Table of Contents: AIDS Daily Summary

1997

December

Needle Exchange Programs Hold Promise of Curbing Infection: Detroit News (12/28/97); Tobin, James; Intravenous drug use is the second leading cause of HIV infection in men and women in the United States. To help reduce this mode of transmission, needle-exchange programs have been instituted across the nation, offering drug users free syringes for every used one they turn in.
Gay Men May Be Neglecting Safe Sex: Detroit News (12/29/97); Hodges, Michael H.; Officals from Detroit's Midwest AIDS Prevention Project (MAPP) report that a number of recent statistics indicate that gonorrhea rates among gay men have risen 74 percent nationwide from 1993 to 1996, suggesting that some gay men are not engaging in safe sex.
Thailand: HIV Tests for Medical Students: IPS Wire (12/30/97); Thailand's public universities have recently come under fire for agreeing to test medical students for HIV, as proposed by the country's Mahidol University. Supporters of the HIV testing requirement say the effort would help prevent the transmission of HIV from doctors, dentists, and health care workers to patients.
Sri Lanka: AIDS Victims Fight Discrimination: IPS Wire (12/30/97); Following a series of discriminatory incidents against people with HIV in 1987, a number of non-governmental agencies in Sri Lanka joined together to form the Coalition to Protect the Rights of People Living with HIV and AIDS.
Johns Hopkins AIDS Program for Medicaid Patients Efficacious and Cost-Effective: Reuters Health Information Services (12/30/97); An article in the December 25th issue of Disease Management News indicates that a new AIDS program for medicaid patients has both saved money and increased patient survival.
Across the USA: Michigan: USA Today (12/31/97) P. 9A; Michigan Governor Engler announced that state agencies would share about $2.6 million of HIV preventionfunds.
Capital Report: More AIDS Spending: USA Today (12/31/97) P. 5A; On Tuesday, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart confirmed a New York Times article that reported President Clinton would seek a 35 percent boost in spending for AIDS drug assistance programs.
Global Strategies for the Prevention of Vertical HIV Transmission: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (12/97) Vol. 3, No. 12, P. 19; MacDougall, David S.; Although developed nations have enjoyed considerable success in their efforts to reduce the incidence of vertical HIV transmission, developing nations have had relatively little success.
Serum MRP Level Correlates With Severity of HIV Infection: Reuters Health Information Services (12/29/97); Swiss researchers have concluded that advanced HIV infection is associated with increases in the level of macrophage inhibitory factor-related protein (MRP) 8/14 and with declines in MRP 8 serum levels.
Spreading Epidemic: AIDS Rate Rising for Blacks, Women: Detroit News (12/28/97); Tobin, James; The truth about Detroit's HIV/AIDS epidemic now, is that infection rates are higher among African Americans in both sexes rather than among whites.
Women--The Neglected Victims: Detroit News (12/28/97); Tobin, James; Although women represent the fastest growing subgroup of people with AIDS, the majority of disease prevention and research on the virus has been conducted on males.
Man in Court for Alleged AIDS Spreading: United Press International (12/30/97); Two preliminary hearings will be held in Michigan on Tuesday to determine whether James Wallace Jones, a 33-year-old drifter with AIDS, will go to trial for failing to inform a partner about his HIV status and for third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
US Needs to Increase HIV-1 Subtype Surveillance: Reuters Health Information Services (12/29/97); In the December issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers report the first documented case of HIV-1 subtype A infection in a United States-born individual who has not traveled outside of the country.
China Outlaws Selling of Blood: Washington Times (12/30/97) P. A11; China passed a law on Monday to halt the selling of blood and to rely entirely on voluntary donations in an effort to make its blood supply safer.
Clinton to Seek More Money to Help Pay for AIDS Drugs: New York Times (12/30/97) P. A14; Pear, Robert; White House officials announced that President Clinton has decided to seek significant increase in federal spending for HIV treatments, including a 35 percent increase in spending for AIDS drug-assistance programs.
Assessing Harm Reduction Strategies: The Dilemma of Observational Studies: American Journal of Epidemiology (12/15/97) Vol. 146, No. 12, P. 1007; Bruneau, Julie; Franco, Eduardo; Lamothe, Francois; To determine the individual characteristics and behaviors that increase the risk of HIV infection, Julie Bruneau and colleagues from the University of Montreal and elsewhere followed a cohort of subjects attending needle exchange programs (NEPs).
Invited Commentary: Le Mystere de Montreal: American Journal of Epidemiology (12/15/97) Vol. 146, No. 12, P. 1003; Lurie, Peter; Dr. Peter Lurie of the University of Michigan writes that the Montreal study--in which Canadian observational researchers found that the needle exchange program (NEP) participation was strongly correlated with higher incidence and prevalence rates of HIV infection--has long been a focus of debate regarding NEPs.
Manila Legislator Urges Coconut Oil Research for AIDS: Reuters (12/27/97); Philippine congressman Ramon Bagatsing is urging his government to investigate the use of coconut oil as a possible treatment for AIDS.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Underestimated in AIDS Registries: Reuters Health Information Services (12/26/97); A report by Dr. William A. Blattner of the National Cancer Institute and members of the AIDS/Cancer Study Group indicates that AIDS patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have a higher rate of brain lesions and high-grade lymphomas than NHL patients without AIDS.
Cesarean Delivery Can Reduce Vertical HIV-1 Transmission: Reuters Health Information Services (12/25/97); According to a report in the December issue of AIDS, Spanish researchers from the Hospital Universitari 'Germans Trias i Pujol' and the Working Group on HIV-1 Vertical Transmission evaluated the risk factors of vertical HIV-1 transmission among 599 infants born to 520 HIV-infected mothers.
AIDS Drugs Help Cut Mass. Prison Deaths: Boston Globe (12/26/97) P. A1; Dowdy, Zachary R.; Thanks to a Massachusetts state program that offers expensive medications and drug therapies to inmates with AIDS, the number of AIDS-related deaths in prison has fallen from 29 in 1990 to just one so far this year.
New Law Ends Most Humanitarian Help for Illegal Immigrants With AIDS: New York Times (12/29/97) P. A19; Sengupta, Somini; Under widespread changes to federal immigration and welfare laws enacted last year, illegal immigrants with AIDS living in New York City--who have long been able to secure Medicaid, disability benefits, and state-financed housing vouchers--are now facing the possibility of deportation.
Naval Hospital Shuts Down Its Blood Bank: New York Times (12/29/97) P. A13; Following a negative report from the Food and Drug Administration, officials from the National Naval Medical Center have voluntarily suspended blood bank operations until at least February.
Brazilian Man Sues Firm, Hospital Over Secret HIV Test: Kyodo News Service (12/24/97); A Brazilian man sued his employer and the head of a Japanese hospital on Wednesday for violating his privacy by conducting an HIV test without his consent.
Old HIV Laws: Washington Post (12/25/97) P. A26; Raver, Deirdre; In response to a Washington Post article about a convicted sex offender infected with HIV who knowingly exposed dozens of women in Maryland, Deidre Raver writes that archaic HIV notification laws grant special rights to rapists and deny women legal recourse in the event they are sexually assaulted and exposed to HIV.
Science Feature: Africa--Migration: PANA Wire Service (12/24/97); Masebu, Peter; According to a new report from the Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic network, migration may be one of the reasons for the high prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
'Crippled' HIV Strain Could Yield AIDS Vaccine: Australian Associated Press (12/26/97); Cusworth, Fran; The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in New York has awarded John Mills of Melbourne, Australia's Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, $415,500 to continue his research into an AIDS vaccine.
AIDS Patients at Risk From Germs in Cats and Lice: Washington Times (12/25/97) P. A7; According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the bacteria responsible for cat-scratch fever and trench fever are serious health threats to people whose immune systems are weakened by AIDS.
Renaissance for Italian AIDS Program: Science (12/19/97) Vol. 278, No. 5346, P. 2061; The Italian government has overhauled its AIDS research program, now making grant applications anonymous in response to charges that the National Program for AIDS Research played favorites.
Animal Models of HIV-1 Disease: Science (12/19/97) Vol. 278, No. 5346, P. 2141; McCune, Joseph M.; For years, animal models have been employed in the research of HIV-1, the pre-clinical testing of antiviral compounds, and the evaluation of vaccines, writes Joseph M. McCune of San Francisco General Hospital in the journal Science.
Pioneer Herpesvirus Experiment on the Way: Nature (12/18/97-12/25/97) Vol. 390, No. 6661, P. 655; University of Chicago researcher Bernard Roizman is planning what could be the first gene therapy test using a herpesvirus vector.
Another HIV-1 Trial Loses Placebo Control: Lancet (12/20/97-12/27/97) Vol. 350, No.9094, P. 1831; Kigotho, Anderson Wachira; Leaders of a three-group study of 900 HIV-1-infected women in Ethiopia have dropped the placebo control and will proceed with just two AZT-treated groups.
FDA Approves Phase I Trial for HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor DMP- 450: Reuters Health Information Services (12/23/97); The Food and Drug Administration has given Triangle Pharmaceuticals permission to launch Phase I trials of its DMP -450 HIV-1 protease inhibitor.
CCR-5 Delta 32 Heterozygosity May Slow Progression of HIV Disease: Reuters Health Information Services (12/23/97); Dr. Graeme Stewart of Westmead Hospital in New South Wales and colleagues compared the presence of CCR-5 delta 32 mutations, CD4 and CD8 counts, plasma HIV-1 RNA, p24 antigen, and beta-2- microglobulin levels in HIV-positive long-term nonprogressors (LTNP) with that of HIV-positive patients who progressed rapidly and HIV-positive patients with less than 500 CD4 cells per mL.
New Hungary Law Ends Anonymity for AIDS Sufferers: Reuters (12/23/97); Shiels, Duncan; Hungary has passed a new law that includes an AIDS clause stipulating that those who take HIV tests will still be entitled to anonymity, but must provide health insurance or identification information if they test positive.
Health--Latin America: Health Outlook Not the Best: IPS Wire (12/23/97); Despite the many medical advances over the past few decades, a number of illnesses believed to have been beaten are returning.
HIV-Positive Children Have Poor Response to Yellow Fever Vaccine: Reuters Health Information Services (12/23/97); In the December issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Dr. Stefan Wiktor of Ivory Coast's Project RETRO-CI and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and elsewhere report that HIV-positive children have a poor antibody response to yellow fever (YF) vaccination.
'Thorough' Blood Probe Promised: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/23/97) P. A4; Anderssen, Erin; On Monday, Chief Superintendent Freeman Sheppard vowed to conduct "the most thorough investigation" possible into Canada's tainted-blood scandal, but he noted that the search could take years.
Hawaii High Court Overturns AIDS Disability Case Decision: Journal of Commerce (12/24/97) P. 8A; A Circuit Court ruling that permitted Paul Revere Insurance Co. to deny disability payments to an AIDS patient has been reversed by the Hawaii Supreme Court.
HIV Program for Aid Workers in Norway: Lancet (12/20/97-12/27/97) Vol. 350, No. 9094, P. 1830; Awuonda, Moussa; Norway's state aid agency, NORAD, has adopted a new HIV prevention program following the discovery that 66 NORAD employees were infected with HIV.
Children on Losing End of Access to New Drugs: AIDS Alert (01/98) Vol. 13, No. 1, P. 10; In response to the finding that only five of 14 approved AIDS drugs have been tested in children and no protease inhibitors have been approved for pediatric patients under age two, the White House has proposed a rule to require pharmaceutical companies to test more drugs in children and report data to the Food and Drug Administration at the same time, or shortly after, the drug is okayed for adults.
Plight of HIV People in Zambia Worry Japan: Africa News Service (12/22/97); Kaunda, Joe; The Japanese government has given two non-governmental organizations in Zambia more than $31,000 for use in the fight against AIDS.
Visible Genetics Forms Group to Test HIV Genotyping Kits: Reuters Health Information Services (12/22/97); Visible Genetics will perform human clinical tests of its HIV genotyping kits at two sites in Canada and four sites in the United States.
Quinolinic Acid May Have Role in AIDS Dementia Complex: Reuters Health Information Services (12/22/97); In the December issue of Neurology, researchers from Australia's St. Vincent's Hospital report that in vitro studies suggest that quinolinic acid--a neurotoxic tryptophan metabolite that is a byproduct of the kynurenine pathway--is involved in AIDS-related dementia and, therefore, neuroprotective methods may be effective in the treatment of the disease.
RCMP to Launch Blood Probe: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/22/97) P. A1; Picard, Andre; Between 1980 and 1985, nearly 2,000 Canadians received HIV- infected blood and blood products, while an additional 60,000 transfusion recipients contracted hepatitis C between 1980 and 1990.
For Doctors, Years of Grief and Daring: New York Times (12/23/97) P. C4; In a book set to be published next year by Oxford University Press, Drs. Ronald Bayer and Gerald Oppenheimer have compiled the recollections of nearly 80 doctors who were among the first to mobilize against the then-mysterious and unknown AIDS epidemic.
Indinavir in Cerebrospinal Fluid of HIV-1 Infected Patients (Research Letter): Lancet (12/20/97-12/27/97) Vol. 35, No. 9094, P. 1823; Stahle, Lars; Martin, Claes; Svensson, Jan-Olof; et al.; As part of a population pharmocokinetic project examining protease inhibitors approved in Sweden, researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institute analyzed the concentration of indinavir in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 13 patients by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
Cost-Effectiveness of Improved Treatment Services for Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Preventing HIV-1 Infection in Mwanza Region, Tanzania: Lancet (12/20/97-12/27/97) Vol. 350, No. 9094, P. 1805; Gilson, Lucy; Mkanje, Rashid; Grosskurth, Heiner; et al.; To determine the effect of improved management practices in sexually transmitted disease programs located in Mwanza, Tanzania, on HIV infection rates, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and elsewhere compared six intervention communities with six matched communities.
IAPAC Proposes Rationing HIV Drugs in the U.S.: AIDS Alert (01/98) Vol. 13, No. 1, P. 9; The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care in Chicago has announced its support for a policy to ration HIV/AIDS drugs in the United States.
Gender Matters: POZ (12/97) P. 75; Ocamb, Karen; Some 20 percent of persons with AIDS in the United States are women, but AIDS activists claim there is not enough testing of new drug treatments' effects on women.
Sustiva Access Broadened to Include More HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/19/97); DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical announced last week that it was expanding its access program for efavirenz--commercially known as Sustiva--to HIV-positive patients who have had CD4 cell counts below 400 cells per ml.
Enzo Biochem Is Ready for Phase I Trial of HIV Gene Therapy: Reuters Health Information Services (12/19/97); Enzo Therapeutics has reportedly filed an Investigational New Drug application with the Food and Drug Administration to begin phase I testing of its StealthVector gene delivery system against HIV infection.
Bloodbank Workers Jailed for Tampering: United Press International (12/19/97); Two New York Blood Center employees have been sentenced to prison for tampering with and falsifying tests for HIV, hepatitis, and other viruses.
STD Programs Cost-Effective in Reducing HIV-1 Incidence: Reuters Health Information Services (12/19/97); To determine the impact of improving sexually transmitted disease treatment services on the rate of HIV infection, Richard Hayes and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine randomly selected a cohort of 12,537 adults in six rural Tanzanian communities and calculated the total cost per HIV-1 infection averted and the cost per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) saved.
