Ribadeneira, Diego; Established in 1985, at a time when many churches hesitated to deal with AIDS because it was thought of as a homosexual disease, the Ecumenical Task Force on AIDS has provided comfort and catharsis for thousands of people affected by the epidemic. Tuesday marked the interfaith organization s 10th anniversary, which was
Chronicle: Guests Squeezing in to Honor Judy Peabody and Her AIDS Work: New York Times (12/13/95) P. B9; Brozan, Nadine; The Gay Men s Health Crisis in New York has honored Judy Peabody for her 10-year commitment in the fight against AIDS. For the majority of those years, Peabody has been the leader of a support group for the caretakers of AIDS patients, has worked to improve services, and has raised funds. She has helped hundreds of peo
Across the USA: Alabama: USA Today (12/13/95) P. 10A; The case against 41-year-old Willie Robinson, who was accused of raping a seven-year-old girl when she was four, has been declared a mistrial. Prosecutors claim the girl contracted HIV during the incident, and that she may not live to testify at next month s retrial.
Merck's Medco Unit Moves 'On Track,' Chairman Gilmartin Assures Analysts: Wall Street Journal (12/13/95) P. B6; Tanouye, Elyse; Merck & Co. s managed medical care division is living up to expectations, according to Merck Chairman Raymond Gilmartin, who was attempting to eliminate speculation that Merck was fighting to make the acquisition worthwhile. Medco is on the track of internal performance measures set for the unit, Gilmartin told ana
One AIDS Virus Strain Apparently Weakening: Washington Times (12/13/95) P. A16; A strain of HIV found primarily in West Africa has been weakening in strength over time, thus enabling infected individuals to live longer, a U.S. scientist reported at an AIDS conference. According to the Harvard AIDS Institute s Phyllis Kanki, a study of nearly 200 HIV-2-infected Senegalese women revealed that only o
Americans Receive New Medicines as Quickly as Others, FDA Asserts: Washington Post (12/13/95) P. A3; Schwartz, John; Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David A. Kessler said Tuesday that Americans receive new medicines as quickly as citizens of other countries, including treatments ranging from AIDS therapies to drugs for ovarian cancer, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and osteoporosis. Kessler said the average total devel
New AIDS Treatment Article Series Available: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 1; James, John S.; Boston s nonprofit Search for a Cure has introduced Reasons for Hope, a series of monthly articles that explain advanced practical treatment choices for AIDS to persons who are newly diagnosed, or who do not have an extensive background in AIDS treatment. The series features an easy reading level, yet the articles high
AIDS Update: HIV Information On-Line: Men's Health (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 44; Many people are concerned that efforts to censor indecent material on the Internet or services such as America Online could hamper HIV education attempts. Derek Gordon of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which intends to launch a World Wide Web site, explained, Almost everything we do might involve frank discussions
HIV Mars Heart Development: Science News (12/02/95) Vol. 148, No. 23, P. 380; Seachrist, Lisa; Researchers at Harvard Medical School have concluded that a child born to an HIV-infected mother is predisposed to developmental heart problems. Led by Steven Lipshultz, the scientists studied some 400 infants born to HIV-positive women, and discovered that 12 percent of these children experienced such heart disorders
Thailand Weighs AIDS Vaccine Tests: Science (11/10/95) Vol. 270, No. 5238, P. 904; Cohen, Jon; Thailand is emerging as the most important AIDS vaccine test- site in the world. There s probably more going on here than anywhere, notes epidemiologist William Heyward of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the coming years, tests and research in Thailand could help determine the efficacy of firs
AIDS Researcher Says Africa to Get Prevention Help: Reuters (12/10/95); Kizito, Edmond; Prevention is the best method of fighting HIV, according to AIDS researcher Luc Montagnier, who said on Sunday that he was establishing AIDS education centers in Africa. Education on AIDS prevention should be intensified and emphasized, he explained to an African AIDS conference. Montagnier added, Research should also
Inmates: The 'Other' AIDS Patients: Boston Globe (12/11/95) P. 29; Kong, Dolores; Some public health and prisoners advocates are concerned that the national commitment to fight HIV inside prisons may be wavering. Prisons in the Northeast, for example, have reported HIV infection rates of 20 percent. During the last few years, prisons in Massachusetts and some other states have significantly improved
New AIDS Drugs' Aim Is 'Buying Time': Miami Herald (12/11/95) P. 1C; Jacobs, Sandra; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Thursday the protease inhibitor saquinavir, which is now being sold by Hoffmann-La Roche under the brand name Invirase . This new class of AIDS drugs works by inhibiting the production of the enzyme required for HIV replication. Protease drugs are not a cure for AIDS,
AIDS Patterns Shifting: Half-Million U.S. Cases: Washington Post (Health) (12/12/95) P. 5; Colburn, Don; More than 500,000 cases of AIDS had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of November 1995. Sixty-two percent, or some 311,000, of those individuals have died. Although men who have sex with men still account for the greatest proportion of AIDS cases, that number is decreasing. G
Facing Budget Queries: New York Times (12/12/95) P. C11; Hilts, Philip J.; As new head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the issues Dr. Richard Klausner must address is AIDS research spending. A report from the Gay Men s Health Crisis (GMHC) claims that about $172 million, or 81 percent of the institute s $212 million AIDS research budget, was intramural- -$68 million more than r
The Magic Bullet: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 40; Wells, Ken R.; Donald Francis, head of Genentech Inc. s AIDS vaccine program, claims that shortsightedness and greed on the part of pharmaceutical companies and other investors have diverted limited funds from the development of preventive vaccines for HIV. Business advisers will tell you that developing a cure for AIDS is more profi
Inhibitors of HIV Nucleocapsid Protein Zinc Fingers as Candidates for the Treatment of AIDS: Science (11/17/95) Vol. 270, No. 5239, P. 1194; Rice, William G.; Supko, Jeffrey G.; Malspeis, Louis; et al.; In the war against HIV, HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein zinc fingers are key antiviral objectives because they are intolerant to mutation, and are necessary for both acute infection and virion assembly, report Rice et al. in the journal Science. The researchers identified nontoxic compounds called disulfide-substituted benz
Zaire Orders Brothels to Close: Reuters (12/08/95); Zaire s Justice Ministry has demanded the closure of the nation s brothels, threatening those running them with legal action if they do not comply. Prostitution is one of the few professions to prosper in the Central African country s economy. Professional prostitutes have been joined by students and housewives, provid
When Families Live with AIDS: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/08/95) P. 1C; Shirk, Martha; Project ARK (AIDS/HIV Resources for Kids), a joint project of the Washington University and St. Louis University schools of medicine, is a one-stop service facilitator for families affected by HIV and AIDS. Dr. Gregory Storch, Project ARK s medical director, explained that the program should help round out the gaps in
Blood-Sucking Fly Plague Hits Australian City: Reuters (12/11/95); Entomologists in Perth, Australia , say that the blood-sucking Stomoxys fly is encroaching on the city. The state s agricultural department has had reports of the fly in the city s northern, eastern, and southern suburbs. The flies-- which are more commonly known as the stable, dog, or lawnmower fly--are capable of car
Across the USA: New Jersey: USA Today (12/11/95) P. 11A; New Jersey Insurance Commissioner Elizabeth Randall has rejected a proposal that would have allowed group insurers to test for HIV and deny coverage to individuals who test positive.
AIDS: The Truth at Last?: Investor's Business Daily (12/11/95) P. A2; Fumento, Michael; A new study published in the journal Science indicates an AIDS epidemic that is both smaller than the government has said and one that clearly discriminates, writes Reason Magazine s Michael Fumento in a guest editorial in the Investor s Business Daily. Fumento notes the overwhelming differences between infected groups
EU Plans to Relax Curbs on R&D Aid: Journal of Commerce (12/11/95) P. 9A; Butler, Katherine; The European Union last week proposed relaxing limits on state aid for research and development to the maximum allowed under the most recent world trade agreement. The move, designed to make Europe more competitive with the United States , received clearance from the EU s executive but still requires approval from the
Stressed for Success: Washington Post (12/11/95) P. A1; Boodman, Sandra D.; A Washington Post survey of more than 700 Washington, D.C. area teenagers reveals a high level of stress in their lives-- stress related to such issues as grades, whether to have sex, and the spread of AIDS. Sixty percent of the 16- and 17-year- olds reported stress, and girls were more likely to report the problem tha
New Chiron Method for Treating AIDS-Related Illness Wins OK: Investor's Business Daily (12/11/95) P. A17; An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Friday the approval of Chiron Corp. s Vitrasert , an implant that would directly administer to the eye drugs for a potentially blinding disease in AIDS patients. Cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis affects a
Coming Clean about Needle Exchange: Lancet (11/25/95) Vol. 346, No. 8967, P. 1377; Laws that prohibit the sale or possession of drug paraphernalia and those that keep drug addicts from obtaining clean injection equipment are detrimental to the public s health, according to the editors of The Lancet. The editors state that such laws should be eliminated, as should Public Law 102-394--a law which the I
Prevention of SIV Infection in Macaques by (R)-9-(2- Phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine: Science (11/17/95) Vol. 270, No. 5239, P. 1197; Tsai, Che-Chung; Follis, Kathryn E.; Sabo, Alexander; et al.; Researcher Che-Chung Tsai of the University of Washington Regional Primate Research Center and his colleagues compared the efficacy of pre- and postexposure therapy with the antiviral compound (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine, or PMPA, against the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in 35 macaques. Subcutaneous
Preliminary Results From Phase III Trial of Doxil: Business Wire (12/06/95); SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced on Wednesday preliminary Phase III clinical trial results that indicated anticancer drug Doxil showed effectiveness in treating Kaposi s sarcoma in AIDS patients. The drug was compared to standard combination chemotherapy consisting of the drugs Adriamycin, Bleomycin, and Vincristi
Schering-Plough Corp.: Intron A Melanoma Drug Cleared By FDA For Sale: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B4; The FDA has granted marketing approval to Schering-Plough Corp. for the anticancer drug Intron A. The drug is an auxiliary treatment to surgery for patients with malignant melanoma, and clinical tests have shown it to be effective in increasing patients survival rates. Previously Intron A was approved for treatment o
AIDS Victim Named Woman of the Year: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/07/95) P. A4; Chatelaine magazine has selected as its Woman of the Year Rochelle Pittman, a woman who died of AIDS earlier this year after bringing much attention to the scope of Canada s tainted -blood tragedy. Mrs. Pittman became infected from her husband, who received infected blood during heart surgery. According to the magazine
AIDS Ministry Lays Off Eight; Using Volunteers: Richmond Times-Dispatch (12/07/95) P. B3; Robertson, Gary; Financial constraints have forced the Richmond (Va.) AIDS Ministry to layoff many of its employees this year, including eight workers within the last two weeks. The organization is now relying on volunteers to provide services to 16 AIDS patients in two residential facilities. A spokeswoman for the group said that the
Gay Ex-Cop Charges Discrimination on Miami Beach Force: Miami Herald (12/07/95) P. 1B; De Valle, Elaine; Pete Zecchini, an openly gay former officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, has charged the force with discrimination. Zecchini said that his difficulties began four years ago, when it became known that his lover was HIV- positive and others feared that he was as well. The Miami Beach Police Department has pres
Across the USA: Texas: USA Today (12/08/95) P. 10A; The decision of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses to refuse nearly $2 million in federal grants for AIDS education has ignited anger among AIDS activists. Moses said he rejected the money because he did not want requirements for how local schools should teach sex education.
On-Line Society Angered by Plan to Curb Content: Wall Street Journal (12/08/95) P. B5; Sandberg, Jared; Wednesday s 17-16 House vote to make it illegal for anyone to deliberately display indecent material which can be seen by a minor on the Internet punishable by a fine and prison has sparked outrage among users of online services. Consultant Craig Johnson, for example, described Congress move as the age of electronic bo
F.D.A. Backs a New Drug to Fight AIDS: New York Times (12/08/95) P. B12; Hilts, Philip J.; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved on Wednesday saquinavir, the first of a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors . Drug manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. of Nutley, N.J., pledged to have the anti-HIV drug, which will sell under the name
AIDS Update: A Spitting Image of HIV: Men's Health (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 44; University of Florida veterinary neurologist Roger Clemmons has designed a saliva test for HIV that is being produced for home use in international markets. The dipstick-style test, called OraScreen HIV Rapid Test, generates results in less than 15 minutes. Beacon Diagnostics, Inc. intends to file for approval from the
France Backs Off Promise to Boost UN AIDS Programme: Nature (11/16/95) Vol. 378, No. 6554, P. 224; Butler, Declan; The decision of the French government not to donate about $20 million to the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has sparked widespread protest in that country and others. The revocation of the funding, which was promised at 1994 s AIDS Summit in Paris, supports skeptics views that the meeting was primarily a po
Parents Slam Schools for Condom Handouts: Washington Times (12/07/95) P. A12; Wetzstein, Cheryl; On Wednesday, the House Economic and Educational Opportunities subcommittee on oversight and investigations heard suggestions on how parents need to reclaim their roles as primary teachers of values to their children. The primary topic of discussion was the school s role in providing sex education, particularly that re
Testing Is Ruled Out on Stabbing Needle: New York Times (12/07/95) P. B8; New York City law enforcement officials reported Wednesday that the needle used to stab a young girl on the subway last week cannot be tested for infectious diseases because no blood or bodily fluids were found on the syringe. Edward D. Fagan, the lawyer for six-year-old Colete Lopez s family, said that the Lopez famil
Group Calls AIDS a 'Slow Plague' Ravaging Africa: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/07/95) P. A25; The National Research Council said Wednesday that rapid action was required to stem the AIDS epidemic which is moving as a slow plague in some African nations. The federal government advisory group said the disease will lower average life expectancy in Zambia from 66 to 33 years by the year 2010. Similarly, life expect
Abbott Labs Drug Is Found Promising in 2 AIDS Studies: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B8; Burton, Thomas M.; Two new studies published in the most recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that Abbott Laboratories experimental AIDS drug ritonavir is effective in increasing patients immune cells and decreasing levels of HIV in their bloodstreams. Ritonavir is currently in Phase III clinical trials, al
Bills Propose Tough Curbs for On-Line Obscenity: New York Times (12/07/95) P. A1; Andrews, Edmund L.; Members of a House-Senate conference committee agreed in principle on Wednesday to strict new measures against obscene and indecent material on computer networks. The committee stopped short on voting on the specific language of the bill, but House members voted in favor of a measure that would award fines of up to $10
Clinton Slammed on AIDS Efforts: Washington Times (12/07/95) P. A4; Bedard, Paul; AIDS activists forced President Clinton to defend his AIDS policies on Wednesday, suggesting that his anti-AIDS effort is a big con to win back angry homosexuals and liberals. Where have you been, asked AIDS activist Bob Lederer, who repeatedly interrupted and challenged the president during the White House conference
Clinton Pledges to Protect AIDS Funding: Washington Post (12/07/95) P. A26; Devroy, Ann; During the first White House conference on AIDS on Wednesday, President Clinton vowed to safeguard funding and health care programs for AIDS patients. An undertone of the conference and a complaint of protestors outside was that although Clinton has done more than any other president to fight the disease, it has not be
Proteins That May Slow Pace of AIDS Identified, Opening New Research Path: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B8; Langreth, Robert; Two separate groups of researchers report that they have identified four suppressor proteins that may slow AIDS progression. The findings will likely ignite intense competition among medical researchers to determine whether new treatments can be created using the proteins. This is an important advance toward understand
Peptide T: Negative Trial Result: AIDS Treatment News (11/03/95) No. 234, P. 8; James, John S.; A federal study of more than 200 subjects with AIDS-related cognitive impairment found no evidence that peptide T was useful in the treatment of this disorder. During the trial, the participants received either peptide T or a placebo for six months, after which time each was given peptide T for an additional six months
Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Zimbabwe: Lancet (11/11/95) Vol. 346, No. 8985, P. 1258; Malin, Adam S.; Gwanzura, Lovemore K.Z.; Klein, Susanne; et al.; During the course of one year, report Malin and his colleagues, 64 HIV-positive Africans with acute diffuse pneumonia unresponsive to penicillin and sputum smear-negative for acid-fast bacilli had fibreoptic bronchoscopy performed. One third of those patients had Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), nearly 40 percent
Catholic University Installs Condom Machines: Reuters (12/05/95); The University of Leuven, a 17th-century Catholic school in Belgium , has sparked controversy by installing condom machines on campus. Professor Dirk van Gerven, head of a student relations committee, explained that the vending machines were a responsible approach to AIDS. The action, however, could cause problems, bec
Australia to Ban AIDS Sufferers from Military: Reuters (12/05/95); Individuals with HIV, AIDS, or other chronic diseases will be prohibited from joining the Australian military. The function of our defence force is to protect Australia and its citizens, and our servicemen and women must be fit to serve anywhere and at anytime as directed by the government, said acting Defence Minister
Prayer Power?: Washington Times (12/06/95) P. A2; Harvard researcher Herbert Benson claims that saying prayers or repeating words or sounds can alleviate symptoms of AIDS, lower high blood pressure, and cure infertility. These repetitions, he says, allow many people ... to trigger a specific set of physiological changes. Benson, a professor at Harvard Medical School,
Lifeline: AIDS Benefit: USA Today (12/06/95) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene; In December 1996, opera singer Jessye Norman will perform in a benefit concert at New York s Riverside Church to help increase AIDS awareness among blacks. Proceeds from the event --which will also feature orchestras, choruses, dancers, and spirituals--will be donated to Balm in Gilead Inc., an AIDS awareness group.
White House AIDS Forum to Be Attended by 250: Baltimore Sun (12/06/95) P. 2A; Some 250 AIDS activists, researchers, and local officials will come together today at the first White House conference on AIDS. The morning s program will feature subgroup meetings on issues including research, prevention, and care of people with AIDS. President Clinton will then hold a round-table forum with represent
Suspect in Needle Attack Had 2 Previous Escapes: New York Times (12/06/95) P. B4; Sexton, Joe; Angel Coro, the man charged with jabbing a six-year-old girl with a hypodermic needle on the New York City subway last week, escaped two times from the Rochester Psychiatric Center before he left for a third and last time two years ago. Rochester law enforcement officials say Coro disappeared from the state mental hosp
Shopping for Life: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 35; Foster, R. Daniel; Unlike any other disease, AIDS has inspired a wave of specialty items and merchandise tie-ins. It is also the only disease to have its own gift shop. San Francisco s Under One Roof, which only features products which carry a red ribbon or other symbol, sells merchandise from 60 Northern California AIDS organizations an
AIDS Watch: Drug Research Slows: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 28; According to a federal advisory panel, drug makers have cut back on their AIDS drug research and development endeavors. The slowdown is partly due to pharmaceutical companies who see no potential for profit in continuing research, circumspect investors, and a reduction in government support. The panel suggested providi
Eurocourt Tells France to Pay AIDS Victim, Now Dead: Reuters (12/04/95); The European Court of Human Rights ordered France to pay Daniel Bellet, a hemophiliac who died of AIDS 11 days ago, damages totaling more than $200,000. The Strasbourg-based court said Monday that Bellet was denied his right to access to an appeals court in his legal battles against the national blood bank for being gi
A Howl of Anger: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/05/95) P. B9; Levine, Bettijane; Author Elinor Burkett sees little sense in what she calls the AIDS industry, a combination of specific doctors, politicians, federal research scientists, drug companies, and others she believes have cashed in, copped out, been misled, or succumbed to greed in the fight against HIV. In her new book, The Gravest Show on
50 Calvert High Students Test Positive for TB Germ: Washington Post (12/05/95) P. B5; Shields, Todd; Health officials in Calvert County, Md., discovered 50 students carrying the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), after learning that one student at the crowded Calvert High School had the disease. However, none of the 50 has either developed TB or is contagious, health officials said Monday. An initial screening i
Nationline: Shooting Spree: USA Today (12/05/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Rivera, Patricia V.; Goodwin, M. David; In San Antonio on Sunday, 22-year-old Ulysses Miller entered the home of a woman he said had given him AIDS and shot five individuals, killing two, police report. Miller then killed himself as well. An autopsy will determine whether he was infected with HIV.
As Larger Cities Gain Ground on Ills, Smaller Ones Lose: New York Times (12/05/95) P. B10; Janofsky, Michael; Although such problems as violent crime, infant mortality, and the spread of HIV have started to subside in the country s largest cities, they are growing in smaller cities, according to a new report from the nonprofit National Public Health and Hospital Institute. The report is based on census data, federal crime stat
Judge Frees Check Forger Who Has AIDS: Washington Post (12/05/95) P. B3; Bates, Steve; A federal judge released an AIDS patient who pleaded guilty Monday to cashing some $250,000 in bad checks, noting that federal sentencing guidelines do not take into account criminals who have the disease. I don t have to tell this defendant the future he faces, said U.S. District Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. The Alexandr
Man Charged in Needle Case Fled Hospital: New York Times (12/05/95) P. B1; Sexton, Joe; Law enforcement officials and a spokesman for the New York State Office of Mental Health report that a homeless man who is accused of stabbing a child with a hypodermic needle on the subway last week ran away from a psychiatric hospital in 1993. When Angel Coro disappeared from the Rochester Psychiatric Hospital after
Abbott Labs Plans Lottery to Give Away AIDS Drug: Wall Street Journal (12/05/95) P. B6; More than 2,000 advanced AIDS patients across the world will receive free doses of Abbott Laboratories new experimental drug ritonavir by participating in a lottery, the company said. Specific details of the program will be made available to patient-advocacy organizations and to physicians who treat people with AIDS.
All About AIDS: Science (11/10/95) Vol. 270, No. 5238, P. 919; A plethora of calls from people who question whether HIV causes AIDS or need to reinforce their arguments to skeptics has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to create a pamphlet on the subject. We found ourselves constantly trying to send people references, said NIAID Director Anthony
Is HIV the Cause of AIDS?: Lancet (11/18/95) Vol. 346, No. 8986, P. 1371; Duesberg, Peter H.; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, Professor Peter Duesberg responds to a commentary in which editor Richard Horton asks Duesberg--who does not believe that HIV causes AIDS--to concede defeat in light of yet another connection between the virus, years of life, and death. Duesberg notes, however, that Darby et al.
Parents, Students Support School Condom Programs: AIDS Alert (11/95) Vol. 10, No. 11, P. 141; Studies of New York City schools indicate that parents support condom availability in schools and that students take advantage of them. The city s program mandates that each of its 120 high schools establish a health resource center in which trained personnel provide the prophylactics to students who request them. The
Court Jails Woman Who Injected Lover With Blood: Reuters (12/01/95); A British court sentenced a Ugandan woman to two years in jail for injecting her lover with blood as a parting present when he wanted to end the relationship to be with someone else. Judge Heather Steel said 25-year-old Rhena Ndagga s crime was deliberate, calculating, and cruel, and recommended that the woman be depor
Germans Jailed on AIDS Day Over Tainted Blood: Reuters (12/01/95); In Germany on Friday, three executives at UB Plasma were convicted of distributing poorly tested blood products, and thus causing the HIV-related deaths of at least two persons. Company owner and managing director Ulrich Kleist and head controller Dieter Stuer were both sentenced to four years in jail, and lab doctor A
German HIV Victims May Have to Register: Washington Times (12/04/95) P. A13; German Health Minister Horst Seehofer said that HIV-infected Germans may be forced to register by name with the government. This is just one of the measures being studied by two governments-sponsored AIDS research groups to fight the spread of HIV-1 subtype E, Seehofer explained. An estimated 14,000 Germans have AIDS,
Red Cross Left in Lurch for Funds, CEO Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/01/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is experiencing a serious financial crisis, due, in part, to new blood safety measures and the provinces reluctance to pay for them, said Douglas Lindores, secretary-general and CEO of the humanitarian agency. We ve already gone in hock for $30-million to $40- million to keep Canadians supp
Federal AIDS Education Ad Campaign Aims at Teenagers: Washington Post (12/01/95) P. A16; Health authorities introduced on Thursday a new ad campaign geared toward teenagers, called Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The fast-paced, contemporary public service announcements feature young people discussing sex, AIDS, condoms, virginity, and abstinence. For example, in one ad, a young woman named Vivian says
The Reliable Source: Sharon Stone: Washington Post (12/04/95) P. B3; Gerhart, Ann; Groer, Annie; Actress Sharon Stone has taken Elizabeth Taylor s place as the lead fund-raiser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, according to Reuters. I am shocked by how little we know and how little we understand, said Stone, who is expected to raise $76 million in four years.
Epidemiology: 'Center' of AIDS Shifting to Asia: Washington Post (12/04/95) P. A2; Brown, David; Most new AIDS cases will occur in Asia, not Africa, by the turn of the century, the World Bank said on Friday. According to Richard Feachem, one of the institution s senior health officials, the bank s prediction adds to the increasing amount of evidence that the center of gravity of the epidemic is shifting from Afric
Canadian Project Focuses on Legal, Ethical Issues Surrounding HIV/AIDS: Nation's Health (11/95) Vol. 25, No. 10, P. 6; The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian AIDS Society have completed an annotated bibliography of available resources concerning the legal and ethical issues related to HIV and AIDS. The group also made a list of immediate priorities, including testing and confidentiality, criminalization of HIV transmissio
Email Bytes: Victory for Prisoners with HIV Disease: Gay Community News (Fall 1995) Vol. 21, No. 2, P. 3; An Ohio judge has ruled that HIV infection may be regarded as an extraordinary physical impairment under federal sentencing guidelines used to determine reduced prison stays. While HIV status alone does not warrant a sentence reduction, once a defendant has developed infections related to his or her compromised immune
Across the USA: Iowa: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 10A; A new study shows that the number of AIDS cases in Iowa is continuing to rise, and that the number of heterosexuals becoming infected is increasing significantly.
AIDS After Randy Shilts: Still Blame Enough for All: New York Times (12/01/95) P. C33; Kakutani, Michiko; The Gravest Show on Earth: America in the Age of AIDS, a new book from Elinor Burkett, continues where Randy Shilt s 1987 work, And the Band Played On, stopped. Similarly to Shilts, who said that AIDS did not just happen to America--it was allowed to happen, Burkett argues that the AIDS epidemic has been worsened by
Nationline: Bad Condoms: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Goodwin, M. David; Thousands of faulty Olympus brand condoms that were given to 250 New York state organizations to be distributed among poor people to prevent HIV-infection have been recalled.
Critics Choice: 24 Hours of Action on AIDS: New York Times (12/01/95) P. C30; Dunning, Jennifer; Starting at 12:01 A.M. today, Dancers Responding to AIDS will perform for 24 consecutive hours in New York City s St. Mark s Church. This latest project of the group which was formed four years ago by the Paul Taylor dancer Hernando Cortez is called The Remember Project. The program will feature performances by the Tay
AIDS Day Finds Magic on a Mission: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 2D; Williams, Jeannie; Magic Johnson and filmmaker Spike Lee will speak today, World AIDS Day, at Brooklyn Technical High School about AIDS and positive roles in society. Over 55 percent of [AIDS] cases are people of color, he noted. We have to get out there and hammer the message. Johnson, who learned he was HIV-positive in 1991, reports th
New UM Clinic Honors an AIDS Victim who Inspired Others: Baltimore Sun (12/01/95) P. 1C; Bor, Jonathan; The University of Maryland Medical Center s new AIDS clinic will be dedicated today to Evelyn Jordan , a former patient who touched the lives of both staff members and patients alike. I met some patients who really made a change in their life from being around Evelyn, said nurse practitioner Debra Kosko.
State Aims AIDS Ads at High-Risk Individuals: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/01/95) P. B1; Boxall, Bettina; California health department officials introduced on Thursday the first part of a $6-million HIV prevention campaign. The program is geared toward high-risk groups who do not necessarily consider themselves to be in that category, including young men, men who have sex with men but do not think of themselves as gay, and
State to Cut Payments for Drugs in AIDS Program for Poor: New York Times (12/01/95) P. B7; Belluck, Pam; The New York State Health Department announced Thursday the state will no longer fund approximately 70 percent of the drugs used by low-income people infected with HIV under its HIV Uninsured Care Programs. According to spokeswoman Diane Mathis, the department had to make the cutbacks because the program--which is prim
Multipronged Approach Reveals Conformation of Key AIDS Peptide: Chemical & Engineering News (11/13/95) Vol. 73, No. 46, P. 32; Investigators at the National Institutes of Health used a multipronged approach to determine that portion of glycoprotein 120 (gp120) that is thought to bind to human cells as the first phase of HIV infection is probably found in the intact protein as an (alpha)-helix. The critical peptide, called C4, is one of the few
Decreased Expression of AMPA Receptor Messenger RNA and Protein in AIDS: A Model for HIV-Associated Neurotoxicity: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1174; Everall, Ian Paul; Hudson, Lance; Al-Sarraj, Safa; et al.; Infection with HIV can result in extensive neuronal loss and severe dementia , and although the reasons behind the neurotoxicity are unclear, interruption of glutamate-linked calcium entry has been suggested as one cause. Everall et al. present a study in which they demonstrate a reduction in HIV- infected brains of th
Zimbabwe AIDS Group Folds Through Lack of Cash: Reuters (11/29/95); The AIDS Counselling Trust (ACT), Zimbabwe s primary non- governmental anti-AIDS organization, will shut down operations on Dec. 1 due to a lack of cash, reported executive director Elizabeth Matenga on Wednesday. Matenga added, This comes at a time when the AIDS (epidemic) is at its peak in Zimbabwe, with 300 to 400 p
Candlelight Procession to Mark World AIDS Day: Baltimore Sun (11/30/95) P. 4B; Maryland residents will unite in honor of World AIDS Day on Friday at a candlelight march around the Statehouse, marking 15 years of the AIDS epidemic.
Lifeline: Airtime for AIDS: USA Today (11/30/95) P. 1D; Willis, Kim; On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, a minimum of 165 cable networks and local television stations will air AIDS-related programs and public service announcements. The movies Longtime Companion, And the Band Played On, and Philadelphia will be broadcast on Bravo, HBO, and Showtime, respectively.
D.C. Doctors Offer to Aid Inmate Care: Washington Post (11/30/95) P. C5; Goldstein, Amy; The Medical Society of the District of Columbia has offered to help redesign medical and psychiatric services in the city s Department of Corrections, calling the quality of health care provided to District inmates appalling, according to a new report from the organization. The report marks a rare occasion in which the
New AIDS Ads Aim for Young Adults: USA Today (11/30/95) P. 4D; Painter, Kim; A new federal AIDS prevention campaign geared toward 18- to 25 -year-olds carries the theme Respect yourself. Protect yourself. The television and radio commercials show young adults discussing abstinence, safer sex, sobriety, and communication. One ad features a man who says, If you don t practice safe sex, and I do,
Criticism Delays Plan to Boost AIDS Funding: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/30/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; Undercounting of Philadelphia s AIDS cases has caused the city to miss out on some $2.7 million in federal funding during the past two years, city health officials said Wednesday. The number of AIDS cases there was undercounted by as much as 28 percent. Still, a proposal from the Health Department to guard against futu
Another German Trial for H.I.V.-Tainted Blood: New York Times (11/30/95) P. A4; Dr. Gunter Kurt Eckert, the co-owner of the German drug laboratory Aprath, went on trial on Wednesday, charged with almost 6,000 counts of murder or attempted murder for selling HIV-contaminated blood products. Prosecutors claim that in 1986 and 1987, Aprath issued nine batches of unscreened blood donated by an HIV-inf
Update on HIV Transmission and Pathogenesis: Lancet (11/11/95) Vol. 346, No. 8985, P. 1290; Gozlan, Marc; A number of studies put forth at the 10th Cent-Gardes Symposium dealt with the dynamics of HIV multiplication, new animal models, and multiply exposed seronegative individuals. Researcher David Ho, for example, said that a study of five HIV-infected patients treated with the protease inhibitor ABT- 538 indicated that 5
Early Expression of SIV Replication by CD8-positive Nef- Specific Cytotoxic T Cells in Vaccinated Macaques: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1167; Gallimore, Awen; Cranage, Martin; Cook, Nicola; et al.; Gallimore et al. assessed the protective potential of nef- specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in macaques vaccinated with a high intravenous dose of the pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVmac251(32H)(pJ5). The researchers observed an inverse correlation between the vaccine-induced nef-specific CTL precur
A Vaccine Is the Only Way to Stem the AIDS Epidemic: Boston Globe (11/28/95) P. 25; Essex, Max; Political leaders must realize that everyone is vulnerable to HIV, which is why a vaccine is so desperately needed, writes Max Essex, chairman of the Harvard AIDS Institute, in the Boston Globe. Essex points out that the heterosexual aspect of the epidemic has been ignored, despite the fact that heterosexual HIV transm
Treatment's High Cost: New York Times (11/28/95) P. A22; Barnes, Mark; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Mark Barnes-- Executive Director of the AIDS Action Council--voices his support of a recent column which concluded that some members of the AIDS community have maintained an atmosphere that seems to limit hopefulness. Although they are not cures, new scientific discoveri
Cambodia HIV Cases Said to Number Up to 90,000: Reuters (11/29/95); According to a report from the Cambodian Health Ministry and the World Health Organization , as many as 90,000 Cambodians may be HIV-infected. This estimate is significantly higher than one in August which said there were about 30,000 carriers of the virus that causes AIDS in the country. Health officials noted that o
Bill on HIV Counseling Draws Divided Reaction: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/29/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; At a two-hour hearing before the Philadelphia City Council on Tuesday, citizens debated a controversial measure that would force health-care professionals in the city to provide HIV counseling and testing to all pregnant women. Champions of the bill claimed it could help prevent maternal-infant HIV transmissions. Howev
The Glamorization of AIDS: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 29; Simmons, Todd; Some people claim that by glossing over the realities of HIV and AIDS with such images as flawless models in magazines and ad campaigns, the young or impressionable believe that they are safer than they actually are. Officials at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center were so concerned about what the
Quick Uptakes...AIDS and Human Rights: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/22/95- 11/29/95) Vol. 274, No. 20, P. 1577; Voelker, Rebecca; In observance of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, the United Nation s World Health Organization (WHO) will stress human rights and responsibilities. This year s theme--which, according to WHO officials, highlights equality and solidarity in the global response to AIDS--builds upon the multi-nation pledge made last year at the
D.C. Area Residents Less Healthy on Average: Washington Post (District Weekly) (11/23/95) P. D.C.1; Goldstein, Amy; A new study reveals that the Washington, D.C. area has been harder hit by such diseases as AIDS and tuberculosis compared to the rest of the nation. The data, however, is imperfect-- the AIDS information, for example comes from different time periods for each county. But Alexandria (Va.) Health Department Director Josh
Inside Art: A Seventh Day Without Art: New York Times (11/24/95) P. C30; Vogel, Carol; The seventh annual Day Without Art on Dec. 1 is meant to increase public awareness of people living with AIDS and those who have died from the disease. This year, some 5,600 cultural institutions across the world are participating in the event in which televisions will go blank for one minute at 8:01 P.M, artworks in m
Across the USA: Washington: USA Today (11/27/95) P. 9A; The cremation of a man who had died from AIDS was delayed when Spokane County (Wash.) Coroner Dexter Amend demanded an autopsy to prove the death was sodomy-related, the man s family claims. The autopsy request was rejected, with forensic pathologist George Lindholm calling it a witch hunt.
AIDS Fight Brings 2,500 to Vizcaya: Miami Herald (11/27/95) P. 1B; Martin, Lydia; About 2,500 people gathered at Vizcaya on Sunday to raise money for AIDS and praise advances that have been made in the war against the disease. One reveler, Phil Carpenter, noted, We ve lost 40 friends to AIDS. But it has not been in vain. The White Party was established 10 years ago to help the failing Health Crisis
Experts Cite Prostitutes' Role in AIDS: Los Angeles Times (11/26/95) P. A11; Hutzler, Charles; Health experts say that prostitutes play a critical role in the transmission of HIV between cities and villages of China . A 1993 survey discovered that the majority of these women sold sex only part of the time. The work was used merely to augment their small incomes. Tang Weihong, the Beijing Union Medical College st
Obituaries: John Watters, 47, an Advocate of Needle Exchange Programs: New York Times (11/26/95) P. 50; Fisher, Lawrence M.; Dr. John Watters, an advocate of clean needle exchanges to stem the spread of HIV, was found dead last Monday at the age of 47. The coroner s office reported that his death was being investigated as a possible drug overdose. Dr. Watters aggressively fought for programs that permitted injection drug addicts to exchange
Teen Sex Drama Ignores AIDS: Baltimore Sun (11/28/95) P. 1E; Zurawik, David; Fox s made-for-television movie The Price of Love takes a look at the world of teenage runaways and male prostitution in Hollywood. According to the story, 16-year-old Bret--played by actor Peter Facinelli--is first abused and thrown out by his step-mother, and then ends up on Santa Monica Boulevard as a male hustler.
Heroin Influx Ignites a Growing AIDS Epidemic in China: New York Times (11/28/95) P. A3; Tyler, Patrick E.; The heroin trade that swept into China during the 1980s has undermined the stability of thousands of peasant villages and has helped spread HIV among the country s injection drug users. Although China s Ministry of Public Health reports that there are 2,428 cases of HIV infection, few people have been tested for the vi
AIDS Phobia, Public Health Warnings, and Lawsuits: Deterring Harm or Rewarding Ignorance?: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1562; Mariner, Wendy K.; Several recent court decisions have dealt with so-called AIDS phobia cases--those in which a person has claimed monetary damages for his or her fear of acquiring AIDS. In an article in the American Journal of Public Health, Contributing Editor Wendy K. Mariner argues that negligence law should not allow HIV-negative pe
Netherlands Revises HIV Coordination Efforts: Lancet (11/18/95) Vol. 346, No. 8986, P. 1358; Spanjer, Marjanke; The Dutch National Committee against AIDS (NCAB) has been adjourned. Some of the functions of the group--which was established eight years ago and then had its term extended another four years--will be divided among other agencies, but the majority will be absorbed into the AIDS Fund. The NCAB noted in its last report
Clinic to Give $130,000 to Area AIDS Agencies: Washington Post (District Weekly) (11/23/95) P. D.C.1; Thomas-Lester, Avis; Washington, D.C. s Whitman-Walker Clinic has announced plans to distribute $130,000 among more than 20 area AIDS organizations. The funds are part of the $1.7 million raised during the organization s annual AIDSWALK event in September. Brother Help Thyself, a District-based group that gives grants to smaller community-
Across the USA: New York: USA Today (11/24/95) P. 6A; The director of the New York state AIDS Institute says she will resign in protest of planned budget cuts. Dr. Nilsa Gutierrez contends that Gov. Pataki ordered her to reduce the institute s $180 million budget by as much as 20 percent for 1996. Related Story: New York Times (11/23) P. B6
Researchers Offer Clue to How AIDS Virus Survives Prolonged Attack by Immune System: New York Times (11/24/95) P. A20; Kolata, Gina; Scientists at Oxford University in England have discovered how HIV continues to survive in the body despite aggressive attacks by the immune system. The researchers say that through subtle mutation, or a change in its genetic structure, HIV actually defuses the attack force that is meant to eliminate infected cells. On
AIDS Risk Cited for Young Men: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/24/95) P. A3; Neergaard, Lauran; New statistics show that one in every 92 young American men may be infected with HIV. The data show that minorities are especially vulnerable, with one of every 33 young black men and one in every 60 Hispanics estimated to be HIV-positive in 1993, according to a new report in the journal Science that contains the most
AIDS Cases in U.S. Since '81: 501,310: Chicago Tribune (11/25/95) P. 1-22; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that the number of AIDS cases diagnosed in the United States during the past 14 years now totals 501,310. Sixty-two percent of that number have died. Dr. Patricia Fleming of the CDC s AIDS surveillance division noted, Over half a million people with
Asia AIDS Epidemic May Top African Outbreak, U.N. Says: Baltimore Sun (11/25/95) P. 7A; Dr. Peter Piot, head of the United Nations AIDS program, said Friday that the AIDS epidemic in Asia could exceed the disease s spread in Africa. Piot added that the number of new infections in some northern European nations appears to have peaked. Compared to the current 14 million to 15 million adults worldwide who ha
New Issue Update: PathoGenesis Corp.: Investor's Business Daily (11/27/95) P. A4; PathoGenesis Corp. has announced an initial public offering of 3 million common shares of stock at a price of $10 per share. The Seattle-based firm has also given underwriters a 30-day overallotment option to buy as many as 450,000 more shares. PathoGenesis is presently developing such drug candidates as PA-1648 for My
Pharmacia & Upjohn to Launch 17 Drugs: Wall Street Journal (11/27/95) P. A9B; Forsberg, Birgitta; The newly-formed Pharmacia & Upjohn plans to launch about 17 new drugs within the next two years, including treatments for AIDS, cancer, Parkinson s disease, glaucoma, and urinary incontinence. An application for Rescriptor , an AIDS-treatment drug designed to work as part of a drug cocktail , will be filed ea
Good-Bye, Mr. Studds: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 20; Moss, J. Jennings; The impending retirement of Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.), along with that of Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-Wisc.), could reduce gay representation in Congress to one man, Rep. Barney Frank, who is also a Massachusetts Democrat. It is simply time to...start afresh in some new endeavors, Studds explained. Certainly, we ll be as
AIDS Intervention in Uganda: Science (10/27/95) Vol. 270, No. 5236, P. 564; Wawer, Maria J.; Gray, Ronald H.; Quinn, Thomas; In a letter to the editors of Science, Wawer et al. respond to Rachel Nowak s recent claim that their study in Rakai, Uganda , runs counter to internationally accepted guidelines. International guidelines urge that should a therapy tested during a study be proven effective, it should be made reasonably available to th
HIV-Blood Scientist Defends Reporting Delay: Nature (11/02/95) Vol. 378, No. 6552, P. 9; Appel, Adrianne; Alfred Prince, head of the laboratory of virology and parasitology at the New York Blood Center, claims that the 1985 decision of Armour Pharmaceutical not to withdraw HIV- infected blood products and not to inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) of the contamination was justified considering the HIV-rela
ChemTrak Expands Product Development and Sales...: Business Wire (11/21/95); ChemTrak, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has named Rodger J. Richeal as Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Christopher P. Matoske as Director of Trade Sales and Marketing. Company CEO Prithipal Singh said the two men will be key in the marketing process of ChemTrak s newest items--a home HIV test service and H. pylori
Beatles Donate Money for Romania's AIDS Children: Reuters (11/21/95); Popescu, Karin; Olivia Harrison, wife of Beatle George Harrison, said Tuesday that some royalties from the Beatles new song Free as a Bird will go to a Romanian AIDS charity established by the singers wives and rock star Elton John. Harrison was in Bucharest as part of her work with the five-year-old Romanian Angel Appeal, a charity s
Kids with AIDS Need Equal Rights, Conference Told: Reuters (11/21/95); Charles, Deborah; At the opening ceremony of an Asia-Pacific program on AIDS and child rights on Tuesday, health care, child rights, and international law experts said that children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. The pandemic shows no sign of abatement, particularly here in Asia, explained Dr. Brian Doberstyn,
Chronicle: A Generous Producer Expects Hundreds for Thanksgiving: New York Times (11/22/95) P. B7; Brozan, Nadine; Theater and film producer Marty Richards has invited every Equity actor in a Broadway or Off Broadway show, ballet, or opera to join him for Thanksgiving dinner at New York City s Arcimboldo restaurant. Richards explained his actions by noting that many performers are busy during the holiday and are not able to be with
City Plan to Revamp AIDS Services Unit Draws Fire: New York Times (11/22/95) P. B2; Alvarez, Lizette; Some advocates of people with AIDS claim that New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani s proposal to rework the Division of AIDS Services may further complicate these patients efforts to obtain critical services. Giuliani vowed not to reduce the number of workers or financing in the unit, yet heads of AIDS- related communi
AIDS Watch: Talking about AIDS: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 28; AWARE: Positive Health Talk Radio is the only news and talk program in the United States that is devoted entirely to HIV- related issues. The program is broadcast in such cities as Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Philadelphia, and Provincetown, MA.
Detection of Diverse HIV-1 Genetic Subtypes in the USA: Lancet (11/04/95) Vol. 346, No. 8984, P. 1198; Brodine, S.K.; Mascola, J.R.; Weiss, P.J.; et al.; Although HIV-1 subtype B prevails in North America and Europe, Brodine et al. detail in the British medical journal The Lancet the discovery of HIV-1 subtypes A, D, and E in five U.S. military personnel who acquired their infections during deployments overseas. According to the authors, these cases-- the first non-HIV-
OncoRx Holds Patent Pending Rights to 3-TC For...: Business Wire (11/20/95); Exclusive rights to a U.S. patent application for anti-HIV and anti-HBV drug 3TC (lamivudine) are held by OncoRx Inc. for the treatment of hepatitis B virus. Yale University filed the patent application, but OncoRx licensed the exclusive rights from Yale in 1994 and has also licensed exclusive rights to other antiviral
Moral Victories for Riley, Heat Players: Miami Herald (11/20/95) P. 1B; Jervis, Rick; On Sunday, six members of the Miami Heat basketball team distributed turkeys to needy families and signed autographs at Miami s Ninth Street Mall. Meanwhile, across town, Heat coach Pat Riley shot baskets and chatted with 65 youths at South Beach s Shore Club Hotel as part of an event for Project Cradle--a University o
AIDS Researchers Meet to Brainstorm: Houston Chronicle (11/20/95) P9. 7C; SoRelle, Ruth; In the fifth such meeting in as many years, nearly 50 international AIDS researchers recently gathered in Houston to discuss methods of boosting immune systems that have been ravaged by HIV. The meeting was developed by Project Inform, and without it, many scientists say they would not have taken some dramatic steps th
Fighting the Death Sentence: New York Times (11/21/95) P. A21; Sullivan, Andrew; In an op-ed column in the New York Times, Andrew Sullivan, editor of The New Republic, questions whether we are behind the times in terms of the HIV epidemic. The atmosphere around the disease, he claims, had often made hopefulness taboo. Although medical science has found not a cure, treatments are now available which
Across the USA: South Dakota: USA Today (11/21/95) P. 9A; South Dakota Gov. Janklow has declared Dec. 1 as AIDS Awareness Day in the state. A total of 95 cases of AIDS and 247 cases of HIV have been reported in South Dakota in the past decade.
Doctor Indicted Over Cancer Drug: Washington Post (11/21/95) P. A11; Schwartz, John; Houston physician Stanislaw R. Burzynski was indicted Monday on 75 counts of mail fraud and violations of federal medical laws. U.S. Attorney Gaynelle Griffin Jones claims that Burzynski and the Burzynski Research Institute introduced an unapproved cancer-fighting drug called antineoplastons into interstate commerce, f
FDA Gives Approval to Glaxo, Sequus to Market Separate AIDS Therapies: Wall Street Journal (11/21/95) P. B12; Langreth, Robert; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has approved Glaxo Wellcome PLC s AIDS drug Epivir ( 3TC , lamivudine) for use in combination with AZT .
Would Xenotransplants Produce Epidemics Worse than AIDS?: Science News (11/04/95) Vol. 148, No. 19, P. 299; Travis, John; The greatest concern about xenotransplantation may be whether it should be done, not whether it is feasible. According to virologist Jonathan S. Allan of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, the risk of introducing dangerous new viruses into the human population is real. Allan is concerned that baboons car
Sociodemographic Characteristics and Sexual Behavior of Bisexual Men in France: Implications for HIV Prevention: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1543; Messiah, Antoine; Mouret-Fourme, Emmanuelle; The French National Survey on Sexual Behavior, a large-scale random telephone survey, provided information about a small number of bisexual men in France . The survey revealed that these bisexual men had fewer sexual partners than homosexual men, more than heterosexual males, but a comparable number to multipartnered h
Research Shows AZT and Either ddI or ddC Better than AZT Alone: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1113; Moran, Nuala; Following the recently released conclusions of the Delta trial, Britain s Medical Research Council now recommends that people with HIV and AIDS receive a combination of two anti- AIDS drugs. The Delta trial stopped three months ahead of schedule when it became clear that a mixture of AZT with
Ability of Primary Care Physicians to Recognize Physical Findings Associated with HIV Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/01/95) Vol. 274, No. 17, P. 1380; Paauw, Douglas S.; Wenrich, Marjorie D.; Curtis, J. Randall; et al.; Paauw et al. assessed the ability of 134 general internists and family practitioners to recognize HIV-related physical findings. Just over 25 percent of 89 physicians correctly diagnosed a patient with Kaposi s sarcoma, while nearly 23 percent of 97 doctors detected oral hairy leukoplakia and just 17 percent of 133 phy
Mother Theresa to Set Up AIDS Hospice in New Delhi: Reuters (11/17/95); Mother Theresa will establish an AIDS hospice in New Delhi, the Press Trust of India said last week. The news service reported only that the 85-year-old nun said that at her center, which will be devoted to women and children, AIDS patients would receive much needed love. Mother Theresa, who termed AIDS patients in the
Latin American Women Face Rising AIDS Risks: Reuters (11/17/95); Orgill, Margaret; Health experts announced on Friday that Latin American housewives have among the region s greatest risk of AIDS because of infection from husbands having affairs or using drugs. The most important risk factor for a Latin American woman is being married, said Fernando Zacarias, coordinator of the Pan American Health Org
Genentech's Brewer Resigns and Jennings Will Be Reassigned: Wall Street Journal (11/20/95) P. C12; Genentech Inc. has announced the resignation of Richard Brewer, a high-ranking executive in charge of the biotech firm s marketing operations. An 11-year veteran of the company, Brewer had sparked anger among federal regulators and others for his aggressive marketing methods, but a Genentech spokesperson said that he
Obituaries: John Rico, Republican Activist: Washington Post (11/20/95) P. B4; Republican party official and political strategist John Rico died of AIDS on Saturday at age 45. In 1979, Mr. Rico ran Ronald Reagan s presidential campaign headquarters in Los Angeles. He later moved to Oregon, where he became chief of staff for the then-Republican state Senate from 1985 to 1991. Mr. Rico went public
Budget Bill Dismisses Moderates' Input, Aimed to Soften Most Conservative Plans: Wall Street Journal (11/20/95) P. A16; Georges, Christopher; The final compromise between House and Senate Republicans in the ongoing battle of the seven-year budget overhaul indicates that House conservatives were able to ignore Senate moderates endeavors, especially those concerning welfare and Medicaid. With Medicaid, for example, the final compromise version of the bill elim
Epidemiology: Warding Off the AIDS Virus: Washington Post (11/20/95) P. A2; An experimental drug called PMPA completely protected monkeys in a situation similar to that in which health care workers are exposed to HIV. PMPA is extremely close to AZT , the oldest AIDS drug, yet it works faster and is 100 times less toxic. After eight months, all 25 simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-injected mo
Reducing the Risk of HIV Infection Among South African Sex Workers: Socioeconomic and Gender Barriers: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1521; Karim, Quarraisha Abdool; Karim, Salim S. Abdool; Soldan, Kate; et al.; Karim et al. undertook a study of female sex workers at a truck stop in South Africa to determine the social context that places them at high risk for infection with HIV, and how this context influences their risk-reduction capabilities. Ten in-depth interviews and 12 questionnaires revealed that the 12 respondents, wh
Patient of Dentist with AIDS May Get Economic Damages: National Law Journal (10/30/95) Vol. 18, No. 9, P. B21; The Supreme Court of Delaware ruled in September that although a patient could not collect damages for treatment by a healthcare professional who had AIDS without evidence of ensuing injury or HIV-exposure, economic damages could be recovered for misrepresentation. Brzoska v. Olsen involved 38 people who sued the estat
Bone Implant Infection Risk Combated: Richmond Times-Dispatch (11/16/95) P. E1; Orndorff, Beverly; LifeNet, the organ procurement agency that serves central and eastern Virginia, has developed and implemented a new bone cleansing technology that attempts to eliminate the risk of disease transmission from processed cadaver bone implants. The process, called Allowash, uses a mixture of biological detergents to lower t
AIDS on Rise in Latin America--Experts: Reuters (11/16/95); Health experts predict that an estimated 1 million Latin Americans could have AIDS by the turn of the century and that more effective campaigns must therefore be developed to prevent the spread of HIV. Most people in the region know about AIDS and how to prevent it, but we need to convert this into action, explained Fe
HIV Patients Warned About D.C.'s Water: Washington Post (11/17/95) P. A15; Kyriakos, Marianne; The Whitman-Walker Clinic, the largest AIDS clinic in the Washington, D.C. area, and the National Association of People With AIDS warned AIDS patients on Thursday not to drink the city s tap water for fear of bacterial infections. A spokesman for the two groups said that people with weakened immune systems should drink
Study: Medicaid, AIDS Deaths Linked: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/17/95) P. A2; Ritter, Malcolm; People with AIDS who are hospitalized for what appears to be Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) are 73 percent more likely to die in the hospital if they are covered by Medicaid instead of private insurance, a new study claims. Researcher Charles Bennett noted that if planned Medicaid budget cuts are enacted, this [p
Drug Is Found to Bar Infection by an AIDS-Type Virus: New York Times (11/17/95) P. A25; Kolata, Gina; Researchers report in the journal Science that a drug called PMPA completely prevented one group of monkeys from becoming infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV. In the study, none of the 25 monkeys who were given Gilead Sciences experimental drug before or up to 24 hours after they were inoculated bec
AIDS: Why Let the Courtroom Become Your Classroom?: American Management Association (11/95) Vol. 84, No. 11, P. 62; Breuer, Nancy L.; Just because an employee is infected with HIV does not mean that the courtroom must be involved, writes Nancy A. Breuer in the American Management Association. Overall, AIDS is a business issue--and thus a productivity and a market issue-- that requires strategic planning. Some suggestions for planning include creating
Infectious Disease Testing for Blood Transfusions: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/01/95) Vol. 274, No. 17, P. 1374; The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Infectious Disease Testing for Blood Transfusions composed a statement on infectious disease testing for blood transfusions following its recent conference. Among its recommendations, the nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel of experts said that antib
Applied Immune Science Reports Third Quarter Results: Business Wire (11/14/95); Applied Immune Sciences reported revenues of $166,000 for the third quarter, which ended September 30th, compared to $263,000 in revenues for the same period last year. Net loss was $6,568,000 compared to $6,396,000 in 1994. Applied Immune Sciences entered into a strategic alliance with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer in
Playboy TV Preempts Prime-time Line-up with Evening of Programming to Support World AIDS Day; Includes Live Show with Suzi Landolphi: Business Wire (11/15/95); In recognition of World AIDS Day, Playboy Television will devote four hours of programming to AIDS awareness and the issue of safer sex. The nation s third largest pay-per-view service will offer a special lineup, including a live call-in show featuring AIDS educator, comedienne, and entertainer Suzi Landolphi. The cab
Blue Cross Announces $2.8 Million in Grants for Health Programs: Business Wire (11/15/95); Blue Cross of California has awarded 15 health-related programs grants totaling nearly $2.8 million. Of those programs, Los Angeles AIDS Healthcare Foundation received $150,000 to increase its prevention services. Additionally, Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services, Inc., West Hollywood, was given $153,402 for i
What Have We Learned If We Can't Share?: Toronto Globe and Mail (11/15/95) P. A20; Graydon, Michael; During the past 12 years, gay men grew in the face of AIDS, yet blinded themselves to the world beyond their own community, contends writer and activist Michael Graydon in the Toronto Globe and Mail. Within the epidemic, women are now at particular risk for the disease--as gay men were and are--and the necessary steps
Across the USA: South Carolina: USA Today (11/16/95) P. 13A; Conway, S.C., television station WBTW will broadcast a retraction and pay a settlement to Erin Kirby, a student at Coastal Carolina University who was wrongly identified in 1993 as being HIV-infected.
At Uncle Sam's, No One Answers: Washington Post (11/16/95) P. A1; Barr, Stephen; Montgomery, David; Although the federal government shutdown does not affect all government offices, the closure has already taken its toll. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has halted its disease surveillance, including monitoring current AIDS cases and the 1995 flu season. In addition, surveys on public health
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Advocate (11/14/95) No. 694, P. 32; Gallagher, John; Gay participants in the Million Man March on Washington on October 16 said they were welcomed by other marchers, but that they were disappointed by the distant reception they got from march organizers who backed out of a promise to include an openly gay speaker. However, Elias Farajaje-Jones, a divinity professor at Ho
Multiple Introductions of HIV-1 Subtype E into the Western Hemisphere: Lancet (11/04/95) Vol. 346, No. 8984, P. 1197; Artenstein, Andrew W.; Coppola, Julieta; Brown, Arthur E.; The HIV epidemic in Southeast Asia is primarily due to HIV-1 subtype E. Artenstein et al. analyzed the HIV-1 subtypes of 11 Uruguayan military personnel. Five of the six infections that were acquired during a United Nations deployment in Cambodia were identified as subtype E. Previous reports have limited the occurrenc
OncoRx Announces Third Quarter Results: Business Wire (11/14/95); OncoRx Inc. reported a third-quarter loss of $1,284,420, or 21 cents a share, on Tuesday. In addition, the company-- responding to the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee s recent recommendation for the rapid approval of 3TC as part a combination therapy for HIV--released a statement asserting that it holds the
RBC-CD4 HIV/AIDS Therapy; Preliminary Results Show No Significant Adverse Effects in HIV Patients: Business Wire (11/14/95); Sheffield Medical Technologies Inc. has begun the dose- escalation part of a Phase I/IIA clinical trial for its HIV/AIDS therapeutic, RBC-CD4. The company also reports that the preliminary results of the first phase of the trial indicate that the drug was well tolerated and had no significant side effects in HIV-infect
Obituaries: Bruce B. Decker; Activist Served on State AIDS Panel: Los Angeles Times (11/14/95) P. A18; Oliver, Myrna; AIDS activist and philanthropist Bruce B. Decker died of AIDS- related complications on Saturday at the age of 45. Mr. Decker served four years as former Calif. Gov. George Deukmejian s chairman of the state AIDS Advisory Committee. In addition, he was the founder and finance chairman of a campaign against Proposition
Cuba Has 1,180 HIV Positive Cases: Reuters (11/14/95); There have been 1,180 cases of HIV recorded in Cuba , the official news agency Presna Latina announced Tuesday. It reported that Manuel Hernandez, head of the national anti-AIDS campaign, said that 271 of that total had died and 413 had developed AIDS. Hernandez added that there have been 76 new HIV infections in Cuba
Lifeline: Play's the Thing: USA Today (11/15/95) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene; Betty Buckley, star of the Broadway show Sunset Boulevard, is participating in a Norma Desmond Day. The highest bidder will work with Buckley for one day, both learning the role and doing a walk-on in the performance. The proceeds will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Bids, which can be phoned in at 212-221-9
Addenda: Glaxo Wellcome: New York Times (11/15/95) P. D7; Glaxo Wellcome has selected New York-based FCB Healthcare, a division of True North Communications, to manage the consolidated advertising account for its HIV drugs Retrovir, Mepron, Daraprim, and Septra. The account was previously distributed amongst FCB Healthcare and Harrison, Star, Wiener & Beitler, New York.
The Ripple Effect: Empty Halls, Lost Money, Discontent: Washington Post (11/15/95) P. A1; Montgomery, David; The U.S. government closed on Tuesday, thanks to the federal budget impasse. Hundreds of thousands of government workers will be affected by the shutdown, and companies that do business with the government will face delayed payments. Jim Graham, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the Washington, D.C. area
Advocates Want D.C. Declared a Disaster Area: Washington Post (11/15/95) P. D1; Loeb, Vernon; A coalition of Washington, D.C. advocacy groups, known as the Fair Budget Coalition, plans to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recommend that the city be declared a modified emergency, based on widespread poverty, spreading infectious disease, poor healthcare, unemployment, and increasing homelessness. T
New Interactive Internet Form from CDC NAC: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse (11/14/95); An interactive World AIDS Day form has been added to the CDC NAC Web site. The form allows users to input information about their organization s planned World AIDS Day activities, as well as read about what others are doing. All interested callers are encouraged to visit our Web site, http://cdcnac.aspensys.com:86, and
International Conference, Vancouver 1996: Arrangements, Deadlines: AIDS Treatment News (10/20/95) No. 233, P. 5; James, John S.; The theme of next July s 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver, British Columbia, is One World, One Hope. The meeting will offer several new elements, including program formats, such as formal debates and late breaker sessions; health insurance for attendees; and blinded review of abstracts. In addition, t
HIV-1 Seroconversion and Risk Behaviors Among Young Men in the U.S. Army: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1500; Levin, Lynn I.; Peterman, Thomas A.; Renzullo, Philip O.; et al.; To determine the risk factors related to HIV-1 seroconversion among young men in the U.S. Army, Levin et al. compared 128 men with proven HIV-1 seroconversion between 1988 and 1991 to control subjects based on demographic variables. A total of 49 of the case subjects reported having same-gender sex, 34 of whom also had
Zimbabwe Minister to Sell Hair for AIDS Campaign: Reuters (11/13/95); Timothy Stamps, Zimbabwe s Minister of Health and Child Welfare, will auction his hair next weekend to raise funds for a campaign against AIDS. According to the state news agency ZIANA, Stamps shaved his head in memory of people who have died from AIDS. Under African custom, people demonstrate their grief over the deat
Elton John Joins the Hard Rock Cafe to Commemorate World AIDS Day: Business Wire (11/13/95); On Thursday, Nov. 16, singer Elton John will visit the New York Hard Rock Cafe to announce the worldwide launch of the restaurant chain s fundraiser--a special edition red ribbon pin. All net proceeds of the pins, which will sell for five dollars each, will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Inc.
The Down Side of Home HIV Tests: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (11/13/95) P. 1E; Schieszer, John; Some health care experts have numerous problems with the concept of HIV home-testing kits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is deliberating approval of the kits, which would permit anonymous testing by allowing people to place a drop of blood on treated paper and mail it to a laboratory for screening. Res
Migrants and Drugs: Miami Herald (11/13/95) P. 5B; University of Miami (UM) researchers say that increased drug- abuse testing and intervention is needed to combat the high rate of HIV among migrant workers. Previous research on other high-risk groups found greater infection rates in drug users, and the UM Migrant Worker Project learned that this also holds true for mi
Lifeline: Cause Celeb: USA Today (11/14/95) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene; As part of Counter AID, a Dec. 2 benefit for people with AIDS, such celebrities as Kathy Mattea and Naomi Campbell will work the cash registers at New York and Los Angeles record stores. During the event, retailers will ask consumers to round their purchases from the first week of December up to the nearest dollar. The
Reinforcement in the AIDS Battle: Financial Times (11/14/95) P. 12; Cookson, Clive; Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s (FDA s) antiviral drugs advisory panel recommended rapid approval of three anti-AIDS drugs. If the FDA follows the recommendations to approve 3TC , saquinavir, and d4T , the number of licensed drugs against HIV will double.
Fatigue and HIV Progression: Focus (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 11, P. 8; A small study of subjective fatigue concludes that medical variables related to HIV progression predict fatigue and its effects on daily life and work, though it is still unclear whether fatigue is the cause or the result of disease progression. Some 50 percent of the symptomatic males responding to a survey on subject
Preventing and Treating CMV Retinitis: Lancet (10/28/95) Vol. 346, No. 8983, P. 1153; Rowe, Paul M.; Unlike previous reports, a new study has concluded that oral ganciclovir does not significantly delay the onslaught of cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis in HIV-infected individuals. But, most people feel oral ganciclovir offers protection, said Henry Masur at a recent staff conference at the National Institutes of Hea
Malegrams: Into Another Hot Zone: Men's Health (11/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 42; The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently rejected the request of renowned AIDS researcher Don Francis to continue funding U.S. trials of gp120, an AIDS vaccine candidate produced by the biotechnology firm Genentech . In an interview with Men s Health magazine, Francis says that one reason why he cannot obtain f
Cuba to Test Trial AIDS Vaccine on Humans--Paper: Reuters (11/12/95); A Cuban newspaper reported Sunday that the country may begin human testing of a trial AIDS vaccine in the first half of 1996. Juventud Rebelde quoted Manual Limonta, head of Cuba s Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, as saying that the vaccine, which is already being tested on small animals, would soon be
Illegal Blood Processing Alleged at Japanese Firm: Journal of Commerce (11/13/95) P. 6B; Japanese police have arrested the head of a pharmaceutical firm that is suspected of illegally extracting blood plasma from discarded blood and selling it to drug makers for the manufacture of test medicine. Both Mitsuaki Ogawa, president of Nihon Tokushu Kogyo, and an employee of the pharmaceutical- materials manufact
Boy with AIDS Dies After Reaching His Goal: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/13/95) P. A3; Matthew Allen died last Friday, about one month after reaching his goal of 13 years. Matthew s mother Lydia died in 1986, after having contracted HIV from a blood transfusion. The boy s father was not infected, but he was dismissed as minister of education at First Christian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Matt
Regular Use Raises Condom Efficacy: USA Today (11/13/95) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; A new study suggests that consistent and correct condom use increases the prophylactics efficacy. In the American Journal of Public Health, researchers from Emory and Princeton Universities present the results of a study of 41 prostitutes who work in Nevada s legal brothels, where condom use is mandatory. The scientist
AIDS Risk Increases for Heterosexuals: New York Times (11/13/95) P. A12; A study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health shows that HIV-risk behavior increased among heterosexuals in 23 major U.S. cities between 1990 and 1992. The findings indicate a failure of many safe- sex messages to reach some heterosexuals, said lead author Joseph Catania, especially y
HIV Moms' Babies May Be Denied Care: USA Today (11/13/95) P. 3D; Painter, Kim; Hundreds of physicians claim they would withhold expensive medical care from babies born to HIV-infected women even if they knew that most of the infants would not be infected. According to researchers, results of the 1991 survey, which is published in the American Journal of Public Health, may be different today becau
Virology: A Genetic Clue to Survival with HIV: Washington Post (11/13/95) P. A2; Brown, David; Scientists in Australia believe they now know why some HIV- infected individuals never become ill. In an article published in the Nov. 10 issue of Science, researchers at the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research in Victoria report the discovery of an HIV-infected blood donor and seven individuals who received
Follicular Dendritic Cells and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infectivity: Nature (10/26/95) Vol. 377, No. 6551, P. 740; Heath, Sonya L.; Tew, J. Grant; Tew, John G.; et al.; Heath et al. studied an in vitro model of the germinal center to determine whether follicular dendritic cells (FDC)-retained HIV could cause infection. Viral infection is followed by the convergence of large amounts of HIV on FDC in the follicles of secondary lymphoid tissues. The researchers discovered that the HIV on
Around the Nation: Kentucky, Nebraska: Advocate (11/14/95) No. 694, P. 20; A waterproofing firm in Kentucky has been sued for fraud by the state attorney general because the company allegedly tried to attract business by telling customers that mildew could cause AIDS. Meanwhile, in other news around the country, the Nebraska state appeals court has ruled that HIV-infected persons cannot be pr
"Chiron Receives New York State Permit to Test HIV Viral Load Through Reference Testing Laboratory; Service Now Available Nationwide: Business Wire (11/08/95); The Chiron Reference Testing Laboratory is currently accepting specimens for HIV viral load testing from physicians across the country, Chiron Corp. said Wednesday. The company most recently received a permit to test specimens from New York state. The laboratory was created in 1994 to offer access to branched DNA techn
Canada's Blood System Too Unwieldy, Report Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (11/08/95) P. A8; A report obtained by the Canadian Press states that it would take Canada s blood system too long to respond to another fatal virus because the system is confusing, partially unworkable, and no one is clearly accountable. The report-- which was prepared for Mr. Justice Horace Krever, the head of an inquiry into Canada s
Glaxo Overhauling R & D to Focus on Commercial Potential: Financial Times (11/09/95) P. 1; Cookson, Clive; Glaxo Wellcome announced on Wednesday that it will radically overhaul its research and development program in an effort to increase productivity. The company s goal is to market three financially important medicines per year from 2000, compared to its current average of just one new drug per year. Glaxo has scrapped
Yes, Silence Can Equal Death: Wall Street Journal (11/09/95) P. A21; Barnes, Mark; Elovitz, Marc E.; In two separate letters to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, Mark Barnes and Marc E. Elovitz respond to Helen Mathews Smith s Oct. 25 article The Deadly Politics of AIDS. According to Barnes, the executive director of the AIDS Action Council, Smith proposes a mandatory HIV testing program yet she omits both the co
Starting Up From Scratch: Financial Times (11/09/95) P. 21; Green, Daniel; Triangle Pharmaceuticals, a four-month-old company headed by former Burroughs Wellcome staff, is planning to concentrate in anti-viral drugs. Instead of attempting to discover new drugs, however, the fledgling company will work on identifying promising medicines and ushering them through the three major phases of clini
FDA Urged to Approve Bristol-Myers AIDS Drug: Wall Street Journal (11/09/95) P. B6; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration s (FDA s) Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee endorsed on Wednesday Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. s drug Zerit ( stavudine or d4T ) for AIDS patients who no longer respo
HIV Risk Practices of Male Injecting-Drug Users Who Have Sex with Men--Dallas, Denver, and Long Beach, 1991-1994: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/20/95) Vol. 44, No. 41, P. 767; Wolitski, R.J.; Corby, N.; Wood, J.; et al.; As part of the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects, which are sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data on male intravenous drug users (IDUs) who have sex with men (MSM) were collected in Dallas, Denver, and Long Beach, Calif., from 1991 to 1994. In the survey, trained interviewers approached
Health Bodies Urge Backing for Early Warning Procedures: Nature (10/26/95) Vol. 377, No. 6551, P. 668; Appel, Adrianne; Masood, Ehsan; The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have requested additional funds to finance both joint and separate efforts to identify, control, and ultimately eliminate emerging infectious diseases. The WHO s 190 member states have been asked for $5.5 million of the $7-mill
Suit Alleges Minn. Mutual AIDS Bias: National Underwriter (Life/Health) (10/30/95) Vol. 99, No. 44, P. 3; West, Diane; Mark LaBonte, a California man, has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Co. of St. Paul, Minn., claiming the insurer refused to issue him a life insurance policy based on the fact that his live-in partner has AIDS. Paul Wotman, LaBonte s San Francisco-based attorney, reports that Minnesot
SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Results: Business Wire (11/07/95); SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, based in Menlo Park, Calif., announced on Tuesday a third quarter loss of $7,953,000, versus a net loss of $6,655,000 in the third quarter of the previous year. The net loss for the first nine months of 1995 was $23,872,000, compared to $22,013,000 for the same period in 1994. The rise in third-
Britain Sends Faulty Condoms to Zimbabwe: Reuters (11/08/95); A report by Britain s National Audit Office has revealed that the country sent 24 million condoms to Zimbabwe and then spent 100,000 pounds ($157,000) for disposing of them and replacing them when laboratory tests found the condoms to be faulty. Britain s Overseas Development Administration ordered the prophylactics, w
HIV Scholarship: Washington Times (11/08/95) P. A2; Twenty-year-old University of Colorado student Luke Gold has created the Positive Future Fund, a scholarship for HIV- infected students. Gold says he was inspired by a story in his campus newspaper about a student who tested HIV-positive, and said he hopes that the fund will help alleviate some of the stigma that infec
FDA Graded Highly On Relative Speed of Review Process: Washington Post (11/08/95) P. A15; Schwartz, John; A report just released by the General Accounting Office concludes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is actually comparable in the quickness of its review process to its U.K. counterpart. This first independent assessment of the FDA found that the agency cut its time to review new drugs by 40 percent be
FDA Committee Urges Approval of First AIDS Drug in New Class: Washington Post (11/08/95) P. A2; Schwartz, John; A U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) advisory committee called on Tuesday for the rapid approval of saquinavir, the first of a new class of AIDS drugs called protease inhibitors . In a six to one vote, the panel voted to recommend that saquinavir, which will be sold under the trade name
Cats May Help Fight AIDS: Futurist (11/95-12/95) Vol. 29, No. 6, P. 5; Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) destroys cats immune systems in a manner similar to how HIV attacks the human immune system, theorize researchers at Texas A&M University. The scientists are trying to find ways to bolster felines immune systems so they can better defend themselves against FIV. As a result of thi
HIV-Related Alterations in Sleep Physiology: Focus (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 11, P. 7; Two small studies determined that the sleep patterns of asymptomatic HIV seropositive men differed from standard cycles. In the first study, researchers found that although sleep efficiency was greater than 90 percent, there was an increase in slow wave sleep in the second half of the night--a finding contrary to norma
Social Security Bars Claim in AIDS Bias Suit: Human Resource Executive (10/95) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 14; Baran, Frank; A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that people who seek Social Security benefits cannot also claim to be a qualified individual with a disability who can work. U.S. District Judge Clarence C. Newcomer was ruling in the case of Leonard McNemar, who sued his former employer, The Disney Stores Inc., for allegedly f
Radiant: PDT Inc. Is Shining a Light on New Drug Treatments: Investor's Business Daily (11/06/95) P. A4; Lau, Gloria; New light-activated drugs are making a name for California- based PDT Inc. The drugs, which are selectively retained by diseased or cancerous cells, are activated by light, which produces a photochemical reaction in the targeted area. The new process combines drugs with medical devices to treat numerous diseases includ
Trying To Design Brand New Drugs By Supercomputer: New York Times (11/07/95) P. C1; Brody, Jane E.; A different approach to designing drugs called rational or structure-based drug design is being pursued by researchers at Cornell University and other research institutions and drug companies. Using a supercomputer that can create an image of a molecule in three dimensions, scientists can manipulate computer dials to c
In Brief: FDA Commissioner David Kessler: Investor's Business Daily (11/07/95) P. A1; A class of new drugs up for review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) represents the best news we ve had in a while concerning AIDS, according to David Kessler, FDA Commissioner.
Panel Recommends New AIDS Drug: Washington Post (11/07/95) P. A5; Neergaard, Lauran; An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has recommended that the experimental drug 3TC be approved for use in moderately advanced to advanced AIDS patients and as an initial therapy for the disease as well. Recent studies have shown that a combination of 3TC and
A Randomized Controlled Trial of an HIV Sexual Risk-Reduction Intervention for Young African-American Women: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/25/95) Vol. 274, No. 16, P. 1271; DiClemente, Ralph J.; Wingood, Gina M.; DiClemente and Wingood recruited a sample of sexually active, heterosexual, African-American women in the Bayview-Hunter s Point neighborhood of San Francisco to assess the efficacy of a community-based social skills HIV prevention intervention in increasing consistent condom use. The women randomized to the social ski
Paris Meeting Spotlights TB/HIV Co-Infection: TB Monitor (10/95) Vol. 2, No. 10, P. 119; This year s annual meeting of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) devoted particular attention to persons co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. According to Larry Geiter, a Washington, D.C.-based research officer for IUATLD, there was a great deal of discussion about whether TB
Indonesia Warns Athletes over AIDS in Sea Games: Reuters (11/03/95); Indonesian athletes and sports authorities were cautioned on Friday not to have sexual intercourse with prostitutes during December s Sea Games in Thailand . Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Azwar Anas noted that the number of cases of HIV in Thailand, particularly among prostitutes, is quite high and that th
Indonesia Said to Be Among Biggest AIDS Countries: Reuters (11/03/95); Some 2 million Indonesians may be HIV-infected by the year 2000, the Antara news agency quoted an Indonesian professor as saying on Friday. HIV-positive tested cases in Indonesia by 2000 may reach 2 million to occupy [the] third position in the world following Thailand and India , said De
NZ Man Robs Bank with Blood-Filled Syringe: Reuters (11/06/95); A thief carrying a blood-filled syringe stole about NZ$2,000, or US$1,300, from a New Zealand bank. The man absconded with the money by threatening three bank employees with the syringe, which they feared was filled with HIV-infected blood, Television New Zealand reported. A police squad has searched the residence of o
Cambodia's AIDS Campaign 'Set Back'--U.N. Report: Reuters (11/06/95); A United Nations human rights representative said in a report that Cambodia s anti-AIDS campaign has been set back by the mandatory closure of brothels and officials harassment of sex workers. Michael Kirby added that the effort had also been hampered by the removal of condom-promoting posters. Cabinet secretary-genera
W. Ross Milstead, 34, Delivered AIDS Talks: Baltimore Sun (11/06/95) P. 5B; Engle, Donna R.; W. Ross Milstead died on Friday, just two days before his 35th birthday, after fighting numerous AIDS-related infections for more than a decade. Mr. Milstead began speaking publicly about his illness and what it meant to live with AIDS in 1989. He became a volunteer speaker with the Health Education Resources Organizat
Man Alive! The She Was a He: Washington Post (11/06/95) P. D1; Kurtz, Howard; An Aug. 25 story in the Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate told the emotional tale of a woman and her battle with AIDS. Eventually, however, it was discovered that the woman was in fact a man living as a woman. We were duped...we re really not in the business down here of trying to dupe our readers into thinking that males are
Scientists Battle Funding for Gallo: Baltimore Sun (11/04/95) P. 1A; Bor, Jonathan; Birch, Douglas; Four government scientists have launched an aggressive campaign to withhold state funds for a virology institute in Baltimore from Dr. Robert C. Gallo, renewing claims that the researcher took too much of the credit for major AIDS-related findings. The scientists say that a number of documents, computer disks, and tape
FDA Sees Promise in New Anti-AIDS Drugs: Washington Post (11/06/95) P. A4; Schwartz, John; The Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) will discuss combination therapies and protease inhibitors this week. Today, the panel will concentrate on the nucleoside analog lamivudine ( 3TC ), for which recent studies ha
Health Hotlines: Cancer and AIDS Pain: Men's Health (11/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 34; Access Roxane Laboratories Internet site provides information on how to deal with the often inevitable pain that accompanies cancer and AIDS. Users can go to http://www.Roxane.com to obtain newsletters, clinical articles, and treatment guidelines on cancer and AIDS pain management, as well as a schedule of pain-managem
Nef Vaccination Against HIV Disease: Lancet (10/28/95) Vol. 346, No. 8983, P. 1170; Montagnier, Luc; In a letter to the editors of the Lancet, Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute suggests hyperimmunization against the nef gene to reduce and ultimately suppress HIV s pathogenicity in humans. Although people vaccinated against nef would not be safeguarded against HIV, Montagnier notes, they might have an initial vir
Medical Discoveries Wins Permanent Injunction...: Business Wire (11/02/95); Medical Discoveries Inc. reported on Thursday that it has been granted a permanent injunction against former company president Robert E. Morrow. The injunction prohibits Morrow from competing with the company in treating AIDS and other patients with MDI-P, Medical Discoveries patent-pending anti- viral agent. Under the
Heterosexuals Polled on HIV-Related Risks: Boston Globe (11/02/95) P. 3; A survey completed in 1990 and repeated two years later indicates that heterosexual adults are not significantly changing their sexual behavior in response to HIV risk. In fact, the survey--which involved more than 9,000 people from 23 high-risk cities and other U.S. locations--found that the number of people reporting
Across the USA: Vermont: USA Today (11/03/95) P. 6A; The Human Rights Commission of Vermont has approved a policy which protects in a complaint the identities of parties who may have privacy issues, such as people with AIDS or abused women.