Hooked on Dogma: Washington Post (12/21/97) P. C1; Shenk, Joshua Wolf; In spite of the failure of Switzerland's "Needle Park" experiment in the early 1990s, Swiss researchers remain intent on exploring alternative avenues to controlling the side effects of intravenous drug use--primarily the spread of infectious diseases--notes U.S. News & World Report's Joshua Wolf Shenk in a Washington Post commentary.
Medical Professionals With H.I.V. Keep Their Silence, Fearing Reprisals: New York Times (12/21/97) P. 41; Fein, Ester B.; Despite the decision last week by a Connecticut jury to award $12.2 million to a physician who sued Yale Medical School for failing to train her on proper precautions to prevent on-the- job transmission, many medical professionals with HIV plan to maintain silence about their infections.
Working With AIDS: Crain's New York Business (12/08/97-12/14/97) Vol. 13, No. 49, P. 1; Croghan, Lore; Gault, Ylonda; The latest medical advancements in the treatment of AIDS-- primarily the antiretroviral drug cocktails--have encouraged a movement back into the workforce among people with AIDS who previously had been resigned to death.
Transfusions and Kids: The Deadly HIV Link in Africa: AIDS Alert--International (12/97) Vol. 12, No. 12, P. 1; Many HIV infections in developing nations, especially those in young children, are the result of contaminated blood transfusions.
MSL-109 Ineffective Adjuvant Therapy for AIDS-Related CMV Retinitis: Reuters Health Information Services (12/18/97); In the December issue of the Archives of Opthamology, Dr. Douglas A. Jabs and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University report that MSL-109--the human monoclonal antibody of the IgG1 -kappa subclass that earlier demonstrated in vitro activity against cytomegalovirus--has now been found to be ineffective as an adjuvant therapy for CMV retinitis in AIDS patients.
Anti-HHV-8 Agents Identified as Candidates for AIDS-Related KS Prevention: Reuters Health Information Services (12/18/97); Johan Neyts and Erik de Clercq of Belgium's Rega Institute report in the December issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that they have identified four agents with "marked anti-HHV-8 activity": cidofovir, ganciclovir, foscarnet, and adefovir.
World Bank Approves $18.3 Million Loan [for Eritrea]: M2 Presswire (12/18/97); The World Bank has authorized an $18.3 million credit for a program to expand health care access in Eritrea.
AIDS-Infected Doctor Blasts Yale Over Appeal: Reuters (12/18/97); Lewis, Matthew; A doctor who sued the Yale School of Medicine after contracting HIV as an intern was awarded $12.2 million in compensatory damages on Wednesday.
Blood-Clotting Drug Manufacturer Wins Suit Brought by Hemophiliacs With AIDS: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/18/97) P. C3; Bryant, Tim; On Wednesday, a St. Louis, MO, Circuit Court jury rejected three hemophiliacs' claims that Alpha Therapeutics should pay damages to them for the HIV infection they contracted as a result of using allegedly contaminated blood-clotting products.
Young Reported to Minimize AIDS: Boston Globe (12/18/97) P. A26; New data from an MTV/Yale University study indicate that 87 percent of young people do not believe they are at risk for HIV infection.
Blood-Product Shortage Puts Many at Risk: USA Today (12/19/97) P. 4A; At the peak of the cold and flu season, a serious shortage of immunoglobulin across the nation has raised concerns among those with deficient immune systems who need the medicine.
2nd Progress Report' Released by Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS: Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (12/18/97); The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (Council) released its 2nd Progress Report on December 7, 1997.
Routine Fungal Blood Culture May Be Unnecessary in AIDS Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/17/97); In the December issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles suggest that routine fungal blood cultures in AIDS patients with suspected invasive fungal infection may not be needed.
Biochip Speeds Up Gene Testing: Financial Times (12/18/97) P. 8; Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are planning a "DNA biochip" that could test for HIV, cancer, or tuberculosis within minutes.
HIV Vaccine Trial Participants May Need More Behavior Counseling: Reuters Health Information Services (12/17/97); Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco report that HIV vaccine trial participants with histories of high-risk sexual behavior may return to such behavior during the trial if they incorrectly believe they are protected against HIV.
Man With HIV Faces Charges of Not Telling: Washington Post (12/18/97) P. A22; James Wallace Jones, a convicted sex offender with HIV, faces charges in Michigan for failing to notify four sex partners-- including a 15-year-old girl--of his infected status.
UK Researchers Give Boost to TB Research: Reuters (12/17/97); In an effort that could aid researchers in the fight against tuberculosis, Dr. Bart Barrell of Britain's Wellcome Trust medical charity and Dr. Stewart Cole of France's Pasteur Institute announced Wednesday that they had completed reading the genetic map of the TB bacterium.
Yale Must Pay Doctor Infected With AIDS: New York Times (12/18/97) P. A32; Fisher, Ian; A young physician who was infected with HIV after pricking her thumb when inserting a catheter tube into a dying AIDS patient at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1988 was awarded $12.2 million on Wednesday by a New Haven Superior Court jury.
U.S. Agency Devotes $50 Million More to Fight Infectious Diseases Overseas: Washington Post (12/18/97) P. A15; Brown, David; The U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) has allocated an additional $50 million this year for the control of infectious diseases found overseas--an investment AID administrator J. Brian Atwood called "a defense fund for the United States ...[and] for the entire world."
Treating the HIV-Infected Pregnant Woman and Her Child: AIDS Clinical Care (12/97) Vol. 9, No. 12, P. 91; Pitt, Jane; Cotton, Deborah; In AIDS Clinical Care, authors Jane Pitt and Deborah Cotton review recent advances in perinatal and pediatric HIV infection and the effect of treatment guidelines for HIV- infected individuals on the care of HIV-infected pregnant women and children.
Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus During Colonoscopy (Letter): New England Journal of Medicine (12/18/97) Vol. 337, No. 25, P. 1849; Bronowicki, Jean-Pierre; Bigard, Marc-Andre; In response to a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Jean-Pierre Bronowicki and Marc-Andre Bigard of France's Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy support the author's assertion that gastrointestinal endoscopy is safe when the recommended procedures are followed.
Three Documents Addressing the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Perinatal, Pediatric, and Adult HIV Infection are Now Available: AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) (12/17/97); The "Revised Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection," "Revised Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs During Pregnancy for Maternal Health and Reduction of Perinatal Transmission of HIV-1," and "Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV Infected Adults and Adolescents" are now available in PDF format on the ATIS Web site at http://www.hivatis.org/ or in print by calling 1-800-448-0440 (TTY: 1-800-243-7012).
Studies Shed New Light on HIV Epidemic in India: NIAID News (12/16/97); Two new studies published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association offer insight into the AIDS epidemic in India, where the United Nations estimates that up to 5 million people are infected with HIV.
The Deadly Streets: Maclean's (12/08/97) Vol. 110, No. 49, P. 32; Hunter, Jennifer; Blood Alley is the nickname of an area on the east side of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, that has become a haven for the city's intravenous drug users, most of whom are HIV- positive.
Health--Congo: Handed a Death Sentence: IPS Wire (12/16/97); On December 1, World AIDS Day, a number of HIV-infected children in Congo traveled to various schools and other public places to help educate other children on the dangers of the virus.
Russian Church Attacks ... Sex Education: Reuters (12/16/97); MacDonald, Alastair; Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexiy II addressed a group of parish priests and lay officials this week on the immorality of the government's decision to spend $40 million to teach sex education in school.
New System Rapidly Identifies RT Inhibitor-Resistant HIV-1 Strains: Reuters Health Information Services (12/16/97); Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania have developed a new "recombinant retroviral system in which a library of infectious molecular clones" of HIV-1 is constructed with reverse transcriptase genes.
UN Urges Steps to Limit HIV, TB in Europe's Jails: Reuters (12/16/97); Barker, Anthony; World Health Organization officials are alarmed at the rapid spread of tuberculosis and HIV in jails around Europe, much of which has been attributed to overcrowding.
High Rates of HIV Infection Among Injection Drug Users Participating in Needle Exchange Programs in Montreal; Results of Cohort Study: American Journal of Epidemiology (12/15/97) Vol. 146, No. 12, P. 994; Bruneau, J.; Lamothe, F.; Franco, E.; Canadian researchers have concluded that participants in needle-exchange programs in Montreal appear to have greater HIV seroconversion rates than non-participants.
Risk Factors and Clinical Presentation of Acute Primary HIV Infection in India: Journal of the American Medical Association (12/17/97) Vol. 278, No. 23, P. 2085; Bollinger, Robert; Brookmeyer, Ronald; Mehendale, Sanjay M; et al.; Johns Hopkins University researchers and colleagues conducted a nested case-control study in Pune, India, to identify the risk factors for newly acquired HIV infection and the symptoms of acute HIV infection.
Spread of HIV Infection in Married Monogamous Women in India: Journal of the American Medical Association (12/17/97) Vol. 278, No. 23, P. 2090; Gangakhedkar, Raman R.; Bentley, Margaret E.; Divekar, Anand D; et al.; HIV infection among women who are not sex workers is increasing in India, and the likely mode of transmission is these women's husbands, according to a new study.
Thalidomide Well-Absorbed by HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/15/97); New research appearing in the December issue of Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy suggests that single doses of thalidomide are well absorbed by patients infected with HIV.
UK Soldiers Offered AIDS Tests After Sex Spree: Reuters (12/16/97); Officials at the Catterick army base in Yorkshire, England, have offered HIV tests to soldiers after learning that two local women who had been "liberal with their affections" were HIV positive.
Interferon-Alpha-2a Plus Nucleosides for HIV Infection: Increased Toxicity, Transient Viral Load Decreases: Reuters Health Information Services (12/15/97); The addition of interferon-alpha-2a to the drug combination of zidovudine and zalcitabine appears to be harmful over time, according to a study published in the December 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology.
Tanzania AIDS Cases Number at Least 88,667: Reuters (12/15/97); By year-end 1996, the number of AIDS cases in Tanzania hit 88,667, according to a health ministry report, though experts estimate the actual number is much larger.
FDA Advisory Committee Approves Expanded Use of RNA HIV-1 Test: Reuters Health Information Services (12/15/97); Roche Diagnostics Systems' Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test, which will be used to monitor antiretroviral treatment for HIV, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration's Blood Products Committee.
AIDS Claws Back Gains in African Development: Reuters (12/16/97); Bunce, Matthew; The United Nations Development Program has compiled several development indices of economic conditions in Africa that critics feel may be painting too bleak a picture regarding the effects of AIDS.
Lifeline: Risky Business: USA Today (12/16/97) P. 1D; DeRosa, Robin; New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins University shows that about 14 percent of sexually active people between the ages of 14 and 22 report not using any protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases the last time they had sex.
HIV-1 Infection Puzzles Denmark: Lancet (12/13/97) Vol. 350, No. 9093, P. 1758; Skovmand, Kaare; Danish health authorities are investigating what they believe could be the first patient-to-patient transmission of HIV-1 infection.
Nosocomial Transmission of Mycobacterium Bovis Resistant to 11 Drugs in People With Advanced HIV-1 Infection: Lancet (12/13/97) Vol. 350, No. 9093, P. 1738; Guerrero, Antonio; Cobo, Javier; Fortun, Jesus; et al.; Researchers from Hospital Ramon y Cajal in Madrid, Spain, investigated the presence of Mycobacterium bovis in a tuberculosis outbreak at the hospital.
A Harsh Rebuke: Maclean's (12/08/97) Vol. 110, No. 49, P. 20; DeMont, John; The infection of thousands of Canadians with HIV and the hepatitis C virus in the late 1970s and 1980s by tainted blood, could have been avoided, according to the final report by Justice Horace Krever on his investigation into the country's largest medical scandal of the century.
Making the Case for the Live Attenuated Approach: An Interview With Ronald Desrosiers: IAVI Report (10/97-12/97) Vol. 2, No. 3, P. 6; In an interview with the IAVI Report, Harvard's Ronald Desrosiers endorses the use of a live attenuated HIV vaccine in a human trial because, he believes, such a vaccine may be effective, relatively safe, and inexpensive to produce.
Zambia to Host Next African AIDS Conference: PANA Wire Service (12/12/97); At the close of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, Zambia was designated as the location for the next meeting, to be held in 1999.
Charges Announced for Bogus HIV Test: United Press International (12/12/97); A California businessman and two companies he owns have been charged with marketing medically useless HIV and hepatitis home test kits.
Nelfinavir Boosts Bioavailability of Saquinavir in HIV- Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/12/97); A group of U.K. and Irish researchers, led by David Black of the University of Liverpool, recently found that the use of two protease inhibitors with two nucleoside analogues helps boost protease inhibitor bioavailability to the therapeutic range among some patients.
Nosocomial Transmission of MDR Mycobacterium Bovis Reported in HIV-1-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/12/97); In the Dec. 13 edition of the Lancet, a report from Spanish researchers discusses the appearance of a strain of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium bovis in advanced stages of HIV infection.
AIDS Gives African Mothers Cruel Choices: Reuters (12/14/97); Bunce, Matthew; Last week's AIDS conference in Ivory Coast painted vivid images of the difficult choices African women must make, ranging from genital mutilation with unsanitary instruments, to forced pregnancies and husbands' silence about HIV infection.
UN Alarmed by High HIV Rates in Europe's Prisons: Reuters (12/12/97); On Friday, The United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS said that HIV infection rates are extremely high in many European prisons, with as many as one in five inmates infected in Spanish and Irish jails.
Crack Pipe Dreams: Washington Times (12/15/97) P. A19; Ehrenfeld, Rachel; In an editorial for the Washington Times, author Rachel Ehrenfeld lauds President Clinton's decision not to support needle-exchange programs.
Looming Hepatitis C Epidemic Sparks New Research: Scientist (12/08/97) Vol. 11, No. 24, P. 1; Bunk, Steve; Nearly 4 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus, according to federal health officials, but the American Liver Foundation says that annual federal government funding for HCV research is only about $11.9 million.
Guidance Offered in Drug Combination Choices: AIDS Alert (12/97) Vol. 12, No. 12, P. 135; The development of new antiretroviral drugs provides increasing options for combination therapy against AIDS, but experts say physicians and patients would be better served by assessing new comparative trials and considering the risks of resistance and noncompliance.
Science & Health Bulletin: Antiretrovirals Support: PANA Wire Service (12/11/97); Masebu, Peter; At the 10th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, a proposal was made by French President Jacques Chirac--and supported by French scientist Gentilin Marc--to create a global fund to provide antiretrovirals to African countries.
AIDS--Rehabilitation: PANA Wire Service (12/11/97); Masebu, Peter; For years, Dr. Elizabeth Ngugi of the Kenya Voluntary Women Rehabilitation has worked with young female prostitutes to discourage both the spread of HIV and the prevalence of prostitution among Nairobi's youth.
OSHA Extends Period for Comments on Tuberculosis: U.S. Newswire (12/11/97); To offer community groups and organizations additional time to prepare testimony regarding a proposed standard to protect workers exposed to tuberculosis, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has extended the deadline for comments to Feb. 17, 1998.
India Needs to Talk About Sex to Tackle AIDS: Reuters (12/11/97); Kataria, Sunil; In conjunction with the release of a report by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Indian Health Minister Renuka Chowdhary urged the government to involve industry and the private sector in the fight against AIDS, and Indians to shed their inhibitions against open discussions of sex.