Supreme Court Doesn't Slight AIDS Cases: New York Times (11/03/95) P. A28; Meyer, Jeffrey A.; Regarding a recent commentary by Prof. Michael L. Closen on the Supreme Court s failure to address certain AIDS-related cases, assistant U.S. attorney Jeffrey A. Meyer observes in a letter to the editors of the New York Times that by Closen s standard, the Court has also not ruled on many other medical conditions. Canc
In the Loop: GOP Invokes Free Speech for Minister's Invocation: Washington Post (11/03/95) P. A21; Kamen, Al; Democrats in the House of Representatives say they are outraged that Thursday morning s invocation was given by Rev. Louis Sheldon, a Presbyterian minister and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition. According to Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Calif.) and 21 others, Sheldon has made a career out of vilifying lesbians, g
1 in 3 Blacks Believes in AIDS Conspiracy, Survey Finds: Miami Herald (11/02/95) P. 9A; More than one-third of 1,000 black church members believe that HIV was developed in a germ warfare laboratory and has since been used to commit genocide against their race, a new survey has found. Another 33 percent report being unsure as to whether AIDS was designed to kill black people. Although the survey cohort was
The Economics of Disease: Investor's Business Daily (11/03/95) P. B1; A recent study by economists David Bloom of Columbia University and Barnard College s Ajay Mahal concludes that there is no significant connection between the increased number of AIDS cases and slower economic growth. The proposed link between the two was due to the fact that many African nations have both large number
Nation's Blood Supply Faces New Dangers, CDC Chief Says: Baltimore Sun (11/03/95) P. 9A; The United States must continue to protect itself against new threats to the safety of the blood supply, cautioned Dr. David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Thursday. We are faced increasingly with new and re-emerging infectious-disease challenges, he noted. Though Satcher
AIDS Claims Rise Is Slowest in Nine Years: Human Resource Executive (10/95) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 18; Baran, Frank; U.S. life and health insurance companies are paying AIDS- related claims at the slowest rate since trade groups began to calculate the claims nine years ago. According to data reported jointly by the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) and the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), AIDS-related claims tot
Threatened by Reform?: American Medical News (10/23/95-10/30/95) Vol. 38, No. 40, P. 1; Kent, Christina; AIDS experts are scrambling to understand all the implications of the GOP Medicaid reforms now going through Congress. Although many claim the proposals will harm the most unprotected members of society, a few note that there are also some benefits. Medicaid s future is extremely important to AIDS experts because the p
Stockholders Approve Pharmacia-Upjohn Merger: Reuters (11/01/95); Stockholders owning 96 percent of the shares and votes of Pharmacia AB have sanctioned the company s merger with Upjohn Co., the company announced on Wednesday. Trading in the new company, which will have annual revenue of $6.8 billion, will begin on Friday in New York and on Monday in Stockholm,
French AIDS Pioneer Urges More Research in Africa: Reuters (11/01/95); More AIDS research should be conducted in Africa, according to Luc Montagnier, the French researcher who first identified HIV. At a meeting in Brazzaville, Congo, Montagnier said, The center of gravity for AIDS is in Africa and southeast Asia but the center of gravity for research is in the northern countries, and we a
Jungle Joy: Mural Comforts Youngsters Exposed to Drugs and HIV: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (11/01/95) P. 1B; Hubert, Kristin; Volunteer Peter Engelsmann is donating his time and artistic talents to create a four-wall jungle mural for St. Louis Our Little Haven, a home for children exposed to drugs and HIV. They can come in and see animals and trees and things, and it expands the room beyond just a home in the city, commented Engelsmann, 23, a
Chronicle: Ricki Lake: New York Times (11/02/95) P. D24; Brozan, Nadine; A New York City judge has sentenced talk show host Ricki Lake to four days of community service and fined her $45 for her part in an anti-fur protest at the offices of designer Karl Lagerfeld. Lake will perform her community service at God s Love We Deliver, a food service for people with AIDS. Related Story: Washingto
Across the USA: Ohio, Rhode Island: USA Today (11/02/95) P. 8A; A proposed bill in Ohio would require couples wishing to marry to get a pre-marital blood test for HIV and syphilis. Meanwhile, in Cumberland, R.I., the Rhode Island Housing & Mortgage Finance Co. has rescued a home for AIDS patients from foreclosure with a $60,000 forgivable loan. The loan need not be repaid as lo
New AIDS Drug Said to Work Differently from Others: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (11/02/95); Aronex Pharmaceuticals reported Wednesday that its anti-AIDS drug AR-177 uses a different mode of action than any other existing or candidate therapies. We knew it has activity, but weren t exactly sure what the mechanism of the action was, said Aronex head James Chubb. According to a study reported in the November iss
A Workout for the Body and Spirit: Washington Post--District Weekly (11/02/95) P. D.C.1; Young, Vincent; A free aerobics class in Washington, D.C. s Woodley Park neighborhood offers people with HIV and AIDS an opportunity to better their health in a supportive environment. Class members openly discuss how they live and cope with AIDS, sharing such survival skills as understanding health care benefits and the side effects
Three-Ring Circus: Advocate (10/31/95) No. 693, P. 58; Elders, Joycelyn; In her book The Gravest Show on Earth, Elinor Burkett--a reporter who worked the AIDS beat for the Miami Herald from 1988 to 1992--shows how various parts of the United States are confronting the AIDS epidemic. One major factor has been denial, and Burkett offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the media have participa
Maintaining Low HIV Seroprevalence in Populations of Injecting Drug Users: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/18/95) Vol. 274, No. 15, P. 1226; Des Jarlais, Don C.; Hagan, Holly; Friedman, Samuel R.; et al.; To characterize the prevention activities and risk behavior in cities where HIV was introduced to the area s intravenous drug users (IDUs), but where seroprevalence has stayed low for a minimum of five years, Des Jarlais et al. studied IDUs from five cities across the world. The researchers prepared case histories that
Ritonavir, Saquinavir Combination--& Warning: AIDS Treatment News (09/29/95) No. 231, P. 6; Research indicates that Abbott s ritonavir and Roche s saquinavir may be especially effective when used in combination, according to researchers discussions at the 35th annual Inter-Science Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in September. The mix, however, could be extremely dangerous unless the level
Drug Resistance Proving Problem For Fungal Infections: American Medical News (10/09/95) Vol. 38, No. 38, P. 23; Certain fungal infections are becoming resistant to drugs and more difficult to treat, said scientists at the American Medical Association s 14th annual Science Reporters Conference. Most of the drug resistance has been in Candida strains in HIV-infected patients who have been treated with antifungals numerous times. A
Demographics Help Explain Hispanic Sexual Behavior and Gender Roles and Must Be Considered for STD Prevention Programs, Says UCSF Researcher: Business Wire (10/31/95); Such demographic elements as acculturation, age, education, and marital status significantly help explain sexual behavior and gender roles among Hispanics, according to Fabio Sabogal, a researcher at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). These factors, he asserts, must be considered when developing prog
Research Study of Combination AIDS Therapies Underway: Business Wire (10/31/95); The second research study for the Inter-Company Collaboration for AIDS Drug Development has started enrolling participants at a number of research centers across the country, the Collaboration and PARAXEL International Corp. announced on Tuesday. The one-year trial will assess the ability of two separate three-drug com
Doctors Often Miss HIV Diagnosis: Reuters (10/31/95); Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine report that a study of more than 100 U.S. doctors has revealed that the majority incorrectly diagnosed three principal symptoms of HIV infection. Of the 134 randomly selected general internists, only 23 of 89 correctly diagnosed a patient with Kaposi s Synd
A Banner Night for AIDS: Houston Chronicle (10/31/95) P. 3D; Hodge, Shelby; Houston held its annual gala for the American Foundation for AIDS Research ( AmFAR ) last Friday. In from New York, AmFAR board chair Dr. Mathilde Krim observed, Evenings like this are very important because they serve two purposes --to raise money and to sensitize people to the issue. Krim added that meeting people
HIV-Positive Man Sues in Job Loss: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/01/95) P. B4; Bauers, Sandy; Robert K. Shover, a former catering sales manager for the Sheraton Inn Great Valley in Pennsylvania, has sued his former employer, alleging that he was fired because he was HIV- positive. Shover s suit claims that he was dismissed because of his disability and in order to deprive him of his medical insurance and other
Buy, Don't Rent: POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 62; The Actors Fund has become a major landlord, a position evidenced by the fact that 40 percent of the group s funds distributed last year went directly to pay rent for HIV- infected persons. The Fund views affordable, appropriate housing as the greatest unmet need of AIDS patients, and is therefore buying and constructi
AIDS Update: The Relaxation Response: Men's Health (11/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 42; Researchers at the University of Florida say that stress can have a detrimental effect on the health of HIV-infected persons. The researchers assessed the impact of stress on the immune systems of symptom-free HIV-positive males, and found that those people described as having severe stress had lower numbers of some im
ICAAC's Small Advances: AIDS Treatment News (10/06/95) No. 232, P. 5; Smith, Denny; At the Inter-Science Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in September, scientists presented a number of studies that, while not dramatically important, could be useful for both doctors and patients on a day-to-day basis. For example, researchers from the University of Miami and the University of Califor
Glyko Biomedical Announces Grants for New Genetic and AIDS Diagnostic Tests: Business Wire (10/30/95); Glyko Biomedical Ltd., Novato, Calif., has been awarded two grants to be used for the development of diagnostic tests. The first grant is a Phase I SBIR award worth $67,000 from the National Institutes of Health. The company received the second grant of $60,000 in June from the Pediatric AIDS Foundation to investigate
Elton John Ties into a Good Cause: USA Today (10/31/95) P. 2D; Sparta, Christine; Singer Elton John has lent his name to the Elton John Foundation Necktie Collection. The Italian silk ties will be available in The Knot Shop, a chain of neckwear stores, beginning this week, though some department and specialty stores will also carry them in the spring. Tie designer Jon Blades of the California-based
Digest: Cel-Sci: Washington Post (10/31/95) P. D2; Alpha 1 Biomedicals interest in Viral Technologies of Washington, D.C., has been acquired by Alexandria, Va.-based Cel-Sci for nearly 160,000 shares of Cel-Sci common stock, giving Cel-Sci full ownership of the concern. Cel-Sci and Bethesda, Md.-based Alpha 1 formed the company nine years ago to investigate and develop
Roche Holding Ltd.: FDA Approves Cytovene for an AIDS Application: Wall Street Journal (10/31/95) P. B10; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has given Hoffmann -La Roche Inc., Nutley, N.J., approval to market its AIDS drug Cytovene (ganciclovir) as a preventative treatment for cytomegalovirus retinitis. Until this point, the drug was available only as a maintenance treatment for the infection.
Dole's Wife to Leave Job During Race: New York Times (10/31/95) P. A17; Holmes, Steven A.; Elizabeth H. Dole, wife of Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.), said she intends to keep her job as American Red Cross president even if her husband becomes President of the United States . Dole was granted a one-year unpaid leave of absence on Sunday to travel with her husband during the Presidential campai
AIDS Groups Fear Loss of Health Care Benefits: New York Times (10/31/95) P. A22; Dunlap, David W.; AIDS care organizations say they are concerned that the proposal to give more Medicaid control to states will force thousands of patients to do without such benefits as prescription drugs and home health care. These groups are worried that block grants will spur competition in state legislatures between AIDS patients,
Veterans, AIDS Patients May Lose Benefits: Washington Post (10/31/95) P. A11; Rich, Spencer; The AIDS Action Council and two Cabinet members, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Jesse Brown and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna E. Shalala, said Monday that hundreds of thousands of veterans and AIDS patients could lose present health benefits under Medicaid changes passed by Republicans
A Randomized Study of the Clinical Effects of Initiating or Changing Antiretroviral Therapy Based on Plasma HIV RNA Quantitation Compared with Initiating or Changing Therapy Based on Current Clinical Practice Alone: AIDS Clinical Trials Database (08/17/95); In a randomized study known as CPCRA 036, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will compare the efficacy of two antiretroviral therapy decision- making processes. Decision making based only on current clinical practice (CCP) will be contrasted against decision making based on plasma
Streptococcus Pneumoniae Resistant to Penicillin and Tetracycline Associated With HIV Seropositivity: Lancet (10/14/95) Vol. 346, No. 8981, P. 1034; Paul, John; Kimari, Joseph; Gilks, Charles F.; A prospective study of community-acquired pneumonia was undertaken between April to September 1992 in Nairobi to investigate the relation between antibiotic-resistant pneumococci and HIV infection. Pneumococci were isolated from specimens obtained from 87 patients upon admittance to a hospital in Nairobi who exhibited
HIV-Positive Man Doesn't Tell; Partner Gets Infected, Pregnant: American Medical News (10/16/95) Vol. 38, No. 39, P. 26; The conviction and sentencing of a man for intentionally exposing a woman to HIV was upheld by the Louisiana appellate court. He was rejected as a plasma donor when his blood tested positive for the disease, but he did not inform his girlfriend although they continued to have sexual intercourse. She became pregnant in
Asian Child Prostitution on Rise Despite New Laws: Reuters (10/29/95); McIntosh, Alistair; Experts claim that child abuse in Asia is increasing despite a number of new laws and a growing international awareness of pedophilia. The most frequently cited reason for child prostitution is poverty, though other factors include misguided beliefs about AIDS, a breakdown of traditional social values, and corrupt law
Indonesia and Australia Sign AIDS Agreement: Reuters (10/30/95); Indonesia and Australia have signed a memorandum of understanding for an AIDS prevention and care campaign worth A$20.2 million, or US$15.3 million, according to the Australian embassy. Ambassador Allan Taylor said that in addition to the national AIDS commission of Jakarta, the effort would support projects in Bali,
As Threat Grows, China Launches Anti-AIDS Drive: Reuters (10/28/95); China s Health Ministry announced on Saturday a new long-term anti-AIDS campaign, and admitted that the spread of the disease was likely greater than officials have said. The official Guangming Daily reported that health authorities estimate that the country has up to 100,000 HIV-infected persons, a figure often quoted
Indonesian Company Sends Away Thais with AIDS: Reuters (10/29/95); Thai seamen applying for jobs at an Indonesian fishing company must provide certificates stating that they do not have AIDS, the official Antara news agency reported. We are very aware of the danger of AIDS, explained Johan Sanggelorang, director of PT Istana Samudera. Officials in the Fakfak region of Irian Jaya provi
Fired Nurse Sues Center over HIV Case: Houston Chronicle (10/27/95) P. 35A; A Texas nurse filed a federal lawsuit against a surgical facility on Thursday, alleging that she was dismissed from the center after testing HIV-positive. Jane Doe says she learned of her HIV status in January when she took a blood test that is part of standard prenatal care. According to the suit, Doe s supervisor at
Internet Unveils AIDS Site: Washington Post--Washington Business (10/30/95) P. 15; A new World Wide Web page, called The Body, is dedicated entirely to AIDS. Located at http://www.thebody.com, this Internet site is intended to be a place where AIDS patients and others can obtain information, talk with others, and organize politically. In addition, by using the Web s link capabilities, The Body acts a
At Risk: Advocate (10/31/95) No. 693, P. 22; Moss, J. Jennings; Medicaid reform proposals put forth by the Republicans will have a profound and difficult effect on people with AIDS and HIV infection if they become law. About 36 million people are covered by medicaid this year, including half of all people with AIDS or HIV infection. Republicans are trying to reduce federal medicaid
GMC Revises Guidelines: Lancet (10/21/95) Vol. 346, No. 8982, P. 1092; Clark, Stephanie; The General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom has revised its guidelines, primarily clarifying existing ones. Duties of a Doctor states that doctors must continually update their knowledge and skills throughout their careers, acknowledge the limits of their competence, recognize patients rights to take part
RiboGene Awarded Phase II SBIR Grant to Develop Novel Antifungal Drugs: Business Wire (10/25/95); RiboGene, Inc. has been given a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) phase II grant worth up to $750,000 over two years, for the development of novel drugs for fungal infections. The grant will be applied to the discovery and development of antifungal drugs using the company s proprietary approach, which is based
One Million Threatened by AIDS in S. African Province: Reuters (10/26/95); Researchers from the University of Natal said in a study Thursday that nearly 1 million people in KwaZulu-Natal, the most populous province of South Africa , may be infected with HIV by 1996. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is at a more advanced stage in KwaZulu-Natal than in the rest of South Africa, the survey said. The stud
Australian HIV Woman on Curfew to Curb Casual Sex: Reuters (10/26/95); The health department in the state of Western Australia has given a Perth woman a curfew and placed her under round-the- clock supervision because she continued having unprotected sex with men after being diagnosed as HIV-positive one month ago. It is an unusual step to confine someone but under the state s Health Act
Is That a Haunted House You're Buying?: Wall Street Journal (10/27/95) P. B16; Fatsis, Stefan; Earlier this year, New York joined 28 states and the District of Columbia in establishing laws that reduce the onus of disclosure from brokers selling stigmatized properties. Stigmatized properties are considered ones that have no physical problems but are worth less or are hard to sell for emotional or psychological r
American Home in Deal with Apollon for Vaccines: Wall Street Journal (10/27/95) P. B3; American Home Products Corp. has announced that it will pay as much as $100 million to Apollon Inc. to develop and test DNA vaccines for AIDS, herpes infections, and human papilloma virus. The deal will bring American Home into direct competition with Merck & Co. and Rhone Poulenc SA, which are also testing experim
Nationline: AIDS Bite: USA Today (10/27/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Goodwin, M. David; Rivera, Patricia V.; et al.; Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that a 91-year-old man contracted HIV when he was bitten by a prostitute, according to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. s Sun-Sentinel. This is the first confirmed instance of blood-to-blood HIV transmission through a human bite. Scientists report th
Los Angeles, New York, Stanford University: HBY 097, New Drug May Weaken HIV: AIDS Treatment News (10/06/95) No. 232, P. 4; A new HIV drug, HBY 097, has entered an early human trial at sites in Los Angeles, New York, and Stanford University near San Francisco. The drug, which weakened the HIV virus in laboratory tests, will be part of a three-month study that will randomly assign volunteers to either the new drug, to
Trial to Test Branched DNA Assay: Lancet (10/21/95) Vol. 346, No. 8982, P. 1094; In a trial known as CPCRA 036, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will test the clinical benefits of a branched DNA signal amplification test for HIV- infected persons. The new test, made by Chiron Corporation, is built upon the chemiluminescence of RNA in serum HIV.
Baytown Woman Honored: Houston Chronicle (10/25/95) P. 22A; A Texas woman has been given the Family AIDS Network s 1995 Outstanding Caregiver Award for her volunteer work in Baytown and Houston. Dianne Martinez is one of eight people nationwide to receive this award, the organization said. The network will give a $15,000 grant to the Houston-based Foundation for InterFaith Rese
Physician Clifford Booker Dies; Specialized in Pediatric AIDS: Washington Post (10/26/95) P. B6; Clifford R. Booker, one of the early physicians to specialize in pediatric AIDS, died of complications after surgery for lung cancer last week. A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Dr. Booker was instrumental in creating a citywide treatment program for children with AIDS. He also served as the HIV-AIDS coordinator
The High Court's Fear of AIDS: New York Times (10/26/95) P. A25; Closen, Michael L.; Although tens of thousands of Americans die from AIDS each year, the Supreme Court does not appear to have noticed, refusing to hear the six cases with which it has been presented, writes law professor Michael L. Closen in the New York Times. Each of the cases have involved key issues of the AIDS epidemic, including th
Pamela Ann Shaw, AIDS Lecturer, 31: New York Times (10/26/95) P. B8; Pamela Ann Shaw, a woman who used her AIDS-related illness to warn youths about the dangers of unprotected sex, died on Tuesday from AIDS-related lymphoma at the age of 31. Ms. Shaw spoke to teenagers around the country in her position as a board member of Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education. In
HIV's Sneak Attack on Immunity: USA Today (10/26/95) P. 3D; Levy, Doug; Researchers report in the journal Nature that the immune system s capacity to trap HIV in the lymph nodes appears to help it infect the body s disease-fighting T cells. Gregory Burton of Virginia Commonwealth University says that it therefore may be necessary to do more than just block viral replication, the object of
Drug Makers Urged to Study New Side Effect: Wall Street Journal (10/26/95) P. B8; Langreth, Robert; Scientists have urged pharmaceutical makers to start testing their nucleoside analogues for a previously unknown and possibly fatal side effect. This new class of antiviral drugs is being developed for the treatment of AIDS, hepatitis, and other viral diseases. In the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicin
Suit Alleges AIDS Bias by a Moving Company: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/26/95) P. B1; Slobodzian, Joseph A.; Bekins Van Lines Co. and its Philadelphia agent, Schloer Enterprises Inc., were sued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act when a moving team would not move an area man because of AIDS. The suit claims that Bekins refused not because the man had AIDS, but becau
California Trucker Denies Charges in Firing of HIV-Infected Driver: Journal of Commerce (10/26/95) P. 3B; Johnson, Gregory S.; DEF Express Inc., a California truckload hauler, is rejecting allegations that it dismissed a driver because he was infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Earlier this week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed suit against the company, charging that it had violated the Americans with Disabilitie
Multidrug-Resistant TB in UK: Nature Medicine (10/95) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 985; Kingman, Sharon; The first incident of hospital-acquired multidrug-resistant tuberculosis occurred in the United Kingdom . Five HIV- positive patients at the Chelsea and Westminister Hospital in London contracted the illness from sharing a room with a patient who died in June. One of the patients has died of AIDS, but the other four ar
AIDS Researcher Says He Was Told to Ignore Safety Measures: American Medical News (10/16/95) Vol. 38, No. 39, P. 19; Joseph Yourno, an AIDS Researcher, has filed suit in Albany, N.Y., claiming that New York state health department officials tried to ruin his career after he complained about the lack of basic safety procedures at a state laboratory. Despite the fact that my research was in AIDS, my supervisors criticized my adherence
"Program Development Board Slates Forum on AIDS-Related Activities: Nation's Health (10/95) Vol. 25, No. 9, P. 15; The Program Development Board of the American Public Health Association (APHA) will sponsor an open forum on the association s AIDS-related functions at the APHA annual meeting in San Diego. The forum will offer such information as the APHA s past and present initiatives and the appropriate focus and nature of AIDS act
Counseling Women in Assertiveness: Reuters (10/24/95); Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham announced Tuesday that disadvantaged women who are at high risk for contracting HIV are significantly more likely to consistently use condoms if exposed to a in-depth sexual counseling program. The researchers said that their study showed that women between the age
Somatogen Optimistic in Race to Develop Blood Substitute: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (10/25/95); Algeo, David; Somatogen Inc. is likely within four or five years of applying for final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its genetically engineered human blood substitute, company CEO and president Andre de Bruin said at the firm s annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. De Bruin added that Eli Lilly
Sixty Percent of China HIV Carriers Under 30: Reuters (10/25/95); China s Health Daily reports that 60 percent of the HIV- infected individuals in China are less than 30 years old. The newspaper quoted one health official as saying that China has diagnosed 1,774 people with HIV, of whom 60 percent are between the ages of 16 and 29. Experts, however, claim that inadequate reporting an
The Deadly Politics of AIDS: Wall Street Journal (10/25/95) P. A14; Smith, Helen Mathews; American public health officials have longed ignored the key principles involved in plague control-- including routine testing, disease tracking, and warnings to groups at risk, writes Helen Mathews Smith in the Wall Street Journal. Smith, who is writing a book on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, notes that in 1987, the medical
Nationline: AIDS Bias Ruling: USA Today (10/25/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Rivera, Patricia V.; Dentists acted correctly in wearing protective clothing and covering up equipment when treating HIV-infected patients five and 10 years ago, New York s highest court has ruled. In separate cases, the Court of Appeals overturned decisions of the state Division of Human Rights, which had found discrimination and awarded
Company Sued for Firing HIV-Infected Driver: Journal of Commerce (10/25/95) P. 3B; A California-based trucking firm is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly incorrectly firing an HIV-infected driver. DEF Express has been charged with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act in its dismissal of driver James Marion.
NIAID to Fund Seven Cooperative STD Research Centers: Nation's Health (10/95) Vol. 25, No. 9, P. 5; The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has created seven Sexually Transmitted Diseases Cooperative Research Centers to further collaborative multidisciplinary studies on these issues. In the first year, researchers at sites including Seattle, Boston, and Baltimore will receive grants totaling
Red Cross Facing New Challenges in Blood Banking: American Medical News (10/16/95) Vol. 38, No. 39, P. 17; The American Red Cross has begun experiencing new problems as national laws adopted to make the blood supply safer have placed the federal government, and in some cases local governments, in charge of the blood supply. Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole said that the changes made during her tenure were necessary to res
Emmy Awards Show Is Short of Polish: Chicago Tribune (10/23/95) P. 2-8; Nidetz, Steve; At the 37th annual Chicago Emmy Awards on Saturday, journalist Rae Lewis-Thornton, who has AIDS, was recognized for having the best hard news feature series. WBBM decided to talk about living with AIDS instead of dying with AIDS, Lewis- Thornton noted.
Life Partners Files Compliance Report; Clarifies Status of SEC Litigation: Business Wire (10/23/95); Brian D. Pardo, president of Life Partners Inc., has announced in a sworn report filed in federal court that the company has developed revised methods of operation that it considers sufficient to eliminate any claim that the securities laws apply. Life Partners functions as the buyers agent in viatical settlements, whi
Contracts: the Central Virginia HIV Care Consortium: Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/23/95) P. D10; The Central Virginia HIV Care Consortium has extended a grant given to Richmond attorney Terry W. Raney. Raney will continue to use the grant to offer wills and estate planning services to people with HIV or AIDS.
In Immune System Model, Fittest Antibodies Survive: New York Times (10/24/95) P. C1; Blakeslee, Sandra; Two mathematicians believe they have discovered how the lymph glands produce highly specific molecules, known as antibodies, that attach themselves to foreign agents with incredible accuracy. According to the University of Maryland s Dr. Garrett Kelsoe, the new model tells us how the immune system can make antibodies t
Thais Blamed for HIV Spread in Indonesia's Irian: Reuters (10/24/95); Thai fishermen working in the Fakfak region of Indonesia s Irian Jaya province have been charged with spreading HIV in that area, according to the Antara news agency. Antara also quoted Fakfak regent Suparlan Pasambuna as saying his part of Irian did not benefit from the operation of Thai fishing boats leased by an Ind
Deaths: Michael Volante, Subject of AIDS Film: Washington Post (10/24/95) P. C7; Michael Volante, the boy who attracted national attention when he and his mother were portrayed in a 1992 documentary about AIDS, died on Oct. 19 at the age of eight. His mother, Tammy Boccomino, became HIV-infected from her first husband, an injection drug user, but did not learn of her infection until after Michael w
The Not-So-Naked City: Washington Post (10/24/95) P. B1; Span, Paula; A proposed zoning change in New York City would permit adult video stores, bookstores, theaters, and clubs to be situated only in industrial or specific commercial zones, not in residential areas. In addition, these X-rated businesses also would not be able to locate within 500 feet of a school, a day -care center, a
NIAID to Fund Seven Cooperative STD Research Centers: Nation's Health (10/95) Vol. 25, No. 9, P. 5; The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has created seven Sexually Transmitted Diseases Cooperative Research Centers to further collaborative multidisciplinary studies on these issues. In the first year, researchers at sites including Seattle, Boston, and Baltimore will receive grants totaling
Red Cross Facing New Challenges in Blood Banking: American Medical News (10/16/95) Vol. 38, No. 39, P. 17; The American Red Cross has begun experiencing new problems as national laws adopted to make the blood supply safer have placed the federal government, and in some cases local governments, in charge of the blood supply. Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole said that the changes made during her tenure were necessary to res
Emmy Awards Show Is Short of Polish: Chicago Tribune (10/23/95) P. 2-8; Nidetz, Steve; At the 37th annual Chicago Emmy Awards on Saturday, journalist Rae Lewis-Thornton, who has AIDS, was recognized for having the best hard news feature series. WBBM decided to talk about living with AIDS instead of dying with AIDS, Lewis- Thornton noted.
Life Partners Files Compliance Report; Clarifies Status of SEC Litigation: Business Wire (10/23/95); Brian D. Pardo, president of Life Partners Inc., has announced in a sworn report filed in federal court that the company has developed revised methods of operation that it considers sufficient to eliminate any claim that the securities laws apply. Life Partners functions as the buyers agent in viatical settlements, whi
Contracts: the Central Virginia HIV Care Consortium: Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/23/95) P. D10; The Central Virginia HIV Care Consortium has extended a grant given to Richmond attorney Terry W. Raney. Raney will continue to use the grant to offer wills and estate planning services to people with HIV or AIDS.
In Immune System Model, Fittest Antibodies Survive: New York Times (10/24/95) P. C1; Blakeslee, Sandra; Two mathematicians believe they have discovered how the lymph glands produce highly specific molecules, known as antibodies, that attach themselves to foreign agents with incredible accuracy. According to the University of Maryland s Dr. Garrett Kelsoe, the new model tells us how the immune system can make antibodies t
Thais Blamed for HIV Spread in Indonesia's Irian: Reuters (10/24/95); Thai fishermen working in the Fakfak region of Indonesia s Irian Jaya province have been charged with spreading HIV in that area, according to the Antara news agency. Antara also quoted Fakfak regent Suparlan Pasambuna as saying his part of Irian did not benefit from the operation of Thai fishing boats leased by an Ind
Deaths: Michael Volante, Subject of AIDS Film: Washington Post (10/24/95) P. C7; Michael Volante, the boy who attracted national attention when he and his mother were portrayed in a 1992 documentary about AIDS, died on Oct. 19 at the age of eight. His mother, Tammy Boccomino, became HIV-infected from her first husband, an injection drug user, but did not learn of her infection until after Michael w
The Not-So-Naked City: Washington Post (10/24/95) P. B1; Span, Paula; A proposed zoning change in New York City would permit adult video stores, bookstores, theaters, and clubs to be situated only in industrial or specific commercial zones, not in residential areas. In addition, these X-rated businesses also would not be able to locate within 500 feet of a school, a day -care center, a
Chicago Hope: Multi-Housing News (09/95-10/95) Vol. 30, No. 6, P. 37; Foong, L. Keat; Last year, a 71-unit home for people with HIV, low-income families, and singles earning 50 percent or less than the area median income opened for occupancy in Chicago. San Miguel Apartments are named for Frank San Miguel, a former caseworker for Chicago s Travelers and Immigrants Aid (TIA), who encountered the many pro
Mycobacterium Avium Complex Infection in AIDS: Clinical Features, Treatment, and Prevention: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (09/95- 10/95) Vol. 6, No. 5, P. 37; Eccles, Elizabeth; Ptak, Judy; Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)--a group of slow-growing, closely-related, aerobic bacilli--can cause a severe disseminated bacterial infection in as many as 40 percent of all advanced HIV patients. Disseminated MAC (dMAC) causes fever and wasting, and substantially contributes to the mortality of HIV-infected person
Fear of Disclosure: POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 36; Murphy, Robert; Tom Stoddard, former director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, concealed his HIV-positive status from nearly everyone at the organization for two years before going public. Stoddard entered Lambda in 1985, after eight years at the New York Civil Liberties Union; there, he lobbied for such issues as freed
Pros and Cons: Carrington Laboratories: Barron's (10/02/95) Vol. 75, No. 40, P. 5; Welling, Kathryn M.; Carrington Laboratories suffered a decline in the late 1980s when several of its aloe vera extracts, touted as remedies for everything from AIDS to cancer, did not pan out. The company is back now, performing better on the stock market and planning trials of aloe-based capsules to treat ulcerative colitis as well as a
Clinton, Dole Struggle With Gay Rights Politics: Reuters (10/22/95); Zabarenko, Deborah; Top Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos recently spoke to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association detailing President Clinton s efforts on behalf of gay rights. He specifically mentioned the president s support for AIDS research, the appointment of a liaison with the homosexual community, and the scheduling
100,000 Zimbabweans Face AIDS Deaths in 18 Months: Reuters (10/22/95); According to a statement made to the independent Sunday Gazette newspaper by Zimbabwe Health Minister Timothy Stamps, at least 100,000 Zimbabweans will die of AIDS-related diseases over the next 18 months. I am not trying to be alarmist, he said, but this is the reality we are facing. Stamps added, At present ... 25
Safeguarding US Drug Patents: Journal of Commerce (10/23/95) P. 10A; Brock, William E.; William E. Brock, a former U.S. trade representative who now represents Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, applauds Congress s recent decision to uphold its commitment to intellectual property rights under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Generic drug companies have been lobbying for immunity from the GATT agreem
Drug Company Did Not Act on AIDS Virus Warning: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/23/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; In October of 1985, executives of Armour Pharmaceutical Co. agreed to ignore a warning from researcher Alfred M. Prince that the company s heating procedure was insufficient to kill the AIDS virus in Armour s blood clotting medicine Factorate. Confronted with the facts at the time, Armour had no scientific reason to be
Pump Up the Volume: POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 22; ProScan-A, a new procedure based on cancer diagnostic technology, could change the way in which doctors diagnose HIV progression. The process uses a protein that binds to HIV and a non-toxic radioisotope that sends out signals detectable with a special camera. The radioisotope--which is injected into HIV-infected perso
Keeping a Lid on Marijuana Research: Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 853; Steele, Fintan R.; AIDS activists, researchers, and government officials are going head-to-head in a controversy over a proposed study to examine the effects and usefulness of marijuana on AIDS- related wasting syndrome. Despite receiving the go ahead from the FDA and both state and university review boards, Donald Abrams and his colleag
HIV Coverage Rules Set: Business Insurance (10/16/95) Vol. 29, No. 42, P. 2; Hofmann, Mark A.; A proposed New Jersey regulation would allow commercial health insurance companies--not health maintenance organizations or self-insured companies--to test new applicants for group policies covering 50 or more people for HIV. The law would allow the companies to deny coverage for applicants who refuse to be tested or f
Current Corporate Reports: The Immune Response Corporation: Barron's: Market Week (10/02/95) Vol. 75, No. 40, P. MW13; Immune Response Corp. will collaborate with Trinity Medical Group Co. Ltd. of Thailand to develop and test the Salk Immunogen in up to 10,000 HIV patients in Thailand. Trinity will fund the endeavor in return for the rights to market the Salk Immunogen in Thailand and selected Asian countries. Immunogen will supply the
Nine-Year-Old Child with Falling CD4 Count after Neonatal HIV: Lancet (10/07/95) Vol. 346, No. 8980, P. 963; Giaquinto, Carlo; De Rossi, Anita; Giaquinto and De Rossi present follow-up data on a nine-year- old child, in whom HIV was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but who subsequently lost antibodies to HIV. Although blood collected at three and seven months was positive by viral culture in PBMCs, and borderline three months later, pol
ChemTrak Inc. Announces Quarterly Results and Completion of Repositioning: Business Wire (10/19/95); ChemTrak Inc. has announced revenues of $486,000, product sales of $271,000, and a net loss of $1,241,000 for the third quarter. CEO Prithipal Singh said the company is preparing to introduce a home testing system for HIV. The company s Pre- Market Approval Application has been accepted by the Food and Drug Administrat
Amgen Announces 27 Percent Increase in Earnings per Share: Business Wire (10/19/95); Amgen reported a third-quarter increase in earnings per share of 27 percent on Thursday, up from $0.41 a year ago to $0.52. Net income rose 28 percent from $114 million to $145 million, and revenues jumped 16 percent from $426 million to $493 million. The company has boosted its research and development spending to 2
HIV-Positive Man Sues Dental Clinic: Houston Chronicle (10/19/95) P. 33A; Tedford, Deborah; David Keith Slater, an HIV-positive Houston resident, has filed suit against a local dental clinic, two dentists, and his dental insurance carrier, citing Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against the disabled in places of public accommodation. Slater alleges that he arriv
France Tests Thousands Treated by Doctor With AIDS: Business Wire (10/19/95); The Saint-Germain-en-Laye Hospital Center in Paris said on Thursday that it would test more than 5,000 former patients for HIV after finding out that one of its surgeons had been infected with the virus for 13 years, according to hospital official Michel Pencard. Health officials said that it was very unlikely that the
Scientists Report First Success of 'Gene Therapy': Washington Post (10/20/95) P. A1; Weiss, Rick; Friday s issue of the journal Science contains the first published summary of a landmark experiment in genetic therapy. The report shows that two children with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency who received transplanted genes are healthy five years after beginning the treatment. R. Michael Blaese of the National Cen
Alpha 1 Settles Shareholder Suit: Washington Business Journal (10/06/95-10/12/95) Vol. 14, No. 21, P. 12; Alpha 1 Biomedicals Inc. has settled a class-action securities lawsuit brought by shareholders for $100,000 in cash and 500,000 shares of stock. Shareholders filed the lawsuit in May 1994, alleging that executives of the company manipulated stock price by not informing them of unfavorable clinical results about Thymosi
Condom Semen Samples for Unlinked Anonymous HIV Testing: Lancet (10/07/95) Vol. 346, No. 8980, P. 962; Vernazza, Pietro L.; Gresser, Susanne; Koller, Carmen; et al.; In a letter to the editor of The Lancet, Vernazza et al. write that unlinked anonymous HIV testing (UAT) can be used to track the spread of HIV in certain populations. The Swiss researchers attempted to determine the usefulness of UAT in heterosexually active men by testing semen samples from condoms. During a two-week
India's Population Plan Falls Short--Survey: Reuters (10/19/95); Graves, Nelson; The National Family Health Survey released on Thursday indicates widespread ignorance of AIDS and modern birth control methods in India . The majority of women in 11 of 13 Indian states said they had never heard of AIDS. Only eight percent of respondents in the state of Assam were familiar with the disease. If the AI
Critics Claim Disney's Gay Policy is Anti-Family: USA Today (10/19/95) P. 1B; Jones, Del; Willette, Anne; Fifteen Florida legislators have written a letter to Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner protesting the company s decision to extend health insurance coverage to gay and lesbian employees partners. The lawmakers accused the company of belittling the sanctity of marriage and making its customers and other employees pay for t
Medarex Files With SEC for 3,000,000 Share Offering: Health Wire (10/18/95); Medarex Inc., a biopharmaceutical company working to develop antibody-based therapies for cancer, AIDS, and autoimmune disorders, announced on Thursday that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange commission. The company intends to sell 3 million shares of common stock via a public offeri
Probe of AIDS Group Sought: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/19/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; Philadelphia Health Commissioner Estelle Richman has asked the District Attorney s office to look into allegations of criminal behavior at Prevention Point, an organization that provides clean needles to drug addicts in an attempt to fight AIDS. Richman has already decided to take back $113,125 in city funds awarded to
Clinton to Hold AIDS Conference: Washington Times (10/19/95) P. A10; White House Press Secretary Michael McCurry said Wednesday that President Clinton will hold a conference on AIDS on December 6. He added that 130 participants would discuss recent trends and issues regarding AIDS and HIV.
Sri Lankan Homosexuals Come Out of the Closet: Reuters (10/18/95); Samarasinghe, Mohan; Companions on a Journey, a private Sri Lankan organization that helps disadvantaged communities, decided in January to address homosexual issues exclusively and is currently conducting an assessment of the needs of Sri Lanka s gay and lesbian population. Founder Sherman de Rose established the group in 1992 to provide
A Marathon Man With HIV: USA Today (10/19/95) P. 3D; Painter, Kim; This Sunday, Dave Sherrell, a 32-year-old man who has been infected with HIV for at least nine years, will run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. As of the last time his doctor checked, Sherrell had only four T4 cells per cubic millimeter of his blood, but his disease has not prevented him from running marat
Law Freeing Inmates With AIDS Rejected: Washington Post (10/19/95) P. A34; Williams, Daniel; The Constitutional Court in Rome has overturned legislation that permitted criminals with AIDS to be freed from jail. The ruling follows a slew of robberies by so-called AIDS gangs this summer in northeastern Italy . The court said that the law granted a sort of impunity to the ill [inmates] that did not respect the de
Satisfaction with Home Healthcare Services for Clients with HIV: Preliminary Findings: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (09/95- 10/95) Vol. 6, No. 5, P. 20; Foley, Mary E.; Fahs, Marianne C.; Eisenhandler, Jon; et al.; Five years ago, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield (EBCBS) started a cooperative program of quality home care for HIV/AIDS patients, called the At Home Options Program, or AHOP. Foley et al. report their findings of a client satisfaction survey of this unique program, which att
Women at a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic Who Reported Same-Sex Contact: Their HIV Seroprevalence and Risk Behaviors: American Journal of Public Health (10/95) Vol. 85, No. 10, P. 1366; Bevier, Pamela Jean; Chiasson, Mary Ann; Heffernan, Richard T.; et al.; Bevier et al. compared the characteristics, attitudes, and HIV -infection status of women at a New York City sexually transmitted disease clinic who reported same-sex contact with those who were exclusively heterosexual. Of the 9 percent who reported having same-sex contact, more than 90 percent said they also had cont
Informed Pregnant Women Opt for HIV Test: POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 20; An international survey conducted by Kaiser Permanente reinforces the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s recommendation that physicians should encourage their pregnant patients to be tested for HIV. One half of the more than 32,400 pregnant women counseled by the health maintenance organization s doctors in 1
Prenatal AZT Is Protective Across All Maternal CD4 Counts: AIDS Clinical Care (10/95) Vol. 7, No. 10, P. 87; To determine the efficacy of antenatal zidovudine in reducing perinatal transmission of HIV-1, Matheson et al. examined data from more than 300 HIV-infected New York women who participated in a prospective study of vertical HIV transmission. Of these women, 44 were prescribed oral AZT and 277 w
Confusion Reigns Over Compassionate Use of AIDS Drug: Nature Medicine (10/95) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 986; Tastemain, Catherine; Many patients and doctors are confused about who now qualifies for the compassionate use of Glaxo Wellcome s experimental AIDS drug 3TC ( Lamivudine ). Early this year, the company announced that because supplies of the drug were low, it would therefore reduce the numbers of new patients using
Condom Ad Barred Over Jersey Stadium: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/17/95) P. 4B; An air traffic controller prevented a plane towing a condom advertisement from flying over Giants Stadium during a football game, causing the plane s owner to complain that his right to free speech was violated. Spokeswoman Arlene Salac for the Federal Aviation Administration conceded, Agency policy on access to airspa
Cytel Acquires Full Ownership of Sequel Therapeutics, Inc.: Business Wire (10/17/95); Cytel Corp. announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the Scripps Research Institute s minority interest in Sequel Therapeutics Inc. for 1,300,000 shares of Cytel common stock and will receive rights to Theradigm immune stimulation technology and the resulting vaccines. The company s lead compound based on this technol
Spread of HIV Among Addicts Studied: Washington Times (10/18/95) P. A9; According to a study published in Tuesday s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association , many U.S. cities still have a chance of controlling the spread of AIDS if they provide clean needles and attempt to educate drug addicts. HIV prevention is actually, if you get started early, a whole lot easier than a
LifeTECH Applies for Advanced Cellular Infusion Device Patents: Business Wire (10/17/95); LifeTECH Corp. announced on Tuesday that it has submitted an application for a U.S. patent on two advanced Cellular Infusion Devices, components of the company s Sterizone System to sterilize blood, blood products, and other biological fluids. The Cellular Infusion Device mixes these fluids with ozone in order to neutr
Dole Says Staff Wrong to Return Gays' Donation: Washington Post (10/18/95) P. A1; Broder, David S.; Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) said Tuesday that his campaign staff erred in returning a $1,000 donation from the Log Cabin Republicans in August. Until now, Dole has defended his rejection of the contribution, but he said on Tuesday, My view is, [just] because you accept money from them, you don t agre
Differences in HIV Strains May Underlie Disease Patterns: Science (10/06/95) Vol. 270, No. 5223, P. 30; Cohen, Jon; At the Third International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, retrovirologist Max Essex of the Harvard School of Public Health presented data that may help explain why HIV is primarily transmitted through heterosexual intercourse in developing countries, while the virus is spread most often in the industrial w
Not Our Job: Village Voice (09/12/95) Vol. 40, No. 37, P. 24; Schoofs, Mark; Only the U.S. Army claims its goal is to develop an AIDS vaccine all the way from test tube to syringe, writes Mark Schoofs in the Village Voice. The Army s AIDS vaccine budget is a mere $21 million, compared to the $128 million spent by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, NIH provides only basic science
The Search for an AIDS Vaccine: Lancet (09/23/95) Vol. 346, No. 8978, P. 828; Beale, John; Christine Grady s timely book, Ethical Issues in the Development and Testing of a Preventive HIV Vaccine, focuses on the use of preventive vaccines in previously uninfected people. Grady does this because the therapeutic use of a vaccine raises similar ethical issues to those already understood in clinical trials of an
Cel-Sci Will Take Over Joint Venture With Alpha 1: Washington Business Journal (09/29/95-10/05/95) Vol. 14, No. 20, P. 14; Cel-Sci Corp. intends to purchase Alpha 1 Biomedical s 50- percent stake in their joint venture by giving Alpha 159,170 shares valued at $750,000. The purchase will end a two-month dispute between the drug firms. Cel-Sci and Alpha created the venture, Viral Technologies Inc., in 1986 to collaborate on the development o
Across the USA: California, Maine: USA Today (10/17/95) P. 10A; California Governor Pete Wilson has vetoed legislation that would have permitted AIDS and cancer patients to cultivate and smoke marijuana. In other news, a Maine state plan for prevention and patient care says that most recent AIDS diagnoses have come from rural areas.