Defining Events: World War II, Vietnam, AIDS: Wall Street Journal--American Opinion (12/12/97) P. R6; Hunt, Albert R.; Unlike older Americans who link their generations to such events as World War II and the Vietnam War, Generation Xers list AIDS as the most defining event of their generation, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey.
Digest: MedImmune: Washington Post (12/12/97) P. G1; Gaithersburg, Md.-based MedImmune has signed a deal with SmithKline Beecham to develop and market vaccines for the prevention of genital warts and cervical cancer.
Primate Researcher Dies From Rare Infection: Washington Post (12/12/97) P. A44; An animal research worker from Emory University's Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center died Wednesday from Herpes B virus, six weeks after contaminated fluid from an infected laboratory monkey got in her eye. Officials say this is believed to be the first reported instance of HBV transmission through the eye.
No Discrimination Found Against HIV Patient: American Medical News (12/08/97) Vol. 40, No. 46, P. 20; A federal trial court in Michigan has dismissed an Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act claim brought against Henry Ford Health Systems Hospital for allegedly discriminating against an HIV-infected emergency patient.
'Traditional' Medicines for HIV Infection Merit Investigation: Reuters Health Information Services (12/10/97); During a recent lecture at Hong Kong's Chinese University, Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York said that more research into the effect of traditional Chinese medicines on HIV is needed, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
Plasma MCP-1 Levels Correlate With HIV RNA Load: Reuters Health Information Services (12/10/97); Researchers report in the December issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases that plasma HIV RNA levels in HIV-infected patients strongly correlate with plasma levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), indicating that MCP-1 may be a triggering agent for viral replication in HIV.
Hormone May Fight Kaposi's Sarcoma: United Press International (12/10/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; In the journal Nature, British scientists have reported early data that could lead to a treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma.
AIDS Treatment Study Reports Positive Results: Wall Street Journal (12/11/97) P. B4; Ligand Pharmaceuticals has announced that clinical test results of its treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma are positive.
AIDS Vaccine Hunters Seek Cash Injection: Reuters (12/10/97); Bunce, Matthew; On the sidelines of the 10th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS in Africa, UNAIDS director Peter Piot explained that the search for a viable HIV/AIDS vaccine has been inhibited by concerns of lawsuits if the vaccines do not work and by fears of poor investment returns from developing nations.
CEL-SCI Says AIDS Drug Effective in Animals: Reuters (12/10/97); CEL-SCI has reported that studies of its HGP-30 AIDS vaccine protected animals against HIV infection and induced humans to produce antibodies that recognize the most common subtypes of the virus.
Expression and Function of CCR5 and CXCR4 on Human Langerhans Cells and Macrophages: Implications for HIV Primary Infection: Nature Medicine (12/97) Vol. 3, No. 12, P. 1369; Zaitseva, Marina; Blauvelt, Andrew; Lee, Shirley; et al.; Marina Zaitseva and colleagues from the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and elsewhere generated polyclonal immune serum specific for the extracellular amino termini of CXCR4 and CCR5 in rabbits to determine whether restricted transmission of HIV-1 correlates with the expression and function of HIV-1 co- receptors on Langerhans cells (LCs) and macrophages.
Lack of Response of Thrombocytopenia Associated With Human Immunodeficiency Virus to Triple Antiretroviral Therapy (Research Letter): Archives of Internal Medicine (12/08/97-12/22/97) Vol. 157, No. 22, P. 2669; Domingo, Pere; Coma, Eva; Muniz-Diaz, Eduardo; et Domingo, Pere; In the Archives of Internal Medicine, Spanish researchers report on an HIV-infected patient with symptomatic thrombocytopenia that did not respond positively to triple antiretroviral therapy.
Two Revised Documents Address the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric and Perinatal HIV Infection are Now Available: AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) (12/10/97); The "Revised Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection" and the "Revised Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs During Pregnancy for Maternal Health and Reduction of Perinatal Transmission of HIV-1."
Africa: AIDS Experts Caution Over New AIDS Drugs: PANA Wire Service (12/09/97); Africans should not immediately begin using antiretroviral drugs to fight HIV without ensuring that the drugs will remain available, says Yaw Adu-Sarkodie, a Ghanaian AIDS expert.
AIDS Drugs-for-the-Poor Plan to Start Early 1998: Reuters (12/10/97); Bunce, Matthew; The UNAIDS Drug Access Initiative, a controversial pilot project starting next year, seeks to encourage pharmaceutical companies to reduce their prices for expensive anti-retroviral drugs against HIV.
Four Infected by Alleged HIV Spreader: United Press International (12/09/97); Four new cases of HIV have been linked to a New York man who allegedly slept with numerous young women while knowing that he was infected, health experts say.
Gore Statement on Expanding HIV/AIDS Drug Therapies: U.S. Newswire (12/09/97); Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday that he was "extremely disappointed" that the Health Care Financing Administration and the Office of National AIDS Policy could not find a way to provide earlier Medicaid coverage for HIV-infected people.
Across the USA: Colorado: USA Today (12/10/97) P. 22A; The city council of Denver, CO, has endorsed the creation of a needle-exchange program to stem the spread of HIV.
African Taboos Mean AIDS Among Young Stays Hidden: Reuters (12/09/97); Bunce, Matthew; According to a report by the Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic (MAP) network, cultural and traditional taboos that keep young people from freely discussing their sexuality are hindering efforts to curb the spread of HIV among that population group.
AIDS Vaccine Unlikely Before 2004 at Earliest: Reuters (12/09/97); Balouki, Eya; Based on the progress of current trials, a vaccine against AIDS is not likely to be available before 2004 or 2005, Dr. Margaret Johnson of the International AIDS Initiative recently told a news conference.
Overshadowed by AIDS, Herpes Spreads Alarmingly: Wall Street Journal (12/10/97) P. B1; Petersen, Andrea; With the intense focus on AIDS and several other public health issues in the United States, genital herpes has been largely ignored and is spreading rampantly through the nation's 12-to- 19-year-old population, according to an article published in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal.
Association of Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) With Multiple Sclerosis: Increased IgM Response to HHV-6 Early Antigen and Detection of Serum HHV-6 DNA: Nature Medicine (12/97) Vol. 3, No. 12, P. 1394; Soldan, Samantha S.; Berti, Rossana; Salem, Nazi; et al.; Researchers from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and elsewhere investigated the relationship of human herpesvirus 6 and multiple sclerosis.
Passive Immunization With a Human Monoclonal Antibody Protects hu-PBL-SCID Mice Against Challenge by Primary Isolates of HIV- 1: Nature Medicine (12/97) Vol. 3, No. 12, P. 1389; Gauduin, Marie-Claire; Parren, Paul W.H.I.; Weir, Raymond; et al.; To better understand the ability of passive antibody to protect against primary HIV-1 challenge, Marie-Claire Gauduin of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and colleagues populated severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hu-PBMCs) and infected them with HIV-1.
HIV Cases Have Dropped by 34 Percent in Some Areas of [Zimbabwe]: Africa News Service (12/08/97); Hamba, Joyce; Thanks to the Impact of Peer Education on HIV Transmission in the Workplace project--a joint effort by the Zimbabwe AIDS Prevention Project (Zapp), Stanford University, the National Blood Transfusion Service, and the University of Zimbabwe--the number of HIV cases in some industrial areas of Harare, Zimbabwe, has dropped by 34 percent.
Across the USA: Florida: USA Today (12/09/97) P. 8A; Florida health officials report that some 44 percent of the 64,207 AIDS cases recorded between 1981 and October 1997 were among African Americans.
Perinatal AIDS Program Reports Success With Combination Therapy: Reuters Health Information Services (12/08/97); The Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center, an affiliate of the University of California at San Francisco, has had great success in preventing the perinatal transmission of HIV to infants.
Lawsuit Fears, Cash Crunch Hit AIDS Vaccine Hunt: Reuters (12/08/97); Bunce, Matthew; UNAIDS director Peter Piot says the search for an AIDS vaccine is being hampered by a fear of litigation and a perception in the pharmaceutical industry that such a product might not be profitable.
AIDS Must Not Soak Up All African Health Funds: Reuters (12/08/97); Bunce, Matthew; During the 10th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS in Africa, European Union and World Bank AIDS experts warned that accessibility of retrovirals and other AIDS treatments should not take precedence, or divert funds from, other illnesses.
HIV Tests Should Stay Anonymous: Baltimore Sun (12/09/97) P. 27A; Dahir, Mubarak S.; In a Baltimore Sun commentary, Mubarak S. Dahir writes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to make a "recommendation" for the reporting of all HIV cases to states.
New AIDS Statistics Released at Ivory Coast Conference: Reuters Health Information Services (12/08/97); At the 10th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ivory Coast's Project RETRO-CI presented new statistics on the AIDS epidemic.
'Last Chance' to Control Tuberculosis in India: Lancet (12/06/97) Vol. 350, No.9091, P. 1689; Kumar, Sanjay; Since its inception in 1993, India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP)--which is based on the World Health Organization's Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course strategy--has significantly helped in the treatment of TB.
Human Herpesvirus 8 Variants in Sarcoid Tissues: Lancet (12/06/97) Vol. 350, No. 9091, P. 1655; Alberti, Luca Di; Piattelli, Adriano; Artese, Luciano; et al.; To gain a greater understanding about the cause of sarcoidosis, Luca Di Alberti of the Central Public Health Laboratory in London and colleagues compared biopsy samples from 17 individuals with varying types of sarcoidosis-- transbronchial, lymph node, skin, and oral--to tissue samples from 96 patients without sarcoidosis.
Proposed Live HIV Vaccine Trials Face Safety, Production Hurdles: IAVI Report (10/97-12/97) Vol. 2, No. 3, P. 1; Gold, David; Sparking a wave of activity on research into, and debate regarding, live-attenuated HIV vaccines, the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) announced in September that more than 50 people had volunteered for a study of a live-attenuated HIV vaccine.
Africa Tops League of AIDS Babies, Experts Say: Reuters (12/07/97); Bunce, Matthew; The Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic (MAP) Network has reported that Africa has the highest number of HIV-infected babies worldwide.
France's Chirac Calls for AIDS Therapy Fund: Reuters (12/07/97); Bunce, Matthew; French President Jacques Chirac addressed Africa's top AIDS conference on Sunday and called on the world's richest nations to create an AIDS therapy support fund to help Africa.
AIDS Joins Malaria to Keep Africa Poor: Reuters (12/07/97); Bunce, Matthew; Just prior to the 10th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Disease and AIDS in Africa, World Health Organization director Hiroshi Nakajima noted that AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis continue to be the leading development-related diseases plaguing parts of Africa.
Toward a Vaccine for Chlamydia: New York Times (12/08/97) P. D6; Riordan, Teresa; Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University were recently awarded a patent for a molecule, GLXA, that is common to all strains of chlamydia.
Doctor Claims Lack of Training at Yale Led to Infection: New York Times (12/07/97) P. 41; In a civil trial that began December 2, a 35-year-old doctor who became infected with HIV while on the job is seeking damages from Yale University for faulty training and supervision in the application of an arterial catheter
AIDS Afflicts at Least 20 Million in Africa: Washington Post (12/08/97) P. A22; At the opening session of the 10th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa on Sunday, UNAIDS head Peter Piot said that more than 20 million residents of sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV, and most of them are not aware of their infection.
AIDS Panel to Clinton: Leadership Is Lacking: USA Today (12/08/97) P. 2A; Hall, Mimi; In its second progress report, the Presidential Council on HIV/AIDS criticizes the Clinton administration for failing to demonstrate a "coherent plan of action" against AIDS, despite the abundance of evidence indicating the effectiveness of preventative efforts.
Pregnancy in Women With Known HIV Infection: Archives of Internal Medicine (12/08/97-12/22/97) Vol. 157, No. 22, P. 2543; Scarpinato, Len; In an Archives of Internal Medicine editorial, Len Scarpinato of the Racine Family Practice Residency in Wisconsin discusses what is and is not known about pregnancy in HIV-positive women.
Incidence and Consequences of Pregnancy in Women With Known Duration of HIV Infection: Archives of Internal Medicine (12/08/97-12/22/97) Vol. 157, No. 22, P. 2585; Alliegro, Maria Barbara; Dorrucci, Maria; Phillips, Andrew N.; et al.; To determine the incidence and outcome of pregnancy in HIV- infected women, as well as the rate of disease progression in pregnant women, Maria Alliegro and colleagues for the Italian Seroconversion Study Group conducted a prospective study of 331 women who seroconverted between 1981 and 1994.
Zambia AIDS Treatment Bill to Reach $20 Million: Africa News Service (12/04/97); Zambia's Central Health Board has predicted that the cost of treating AIDS patients by 2005 will be $21 million, up from $1.7 million in 1990.
AIDS Eats Away at Africa's Economies: Reuters (12/04/97); Bunce, Matthew; With a growing rate of HIV transmission among Africa's prostitutes and migrant workers, experts meeting next week in the Ivory Coast for the 10th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Disease and AIDS in Africa are expected to discuss how far the virus has spread as well as its impact on the African economy.
Dip Expected in New S.F. AIDS Cases: United Press International (12/04/97); New data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health estimates that the number of new AIDS cases in the city will fall to about 1,200 next year, reflecting lower numbers of HIV infections among gay and bisexual men and injection drug users.
UCSF Announces Initiative at New AIDS Institute: Reuters Health Information Services (12/05/97); On Monday, the University of California in San Francisco announced the inauguration of the AIDS Research Institute (ARI), the largest AIDS initiative outside of the National Institutes of Health.
Drug Resistance AIDS Threat in Africa: Reuters (12/04/97); Bunce, Matthew; On Thursday, a leading AIDS expert warned that drug-resistant strains of HIV could emerge in Africa if new drugs to treat the disease are made more widely available, but are not taken according to strict prescription guidelines.
Americans Have Realistic View of AIDS: USA Today (12/05/97) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; According to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the U.S. public remains concerned about AIDS and its severity, despite recent news regarding declines in AIDS-related deaths and advances in treatments.
Administration Drops Effort to Extend Medicaid Coverage for AIDS Therapies: Washington Post (12/05/97) P. A23; Goldstein, Amy; The Clinton administration has given up on an effort to expand Medicaid coverage to include the expensive new AIDS drugs designed to keep AIDS patients healthy.
'Better Adherence Vital in AIDS Therapies': Nature (11/97) Vol. 390, No. 6658, P. 326; Macilwain, Colin; During a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., the Forum for Collaborative AIDS Research--a public/private-sector group-- announced plans to prepare a research plan for the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies that outlines ways in which researchers can persuade HIV/AIDS patients to follow the complex combination drug therapy regimens.
Bangkok Study Adds Fuel to AIDS Ethics Debate: Science (11/28/97) Vol. 278, No. 5343, P. 1553; Amid the debate regarding the ethics of using placebos in AIDS -treatment studies, AIDS researchers are talking about a recent memo from Kenrad Nelson of Johns Hopkins University in which he described unpublished data discussed at a scientific meeting in Manila last month.
Catholic Cleanup: POZ (12/97) P. 32; The Australian Diocesan AIDS Council suggests providing clean needles to drug-using prison inmates in an effort to prevent HIV and hepatitis C transmission.
Uganda's Same-Day Testing Works Well for Everyone: AIDS Alert--International (12/97) Vol. 12, No. 12, P. 3; Since the beginning of the year, the AIDS Information Center and the U.S. Agency for International Development have been operating three AIDS testing sites in Uganda that provide same -day results, According to Carl H. Campbell Jr., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, the program helps to ensure that virtually everyone who is tested learns the results and receives the necessary counseling and education, without the stress of waiting one to two weeks.
Prednisone Boosts Weight, Reduces Viral Load in HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (12/03/97); Preliminary research reported in the November 20 issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses suggests that oral prednisone treatment helps AIDS patients with wasting syndrome to gain weight.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin for AIDS-Related KS Successful in Phase I Trial: Reuters Health Information Services (12/03/97); New research published in the December 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that a preparation of human chorionic gonadotropin administered subcutaneously to AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma is safe and exhibits anti- KS activity.
Science & Health Bulletin: AIDS Conference: PANA Wire Service (12/03/97); Masebu, Peter; Leading African AIDS experts will convene in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, next week for the 10th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa.
Ivory Coast Plans Extension of AIDS Prevention: Reuters (12/03/97); Bunce, Matthew; As part of an effort to lower the Ivory Coast's 10 to 12 percent rate of HIV infection, the country is extending an HIV prevention plan aimed at prostitutes and their partners, and especially at migrant workers.
Nigeria Not Doing Enough to Fight AIDS, Says U.N.: Reuters (12/03/97); Bunce, Matthew; According to UNAIDS officials, Nigeria is not doing enough to fight HIV/AIDS. As many as 500,000 more people in the country are expected to become infected with the virus this year, raising the total number of infections to 2.2 million.
Study Shows Yawning Gaps in U.S. Health Care: USA Today (12/04/97) P. 11A; Sternberg, Steve; Although health care in the United States has long been considered the best in the world, a new Harvard study reveals that some areas of the nation rival the conditions in developing countries such as India and Pakistan.
Treatment of Early Syphilis: New England Journal of Medicine (12/04/97) Vol. 337, No. 23, P. 1698; Rolfs, Robert T.; Radolf, Justin D.; Augenbraun, Michael H.; et al.; In a response to a letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding a study on the early treatment of syphilis, Dr. Robert T. Rolfs and colleagues--who conducted the syphilis study--agree with the authors' assertion that the effect of enhanced amoxicillin treatments on late neurologic sequelae cannot be adequately evaluated based on a single year of follow-up.
The Rise and Fall of Project SIDA: Science (11/28/97) Vol. 278, No. 5343, P. 1565; Cohen, Jon; SIDA--a Zairian-American-Belgian AIDS research program that began in 1984--not only provided researchers with a wealth of information regarding the epidemiology of HIV, but also illustrated the enormous difficulty of conducting research in poor, politically unstable countries.
'Lazarus Syndrome' Perpetuates a New Crisis: Washington Blade (11/28/97), P. 31. King, Mark; Columnist Mark King explores the issues confronting persons with HIV/AIDS who have regained their health due to new treatment regimens, only to face the threat of losing government or private disability benefits.
UPI Science News: [Research Suggests that Anti-AIDS Drug Cocktails Can Halt Dementia]: United Press International (12/02/97); Research presented on Tuesday at the Radiological Society of North America suggests that anti-AIDS drug cocktails can halt, or possibly reverse, dementia caused by the disease.
Health--Latin America: Region's Efforts to Deal With AIDS: IPS Wire (12/02/97); Experts from several Latin American countries warned on Monday that the high cost of AIDS treatment and inadequate prevention policies are hindering efforts to fight the disease in the region.
Malawi's Tuberculosis Figures Alarming: Africa News Service (12/02/97); Recent studies indicate that an estimated 20,000 Malawians contract tuberculosis each year, of whom 9,000 die.
Ivory Coast Defends AIDS Drugs Trials: Reuters (12/02/97); Bunce, Matthew; Controversial AIDS drug trials being conducted by U.S. and Ivory Coast-based researchers are being defended by the Ivory Coast, which says the studies are part of an effort to find solutions to the AIDS problem in Africa.
China HIV Cases Seen Jumping to 1.2 Million by 2000: Reuters (12/02/97); On Tuesday, a Chinese health official said that the number of HIV infections in China could soar to 1.2 million by 2000.
Pataki: HIV Testing Provides Safety Net: United Press International (12/01/97); New York Governor George Pataki reported that during the first nine months of the state's program to test all infants for HIV, 82 newborns were identified whose mothers had not previously been tested for HIV.
AIDS Strategy Retargets Spending: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/02/97) P. A4; Campbell, Murray; Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock announced on Monday (World AIDS Day) that the government will spend $42.2 million Canadian annually for the next five years on HIV and AIDS.
Tuberculosis Experts Back Social Reform: Lancet (11/29/97) Vol. 350, No. 9091, P. 1605; Abdulla, Sara; During the recent Novartis Foundation meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, field clinicians called upon their research colleagues to look beyond pure science and examine the larger social picture surrounding tuberculosis.
Illegal Drug Use and HIV-1 Infection in Colombia: Lancet (11/29/97) Vol. 350, No. 9091, P. 1635; Miguez, Maria Jose; Page, Bryan; Baum, Marianna K.; The recent shift to water-soluble drugs among Colombia's drug cartels has led to a greater incidence of HIV transmission via intravenous drug use, according to researchers from the University of Miami.
Preventing Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Injection Drug Users: Journal of the American Medical Association (12/03/97) Vol. 278, No. 21, P. 1743; Kaplan, Jonathan E.; Jaffe, Harold W.; Masur, Henry; et al.; Jonathan E. Kaplan and Harold W. Jaffe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and colleagues have written a response to a letter to the editor in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Health Notes: Huge New AIDS Center Inaugurated: United Press International (12/02/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; San Francisco is home to a new AIDS center second in size only to the National Institutes of Health's AIDS facility.
UPI Science News: [New Research May Lead to Treatments for Multiple Myeloma]: United Press International (12/01/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; New research published in the journal Blood suggests that there is a link between the virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma and multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.
Russia--Health: Drugs Spark HIV Explosion in Russia: IPS Wire (12/01/97); Russian authorities have pinpointed growing drug addiction as a leading factor in the spread of HIV within the country.
Health: HIV/AIDS Timebomb Ticking in India: IPS Wire (12/01/97); India is expected to become the country with the highest incidence of HIV infection--up to 8 million cases--by the turn of the century, as the disease moves into rural areas, and from high-risk groups to the general populace.
Pataki Signs Bill That Allows Hemophiliacs to Sue Companies: New York Times (12/02/97) P. A28; Dao, James; New York Governor George E. Pataki signed legislation on Monday that would permit people to sue the manufacturers of blood-clotting products.
AIDS Will Orphan 40 Million: Washington Times (12/02/97) P. A11; Marshall, Toni; During a news conference for World AIDS Day Monday, Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, estimated that more than 40 million people will die of AIDS by 2010.
Clinton Orders Teen Services to Battle AIDS: Washington Times (12/02/97) P. A1; Bedard, Paul; President Clinton has given federal agencies 90 days in which to identify youth programs that could be used in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Too Many Mothers Getting AIDS Virus, CDC Says: Reuters (12/01/97); Cooper, Mike; During a World AIDS Day forum on Monday, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that use of drug treatments has lowered the rates of perinatal transmission of the virus.
World Bank Oil-Pipeline Project Designed to Prevent HIV Transmission: Lancet (11/29/97) Vol. 350, No. 9091, P. 1608; Kigotho, Anderson Wachira; The World Bank has financed a $3.5 billion Chad-Cameroon oil- pipeline project set to begin construction in March 1998; it is the first large-scale construction project in sub-Saharan Africa to integrate an HIV/AIDS prevention program into its design.
What Is Required of an HIV Vaccine?: Lancet (11/29/97) Vol. 350, No. 9091, P. 1617; Bangham, Charles R.M.; Phillips, Rodney E.; AIDS vaccine research reveals that there are currently a number of obstacles to the development of an effective HIV vaccine, including the extreme sequence variability and rapid replication of the virus.
National AIDS Health Fraud Reporting Hotline Launched: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (12/01/97); The Florida AIDS Health Fraud Task Force and its partner, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announce the initiation of a National AIDS Health Fraud Reporting Hotline.
Notice to Readers: Conference on Vaccine Research: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/31/97) Vol. 46, No. 43, P. 1028.; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society for Vaccines will co-sponsor "The First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: Basic Science - Product Development - Clinical and Field Studies" from May 30-June 1, 1998, in Washington, DC.
Dual PI Therapy Emerges as Most Viable Combination: AIDS Alert (12/97) Vol. 12, No. 12, P. 133; The use of dual protease inhibitor (PI) therapy was highlighted recently at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Toronto.
AIDS Drug Makers Still Looking for Magic Bullet: Reuters (11/28/97); Orr, Andrea; AIDS researcher David Ho said recently that failure rates for the new AIDS cocktails will most likely go up over time and that better drugs are needed. Ho, head of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, noted that the drug resistance problem will increase.
Many Do Not Change Behavior to Avoid AIDS: Reuters (11/28/97); Condom manufacturer Durex's recently released international survey of AIDS awareness found that while most people are cognizant of the dangers of HIV and AIDS, about half have failed to change their sexual behavior.
Doctors 'Cautiously Optimistic' About AIDS Vaccine: Reuters (11/28/97); Reaney, Patricia; Scientists from Britain's Medical Research Council said Friday that an experimental anti-AIDS vaccine known as Rgp 120 appears to be 10 times more effective than other experimental treatments.
Canadian Study Says Tainted-Blood Victims Deserve Payment: New York Times (11/27/97); DePalma, Anthony; At the conclusion of a federal inquiry, Canadian Justice Horace Krever has issued a report advocating that the Canadian government take responsibility for the tainted blood and blood products given out during the previous decade.
Supreme Court to Judge if HIV Is a Disability: Wall Street Journal (11/28/97) P. A2; Weigl, Andrea; The U.S. Supreme Court has said it will rule on whether an HIV -infected person is considered disabled under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Tuberculosis Time Bomb in Poor Prisons: Reuters (11/28/97); According to the Red Cross, tuberculosis is spreading throughout prisons in the world's poorest nations, a situation that could eventually threaten the outside community.
After Crisis, County Is Sadder and Wiser: New York Times (12/01/97) P. A22; Sengupta, Somini; One month after discovering that a 21-year-old man had infected several women with HIV, the county of Chautauqua in New York has changed significantly.
Southern Africa Hit by AIDS Explosion: Reuters (12/01/97); Thomasson, Emma; As the result of a great deal of political and social upheaval, officials in southern Africa are expressing concern that they have not done enough to halt the advance of HIV and AIDS in their countries over the past 10 years.
Mixed Global Progress Against AIDS: Christian Science Monitor (12/01/97) P. 4; Baldauf, Scott; As the world observes the 10th Annual World AIDS Day today, a new report from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS indicates that incidence of the disease is falling rapidly in countries where AIDS awareness is high, but that AIDS still has a massive grip on the developing world.

November

Capitol Hill Update: Pelosi Wants Treatments to Match HHS Guidelines: Washington Blade (11/21/97), p. 17.; Just prior to the winter Congressional recess, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would place federally funded HIV treatment programs in line with the new guidelines for HIV treatment ,released earlier this year by the Department of Health and Human Services.
New Data Indicates Zidovudine Does Not Reduce Incidence of KS: Reuters Health Information Services (11/26/97); Researchers report in the November issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases that use of zidovudine does not appear to lower incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Record AIDS, HIV Cases Reported Over Two Months [in Japan]: Kyodo News Service (11/25/97); Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday that a total of 136 new cases of HIV or AIDS were reported in September and October.
WHO Congratulates Bangladesh on TB Control: Reuters (11/25/97); Anwar, Shakeel; The World Health Organization is calling Bangladesh's tuberculosis control program one of the most effective in the world.
Japanese Boy Freed of HIV-Like Virus: United Press International (11/26/97); Kenny, Peter; Doctors from Japan's Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health report that a boy who had been diagnosed with human T-cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV1) no longer shows any indications of the virus following a bone marrow transplant in September 1992.
Estimate of HIV Infection Rises to 30.6 Million Globally: Washington Post (11/26/97) P. A6; Brown, David; The United Nations AIDS program and the World Health Organization announced Tuesday that an estimated 30.6 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, up 30 percent from last year's estimate of 22.6 million.
US Congress Extracts Price for Health-Spending Boost: Lancet (11/22/97) Vol. 350, No. 9090, P. 1529;; Rovner, Julie; The 1998 fiscal budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, which was signed into law on Nov. 13, includes a 15 percent increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health, to $13.6 billion, as well as a 15 percent increase, to $1.1 billion, for the Ryan White AIDS program.
Ethics of HIV Trials: Lancet (11/22/97) Vol. 350, No. 9090, P. 1546; Aaby, Peter; Babiker, Abdel; Darbyshire, Janet; et al.; In response to a Sept. 27 Lancet editorial that argued against the use of placebo groups in intervention trials to reduce perinatal HIV transmission in developing nations, researchers Peter Aaby and colleagues contend that such a stance is unfounded considering the financial and structural limitations in developing countries.
AIDS Training at Work Becoming Less Common: Crain's Chicago Business (11/10/97) Vol. 20, No. 45, P. SB20; Roberts, Sally; New data from the National AIDS Fund and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) indicate that, compared to five years ago, fewer companies are offering HIV/AIDS education and training to their workers.
PhRMA Marks World AIDS Day with Release of New [Survey on AIDS Drugs]: U.S. Newswire (11/24/97); A survey released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, set to coincide with World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), shows that 124 new medicines and vaccines for AIDS are currently in clinical trials or awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Lungs Frequently Involved in HIV-Positive Patients With Salmonella Bacteremia: Reuters Health Information Services (11/25/97); According to a report in this month's issue of Chest, doctors from the Hospital Ramon y Cajal in Madrid, Spain, reviewed the records of HIV-infected patients diagnosed with Salmonella bacteremia from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1995.
Churches: Morality Key to AIDS Prevention: Africa News Service (11/24/97); In reaction to the Zimbabwean government's National HIV/AIDS Policy Document, churches in the country recently organized a seminar.
Physicians Urged to Discuss With Patients Risks of HIV Transmission Through Oral Sex: Reuters Health Information Services (11/25/97); : In the November issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers from the University of California at San Francisco reviewed current literature on the risk of HIV transmission through oral sex and the ability of barrier protection to reduce this risk.
UPI Science News: [TB Epidemic Hits Yanomami Indians]: United Press International (11/24/97); Bovsun, Mara; Scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York say the Yanomami, a tribe of warrior Indians of the Amazon, may be wiped out by a tuberculosis epidemic and a level of active TB that is substantially higher than that found among other Brazilians.
Africa--Population: Family Planners Urged to Boost [War Against AIDS]: IPS Wire (11/24/97); During the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) conference in Johannesburg, which ended Nov. 21, family planning associations were called upon to help accelerate the war against AIDS.
Herpes Virus Linked to MS: USA Today (11/25/97) P. 1D; New research published in the December issue of Nature Medicine suggests that HHV-6, a strain of herpes virus, may play a role in multiple sclerosis.
New Technique for Vaccines: Washington Post (11/25/97) P. A7; A study published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details a new technique for creating vaccines to fight cancer and viral infections, including AIDS.