"AIDS Rate Low in Cuba, at High Price: Miami Herald (10/16/95) P. 7A; Golden, Tim; Figures from the World Health Organization indicate that there are only 0.8 reported cases of AIDS per 100,000 people in Cuba , one of the lowest rates for the disease in Latin America and the Caribbean. These statistics can be attributed to Cuba s policy of quarantining individuals infected with HIV. People are begin
Deaths: Frank Lilly--Geneticist: Washington Post (10/17/95) P. D4; Frank Lilly, one of the first openly homosexual presidential appointees, died of prostate cancer on Saturday. Lilly is credited with describing the effect of hereditary factors in susceptibility to cancer-causing agents during his tenure as geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 1987, he was appointe
Head and Neck Lymphomas Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/11/95) Vol. 274, No. 14, P. 1101; Between 1984 and 1992, researchers in Italy evaluated more than 70 HIV-infected patients in order to collect clinicopathologic data about non-Hodgkin s lymphomas (NHLs) of the head and neck region. Two-thirds of the patients with primary, solitary head and neck (P-HN) lymphoma had stages I and II, while all of the syst
Around the Nation: California and Ohio: Advocate (10/17/95) No. 692, P. 14; The California state legislature approved a measure in September that would allow people with AIDS and certain other illnesses to grow and possess marijuana. The bill, however, will likely be rejected by Gov. Pete Wilson. Meanwhile, the Akron Beacon Journal reports that the Ohio Department of Health has halted its AIDS
Potential Animal Model for AIDS: Science (09/29/95) Vol. 269, No. 5232, P. 1819; By combining elements of HIV with parts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), researchers have come up with a virus that eventually could be a new monkey model for testing AIDS drugs. While working in the lab of virologist Joseph Sodroski at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Klaus Uberla of Germany s University of Er
Death Frees Parents to Talk About Son's Struggle With AIDS: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/13/95) P. 1A; Malone, Roy; Mark Czapla s family was forced to flee Jefferson County, Mo., two years ago due to a rumor that a student at Hillsboro Elementary School had AIDS. Czapla, who was born three months prematurely, contracted the disease from a blood transfusion when he was about five weeks old. His family survived five attempts to burn d
LXR Biotechnology Awarded Grant to Research Ways of Slowing Progression of HIV to AIDS; Company Among First to Approach Halting AIDS by Halting Programmed T-Cell Death: Business Wire (10/13/95); LXR Biotechnology announced Friday that it has received a research grant to study whether a particular variant of the Fas/CD95 antigen can halt apoptosis in T-cell of people who are infected with HIV, thereby impeding their progression into full-blown AIDS. The Fas/CD95 variant was discovered by LXR researchers and col
AIDS Warning Ignored, Inquiry Told: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/13/95) P. A7; An inquiry heard Thursday indicated that federal officials ignored a plea for AIDS funding from Alastair Clayton, former director of the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. Clayton told officials in August 1984, that the government must study and control HIV, which was then infecting Canada s blood supply. Clayton w
The Economic Cost of AIDS: Los Angeles Times (10/13/95); Oldham, Jennifer; By the year 2000, AIDS will have cost the global economy up to $514 billion and possible 1.4 percent of the world s gross domestic product. AIDS is also having a major impact on businesses around the world because it most frequently strikes adults at the peak of their productivity. The disease will have sheared between
Across the USA: Pennsylvania: USA Today (10/16/95) P. 10A; Organizers of the Philadelphia AIDS Walk said that more than 25,000 people participated in the event and raised $1.1 million for research and treatment.
Health Locus of Control Among HIV-Positive Indigent Women: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (09/95- 10/95) Vol. 6, No. 5, P. 29; Ragsdale, Diane; Kotarba, Joseph A.; Morrow Jr., James R.; et al.; Ragsdale et al. conducted an exploratory survey to assess the multidimensional construct of health locus of control among 14 poor HIV-infected women, comparing the patients average responses on the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales with standard normative data. The MHLC is an instrument designed to
Foscarnet and Ganciclovir Equally Good for GI CMV: AIDS Clinical Care (10/95) Vol. 7, No. 10, P. 87; An open-label, randomized European study demonstrates that foscarnet is as effective as ganciclovir, the first drug to be approved for gastrointestinal (GI) cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) infections in AIDS patients. The participants, who all had biopsy-proven CMV and baseline CD4 levels between 4 and 183, were given either o
Advertising and Marketing: And the Winner Is...The Hannaford Co.: Washington Business Journal (09/15/95-09/21/95) Vol. 14, No. 18, P. 61; Rabin, Phil; Myles, Carolyn; AIDS Project LA has selected the Hannaford Co., which has offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, to manage its public affairs account. The group s objective is to reach Republican legislators--a group often ignored by AIDS organizations, according to Allen Carrier, director of communications for AIDS Project LA.
Washington Whispers: Chimps and AIDS: U.S. News & World Report (10/09/95) Vol. 119, No. 14, P. 30; A teenage chimpanzee has contracted HIV, say sources within the scientific world. Until now, it was thought that chimpanzees were immune to the deadly effects of the virus that causes AIDS, though researchers have infected more than 100 in the hope that the animals would and therefore could become models for the human
China: AIDS Programme: Far Eastern Economic Review (09/28/95) Vol. 158, No. 39, P. 15; Beginning this year, China s nearly 3 million college students will take AIDS prevention courses, according to the State Education Commission. There have been 1,774 cases of AIDS reported in China, more than half of which are among people between the ages of 20 and 29.
Production of Wind-Up Radio Starts in S. Africa: Reuters (10/11/95); On Wednesday, a company in South Africa started production of the first wind-up radio. The radio is powered by a wound-up spring which spins a generator inside it--it uses neither batteries or electricity. British Overseas Development Minister Lynda Chalker said the radio would be useful for isolated or impoverished re
Two 'Rainbow' Nonprofits Fight Over Moniker: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (10/12/95); Two nonprofit groups are clashing over the use of the word rainbow in their titles. The Rainbow Foundation, a charity that helps sick children in New Jersey, delivered a cease and desist order to Rainbow Card Foundation on Monday. The Rainbow Card Foundation provides funding for important issues in the gay and lesbian
Gene-Based Vaccines Ride Directly to Cells on Backs of Bacteria: Wall Street Journal (10/13/95) P. B3; Langreth, Robert; Scientists from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Merck & Co. have discovered a new way to insert genes into animal cells, a finding which could aid in the development of preventive vaccines for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The researchers used bacteria to convey genes into the animal
Small Stock Focus: Procept: Wall Street Journal (10/13/95) P. C7; Baker, Molly; Following Procept s announcement that it would delay clinical trials of an anti-HIV drug by two to three months, the biotechnology company s shares dropped 44 percent. Investors may also have become nervous because Procept was unable to comment on specific matters because it is in registration for a common-stock offeri
New Blood-Safety Organization to Oversee Nation's Supply: Baltimore Sun (10/13/95) P. 4A; The first move of the new Blood Safety Council will be to determine whether thousands of people should be informed that they may have contracted hepatitis C from transfusions before 1990. Until now, there has been relative confusion in regards to government coordination of blood safety. The U.S. Food and Drug Administr
Marquee Values: POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 40; Northrop, Ann; The current attitude towards HIV in the theater community is mixed, with both positive and negative incidents taking place. AIDS experts often divide AIDS-related issues into prevention of new infections, research for a treatment and a cure, and care, but the theater world has clearly selected the third area as its foc
Detection of Kaposi Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus in Peripheral Blood of HIV-Infected Individuals and Progression to Kaposi's Sarcoma: Lancet (09/23/95) Vol. 346, No. 8978, P. 799; Whitby, D.; Howard, M.R.; Tenant-Flowers, M.; et al.; Whitby et al. report that Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) was identified in more than half of KS patients, but not at all in blood donors or HIV-negative controls. Detection of KSHV increased with immunosuppression, and its presence in peripheral blood cells of HIV-positive persons without KS forecast the
India Refining Simple HIV Test: Nature Medicine (10/95) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 984; Jayaraman, K.S.; Delhi University researchers have designed a simple, inexpensive whole blood test which they claim will detect HIV antibodies within five to 10 seconds. The problem, however, is that the scientists--who are currently refining the test-- do not intend to market the test until it reliably detects both HIV-1 and HIV-2, a
Medical Discoveries to Receive Its First Research Grant to Target AIDS, Hepatitis from Dental Drills: Business Wire (10/11/95); Steril-Med, Inc. of Houston has awarded a $30,000 grant to Medical Discoveries, Inc. of Salt Lake City to evaluate its patented anti-viral compound, called MDI-P, for the sterilization of dental drills. The American Academy of Microbiology has indicated that HIV and hepatitis may be contracted from incorrectly cleaned
Finding a Place of Peace: Los Angeles Times (10/11/95) P. E1; Noriyuki, Duane; Volunteers at the Carl Bean AIDS Care Center in Los Angeles focus on providing comfort for the dying. Cassandra Christenson founded Project Nightlight, which provides these volunteers, four years ago so that people would not have to die alone. Most of the 25 residents at the hospice have been diagnosed as actively dyin
Blood Safety Record Bad in Canada, Study Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/11/95) P. A6; Canada has the fifth-worst record among 12 industrialized nations in dealing with the spread of HIV into its blood supply, says a new study submitted to the federal inquiry into Canada s contaminated blood scandal. In terms of efficacy in protecting its blood supply, Canada came in eighth--behind the
Digest: Johnson & Johnson: Washington Post (10/12/95) P. D12; Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has said it will stop misrepresenting statistics and making unjustified claims about its K-Y Plus Nonoxynol-9 Spermicidal Lubricant. The company s announcement comes in response to a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission, which said that J&J misstated the failure rate of cond
Kansas Virologist Makes New AIDS Virus: Washington Times (10/12/95) P. A16; A new form of HIV-1, called KU SHIV, causes AIDS in non-human primates. This new virus was developed by Bill Narayan, a virologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a Marion Merrell Dow distinguished professor. Narayan comments, The previous inability of HIV to cause disease in non-human species has been a
Study Says Society Fails 19 Million Youths: New York Times (10/12/95) P. A14; Applebome, Peter; A newly released report from the Carnegie Corporation indicates that 19 million young adolescents do not have society s support. The study, entitled Great Transitions: Preparing Adolescents for a New Century, found that youths face crucial decisions about their health, education, and safety at increasingly younger ages
Viral Load: To Treat or Not to Treat?: Nature Medicine (10/95) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 980; Steele, Fintan R.; A procedure called viral load assay was a major subject of discussion at a joint U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) and National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development-sponsored meeting in September. The workshop was intended to allow AIDS experts to identify and voice solutions for the many problems affecting AIDS
Around the Nation: Washington: Advocate (10/03/95) No. 691, P. 14; Washington state s King County Metropolitan Council has approved an AIDS prevention campaign that pays former prostitutes to distribute condoms to working prostitutes. An $80,000 federal grant will provide funding for the program.
France Endorses Prescriptions For AIDS Drug Mixes: Reuters (10/10/95); The French Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will fund combination therapy for AIDS patients despite the higher cost. The government was prompted by the results of the Delta trial, a large-scale investigation that found drug mixtures were more effective than AZT alone in controlling the disease
Food Notes: Food for Charity: New York Times (10/11/95) P. C2; Fabricant, Florence; On Oct. 19, more than two dozen restaurants will cater a party benefiting the Momentum AIDS Project, which provides meals and companionship to AIDS patients. The event will include a silent auction and a fashion show with commentary by RuPaul.
Japan Apologizes to Imported Blood AIDS Victims: Reuters (10/11/95); Six years after hemophiliacs infected with HIV filed suit against the government and drug companies for not informing them of tainted blood products, the Japanese government has issued a formal apology. Health Minister Churyu More said, We would like to sincerely apologize to the families of those who have died and tho
U.S. Wants Information on H.M.O. AIDS Care: New York Times (10/11/95) P. B2; Fein, Esther B.; Officials at the federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) say that New York City must specify how it will protect the needs of HIV and AIDS patients before the government will accept the city s proposal to require managed care for many Medicaid recipients. Before a plan can be approved or operate, we have to
Surgical Strike: Blood Pressures Drive Ozarks Facility to Snub American Red Cross: Wall Street Journal (10/11/95) P. A1; Tomsho, Robert; The majority of the employees at the American Red Cross Springfield, Mo., blood bank have left their positions to join the Community Blood Center (CBC) of the Ozarks, which opened in September. The move comes after the Red Cross substantially increased its control of the Missouri bank, thus enraging many of the bank s
Abbott Labs' Net Gains 8.8 Percent in Quarter: New York Times (10/11/95) P. D19; Third-quarter earnings at Abbott Laboratories , Abbott Park, Ill., climbed 8.8 percent, a smaller increase than had been expected on Wall Street, due in part to reduced sales of the company s drugs and diagnostic tests. Abbott reported net income of $382.1 million, up from $351.3 million a year ago. According to analys
Small Stock Focus: Cell Genesys: Wall Street Journal (10/11/95) P. C7; Bauman, Larry; Shares of Cell Genesys skyrocketed 24 percent following an announcement that the company would work with Hoechst Marion Roussel in the development and marketing of a gene therapy program for AIDS. Under the agreement, Hoechst Marion Roussel will purchase about 13 percent of Cell Genesys outstanding common stock for $20
Pataki Planning to Offer Mothers Results of H.I.V. Tests: New York Times (10/11/95) P. B2; Hernandez, Raymond; New York Gov. George E. Pataki formally announced on Tuesday a plan to provide mothers with the results of HIV tests performed on their infants. Under the policy, physicians would have to counsel new mothers that they can learn the results of the HIV tests that are currently conducted blindly to every infant in the sta
An AIDS Vaccine: It's Possible. So Why Isn't It Being Done?: Village Voice (09/12/95) Vol. 40, No. 37, P. 20; Schoofs, Mark; Although the best chance of stopping the AIDS epidemic is a vaccine, the effort to develop one has been largely abandoned by industry, ignored by activists, and neglected by government, writes Mark Schoofs in the Village Voice. There are several potential problems involved in creating a HIV vaccine, such as the fact th
Magic Johnson's Blockbuster Weekend: Advertising Age (09/11/95) Vol. 66, No. 36, P. 20; Magic Johnson s Blockbuster Weekend in Minneapolis will combine basketball, food, and entertainment to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS groups. The event--which is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 13 and 14--is sponsored by Minnesota Blockbuster Video, Coca-Cola Co., and the University of Minnesota.
Rx for Rural AIDS: More Funds, Community Support: AIDS Alert (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 127; Rural HIV programs in the United States are as varied as the epidemic s effects on the individual states. Two years ago, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) conducted four case studies to determine the environmental factors that influence HIV services in rural communities. In Southeast Idaho, a lac
Quick Uptakes: Voices with a Message: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/27/95) Vol. 274, No. 12, P. 934; Voelker, Rebecca; Women Alive, a California-based advocacy group for HIV- infected women, has launched a hot line that offers peer support and medical information for women with HIV and AIDS. The toll-free hot line operates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST, and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST. The number is (800) 554-4876.
Montagnier Says HIV Drug Mix Could Prolong Life: Reuters (10/09/95); Winton, Neil; Luc Montagnier considers AIDS drug combinations promising, noting that these combinations are likely to stabilise the virus load and would significantly extend life expectancy. Montagnier, a researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and head of the World Foundation of AIDS Research, is credited with isolating HIV.
Across the USA: Indiana: USA Today (10/10/95) P. 6A; The fifth annual Indiana AIDS Walk and Festival drew 7,000 participants and raised $215,000. Organizers of the five- kilometer walk estimate that late pledges will account for another $15,000 to $20,000.
Taking a New Slant to Combat AIDS: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/10/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; Jesse Milan, the new director of Philadelphia s AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO), is the sixth person to hold the position in just eight years. As AACO head, Milan-- an openly gay and HIV-infected graduate of Princeton University and New York University Law School--manages the city s contracts with more than
Mothers to Get AIDS Test Data in Albany Rule: New York Times (10/10/95) P. A1; Dao, James; Mothers in New York will now be able to learn the results of HIV tests given to their infants. The new policy is the result of a court settlement between New York and the Association to Benefit Children, a nonprofit group that sued the state earlier this year, demanding that it act on the controversial issue. Currently
Truth in Advertising: Advocate (10/03/95) No. 691, P. 51; Bain, Christian Arthur; Six months after the selection of drag queen RuPaul as the M.A.C. celebrity spokesperson, sales for the company s cosmetics have increased substantially. Frank Toskan, M.A.C. cofounder and creative director, says that the choice emphasizes the message that people should be themselves. However, another reason for the su
A Gathering Storm: Far Eastern Economic Review (09/21/95) Vol. 158, No. 38, P. 26; Fairclough, Gordon; In Thailand , the first Asian nation to be affected by the AIDS epidemic, HIV is taking its toll on those populations least able to afford it--poor families who lose their primary wage- earners and must then pay for their care. The country s five- year-old AIDS education campaign has stemmed the spread of HIV, but the
Magic Johnson Tour of Manila Hits Snag: Reuters (10/07/95); Immigration officials in the Philippines say that Magic Johnson must obtain a permit before entering the country for an exhibition series that would pit him against former teammate Kareem Abdul Jabbar. According to the officials, Johnson must obtain a permit because he has a contagious disease, referring to his HIV in
Japan Courts Set Large Award in HIV Case: Reuters (10/06/95); Two Japanese courts proposed the largest compensation ever in a Japanese drug-related lawsuit on Friday to hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from imported blood products. The civil suits, filed in 1989, charged the state and five pharmaceutical companies with neglect in issuing no warnings about the possibility of HIV-co
Marrow from Baboon Set for AIDS Project: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/06/95) P. A12; Medical committees at the University of California at San Francisco have approved the safety and ethics of a controversial experiment in which baboon bone marrow will be injected into an AIDS patient in an attempt to boost his ravaged immune system. Doctors at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of Pittsb
Delay Fails to Weaken Dr. Gallo's Optimism: Baltimore Sun (10/07/95) P. 1A; Bor, Jonathan; Despite the fact that construction of Dr. Robert Gallo s new AIDS research labs has been stalled for several weeks, Gallo says he is certainly happy with the total university environment. Gallo and two of his colleagues, Dr. William Blattner and Dr. Robert Redfield, are all leaving government service, lured to the Univ
Not a Pill: Investor's Business Daily (10/09/95) P. A6; Lau, Gloria; Miami-based Columbia Laboratories Inc. sells a natural progesterone product that is geared toward women receiving hormone replacement therapy. Crinone--which is not available in the United States--may help relieve the headaches, fatigue, and depression related to the treatment because it is delivered directly through t
In the Loop: Clinton to Host HIV Conference: Washington Post (10/09/95) P. A25; Kamen, Al; President Clinton is set to host a one-day White House conference on HIV and AIDS in December. The conference--which will feature about 175 authorities in research, prevention, treatment, and discrimination--will focus attention on the epidemic, which has leveled off with approximately 40,000 new cases annually.
Personal Briefing: AIDS Reversal?: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/09/95) P. D3; Schogol, Marc; An article published in the British medical journal the Lancet reveals that a child born with HIV has survived for nine years and appears to have eliminated the virus from his body. There have been a number of reports of children being born infected with HIV who have survived without developing AIDS. However, due to th
Proposed Insurance Rules on H.I.V. Set Off Uproar: New York Times (10/09/95) P. B4; Peterson, Iver; A proposal from the New Jersey Insurance Department that would allow health insurers to test new applicants for HIV and reject those persons who either test positive or refuse to be tested has sparked debate among medical experts and civil libertarians. The State Medical Society and civil rights advocates claim the pol
Eleven Years of Community-Based Directly Observed Therapy for Tuberculosis: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/27/95) Vol. 274, No. 12, P. 945; Chaulk, C. Patrick; Moore-Rice, Kristina; Rizzo, Rosetta et al.; Chaulk et al. conducted a study of the efficacy of community- based directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis (TB) control in 20 U.S. metropolitan cities with more than 250,000 residents. Baltimore saw the greatest decline in TB cases since 1981. Meanwhile, the incidence of TB has increased by more than 35 perce
Runnin' Scared: Bloodletting at the AIDS Institute: Village Voice (10/03/95) Vol. 40, No. 40, P. 12; Gogola, Tom; New York Gov. George Pataki s recent dismissal of four executive staff members of the state AIDS Institute and reassignment of four others caused alarm among AIDS service providers and prevention organizations. The nationally-known institute was established as a division of the state Department of Health (DOH) 12 years
Vaccines May Speed AIDS Virus: AIDS Alert (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 123; Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles have demonstrated that even moderate stimulation of the immune system may increase the speed of HIV s growth. The point of our study is that even a mild stimulation like the flu vaccination can result in increases in the growth of the AIDS virus, explains Willia
Study Eases Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Fears: Reuters (10/04/95); A study to be published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that drug-resistant tuberculosis may not be as resistant to further treatment as previously thought. The researchers looked at 26 HIV-negative tuberculosis patients who had already resisted treatment with at least two drugs and found that
Basketball: Is Magic Johnson Invited?: New York Times (10/06/95) P. B14; Magic Johnson s agent, Lon Rosen, claims there are mixed signals coming from Taiwan , where a government official said the basketball legend has been prohibited from entering the country because he is infected with HIV. Rosen explained: Magic has an official invitation from the president of Taiwan to visit with him th
Nationline: AIDS Lawsuit: USA Today (10/06/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Rivera, Patricia V.; Goodwin, M. David; et al.; Collegeville, Pa.-based Armour Pharmaceutical Co. has agreed to an out-of-court settlement with three of six Canadian hemophiliacs who claim they were infected with HIV from tainted blood products, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Each of the three plaintiffs will receive $1.55 million. Documents presented as ev
AIDS Update: AIDS Is Their Biggest Fear: Men's Health (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 61; When asked which single issue most concerns them about their teenagers health and safety, almost 30 percent of parents responding to a Prevention magazine/CNN poll said that AIDS was their greatest fear. Their response compared to that of 22 percent, who were concerned about their child riding with a drunk driver, and
AIDS Researchers, Activists Fight Crisis in Clinical Trials: Science (09/22/95) Vol. 269, No. 5231, P. 1666; Nowak, Rachel; At the recent workshop, Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: Clinical Endpoint Confirmation Studies, held at the National Institutes of Health, officials from the Food and Drug Administration, representatives of drug companies, AIDS researchers, and activists acknowledged that new strategies are required to keep pat
Inquiry Judge Questions Top Red Cross Official: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/04/95) P. A8; Canadian Justice Horace Krever persistently questioned George Weber, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, on Tuesday about why some of the organization s own board members displayed a lack of understanding of some of the most elementary, fundamental facts about bloo
AIDS Looms Large Over Cambodian Military, Police: Reuters (10/05/95); Dobbs, Leo; Health experts say that HIV is spreading rapidly through Cambodia s military and police. New statistics show that nearly 8 percent of 380 police blood samples tested positive for HIV, while close to 8 percent and 5 percent of military and military police blood samples, respectively, were HIV- positive. In Koh Kong, a p
Cangene Corp.: Funds to Be Put in Escrow for Possible Legal Costs: Wall Street Journal (10/05/95) P. B4; Toronto-based Cangene Corp., a developer of an HIV diagnostic test, will put $1 million Canadian dollars (U.S.$752,400) in escrow for expenses that may result from a threatened legal action by Roche Holding AG of Switzerland . Roche has submitted a letter of intent to sue the Dutch/Swedish Akzo Nobel NV, which incorpor
Exemption on AIDS Set in Health Shift: New York Times (10/05/95) P. B14; New Yorkers with chronic health needs, such as people with HIV, will be excluded from a plan to move welfare families from Medicaid into managed-care health networks, a New York City official announced on Wednesday. According to Maria K. Mitchell, special adviser to the Mayor for health policy, the city s managed-care
Firm Kept Quiet About Risk of AIDS in Medicine: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/05/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Documents to be made public today by attorneys for a Canadian board of inquiry reveal that Armour, a Maryland-based subsidiary of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc., knew that its heat- treating process did not kill HIV and that it ordered one of its scientists to repress a study revealing this information. Armour is the defenda
Court: Company that Sells Policies of AIDS Patients to Investors Must Follow SEC Rules: USA Today (10/05/95) P. 2B; The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Wednesday that a federal district court has upheld an injunction against Waco, Texas-based Life Partners, a company which buys life insurance policies from AIDS patients and then sells them to investors. The company and its president were charged in 1994 with selli
'Making Men Listen': Newsweek (09/25/95) Vol. 126, No. 13, P. 52; Bogert, Carroll; Chubbuck, Katharine; Hammer, Joshua; Women are increasingly asserting themselves in Africa, where nearly 70 percent of the world s HIV-infected people reside. The AIDS crisis is making men listen to women, says Dan Odallo of Population Communication Services in Kenya . The resulting empowerment is critical because, according to the
AT&T Network Notes Gives AIDS Researchers New Way to Collaborate: Network World (09/11/95) Vol. 12, No. 37, P. 29; Timmins, Annmarie; AT&T s new Network Notes and one of its early customers, ImmuNet, a nonprofit group that provides AIDS professionals with electronic work space, have streamlined the communication process between people who deal with AIDS. Patrick Cosson, ImmuNet s director of marketing, has suggested a project that would allow res
Video Nets, Ticketmaster Fight AIDS: Billboard (10/07/95) Vol. 107, No. 40, P. 6; Atwood, Brett; Three music video networks have united with LIFEbeat and Ticketmaster to raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. VH1, MTV, and BET will air a series of promotions that are intended to educate cable viewers about the risks of HIV and solicit donations for the nonprofit LIFEbeat organization. VH1 has already aired tw
Gilead Sciences Announces Submission of Vistide New Drug Application for the Treatment of CMV Retinitis: Business Wire (10/03/95); Gilead Sciences , Inc. has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for VISTIDE (cidofovir intravenous) to treat cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis in AIDS patients. The application to market the drug in the United States inc
French AIDS Blood Scandal Probe Widens: Reuters (10/03/95); Robert Netter and Jacques Roux, two former French officials who have been convicted of fraud in the country s HIV-tainted blood products scandal, will now be investigated on poisoning claims, sources say. The probe was reopened after friends and relatives of the more than 1,250 hemophiliacs who became HIV- infected by
Book Notes: New AIDS Authors and Subjects: New York Times (10/04/95) P. C19; Tabor, Mary B.W.; In the coming months, various divisions of Simon & Schuster will publish a number of HIV-related books. This fall, Pocket Books will publish The HIV Drug Book, a guide to AIDS drugs and treatments compiled by the HIV and AIDS treatment and advocacy group Project Inform. In November, meanwhile, Jossey -Bass will off
Japan Courts Due to Propose Compromise on HIV Case: Reuters (10/04/95); Yoshikawa, Miho; Two Japanese courts are due to offer an out-of-court settlement this week to civil suits filed six years ago by hemophiliacs who became HIV-infected from tainted imported blood products, newspapers report. The hemophiliacs have requested compensation from both the state and five drug makers for having been infected by
Basketball: Taiwanese Are Wary of Johnson's Arrival: New York Times (10/04/95) P. B10; Health authorities in Taiwan say they have not yet decided whether to allow basketball great Magic Johnson, who is HIV- positive, to visit their country with his touring basketball team. By law, the government of Taiwan may prohibit people who have HIV or AIDS from entering the country.
Across the USA: Nebraska: USA Today (10/04/95) P. 11A; A judge in Lincoln, Neb., has ruled that a three-year-old child should not be removed from his foster parents home just because one of them tested HIV-positive.
Report Says Plan Would Hurt AIDS Care: New York Times (10/04/95) P. B1; Fein, Esther B.; HIV-infected individuals could experience significant health problems by being forced into Medicaid managed care, according to a new report by AIDS advocates. Virtually none of the physicians in New York City s managed care system have worked with people with HIV or AIDS, they claim. If these people are forced into man
Time Bomb: Far Eastern Economic Review (09/21/95) Vol. 158, No. 38, P. 31; Salvi, Gouri; AIDS workers and organizations in India predict that controlling the spread of HIV in that country will be a difficult task, due in part to prudishness, misplaced priorities, and evasion. One decade after the first AIDS case was diagnosed in India, a report from the Health Ministry s National AIDS Control Organization
Testing AIDS Interventions: When Is the Price Too High?: Science (09/08/95) Vol. 269, No. 5229, P. 1334; Nowak, Rachel; Last November, in the Rakai district of Uganda , teams of African and American researchers began recruiting 11,000 people for a five-year study of whether the spread of HIV can be controlled by treating large groups of people for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Maria Wawer of Columbia University and Nelson
San Francisco: Viral Load Trial Offers Free Tests: AIDS Treatment News (09/01/95) No. 230, P. 7; A small trial sponsored by Chiron Corp. will attempt to determine how treatment changes affect viral load, which will be measured by the company s branched DNA test. Participants in the program-- intended for individuals who otherwise would not be able to afford viral load tests--must plan to make some kind of change i
ID Vaccine and Pasteur Merieux-Connaught Complete Licensing and Collaboration Agreement on Tuberculosis Vaccine: Business Wire (10/02/95); ID Biomedical Corp. and its subsidiary, ID Vaccine Corp. (IDV), have entered into an agreement with Pasteur Merieux Serums & Vaccins S.A. and Connaught Laboratories Ltd. (Pasteur Merieux-Connaught) which involves the development and licensing of IDV s tuberculosis (TB) vaccine technology. Pasteur Merieux-Connaught
'AIDS Fatigue' Hurting U.S., Says Congressman: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/02/95) P. 2B; Smith, Bill; According to Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-Wis.), Americans are tired of hearing about, talking about, funding, and dealing with AIDS. But we don t have the luxury to be tired, Gunderson said at the third annual fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign Fund on Saturday. This is not just a big- city issue; people with AIDS ar
His Broken Leg Healed, Pope Enjoys Good Health: New York Times (10/03/95) P. B7; Altman, Lawrence K.; Pope John Paul II has completely recovered from the broken hip he suffered in April 1994, the Vatican reports. The Pontiff, whose injury caused him to postpone his trip to the United States last year, is set to depart for this country on Wednesday. The Pope s slow recovery caused speculation that he had cancer, Parkins
AIDS May Claim 2 Million African: Washington Times (10/03/95) P. A13; The number of HIV-infected Africans is increasing significantly, and as many as 2 million people on that continent could die from AIDS in the next five years, a United Nations (UN) official said Monday at the opening session of a three-day seminar. The U.N. estimates that of the 15 hard-hit countries in Africa, approxi
Supreme Court Denies Hemophiliacs' Appeal: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/03/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday an appeal by hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from blood products to sue the pharmaceutical companies in a class-action suit. On its first day back in session after the summer recess, the Court refused to reinstate a decision by U.S. District Judge John F. Grady that had allowed
Prevalence and Incidence of Vertically Acquired HIV Infection in the United States: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/27/95) Vol. 274, No. 12, P. 952; Davis, Susan F.; Byers, Robert H.; Lindegren, Mary Lou et al.; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a national HIV serosurvey of childbearing women to estimate the incidence of vertically transmitted HIV infection in children born between 1988 and 1993. Using the results of the survey, as well as older data from the national AIDS surveillance system, they
Chemist Follows Own Path in Research on Proteins: Nikkei Weekly (09/11/95) Vol. 33, No. 1688, P. 19; Taki, Junichi; Yoshiako Kiso, a professor at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University in Japan , is best-known for an AIDS treatment that uses a peptide called Kinostatin 272 to block the protease enzyme. Kinostatin 272, which is one of the more promising new AIDS drugs, is now in clinical testing in the United State
AIDS Update: Take-Home Test: Men's Health (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 61; A new survey indicates that home HIV testing kits could be popular if approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Nearly 30 percent of those polled said they were at least somewhat likely to use the test, while more than 40 percent of respondents with risk factors said they would use it. The concept of
Experts Suggests Donated Blood Should Be Filtered: Reuters (10/01/95); According to a researcher at New York City s Mount Sinai Medical Center, blood transfusion recipients may recover from surgery faster and have a lower risk of infection if the white blood cells are filtered out first. In the long term there will be substantial savings because it will mean fewer infections and shorter s
Biochem Pharma Inc.--European Phase II/III Study Indicates Sustained Effect of 3TC(TM) in Combination with AZT on Surrogate Markers of HIV for Two Years: Business Wire (09/29/95); Biochem Pharma reported at the 5th European Conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV Infection in Copenhagen, Denmark , that the effects of a combination of 3TC and AZT appear to have been sustaine
Black Men in Houston Target of Study: Houston Chronicle (09/29/95) P. 35A; Lum, Lydia; A large number of young African-American men in Houston continue to have misperceptions about AIDS more than 10 years after the beginning of the epidemic, said researchers at Texas Southern University. Almost 50 percent of the 2,472 men polled incorrectly responded to at least four of 18 questions, noted Gerald Waddy,
AIDS Conference Recommends Use of Drug Cocktail: Chicago Tribune (09/30/95) P. 1-4; Researchers say that the overall consensus at the 5th European Conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV Infection in Copenhagen, Denmark , was that a combination of AZT with either ddI or ddC shoul
Ace Gallery AIDS Gala Too Popular for Police: USA Today (10/02/95) P. 2D; Facter, Sue; Los Angeles authorities closed down Friday s AIDS benefit at the Ace Gallery after neighborhood residents complained about the crowd and the noise. The event was scheduled to continue until 2 a.m., but police and firemen arrived more than one hour prior to that time. The party attracted 2,000 people with such features
Fungal Infections Resist Treatment: Washington Times (10/02/95) P. A8; Certain fungal infections, especially those that affect people with AIDS, are becoming resistant to treatment, according to researcher Dennis Dixon of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. There are gaps in coverage, so there are fungi that are innately non-responsive to the available drugs, Dixon
National AIDS Treatment Advocates Forum, October 15-18, Los Angeles: AIDS Treatment News (09/01/95) No. 230, P. 7; On Oct. 15-18, the National Minority AIDS Council is sponsoring a National AIDS Treatment Advocates Forum intended to foster dialog and exchange of information and ideas, as well as to facilitate the development of leadership that can advocate for better treatments and educate people with AIDS and their caregivers on t
Banking Your Own Blood: Is It Worth the Cost?: Consumer Reports (10/95) Vol. 60, No. 10, P. 680; Patients facing elective surgery are increasingly choosing to bank their own blood before the operation in case of emergency. By banking their own blood, they avoid the risk of HIV infection, hepatitis, and other viral infections that can be spread through donated blood. Since the early 1980s, when scientists discovere
Medical Discoveries Completes First Phase of Private Placement to Fund Investigational New Drug Application for Anti-HIV Drug: Business Wire (09/28/95); Medical Discoveries Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah, has concluded the first phase of a private placement. These funds will be applied immediately to expedite the filing of our Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA for Phase I clinical trials of our proprietary product, MDI-P, explained Dr. William D. Wel
Drug's Aim: Fight Cancer Without Toxic Side Effects: Miami Herald (09/27/95) P. 1E; Flam, Faye; Researchers are developing a new class of drugs that specifically targets the genes that prompt malignant cells to grow uncontrollably. The hope is that this new therapy will replace the often harmful and difficult process of chemotherapy, which merely kills all fast-growing cells. This approach, known as antisense the
Drug Company Reports Progress with New AIDS Drug: Reuters (09/28/95); Merck and Co. announced Thursday that a study of its experimental AIDS drug Crixivan ( indinavir ) in 3,000 patients revealed that the drug helped destroy HIV by up to 99 percent. Preliminary results from one small study showed that patients who took Crixivan alone or with
Krever's Temper Flares at Tainted-Blood Inquiry: Toronto Globe and Mail (09/28/95) P. A9; At the inquiry into Canada s tainted-blood scandal on Wednesday, Justice Horace Krever angrily demanded to know why the Canadian Red Cross board of directors did not take an AIDS pamphlet s warning of who was at high risk for the disease more seriously in 1984. At the time, the pamphlet, which was approved by a Red Cro
Across the USA: Connecticut/Missouri: USA Today (09/29/95) P. 8A; The doors to Connecticut s first nursing home for people with AIDS have opened in New Haven. The nonprofit center will provide round-the-clock care for 30 patients. Meanwhile, rural AIDS service providers in Missouri have asked lawmakers to rescue a state AIDS program that ran out of funds. Officials attribute the earl
Baltimore's AIDS Message: Washington Post (09/29/95) P. C6; Maryland officials introduced a new $13,000 AIDS prevention campaign on Thursday geared toward teenagers and young adults. In graffiti-style lettering, the posters state, You have to die from something. But it doesn t have to be AIDS. Beneath that is the message, Unsafe sex and shared needles transmit AIDS. If you have
A Model Collaboration Built to Last: Science (09/08/95) Vol. 269, No. 5229, P. 1333; Nowak, Rachel; The Nairobi Group--which is primarily financed by the Medical Research Council of Canada and the U.S. National Institutes of Health--is widely seen as a model for collaborative science in developing countries, according to Richard Marlink, director of the Harvard AIDS Institute. One of the group s most highly publicize
Race, Sex, Drug Use, and Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease: New England Journal of Medicine (09/21/95) Vol. 333, No. 12, P. 751; Chaisson, Richard E.; Keruly, Jeanne C.; Moore, Richard D.; To determine whether the differences among sociodemographic groups affect the rate of HIV progression, Chaisson et al. of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine measured disease progression and survival in more than 1,300 HIV- seropositive individuals. The researchers determined that progression to AIDS or dea
The Reliable Source: Eazy E: Washington Post (09/28/95) P. C3; Gerhart, Ann; Groer, Annie; Tomika Wright, the widow of rapper Eazy E, gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday. Eazy E, whose real name was Eric Wright, died of AIDS-related complications in March. A spokesman reported that neither Tomika Wright nor her two children are infected with HIV.
BFTI Signs Letter of Intent to Purchase the Exclusive Latin- American Marketing Rights for a Rapid Immunochromatographic Assay for the Detection of the HIV 1/2 and Hepatitis 'B' Viruses: Business Wire (09/27/95); Bio Flourescent Technologies Inc. has signed a letter of intent with Wyding Holdings Inc. to buy the exclusive Latin- American marketing rights for a rapid screening assay for both HIV 1/2 and the hepatitis B virus. The tests, which produce results in five to seven minutes, do not require laboratory equipment or traine
One in Seven Nairobi Residents Carries AIDS Virus: Reuters (09/27/95); One in seven residents of Nairobi, Kenya , is infected with HIV, according to the newspaper the Daily Nation. The paper quoted communications consultant Raphael Tuju who, when addressing members of the Insurance Institute of Kenya, said that 14 percent of the capital city s population was HIV- positive. Tuju noted tha
Patent Office Plans to Supply Abstracts Free on the Internet: New York Times (09/27/95) P. D8; Markoff, John; The Patent and Trademark Office will make abstracts of the United States large patent data base freely available on the Internet beginning Nov. 9. This free access to patent information is opposed by private companies who specialize in buying patent information and selling it to interested markets. The Patent Office is
Glaxo Wellcome Shares Up 20p as Trials Raise Hopes for New HIV Treatment: Financial Times (09/27/95) P. 4; Cookson, Clive; The results of a large-scale trial of drug combinations sponsored by medical research agencies in seven European countries and Australia provide the strongest evidence yet that drug cocktails are the best current treatment for HIV. The Delta trial looked at the effects of Glaxo Wellcome s
AIDS Care Facility to Close: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/28/95) P. B1; Santiago, Denise-Marie; Officials at Betak, a nursing home for people with AIDS in Mount Airy, Pa., have announced yet again that the facility will close due to financial difficulties. Ruth Bartelt, the acting president of Lutheran Home at Germantown, which owns and operates Betak, explained, Neither [Lutheran nor Betak] can manage the cash f
Gene Found in AIDS Virus May Be Cell Killer: New York Times (09/28/95) P. A23; Researchers from the AIDS Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) say they have identified a gene in HIV that arrests CD4 T-lymphocyte reproduction. In Friday s issue of The Journal of Virology, the researchers report that the Vpr gene contains the plan for a protein that interrupts CD4 cells, k
Summary of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for September 22, 1995: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (09/22/95); As of December 1994, one third of all AIDS cases were reported among IDUs, their sexual partners, and their children. The primary risk behavior associated with drug-related HIV transmission is multiperson use ( sharing ) of syringes used for injection. Survey data in this report demonstrates a dramatic increase in the
Hydroxyurea and ddI: French Study Published: AIDS Treatment News (09/01/95) No. 230, P. 6; James, John S.; Researchers reported in the August 28 issue of the Journal of AIDS that a combination of hydroxyurea and ddI produced good antiviral activity and CD4 count improvement in 12 patients who began the 90-day trial with high CD4 levels. In the six patients whose plasma HIV RNA levels were detectable, viral load dropped an a
AIDS-Related Kaposi Sarcoma of the Lung: Radiographic Findings and Staging System with Bronchoscopic Correlation: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/20/95) Vol. 274, No. 11, P. 856; Gruden et al. retrospectively reviewed the chest radiographs and medical records of more than 75 men with bronchoscopically proved Kaposi s sarcoma (KS). The researchers compared tumor extent at bronchoscopy to the severity of parenchymal disease to develop a radiographic staging system that allows such comparison and
Sex Club Debated in Gay Community: Boston Globe (09/25/95) P. 1; Flint, Anthony; The Safari Club, located in Boston s South End, is labeled a gay men s health club, though members of the city s homosexual community admit that the focus is on the sexual encounters that take place in the many private dressing rooms. The presence of the two-year-old club has caused controversy in the gay community its
One of Us: Baltimore Sun (09/26/95) P. 1E; Smith, Linell; When Johns Hopkins Hospital s obstetrics clinic began HIV testing and counseling five years ago, gynecologist Dr. Jean Anderson found that her patients talked more openly with peer counselors than with any medical professionals. Those who are infected also appear to be more inclined to listen to the advice of peers abo
California Law Doesn't Require AIDS Test: Los Angeles Times (09/26/95) P. C8; Kawakami, Tim; Even if the California athletic commission suspects that a boxer has AIDS, there is nothing the commission could do under state law to keep him from fighting in the state, says Richard DeCuir, the commission s executive director. However, Paul Banke s announcement two years after his last fight that he has AIDS will li
FDA Targets Bogus AIDS Cures for Sale: Miami Herald (09/26/95) P. 1C; Chandler, Michele; The many herbal and alternative AIDS treatments on the market has attracted the attention of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ). Earlier this month, community activists, FDA officials, AIDS drug buying cooperatives, and health workers from across the country convened in Orlando, Fla., at the third annual Nat
Baltimore Ranks Best of Six Cities in TB Fight: Baltimore Sun (09/27/95) P. 2B; Bor, Jonathan; A comparative study of urban tuberculosis (TB) rates in several U.S. cities reveals that Baltimore has brought the disease under control more effectively than the others. The city s TB rate fell more than 50 percent between 1981 and 1992 --a time when poverty, drug abuse, and the susceptibility of AIDS patients to TB c
Task Force Aide Says AIDS Cash Vanished: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/27/95) P. B2; Loyd, Linda; During the second day of a preliminary hearing, a witness testified that Francis J. Stoffa Jr. s fixation with collecting and managing money raised by the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force made him explode in anger when someone other than himself counted the receipts. Stoffa has been charged with stealing more than $200,000
Abbott Labs AIDS Drug Gets Good Clinical Results: Wall Street Journal (09/27/95) P. B7; Preliminary testing of Abbott Laboratories Inc. s experimental AIDS drug Ritonavir indicates that the drug may be one of the most potent protease inhibitors available. Although it is not yet known how effective the drug is in relieving symptoms of AIDS, clinical t
Fewer HIV-Infected Babies Born in U.S.: Washington Post (09/27/95) P. A2; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that fewer babies infected with the virus that causes AIDS are being born in the United States . The reasons for the decline are not clear; however, drug treatment could further reduce the number, researchers said. According to the study, which is being published i
Stigma of AIDS and HIV: Nikkei Weekly (09/04/95) Vol. 33, No. 1687, P. 19; A new study from the Japanese government indicates that more than half of the 10,000 respondents would not alter their relations with close friends who contracted HIV. Still, more than 41 percent said that discrimination against people who contract sexually transmitted diseases from prostitutes cannot be avoided--a vie
'Sue and Be Sued' Clause in Red Cross Charter: American Medical News (09/11/95) Vol. 38, No. 34, P. 24; A federal trial court in West Virginia has ruled that the American Red Cross was not exempt from suit by an infant who supposedly became HIV-infected from blood the agency supplied. The infant received the contaminated blood via a transfusion during surgery. The Red Cross attempted to strike a demand for a jury trial a
At Christ Church, a Concert for Artists with HIV/AIDS: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/26/95) P. B2; Christ Church in Old City will hold a memorial concert on Oct. 15 to raise money for the Working Fund for Philadelphia Area Artists Living with HIV/AIDS, a fund which offers financial support to artists whose work has been hindered or interrupted by the disease. The concert will follow an AIDS march scheduled for the s
Where AIDS Has Come to Dwell: Washington Post (09/26/95) P. E1; Mullan, Fitzhugh; In her book, Strong Shadows: Scenes from an Inner City AIDS Clinic, Abigail Zuger describes the steady drizzle of human loss [that] HIV has brought to the inner city. Zuger, an infectious diseases physician in New York, follows eight patients at a public hospital in the Bronx as they seek help for their progressing dis
Wrong TB Drugs Shorten the Lives of AIDS Victims: Boston Globe (09/25/95) P. 29; The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday that hundreds of thousands of HIV-infected tuberculosis (TB) patients could gain more than two years of healthy life by correctly taking anti-TB medicines. The health agency estimated that incomplete and often dangerous TB treatments were reducing the lifespans of nearly
Small Biotech Firms Find Support on the Stock Market: Wall Street Journal (09/26/95) P. B2; Gupta, Udayan; Although small biotechnology firms have had problems for nearly three years, the Nasdaq index of biotech stocks has jumped 44 percent in the past year, and many companies are planning stock offerings to raise critically needed cash. Thus far, 11 biotech companies have gone public in 1995, raising close to $200 million,
Inside the Beltway: Needs a Body: Washington Times (09/26/95) P. A7; McCaslin, John; The Senate Rules and Administration Committee claims it never approved AIDS activist Mary Fisher s coffin exhibit, which was scheduled to be on display this week at the Russell Senate Office Building. A spokeswoman for the committee had said previously that because the artwork was educational, it met at least one of th
Prosecutors: Ex-Head of AIDS Agency a Con Man: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/26/95) P. B2; Collins, Huntly; On Monday, prosecutors attempted to portray Francis J. Stoffa Jr., the former head of Philadelphia s AIDS Task Force, as a con man who wrote thousands of dollars worth of checks to himself and who used an agency credit card to purchase a health club membership and other benefits. The preliminary hearing will determine
Drug Lotteries Raise Questions: Washington Post--Health (09/26/95) P. 14; Naughton, Diane; Recently, some highly-publicized lotteries have offered patients with AIDS or Lou Gehrig s disease the chance to obtain promising experimental drugs that have not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although many patients groups and pharmaceutical companies see lotteries as the fairest way to di
Boost for Combining AIDS Drugs: Financial Times (09/26/95) P. 7; Cookson, Clive; New research indicates that AIDS drugs are more effective when used in combination, rather than on their own. In the international Delta trial, 3,000 HIV-infected persons were randomly assigned to receive either Glaxo Wellcome s AZT , AZT and Roche s ddC , or AZT
A Bittersweet Retirement Party Breaks AIDS Silence: Federal Times (09/11/95) Vol. 31, No. 31, P. 14; Daniel, Lisa; For years, seemingly too-young workers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would gradually start missing more work and then one day disappear without the usual going away parties or announcements. Only months or years later would their former co-workers learn that they had died of AIDS. Employees i
Staging Ethical AIDS Trials in Africa: Science (09/08/95) Vol. 269, No. 5229, P. 1332; Nowak, Rachel; Ethical problems surround all kinds of clinical research in Africa, but AIDS research is particularly vulnerable to such difficulties because of the sheer enormity of the effort. The World Health Organization estimates that 9 million of the world s 15 million HIV-infected people live in Africa, where the international
Management Changes at ChemTrak: Business Wire (09/22/95); ChemTrak, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of easy-to-use diagnostic tests, said on Friday that Dr. Victor Liu, vice president of research and development at the company, has resigned. Liu s move comes as ChemTrak reorganizes to more closely focus on the commercialization of its consumer diagnostic products--the Home
One-Time Accuser of Cardinal Bernardin Dies: Reuters (09/22/95); Steven Cook, the man who retracted sexual molestation allegations against Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, has died of AIDS-related complications, the Chicago archdiocese announced on Friday. Cook was infected with HIV in 1993 when he accused Bernardin and another priest of molesting him some 20 years before when he was a 17
Agouron Says Gets US Patent for AIDS Drug: Reuters (09/22/95); The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. s patent application for the chemical composition of the anti-HIV drug VIRACEPT, the company announced on Friday. Agouron also predicted that a patent covering VIRACEPT, a synthetic chemical inhibitor of HIV protease, will be issued in due c
Officials Face Tough Question: What AIDS Services Must Be Cut?: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (09/22/95) P. 15A; Shirk, Martha; Health officials in St. Louis, Mo., met with AIDS patients and service providers on Friday to determine which support services to eliminate. Services that may be cut include chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, massage therapy, and buddy programs for homebound AIDS patients. The reductions are due, in part, to the
Oasis of Love in Germantown: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/23/95) P. A1; McCullough, Marie; During the past five years, four nuns of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have cared for 18 babies at risk of developing AIDS. All but one child has survived. The children s survival reflects the resilient nature of such babies and the advances of medical science, but it also reflects the love the nuns have g
A Strong Endorsement for Clean Needles: New York Times (09/25/95) P. A14; The National Academy of Sciences recent conclusion that needle-exchange programs reduce the spread of HIV should also reduce people s fears that such programs encourage drug use, according to the editors of the New York Times. The academy found no evidence that these programs increase the frequency of drug injection am
The Reliable Source: Senate Says No to Coffin in Exhibit: Washington Post (09/25/95) P. B3; Gerhart, Ann; Groer, Annie; AIDS activist Mary Fisher s art exhibit, which includes a reproduction of a flower-covered casket, will not be displayed at the Russell Senate Office Building today. The Senate Rules Committee has concluded that coffins on the Capitol grounds are only appropriate for official funerals and memorial services. Fisher has
Patsy Fleming: AIDS Advocate: Essence (09/95) Vol. 26, No. 5, P. 68; Cimmons, Marlene; Patricia Patsy Fleming, the White House director of AIDS policy, says she plans to keep the AIDS epidemic a focus of the national agenda. One part of her campaign will be to direct a continuous flow of AIDS prevention messages at groups expected to be the most at risk in the future, particularly black women. The number
Adverse Cutaneous Reactions to Thiacetazone for Tuberculosis Treatment in Tanzania: Lancet (09/09/95) Vol. 346, No. 8976, P. 657; Ipuge, Yahya A.I.; Rieder, Hans L.; Enarson, Donald A.; Ipuge et al. conducted a year-long study of cutaneous thiacetazone-related adverse reactions within Tanzania s tuberculosis (TB) program. Studies conducted by the British Medical Research Council and others suggested that thiacetazone was a useful and inexpensive companion drug for the treatment of TB, but recently the
Drugs Target RNA to Block HIV: Science News (09/09/95) Vol. 148, No. 11, P. 171; Lipkin, Richard; Chemist Anthony W. Czarnick of Parke-Davis reports that he and a team of researchers isolated a class of 149 compounds that block RNA activity in HIV-1. The researchers are attempting to disable HIV with small, easily manufactured molecules that inhibit the reproductive ability of the virus RNA-- specifically, by using
Brazil Renames AIDS Campaign Talking Penis: Reuters (09/21/95); Brazil s health ministry announced on Thursday that it had dropped the relatively popular name Braulio given to a talking penis used in an AIDS prevention campaign after many complaints from people with that name. Instead, the organ will be addressed by such neutral terms as partner, buddy, and ditto, said Lair Guerra
Street-Wise Gay Teens Help Others Fight AIDS: Chicago Tribune (09/21/95) P. 1-5; Schodolski, Vincent J.; Filipe Hernandez cruises through Hollywood many nights a week, armed with sandwiches, leaflets, and condoms. Hernandez--a staff member of the nation s first clinic dedicated especially to gay youths--tries to help teenagers, a group of Americans now contracting HIV faster than any other. The people I come in touch with
Gays in San Francisco See Beyond AIDS to Golden Years: Boston Globe (09/21/95) P. 1; Nolan, Martin F.; The 30-year-old gay community in San Francisco is starting look past the AIDS epidemic, focusing on old age rather than near death. The city is entering the new age with the help of Good Dog, a campaign and a brochure for the uninfected gay community that accents living a long life. The name is taken from the wish list
Scientists Confirm Virus Causes Kaposi's Sarcoma: Reuters (09/21/95); British researchers say they have almost definitely proved that a kind of herpes virus causes Kaposi s Sarcoma (KS), a cancer frequently associated with AIDS. Professor Thomas Schulz and his colleagues at Britain s Institute of Cancer Research studied 189 HIV-infected people and 134 controls. They detected the implicat
D.C. March to Benefit AIDS Research: Washington Post (09/22/95) P. B2; Thousands of people will march through the streets of Washington, D.C., on Saturday to raise funds for AIDS research in the Whitman-Walker Clinic s ninth annual AIDSWALK. A number of businesses have encouraged their workers to participate in the event, which will include concerts by singers Cyndi Lauper and Diane Reeve
Rate of Births for Teen-Agers Drops Again: New York Times (09/22/95) P. A18; The birth rate for American teenagers fell for the second consecutive year, the Government announced on Thursday. According to statistician Stephanie Ventura of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the reasons for the decline are not clear, but more teens may be using condoms to prevent HIV infection. Ventur
A Lonely Few Roam the Night to Save Lives: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/22/95) P. A1; Sataline, Suzanne; Several nights each week, members of the Midnight Cowboy Project walk the streets of Philadelphia distributing condoms in the city s sexual underground. The group s goal is to provide the prophylactics when they are needed. AIDS doesn t stop because it s cold, because it snows, because it rains, notes member Hassan Gib
Project Alerta: Building Lives to Save Lives: United States Conference of Mayors: AIDS Information Exchange (08/95) Vol. 12, No. 4, P. 8; The goal of Albuquerque, N.M. s Project Alerta was to train women in the county jail to be HIV peer educators and counselors. The now-defunct project--a collaborative effort between the State Department of Health AIDS Prevention Program, the Albuquerque Family Health Center, and the Bernalillo County Detention Center--
AIDS Data Animation Maps Evolving US Epidemic: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/13/95) Vol. 274, No. 10, P. 784; Stephenson, Joan; A new animated mini-movie on the Internet illustrates how AIDS spread across the United States . The project represents the efforts of Dr. Timothy R. Cote, a resident in pathology at the National Institutes of Health s Clinical Center, to show the epidemic s gradual development within the time frame of a movie, instead
Needles Vetoed in New Bedford: Boston Globe (09/20/95) P. 31; New Bedford, Mass. Mayor Rosemary Tierney rejected a needle- exchange program on Tuesday that had been approved last week by the City Council. Tierney explained she could not support the program without the endorsement of the town s police, who oppose the plan.
Greek Police Hunt "AIDS" Kidnappers: Reuters (09/20/95); Greek police said on Wednesday that a boy was abducted and threatened with HIV-infection unless his family paid a $174,000 ransom. The boy was kidnapped after he got off a school bus last week, held for five days, and then released when the money was paid. In their ransom note, the kidnappers claimed to be AIDS patient
TV: Tenacious TB: Wall Street Journal (09/21/95) P. A20; Phillips, Barbara D.; On Monday Oct. 2, PBS will air The People s Plague: Tuberculosis in America. Diane Garey and Lawrence Hot s two- hour documentary presents the disease as a public health threat, a civil liberties problem, and a killer of millions. The program tells the story of the scientists, doctors, and patients affected by tubercul
Alpha 1 to Sell Stake in Anti-AIDS Business: Washington Times (09/21/95) P. B9; Alpha 1 Biomedicals Inc., Bethesda, Md., will sell its 50 percent share of Viral Technologies Inc. (VTI) to Alexandria, Va.-based CEL-SCI Corp., which already controls 50 percent of the company. The two companies formed VTI nine years ago to design a drug that would prevent, diagnose, or treat AIDS. Under the agreement
2 Firms Will Offer Wider Access to Experimental AIDS Drugs: Washington Post (09/21/95) P. A3; Gillis, Justin; Two pharmaceutical makers announced this week that they would increase patients access to experimental AIDS drugs called protease inhibitors--moves which mean that more than 7,000 people will receive the drugs under compassionate use programs next year. Nutley, N.J.-based Hoffmann-La Roche said that 2,000 patients
AIDS, HIV Patients Hurt by Medical Bias: Baltimore Sun (09/21/95) P. 1A; Sugg, Diana K.; Researchers at Johns Hopkins University report that HIV- infected women and minorities develop AIDS sooner than others because they are not receiving adequate health care. A study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the difficulties in obtaining health care outweigh demographic factors in dete
Malegrams: Live and Learn: Men's Health (10/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 48; Research into why some HIV-positive persons continue to thrive after 10 or more years of infection could one day lead to more effective treatments. There are three likely reasons to explain why about 8 percent of the HIV-infected population do not develop AIDS, according to Dr. Susan Buchbinder, chief of the research b
HIV-Infected Women, Children Focus of Grants: Nation's Health (09/95) Vol. 25, No. 8, P. 4; The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has granted $1.1 million to programs in six states which offer prenatal medical care and discuss the value of HIV counseling, testing, and treatment in women of child-bearing age. This program will support efforts in key communities to provide women with the
New US Head of HIV/AIDS Policy Appointed: Lancet (09/09/95) Vol. 346, No. 8976, P. 692; McCarthy, Michael; According to Eric P. Goosby, the newly appointed head of the U.S. Public Health Service s Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, the HIV epidemic can be controlled by providing adequate medical and social services to the infected persons in the often impoverished minority communities which the virus affects. It is possible, Goosby
Halt to Brazil AIDS Campaign's Talking Penis: Reuters (09/18/95); On Monday, Brazil s Health Minister Adib Jatene said he would ban anti-AIDS television commercials that feature a talking penis named Braulio because people with that name have complained. I believe that the use of a name for the sexual organ has made many people uncomfortable, he said. The commercials show an actor ta
British Broadcast Watchdog Punishes 'Smutty' MTV: Reuters (09/19/95); British broadcast regulators have fined MTV Europe almost $93,000 for broadcasting smut, an explicit show on safe sex, and a commercial that was said to condone destructive behavior. MTV, however, claims the Independent Television Commission (ITC) is trying to make an example of the music- video station. Peter Einstein
A Sense of the Future: Financial Times (09/19/95) P. 15; Cole, George; Although sensors are traditionally considered to be mechanical devices like those used in some washing machines, the most recent sensors are semiconductors that convert physical phenomena such as humidity or temperature into an electrical signal, which is processed by a microprocessor. A second growth area is bio-senso
One Last Visit with Channon: Los Angeles Times (09/18/95) P. E1; Wride, Nancy; Channon Phipps, the first California student known to be barred from school because of infected HIV infection, died last week at age 20. In 1985, Channon--a hemophiliac who contracted HIV from contaminated blood products--was asked to stay at home until his school district could create a formal AIDS admissions policy.
Across the USA: Illinois: USA Today (09/20/95) P. 6A; The state of Illinois has increased from 16 to 110 the number of free drugs doctors can prescribe to HIV and AIDS patients who are either underinsured or cannot be covered under Medicaid.
Researcher Kills Myth of Shared Syringes: New York Times (09/20/95) P. B10; Goleman, Daniel; The field work of Dr. Steven Koester, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, was cited as one reason for an expert panel s recommendation on Tuesday that clean syringes be made available to heroin users to stop the sharing of needles. Koester studied Denver s heroin addicts and determin
Report Backs Funding for Needle Exchanges: Washington Post (09/20/95) P. A3; Schwartz, John; Needle exchange programs reduce the spread of HIV without promoting illicit drug use, according to a new report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. In Preventing HIV Transmission: The Role of Sterile Needles and Bleach, a panel from the two congressionally chartered private research groups
Opioid Use in HIV Patients with Neurological Changes: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (07/95- 08/95) Vol. 6, No. 4, P. 28; Paice, Judith A.; Pugliese, Janet C.; Fitzpatrick, Joyce E.; Paice et al. discuss the complex issue of pain in people with HIV or AIDS. It is often difficult or impossible to diagnose and treat the pain. The matter is further complicated by the neurological shifts that frequently occur in HIV infection. Although the use of opioids is often connected with these neurological event
Resistance of Microorganisms to Disinfection in Dental and Medical Devices: Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 956; Lewis, David L.; Arens, Max; Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that only heat sterilization be used for all reusable devices entering the oral cavity, chemical disinfection is still widely used for reprocessing dental equipment in many parts of the world. Lewis and Arens assessed the role of lubricants in high-le
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis and Low CD4+ T-Lymphocyte Counts: New England Journal of Medicine (09/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 10, P. 670; Baldassano, Vincent; Dunn, James P.; Feinberg, Judith et al.; A total of 62 HIV-infected patients with CD4 T-lymphocyte counts below 100 were examined before entry into a study on the prevention of cytomegalovirus ( CMV )-induced end-organ disease, report Johns Hopkins University s Baldassano et al. in a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.
22,000 Take Part in AIDS Walk: Los Angeles Times (09/18/95) P. B1; Leeds, Jeff; Twenty-two thousand people flooded the streets of Hollywood on Sunday for AIDS Walk Los Angeles, an annual event which is expected to generate $3.2 million this year for local AIDS programs. According to organizers, attendance in the 10- kilometer event has increased every year since it began ten years ago. AIDS Walk L
AIDS Rapist Imprisoned 12 Years: Toronto Globe and Mail (09/18/95) P. C4; Claridge, Thomas; Charles Winn, an HIV-infected man who confessed to risking a woman s life by raping her, has been sentenced by a Canadian court to 12 years in jail. Mr. Justice David Fairgrieve of the Ontario Court s Provincial Division said it was difficult to envisage a more dangerous threat than an unrestrained, unrehabilitated, HI
Thai Police Bust Two Members of AIDS-Thieves Gang: Reuters (09/19/95); Two Bangkok men accused of committing robberies by threatening to stab others with needles containing HIV-infected blood have been arrested, Thai authorities report. The two young men were arrested in a Bangkok shopping center on Monday, soon after robbing a man, the police said. The police believe the men are members
AIDS Threat for 1 Percent of Burmese: Financial Times (09/19/95) P. 6; Bardacke, Ted; The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 400,000, or 1 percent, of Burma s citizens are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Several social factors make Burmese citizens vulnerable to HIV, including a high number of injection drug users, social tolerance of prostitution, and large amounts of cro
New AIDS Drug Shows Promise, Merck Says: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/19/95) P. A3; Collins, Huntly; A study of 73 patients with advanced AIDS indicates that Merck & Co. s protease inhibitor Crixivan is more potent than any previously developed AIDS drug, said the company s director of clinical research Dr. Ferdinand Massari on Monday. According to Merck researchers at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial
Immune Response, Thai Firm Set Pact on Vaccine for HIV: Wall Street Journal (09/19/95) P. B7; Immune Response Corp. has completed a deal worth up to $25 million with Thailand s Trinity Medical Group Co. to continue development of a potential HIV vaccine. It is estimated that Trinity will spend $10 million to test Immune Response s vaccine and may make a $15 million equity investment in the Carlsbad, Calif., com
House Extends AIDS Law: New York Times (09/19/95) P. A18; The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Monday to extend the Ryan White CARE Act until the year 2000. The legislation provides funding for states, cities, and health care centers to help treat people with AIDS. The federal government will offer $633 million in grants under the law during fiscal 1995. In addition, th
Prevention Conference Highlights AIDS Advances, Setbacks: Nation's Health (09/95) Vol. 25, No. 8, P. 1; At the third international HIV/AIDS Prevention Conference, 1,000 people from around the world divided into workgroups, focusing on the theme of Evolving Responses to an Evolving Epidemic. Several government officials commended their own organizations for progress in the war against AIDS, while others involved in the fi
Thailand Trial for AIDS Therapeutic Vaccine?: Science (09/01/95) Vol. 269, No. 5228, P. 1207; Kaiser, Jocelyn; San Diego-based Immune Response Corp. (IRC) and Thai officials have almost completed an arrangement in which IRC will test its therapeutic AIDS vaccine in thousands of HIV-infected Thais, sources say. If approved, this could be the largest test ever of such a vaccine, and could determine the validity of boosting the im
Controlling AIDS with Clean Needles: Chicago Tribune (09/16/95) P. 1-16; The state of Connecticut has discovered that one of the best weapons against AIDS costs nothing to taxpayers, write the editors of the Chicago Tribune. By legalizing the over-the- counter sale of syringes by pharmacies, needle-sharing has dropped 40 percent among drug users in the state, according to two recent reports
City Presses Its Efforts to Curb TB: Chicago Tribune (09/16/95) P. 1-5; Kates, Joan Giangrasse; Chicago health authorities announced on Friday that due to an explosion of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (TB), they are increasing their disease-control efforts. We want to remind everyone that TB is still with us and to encourage everyone to be more aware and take action to prevent the spread of the disease, said S
The Reliable Source: Washington Post (09/18/95) P. B3; Groer, Annie; Gerhart, Ann; Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, and singer Cyndi Lauper will both participate in AIDSWalk Washington. The event, which will take place this Saturday on the Mall, will benefit the Whitman-Walker Clinic.
Across the USA: Connecticut: USA Today (09/18/95) P. 11A; Connecticut officials claim that AIDS disproportionately affects minorities in the state more than in the rest of the country. Statistics show that AIDS is the leading cause of death for black Connecticut residents--both male and female-- who are between the ages of 25 and 44.
Victim's Girlfriend Says She's Infected: Washington Times (09/18/95) P. A12; Randall, Colin; The girlfriend of a man who claims to have been HIV-infected by a vengeful woman with AIDS announced last week that she too is infected with HIV. She threatened to disclose the woman s name if Father Michael Kennedy did not. Kennedy is the Irish curate who reported that as a result of one woman s AIDS revenge campaign,
AIDS Research Supporters Set the Wheels in Motion: USA Today (09/18/95) P. 11A; Some 3,000 bicyclists rode into New York City on Sunday after riding three days from Boston to raise money for AIDS research and medical services. The fundraising event received pledges of approximately $6.5 million. The first Boston-to-New York AIDS Ride was based on a similar week-long event in California. Of the ple
Roche Holding Ltd.: Wall Street Journal (09/18/95) P. B9; Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., a division of the Swiss drug maker Roche Holding Ltd., has announced the expansion of a program in which its protease inhibitor Invirase is distributed to a certain number of patients. The company will hold a lottery in November to select 2,000 additional patients to receive the experimental A
As TB Surges, Drug Producers Face Criticism: New York Times (09/18/95) P. A1; Altman, Lawrence K.; Despite the fact that the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide continues to increase and that new drugs are waiting to be tested, many pharmaceutical makers are unwilling to spend the money it would take to bring them to the market, said experts at an international meeting sponsored by the British medical journa
Correction on the AIDS Daily Summary: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse (09/14/95); This is a clarification to the Industry Week article that was posted in the AIDS Daily Summary dated September 11, 1995 ( Your Health: AIDS Guidelines Industry Week, Vol 244, No 15, p19). The HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) is a coordinated Public Health Service effort that is offered through the CDC Nati
Health Watch: 'The Woman's HIV Sourcebook': Upscale (08/95) Vol. 7, No. 1, P. 60; Jane MacLean Craig s The Woman s HIV Sourcebook, from Taylor Publishing, describes the medical details and prevention methods of HIV. The book also provides information on current treatments, as well as a discussion of several legal and financial issues--including health insurance, housing, and job discrimination.
CD26 Expression Correlates with Entry, Replication and Cytopathicity of Monocytotropic HIV-1 Strains in a T-Cell Line: Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 919; Oravecz, Tamas; Roderiquez, Gregory; Koffi, Justin et al.; Oravecz et al. discovered a specific decrease in CD26 expression at the protein and messenger RNA level after monocytotropic (M-tropic), but not T-cell line-tropic (T- tropic) infection when comparing the role of certain cell surface receptors in M-tropic and T-tropic HIV-1 infection. In addition, the researchers found
Update on Treatment of CMV Retinitis: AIDS Clinical Care (09/95) Vol. 7, No. 9, P. 71; Feinberg, Judith; Recently, several new developments in the treatment and prevention of cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis have been reported. The first discovery is a permeable implant that delivers intraocular ganciclovir over a period of 33 to 39 weeks. A small, two-center study of the device in peripheral CMV retinitis patients foun
Health Officials Say No Proof for Irish AIDS Scare: Reuters (09/14/95); Hill, Andrew; Health officials in Ireland announced Thursday that they had no medical evidence to support Father Michael Kennedy s claims that a vengeful woman infected as many as 80 local men with HIV. Having checked with Irish and UK laboratories, we can confirm that there has bee no documented increase in HIV infection or AIDS in
Activists Seek Needle Program in New Bedford: Boston Globe (09/14/95) P. 23; Nealon, Patricia; Activists gathered on the steps of the New Bedford, Mass., City Hall on Thursday to commemorate the 200 city residents who have died from AIDS. Because almost three-quarters of New Bedford s AIDS cases are related to injection drug use, the activists will urge the City Council to support a pilot needle -exchange progra
Chronicle: Actor Continues to Help in Fight Against AIDS: New York Times (09/15/95) P. B7; Brozan, Nadine; For two years, Doug Savant, an actor best known for his character Matt, a gay social worker on Melrose Place, has worked as a volunteer in the AIDS ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco. This weekend, Savant will help 3,500 cyclists as they travel from Boston to New York City, distributing food and drink at rest stops
In Mayor's Report on City, an Emphasis on the Positive: New York Times (09/15/95) P. B6; Firestone, David; A self-evaluation released Thursday by New York city Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani revealed the damaging effects of budget cuts. Some people criticized the upbeat nature of the requisite annual management report, which demonstrated several areas of improvement, but did not emphasize problem areas where city agencies need t
Across the USA: Missouri: USA Today (09/15/95) P. 8A; The state of Missouri may be held accountable for $1.5 million in debts from an AIDS program that went broke, according to state Sen. Harry Wiggins.
For Those Facing Terminal Illness, Here's a Guide to Handling Finances: Wall Street Journal (09/15/95) P. C1; Asinof, Lynn; People diagnosed with a terminal illness must face the daunting financial questions of how their medical bills will be paid, how they will take care of their families, and how these people will survive after the patient s death. Although it is possible to defeat the illness, it is important to arrange your financial pl
Study Finds Other AIDS-Fighting Treatments Superior to AZT: Washington Post (09/15/95) P. A19; Okie, Susan; The anti-AIDS drug AZT appears to be less effective than an alternative drug or than therapies that combine AZT with either of two other drugs, a new government study concluded. The findings of the study, which involved nearly 2,500 people with moderately impaired immune systems, may change the current recommendation t
Rap to the Rescue: Vibe (10/95) Vol. 3, No. 8, P. 38; Hample, Henry; UrbanAID 4 LIFEbeat, a day-long AIDS benefit concert scheduled for Oct. 5 at New York s Madison Square Garden, is the hip hop community s response to AIDS. Most of the money raised from the event, which was created after rapper Eazy-E announced in March that he was dying of AIDS, is expected to come from $100,000 in co
UK Multidrug Resistant TB: Lancet (09/02/95) Vol. 346, No. 8975, P. 632; England has experienced its first outbreak of hospital- acquired multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The outbreak, which involved one index and four secondary cases, took place in an HIV unit in London.
Management of the Hematological Manifestations of HIV and AIDS: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (07/95- 08/95) Vol. 6, No. 4, P. 9; Ownby, Kristen Kane; Hematological disorders or cytopenia-related problems, frequently encountered by people with HIV or AIDS, are caused by reduced production of precursor cells in the bone marrow, increased peripheral destruction of the differentiated cells, and ineffective hematopoiesis. People with AIDS are at risk for developing sever
'Confirmatory' Trials: Symptom Reduction As Efficacy Measure: AIDS Treatment News (08/18/95) No. 229, P. 1; James, John S.; The critical problem with current efficacy trials is the definition of clinical proof or confirmation as requiring an endpoint of death or progression to an AIDS-defining infection, writes John S. James for AIDS Treatment News. Instead, James proposes a trial design which uses symptom reduction as a primary indicator f
And a Child Leads Them: Los Angeles Times (09/13/95) P. B2; James, Ian; During the past few years, 11-year-old Leo Beckerman has helped raise thousands of dollars in the annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles. Last year, for example, he and about 70 children in Kids Who Care --a group he and six of his friends established --brought in $15,000. With the encouragement of his mother, who has a friend o
AIDS Treatment Gets City Backing: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (09/13/95) P. 1B; Lindecke, Fred W.; Young, Virginia; St. Louis officials have asked AIDS service providers to continue treating patients even though Missouri has reported a shortage of funds. No one has to worry at this point, said Deborah Butler-McGruder, grant administrator of AIDS money for the city. Coleen Kivlahan, Missouri s health director, announced on Monday tha
Health Board to Quiz Priest over AIDS Avenger: Reuters (09/13/95); Officials from Ireland s health board questioned Irish priest Rev. Michael Kennedy on Wednesday about his claims that a spiteful woman infected dozens of men with HIV. This was the second meeting between the priest and the health board since Kennedy warned his congregation last Sunday that the woman said she had infect
Irish Priest's Tale Stirs Furor about AIDS and Unprotected Sex: New York Times (09/14/95) P. A12; Clarity, James F.; A Roman Catholic priest has sparked a wave of concern about AIDS in Ireland . Rev. Michael Kennedy, a priest in the town of Dungarvan, claims that an HIV-infected woman tried to avenge her illness by having unprotected intercourse with numerous Irishman, infecting at least 14 of them with HIV.
The Economics of AIDS: Business Week (09/18/95) No. 3442, P. 34; Mandel, Michael J.; AIDS may have less of an economic impact than previously thought, according to a new report by David E. Bloom and Ajay S. Mahal of the National Bureau of Economic Research. It was previously thought that AIDS would reduce economic growth in severely affected nations, and that the disease s high medical costs would take
Dental Discrimination Case Could Be Decided by Jury: AIDS Alert (09/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 118; The case of a dentist in Maine who refused to treat an HIV- infected individual in his office recently moved closer to becoming the first HIV discrimination case under the Americans with Disabilities Act to be tried before a jury. U.S. District Court Judge Morton Brody rejected a request in July for a judge to decide t
Government Should Readily Admit Errors: Nikkei Weekly (08/28/95) Vol. 33, No. 1686, P. 6; Shioya, Yoshio; The Japanese government makes promises to the general public to correct its errors and to maintain discipline; however, it rarely apologizes to an individual, notes Yoshio Shioya, a senior staff writer of The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, in the Nikkei Weekly. For example, the government has failed to acknowledge any liability
Researchers Air Alternative Views on How HIV Kills Cells: Science (08/25/95) Vol. 269, No. 5227, P. 1044; Cohen, Jon; AIDS researchers recently gathered in Berkeley, Calif., to discuss their alternative views on how HIV destroys the immune system and causes AIDS. We have to subvert the dominant paradigm, said immunologist Michael Ascher of the Calif. Dept. of Health Services at the opening of the forum. The paradigm to which Ascher re
Vengeful Irish Woman Spread AIDS Virus--Priest: Reuters (09/12/95); Physicians minimized rumors that a malicious Irish woman infected as many as 80 men after becoming infected with the virus that causes AIDS. This would seem to be a very high level of transmission. It requires to be investigated, said Dr. James Walsh, former National Irish AIDS coordinator. Walsh added that, according
Clean Needles in Massachusetts: Boston Globe (09/12/95) P. 14; The city of Worcester would be wise to follow Massachusetts Gov. William Weld s authorization of a modest expansion of a state needle-exchange program, write the editors of the Boston Globe. Earlier this month, Commissioner of Public Health David Mulligan reported that in its first two years, the program provided more
Asia AIDS Epidemic Looms Amid Ignorance, Taboos: Reuters (09/13/95); Charles, Deborah; Health care and social workers must battle ignorance and religious taboos to teach Asians about AIDS. Thousands will address the problem at the upcoming Third International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, at which organizers say they hope to find some answers--or at least draw attention to the epidemic in t
Across the USA: California/Missouri: USA Today (09/13/95) P. 9A; A measure approved by the California state legislature which allows people with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, or multiple sclerosis patients to grow and smoke marijuana for medical purposes will likely be vetoed by Gov. Pete Wilson, who rejected similar bills in 1993 and 1994. Meanwhile, a program in Missouri that assisted a
Red Cross Tones Down AIDS Materials: New York Times (09/13/95) P. A20; Berke, Richard L.; The American Red Cross is attempting to tone down its AIDS prevention program following a request by its president, Elizabeth Dole. Internal Red Cross documents do not indicate any political agenda for Dole, whose husband Sen. Bob Dole (R- Kan.) is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, but some Red Cross offi
Alternative/Complementary Therapies Used by Persons with HIV Disease: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (07/95- 08/95) Vol. 6, No. 4, P. 19; Nokes, Kathleen M.; Kendrew, Joan; Longo, Marion; Although alternative or complementary therapies are not generally prescribed by a health provider, they are readily available in health food stores and mail order catalogs. Nokes et al. assessed the kinds of alternative therapies used by HIV-infected persons. A total of 145 HIV-positive individuals were asked to answer
Long-Term Protection against SIV-Induced Disease in Macaques Vaccinated with a Live Attenuated HIV-2 Vaccine: Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 914; Putkonen, Per; Walther, Lilian; Zhang, Yi-Jun et al.; As part of a continuing study, Putkonen et al. attempted to determine the ability of a live, attenuated HIV-2 vaccine to protect cynomolgus monkeys from superinfection with a pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV. New data indicate that three of the four monkeys injected with live HIV -2 were safeguarded aga
"Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in AIDS: Lancet (09/02/95) Vol. 346, No. 8975, P. 588; Sepkowitz, Kent A. ; Armstrong, Donald; In the 14 years since the AIDS epidemic was first identified, a number of treatments have been established for opportunistic infections, note Sepkowitz and Armstrong in the medical journal The Lancet. For example, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) used to be the AIDS-defining infection for 60 percent of HIV-infected
Ugandan Claims AIDS Cure with Prayer and Water: Reuters (09/11/95); Thousands of AIDS patients are traveling to eastern Uganda to find a woman who says she can cure AIDS by repeating Roman Catholic prayers and bathing patients with rainwater. The state-owned New Vision newspaper reported on Monday that more than 200 people arrive each day at Katajula Village, which is 128 miles east of
Leading Researcher on AIDS Quits Post: New York Times (09/09/95) P. 46; Dr. James Curran, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s associate director for HIV-AIDS, announced on Friday that he was leaving to become dean of Emory University s school of public health. Curran, whose resignation is effective Nov. 1, was part of the original team of federal researchers who investigated i
Top Ukraine Doctor Links Chernobyl to AIDS Increase: Reuters (09/11/95); Increased radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster may be in part to blame for the significant increase in AIDS cases detected in the Ukraine , said Valery Ivasyuk, head of the former Soviet Republic s anti-AIDS committee, on Monday. According to Ivasyuk, the number of cases of AIDS and HIV infection doubled in the p
White House AIDS Activist Falls into Political Exile: Los Angeles Times (09/11/95) P. A1; Fiore, Faye; Robert Hattoy, who came to Washington with the Clinton administration in 1993 as an openly gay man with AIDS, is in political exile. He has been displaced from the White House, where he believed he had been brought to help make AIDS a presidential priority. Hattoy began as the associate director of White House personne
Whitman-Walker Finds Funds: Washington Post (09/12/95) P. A18; The financial arrangement between Washington, D.C. s Whitman- Walker Clinic and Life Entitlements Corp., a New York-based viatical settlement firm, is a good deal, write the editors of the Washington Post, because the clinic is in dire need of resources to continue its work. Although some questions have been raised abo
Magic Speaking Out: Washington Post (09/12/95) P. E2; Basketball great Magic Johnson, who retired from the National Basketball Association after becoming infected with HIV, will help the Philippine government in its fight against AIDS. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health said that Johnson will visit Manila and Cebu City during late October for a speaking tour fe
Your Health: AIDS Guidelines: Industry Week (08/21/95) Vol. 244, No. 15, P. 19; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now has a toll- free hotline that provides the latest information on approved drug treatments and guidelines for HIV-positive individuals. The HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service has both English- and Spanish-speaking staff at 800-HIV-0440.
Laying Out the Rules for AIDS Vaccine Trials: Science (08/25/95) Vol. 269, No. 5227, P. 1037; The National Institutes of Health s decision to halt large- scale testing of two potential AIDS vaccines caused many biotech firms to wonder what it would take to re-obtain governmental support of the expensive efficacy trials. Now, in a move toward repairing the rift, Anthony Fauci--director of the National Institute
Oral Ganciclovir as Maintenance Treatment for Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Patients with AIDS: New England Journal of Medicine (09/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 10, P. 615; Drew, W. Lawrence; Ives, David; Lalezari, Jacob P. et al.; Drew et al. assessed the efficacy of oral ganciclovir in a randomized trial of AIDS patients with newly diagnosed cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis for the Syntex Cooperative Oral Ganciclovir Study Group. A total of 123 subjects received maintenance therapy with either the oral or the intravenous form of the drug.
SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals Receives Approvable Letter for DOXIL: Business Wire (09/08/95); SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced on Friday that it had received a letter from the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) which says that its DOXIL Injection (pegylated-liposomal doxorubicin HCI) is approvable for the treatment of AIDS- associated Kaposi s sarcoma patients in whom combination therapy has failed beca
Over 8,000 AIDS Cases in Western Pacific--WHO: Reuters (09/08/95); There are 8,401 cases of AIDS in 26 of the 36 nations in the western Pacific region, a new survey from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows. Eighty-five percent of the total number came from Australia , Japan , and New Zealand , said WHO regional director S.
Complaint Launched over Blood Records: Toronto Globe and Mail (09/08/95) P. A8; Canadian Information Commissioner John Grace will launch an investigation this week into the destruction of records associated with the tainted-blood scandal, Alan Leadbetter, deputy information commissioner, said last Thursday. Evidence recently presented at the inquiry into the country s blood system revealed that th
Chronicle: For Rosie Perez, a 10-Kilometer Act of Penance In Memory of a Friend: New York Times (09/11/95) P. B12; Actress Rosie Perez described her participation in Sunday s AIDS Walk Colorado, a 10-kilometer trek which benefits AIDS service agencies, as an act of penance. Perez said her desire to fight the disease came after the death of a friend whom she had been too scared to see. I kept saying, Yeah, yeah, I ll be there, but w
World's Youth Face AIDS, Unemployment, Illiteracy: Reuters (09/11/95); O'Neill, Mark; At the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing, much attention was focused on the bleak future of millions of young women across the world. Half of those exposed to the HIV virus are under 25, said conference secretary-general Gertrude Mongella, a former Tanzanian parliamentarian. She said she felt saddene
Across the USA: Utah: USA Today (09/11/95) P. 10A; LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, has created a hotline and is offering free HIV testing to anyone who may have received incorrectly screened blood from its blood bank during the past eight years.