Randomised, Controlled, Community-Level HIV-Prevention Intervention for Sexual-Risk Behaviour Among Homosexual Men in U.S. Cities: Lancet (11/22/97) Vol. 350, No. 9090, P. 1500; Kelly, Jeffrey A.; Murphy, Debra A.; Sikkema, Kathleen J.; et al.; Researchers for the Community HIV Prevention Research Collaborative investigated the efficacy of a randomized, community-level intervention designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection in men visiting gay bars in eight small U.S. cities.
Breaking the Silence: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 42; Dougherty, Shawn; Venezuela's Accion Solidaria and other non-governmental organizations are set to launch the country's first HIV prevention and education effort.
Science, Policy Issues Put AIDS Vaccine on Slow Track: Scientist (11/10/97) Vol. 11, No. 22, P. 1; Watanabe, Myrna A.; Health and AIDS groups are expressing concern that too much time and money has been dedicated to AIDS therapeutics at the expense of an AIDS vaccine.
11 HIV Cases Registered in Russian Republic: Itar Wire Service (11/22/97); The Russian republic of Yakutia has recorded 11 HIV infections so far this year, nine of whom are citizens of the Ukraine and Turkey.
Kenya: New AIDS Treatment Runs Into Trouble: IPS Wire (11/21/97); Kenyan medical authorities have barred Basil Wainwright, a U.S. national, from practicing medicine in the country and from using a treatment for HIV/AIDS known as ozone therapy.
Uganda: Muslim, Catholic Leaders Differ on Condom Use: Africa News Service (11/24/97); Following an announcement by the Ugandan Ministry of Health that it would drop its policy of quiet promotion of condom use in favor of a more proactive campaign, Muslim and Catholic church leaders offered opposing opinions about the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV.
Glaxo's Combination AIDS Therapy Nears Approval in Europe: Reuters Health Information Services (11/24/97); Glaxo Wellcome reports that the European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has recommended clearance of Glaxo Wellcome's Combivir, a combination of Epivir (3TC) and Retrovir (AZT), for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.
AIDS Epidemic Hit Africa's Poor Hardest: Reuters (11/23/97); Denyer, Simon; Despite a recent report from the World Bank that downplays the effect that the AIDS epidemic will have on overall macroeconomic variables, experts argue that the epidemic is already severely impacting other measures of human economic welfare--life expectancy, education, and infant mortality--and will likely continue to do so.
Popular People Can Influence HIV Risk Behaviors in Communities: Reuters Health Information Services (11/24/97); Dr. Jeffrey A. Kelly of the Medical College of Wisconsin and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of an intervention program using popular, well-liked community members to endorse HIV risk-reduction behaviors in gay communities in four cities.
Oral Infection With HIV-1 Inefficient in Macaques: Reuters Health Information Services (11/24/97); According to a report in the November issue of AIDS, doctors from the University of Washington in Seattle compared the transmission of HIV-1 in Macaca nemestrina neonates via oral, intravenous, and rectal routes.
Update: Perinatally Acquired HIV/AIDS--United States, 1997: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (11/21/97)Vol. 46, No. 46, P. 1086; Data from National HIV/AIDS surveillance indicate continued success of recent perinatal prevention efforts in the United States.
Number of Children Contracting AIDS at Birth Is Down 43 Percent, CDC Says: Washington Post (11/21/97); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the number of U.S. children contracting HIV from their mothers at birth fell 43 percent between 1992 and 1996, thanks to women's getting tested earlier and starting treatment with AZT.
The Other Epidemic: U.S. News & World Report (11/10/97) Vol. 123, No. 18, P. 78; Carpenter, Betsy; Today, many people fail to think of genital herpes as a real threat, an unfortunate attitude considering that more than 45 million people carry the incurable disease.
AIDS Comes to Small-Town America: U.S. News & World Report (11/10/97) Vol. 123, No. 18, P. 52; Brownlee, Shannon; McDonald, Marci; Ackerman, Elise; A recently discovered cluster of HIV-infected women in Jamestown, a small town in northwestern New York, seems an aberration to many.
Vancouver Debates 'Shooting Galleries': American Medical News (11/17/97) Vol. 40, No. 43, P. 20; Activists in Vancouver, British Columbia, have suggested "shooting galleries," or safe houses for drug addicts, to stem the spread of HIV in the Eastside, one of the nation's most impoverished neighborhoods.
Prisons Incubate Dangerous Diseases--Opposition: Australian Associated Press (11/21/97); Following the release of figures by Western Australia Minister of Justice Peter Foss, which indicate that 398 prisoners tested positive for HIV and hepatitis B and C in mid-October, the state opposition said Western Australia's prisons are incubators for such dangerous diseases and threaten control of disease in the larger community.
HIV Vaccine Under Discussion at National Conference: Australian Associated Press (11/21/97); Mangnall, Valkerie; International experts on AIDS will gather at the 36th national scientific conference of the Australian Society for Medical Research in Adelaide, Australia, next week to discuss efforts to develop an HIV vaccine.
Studies Find Possible Gene Therapy AIDS Treatment: Reuters (11/21/97); Fox, Maggie; New research published in the journal Science suggests that gene therapy might be used to fight HIV.
Congress OKs Funds to Limit Global Disease Outbreaks: U.S. Newswire (11/20/97); The Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that Congress has approved, and the president will sign, the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 1998.
Special Type of Immune Cell May Be Key to Avoiding AIDS: New York Times (11/21/97) P. A18; New findings from researchers at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital suggest that high levels of HIV-specific helper T cells may be critical for the body's control of the virus.
HIV-1 Statistics Bring Good News for Uganda: Lancet (11/15/97) Vol. 350, No. 9089, P. 1456; Kigotho, Anderson Wachira; The World Health Organization has reported that an average 12 percent of patients seen at health clinics in Uganda are infected with HIV-1, down from 27 percent three years ago.
Health Notes: 4 Million Sick Livers: United Press International (11/19/97); The American Liver Foundation and the American Digestive Health Foundation say they are concerned about how little is known about hepatitis.
Stavudine/Lamivudine Combination Beneficial in Advanced HIV Disease: Reuters Health Information Services (11/20/97); New research published in the November issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that short-term treatment with stavudine and lamivudine is generally safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced HIV infection who have been heavily pretreated.
HIV Inscriptase Inhibitor Trials Anticipated By End of Decade: Reuters Health Information Services (11/20/97); Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reports that clinical trials of inscriptase inhibitors may begin in just two years.
China HIV Cases Jump by More Than a Third: Reuters (11/19/97); China's Ministry of Health has reported that the number of known HIV infections in the country increased 37 percent during the first nine months of the year.
Globalization Poses Threat to Human Health: Reuters (11/19/97); Jasser, Adam; World Health Organization officials meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on Wednesday, called upon governments across the globe to place a greater emphasis on health spending and managing health systems, since globalization is expected to further polarize the wealthy and poor.
AIDS Shows Massive Impact: Toronto Globe and Mail (11/19/97) P. A6; Campbell, Murray; A report, slated to be released on Wednesday by the Canadian Policy Research Network, estimates that if nothing is done to stop the AIDS epidemic, it could cost the Canadian economy up to $22.2 billion Canadian over the next five years.
India Becoming AIDS Epicentre: Reuters (11/19/97); Krishnamoorthy, Giriprakash; India, which is fast becoming an AIDS epicenter, is committed to bringing the epidemic under control, said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy in a Reuters interview Wednesday.
U.S. Agency Says AIDS Will Orphan Millions: New York Times (11/20/97) P. A7; At a news conference Wednesday, the United States Agency for International Development said that 40 million children in developing nations will lose one or both parents to AIDS by 2010.
Postexposure Treatment of HIV--Taking Some Risks for Safety's Sake: New England Journal of Medicine (11/20/97) Vol. 337, No. 21, P. 1542; Henderson, David K.; In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. David K. Henderson of the National Institutes of Health, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, writes that the decision to support the use of postexposure chemoprophylaxis for health care workers accidentally exposed to HIV was warranted, despite the short- and long-term risks of such treatments.
A Case-Control Study of HIV Seroconversion in Health Care Workers After Percutaneous Exposure: New England Journal of Medicine (11/20/97) Vol. 337, No. 21, P. 1485; Cardo, Denise M.; Culver, David H.; Ciesielski, Carol A.; et al.; a retrospective case-control study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Needlestick Surveillance Group, Dr. Denise M. Cardo and colleagues obtained exposure information from 33 case patients and 665 controls--all of whom were health care workers with occupational, percutaneous exposure to HIV-infected blood--to assess the factors that influence the risk of HIV transmission after such exposure.
Death Not Caused by Doctor Negligence: American Medical News (11/17/97) Vol. 40, No. 43, P. 26; A Missouri appellate court has upheld a summary judgment for a group of doctors involved in a wrongful death suit for their failure to diagnose a man with AIDS.
Reality Check for Health Biz: Crain's Chicago Business (11/03/97) Vol. 20, No. 44, P. 4; Littman, Margaret; Female Health Co.'s (FHC's) lack of success in selling its Reality female condom to American women between the ages of 18 and 24 has forced the company to switch tactics to gain involvement with global public health organizations.
AIDS Prevention Workshop Held in Bahrain: Alayam News Service (11/18/97); As part of a series expected to continue until Dec. 1--World AIDS Day--Bahrain's Ministry of Health sponsored a one-day workshop Monday to raise morticians' awareness about the transmission of HIV from dead bodies.
High Virological Rate of HIV Protease Inhibitors Reported: Reuters Health Information Services (11/19/97); New research published in the November 15 issue of AIDS suggests that there is a high virological failure rate associated with the use of HIV protease inhibitors.
Across the USA: Kentucky: USA Today (11/19/97) P. 25A; Officials at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex report that the number of inmates who have tested positive for tuberculosis has tripled this year, to 16. Five staff members have also tested positive.
HIV Prevalence in Drug Users Tied to Transmission Risk in Non- Users: Reuters Health Information Services (11/19/97); Between 1991 and 1995, Dr. G. Scott of Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary and colleagues evaluated the prevalence of HIV in more than 40,000 heterosexual clinic patients in Scotland who were not known to be intravenous drug users.
National Hotline Opens for Advice on Occupational HIV Exposure Prophylaxis: Reuters Health Information Services (11/19/97); San Francisco General Hospital is now offering a free, 24-hour hotline--The National Clinician's Post Exposure Prophylaxis Hotline (PEPLine)--to clinicians in need of advice on how to best treat healthcare workers accidentally exposed to blood- borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
Identification of a Reservoir for HIV-1 in Patients of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: Science (11/14/97) Vol. 278, No. 5341, P. 1,295; Finzi, Diana; Hermankova, Monika; Pierson, Theodore; et al.; To test the hypothesis that quiescent CD4 T lymphocytes carrying proviral DNA provide a reservoir for HIV-1 in patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, and the University of California examined 22 patients who had been successfully treated with HAART for a maximum of 30 months.
Recovery of Replication-Competent HIV Despite Prolonged Suppression of Plasma Viremia: Science (11/14/97) Vol. 278, No. 5341, P. 1,291; Wong, Joseph K.; Hezareh, Marjan; Gunthard, Huldrych F.; et al.; Researchers from the University of California examined the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of six patients-- who were enrolled in the San Diego cohort of the Merck 035 study and who had received the triple drug treatment of zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir--to assess the replication capacity of HIV-1 provirus persisting in their PBMCs, despite complete and sustained suppression of plasma viremia.
National HIV Reporting Approaches, But Privacy Remains Paramount: Scientist (11/10/97) Vol. 11, No. 22, P. 1; Bunk, Steve; Support is growing for a national system of HIV case reporting as AIDS demographics and treatments change.
Dental AIDS Patient Discrimination Shown: American Medical News (11/10/97) Vol. 40, No. 42, P. 24; A New Jersey federal court has awarded an HIV-positive man $82,000 after it was found that his dentist refused to provide treatment because of his seropositivity.
Itraconazole in Oral Solution Improves Bioavailability in HIV- Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (11/18/97) In the November issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, French researchers write that a new oral formulation of itraconazole may be effective in treating oropharyngeal candidiasis in patients with HIV. In a study of patients with HIV and AIDS, the team found that the relative bioavailability of the oral solution of itraconazole was unaltered by the stage of HIV infection. They also noted that high concentrations of the drug in patients' saliva were sustained for four hours. "Immunet Opens First Online AIDS Bookstore" M2 Presswire (11/17/97); Immunet, a non-profit AIDS organization that offers up-to-date treatment information and education services via the World Wide Web, has joined with online bookseller Amazon.com and the University of Illinois' "AIDS Book Review Journal" to launch the Immunet AIDS Bookstore at http://www.immunet.org/.
Hotels Obligated to Hand Out Condoms: United Press International (11/17/97); To curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the municipal government of La Paz, Bolivia, has approved a resolution that requires hourly-rate establishments--such as hotels and motels--to distribute free condoms to couples spending the night.
Teacher Infects 30 Pupils With Tuberculosis: Reuters (11/17/97); According to officials from a hospital near Brasov, Romania, a schoolteacher in the Transylvania region has infected more than 30 students with tuberculosis, adding to the more than 12,000 cases of TB already reported in the country.
Southern Africa Will Not Escape the AIDS Epidemic: Reuters Health Information Services (11/17/97); During a UNAIDS meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, UNAIDS head Peter Piot said that earlier hopes that Southern Africa would be spared the worst of the AIDS epidemic now seem unfounded.
Successful AIDS Vaccine May Be Decades Away: Reuters (11/17/97); Nobel Laureate David Baltimore said Monday that the development of an effective AIDS vaccine could take decades, but will be necessary to control the disease.
Mortality From Liver Cancer and Liver Disease in Haemophilic Men and Boys in UK Given Blood Products Contaminated With Hepatitis C: Lancet (11/15/97) Vol. 350, No. 9089, P. 1425; Darby, Sarah C.; Ewart, David W.; Giangrande, Paul L.F.; et al.; Researchers for the UK Haemophilia Centre Directors' Organization conducted a cohort study of mortality from liver cancer and liver disease in 4,865 hemophilic males in the United Kingdom, who were treated between 1969 and 1985 with blood products carrying a high risk of hepatitis C virus infection.
Zambians Review Locally Invented [AIDS Drug]: PANA Wire Service (11/15/97); Mulenga, Mildred; Health experts gathered Saturday in Lusaka, Zambia, to discuss the use of herbiron tinasiferon--a locally developed drug--for the treatment of AIDS.
Duma Urges Measures to Stop AIDS Spread in Russia: Itar Wire Service (11/15/97); Russia's State Duma voted unanimously Friday to urge the government to take much-needed steps to curb the spread of HIV.
Prostitutes Hope to 'Legalize' Profession: Houston Chronicle (11/15/97) P. 35A; Banerjee, Rupam; On Friday, thousands of prostitutes gathered in Calcutta, India, to call for an end to the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act and demand workers' rights.
For the Poor Especially, AIDS Is Still Rampaging: New York Times (11/16/97) P. 14; Baxter, Daniel; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Dr. Daniel Baxter, director of adult medicine and HIV service at the William F. Ryan Community Health Center, denounces a recent series of articles in the Times that question "AIDS exceptionalism."
Heroin Finds Home in Texas Suburbs: Boston Globe (11/15/97) P. A6; A growing number of youths in Texas suburbs are inhaling heroin, believing the practice to be safer than using a needle.
Opinion: The Irresponsibility That Spreads AIDS: New York Times (11/15/97) P. A31; Mayer, Alan J.; In a New York Times op-ed piece, Alan J. Mayer argues that society and the existing AIDS support structure perpetuate irresponsibility among those infected with the virus.