D.C. AIDS Clinic Makes Deal with Insurance Buyer: Washington Post (09/11/95) P. A1; Pan, Philip P.; The Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C. s largest AIDS services provider, and New York-based Life Entitlements Corp., a viatical settlement firm, have established a financial relationship which opponents claim raises several ethical issues. Under the agreement, the clinic will receive 3 percent of the face value of
Risk and Depression in Black Women: Focus (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 7; An analysis of women s health centers in Baltimore shows that women with symptoms of depression were much more likely than women without these symptoms to engage in HIV-associated risk behaviors. In the study, which was published in AIDS Education and Prevention, more than 170 primarily African- American women responde
AZT and Cardiomyopathy: AIDS Clinical Care (09/95) Vol. 7, No. 9, P. 77; To determine whether AZT corrupts cardiac mitochondria as it does in mitochondria found in skeletal muscle, researchers from the National Cancer Institute studied the serial echocardiograms of more than 130 HIV-infected children. Blinded observers reviewed the echocardiograms for left- ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and
U.S. Guidelines on Fungal Infections and HIV Infection: Lancet (09/02/95) Vol. 346, No. 8975, P. 630; McCarthy, Michael; Although most HIV-infected individuals experience oral candidosis at some point during infection, disseminated candidosis with candidaemia is unusual. In its new guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections, the American Thoracic Society explains that the reason for this may be that these individuals
"Interferon Sciences Completes $14.4 Million Public Offering and Announces Clinical Status: Business Wire (09/07/95); Interferon Sciences, Inc. has completed the sale of 12 million shares of common stock for a total of $14.4 million, excluding fees and expenses. The transactions followed a best efforts public offering of between 6.5 million and 12 million common stock shares at a public offering price of $1.20 per share. The biopharma
Doctors Revise Views on Anti-Tuberculosis Drug: Reuters (09/07/95); Thiacetazone, an important tuberculosis-fighting drug whose use has been limited by reports of extreme adverse reactions, may have fewer harmful effects than previously thought, physicians report. According to the medical journal The Lancet, which published the research, the finding is particularly useful for developin
The TV Column: For the Second Year in a Row: Washington Post (09/08/95) P. F6; Carmody, John; For the second consecutive year, Washington, D.C. s local NBC affiliate Channel 4 has joined the Whitman-Walker Clinic in promoting AIDSWALK Washington, which will be held Sept. 23 on the Mall. The clinic hopes to increase the $1.3 million raised in 1994 s AIDSWALK to $1.7 million this year. We re especially needful th
Wind-Up Radio Puts Africans in the Know: Reuters (09/08/95); Bosch, Marius; A new wind-up radio, whose power is based on the principle used in the gramophone years ago, is bringing news and music to many powerless Africans. The radio, powered by a wind-up spring which activates an internal generator, is ideal for rural parts of the continent where there are no power lines or batteries are too
Disability Claims May Be Roadblock for ADA Suits: Wall Street Journal (09/08/95) P. B2; McMorris, Frances A.; Some courts believe that dismissed employees who apply for disability benefits should be prohibited from suing their employers for discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In the most recent decision, a federal judge rejected a lawsuit filed by Leonard McNemar--an assistant store manager in Cherr
Women: Absent Term in the AIDS Research Equation: Science (08/11/95) Vol. 269, No. 5225, P. 777; Cohen, Jon; Until recently, women have in some ways remained an unrecognized element of the AIDS epidemic. Many early studies in women, for example, were limited to blocking maternal- infant HIV transmission. Although gay men account for more than 50 percent of the AIDS cases reported in the United States , women now make up 13
Is Oral Sex Safer Sex? An AIDS Education Dilemma: AIDS Alert (09/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 112; Some AIDS educators have begun to condone unprotected oral sex, and others have stopped condemning it. For example, a recent poster campaign launched by the AIDS Action Committee in Boston states that Oral Sex Is Safer Sex. This shift in attitudes comes as heads of gay men s groups find themselves trapped in a controve
Alternative Medicine and HIV/AIDS: Request for Applications: AIDS Treatment News (08/18/95) No. 229, P. 6; The AIDS Research Center at Bastyr University will present as many as five awards totaling $105,000 for the investigation and evaluation of promising therapies currently in use for treating people with HIV or AIDS. Applicants need to obtain a copy of the Request for Applications, submit a letter of intent as soon as po
New Global AIDS Programme Trying to Break with the Past: Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 862; Tastemain, Catherine; When it is fully operational next year, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV-AIDS ( UNAIDS ) will organize international AIDS control, superceding the Global Programme on AIDS (GPA). The GPA had an annual budget of approximately $80 million, yet it was viewed as inefficient and unwieldy. UN agencies and donor coun
Organiser Hopes AIDS Meet Will Show Thai Success: Reuters (09/06/95); One of the objectives of an impending regional AIDS conference is to show the world how hard Thailand has worked to fight the disease, said a Thai organizer on Wednesday. We want...to publicize the positive aspects of what Thailand has done about AIDS, said Dr. Natth Bhamarapravati, chairman of the organizing committee
Columbia Laboratories Files Investigational New Drug Application to Start U.S. Clinical Trials for Its AIDS Therapy Drug, SPC3: Business Wire (09/06/95); Columbia Laboratories, Inc. has filed an Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin Phase I/II testing of its AIDS drug, SPC3 (Synthetic Polymeric Construction No. 3). The clinical trials will attempt to determine the correct dosage of the drug in late- stage seropositive i
The Reliable Source: Friendly for Fisher: Washington Post (09/07/95) P. D3; Groer, Annie; Gerhart, Ann; House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D- Mass.) will host a reception for artist and AIDS activist Mary Fisher on Sept. 28. At the reception, Fisher--who made a stirring speech about being HIV-positive at the 1992 Republican convention--will display several of her works, including a brightly painted
Study Finds Oral Version of Eye Drug Effective: Reuters (09/06/95); Oral ganciclovir is safe and effective, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes. Ganciclovir has been generally administered intravenously to AIDS patients in order to combat cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis. However, a team of researchers led by Lawrence Drew of the University of Californi
Business Briefs: Cambridge Biotech Corp.: Wall Street Journal (09/07/95) P. B4; The U.S. Bankruptcy Court has ruled that Cambridge Biotech Corp. did not violate two HIV-2 diagnostic test patents held by Institut Pasteur. Cambridge Biotech, however, said that it has been barred from manufacturing or selling an HIV-1 Western blot test because the court found that this product did, in fact, infringe
AIDS Strikes D.C. Latino Community: Washington Post (09/07/95) P. D.C.1; DeJesus, Ivelisse; In Washington, D.C. s immigrant Latino community, many of the people with AIDS do not fit the standard definitions of high- risk groups, but such obstacles as cultural barriers, language, and traditional sex roles put them at increased risk of HIV infection. According to health officials, this problem makes efforts to
The Amityville Fixer-Upper: New York (08/28/95) Vol. 28, No. 34, P. 30; Lippert-Martin, Kristen; New York Gov. Pataki recently signed a bill that could make it easier for real-estate agents to get rid of stigmatized property. The new haunted-house law states that it is no longer relevant to the sale of a home that a former occupant died from AIDS or that is was the site of a murder, suicide, or other crime.
Esophageal Disease Profiled: AIDS Clinical Care (09/95) Vol. 7, No. 9, P. 77; A prospective study in Atlanta cataloged the etiology and course of esophageal ulceration in HIV-positive individuals who were diagnosed between 1990 and 1994. All 100 subjects had symptomatic esophageal ulcer identified on endoscopy, and the majority had longstanding HIV infection, with an average of 15 CD4 cells. The
New Indication for Foscarnet: AIDS Alert (09/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 120; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has approved Astra USA Inc. s injectable version of foscarnet sodium for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus, making it the first approved treatment for the resulting infection in immunocompromised individuals. The FDA based its approval of Foscavir I
STD Control for HIV Prevention--It Works!: Lancet (08/26/95) Vol. 346, No. 8974, P. 518; Laga, Marie; Grosskurth et al. s study of the control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infection in rural Tanzania shows that basic STD treatment, when integrated into primary healthcare services, can effect a significant reduction of HIV, writes Marie Laga of the Institute of Tropical Medicine s STD/HIV Research and
Women's NGO Forum Leaves Chinese Unmoved: Reuters (09/05/95); O'Neill, Mark; Although political protests occur daily as part of a grassroots forum of women outside of Beijing, the demonstrations affect few of China s millions of citizens. Media censorship and strict security has guaranteed that few Chinese are aware of what takes place at the meeting of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). At
Medizone Appoints Outside Director: Business Wire (09/05/95); Medizone International Inc. has named Ken Gropper, president and CEO of Management Consulting Group Inc. of Boston, to its board of directors. The move comes after the recent approval of an amendment to the company s by-laws, which permitted an increase of the board of directors from three members to as many as seven.
Gilead Sciences Announces VISTIDE Available Under Treatment IND Program for Patients With Relapsing CMV Retinitis: Business Wire (09/05/95); Gilead Sciences , Inc. s drug VISTIDE (cidofovir intravenous) is now available under a Treatment Investigational New Drug (IND) program for patients with relapsing cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis. Under the program, the drug will will be made widely available to AIDS patients whose CMV r
Blood Withdrawal to Cost $15-Million: Toronto Globe and Mail (09/05/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; The Canadian Red Cross recent decision to recall products made with the blood of two donors stricken with a rare neurological disease will cost Canadian citizens approximately C$15 million. The question is: Did the risk justify the cost? asks William Dobson, executive director of the Canadian Blood Agency. Dobson says
Selling Syringes: The Swiss Experiment: Wall Street Journal (09/06/95) P. A18; Ehrenfeld, Rachel; Before further deliberating the decriminalization of drug use, U.S. policy makers should consider a three-year-old Swiss program which arose from the desire to reduce HIV infection among the country s 30,000 to 40,000 opiate addicts, writes Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of NarcoTerrorism, in the Wall Street Journal. Because
New Issue Update: Immune Response Corp.: Investor's Business Daily (09/06/95) P. A6; The Japanese Patent Office has issued to inventors Dr. Jonas Salk and Dennis J. Carlo a patent which has been licensed to Immune Response Corp. of Carlsbad, Calif., for its HIV treatment product. The product has completed Phase I and II clinical trials, and was recommended by an advisory committee to continue to Phase
Hopelessness and Injection Drug Use: Focus (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 7; Injection drug users being tested for HIV antibodies had low overall levels of hopelessness, considering the likelihood of infection through drug use, a large clinical study reveals. Other studies of hopelessness, which is defined as negative expectancies about the future, have found no relationship between overall lev
Impact of Improved Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases on HIV Infection in Rural Tanzania: Randomised Controlled Trial: Lancet (08/26/95) Vol. 346, No. 8974, P. 530; Grosskurth, Heiner; Mosha, Frank; Todd, James et al.; To determine the effects of increased sexually transmitted disease (STD) case management at the primary healthcare level on the incidence of HIV infection, Grosskurth et al. conducted a randomized trial of more than 12,500 individuals in Mwanza, Tanzania . Intervention included the establishment of an STD reference cli
Teen with AIDS Had Sex with 15: Boston Globe (08/31/95) P. 12; According to a Ukrainian official, a 13-year-old AIDS patient searched for people to infect, and transmitted HIV to at least 15 girls. This is the first such case in Ukraine , when a teen-ager, barely out of his childhood, has deliberately endangered the lives of 15 girls, commented Valery Ivasyuk of Ukraine s National
AIDS-Prevention Steps Taken, Dental Chief Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (08/31/95) P. A9; The president of the Canadian Dental Association reported on Wednesday that Canadian dentists are already conducting all the procedures recommended in a study to prevent the risk of HIV spreading from drills. The study, which was published in Nature Medicine, discovered that HIV can survive in the fluids lubricating th
Body Heal Thyself: Financial Times (08/31/95) P. 8; Griffith, Victoria; Unlike previous classes of vaccines, therapeutic vaccines aim to treat patients already affected by an illness rather than prevent infection. These vaccines attempt to add a few extra years to life by teaching the immune system to destroy disease cells. Successful trials for such diseases as melanoma, hepatitis B, stom
Women Gets Prison in AIDS-Transmission Case: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (08/31/95) P. 1B; Goodrich, Robert; On Wednesday, Caretha Russell was sentenced to three-and-a- half years in jail, after pleading guilty to transmitting HIV. Russell admitted that she repeatedly had sex with a 17-year- old last year even though she knew she had AIDS. Thus far, the teenager has not tested positive for HIV, said prosecutor Carol Barnard.
Blood Panel Destroyed Records: Toronto Globe and Mail (08/31/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; A record of decisions of a meeting of the Canadian Blood Committee reveals that the committee s members agreed in 1989 to destroy all audio tapes and transcripts related to their discussions of Canada s tainted blood scandal in order to avoid public scrutiny. It was estimated at that time that more than 1,500 people ha
Ashe Booth at Open Loses High-Profile Spot: New York Times (09/01/95) P. B7; Sandomir, Richard; The Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS has occupied a high-visibility booth inside the main gate to the National Tennis Center for three years, selling souvenirs to raise funds for AIDS programs. This year, however, the U.S. Tennis Association moved the nonprofit organization to the Passarelle, the boardwalk
Judge Upholds Denial of Coverage for AIDS: Journal of Commerce (09/01/95) P. 7A; The Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with HIV or AIDS, does not apply to South Carolina s Health Insurance Pool, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Shedd. I applied and was rejected because I was HIV-positive, said Sam Givens Jr., who replaced original plaintiff Bill Ed
Life Partners Inc. Is Told to Transfer Control of Policies: Wall Street Journal (09/01/95) P. B5; Schatz, Amy J.; Life Partners Inc. has been ordered to release its policies to a third party. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit against the company and its president, Brian Pardo, last year, alleging that they sold unregistered securities, that they did not register as a securities broker, and that they misled in
FDA Warning on Raw Oysters: AIDS Treatment News (08/18/95) No. 229, P. 6; Persons with HIV, liver disease, or certain other medical conditions should avoid consuming raw oysters because of the risk of Vibrio vulnificus infection. The risk is particularly high from oysters that come from the Gulf of Mexico, particularly between the months of April and October. Although this bacterium is not a
Treatment of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Patients in Zaire: New England Journal of Medicine (08/24/95) Vol. 333, No. 8, P. 519; Perriens, Joseph H.; St. Louis, Michael E.; Prignot, Jacques; In response to letters to the editors published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Perriens et al. restate that their recommendation for a six-month limit on the duration of tuberculosis (TB) therapy was made in the context of the TB- control program in Zaire . The authors admit the limitations of their study in d
A Human Nucleoporin-Like Protein that Specifically Interacts with HIV Rev: Nature (08/10/95) Vol. 376, No. 6540, P. 530; Fritz, Christian C.; Zapp, Maria L.; Green, Michael R.; Fritz et al. attempted to identify proteins that would interact in a yeast two-hybrid assay with both human T- lymphotrophic virus-1 Rex and HIV-1 Rev. The Rev protein aids in the nuclear export of unspliced and partially spliced viral RNAs. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute team used the yeast two-hybrid screen to d
Shelbourne AIDS Housing Still Alive: Miami Herald (08/30/95) P. 10A; Smoyer, Amy; In a letter to the editor published in the Miami Herald, Amy Smoyer--coordinator of the Shelbourne Apartment Building in Miami--commends the newspaper for recognizing Dade County s incredible need to create AIDS housing. Smoyer, however, clarifies a recent editorial by noting that while the Shelbourne was set on fire l
The Family Filmgoer: Kids: Washington Post (08/31/95) P. D7; Horwitz, Jane; Kids, an extraordinarily bleak portrait of New York teenagers caught up in a whirlwind of sex, drugs, and chaos, represents the truth for only a very small percentage of today s youth. The documentary-style film chronicles one day in the lives of a group of friends. It focuses on an obnoxious teen named Telly, a deflo
Survivor's Guilt: Chicago Tribune (08/30/95) P. 2-1; Griffin, Jean Latz; The mid-1990s are a confusing time for HIV-negative homosexual men, many of whom say they feel like second-class gay men, or hide their HIV status even though they are considered fortunate. Things are difficult enough as it is without the pity element or the resentment element, one man said. I don t want people to feel
Across the USA: Indiana: USA Today (08/31/95) P. 5A; On Sept. 7, Ryan White, the Indiana teenager who advocated AIDS awareness as he fought the disease, will be among the first of five inductees to the Kids Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. White died five years ago at the age of 18.
Digest: Glaxo Wellcome: Washington Post (08/31/95) P. B14; Glaxo Wellcome announced that it will now offer medical and dental benefits to the live-in companions of its homosexual employees. The pharmaceutical giant manufacturers the world s leading AIDS drug, AZT . AIDS activists who were members of a company advisory panel had been calling for the move for several
Parents Sue Romania over Child's H.I.V. Infection: New York Times (08/31/95) P. A3; Perlez, Jane; A couple is suing the Romanian Health Ministry for causing the HIV infection of their six-year-old daughter. Unlike the parents of many Romanian children who became infected with HIV during the Communist rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, Iasmina Calinciuc s parents are willing to sue on her behalf. It is the moral responsibil
Going On: The Post-AIDS-Play Play: Village Voice (08/29/95) Vol. 40, No. 35, P. 78; Finkle, David; The second decade of the AIDS epidemic has created a new style of AIDS onstage, in which the disease is briefly mentioned or avoided. For example, one character in Terrence McNally s Love! Valour! Compassion! yells, Anyone who mentions AIDS this summer--it ll cost them. The characters end up discussing the disease, but
Bringing AZT to Poor Countries: Science (08/04/95) Vol. 269, No. 5224, P. 624; Cohen, Jon; A new advertisement from the Pediatric AIDS Foundation will show an infant lying on a quilt with these words superimposed, The only thing worse than losing a child to AIDS is finding out you didn t have to. The ad is part of a campaign in response to last year s discovery that AZT can reduce the
AIDS Update: Keep Sharp with a Pencil: Men's Health (09/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 48; Approximately 20 percent of all HIV-infected individuals have some sort of memory problem, but there is a way to alleviate short-term memory and concentration difficulties. According to Dr. Joel Levy of the Baylor College of Medicine, use of the drug Ritalin and a detailed memory notebook can lessen such memory problem
Briefly: Elsewhere: Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/29/95) P. A2; AIDS researcher Dr. Eric P. Goosby has been appointed to the highest AIDS policy position in the U.S. Public Health Service.
Red Cross and Lab Fought for Blood Supply: Toronto Globe and Mail (08/29/95) P. A6; Two former officials of a Canadian government-owned company testified on Monday that the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and their company struggled for control over blood products as HIV entered the country s blood supply. The two organizations fought about who should make blood products for hemophiliacs, said Alun Davies an
Negative Reactions Pound Stock of Univax, Buyer: Baltimore Sun (08/30/95) P. 8C; Mullaney, Timothy J.; Stock prices of both Univax Biologics Inc. and North American Biologicals Inc. fell on Tuesday as investors reacted negatively to the two firms merger plans. North American s stock dropped $1.375 to $9 a share yesterday, while Univax s stock declined $0.75 to $7.25. Supporters of the agreement, however, claim the deal
Pause in Life-Expectancy Gains Apparently Tied to Impact of AIDS: New York Times (08/30/95) P. C8; Brody, Jane E.; Newly published statistics from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company reveal that the increase in AIDS-related deaths has basically halted the United States century-long increase in life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth reached a peak 75.8 years in 1992, but fell slightly to 75.5 years the next year and remained
AIDS Virus Lives after Two Hours in Disinfectant: Baltimore Sun (08/30/95) P. 3A; A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine indicates that a chemical disinfectant used on some medical and dental devices may not kill HIV. In the laboratory, the researchers discovered that the germ-killer glutaraldehyde did not kill the virus that causes AIDS in blood lodged in lubricants frequently used in
Study Finds AIDS Risk to Addicts Drops if Sale of Syringes Is Legal: New York Times (08/30/95) P. A1; Judson, George; New studies show that needle sharing among drug addicts dropped 40 percent after Connecticut approved a law three years ago allowing pharmacies to sell syringes over the counter. The studies, published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, conclude that the increased availability of clean needles shou
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (); The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
Depressive Disorder and HIV Disease: An Uncommon Association: Focus (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 1; Rabkin, Judith G.; Remien, Robert H.; Despite the perception that HIV infection may cause depression, evidence suggests that there is seldom a cause-and -effect relationship between the two, write Rabkin and Remien- -both professors of psychology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. Early reports of psychiatric morbidity among
New Antiviral Strategies: Interview with Marcus Conant, M.D.: AIDS Treatment News (08/04/95) No. 228, P. 1; James, John S.; In an interview with AIDS Treatment News, Dr. Marcus Conant-- head of the Conant Medical Group, one of the largest HIV practices in San Francisco--notes that compared to a few years ago, there are now three indicators, instead of one or two to determine an individual s level of HIV infection. Although the data has beco
Potential Mechanism for Sustained Antiretroviral Efficacy of AZT-3TC Combination Therapy: Science (08/04/95) Vol. 269, No. 5224, P. 696; Larder, Brendan A.; Kemp, Sharon D.; Harrigan, P. Richard; Because current monotherapeutic treatment of HIV-1 infection is associated with only limited benefits, drug combinations that effectively reduce HIV-1 replication and delay drug resistance are desperately needed. To better understand the significance of the resistance-producing mutations that occur in reverse transcrip
Update: HIV-2 Infection among Blood and Plasma Donors--United States, June 1992-June 1995: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (08/18/95) Vol. 44, No. 32, P. 603; Since the implementation of HIV-2 screening for all donated blood three years ago, two cases of HIV-2 infection have been identified. The first donation was rejected in June 1994 after it tested positive in a combination HIV-1/HIV-2 enzyme immunoessay (EIA) and indeterminate in an HIV-1 Western blot test. The donor was
Battling HIV/AIDS: Chicago Tribune (08/28/95) P. 1-12; Buchanan, Thomas E.; In a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, Thomas E. Buchanan--executive director of Horizons Community Services, the Midwest s largest and oldest provider of social services to the Chicago gay and lesbian community--expresses his support for the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Chiron and Univax to Collaborate on Development of Vaccine- Based Human Immunotherapeutic Products: Business Wire (08/28/95); Chiron Corp. and Univax Corp. have signed an agreement-in- principle to establish a long-term collaboration for the development of human immunotherapeutic products based on Chiron Biocine s vaccines. Under the agreement, Univax has the exclusive global rights to Chiron Biocine s vaccines for use as immunizing agents.
Indonesia Hospital Scolded for Rejecting AIDS Case: Reuters (08/28/95); The Indonesian government has admonished a hospital for rejecting an AIDS patient and refusing to let a physician treat that person. The Jakarta hospital, Medistra, was reprimanded because it had violated a ministerial decree on AIDS prevention, according to Hadi Santoso, chairman of Jakarta s Health Ministry Office.
Thai-U.S. Military Team Launches AIDS Vaccine Trial: Reuters (08/29/95); A combined Thai-U.S. military medical team has just launched a trial of a potential AIDS vaccine made by the U.S. firm Chiron Biocine, called SF2 gp120/MF 59. Thus far, two Thai volunteers have been injected with the drug, but 22 more will also receive the trial drug during the first phase of the experiment, which will
North American Biologicals to Acquire Univax for About $150 Million in Stock: Wall Street Journal (08/29/95) P. A4; Frank, Robert; Univax Biologicals Inc. will be acquired by North American Biologicals Inc. for approximately $150 million worth of stock, providing Univax with much-needed capital and manufacturing capabilities. The agreement will unite North American Biologicals large supply of blood plasma and financial strength with Univax s exten
FDA Allows AIDS Patients to Try Thalidomide: Baltimore Sun (08/29/95) P. 18A; Celgene Corp. will offer thalidomide as a treatment for AIDS- related wasting under a new program approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ). The tranquilizer caused birth defects throughout Europe during the 1950s. Celgene will hold clinical trials to determine whether its version of the drug, called
Depression in Low HIV Prevalence Areas: Focus (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 9, P. 8; A new study by Perkins et al. reveals that serious depression is common among both seronegative and asymptomatic homosexual men in a region of low HIV prevalence. The researchers in the Coping in Health and Illness Project in North Carolina found that 8 percent of the HIV-infected subjects experienced major depression
Guidelines for Management of HIV Infection with Computer-Based Patient's Record: Lancet (08/05/95) Vol. 346, No. 8971, P. 341; Safran, Charles; Rind, David M.; Davis, Roger B. et al.; Safran et al. studied more than 100 physicians and nurse practitioners to determine the efficacy of electronic medical records when used for HIV patients. The scientists examined the clinicians response times to the situations that caused alerts and reminders, the number of ambulatory visits, and hospitalization. They
Should the FDA Approve the Home HIV Test?: Health (09/95) Vol. 9, No. 5, P. 20; Bayer, Ronald; Portelli, Christopher; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is deliberating approval of a home HIV test, in which people would draw a sample of blood from a finger, send it to a laboratory for analysis, and then call in about a week later for the results. Columbia University professor Ronald Bayer feels that the FDA should approve t
Interferon Sciences Completes Public Offering: Business Wire (08/24/95); Interferon Sciences Inc. has sold 10,706,480 shares of common stock for more than $12.8 million, excluding expenses and fees. The sales were made pursuant to a best efforts public offering of between 6,500,000 and 12,000,000 shares of common stock at $1.20 per share. The remaining shares may be purchased until the offe
French Holidaymakers Take to Carrying Condoms: Reuters (08/24/95); A new survey reveals that one in four French holidaymakers always carries a condom for fear of contracting HIV from casual sex. Fear has not killed off love on holidays, the weekly Paris Match said regarding the poll that it published. This year s total is more than two times the number found in a similar poll four yea
Procept Begins Phase I/II Clinical Trial for PRO 2000 in HIV- Positive Patients; Company-Sponsored Trial Will Evaluate Activity of Lead HIV Therapeutic: Business Wire (08/24/95); Procept, Inc. has launched a Phase I/II clinical trial for its drug PRO 2000, a potential treatment for HIV-1 infection which specifically targets the CD4 protein on the surface of the human cell. The dose-escalating trial will assess the safety, tolerability, and antiviral activity of PRO 2000. In vitro preclinical st
Ex-Convict Fights Time to Clear Name: Miami Herald (08/24/95) P. 2B; Greene, Ronnie; Twelve years ago, after three trials, a jury found Christopher Clugston guilty of murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Last year, however, Fla. Gov. Lawton Chiles commuted Clugston s sentence, noting the inconsistent statements of an eyewitness, the recantations by Clugston s co-defendant and that person s w
Treating STDs and Reducing AIDS Risk: Washington Post (08/25/95) P. A8; Researchers working in Tanzania report that treating individuals for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea significantly reduces their risk of becoming infected with HIV. Villagers who were treated for STDs were approximately 40 percent less likely to contract HIV than villagers whose STDs were not tre
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
The Classification of AIDS Cases: Concordance between Two AIDS Surveillance Systems in Italy: American Journal of Public Health (08/95) Vol. 85, No. 8, P. 1112; Serraino, Diego; Franceschi, Silvia; Dal Maso, Luigino et al.; A new study compared how the Italian AIDS Registry--the country s national surveillance system--and the Italian Cooperative Group on AIDS-Related Tumors classified 725 AIDS cases. For both male and female injection drug users, gay men, and people infected with HIV through contaminated blood or blood products, there was
Texas Compromise Salvages AIDS Prevention Education Program: Nation's Health (08/95) Vol. 25, No. 11, P. 8; In April, the Dallas County Commission voted to discontinue a program in which condoms, bleach kits, and explicit AIDS prevention information were distributed. Now, however, the commission has reached a compromise that will restore the program by transferring a state grant from the county health department to a private
Cancer Drug May Join the AIDS Arsenal: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/16/95) Vol. 274, No. 7, P. 523; Voelker, Rebecca; The cancer drug hydroxyurea may not be a success in itself, but researchers claim it is particularly effective in fighting HIV when used in combination with the nucleoside analogue didanosine (ddI). Dr. Franco Lori, director of the new Research Institute for Genetic and Human Therapy (RIGHT) in Italy , is t
No Cheers for Baboon to AIDS Patient Xenotransplant: Lancet (08/05/95) Vol. 346, No. 8971, P. 369; Thompson, Clare; The xenotransplant of baboon bone marrow into an AIDS patient has several transplant scientists worried. The operation, they argue, is severely flawed and has little experimental justification. The likelihood that this will work is extremely small, claims surgeon Hugh Auchincloss of Massachusetts General Hospital. Th
Runners and Walkers Tackle the Grand Canyon "Rim to Rim Challenge" for Cancer and AIDS Research on Labor Day: Business Wire (08/21/95); On Labor Day weekend, 20 individuals will run or walk 23.5 miles in the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Challenge to raise funds for the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute in Duarte, Calif. The participants will start at the canyon s North Rim, descend 6,200 feet to the bottom of the canyon, go
Collins Won't Appeal Aide's Victory in Landmark AIDS Ruling: Detroit News (08/18/95); Zagaroli, Lisa; Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins (D-Mich.) has missed the filing deadline for an appeal in the case of a former aide who claimed he was fired because she thought he had AIDS. Because Collins has not appealed, Bruce Taylor will now receive compensation for more than seven months back pay and attorney s fees. Jim Davison, a med
Chronicle: Deborah Harry in a Summer's-End AIDS Event: New York Times (08/22/95) P. B2; Steinhauer, Jennifer; Singer Deborah Harry will appear in a Sept. 3 concert that will benefit an AIDS charity. Harry, who became famous in the late 1970s with punk-infused disco, says that although she is asked to do many benefits and auctions, she refuses all but the AIDS-related events. One reason I am doing this, she adds, is because it
Isolation Ends for Prisoner who Refused Testing for TB: New York Times (08/22/95) P. B5; McKinley Jr., James C.; A judge has decided that a murderer kept in solitary confinement for more than three years because he would not take a tuberculosis (TB) test should be returned to a normal cell at the Attica Correctional Facility. Prisoner Paul Jolly says that shortly after he began serving his life sentence, he converted to Rastafari
Upjohn, Pharmacia to Merge, Creating One of the World's 10 Largest Drug Firms: Journal of Commerce (08/22/95) P. 4B; U.S.-based Upjohn Co. and Pharmacia of Sweden have announced that they will merge later this year, creating one of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The new company will be called Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc., and will have an annual revenue close to $7 billion and a market capitalization of $13 bill
The Lady Is a Champ: POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 44; Mason, Kiki; Actress, lawyer, and activist Ilka Tanya Payan bears little resemblance to the spitfire who captured the media s attention in October 1993, when she announced that she had AIDS. The star of a popular telenovela, or Spanish-language soap opera, Payan has been described as Latin America s Susan Lucci. She also had been a
Mixed Results with Octreotide for AIDS-Related Diarrhea: AIDS Clinical Care (08/95) Vol. 7, No. 8, P. 68; A multicenter study of the somatostatin analogue octreotide for the treatment of diarrhea produced mixed results. Nearly 130 AIDS patients were given octreotide or a placebo subcutaneously three times a day. After 21 days, 46 percent of the octreotide group had achieved the goal of a 30 percent decrease in stool weight
A Comparison of Immediate with Deferred Zidovudine Therapy for Asymptomatic HIV-Infected Adults with CD4 Cell Counts of 500 or More per Cubic Millimeter: New England Journal of Medicine (08/17/95) Vol. 333, No. 7, P. 401; Volberding, Paul A.; Lagakos, Stephen W.; Grimes, Janet M. et al.; To assess the clinical benefits of zidovudine in asymptomatic HIV patients who have CD4 counts greater than 500, Volberding et al. compared immediate zidovudine therapy to deferred therapy in such patients. The participants were randomly assigned either zidovudine or a placebo, though the study was modified with open-l
Medicaid AIDS Coverage Unfair; Not Likely to Change: AIDS Alert (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 103; According to two new studies published in the journal Health Care Financing Review, many state Medicaid programs should end their unjust limitations on health care coverage for the approximately one out of two AIDS patients who rely on the program.
Prostitution Could Lead to Vietnam AIDS Surge: Reuters (08/18/95); A Vietnamese official said on Friday that increasing prostitution could result in a surge of AIDS cases in the country. It is not sure that we will be able to control the situation, said the official, a member of the National AIDS Protection Committee. The official said that although 80 percent of those who are infecte
Bill Offers a Hope to Inmates with AIDS: Boston Globe (08/18/95) P. 1; Dowdy, Zachary R.; Massachusetts legislators are considering a bill that would grant medical parole to AIDS patients and other terminally ill individuals in state and county facilities. The measure passed the state Senate, and is expected to reach the House this fall. A spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Correction said that i
AIDS Fear in Niger Causes Blood Shortage: Reuters (08/19/95); In 1995, more than 20 women have died at Niger s largest maternity hospital because the fear of AIDS has caused a severe shortage at the blood bank. The maternity is still facing difficulties because it gets its supplies from the blood bank at the Niamey national hospital, which is also suffering from a serious shortag
Ethiopian AIDS Victim Thrown Off Egyptian Flight: Reuters (08/20/95); A maid who was being deported by Egyptian authorities because she was infected with HIV could not return home to Ethiopia because her fellow passengers would not let her on the flight. According to airport officials, passengers on the EgyptAir flight to Addis Ababa recognized Mariam Mesaret because of the publicity she
As Theater Turned Disco Faces Demolition, Gay Alumni Share Memories: New York Times (08/21/95) P. B3; Dunlap, David W.; For some, the Saint discotheque--which is slated to be demolished next month--represents the peak of gay life in New York City during the early 1980s. The Saint opened in September 1980 with a crowd of several thousands of men dancing on the 4,800-square-foot oak floor. Within months, however, many of them began to die
Palliative Care for People with AIDS: Focus (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 8; D.R. Kuhl s Ethical Issues Near the End of Life: A Physician s Perspective on Caring for Persons with AIDS identifies a number of emotional issues that face people with advanced HIV and details ethical dilemmas for doctors dealing with pain and symptom management. For example, many AIDS patients--who often feel powerle
Seizure Associated with Zidovudine: Lancet (08/12/95) Vol. 346, No. 8972, P. 452; D'Silva, Marisa; Leibowitz, David; Flaherty, John P.; In a letter to the editor published in the Lancet, D Silva et al. report the incidence of a generalized seizure related to the prophylactic use of zidovudine. After receiving a large- caliber contaminated needlestick injury from an HIV- and hepatitis C-infected individual, a man was given intramuscular immunoglobulin a
Boston: Important Trial of Treatment Vaccine, CD4 Greater than 500: AIDS Treatment News (08/04/95) No. 228, P. 4; Boston s Beth Israel Hospital needs 18 volunteers for a trial of a new peptide vaccine which is being developed by United Biomedicals, Inc., of New York. The conditions for participation include having more than 500 CD4 cells, not having used any antiretrovirals in the past six months, being asymptomatic, and being in
Gilead Sciences Completes Public Offering of Common Stock: Business Wire (08/17/95); On Thursday, Gilead Sciences , Inc. reported that it had completed a public offering of more than 3,500,000 shares of common stock at $23.25 per share for total gross proceeds of nearly $82 million. The company is a leader in the discovery and the development of a new class of nucleotide-based human therapeutics, and i
AIDS Victims Battle More than Disease, Conferees Assert: Boston Globe (08/17/95) P. 10; At an international conference of social workers on Thursday, participants said that people with AIDS have to fight ignorance and discrimination in addition to their disease. In a way we are the modern lepers, the ones many don t want to get close to, said Patrick Levy, chairman of Israel s AIDS Task Force, at the firs
Testing Begins on Experimental AIDS Drug: Business Wire (08/17/95); Scientists at Stanford University and four other locations nationwide are initiating tests of HBY 097, an experimental compound that may fight HIV and keep it from mutating into drug-resistant strains. Preliminary tests suggest that HBY 097 is more durable than nevirapine , which also belongs to the class of drugs
District to Delay Paying Vendors, Health Providers: Washington Post (08/18/95) P. B1; Schneider, Howard; In order to avoid running short of cash, the District of Columbia government will delay paying approximately $100 million to vendors and health care providers in the next six weeks. City Administrator Michael C. Rogers criticized the plan but said it is the only practical way for the city to survive a cash shortage unt
Driver Pulls Over, Saves Life: AIDS Victim Gets to Go Home Again: Washington Times (08/18/95) P. C8; Mizejewski, Gerald; When driving home from his health club last month, John Taylor --a government volunteer who drives the streets of Fairfax County, Va., looking for mistreated pets--noticed an active dog sitting next to a homeless man at the side of the road. Taylor stopped to check on the dog s health and ended up rescuing an AIDS pati
Blood Bank Testing Finds Rare AIDS Virus: Washington Times (08/18/95) P. A6; The government announced on Thursday that HIV-2 was found in two blood donations last year and kept out of the nation s blood supply. In 1992, blood banks began testing for both HIV -1 and HIV-2, which is primarily found in West Africa and rarely found in the United States . Dr. John Ward, head of the Centers for Disea
Drugs Chief Urges Reform of U.S. Approval Process: Financial Times (08/18/95) P. 5; Unless drug approval procedures in the United States are amended, foreigners could have the first opportunities to use new drugs, said Pat Zenner, president of the Swiss-owned pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-LaRoche. According to Zenner, Congress will probably begin deliberating reform of the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis
The Effects of Vitamin A Supplementation on the Morbidity of Children Born to HIV-Infected Women: American Journal of Public Health (08/95) Vol. 85, No. 8, P. 1076; Coutsoudis, Anna; Bobat, Raziya A.; Coovadia, Hoosen M. et al.; To determine the effects of vitamin A supplementation on the morbidity of children born to HIV-infected women, Coutsoudis et al. conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 118 infants in Durban, South Africa . Among all the children, the vitamin A supplemented group had a reduced average morbidity. The rates o
CPCRA to Use Viral Load as Markers for Treatment: AIDS Alert (08/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 105; The Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) has designed a protocol that will for the first time use viral load measurements in making treatment determinations. Other studies have looked at the role of viral burden, but this would be the first to make treatment changes based on viral burden, said the d
Foreign Aid Cuts Threaten National and International Health, Experts Say: Nation's Health (08/95) Vol. 25, No. 7, P. 5; Some public health experts claim that U.S. budget cuts to several international health programs could perpetuate countries differences in health care and access. In July, the House passed the Foreign Aid appropriations bill which would eliminate $230 million, or nearly 40 percent, from current international health prog
Alan Jackson Tops Country Music Nominees: Miami Herald (08/16/95) P. 10A; Cohen, Howard; Traditionalist Alan Jackson led the pack on Tuesday with six nominations for the 29th Annual Country Music Association Awards. Host Vince Gill is competing for Entertainer of the Year against multiple-nominee Reba McEntire and her poignant AIDS awareness song She Thinks His Name Was John.
Marvin Kristal, Worker's Comp Lawyer and AIDS Activist: Miami Herald (08/16/95) P. 4B; Franco, Debra; AIDS activist Marvin Jon Kristal died of AIDS on Saturday at age 46. A partner in the Miami law firm Druckman, Kristal, and Breslow since 1976, Kristal provided free legal help to poor AIDS patients, helping them navigate the web of bureaucracy to obtain benefits. He was beneficial in getting word to the community that
Across the USA: Ohio: USA Today (08/17/95) P. 9A; The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that a woman who was mistakenly told she had HIV cannot sue despite the fact that she suffered emotionally. The justices said that not every wrong is deserving of a legal solution.