U.N. to Announce Significant Increases in HIV/AIDS: Reuters (11/17/97); Fox, David; During the opening of the UNAIDS governing board meeting in Nairobi today, United Nations officials said the agency will release data on Dec. 1--World AIDS Day--indicating that worldwide HIV infections have been underestimated.
In Vivo Evolution of HIV-1 Co-Receptor Usage and Sensitivity to Chemokine-Mediated Suppression: Nature Medicine (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 1259; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Tresoldi, Eleonora; Bjorndal, Asa; et al.; Nine children perinatally infected with HIV-1 were studied to determine what inhibitive effect the C-C chemokines RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, and MCP-1 and the C-X-C chemokine SDF -1 have on HIV-1 infection.
Increased Sensitivity to HIV-1 Antibody Detection: Nature Medicine (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 1258; Urnovitz, Howard B.; Sturge, Jerrilyn C.; Gottfried, Toby D.; Researchers from Calypte Biomedical in California report that accurate diagnosis of HIV-1 infection improves when tests of both blood products and urine are made.
HIV Persists and Can Replicate Despite Prolonged Combination Therapy: National Institute of Health and Infectious Diseases (11/13/97); New research published in the Nov. 25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that HIV remains and can replicate in the immune system cells of patients who have no detectable virus in their blood as a result of antiretroviral treatment.
Notice to Readers: Conference on Vaccine Research: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/31/97) Vol. 46, No. 43, P. 1028.; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society for Vaccines will co-sponsor "The First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: Basic Science - Product Development - Clinical and Field Studies" from May 30-June 1, 1998, in Washington, DC.
Rx: Antidote for HIV?: Advocate (11/11/97) No. 746, P. 45; Gallagher, John; In San Francisco, the recent establishment of the country's first post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) program for individuals who have engaged in high-risk behavior raises questions regarding the motivation of anti-AIDS efforts in the United States, writes John Gallagher in the Advocate.
CMV Mainly Sexually Acquired in Men With HIV: Reuters Health Information Services (11/14/97); Sexual transmission of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection among HIV-positive women has been well-documented, but there is less known about sexual transmission of the disease in infected men.
Canadian University Unveils 'Invisible Condom': Reuters (11/13/97); The Infectious Diseases Research Center of Canada's Laval University has developed a prototype for an "invisible condom," which is actually a non-toxic polymer-based liquid that solidifies into a gel when applied to the body.
AIDS Tests Produce Optimism: Washington Post (11/14/97) P. A23; New York Health Commissioner Barbara DeBuono announced Wednesday that only one individual out of 1,166 Chautauqua County residents recently tested for HIV was found to be infected.
Zimbabwe: Health Officials Alarmed by Spread of [Tuberculosis]: Africa Information Afrique (11/13/97); Health officials in Zimbabwe estimate that tuberculosis has resulted in at least 34,000 deaths over the past 11 years, including 3,700 deaths in 1996 alone.
New Studies Offer Hope and Caution on AIDS Therapies: New York Times (11/14/97) P. A1; Grady, Denise; Three new studies reveal that the potent new AIDS therapies do not entirely eliminate HIV from the body; however, they also suggest that the virus is not developing resistance to the drugs.
Achieving an HIV Vaccine: The Need for an Accelerated National Campaign: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 35; Marlink, Richard; The development of an effective HIV vaccine has become a crucial national healthcare goal, writes Richard Marlink, executive director of the Harvard AIDS Institute, in the Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care.
Communication of Preferences for Care Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients: Barriers to Informed Decisions?: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/12/97) Vol. 278, No. 18, P. 1470c; In the Archives of Family Medicine, Charles Mouton of the University of Texas Health Science Center and colleagues report a study in which they examined whether terminally ill patients communicated their wishes to their doctors.
Revised HIV Treatment Guidelines Available on Web Site: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Office of Communications (11/13/97); Revised Guidelines for the use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV -Infected Adults And Adolescents are now available on the Web site of the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) and can be reached at http://www.hivatis.org (TEL: 1-800-448-0440, TTY: 1-800-243-7012).
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 30; Berkley, Seth; The development of a safe and inexpensive HIV vaccine is the only hope of taming the global AIDS epidemic, researchers say. More than 20 vaccines devised to cure viral infections in humans exist, but the development of an HIV vaccine has proved problematic on numerous fronts.
TB Exposure Found: Federal Times (11/03/97) Vol. 33, No. 39, P. 4; Daniel, Lisa; The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found 22 violations at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Haven, CN, where employees were exposed to tuberculosis and potentially infectious waste.
Restructuring of Categories for AIDS Research Applications Expected: Reuters Health Information Services (11/12/97); According to the November 5 issue of The Blue Sheet, the Center for Scientific Review may condense the number of study sections used to review applications for AIDS and AIDS-related research from 11 to four "topic clusters."
Successful Needle Exchange Programs Include Other Services: Reuters Health Information Services (11/12/97); A recent study of two successful needle-exchange programs in Massachusetts and Washington by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) revealed that complementary services for intravenous drug users and community support are essential for the programs' success, according to an article in the November issue of AIDS Alert.
Mavericks in the War on Drugs: Boston Globe (11/12/97) P. A1; Grunwald, Michael; Earlier this year, the city of Baltimore, MD--home to about 45,000 addicts--launched a new war against drugs.
India: World Health Body's TB Targets Unrealistic: IPS Wire (11/12/97); India plans to introduce a new treatment regimen for tuberculosis in 1998 as proscribed by the World Health Association, but some health officials say the agency's goal of universal coverage by 2000 is unrealistic.
Thailand--AIDS: No More Scare Tactics: IPS Wire (11/12/97); Thailand--with an estimated HIV prevalence rate of 2.3 percent, or 800,000 people--has seen the number of new infections drop significantly over the past seven years, in large part due to aggressive government efforts to educate the public about the virus.
Will a Presidential Public Apology Be Needed for HIV/AIDS Care in the Future?: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (11/97- 12/97) Vol. 8, No. 6, P. 27; Porche, Demetrius James; In an editorial in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, assistant editor Demetrius James Porche urges nurses and other health care professionals to make an ethical assessment of the current state of AIDS care and treatment.
Transmission of HIV-1 and HCV by Head-Butting (Research Letter): Lancet (11/08/97) Vol. 350, No. 9088, P. 1370; Brambilla, Andrea; Pristera, Raffaele; Salvatori, Francesca; et al.; Following an automobile accident, two men who had never met before had a fight, in which one man--an intravenous drug user who was HIV-1 positive--head-butted the other.
Triple Combination Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lancet (11/08/97) Vol. 350, No. 9088, P. 1406; Hogg, Robert S.; Anis, Aslam; O'Shaughnessy, Michael V.; et al.; Researchers from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, report in a letter to the Lancet that they have modeled the potential economic cost of making triple-combination antiretroviral therapy widely available for HIV-1-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa.
Notice to Readers: Conference on Vaccine Research: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/31/97) Vol. 46, No. 43, P. 1028.; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society for Vaccines will co-sponsor "The First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: Basic Science - Product Development - Clinical and Field Studies" from May 30-June 1, 1998, in Washington, DC.
Mexico Approves Device for Early HIV Detection: Reuters (11/10/97); Mexico's Health Ministry has approved ShiloovTube--a biochemical test that accelerates the development of HIV antibodies--for the early detection of HIV, according to Israel's Shiloov Medical Technologies Ltd, the makers of the test.
School Offers Tests After Students Share Needle: Reuters (11/11/97); School officials in Collins, Ohio, are offering students tests for HIV and hepatitis following a classroom science experiment three weeks ago in which 18 fifth-graders used the same needle to prick their fingers.
Treatment Has Promise for Hepatitis C Patients: Richmond Times-Dispatch (11/11/97) P. A2; At a recent meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, University of Florida professor Dr. Gary L. Davis told attendees that an experimental drug treatment may hold promise for patients infected with the hepatitis C virus.
New Challenge to Idea That 'AIDS Is Special': New York Times (11/12/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; A number of government programs have been enacted to care for HIV-infected people because of their "special status," in the words of Gay Men's Health Crisis Executive Director Mark Robinson. However, this status is being challenged, not only by advocates of people with other life-threatening diseases, but by advocates of people with AIDS as well.
AIDS Vaccine Tests on Humans in Two Years: Washington Times (11/12/97) P. A7; The first human trials of an AIDS vaccine could begin in the next two years, according to Charles Farthing of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care.
'Innovation' in AIDS Vaccines: Nature Medicine (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 1181; Culliton, Barbara J.; The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a total of $11.8 million in 49 grants "to explore creative approaches" to HIV vaccine research.
Heterosexual Transmission of HIV in Women: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (11/97- 12/97) Vol. 8, No. 6, P. 84; Gaskins, Susan W.; Nineteen percent of all AIDS cases reported from July 1995 to June 1996 were in women, and HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women aged 25 to 44 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, sexual transmission is the most common means of spreading HIV, and women are at a greater risk for infection through heterosexual transmission than men.
The Role of Self-Esteem in Safer Sexual Practices: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (11/97- 12/97) Vol. 8, No. 6, P. 64; Cole, Frank; Although theoretical literature associates high self-esteem with safer sexual behaviors, a review of research on the subject found that adolescents with higher levels of self- esteem engage in more risky sexual practices and have more sexual partners.
Preventing the Spread of AIDS in Youth: Principles of Practice From 11 Diverse Projects: Journal of Adolescent Health (11/97) Vol. 21, No. 5, P. 309; Wren, Patricia A.; Janz, Nancy K.; Carovano, Kathryn; et al.; In an attempt to identify the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of interventions in HIV prevention programs for youths, researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Washington AIDS Education and Training Center studied 11 programs funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Notice to Readers: Conference on Vaccine Research: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/31/97) Vol. 46, No. 43, P. 1028.; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society for Vaccines will co-sponsor "The First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: Basic Science - Product Development - Clinical and Field Studies" from May 30-June 1, 1998, in Washington, DC.
CMV DNA Threshold Associated With Risk for Retinitis: Reuters Health Information Services (11/10/97); In the November issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers report that cytomegalovirus DNA burden over a certain level distinguishes AIDS patients who will probably develop retinitis.
Interferon Gene Therapy Inhibits HIV, Improves Immune Response: Reuters Health Information Services (11/10/97); French researchers have demonstrated that transfecting lymphocytes from HIV-infected individuals who have the interferon beta (IFN-beta) gene has a protective effect on cells.
Uganda to Import Female Condoms in AIDS Fight: Reuters (11/09/97); Uganda plans to import up to 100 million female condoms for distribution by December.
AIDS in Australia 15 Years On: Australian Associated Press (11/09/97); Rouse, Rada; Fifteen years after the first diagnosis of AIDS in Australia, the country has treated 7,460 people with AIDS--5,340 of whom have died--and the atmosphere surrounding the disease and its treatment has changed considerably.
Deadly Dowry: Inheriting AIDS in Kenya: Washington Post (11/08/97) P. A1; Buckley, Stephen; In western Kenya, the practice of wife inheritance--a custom whereby a widow is taken in by her husband's family or the surrounding community--has helped further the spread of HIV throughout Central and East Africa.
Overseas HIV Studies Are Ethical: Washington Post (11/08/97) P. A24; Gayle, Helene D.; In a commentary in the Washington Post, Dr. Helene D. Gayle-- director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention--responds to a Sept. 22 op-ed piece regarding overseas research on perinatal HIV prevention.
Health and Behavior: Protease Inhibitor Packs More Power: USA Today (11/10/97) P. 4D; Manning, Anita; A more potent version of Hoffmann-La Roche's protease inhibitor saquinavir has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Macrophage-Tropic HIV and SIV Envelope Proteins Induce a Signal Through the CCR5 Chemokine Receptor (Letter): Nature (10/30/97) Vol. 389, No. 6654, P. 981; Weissman, Drew; Rabin, Ronald L.; Arthos, James; et al.; Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have demonstrated that recombinant envelope proteins from macrophagetropic HIV and SIV generate a signal through CCR5 on CD4 T cells.
Structure of the Carboxyl-Terminal Dimerization Domain of the HIV-1 Capsid Protein: Science (10/31/97) Vol.. 278, No. 5339, P. 849; Gamble, Theresa R.; Yoo, Sanghee; Vajdos, Felix F.; The carboxyl-terminal domain of the HIV-1 capsid protein [CA(146-231)], which contains a series of 20 residues known as the major homology region (MHR), is essential for capsid dimerization and viral assembly.
Mycobacteremia in Patients With the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Archives of Internal Medicine (11/10/97) Vol. 157, No. 20, P. 2359; Grinsztejn, Beatriz; Fandinho, Fatima C.; Veloso, Valdilea G.; et al.; A study of 50 AIDS patients believed to have tuberculosis suggests that blood analysis and abdominal ultrasonography are useful diagnostic tools for confirming disseminated tuberculosis in persons with AIDS.
Notice to Readers: Conference on Vaccine Research: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/31/97) Vol. 46, No. 43, P. 1028.; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society for Vaccines will co-sponsor "The First Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: Basic Science - Product Development - Clinical and Field Studies" from May 30-June 1, 1998, in Washington, DC.
India--Population: Campaign for Wider Condom Use: IPS Wire (11/06/97); Hoping to curb India's growing population, the country's health and family ministry is launching a nationwide campaign to popularize the use of condoms.
AIDS Cocktails Work in 'Real World,' Study Finds: Reuters (11/07/97); Reaney, Patricia; New research published in the British Medical Journal suggests that AIDS cocktails are effective in prolonging lives and slowing the progress of HIV.
Man Infected With HIV During Head-Butt Attack: Reuters (11/06/97); Researchers report in the Lancet that an Italian man was infected with HIV after being head-butted by another man, an intravenous drug user, who had tested positive for HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses in 1991.
AIDS May Become Biggest Killer of Latin America's Youth: Reuters (11/07/97); de Logu, Simona; During a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, researchers from the Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic (MAP) network said that unless prevention programs are reinforced to target those groups being struck hardest, AIDS could become the leading cause of death among youths in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Anger on Ruling Not to Prosecute Irish Doctors: Lancet (11/01/97) Vol. 350, No. 9087, P. 1308; Birchard, Karen; The recent announcement that Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will not pursue action against doctors and other medical workers found negligent earlier this year by the Tribunal into Hepatitis-C-Infected Blood Products has prompted an angry public reaction.
Tuberculosis Control in India: Role of Private Doctors: Lancet (11/01/97) Vol. 350, No. 9087, P. 1329; Kumar, Manoj; Kumar, Seena; India's national tuberculosis control program must include the active participation of doctors in private practice, assert researchers in a letter to the editor of the Lancet.
HIV-1 Induction of CD40 on Endothelial Cells Promotes the Outgrowth of AIDS-Associated B-Cell Lymphomas: Nature Medicine (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 1242; Moses, Ashlee V.; Williams, Sally E.; Strussenberg, Joanne G.; et al.; The infection of stromal microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) taken from HIV-infected lymphoma patients was found, in an in vitro study, to induce malignant B cell growth.
Human Papillomaviruses and Anogenital Cancers: New England Journal of Medicine (11/06/97) Vol. 337, No. 19, P. 1387; Shah, Keerti V.; Although the very strong evidence that human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause cervical cancer leads to hopes that screening programs and HPV-based vaccines will reduce the incidence of cervical cancer worldwide, the HIV pandemic may hinder such an effort.
HIV-Specific Mucosal and Cellular Immunity in HIV-Seronegative Partners of HIV-Seropositive Individuals: Nature Medicine (11/97) Vol. 3, No. 11, P. 1250; Mazzoli, Sandra; Trabattoni, Daria; Lo Caputo, Sergio; et al.; An analysis of HIV-specific mucosal and cellular immunity in heterosexual couples with only one seropositive partner found HIV-specific immunoglobulins A (IgA) but not IgC in urine and vaginal wash samples from seronegative, HIV-exposed individuals (ESNs).
Zambia: Women Admit Being Perpetuators of Polygamy: Africa Information Afrique (11/05/97); A forum of women in Siavonga, Zambia, has renounced polygamy as a demeaning practice that facilitates the spread of HIV.
Strict Compliance With HIV Protease Inhibitor Regimens Necessary: Reuters Health Information Services (11/06/97); An in vitro study of the protease inhibitor ritonavir, conducted by researchers from Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, IL, found HIV-1 suppression can be accomplished only with a continuously effective dosage.
NIH Awards $3 Million for HIV Drug and Vaccine: Reuters Health Information Services (11/06/97); Progenics Pharmaceuticals of Tarrytown, NY, has announced it will receive $3 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to fund the development of HIV vaccine and therapy candidates.
UNAIDS to Boost Drug Access in Four Developing Countries: Reuters Health Information Services (11/06/97); The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS has launched a program to increase access to HIV treatments in developing countries.
Praise for Needle Exchange: Baltimore Sun (11/06/97) P. 1A; Sugg, Diana K.; Baltimore's needle-exchange program, one of the largest in the United States, is becoming a national model for exchange advocates.
Development of an HIV Educational Needs Assessment Tool: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (11/97- 12/97) Vol. 8, No. 6, P. 46; Nokes, Kathleen M.; Kendrew, Joan; Rappaport, Anne; et al.; A preliminary attempt to establish factors in an HIV Educational Needs Assessment Tool (HENAT) showed six subgroups of data to contain items significant to HIV-infected individuals.
Grappling With the Technological Revolution in Sexual Health: Lancet (11/01/97) Vol. 350, No. 9087, P. 1303; Dayan, Linda; At the International Congress of Sexually Transmitted Diseases recently held in Seville, Spain, researchers described the efficacy of new molecular technology in diagnosing sexually transmitted disease infections.
Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women Infected With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: New England Journal of Medicine (11/06/97) Vol. 337, No. 19, P. 1343; Sun, Xiao-Wei; Kuhn, Louise; Ellerbrock, Tedd V.; et al.; A strong association between HIV infection and persistent infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) may explain the increase in incidence of squamous intraepithelial lesions in HIV-seropositive women, according to a new study.
Sexually Transmitted Infection as a Cause of Anal Cancer: New England Journal of Medicine (11/06/97) Vol. 337, No. 19, P. 1350; Frisch, Morten; Glimelius, Bengt; Van Den Brule, Adriaan J.C.; et al.; A telephone survey of three separate groups--324 women and 93 men diagnosed with anal cancer between 1991 and 1994, a 534- member control group with adenocarcinoma of the rectum, and 554 general population controls--suggests that infection with a sexually transmitted disease may cause most cases of anal cancer.
Satellite Broadcast on Managing Occupational Exposures to HIV: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/24/97) Vol. 46, No. 42, P. 1002; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Public Health Training Network will co-sponsor a live satellite broadcast of "Putting the Pieces Together: Managing Occupational Exposures to HIV" on Jan. 15, 1998, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Lymphoid Tissue Site of CD4 T Cell Reconstitution: Reuters Health Information Services (11/04/97); The typical increase in CD4 cell levels following introduction of combination antiretroviral treatment may indicate a CD4 reconstitution process that occurs in secondary lymphoid organs, according to new research in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Ivory Coast to Host Africa's Top AIDS Conference: Reuters (11/04/97); The International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, which will focus on the epidemic's impact on development, will be held in the Ivory Coast from Dec. 7- 11.
AIDS Spreads From Drug Users to Population: Reuters (11/04/97); Italian researchers said Tuesday that male drug users in the Rome area are spreading HIV to their female sexual partners, noting that the same shift in the epidemic is probably occurring in other large cities, including New York.
State Seeks Better Management of AIDS in Prison System: Houston Chronicle (11/04/97) P. 18A; Walt, Kathy; A top Texas Department of Corrections official said Monday that the state is investigating methods to control the spread of HIV in prisons.
Delivering the AIDS Message to Gay Communities of Color: Boston Globe (11/04/97) P. B4; Dowdy, Zachary R.; Men of Color Against AIDS, a group dedicated to reaching Boston's often-isolated gay and lesbian people of color with information about HIV prevention and treatment, has received a $737,500 shared grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Project to Test How Therapies for AIDS Work in Poor Nations: Washington Post (11/05/97) P. A2; Brown, David; The Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) today will announce four new pilot projects in the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Chile, and Vietnam.
Global Distribution of the CCR5 Gene 32-Basepair Deletion: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/05/97) Vol. 278, No. 17, P. 1388 ad; A study--reported by Jeremy J. Martinson and colleagues of John Radcliffe Hospital's Institute of Molecular Medicine in the United Kingdom in a recent issue of Nature Genetics--has found a 10 percent gene frequency for a CCR5 mutation in populations of European descent.
High Mortality Rates Among Patients With Tuberculosis in Bangui, Central African Republic: Lancet (11/01/97) Vol. 350, No. 9087, P. 1298; Garin, B.; Glaziou, P.; Kassa-Kelembho, E.; et al.; A report from Central African Republic's National Tuberculosis Control Program has analyzed data from 224 randomly chosen individuals with cultures positive for tuberculosis, and showed predictors of decreased survival of tuberculosis patients similar to those found in other studies.
Tuberculosis in a Prison Population in Malawi: Lancet (11/01/97) Vol. 350, No. 9087, P. 1284; Nyangulu, D.S.; Harries, A.D.; Kang'ombe, C.; et al.; An investigation into rates of pulmonary tuberculosis in a large Malawi prison suggests active transmission in the population.
Put the Condom Where the Risk Is: Advocate (11/11/97) No. 746, P. 18; A recent study published in the Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association found that nearly 33 percent of gay men surveyed in Atlanta were concerned about the risks involved in unprotected oral sex and were twice as likely as those not worried about HIV transmission to use condoms during oral sex.
Topical Cidofovir for Resistant Herpes: AIDS Clinical Care (11/97) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 88; Researchers report in the Journal of Infectious Disease that a once-daily topical application of cidofovir is more effective for the treatment of herpes simplex virus than treatment with a placebo.
Conference on AIDS Fighting and Protection Opens: Itar Wire Service (11/03/97); A three-day conference on AIDS opened in Moscow on Monday.
AIDS Cost 'Will Cripple Health Care by 2007': Africa News Service (11/03/97); Campbell, Carol; Financial demands created by medical services for HIV-infected South Africans will result in tariffs increases and large strains on corporate medical aid plans.
Across the USA: Connecticut: USA Today (11/04/97) P. 10A; Connecticut health officials say protests from AIDS advocacy groups prompted them to abandon, at least for now, a proposal to register names of HIV-infected residents.
Is It Time to Treat HIV Like All Other STDs?: Washington Post--Health (11/04/97) P. 23; Coburn, Tom A.; Mayer, Kenneth; Although the knowledge and resources exist to prevent the spread of HIV in the United States, the abandonment of public health procedures that have proven effective against other sexually transmitted diseases has hindered U.S. prevention efforts, claims Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).
At a Western Outpost of Russia, AIDS Spreads 'Like a Forest Fire': New York Times (11/04/97) P. A1; Specter, Michael; Rising rates of heroin use, poverty, and unemployment have contributed to the rapid spread of HIV in Kalingrad, Russia, with the number of known infections rising from 28 one year ago to 1,850 as of Oct. 15.
Sex, Privacy and Tracking H.I.V. Infections: New York Times (11/04/97) P. C1; Altman, Lawrence K.; While contact tracing is a standard weapon in public health efforts against sexually transmitted diseases, the method's use for HIV infection has been the subject of debate since the epidemic began.
AIDS Study Emphasizes Prevention Worldwide: Washington Post (11/04/97) P. A13; Brown, David; A study released Monday by the World Bank emphasizes the need for governments around the world to take early action to stop the spread of HIV.
A Condom With Your Latte: Advocate (10/28/97) No. 745, P. 20; The WeHo Lounge in West Hollywood, CA, is said to be the first combination coffee shop-AIDS information center in the United States.
Laos: Facing the AIDS Time Bomb: IPS Wire (10/31/97); Although Laos has so far avoided the high rates of HIV infection affecting nearby populations in Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, the epidemic remains a serious threat.
Prisons Hit by Rising AIDS Costs: United Press International (11/03/97); Increased use of new combination therapies to treat AIDS patients in Illinois prisons has drastically increased medical costs for the state.
Syphilis Serology May Be Misleading in Some HIV-Infected Individuals: Reuters Health Information Services (11/03/97); Attempts to detect syphilis in HIV-positive individuals with fluorescent treponemal antibody testing may lead to false- negative results, according a study published in the November Journal of Infectious Diseases.
HIV-1 Serotype Diversity Increasing Among French Blood Donors: Reuters Health Information Services (11/03/97); Researchers report that viral serotypes among HIV-infected individuals in France are spreading beyond the most common B subtype of HIV-1's M group.
Misleading Picture of AIDS 'Cocktails': Wall Street Journal (11/03/97) P. A23; Gottlieb, A. Arthur; A recent Wall Street Journal article reporting information on new combination AIDS therapies gave a misleadingly simple version of data presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Toronto, claims Dr. A. Arthur Gottlieb in a letter to the editor of the journal.
Morning After HIV: Experts Worry It Will Erase Preventive Gains: USA Today (11/03/97) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; Since its inception three weeks ago, the first post-exposure prevention (PEP) program for HIV available to the general population has received several calls each day from people seeking treatment.
Minocycline for Symptomatic Neurosyphilis in Patients Allergic to Penicillin: New England Journal of Medicine (10/30/97) Vol. 337, No. 18, P. 1322; De Maria, Andrea; Solaro, Claudio; Abbruzzese, Michele; et al.; Rising rates of symptomatic neurosyphilis, especially among HIV-1-infected populations, have made treatment of the infection a growing problem.
HIV Versus Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes--The War Being Lost: New England Journal of Medicine (10/30/97) Vol. 337, No. 18, P. 1306; Oldstone, Michael B.A.; In an editorial in the Oct. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Michael Oldstone from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, writes that a new study of T-lymphocyte responses to HIV infection makes important contributions to science's understanding of how the body fights HIV.

October

HIV Subterfuge Revealed: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (10/29/97); Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have identified a method used by HIV to weaken the immune system.
Protease Inhibitors and Anticonvulsants: AIDS Clinical Care (11/97) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 87; Brooks, John; Daily, Johanna; Schwamm, Lee; Theoretically significant drug interactions have prompted pharmaceutical companies to warn against using protease inhibitors with the three most popular anticonvulsants: carbamazepine, phenobarbitol, and phenytoin.
Red Cross Liable: Maclean's (10/20/97) Vol. 110, No. 42, P. 31; An Ontario judge has ruled in favor of two families suing the Canadian Red Cross Society for negligence.
Quiet Condom Promotion Dropped: Africa News Service (10/29/97); Watson, Catherine; Uganda's Ministry of Health has ended its long-standing policy of preventing condom advertising in government media.
Science & Health Bulletin: Kenya--Kemron: PANA Wire Service (10/29/97); Mulenga, Mildred; The efficacy and safety of two anti-AIDS drugs, Kemron and Viron-50, will be assessed in a new Kenyan study.
Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AIDS Call: PANA Wire Service (10/29/97); Mulenga, Mildred; A recently presented research paper urges physiotherapists in Zimbabwe to develop non-discriminatory means of delivering treatment to a growing HIV and AIDS patient population.
Conn. Flu Shot Recipients Worried About AIDS: Reuters (10/29/97); Health officials said Wednesday there is little chance that residents of Monroe, Conn., who recently received flu shots from the same syringe were exposed to HIV.
AIDS Congress Warns Asia of More Virulent Epidemic: Reuters (10/29/97); Alabastro, Ruben; The 65-nation International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific ended Wednesday in Manila with representatives urging for more government funding to combat the spread of infection and the inclusion of HIV/AIDS issues in all aspects of health planning.
Elders Weighs in on N.Y. AIDS Spree: Washington Times (10/30/97) P. A4; Price, Joyce Howard; Former Surgeon General Joycelyn M. Elders said inadequate sexual education allowed a New York man to infect at least nine teenagers and young women with HIV.
HIV-1 Infection Associated With Abnormal Vaginal Flora Morphology and Bacterial Vaginosis: Lancet (10/25/97) Vol. 350, No. 9086, P. 1251; Ugwumadu, Austin; Hay, Phillip; Taylor-Robinson, David; In a letter to the editor of the Oct. 25 issue of the Lancet, Austin Ugwumadu and colleagues from two London medical schools say they agree with a previous analysis citing potential benefits of screening and treatment of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy, but add that many questions must be answered before such a program is instituted.
IVIG Reduces Morbidity in Patients With Advanced HIV Infection: Reuters Health Information Services (10/28/97); A New York-based research team has reported that intravenous gammaglobulin (IVIG) can help prevent infections in AIDS patients.
Lawmakers Briefed on Hepatitis C Threat: United Press International (10/28/97); Health specialists warned a California State Senate committee on Tuesday that hepatitis C will soon become a more significant cause of death in California than AIDS.
AIDS Can Be Tamed Through Regional [Cooperation]: M2 Presswire (10/28/97); On Tuesday, a senior Asian Development Bank (ADB) official said that the sharing of responsibilities among countries or regions will be the best way to curb the AIDS epidemic in Asia.
Asian Prostitutes Say Discrimination Spreads AIDS: Reuters (10/29/97); Alabastro, Ruben; Asian prostitutes attending the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, currently taking place in Manila, said government criminalization of the prostitution industry has facilitated the spread of HIV.
Public Health Cited in Breaching H.I.V. Confidentiality: New York Times (10/29/97) P. A30; Richardson, Linda; The official release of the name of a man accused of infecting at least nine young women in Chautauqua County, NY, with HIV was the first use of a state law provision allowing such a release in cases of "clear and imminent danger to the public health."
Preventive Steps Remain Critical: USA Today (10/29/97) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; Experts say that this week's report of an outbreak of HIV infection in western New York is an indication that recent treatment improvement and decreased death rates are not reasons to relax prevention efforts.
Ireland Rules Out Compulsory HIV Testing: Lancet (10/25/97) Vol. 350, No. 9086, P. 1232; Birchard, Karen; A new report from Ireland's Department of Health says that Irish physicians will not be required to be screened for HIV or the hepatitis C virus because there are no available vaccines against these viruses and testing would be "impractical."
Monitoring Compliance With Antituberculosis Treatment by Detection of Isoniazid in Urine (Research Letter): Lancet (10/25/97) Vol. 350, No. 9086, P. 1225; Elizaga, Jorge; Friedland, Jon S.; Two investigators report in a research letter to the Lancet that urine testing for isoniazid is a simple and effective way to ascertain patient compliance with treatment for tuberculosis.