New Strategies Against Virus: USA Today (08/17/95) P. 1D; A new understanding of how HIV functions is stimulating the search for a treatment. Although scientists used to think that HIV slowly worked its way through the immune system, a recent study indicates that HIV attacks aggressively and does not let up. Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York C
BioChem Shareholders Put Their Faith in 3TC: Financial Times (08/17/95) P. 14; Simon, Bernard; Montreal-based BioChem Pharma and its shareholders are putting their faith in 3TC , which appears to block HIV with fewer dangerous side effects than other drugs, and in lamivudine, which has been called a breakthrough hepatitis B therapy. This year, the company s shares have skyrocketed from $12.25 to nearly $32 on th
India Seen as Ground Zero in Spread of AIDS to Asia: Washington Post (08/17/95) P. A20; Anderson, John Ward; India has more HIV carriers than any other country, according to some estimates. Many experts now believe that India will soon have the unfortunate distinction of being the AIDS capital of the world, says Columbia University economist and AIDS specialist David Bloom. The World Health Organization
Early Use of AIDS Drug Is Termed Ineffective: New York Times (08/17/95) P. A15; A new long-term study of more than 1,600 HIV-infected individuals reveals that early treatment with AZT does not help prevent AIDS. In The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Paul Volberding of San Francisco General Hospital and his team in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group report that there was essentially no difference
Cancer and AIDS Pain Management Services on WWW: Information Today (07/95-08/95) Vol. 12, No. 7, P. 56; A new World Wide Web site offers educational materials on cancer and AIDS pain management from Roxane Laboratories and the Roxane Pain Institute. Users can easily obtain newsletters, clinical articles, and a schedule of future pain management seminars. We consolidated information available to health care providers and
Infectious Disease Compensation Rules Eased: Federal Times (08/07/95) Vol. 31, No. 26, P. 9; Rivenbark, Leigh; New regulations from the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) no longer call for examiners to know how and from whom workers contracted such diseases as tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and hepatitis. Claims examiners can now accept a claim for a communicable disease even if the source of infection is unidentified. T
HIV Scandal Hits Bombay Blood Centre: Nature (07/27/95) Vol. 376, No. 6538, P. 285; Jayaraman, K.S.; Following charges that it provided HIV-infected blood to hospitals between 1992 and 1994, a Bombay blood bank operated by the India Red Cross Society (IRCS) has been closed. The scandal has caused widespread concern because the IRCS is supposed to set national blood safety standards. The center provides about one-thir
Indonesia Denies Condom Campaign Promotes Free Sex: Reuters (08/15/95); The Indonesian government is not encouraging free sex by promoting the use of condoms, said an Indonesian minister on Tuesday. What we are trying to do is to tell people affected by AIDS that they must protect their family from the disease. They must use condoms because it is a very dangerous disease, explained Coordin
Romanian Villagers Stone AIDS Child: Reuters (08/15/95); A Romanian doctor reported on Tuesday that villagers in his country stoned an eight-year-old AIDS patient and her family and tried to evict them from their home. We have never before heard of families threatened with being banned from their homes because one member has AIDS, said Dr. Constantin Barabolski. Villagers he
U.N. Says AIDS a Rights Problem in Cambodia: Reuters (08/15/95); Dodd, Mark; Cambodia s critical human-rights problems include AIDS, poor housing, and the sexual exploitation of children, said a United Nations (UN) rights official on Tuesday. The sexual exploitation of children is particularly offensive at a time when Cambodia like so many other countries is facing the problem of HIV/AIDS, he a
Israeli Robber Threatened Victims with AIDS: Reuters (08/15/95); Police in Tel Aviv have arrested an Israeli art thief who threatened to infect gallery workers with HIV. The man, described as a 28-year-old drug addict, held up two art galleries by waving a syringe full of what he claimed was HIV- infected blood. Although he was successful in his first heist, the robber was tackled b
Youngsters Take Disease's Effects in Stride: USA Today (08/16/95) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; There s been a major shift in thinking in the past decade since the nation first learned about HIV-infected babies who sickened and died as toddlers, says Dr. Arthur Ammann of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. It is now believed that only 25 percent of children decline so rapidly. According to Ammann s foundation, at lea
Deadly Parasite in Water Spurs Scientists to Improve Detection: Wall Street Journal (08/16/95) P. B1; Hsu, Karen; The micro-organism cryptosporidium has attracted a great deal of attention in recent months, particularly because of the increasing number of deaths related to the parasite and the near inability of even the most complex filtration systems to track or kill it. The current test for the parasite is time- consuming, and n
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (08/01/95); The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
ER Hath a Way with AIDS: POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 35; Meers, Erik Ashok; NBC s new medical drama, ER, has received record-breaking ratings and has exposed millions of viewers to AIDS storylines and characters dealing with HIV-related issues. Eight of last season s 25 episodes featured AIDS. We try to deal with HIV in a number of ways, says Neal Baer, a fourth year Harvard medical student on
Psychiatry and HIV Hospice Care: Focus (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 5; Fryer, John E.; Hospices in the United States and the United Kingdom have been well developed, but in many ways overlook the psychiatric needs of their patients, writes professor John E. Fryer of Temple University. Fryer visited several U.S. and U.K. HIV hospices, and found that a well-trained psychiatrist, experienced in HIV and pall
Coming Out Day Co-Founder Dies: Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/14/95) P. B2; Psychologist Robert H. Eichberg, who co-founded National Coming Out Day in 1988, has died of AIDS-related complications at age 50. Eichberg also wrote a book called, Coming Out: an Act of Love, which describes how people reveal their homosexuality. His whole life s work was about bridging the gap between gay and nongay
Research: Why Do HIV Mothers Give Birth to Non-Infected Babies?: Miami Herald (08/14/95) P. 5B; Wheat, Jack; The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has awarded researchers at the University of Florida $1.1 million for their research into why some infants born to HIV- infected mothers are born with the virus, while others are not. Lead investigator Maureen Goodenow, an associate professor of pathology and
Americans, Europeans Are Ignorant of STDs: Washington Post (Health) (08/15/95) P. 5; Rovner, Sandy; A survey conducted in France , Italy , Spain , Sweden , the United Kingdom , and the United States reveals that people in the five Western European countries do not know anymore about sexually transmitted diseas
FDA Oks Transplant of Baboon Bone Marrow: Washington Times (08/15/95) P. A6; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Monday that it has approved an experiment to inject baboon bone marrow cells into an AIDS patient. Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California at San Francisco said that researchers are currently awaiting final safety clearance from a hospital, and intend to perfo
School Study: Condoms Don't Encourage Sex: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/15/95) P. B1; Bruch, Laura J.; Condoms do not appear to make teenagers more promiscuous, said Philadelphia school officials on Monday. Four years ago, controversy erupted when condoms were made available in the city s high schools. As a result of the debate, AIDS activists threw condoms and the Catholic Church denounced the program, which was part o
Taking on TB: Washington Post (Health) (08/15/95) P. 10; Arnold, Paul; Directly observed therapy, or DOT, is a relatively new tuberculosis (TB) strategy in which health care professionals literally watch active TB patients swallow their pills or actually give them injections themselves. The monitored treatment is for patients who cannot or will not take their medication properly on their
In Italy, Rebels Without a Cure: Washington Post (08/15/95) P. D1; Williams, Daniel; Since last week s press conference in which three Italian bank robbers with AIDS explained their plight, many have questioned the law which prohibits their arrest. Give me a job, a place to live, and treatment...and I ll stop robbing, said one member of the AIDS gang. To change the 1993 law which forbids the continued
Oral Manifestations of HIV Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (08/03/95) Vol. 333, No. 5, P. 328; Seldin, Edward B.; Oral Manifestations of HIV Infection, edited by John S. Greenspan and Deborah Greenspan, is a service to both the medical and dental fields, in part because it marks an interdisciplinary effort to identify often-ignored medical and dental aspects of HIV and AIDS. The chapters--which were contributed by participants in
Preventing AIDS: Have We Lost Our Way?: Lancet (07/29/95) Vol. 346, No. 8970, P. 262; Lifson, Alan R.; Although the best way to curb AIDS is by preventing the transmission of HIV, millions of people already test positive for the virus, notes Alan R. Lifson in the British medical journal The Lancet. Prospective studies have demonstrated that years can pass between HIV infection and the emergence of related infections and
Megace May Cause Adrenal-Pituitary Suppression: AIDS Clinical Care (08/95) Vol. 7, No. 8, P. 69; Researchers at Albany Medical College present a case of adrenal insufficiency in an AIDS patient that appeared to be caused by megestrol acetate (megace). After taking the drug for four years, the patient abruptly discontinued its use--two weeks before experiencing weight loss, vomiting, extreme fatigue, and orthostati
Youths Infected or Affected by HIV Seal Bond at Camp: Chicago Tribune (08/11/95) P. 1-7; Church, Barb; Camp Heartland is a two-year-old, non-profit program to provide special summer camps for children who have somehow been affected by HIV. Many are grieving over the loss of a loved one, some have a parent or a sibling who suffers from the disease and those kids have a lot of emotions to deal with, explains founder Neil
Glaxo May Bid for BioChem Biotech Firm--Paper: Reuters (08/13/95); Glaxo Wellcome Plc is considering a potential takeover bid of approximately $2 billion for BioChem Pharma Inc. Robin Gilbert, a pharmaceutical analyst with Panmure Gordon in London, says, a takeover would make a lot of sense. In addition, Glaxo and BioChem are currently developing two drugs,
Lifeline: AIDS Ride: USA Today (08/14/95) P. 1D; DeRosa, Robin; Tanqueray s Boston/New York AIDS Ride departs from Boston on Sept. 15. Each participant in the three-day bicycle ride must collect at least $1,200 in donations for the event which, overall, is expected to raise more than $3 million. The funds will benefit AIDS-related services at New York s Lesbian and Gay Community Se
The Middle Class Rediscovers Heroin: New York Times (08/14/95) P. B3; Alvarez, Lizette; Many doctors and drug counselors in New York City report treating an increasing number of professionals and college students for heroin addiction. One reason that heroin has become so popular among college-educated drug users is that it now can be snorted, instead of injected intravenously. This method has eliminated m
Possibly Tainted Blood Products Face FDA Recall: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/12/95) P. A2; Shaw, Donna; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is advising the recall of any blood products that may be tainted with the rare Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). There is no test for CJD, an incurable, neurodegenerative disease that leads to dementia and death. Although the blood-products industry had cautioned that such
Senate Gets Bill to Assist Hemophiliacs with AIDS: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/12/95) P. A2; Shaw, Donna; A measure that would create a $1 billion fund for hemophiliacs who became infected with HIV from tainted blood-clotting medicines was introduced to the U.S. Senate on Friday. The Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act, which is named for a Florida teenager who died of AIDS in 1992 after using a contaminated blood-clottin
Hospice: A Place for Healing and Dying Well: Focus (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 1; Hines, Barbara E.; Peura, Stephan M.; People who care for advanced AIDS patients must deal with the difficult challenges of working with the young, disabled, and dying as they try to help these individuals during their final days. Hospice counselors assist dying patients in moving toward inner peace and self-possession, the true objectives of dying well.
Suits by Patients Surge in Misdiagnosed AIDS Cases: National Law Journal (08/07/95) Vol. 17, No. 49, P. A12; Weidlich, Thom; Machesney v. Bruni is the latest in a series of AIDS misdiagnosis cases, of which lawyers say there are many currently active in the United States . Former Catholic priest Raymond Machesney was twice diagnosed as HIV-positive, and lived for nearly seven years under the mistaken belief that he was infected with the viru
UNAIDS Sets Preliminary Budget: Lancet (07/22/95) Vol. 346, No. 8969, P. 239; McGregor, Alan; During its first meeting, the governing body of the new Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) approved an indicative budget of between $120 million and $140 million for 1996-1997. In addition, U.S. Ambassador Sally Shelton was elected chairman, and South African Minister of Health Dr. N.C. Dlamini Zuma
Glyko Biomedical Reports Financial Results: Business Wire (08/10/95); Glyko Biomedical Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of instruments and reagents for scientific research and medical diagnosis, reported $391,000 in revenues for the second quarter of 1995, up from $242,000 one year ago. The total was primarily the result of sales of analytical systems, sales of kits and reagents, and c
British Lose Virginity at 17--Survey: Reuters (08/10/95); Majendie, Paul; A new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reveals that the British lose their virginity at an average age of 17, three years earlier than in the 1950s. In this age of AIDS, however, the safe sex message appears to be getting through with 60 percent of the 19,000 young people surveyed using condoms--two
Gulf Grinding Co. Settles Lawsuit from Worker with AIDS: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (08/10/95); Gulf Grinding Co. has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a worker who was fired because he has AIDS. In addition, the company agreed to have the EEOC train its upper-level employees about employment discrimination laws, including the Amer
Reveal Donors Who Had HIV, Judge Orders: Toronto Globe and Mail (08/10/95) P. A9; Claridge, Thomas; Coutts, Jane; In a ruling released on Wednesday, a judge with Ontario Court s General Division rejected the Canadian AIDS Society s request for an order prohibiting the release of 13 HIV- infected blood donors identities. The society claimed that because the men who donated blood for a study of hepatitis B between Dec. 1, 1984 and O
School AIDS Tests: Washington Times (08/11/95) P. A2; A school district in Florida has eliminated its voluntary HIV testing of high school students following complaints that the program was inappropriate for the setting. The program, which began three years ago, offered HIV tests in five of Lee County s eight high schools. But at a meeting this week of parents, health pro
Mother's Boyfriend Charged in Beating of Child with AIDS: Washington Times (08/11/95) P. C11; Gotsch, Ted; On Thursday, the boyfriend of a Washington, D.C., woman whose son was hospitalized with apparent burns to his body was arrested for beating the two-year-old. The child, who has AIDS, was brought to the hospital two days ago with what first appeared to be burns on his face, legs, and buttocks. Police sources now say tha
Crisis Control: Dealing with AIDS in the Workplace: Entrepeneur (08/95) Vol. 23, No. 8, P. 128; Griffin, Cynthia E.; The AIDS epidemic has significant implications for small businesses. Over half the work force in America falls within [the 25 to 44] age group, and AIDS is the leading cause of death in this category, notes Jeff Monford, director of the Workplace Resource Center of The National Leadership Coalition on AIDS. Therefore,
Scandal Touches HIV Vaccine Development in Japan: Nature Medicine (08/95) Vol. 1, No. 8, P. 727; Nathan, Richard; A stock market scandal in Japan could threaten future funding of promising research into the development of an HIV vaccine. Tsutomu Matsuzaki--the former president of the now-defunct computer software company TSD, which was developing an HIV vaccine with a scientist at Yokohama City University-- allegedly made untrue s
Biaxin OKed for MAC: POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 22; Abbott Laboratories will soon begin selling its pneumonia drug Biaxin (clarithromycin) as a preventive treatment for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Clinical trials indicate that Biaxin successfully fights off MAC, a common AIDS infection in individuals with CD4
Klein Urges HIV Testing: Maclean's (07/24/95) Vol. 108, No. 30, P. 20; Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has proposed testing prospective immigrants to Canada for HIV. We should know if someone coming into this country or applying to come into this country is HIV-positive, he explained. It s a very dangerous disease and could contribute even further to the cost of caring for that disease. A r
Chimp Research Laboratory Is Taken Over by Foundation: New York Times (08/10/95) P. B5; Revkin, Andrew C.; New York University Medical Center transferred ownership of its chimpanzee research laboratory to the Coulston Foundation on Wednesday, in spite of objections from animal rights advocates. The Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (Lemsip) has played a key part in the development of hepatitis vac
Insurers Paid 4.5 Percent More in '94 for AIDS Claims: Wall Street Journal (08/10/95) P. B5; A new study reveals that in 1994 insurers paid 4.5 percent more in AIDS-related claims than in 1993. According to the American Council of Life Insurance and the Health Insurance Association of America, the nearly $1.6 billion in AIDS- related claims represents the lowest increase in the nine years the trade groups have
Names & Faces: Geffen's AIDS Aid: Washington Post (08/10/95) P. C3; Wagner, Michael; On Wednesday, entertainment mogul David Geffen contributed $4 million--the largest gift ever to AIDS services--to Gay Men s Health Crisis (GMHC) and God s Love We Deliver (GLWD). There are so many people infected today, said Geffen. People need to be conscious of what they can do--it s a great need. GMHC, the oldest an
'AIDS Gang' Robs Banks without Fear: Washington Times (08/10/95) P. A14; Baldwin, Alan; The three members of Italy s AIDS Gang have threatened to rob another bank unless they receive additional help from the government. We rob because we are forced to. To eat. To keep our problem a live issue, explained Ferdinando Attanasio, who, like his fellow gang members, cannot be jailed because he has AIDS. Member A
Two Charged After AIDS Deaths: Financial Times (08/10/95) P. 2; Prosecutors in Germany have charged two company officials with three cases of murder and 5,837 cases of attempted murder for distributing blood plasma which had not been screened for HIV. The prosecutors claim that nine batches of untested blood from an HIV-infected donor were sent to several clinics in 1986 and 1987,
Agen Biomedical to Make AIDS Test Kits in China: Nikkei Weekly (07/24/95) Vol. 33, No. 1681, P. 20; Australian medical-testing equipment producer Agen Biomedical Ltd. will establish a joint venture in Beijing to produce and market an HIV test kit that can provide results in a half an hour. According to sources, the company will provide the necessary clinical data and production technology for the kit. Agen, which wil
Justices Ask Clinton Administration's View of AZT Patent Issue: American Medical News (07/31/95) Vol. 38, No. 28, P. 8; The Supreme Court has asked lawyers from the Justice Department to comment on an appeal by two generic-drug makers from a ruling that found Burroughs Wellcome Co. entitled to five patents for AZT . The two companies said that Burroughs should not receive exclusive patents because some of the testing was performed at th
Fighting AIDS, Getty 'Not Afraid of Death': USA Today (08/08/95) P. 2D; Aileen Getty--granddaughter of J. Paul Getty--says that after living with HIV for a decade and AIDS for six years, she believes she is prepared to die. In the September issue of Ladies Home Journal, Getty states, When I m no longer capable of giving my children anything more, I intend to take my own life. I m not afrai
Eastern Arctic Puzzle: Why HIV Is Still So Rare: Toronto Globe and Mail (08/07/95) P. A1; Feschuk, Scott; Although Broughton Island in Canada s Northwest Territory has a population of just 530, the health center s nurse says that not one month has gone by in five years in which a youth has not tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease. Infection rates in the region are as many as seven times higher than in Canada
Blocked in U.S., AIDS Kit Goes Overseas: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (08/07/95) P. 1E; Nolin, Robert; According to Dr. Joseph D Angelo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is too strict when it comes to over-the- counter home test kits. The Miami physician has developed a saliva-based HIV test kit that costs $9.23, compared to professionally administered ones that can cost as much as $200. D Angelo is market
Rock for Research: USA Today (08/09/95) P. 4D; Peterson, Karen S.; Hellmich, Nanci; This week s 13th Annual Rock N Roll Charity Celebration in Los Angeles will benefit research funds for AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. The three-day affair--to which such stars as Glenn Frey, Little Richard, and Luke Perry are expected to attend--includes a silent auction, golf tournament, and bowling. Proceeds of th
Show of Support: USA Today (08/09/95) P. 3D; Zimmerman, David; Radio personality Chuck Hoss Burns this week became the first well-known person in the country-music industry to reveal that he has AIDS. Country music stars were quick to offer Burns their support. Garth [Brooks] s people were the first to call, said Nashville s WSIX-FM general manager John King, after the station ann
Across the USA: Tennessee: USA Today (08/09/95) P. 5A; An HIV-infected man in Gallatin, Tenn., may go to prison for spitting in a police officer s face. Ronnie Todd was charged under a 1994 Tennessee law that makes it illegal to expose another person to AIDS.
Robbers with AIDS Evade Jail in Italy: New York Times (08/09/95) P. A9; In Turin, Italy , a group of robbers--called the AIDS gang by newspapers--has been released again after their fourth bank hold-up in three weeks. The members, who are secure in the knowledge that they will not be imprisoned because they have AIDS, rob the banks in full view of security cameras and without covering thei
Vitamin A and Infants with H.I.V.: New York Times (08/09/95) P. C8; A new study by researchers at Natal University in South Africa indicates that vitamin A could be a low-cost way to reduce some of the illnesses that HIV-infected babies contract. The study, published in The American Journal of Public Health, found that moderately large doses of vitamin A helped infants fight off AIDS-r
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (08/01/95); The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
In Whose Care and Custody? Orphans of the HIV Epidemic: AIDS Clinical Care (08/95) Vol. 7, No. 8, P. 66; Levine, Carol; Most young people who survive the AIDS death of a parent are at high-risk for economic loss, as well as both behavioral and developmental problems. As teens, they are likely to engage in high-risk activities related to HIV transmission. Some of these children require new sources of financial assistance, shelter, food,
Combination Treatment and Single Drugs: Interview with Margaret Poscher, M.D.: AIDS Treatment News (07/07/95) No. 226, P. 2; James, John S.; In an interview with AIDS Treatment News, internist Margaret Poscher--a professor and the director of HIV Clinical Services at the University of California Mt. Zion--discusses combination treatment for HIV. Poscher says her preferred combination is AZT and 3TC--which she believes will be the initial therapy when 3TC is
Across the USA: California: USA Today (08/08/95) P. 5A; In San Diego, Calif., AIDS patient Regina Hope Edwards has been granted early release from jail. Edwards, a three-time offender, is serving time for petty theft.
Animals over AIDS: Washington Times (08/08/95) P. A2; In a New York Post commentary, Maryland lawyer Carl Kapanke assails Hollywood s latest cause. For 14 years I ve carried the label HIV positive and all the baggage that goes with it, he writes. Kapanke explains that the red ribbon that is worn in support of AIDS efforts always gave him hope. But now, he says, there is a
Zambia Frees Prisoners with AIDS Virus: Reuters (08/08/95); One hundred HIV-infected Zambian prisoners have been liberated to stem the spread of the virus in jails, officials report. Inmates with AIDS are released on the recommendation of medical officers because prisons are not places for keeping terminally ill people, said a Department of Prisons spokesman. Releasing them als
AIDS Containment Seen as Attainable: Washington Times (08/08/95) P. A8; Although there will be an increasing number of AIDS-related deaths in the 1990s, this decade may also be a time of containment of the disease due to global prevention programs, the head of the U.S. government s foreign assistance agency said on Monday. Currently, more than 19 million individuals, including over 1 milli
Heaven Can Wait: POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 32; Sieder, Jill Jordan; Last October, Denise Khan became an evangelist minister. Khan, 43, learned she was infected with HIV four years ago, when her estranged husband called from the hospital to tell her that he was positive. Now Khan s mission has devoted her life to educating her fellow ministers about HIV and convincing women to have safe
New Roles for AZT?: Science (07/14/95) Vol. 269, No. 5221, P. 163; Recent scientific reports have hinted at additional uses of the AIDS drug AZT--including for two diseases that involve an abnormal proliferation of cells, leukemia and psoriasis. In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the University of Southern California reported that they tested a comb
Benefits of HIV Screening of Blood Transfusions in Zambia: Lancet (07/22/95) Vol. 346, No. 8969, P. 225; Foster, Susan; Buve, Anne; Although blood transfusion continues to be a major path of HIV transmission in developing countries, testing for the virus is often expensive, and dependable donor support is hard to secure. Foster and Buve examined the cost and benefits of screening blood for HIV. They used data obtained at a district hospital in
Obituaries: Jose A. Alvarez, 34; AIDS Social Worker: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/05/95) P. A10; Wallace, Andy; Jose A. Alvarez, a social worker who was commended for bringing AIDS programs to Philadelphia s Latino community, died of AIDS-related complications on Thursday at the age of 34. Jose Alvarez was one of the first Latinos in Philadelphia to recognize the problem that AIDS posed to the Latino community, and to do somethi
Compensate AIDS-Stricken Hemophiliacs: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/05/95) P. A9; Klein, Andrew R.; Advocates of AIDS programs should thank Sen. Jesse Helms (R- N.C.) for bringing attention to the dangerous status of the Ryan White CARE Act, writes associate professor Andrew R. Klein of Samford University s Cumberland School of Law in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Another worthy, though much less- publicized, bill is th
Across the USA: Georgia: USA Today (08/07/95) P. 6A; In rural Georgia, the number of AIDS cases tripled between 1990 and 1994, according to The Florida Times-Union. Health authorities attributed the increase to unprotected sex by both heterosexuals and homosexuals.
A Lesson in Blood: New York Times (08/07/95) P. A13; Herbert, Bob; Although there were strong indications in the early 1980s that the nation s blood supply was contaminated with HIV, relatively little action was taken, writes Bob Herbert in the New York Times. According to a recently released report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the reasons
DOE Said to Delay Test of Cancer 'Cure': Washington Times (08/07/95) P. A6; A new report from the Department of Energy (DOE) states that although U.S. researchers may soon successfully test a new cure for cancer, resistance may negate its potential benefits. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that cancer specialist David Scheinberg of New York s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is planning
Animal Advocates Protest Plans for a Primate Lab: New York Times (08/07/95) P. B5; Revkin, Andrew C.; Animal-welfare activists and conservationists have joined the staff of New York University s Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (Lemsip) in protesting plans to shift the lab s ownership to the Coulston Foundation, which has violated federal animal-welfare regulations in the past. The chimpanze
Exon Amendment: Threat to AIDS Prevention and Activism?: AIDS Treatment News (07/21/95) No. 227, P. 5; Mirken, Bruce; The Communications Decency Act of 1995, more commonly known as the Exon Amendment after its author Sen. James Exon (D- Neb.), may complicate AIDS prevention efforts if approved. The amendment to the 1995 Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act contains several provisions that may concern AIDS activists, aff
Immune Factor Inhibits the Spread of HIV: Science News (07/29/95) Vol. 148, No. 5, P. 71; Seachrist, L.; Researchers in San Francisco are learning more about a substance secreted by certain immune cells that prevents HIV from replicating. The substance, called cell antiviral factor (CAF), curbs HIV s ability to spread through the immune system. Understanding how CAF inhibits the virus could give us insights into new thera
Pedro Zamora HIV Clinic Opens: Miami Herald (08/03/95) P. 2B; Last week, the Pedro Zamora Youth HIV Clinic opened in Hollywood, Calif. The clinic, which is named for a young man from Miami who died last year at age 22, is the first in the United States to specifically target HIV-infected teenagers and young adults. Zamora brought AIDS into the nation s living rooms through his st
More Chinese Youths Contract Venereal Disease: Reuters (08/04/95); The number of Chinese youths who contracted venereal diseases in 1994 skyrocketed nearly 83 percent compared with the previous year. The total number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases in 30 Chinese provinces increased more than 22 percent last year to 300,466. Six types of venereal diseases were on the increase
Across the USA: Hawaii: USA Today (08/04/95) P. 6A; According to the University of Hawaii, a caller who asks women for personal information, claiming to be conducting an AIDS and sex education poll for Leeward Community College, is a hoax. The school is not conducting such a survey.
U.S. Urges Better Testing for Chancroid in Patients: Reuters (08/03/95); On Thursday, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged physicians to look more carefully for chanchroid in people with genital ulcers because it raises the risk of HIV infection. A new method called polymerase chain reaction assay is more sensitive than standard laboratory tests in id
Comic Side of Sex in Age of AIDS: New York Times (08/04/95) P. C10; James, Caryn; The movie version of Paul Rudnick s play Jeffrey is an erratically funny and heavy-handed tale of sex and romance in the age of AIDS. Still, the film is fairly close to the play and offers a few truly hilarious moments. The movie s message is carpe diem, or seize the day. Actor Steven Weber plays Jeffrey, a young homos
HIV Home-Test Kit Might Be a Tough Sell: USA Today (08/04/95) P. 10B; Wells, Melanie; Johnson & Johnson s (J&J) new HIV home-test kit could be the advertising challenge of the 1990s. The kit, called Confide, is expected to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration this fall. Although J&J s ad agency, McCann- Erickson, refused to comment on its plans for Confide, industry experts
AIDS-Transfer Case in N. Dakota Dropped: USA Today (08/04/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; A judge in North Dakota has dismissed the first case under a state law that makes it a crime for people with AIDS to transfer body fluids without disclosing that they have HIV, citing lack of evidence. The accused, former prostitute and injection drug user Cyndi Potete, was arrested in April after police said they were
Researchers Find AIDS Drug Combination: Washington Times (08/04/95) P. A6; Researchers at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in England report that, when used together, the drugs AZT and 3TC appear to be the most effective combination found thus far to fight HIV. In the journal Science, the scientists note that when AZT is taken with 3TC, the cocktail overcomes the
Compensation for French Haemophiliacs: Lancet (07/22/95) Vol. 346, No. 8969, P. 243; In Strasbourg, the Court of Human Rights reports that the French government has agreed to friendly settlements in cases filed by hemophiliacs who became infected with HIV via transfusions. The decision was made based on the premise that the length of proceedings violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
Resisting AIDS: Another Vaccine Approach: Technology Review (07/95) Vol. 98, No. 5, P. 23; Shearer, Gene M.; Clerici, Mario; Seeking evidence of cellular response to HIV, Shearer and Clerici s team at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) studied a group of high-risk people who showed no traditional signs of infection with the virus. They found that between 35 and 65 percent of the various subsets of the group showed evidence in their white ce
Atovaquone (Mepron) Suspension Approved by FDA: AIDS Clinical Care (07/95) Vol. 7, No. 7, P. 62; Cotton, Deborah; Atovaquone (Mepron) suspension has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of non-severe Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in patients who are unable to tolerate trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX). A test of the suspension form of the drug produced a two-fold increase in bioavai
Healthcare Technologies Reports Record Quarterly Results: Business Wire (08/02/95); On Wednesday, Healthcare Technologies Ltd. announced record sales and earnings for the second quarter of 1995. Revenues for the three months increased 15 percent to $2,313,000 from the $2,015,000 recorded one year ago. Overall sales for the first six months rose by 16 percent to $4,415,000, compared to $3,814,000 in th
Sacrificing Babies on the Altar of Privacy: Wall Street Journal (08/03/95) P. A8; Ledeen, Barbara J.; Each year, some 2,000 infants in America test positive for HIV --although many are false positives because they have their mother s antibodies, but not the actual virus--writes Barbara J. Ledeen, executive director of the Independent Women s Forum, in the Wall Street Journal. These babies, however, are still at risk be
The Pop Life: A Death from AIDS Makes a Rap Group Examine Its Priorities: New York Times (08/03/95) P. C12; Strauss, Neil; Released last week, E. 1999 Eternal, the first complete album by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, is one of the most interesting new rap albums of the year. It is also important because its executive producer was Eazy-E (Eric Wright), who died of AIDS earlier this year. Layzie Bone, a member of Bone Thugs-n- Harmony, said that th
FDA Oks First Baboon-to-Human Bone Marrow Transplant for AIDS Patient, Despite Potential Health Risks: Business Wire (08/02/95); According to the biotechnology daily BioWorld Today, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) will proceed with a bone-marrow transplant from a baboon into a human with advanced AIDS. The newspaper learned late Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) had approved the transpla
Indonesian Moslem Chief Seeks Curb on Condoms: Reuters (08/03/95); Indonesia s Council of Ulemas (MUI) has urged that condoms only be sold to married couples through limited markets, the Antara news agency reported. It would be better if the government only allowed dispensaries to sell condoms to married couples with prescriptions from general practitioners, said Hasan Basri, the MUI
At 4, She Has Made Her Mark on World: Washington Post (08/03/95) P. D.C.1; Parker, Lonnae O'Neal; Precious Thomas, age 4, has appeared at numerous AIDS awareness functions--including a World AIDS Day program at the General Services Administration, where she was a guest speaker. Precious, who was adopted by Rocky and Michael Thomas, was diagnosed with HIV at age 1. Her birth mother was a drug addict. I have a bad bu
AIDS Law on Trial in N.D.: USA Today (08/03/95) P. 3A; Pesce, Carolyn; AIDS activist Cyndi Potete is the first person charged under a six-year-old law in North Dakota that makes it illegal for people with AIDS to transfer body fluids without disclosing their illness and then using protection. Potete, who faces 20 years in jail after having sexual intercourse with a former boss who she cla
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
HIV Infection and Skin-Care Needs: Advocate (07/25/95) No. 686, P. 47; Cohan, Gary R.; Studies show that almost 100 percent of HIV-infected people will encounter at least two skin problems related to the disease at some point, writes Dr. Gary R. Cohan in the Advocate. Some common, but rarely discussed examples of noncancerous HIV-related skin conditions include generalized xerosis, photosensitivity, drug
Wasting Syndrome--Affordable Treatments: AIDS Treatment News (07/07/95) No. 226, P. 6; James, John S.; There are inexpensive treatments for AIDS wasting syndrome, which is defined as the extreme loss of lean body mass not due to obvious causes such as nutritional deficiency or intestinal infection. Early data indicates that most patients can be successfully treated using these approaches. One affordable treatment for no
Back to Primary School: Nature (07/13/95) Vol. 376, No. 6536, P. 115; Moore, John P.; There has been a powerful debate about whether using gp120 subunit vaccines to produce neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 would be effective, writes The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center s John P. Moore in the journal Nature. In an article published in the Journal of Virology, Sullivan et al. report that they measu
HemaCare Signs Agreements to Establish a Comprehensive Blood Center at USC Health Sciences Campus: Business Wire (08/01/95); On Tuesday, HemaCare reported the finalization of agreements to build a comprehensive blood center at the University of Southern California (USC) Health Sciences Campus. The Blood Center, which is expected to open Nov. 1, will provide such blood products and services as single-donor plateletpheresis and peripheral stem
Legalize Medicinal Marijuana: Philadelphia Inquirer (08/02/95) P. A17; Caplan, Art; The law that makes marijuana illegal to use for medical purposes should be changed, writes Art Caplan--director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania--in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The case against the legal prescription of marijuana is based on arguments that legalization will undermine society
AIDS Virus Carriers in S. Korea on the Rise: Reuters (08/02/95); During the first seven months of 1995, 59 South Koreans tested HIV-positive, bringing the total number of infected citizens to 472, a Health Ministry official announced on Tuesday. In July alone, 10 people--including two foreigners--tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. The number being reported is not really
Obituaries: Paul H. Douglas, 37, An AIDS Researcher: New York Times (08/02/95) P. D20; AIDS researcher Paul Harding Douglas died of AIDS last Friday at age 37. Douglas, who worked at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, was a co-author of The Essential AIDS Fact Book, a text that was published in 1987 and reissued in 1992. Douglas and co-author Laura Pinsky also wrote The Essential H.I.V. Treatment
On to Beijing: Washington Post (08/02/95) P. A25; Pelosi, Nancy; There is strong support from leaders in Congress for withdrawing the U.S. delegation from the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, concedes Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a piece published in the Washington Post. However, even though democratic nations need to find ways to protest China s histor
Moscow Shelves HIV Plan: Financial Times (08/02/95) P. 2; Thornhill, John; The Russian government has delayed plans to require all long- term visitors to be tested for HIV before entering the country, explaining that the requisite administrative arrangements have not yet been made. However, foreign ministry official Mikhail Demurin confirmed on Tuesday that the law will be effective soon. Alt
HIV+ and Traveling: Out (07/95-08/95) No. 24, P. 101; Downton, Joseph; Although being HIV-positive should not mean sacrificing vacations, it is necessary to plan trips carefully and choose a destination with special needs and concerns in mind. It is important, for example, to check the destination for HIV restrictions if traveling outside of the country. Russia requires anyone stayin
Reducing the Impact of Opportunistic Infections in Patients with HIV Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/26/95) Vol. 274, No. 4, P. 347; Kaplan, Jonathan E.; Masur, Henry; Jaffe, Harold W. et al.; With new knowledge of the environmental sources of opportunistic pathogens, ways to reduce exposure, and the role of chemoprophylaxis, a practical strategy for preventing opportunistic infections in HIV-infected people has become particularly important. The U.S. Public Health Service, with the Infectious Diseases Socie
Interleukin-2 as Therapy for HIV Disease: New England Journal of Medicine (07/20/95) Vol. 333, No. 3, P. 192; Lane, H. Clifford; Kovacs, Joseph A.; There is a complex association between activation of the immune system and levels of viral replication, write Lane and Kovacs in response to letters to the editor published in the New England Journal of Medicine. For example, activation of CD4 T lymphocytes by interleukin-2 ( IL-2 ) can bring about cell division
FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for t
Gay British Men Still Spurning Condoms--Study: Reuters (07/31/95); A new study of gay men in Britain reveals that seven out of 10 are still not using a condom when they have penetrative sex. The University of Essex asked 400 men to record details of their sex lives in diaries. The seven-year survey found that in more than 70 percent of the cases, the men did not practice safe sex. Pro
Judge Shuts Florida Company for AIDS-Life Insurance Sale Scam: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (08/01/95); Reed, Ted; Following charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission that most of the life insurance policies sold by United Benefits Group were worthless, a federal judge has granted a temporary injunction against the Boca Raton company and frozen its assets. United Benefits allegedly cheated investors out of millions of dol
Red Cross Cited Cost in Refusing Virus Test: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/31/95) P. A4; Picard, Andre; According to documents introduced as evidence in a public inquiry, the Canadian Red Cross did not use blood tests that could have prevented thousands of individuals from becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus because it was afraid of possibly having to throw out too many donations. At a meeting in April 1986, Dr.
Across the USA: North Dakota: USA Today (08/01/95) P. 9A; Cody Rogahn, president of the Dakota AIDS Project, claims that the AIDS disclosure law in North Dakota discriminates against AIDS patients and has no effect on the spread of the disease. Under the law, it is a felony for a person with HIV or AIDS to expose another individual without revealing his condition.
Therapies Outside the Mainstream: Washington Post (Health) (08/01/95) P. 10; Herman, Robin; Increasingly, Americans frustrated with their standard medicine are discovering alternative or unconventional treatments that have been shunned by the higher-tech medical world. As methods that involve massage therapists, homeopaths, herbalists spread, so has the concern that some treatments may not have been sufficien
Confusion over Russia AIDS Law: Financial Times (08/01/95) P. 2; Thornhill, John; On Monday, Russian ministries failed to clarify confusion about rules effective today that require persons planning extended visits to the country to prove that they do not have HIV. Both AIDS activists and foreign diplomats have assailed the rules as cumbersome and discriminatory. According to the health ministry, vis
Flu Shots Can Stimulate AIDS Virus, Study Says: Washington Times (08/01/95) P. A6; Scientists have found that even minimal stimulation of the immune system, such as a flu vaccination, appears to stimulate HIV growth. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles AIDS Institute report in the journal Blood that their findings should help doctors determine which HIV patients should be vacci
Hot Frog!: POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 24; Eisenberg, Jana; The recent eruption of the Ebola virus in Zaire has caused public health scares in the United States . Dr. Don Francis, who has conducted viral research for 25 years, feels the reaction to HIV is blunted by comparison. Although both Ebola and HIV have high mortality rates and are thought to come from Africa, Ebola rapi
AZT Resistance Mutations Predict Poor Outcome: AIDS Clinical Care (07/95) Vol. 7, No. 7, P. 61; To further determine the relationship between resistance mutations and patient outcome, Japour et al. studied the prevalence of two HIV mutations that had caused AZT resistance in 188 patients. The subjects had taken AZT for a minimum of 16 weeks and were randomized to either continue AZT or to shift to ddI. After adj
Top Scientists Come to Defense of AIDS Research Office: Science (07/14/95) Vol. 269, No. 5221, P. 151; AIDS researchers are trying to persuade Congress to preserve an arrangement established just two years ago. Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.), chair of the House appropriations subcommittee that overseas the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has introduced a plan that would rescind the Office of AIDS Research s (OAR s) powe
Worried about AIDS? Call a Cab: Reuters (07/30/95); In Sri Lanka , AIDS awareness activists are targeting trishaw, or three-wheel taxi drivers, for a series of safe sex seminars. Worldview Sri Lanka hopes to educate 3,000 of the drivers about AIDS because hired vehicles are frequently used for these purposes, according to the Sunday Island newspaper, likely referring
Inside TV: Linda Hamilton Trades in Buffed Bod for AIDS Role: USA Today (07/31/95) P. 3D; Johnson, Peter; For her new USA Network movie, A Mother s Prayer, actress Linda Hamilton lost 12 pounds to play a widowed mother with AIDS who tried to find a family for her son before she dies. Hamilton, who co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in both Terminator films, urges viewers to watch the movie on Aug. 2 because it s somethi
Talking Sex to Generation X: USA Today (07/31/95) P. 4D; Painter, Kim; Sari Locker, 25, wants to teach her generation how to succeed at sex. AIDS hit my generation as soon as we hit puberty. Most of us have heard since before we were sexually active that sex can kill us, she says. While this has made twentysomethings matter-of-fact about safe sex and condoms, Locker says it has also dampe
Fire Destroys Building Set for Renovation: New York Times (07/31/95) P. B5; An empty factory that was going to be turned into 24 apartments for the poor was ruined by a suspicious fire on Sunday, according to fire officials. On Friday, the State Bond Commission granted $1.5 million to the St. Vincent DePaul Society to convert the four-story wood-and-brick building in Meriden, Conn., into two d
Senate Committee Starts Reshaping House Budget Bill: New York Times (07/31/95) P. A1; Wines, Michael; The Senate has quietly begun stripping a $23.2 billion House- approved spending bill of its most controversial provisions, including one concerning AIDS education. Although the House s efforts garnered much attention, much less notice was given nearly one week later when the Senate Appropriations Committee picked up th
Organ Transfers Across Species Spark Debate: Wall Street Journal (07/31/95) P. B1; Fried, Lisa; The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) recently used an HIV- positive man s request for baboon bone marrow to assert regulatory control over xenotransplants. Last month, an FDA advisory panel recommended that Jeff Getty be able to receive the bone marrow on the condition that he is the only recipient and that scrupul
New AIDS Treatments Lift Hopes: Washington Post (07/31/95) P. A1; Gillis, Justin; Leading scientists in AIDS research labs across the country have developed new, experimental treatments that they claim demonstrate significant short-term effects. Although they caution that the findings are still early, the pervasive gloom surrounding AIDS research has begun to lift. I have a higher level of genuine o
Spin Doctor: Advocate (07/25/95) No. 686, P. 35; Gallagher, John; The June 15 appointment of Dr. R. Scott Hitt as chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS was hardly surprising to anyone but Hitt himself. However, Hitt s combination of political savvy and support for the president made him a clear choice to defend the panel against charges that it was redundant and the
New Antiviral Drug Could Slow AIDS-Related Blindness: American Medical News (07/17/95) Vol. 38, No. 26, P. 23; Cidofovir--the first of a new class of antiviral drugs-- appears to help AIDS patients ward off the blinding cytomegalovirus infection, according to manufacturer Gilead Sciences . The drug s potential is beginning to draw attention to nucleotide analogs to fight AIDS-related infections, as well as HIV, experts say.
Chugai Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.: Tokyo Expands...: Healthwire (07/26/95); Chugai Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. intends to expand its operations in the United States with Chugai Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (CBI) in an effort to enhance its global research and development network. CBI s mission is to identify genes that cause disease and eventually develop a fully integrated commercial company. CBI is
Boxing-Loughran Threatens to Pull Out of Fight Over AIDS Scare: Reuters (07/26/95); On Wednesday, WBO welterweight champion Eamonn Loughran threatened to pull out of his title fight against Luvuyo Kakaza of South Africa unless Kakaza is tested for HIV. Loughran, who is from Northern Ireland , said he was worried about recent reports that 34 professional boxers in South Africa
TB Rate in Mass. Lowest in a Century: Boston Globe (07/26/95) P. 18; Kong, Delores; The rate of tuberculosis (TB) cases has fallen to the lowest level in more than a century, health officials announced earlier this week. The rate is now down to less than 6 cases for every 100,000 individuals, a decline due to state-funded TB clinics, public health nursing visits, and other aspects of the public health
Swazi Insurance Firm Starts Screening for AIDS: Reuters (07/27/95); The Swaziland Royal Insurance Corporation has introduced mandatory HIV testing for clients applying to take out life policies of more than 25,000 rand ($6,868). This is done to curb the high number of claims made to the corporation in which the cause of death is AIDS-related, a company spokesman said. If the insurance
Scarlet Letters: Baltimore Sun (07/28/95) P. 1D; Schoettler, Carl; Mail handler Tim Snodgrass, who has been fired by the postal service for his refusal to deliver mail to a couple with AIDS, voiced fears and prejudices that continue to surround AIDS after almost a decade of research, education, and publicity. Snodgrass said he was afraid of becoming infected with HIV from envelopes Pa
House Rebuffs Many Budget Amendments: New York Times (07/28/95) P. A18; Gray, Jerry; The House of Representatives has rejected many spending bill amendments that sought to protect billions of dollars in housing and environmental protection programs. The spending bill provides nearly $80 billion for the 1996 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, for veterans benefits, housing programs, and several agencies
Senate Votes to Continue AIDS Program: Washington Post (07/28/95) P. A10; Dewar, Helen; By a vote of 97 to 3, the Senate Thursday approved reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act--a $633-million program named for a young Indiana hemophiliac who died after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion. During the hearings, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) repeatedly criticized homosexuals and called AIDS prevention
Customers Sue Illinois Insurance Company: Washington Blade (07/07/95) Vol. 26, No. 27, P. 16; Walsh, Sheila; Seventy-seven clients of Universal Guaranty Life Insurance have sued the company after it tried to renege of hundreds of life insurance policies, many of which were held by people infected with HIV. The Springfield, Ill., company offered policies for up to $100,000, with as much as $1,000 a month in disability coverage
Failure of T-Cell Homeostasis Preceding AIDS in HIV-1 Infection: Nature Medicine (07/95) Vol. 1, No. 7, P. 674; Margolick, Joseph B.; Munoz, Alvaro; Donnenberg, Albert D.; Many have theorized about blind T-cell homeostasis--that a constant level of T lymphocyte cells is maintained independent of CD4 or CD8 phenotype. In a recent study, Margolick et al. confirm the relatively constant T-cell counts of HIV-1- infected gay men who have not developed AIDS for as many as eight years after ser
Russell 2000 Advances to Set a Record, While Nasdaq Composite Tops 1,000: Wall Street Journal (07/27/95) P. C7; Bauman, Larry; Vertex Pharmaceuticals stocks rose 1.375 to 16.125 following the announcement of the results of its Phase I clinical trial for VX-478, an orally administered protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV and AIDS. The results suggest that VX-478 can be administered at levels needed produce sustained anti- HIV activity, t
Deaths Probed at AIDS Hospice: Boston Globe (07/26/95) P. 28; The death of at least one AIDS patient is being investigated as part of a probe into the unlawful dispensation of pain medication, Portland, Maine s chief of police has announced. An investigation launched by the attorney general s office in April was turned over to the police when evidence of criminal misconduct was f
Across the USA: North Dakota: USA Today (07/27/95) P. 8A; In Fargo, N.D., a woman has claimed that she was too drunk the night she had intercourse with her boss to warn him that she had AIDS. Cyndi Potete is the first person charged under a state law that compels people with AIDS to inform sexual partners of their condition.
Campaign Launched for HIV-AIDS Issues: Washington Times (07/27/95) P. C7; During a press conference today, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry and Melvin H. Wilson, administrator of the D.C. Agency for HIV-AIDS, will challenge black residents to Get the 411 on HIV-AIDS. The African-American HIV-AIDS Mass Media Campaign was developed in increase public awareness and inform the target audienc
Senate Votes Voluntary AIDS Testing for Pregnant Women: Reuters (07/26/95); Kirchhoff, Sue; On Wednesday, the Senate approved a plan to expand voluntary HIV testing of pregnant women. The Senate passed an amendment introduced by Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) to require 11 states, which account for 80 percent of all infants infected with HIV, to implement guidelines for the voluntary testing and counseling of pregn
New York TB Cases Decline: New York Times (07/27/95) P. A21; As a result of improved treatment and infection control, there has been a significant decrease in the number of drug- resistant tuberculosis (TB) cases in New York City, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden--head of the bureau of TB control in the city Department of Health--reported on Tuesday. In 1993 and 1994, cases of TB from bact
Man with TB Infected 45 at Bar, Study Says: New York Times (07/27/95) P. A21; Altman, Lawrence K.; Epidemiologists have discovered that, in 1992, a regular at a neighborhood bar in Minneapolis, Minn., infected at least 45 bartenders and other customers with tuberculosis (TB). As a result, at least one patron died and others customers spread the infection to two more. This outbreak accounted for 35 percent of all new
Board Upholds Hill Staffer Fired Over AIDS Fear: Washington Post (07/27/95) P. A17; A congressional grievance committee has ruled in favor of a gay man who claimed he was fired by Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins (D-Mich.) because she thought he was infected with HIV. The Office of Fair Employment Practices finds that [Bruce Taylor] was terminated because he was perceived to be HIV positive or to have AIDS a
...And Says Blood Claims Are 'Simplistic': Nature (07/06/95) Vol. 376, No. 6535, P. 5; Butler, Declan; France s secretary of state for research recently expressed concerns about the handling of the country s contaminated- blood scandal. In the early 1980s, hundreds of hemophiliacs and other transfusion recipients became infected with HIV through the use of tainted blood products. Elisabeth Dufourcq described the current
Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Persons: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/12/95) Vol. 274, No. 2, P. 143; Antonucci, Giorgio; Girardi, Enrico; Raviglione, Mario C. et al.; Antonucci et al. conducted a multicenter cohort study in Italy to evaluate factors predictive of active tuberculosis (TB). In this article, they analyze how demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics influence the risk of TB in HIV- infected persons. They found that being tuberculin-positive, anergic, or hav
Risk-Taking Young Keep Life Expectancy Down in EU: Reuters (07/24/95); According to the European Union s (EU s) first report on its members health, young people tend to live riskier lives than in the past. Although the report noted that people are healthier than ever before, it cautioned that current social behavior raises the question of how far life expectancy can be further extended.
China Teaches Students AIDS Lessons with Condoms: Reuters (07/25/95); A new pilot program in China s universities will, for the first time, teach students the importance of condoms in preventing AIDS. Approximately 80,000 students in Shanghai and the province of Henan will be issued information about AIDS and how to use condoms, says Xie Mouhong of the State Education Commission s health
U.S. Sees World Threat from Old, New Diseases: Reuters (07/25/95); Kenen, Joanne; Disease-fighting experts on Tuesday called for a coordinated global response to such diseases as the Ebola virus, HIV, and tuberculosis. Scientists and health authorities at a State Department forum on a new report on emerging and re-emerging diseases also asked for U.S. leadership and international attempts to improve
Confusion Reigns over Russia's AIDS Law: Boston Globe (07/25/95) P. 6; Hoell, Susanne; Although a new law that requires travelers who plan extended visits in Russia to prove that they are HIV-negative takes effect next week, some people are still not sure how it will work. One member of the Health Ministry said the Foreign Ministry is preparing a form that visitors, including students and journalists, wo
Obituary: Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman and Then Gay-Rights Advocate: New York Times (07/26/95) P. D19; Jon Hinson, the conservative Congressman who became a gay rights activist after leaving office due to a morals charge, died last Friday of respiratory failure resulting from AIDS. In 1978, Hinson rose from relative political obscurity to obtain Mississippi s Fourth Congressional District Seat as a conservative Republic
Glaxo Wellcome to Cut or Relocate 1,000 Jobs in U.S.: Wall Street Journal (07/26/95) P. B8; Bray, Nicholas; On Tuesday, Glaxo Wellcome PLC announced plans for the extensive reorganization of its U.S. manufacturing operations. A total of 1,000 jobs may be eliminated from the company born out of Glaxo PLC s takeover of Wellcome PLC earlier this year. According to the plan, the former Glaxo plant in Zebulon, N.C., will become t
Returning Emigres Add New Luster to AIDS Research: Science (07/07/95) Vol. 269, No. 5220, P. 24; Balter, Michael; A growing number of Italian AIDS researchers are returning to their roots. For example, Guido Poli and his wife Elisa Vicenzi had both spent several years working on AIDS at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But in 1993, the couple returned to Italy to work at Milan s San Raffaele biomedical complex in a state-o
The Prevalence of Patient Disclosure of HIV Infection to Doctors: American Journal of Public Health (07/95) Vol. 85, No. 7, P. 1018; Marks, Gary; Mason, Hyacinth R.C.; Simoni, Jane M.; To determine the prevalence and correlates of men s disclosure of HIV infection to physicians and dentists who were not treating their HIV disease, researchers studied more than 630 HIV-seropositive men at two HIV outpatient clinics in Los Angeles. Self-administered questionnaires revealed that 54 percent had seen a do
Perinatal HIV and Ethical Conflict: Focus (06/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 8; The perinatal and pediatric HIV epidemic is escalating in a global environment of ethical conflict, reports an essay that surveys the range of these conflicts. The pandemic must deal with limited resources and the competing priorities of personal rights and public welfare. Ethical Issues in Perinatal HIV, published in
UBI Expands Testing of Peptide Immunotherapy for HIV Disease: Business Wire (07/24/95); United Biomedical Inc. has expanded its clinical trials of a peptide immunotherapy for the treatment of HIV. The product is designed to slow AIDS progression by stimulating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), which are responsible for recognizing and killing HIV. The expanded Phase I clinical trial will determine the lev
Eye on the Needle: Boston Globe (07/24/95) P. 13; Ferdinand, Pamela; Results of a new analysis of Project-A-HOPE (Addict Health Opportunities Program Exchange) in Massachusetts show that the program appears to be successful. The needle exchange has reduced needle sharing, and possibly HIV transmission, without increasing drug use or crime. Although opponents were concerned that needle-e
In the Rush Toward Gene Therapy, Some See a High Risk of Failure: New York Times (07/25/95) P. C3; Kolata, Gina; Despite the recent explosion of gene therapy experiments, there has not been a single report of a patient who has been helped by gene therapy, and the number of technical questions has multiplied. Several leading scientists, including the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have voiced concerns that th
Safe Blood Units Refused, Documents Show: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/24/95) P. A3; Picard, Andre; The Canadian Red Cross was offered a heat-treated blood product for hemophiliacs in late 1983, but refused it because it cost pennies more per unit, say documents filed at a public inquiry. The agency rejected the product again in early 1984, 18 months before it was made available to hemophiliacs in Canad
The Search Goes On: Financial Times (07/25/95) P. 8; Cookson, Clive; Although several experimental vaccines are being tested, there is little prospect of an HIV vaccine proving its safety and efficacy in large-scale trials in time to impact the AIDS epidemic before the turn of the century, writes Clive Cookson in the Financial Times. Vaccines protect against infection by preparing the i
Across the USA: West Virginia: USA Today (07/25/95) P. 6A; Tim Snodgrass has been fired for refusing to deliver mail to a couple with AIDS. The postal worker was suspended last month after withholding Fred and Pat Grounds mail. Snodgrass said he was afraid of cutting himself on the metal mail slot and becoming infected with HIV from handling envelopes and stamps the Grounds mi
'Miracle Cure' Deal Trips Up Vesco: Washington Post (07/25/95) P. A9; Farah, Douglas; According to business partners and confidential State Department cables, fugitive financier Robert Vesco tried to develop a citronella plant-based drug called TX, which has been said to cure diseases ranging from the common cold to AIDS. Vesco, who was arrested in Cuba on May 31, appears to have made a mistake when, so
The Hospital Rankings: U.S. News & World Report (07/24/95) Vol. 119, No. 4, P. 61; U.S. News & World Report s sixth annual report provides rankings of America s major medical centers in 16 specialties. The leading hospital that specializes in AIDS patients is San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center. It has a 1.19 ratio of interns and residents to beds, a 1.52 ratio of nurses to beds, and a
Combining L-697,661 with AZT May Delay Resistance: AIDS Clinical Care (07/95) Vol. 7, No. 7, P. 61; A double-blind study conducted by Staszewski et al. indicates that combining L-697,661 with AZT could prolong susceptibility to this non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor. A total of 119 subjects with CD4 counts between 200 and 500 received either L-697,661; AZT; or a combination of the two drugs.
Intracellular Expression of Antibody Fragments Directed Against HIV Reverse Transcriptase Prevents HIV Infection In Vitro: Nature Medicine (07/95) Vol. 1, No. 7, P. 667; Maciejewski, Jaroslaw P.; Weichold, Frank F.; Young, Neal S. et al.; Maciejewski et al. tested a new method of intracellular immunization to determine whether intracellular antibody fragments recognizing HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) could protect cells from becoming infected with HIV-1. To express a particular antibody within a cell, the researchers used a transduction of genes that e
Massive NIH AIDS Priority Review Panel Begins Work Against a Daunting Schedule: Scientist (07/10/95) Vol. 9, No. 14, P. 1; Goodman, Billy; A new task force for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun the awesome task of completing a comprehensive reevaluation of NIH s entire $1.4 billion AIDS portfolio. The scientists and AIDS activists who make up the task force must work quickly to produce a report by January 1996 to aid in the planning of the
Safe Sex Ads Stir Up Edmontonians: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/21/95) P. A2; Feschuk, Scott; When the Edmonton AIDS Network began to design its latest AIDS prevention campaign, it decided that a new, candid approach was necessary. It felt that some people ignore the condom ads and safe-sex campaigns, which no longer tend to shock and, thus, do not attract as much attention. Therefore, if judged by controversy,
One Woman's Campaign to Stop AIDS: Washington Post (07/22/95) P. C1; Wilgoren, Debbi; Rae Lewis-Thornton, the daughter of heroin-addicted parents who was raised by an alcoholic grandmother in a poor neighborhood of Chicago, overcame her childhood difficulties to become one of Washington s young African American elite with a bright political future. On Friday, however, she told teenagers from Mayor Mario
Inside the Beltway: Beyond Ron: Washington Times (07/24/95) P. A6; McCaslin, John; Rep. Ron Packard (R-Calif.) has had a difficult time dealing with the Clinton administration mandate that require AIDS training for all federal employees, which includes such subjects as anal sex as birth control, how-to lessons on the use of condoms, and how to clean needles before shooting up injection drugs. Why the
Advertising: Tanqueray Pulls Out the Stops for Bike Events to Benefit AIDS Patients, and Mr. Jenkins Rides Along: New York Times (07/24/95) P. D9; Elliott, Stuart; Tanqueray gin has launched an extensive advertising campaign that focuses on the company s sponsorship of a series of bicycle rides that benefit AIDS organizations. The brand liquor s advertising icon, Mr. Jenkins, is a key figure in the campaign who in many ads directs computer users to the World Wide Web site for the
AIDS Patients Can Get Discount Drugs by Mail: Washington Times (07/24/95) P. A6; A new mail-order prescription service offers discount medicine for people with HIV and AIDS with the added benefit of complete confidentiality. MedExpress will provide drugs, vitamins, and nutrients at 25 to 30 percent lower prices than those charged by commercial mail-order pharmacies, says William J. Freeman, executi
Money Talks: Advocate (07/25/95) No. 686, P. 41; Gallagher, John; As AIDS and homosexual groups revise their strategies to accommodate the Republican Congress, they are increasingly turning to GOP consultants for help. Proponents of the strategy claim that this is how the game is played, and that the use of PR firms and political consultants is a long- overdue step toward making the
The Cost-Effectiveness of Voluntary Counseling and Testing of Hospital Patients for HIV: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/12/95) Vol. 333, No. 2, P. 129; Lurie, Peter; Avins, Andrew L.; Phillips, Kathryn A. et al.; In response to letters to the editor published in the Journal of the American Medical Association written by members of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lurie et al. state that--contrary to the letters assertion--they are aware of the existence of
Energy Expenditure and Wasting in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (07/12/95) Vol. 333, No. 2, P. 83; Macallan, Derek C.; Noble, Carole; Baldwin, Christine et al.; To determine the contribution of total energy expenditure to weight changes in patients with HIV-related wasting, Macallan et al. performed more than 50 tests of energy metabolism in HIV-infected men at various stages of the disease. The results of the tests were compared with the rate of weight gain or loss. The avera
State TB and AIDS Officials Knock Down Barriers: AIDS Alert (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 88; Connecticut is a model of how AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) control programs share information, say officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC and its Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET) have been working to establish better relationships between AIDS and TB registri
AIDS Drop-In Center Draws: Boston Globe (07/20/95) P. 24; Ferdinand, Pamela; A new Cambridge drop-in center for people with HIV and AIDS has become a popular place. As many as eight people a day come to the center, which is run by Cambridge Cares About AIDS, to have coffee, talk with peer leaders, find out about referral services, or watch movies provided by local merchants, says executive dire
Red Cross Issues Another Recall of Blood Products: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/19/95) P. A3; Abbate, Gay; The Canadian Red Cross Society has ordered the recall of additional blood products after learning that a donor has been diagnosed with possible Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. This second withdrawal in two weeks comes after the agency discovered that the man had donated blood in August 1994. The only other time he donated b
Chronicle: Greg Louganis: New York Times (07/21/95) P. B6; Brozan, Nadine; Four-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis is preparing for the starring and only role in The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me, an off-Broadway play by Dan Butler. The play offers a view of contemporary gay life as seen through several characters in 14 vignettes. The play--which is currently being performed b
Survey Finds D.C. Is Rich in Small Nonprofit Groups: Washington Post (07/21/95) P. A2; Thompson, Tracy; Washington, D.C., has a largely invisible, grass-roots network of more than 700 small nonprofit groups whose objectives range from delivering meals to homebound AIDS patients to constructing low-income housing, found a new survey by the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. According to the survey, these grou
Nevirapine: Ethical Dilemmas and Care for HIV-Infected Mothers: Focus (06/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 5; Benson, Mindy; Shannon, Maureen; For many women, zidovudine (ZDV, AZT ) therapy is not a viable option to reduce maternal-fetal HIV transmission. The Pediatric AIDS Council Trial Group, therefore, has continued to develop other trials that might offer a reduction of perinatal transmission. The AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) 250 protocol, for exampl
New TB Cases Drop; Local Programs Cited: American Medical News (07/17/95) P. 21; According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 24,361 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the United States in 1994--down nearly 4 percent from the previous year. Last year marked the second year of decline after an eight-year increase. The reduced number of cases is the result of increased
Shionogi Beefs Up Drug R&D to Cure Ailing Performance: Nikkei Weekly (07/03/95) Vol. 33, No. 1678, P. 10; Endo, Shigeru; Shionogi & Co., one of Japan s largest pharmaceutical makers, suffered during the early 1990s. Sales were stagnant, and its research and development unit had missed a critical market shift away from antibiotics. Now, however, Shionogi President Yoshihiko Shiono has successfully initiated the company s first major o
Magic Johnson Says He Won't Play in NBA Again: Reuters (07/18/95); Basketball legend Earvin Magic Johnson said on Tuesday that he will not return to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Johnson, who retired from pro basketball after learning he was infected with HIV said he realized his future is in business and not playing in the NBA. Since he left the basketball, Johns
Dutch Government to Pay "Bad Blood" HIV Victims: Reuters (07/19/95); The Dutch government has announced that it will compensate all hemophiliacs who became infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood or blood products. Health Minister Els Borst said that all HIV-infected hemophiliacs could expect as much as $129,000 in compensation. We accept that the government is to blame on certa
AIDS Focus of TD Insurance Battle: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/19/95) P. B10; Gibb-Clark, Margot; Toronto-Dominion Bank and the owner of a bed-and-breakfast are involved in a dispute over mortgage insurance that was purchased by his partner before his death from AIDS. After Nick DiCicco s death in February, just over a year after he had put a $200,000 mortgage on the house, his partner and beneficiary David McKinis
Surplus Funds Not Used for AIDS Blood Tests: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/19/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; According to documents filed as evidence at an inquiry into Canada s tainted blood scandal, Canada s blood program ended up $4 million under budget in 1985, while the introduction of HIV testing was delayed for lack of approved funds. The Canadian Red Cross Society invested some of the surplus, but did not use the cash
Blood Stain: A Drug From Baxter Is Said to Have Posed a Risk of Hepatitis: Wall Street Journal (07/20/95) P. A1; Burton, Thomas M.; Baxter International, Inc. estimates that nearly 350 people have contracted hepatitis C from its intravenous drug Gammagard--for the treatment of immune deficiency--which was immediately removed from the market. Donald Tankersley of the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) believes that there could be 1,000 infections
Mary Fisher's Message Goes to the Masses: USA Today (07/20/95) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; Most of America met Mary Fisher three years ago, when she spoke about her life as an HIV-infected mother at the Republican convention in Houston. What shocked American was that a married woman, in her early forties, with two nice children--a Republican even...--had AIDS, Fisher said of her fame. The wealthy daughter of
Sneak Attack on AIDS Research: New York Times (07/20/95) P. A23; Baltimore, David; Ho, David; Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) comments about federal AIDS funding caused a furor earlier this month, but a more menacing congressional attack on federal financing for AIDS research has largely gone unnoticed, write Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David Ho of the Aaron Dia
Neutralization of HIV-1 by Secretory IgA Induced by Oral Immunization with a New Macromolecular Multicomponent Peptide Vaccine Candidate: Nature Medicine (07/95) Vol. 1, No. 7, P. 681; Bukawa, Hiroki; Sekigawa, Ken-Ichiro; Hamajima, Kenji; Bukawa et al. recently developed a new macromolecular multicomponent peptide antigen--called VC1--which is made of HIV-1 peptides from four subtypes of the third hypervariable region (V3), a CD4 binding site. Using this vaccine and a cholera toxin (CT), they found that oral immunization induces a high level of gut-rela
Young People Say They Have Contributions to Make in AIDS Fight: Nation's Health (07/95) Vol. 25, No. 6, P. 8; Teenagers attending the National Youth Summit on HIV Prevention and Education in May said that adults need to listen to the youth of America for a new perspective on fighting AIDS. Adults need to accept the fact that they can learn from young people, said one participant. During the conference, more than 160 teens and
Bombay Brothels Enslave 50,000 Nepali Girls--Report: Reuters (07/17/95); Verma, Sonali; According to Human Rights Watch Asia, up to 50,000 Nepali girls are enslaved in Bombay brothels, where they are abused. In a report titled Rape for Profit, the U.S.-based human rights group said that thousands of girls with an average age of 10 are brought across the 500-mile border between India and Nepal by
Envisioning a Cure: Chicago Tribune (07/18/95) P. 2-1; Turano, James; The Elton John AIDS Foundation, in collaboration with Los Angeles eyewear designer Oliver Peoples, is offering a limited edition line of eyeglasses. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to the foundation s AIDS care and education programs. John Bigger, an optician and buyer for Eyelines, the exclusive Chicago di
Donor's Disease Prompts Red Cross Blood Recall: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/17/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) has recalled thousands of units of blood products after learning that a Vancouver man diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder donated blood often. Since a woman informed the agency last week that her father has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the CRC has learned that his blood was used
State High Court OK's Falmouth Plan to Provide Condoms in Public Schools: Boston Globe (07/18/95) P. 1; Ellement, John; Massachusett s Supreme Judicial Court said on Tuesday that providing condoms to public school students to stem the spread of AIDS does not violate the religious freedom of parents or conflict with their right to raise their children. The unanimous decision makes Massachusetts the first state to clearly state that such
S. African Boxers Found Infected with HIV in Tests: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/18/95) P. C6; McKenzie, Glenn; Officials announced on Monday that in 1994, 33 South African professional and aspiring boxers tested HIV-positive. South African authorities kept the existence of the HIV-infected fighters a well-guarded secret for months. The athletes were quietly barred from fighting, with the only explanation being that they were m
Sex Barely Gets a Foot in the Classroom Door: New York Times (07/19/95) P. A4; Perlez, Jane; Caught between the former Communist influence and the new role of the Roman Catholic Church, sex education in Poland is an embattled cause. Sex education is required in schools, but they have no books on the subject because no one can agree on the content. Without a textbook, educators say, it is hard to offer a subje
New AIDS Prevention Volume Highlights Innovative Solutions Used in Last Decade: Nation's Health (07/95) Vol. 25, No. 6, P. 24; AIDS Prevention in the Community: Lessons from the First Decade, edited by Nicholas Freudenberg and Mark Zimmerman, offers case studies on more than 50 AIDS prevention and service programs funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Freudenberg says the programs were selected based on the populations they served and
Treatment of HIV-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma with Paclitaxel: Lancet (07/01/95) Vol. 346, No. 8966, P. 26; Saville, M. Wayne; Lietzau, Jill; Pluda, James M.; Saville et al. conducted a phase II trial to determine whether the drug paclitaxel (Taxol), which is active against various carcinomas, is effective against AIDS-related Kaposi s sarcoma (KS). The drug s cellular target is similar to that of vinca alkaloids, which are active against KS. Although none of the 20 patients
Tuberculosis Knowledge Among New York City Injection Drug Users: American Journal of Public Health (07/95) Vol. 85, No. 7, P. 985; Wolfe, Hannah; Marmor, Michael; Maslansky, Robert et al.; Between November 1992 and February 1993, as part of a cohort study of HIV infection among injection drug users, Wolfe et al. recruited nearly 500 members of New York City methadone maintenance treatment programs to assess their knowledge of tuberculosis (TB). More than 30 percent of this group reported having tested po
UCSF Dentists Offer Free Services at the Nation's Biggest Health Fair: Business Wire (07/17/95); Su Salud ( Your Health ), the nation s largest all-volunteer health fair, will be held in Stockton, Calif., on July 23. Among the participants will be over 50 members of the University of California s San Francisco (UCSF) Medical School of Dentistry, who will offer free screenings for such conditions as AIDS, oral can
Gays, AIDS and Oral-Sex Risk: Philadelphia Inquirer (07/15/95) P. A7; Rotello, Gabriel; In an article published in the June issue of Harper s magazine, Walt Odets, a Calif. psychologist and well-known critic of conventional AIDS prevention methods in the gay community, cited a study that appeared to support his claim that oral sex without condoms is an extremely safe activity. According to Odets, the stud
Nurturing a New View on Prenatal AIDS Testing: Boston Globe (07/16/95) P. 71; Goodman, Ellen; The federal study concluding that HIV-infected women who took AZT during pregnancy reduced by two-thirds the risk of HIV transmission to their babies has not only changed the odds of having a healthy baby, but added weight to the importance of HIV testing, writes columnist Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe. The discov
Study Finds Americans, Europeans Ill Informed on STDs: Reuters (07/17/95); Melnbardis, Robert; According to a new study by the American Social Health Association, most adults in the United States and Europe know little about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) other than AIDS. The survey of nearly 5,000 adults showed that one-third could not name an STD besides HIV or AIDS. The public awareness of these infecti
Efforts to Make Blood Products Safer Tied to Competitive Pressures: Philadelphia Inquirer (07/18/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; According to company documents, executives of Baxter Healthcare Inc. decided in 1979 to expedite the company s virus-killing research for hemophilia blood-clotting products after they learned that a West German firm was close to introducing a clotting drug that was heat-treated to kill the hepatitis virus. The executiv
HIV Disease and Reproductive Counseling: Focus (06/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 1; Kurth, Ann; There are several factors that HIV-infected women may consider when making reproductive decisions and HIV-related treatment choices once pregnancy is underway. In order to make an informed decision, women need to have the available facts about HIV infection and pregnancy. Maternal-fetal transmission can occur as early
Other Viruses Could Change and Become Human Danger, Experts Warn: American Medical News (07/03/95-07/10/95) Vol. 38, No. 25, P. 15; Researchers at a meeting of the American Society of Microbiology cautioned that HIV and Ebola may be forewarning of several other fatal viruses that could spread through the human population as the result of genetic mutation or social changes. The researchers said that constant medical vigilance is the only protection
Jeweler, Sharon Stone Settle $12 Million Suit: Baltimore Sun (07/15/95) P. 2A; Actress Sharon Stone has settled her $12 million lawsuit against a jeweler, who will make a donation to the American Foundation for AIDS Research to resolve the dispute. The argument began in 1993, when Stone wore a $400,000 diamond necklace during the promotional tour for the movie Sliver. The actress, claiming that t
AIDS Fear Brings Suspension: Washington Post (07/15/95) P. A2; A mail carrier in Charleston, W.Va., has been suspended indefinitely with pay because of his refusal to serve a couple with AIDS, even after attending an AIDS education class. Tim Snodgrass, who refused to deliver mail to Fred and Pat Grounds after they moved into a home for people with AIDS, said he was afraid of inju
Helms Is Wrong Target: USA Today (07/17/95) P. 11A; Snow, Tony; While critics assailed Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) recent comments on federal AIDS funding, they ignored his central argument that the government spends a disproportionate part of its medical budget on AIDS, writes columnist Tony Snow in USA Today. Helms diatribe also enabled the diversion of public attention from a majo
Debate on H.I.V. Testing Raises Ackerman's Profile: New York Times (07/17/95) P. B4; Sack, Kevin; Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.) is at the center of a Congressional debate over whether the government should require HIV testing of newborns. Although most states test infants for the virus that causes AIDS to help track the spread of the epidemic, parents are not informed of positive results because a positive test re
Polio Helps Doctor Treat HIV Patients: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (07/17/95) P. B1; Arkush, Michael; Dr. Jeff Galpin, a victim of polio in the early 1950s, believes a cure for AIDS is possible because, during his unexpected life, everything else has been. He believes his struggle with the fear and stigma surrounding polio gave him empathy, and his patients believe him. He understands what it is like to be different,
Advisers Back Baboon-Human Cell Transplant: Washington Post (07/15/95) P. A3; Schwartz, John; On Friday, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) recommended allowing researchers to continue with a controversial AIDS experiment in which a baboon s bone marrow is transplanted into a human patient. Researchers hope that the specially treated cells from the baboon, which is not infected to HIV
Attempted Murder Conviction Upheld in HIV-Related Rape Case: Washington Post (07/15/95) P. B3; Shen, Fern; The Maryland Court of Special Appeals has ruled that an HIV- infected Prince George s County resident can be convicted of attempted murder for raping a woman. This decision, the first such appellate ruling in the state, adds fuel to the national debate over whether additional penalties should be imposed on someone whos
Merck to Provide New AIDS Drug: Washington Post (07/17/95) P. A7; Gillis, Justin; Merck & Co. is the second major drug company to announce an expanded access program for the drug indinavir sulfate, a member of the family of protease inhibitor drugs. Through a free lottery, Merck plans to distribute this drug known as Crixivan to 1,4
Toxic Transfusions: Maclean's (06/26/95) Vol. 108, No. 26, P. 57; Fulton, E. Kaye; Vic Parsons new book, Bad Blood: the Tragedy of the Canadian Tainted Blood Scandal, carefully chronicles the series of events which led to as many as 1,000 Canadian hemophiliacs becoming infected with HIV after receiving contaminated blood supplies in the early 1980s. The tragic irony of this infection was that the blo
New Surveillance Tool Makes Surveys Easier: AIDS Alert (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 93; This year, the Connecticut Department of Health will use a new surveillance tool--called a rapid assessment HIV survey, or RAP--to determine the prevalence of HIV in prisons. RAP is being pilot-tested at 11 sites across the nation. The RAP surveys are designed to be used one time, and, hopefully, are simple enough that
Across the USA: Washington: USA Today (07/14/95) P. 5A; The first man in Washington state to be charged with murder for exposing an individual to HIV will not be tried. Jeffrey Walker, who infected his girlfriend with HIV four years ago, is not competent, a judge ruled.
Control Board Meets--and Hears--the People: Washington Post (07/14/95) P. A14; Schneider, Howard; Vise, David A.; For two and a half hours on Thursday, the new D.C. financial control board heard complaints and recommendations about the city s government and finances. While some argued over broad issues like democracy and self-determination, others were more personal--seeking AIDS funding, trash pickup, and help for the public scho
Mail Carrier Won't Deliver to Home of AIDS Patients: Chicago Tribune (07/13/95) P. 1-8; A mailman in Charleston, W.Va., has refused to deliver mail to the home of a couple that has AIDS. The carrier said he is afraid of cutting himself on the couple s metal mail slot and coming in contact with envelopes and stamps they had licked. It s not a matter of ignorance. It s a matter of safety, he said. Pat and F
New Guidelines to Prevent Fatal Illness in AIDS Patients: Reuters (07/13/95); Cooper, Mike; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines on Thursday for the treatment and prevention of potentially fatal infections in AIDS patients. We ve tackled 17 different opportunistic infections in a way that s never been done before, said Dr. Jonathan Kaplan of the CDC, which published a 34-
Selling Idea of HIV Test for Pregnant Women: USA Today (07/14/95) P. 10D; Painter, Kim; Officials from several health agencies met in Atlanta this week to discuss issues related to the voluntary HIV testing of pregnant women. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came nearly a year and a half after researchers discovered that AZT could reduce maternal- fetal tr
Panel Recommends Steps for Ensuring Safe Blood Supply: Wall Street Journal (07/14/95) P. B7; Zachary, G. Pascal; A committee of experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine has called for the government to work harder at guaranteeing the safety of the U.S. blood supply. The panel studied a series of missed opportunities by U.S. blood bankers and health regulators in the early 1980s that led to the de
House Panel to Draft Bill on AIDS Tests of Newborns: New York Times (07/14/95) P. A15; Sack, Kevin; Leaders of the House Commerce Committee announced on Thursday that they will draft bipartisan legislation requiring HIV tests for newborns unless their mothers had been tested during pregnancy. The decision increases the likelihood that Congress will pass a bill that would, for the first time, require states to conduct
House Panel Votes 41-0 to Extend AIDS Project: Washington Times (07/14/95) P. A6; Price, Joyce; In a unanimous decision, the House Commerce Committee on Thursday recommended five-year reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. The measure would authorize $875 million in the first year for the care and treatment of HIV-infected individuals. An Appropriations subcommittee, however, has recommended $651.36 million
HIV-1 Infection in Commercial Plasma Donors in China: Lancet (07/01/95) Vol. 346, No. 8966, P. 61; Wu, Zunyou; Liu, Zhiyuan; Detels, Roger; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, Zunyou et al. report that a mother and her two daughters in rural China tested HIV- positive with no risk factor other than the fact that they were all commercial plasma donors. Donating plasma for money has recently become very popular in the Fuyang District. Although physical
NIAID Launches Microbicide Development Research: AIDS Alert (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 7, P. 95; The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced three new research projects on topical microbicides--chemicals a women can insert in her vagina prior to sexual intercourse to kill several sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The development of safe, effective, female- controlled topical
Bastille Day, West: Washington Post (07/12/95) P. C2; Fabricant, Florence; A couple of New York s top French restaurants are gearing up for Bastille Day, July 14. Provence again will be hosting one of the largest of the Big Apple s celebrations. In fact, the street on which the eatery is located will be closed to traffic and turned into a playing field for petanque. Some of New York City s le
Community Lifeline: Boston Globe (07/12/95) P. 69; Kressy, Jean; Community Servings is a Boston-area program that delivers free meals five days a week to people with AIDS, their families, and their caregivers. The project began five years ago as a small initiative to provide hot meals to AIDS patients. Although the cooking was initially contracted out, it soon became clear that the
Doctors Examine Weight Loss Caused by AIDS Virus: Reuters (07/12/95); Researchers trying to discover why HIV-infected persons often lose weight concluded in a report to be published in this week s New England Journal of Medicine that the weight loss does not occur because HIV increases the body s metabolism. Instead, the virus appears to slow the human engine. HIV apparently causes its h
'Renegade' Doctors Saved Hemophiliacs: Toronto Globe and Mail (07/12/95) P. E7; While doctors and Red Cross officials in Canada embraced a new blood clotting product called Factor 8, two renegade doctors claim they relied on instinct to save hemophiliacs in Alberta from becoming infected with HIV. Man-Chiu Poon and Andrew Kaegi testified at a hearing on Tuesday into Canada s blood supply that they
In Housing Effort, People with HIV Find Homes, Hope: Boston Globe (07/12/95) P. 22; Anand, Geeta; Tuesday marked the opening of a low-cost housing development for people with AIDS, the homeless, or the mentally impaired. The Arch Project is a 75-unit development in Boston s South End. Having a program like this gives us a second chance, said one new resident, who is drug-dependent and HIV-positive. Boston Mayor Men
FDA Reviews Baboon Cell Experiment: Washington Post (07/13/95) P. A15; Schwartz, John; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) will begin hearings today to determine whether an experiment which involves transplanting bone marrow from baboons into humans should proceed. The FDA blocked the treatment earlier this year for safety reasons. Some scientists believe that transplanting specially treated ba
Payments for AIDS Housing to Be Shifted: New York Times (07/13/95) P. B8; New York City announced on Wednesday that, effective Sept. 1, there will be a significant reduction in payments to hotels offering emergency shelter to people with AIDS. Instead, the funds will be used to construct permanent housing for AIDS patients. Currently, the Human Resources Administration pays $900 to $1,500 pe
Notice of Public Meeting: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (07/06/95); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a public meeting to discuss the implementation and evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for counseling and testing pregnant women. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain individual comments on the following: strategies to prevent HIV i
Archaic Leprosy Law Under Attack: Nature Medicine (07/95) Vol. 1, No. 7, P. 617; Nathan, Richard; Japan is considering whether to repeal its Leprosy Prevention Law, which was introduced in 1907. Many people feel that the law, which now confines more than 5,800 people to a life of isolation, could mark a turning point for patients rights in Japan--particularly among groups that have experienced discrimination, suc
AIDS Orphans: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/28/95) Vol. 273, No. 24, P. 1960; Callan, Monnie B.; AIDS and the New Orphans: Coping With Death, edited by Barbara O. Dane and Carol Levine, offers a new perspective on the issue of children orphaned by AIDS. The book is a compilation of works by several authors who examine the different developmental stages in relation to coping with death. They include step-by-step r
HIV Clearance in an Infant?: Nature (06/22/95) Vol. 375, No. 6533, P. 637; Bryson, Yvonne; Chen, Irvin S.Y.; In response to a letter to the editor published in the Lancet, Bryson and Chen disagree with McClure et al. s interpretation of their recent paper on the clearance of HIV infection in a perinatally infected infant, citing that McClure et al s criteria for the diagnosis of such infection are not typical of those used fo
AIDS Patient Fights Disease with Fervor: Washington Times (07/10/95) P. A5; AIDS activist Jeff Getty hopes to become the first human to be injected with a baboon s bone marrow. He believes he is still alive because of an aggressive style of negotiating he learned at the Mexican border seven years ago when U.S. border guards caught him coming from Tijuana with a pinata filled with illegal AIDS
...But Why Is There So Much for AIDS?: Boston Globe (07/11/95) P. 13; Jacoby, Jeff; Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) execration of homosexuals obscured his real point--that government spends too much on AIDS, writes columnist Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe. The federal debt is enormous, Jacoby notes, and it is difficult to see justification in raising AIDS to a privileged status, as though it is more danger
Chronicle: Hugh Grant: New York Times (07/12/95) P. A15; Brozan, Nadine; Actor Hugh Grant pleaded no contest on Tuesday to charges of lewd conduct in public with a prostitute. Grant must pay $1,180 in fines and court costs and was placed on two years unsupervised probation. Under his probation, Grant must complete an AIDS education program by mid-November, a spokesman for the city of Los An
Rise in Sexual Disease Worries UN Body: Financial Times (07/12/95) P. 4; Harding, James; According to the United Nations (UN) Population Fund, the incidence of sexually transmitted disease (STD) is increasing globally as people marry later and have more casual premarital sex. In its annual report, the UN emphasizes and analyzes the importance of reproductive health care provision, but also argues that equa
U.S. Judge Seizes Control of D.C. Jail Medical Care: Washington Post (07/12/95) P. B1; Locy, Toni; A federal judge took control of medical and mental health services at the Washington, D.C., jail on Tuesday, saying that some District corrections officials don t give a damn about the inmates. Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Bryant rejected the city s request for additional time to comply with a court order to i
House Republicans Move on Spending Bills: New York Times (07/12/95) P. A12; Gray, Jerry; House Republicans moved quickly on Tuesday to complete committee work on next year s appropriations bills. Several of the cuts are the same ones found in a reductions package for current-year spending that prompted President Clinton to use the first veto of his administration, including elimination of a youth employmen
Notice of Public Meeting: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (07/06/95); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a public meeting to discuss the implementation and evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for counseling and testing pregnant women. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain individual comments on the following: strategies to prevent HIV i
Bye-Bye Bipartisanship: Advocate (07/11/95) No. 685, P. 24; Bull, Chris; White House AIDS policy director Patricia S. Fleming s verbal battle with gay Republican congressman Steve Gunderson (R- Wis.) over Medicare reductions could make life difficult for lobbyists trying to establish a bipartisan coalition on AIDS issues. In early June, for example, Fleming called the proposed GOP cuts in M
Staging System for Clinical AIDS Patients: Lancet (07/01/95) Vol. 346, No. 8966, P. 12; Mocroft, Amanda J.; Johnson, Margaret A.; Sabin, Caroline A. et al.; Mocroft et al. propose dividing AIDS patients into a single staging system that accounts for prognostic factors such as type and number of AIDS-related diseases and CD4 lymphocyte count. A finer distinction would be useful in circumstances including designing entry and endpoint criteria in clinical trials, they note.
Anti-AIDS Drug Promising: Washington Times (07/10/95) P. A14; Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. reports that its drug Invirase showed encouraging results in tests of HIV s ability to develop resistance to drugs designed to kill it. Human studies of Invirase indicate that HIV develops only moderate and slow resistance to the drug.
Across the USA: South Dakota: USA Today (07/11/95) P. 6A; In Mission, S.D., funeral services will be held today for White Eagle, a tenor who performed at the 1989 inauguration of President Bush. White Eagle, 43, died last Friday from AIDS- related complications.
5 Arrested Protesting Closed AIDS Meeting: Washington Times (07/11/95) P. C6; After trying to enter a closed meeting of the AIDS Research Evaluation Working Group of the Office of AIDS Research for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), five people were arrested and now face charges of trespassing. Approximately 70 people gathered to protest the federal panel s first meeting being closed to th
AIDS Tests for All Pregnant Women: Washington Post (07/11/95) P. A16; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that doctors and hospitals advise all pregnant women, in addition to injection drug users and prostitutes, to be tested for HIV. This recommendation is primarily the result of a recent study which found that administering A
Do You Know What Your Kids Are Doing?: Washington Post (Health) (07/11/95) P. 10; Russell, Cristine; Despite major public health campaigns to warn young people about dangerous activities, a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that unhealthy behavior often begins early and reaches high levels during the teenage years. The report cautions that a substantial number of U.S. youth are engaging i
M.D.s Fail to Counsel Teens on Sex: USA Today (07/11/95) P. 1D; Elias, Marilyn; According to a new study from the Harvard Medical School, teenagers want doctors to give them the facts about how to avoid HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Most physicians, however, do not offer such information, and the teens are often too embarrassed to voluntarily bring up sexual matters. Teens are starv
Corrections Chief Punishes 4 in Death of D.C. Jail Inmate: Washington Post (07/11/95) P. B1; Locy, Toni; A physician, a physician assistant, and a nurse have all been suspended pending a probe of the June 6 death an inmate with AIDS at the D.C. jail, who died while tied to a wheelchair with a urine-soaked sheet, said D.C. Corrections Director Margaret A. Moore on Monday. Another physician assistant who worked for an indep
Sandoz Offers $295m for Pioneer in Gene Therapy: Financial Times (07/11/95) P. 16; Green, Daniel; Sandoz has offered to purchase Genetic Therapy Inc. (GTI) for $295 million, marking its first major corporate move since the demerger of its Clariant chemicals division. Sandoz Pharma Chief Executive Daniel Vasella says, Gene therapy will change medicine in the next century and we want to own that technology. GTI s
Notice of Public Meeting: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (07/06/95); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a public meeting to discuss the implementation and evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for counseling and testing pregnant women. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain individual comments on the following: strategies to prevent HIV i
Legacy Beyond AIDS: Crain's New York Business (06/26/95) Vol. 11, No. 26, P. 3; Furman, Phyllis; When Terry Wilke died of AIDS in February 1992 at age 36, he left behind a young menswear company that had just begun to gather momentum. Though faced with almost certain extinction, quite the opposite happened. This year, Wilke-Rodriguez will sell $45 million worth of corporate casual-style mens clothing. And with the
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