Officials Link Man to at Least 10 Girls Infected With H.I.V.: New York Times (10/28/97) P. A1; Barron, James; Officials in Chautauqua County, NY, say one man has apparently infected at least 11 teenage girls in western New York state with HIV--six of them, including a 13-year-old, after he knew he carried the virus.
Perinatal HIV Down as Treatment Increases: AIDS Alert (11/97) Vol. 12, No. 11, P. 126; The decrease in children born infected with HIV, resulting from increased AZT use and voluntary testing for pregnant women, may continue with new treatments being tested for safety and efficacy.
Charity Launches AIDS Campaign in Poor Countries: Reuters (10/27/97); International HIV/AIDS Alliance, a London-based charity, has announced plans to establish a program focusing on community- based care and HIV prevention programs for developing nations.
Researcher: TB Could Be Next Epidemic: United Press International (10/27/97); A University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) researcher claims that deaths due to tuberculosis now go unnoticed.
CDC Grant To Help Gay Men of Color: Boston Globe (10/27/97) P. C16; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a $737,555 grant to the Boston-based group Men of Color Against AIDS to finance an HIV prevention program.
Asian Governments Slammed for Weak Response to AIDS: Reuters (10/28/97); Alabastro, Ruben; At a conference in Manila Tuesday, Asian governments were reprimanded for spending billions of dollars on military development and only a meager amount to finance the fight against AIDS.
Tuskegee Revisited: Wall Street Journal (10/28/97) P. A22; Angell, Marcia; In a Wall Street Journal commentary, New England Journal of Medicine Executive Editor Marcia Angell defends her criticism of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health for sponsoring placebo-based AZT trials among HIV-infected pregnant women in developing nations.
Lifetime Costs of AIDS Drops Below $100,000: AIDS Alert (11/97) Vol. 12, No. 11, P. 128; An economic model developed by Glaxo Wellcome estimates that care for the average HIV patient on the latest combination therapy will cost about $8,000 per year, and lifetime treatment will cost about $25,000 less than it did when monotherapy was used.
Dentist Must Treat Patients With HIV, Court Rules: American Medical News (10/20/97) Vol. 40, No. 39, P. 28; In the case of United States v. Morvant, a federal trial court in Louisiana has ruled that a dentist violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to treat patients with HIV or AIDS.
Two Mechanisms Identified In Mucosal Transmission of HIV: Reuters Health Information Services (10/27/97); A report from the National Cancer Institute suggests that at least two pathways are related to HIV's interaction with dendritic cells.
Across the USA: Kansas: USA Today (10/27/97) P. 20A; Health officials in Kansas say the state's $850,000 fund for medication assistance will run out in January, leaving about 130 residents without needed anti-HIV drugs for three months.
AIDS Blossoms in the Golden Triangle: Reuters (10/27/97); Thatcher, Jonathan; The widespread growth in the rate of HIV infection in Asia is centered in some of the continent's least accessible regions, including the opium-producing Golden Triangle, a new study has found.
Philippines Says Asia Should Lead Fight vs AIDS: Reuters (10/25/97); At a conference on AIDS in Manila, Philippine President Fidel Ramos urged Asian-Pacific health workers and experts to lead the fight against the spread of HIV.
Asia To Surpass Africa as Worst AIDS Region: Reuters (10/26/97); Alabastro, Ruben; Asia will soon become the region hardest hit by AIDS, and people on that continent should not let new drug developments detract from the urgency of the problem, according to a United Nations official.
HIV Perinatal Transmission Trial Debate Heats Up: Reuters Health Information Services (10/27/97); In an Oct. 24 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, two Johns Hopkins researchers reportedly claim that a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group has misrepresented the facts regarding the Hopkins team's plans to remove placebo use from a planned Ethiopian AZT trial.
AIDS Vaccine May Have 1st Test in Thailand: Reuters (10/27/97); Alabastro, Ruben; The first mass efficacy trial of an AIDS vaccine may take place in Thailand as early as 2000, according to Dr. Margaret Johnston, scientific director of the U.S.-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
Staving Off Pneumonia: Advocate (10/14/97) No. 744, P. 22; The Centers for Disease and Protection advises HIV-positive individuals to receive a pneumococcal vaccine, which prevents pneumonia, bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis.
First-Ever AIDS Incidence Decline Marks Start of a New Era in Epidemic: AIDS Alert (11/97) Vol. 12, No. 11, P. 121; The first-time drop in the number of AIDS cases in the United States last year points to the increasing effectiveness of new treatments and the decreasing reliability of national surveillance techniques.
Swedes Find a Better Way to Treat Hepatitis C: Reuters (10/23/97); By determining the amount of virus in a patient before administering therapy, a Swedish medical research team says it can provide more effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C.
Deciphering Genetics of Deadly Microbes: United Press International (10/24/97); Dawley, Heidi; Research into the genome sequences of tuberculosis and other virulent diseases will aid the development of new, more effective vaccines, says Richard Moxon, director of the Molecular Infectious Disease Group at the University of Oxford Institute of Molecular Medicine.
Cel-Sci Tuberculosis Treatment Effective in Study: Dow Jones News (10/23/97); Studies of a vaccine treatment developed by Cel-Sci suggest that new technology produces a more powerful immune response against drug-resistant tuberculosis than conventional technology.
Mandela to Head Global Business Initiative on AIDS: Reuters (10/23/97); Britain's National AIDS Trust announced Thursday the appointment of South African President Nelson Mandela as honorary head of a global business campaign against AIDS.
Privacy in H.I.V. Reporting: New York Times (10/24/97) P. A36; While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes a good argument for the establishment of a national HIV reporting system, the program would need to offer protection for individual privacy, write the editors of the New York Times.
Molecule Found To Prevent HIV from Infecting Cells: Baltimore Sun (10/24/97) P. 13A; A research team led by renowned AIDS expert Dr. Robert Gallo of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland has identified a new HIV-blocking molecule that may be more useful in preventing infection than previously discovered agents.
Use of Placebo Is Ended for H.I.V. Study in Africa: New York Times (10/24/97) P. A12; Stolberg, Sheryl; Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have changed the design of a planned study on AZT dosage in HIV-infected pregnant women in Ethiopia to eliminate the use of a placebo.
Judgment for Blood Bank Is Reversed: American Medical News (10/20/97) Vol. 40, No. 39, P. 28; A Texas appeals court has reversed a previous summary judgment for a blood bank accused of HIV screening negligence, saying testimony from a debated expert could be included in a new claim.
Capital Roundup: Surgeon General: USA Today (10/23/97) P. 12A; Leavitt, Paul; The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee has approved David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as Surgeon General. The committee's approval sets the stage for a Senate vote.
Across the USA: California: USA Today (10/23/97) P. 7A; California health officials say four in every 10 new inmates in state prisons are infected with hepatitis C. Experts fear parolees may spread the potentially fatal blood disease to the general public.
Science Feature: Kenya--AIDS Spreading AIDS Message: PANA Wire Service (10/22/97); Wangulu, Eliezer; Efforts to raise AIDS awareness in rural Kenya face opposition from illiteracy and social stigma.
Report: Heroin Users Not Afraid of HIV: United Press International (10/22/97); An Office of National Drug Control Policy survey has concluded that intravenous heroin users in California are now less concerned about contracting HIV and are not paying attention to public health warnings against sharing needles.
UN Advocates Sex Education in Fight Against AIDS: Reuters (10/22/97); Policymakers throughout the world should increase sexual education for young people to fight the spread of HIV, according to the United Nations AIDS agency.
1 in 10 TB Cases Worldwide Resists Common Treatment, Survey Shows: Washington Post (10/23/97) P. A4; Brown, David; A new survey of tuberculosis cases in 35 global regions encompassing 20 percent of the world's population found one in 10 new cases of the disease to be resistant to at least one common drug.
National HIV Case Reporting for the United States--A Defining Moment in the History of the Epidemic: New England Journal of Medicine (10/16/97) Vol. 337, No. 16, P. 1162; Ward, John W.; Gostin, Lawrence O.; Baker, A. Cornelius; Advances in HIV therapies have delayed the onset of AIDS in many patients, changing the face of the epidemic in the United States.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2--A Persistent Problem: New England Journal of Medicine (10/16/97) Vol. 337, No. 16, P. 1158; Arvin, Ann M.; Prober, Charles G.; The 30 percent increase in the prevalence of herpes simplex virus type two (HSV-2) infection nationwide is evidence of the ease with which the virus can be transmitted by asymptomatic sexual partners--not a failure in drug treatments--according to an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States, 1976 to 1994: New England Journal of Medicine (10/16/97) Vol. 337, No. 16, P. 1105; Fleming, Douglas T.; McQuillan, Geraldine M.; Johnson, Robert E.; et al.; A review of national data regarding herpes simplex virus type two (HSV-2), conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University School of Medicine, reveals a 30 percent increase in the prevalence of HSV-2 infection in the United States since the late 1970s.
Profiles of 1997 Grant Recipients: Over $1 Million Made Available to Cities for HIV Prevention: AIDS Information Exchange (10/97) Vol. 13, No. 4, P. 1; Since 1985, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) HIV/AIDS Prevention Grants Program--in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--has granted over $9 million for the development of 196 local HIV/AIDS prevention programs.
Procept--Pro 2000 Trial: Dow Jones News (10/21/97); Since 1985, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) HIV/AIDS Prevention Grants Program--in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--has granted over $9 million for the development of 196 local HIV/AIDS prevention programs.
More [Ethiopian] Girls Infected With HIV-AIDS: Africa News Service (10/21/97); The majority of HIV-infected people aged 15 to 19 in Ethiopia are female, according to a survey conducted by the Ethiopian Women Anti-AIDS Association (EWAA).
India--Health: Legal Luminaries Seek AIDS Legislation: IPS Wire (10/21/97); Under the Goa Public Health Amendment Act--the first law in India regarding HIV/AIDS--individuals suspected to be HIV- positive were subject to mandatory testing and, in a "justifiable" case, isolation.
Nigerian Minister Warns of AIDS Disaster: Reuters (10/21/97); Judith Attah, Nigeria's minister of Women's Affairs and Social Welfare, said Tuesday that parts of the country may soon be communities of orphans unless something is done to curb the AIDS epidemic.
Repeat HIV Testers Yield Useful Data For Public Health Professionals: Reuters Health Information Services (10/21/97); Researchers from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the University of California have analyzed data from a subgroup of homosexual men who were repeatedly tested for HIV in 1995.
Group Wins AIDS Policy Changes From Chicago Schools: Reuters (10/22/97); The Lambda Legal Defense Fund announced Tuesday that the Chicago public school system has agreed not to screen teaching job applicants for AIDS.
N.J. Company Recalls 57 Million Condoms: Washington Post (10/22/97) P. A12; Schwartz, John; Ansell Personal Products of Eatontown, NJ, announced the largest-ever condom recall Tuesday, saying customers have been complaining of breakage before the expiration date.
HHV-8 and Multiple Myeloma in the UK (Research Letter): Lancet (10/18/97) Vol. 350, No. 9085, P. 1144; MacKenzie, J.; Sheldon, J.; Morgan, G.; et al.; A survey of 78 myeloma patients and 37 healthy controls found no significant difference in HHV-8 seroprevalence between the two groups.
HHV-8 and Multiple Myeloma in France (Research Letter): Lancet (10/18/97) Vol. 350, No. 9085, P. 1144; Marcelin, Anne-Genevieve; Dupin, Nicolas; Bouscary, Didier; et al.; While previous research has linked HHV-8 to multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, new data published in the Oct. 18 issue of the Lancet shows no association between HHV-8 and multiple myeloma.
Giving the Cocktail a Kick: Advocate (10/14/97) No. 744, P. 22; A recent study of a new reverse transcriptase inhibitor from DuPont Merck, DMP 266, found that the drug decreases viral loads to undetectable levels in 83 percent of patients who took it in combination with indinavir.
Health Notes: Small Molecule and HIV: United Press International (10/21/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found a molecule that blocks an HIV co-receptor.
N. Korea Has No AIDS Patients, Health Minister Says: Reuters (10/21/97); In a speech marking National Immunization Day on Monday, North Korea's health minister announced that the communist nation is the only country in the world free of AIDS, North Korea Central Broadcasting reports.
A Necessary Risk: Washington Post (10/19/97) P. C1; Farthing, Charles F.; Charles Farthing, medical director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles, claims that volunteering for a live -attenuated HIV vaccine test is a move supported by medical tradition and current research.
Sex Workers Join in Fight Against AIDS: Africa News Service (10/20/97); South Africa's second AIDS education initiative for sex workers has begun in Johannesburg, modeled after similar programs near Welkom in the Free State, and in Zambia, Uganda, and Mozambique.
Vancouver, a City With Everything, Finds It Has AIDS Too: New York Times (10/21/97) P. A13; In reaction to the rapid spread of HIV among drug users in Canada's poorest urban neighborhood, health officials have declared the first-ever medical emergency in Vancouver.
U.S. Urges Reporting of H.I.V. Patients: New York Times (10/21/97) P. A29; Richardson, Lynda; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging states to require reporting of HIV-infected individuals.
Transient Renewal of Thymopoiesis in HIV-Infected Human Thymic Implants Following Antiviral Therapy: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1102; Withers-Ward, Elizabeth S.; Amado, Rafael G.; Koka, Prasad S.; et al.; A recently reported study shows human thymic tissues with depleted CD4 cell counts to be capable of supporting renewed thymopoiesis after being treated with combination antiretroviral therapy and implanted into immunodeficient mice.
HIV-1 and AIDS Awareness in a Marginalised Namibian Community: Lancet (10/18/97) Vol. 350, No. 9085, P. 1180; Brenzinger, Matthias; Harms, Gundel; Through community interaction and cooperation with local leadership, a linguist was able to implement an AIDS education program in the Kxoe community of Namibia.
HIV-1 in Semen: An Isolated Virus Reservoir (Research Letter): Lancet (10/18/97) Vol. 350, No. 9085, P. 1141; Byrn, Randal A.; Zhang, Dezhen; Eyre, Robert; et al.; The reservoir for HIV-1 in semen has not been established, but several studies suggest that semen viral levels have a separate source from the virus in plasma.
AIDS on the Decline in Western Europe: Itar Wire Service (10/18/97); New statistics from the European Union suggest that the AIDS epidemic has passed its peak and is now declining in western Europe.
Thailand--Health: Business Sees Sense in Anti-AIDS [Programs]: IPS Wire (10/17/97); The potential effect of the AIDS epidemic on the workforce and productivity of Thailand is prompting businesses to become more involved in AIDS education programs.
Vietnam Says Dozens of Blood Donors [Are] HIV Positive: Reuters (10/17/97); The head of Vietnam's hematology center announced Friday that at least 100 individuals have contracted HIV from tainted blood donations.
U.S. Researchers Take Another Look at AIDS Vaccine: Reuters (10/17/97); Fox, Maggie; Two Tennessee researchers have been given Food and Drug Administration approval to test their new AIDS vaccine for safety in human volunteers.
Soros to Donate Millions More to Help Russia: New York Times (10/20/97) P. A1; Miller, Judith; Financier and philanthropist George Soros announced Sunday that he will give up to $500 million over the next three years to aid healthcare, education, and employment efforts in Russia.
Health Journal: Home Testing Kits Get More Reliable, But Beware of Frauds: Wall Street Journal (10/20/97) P. B1; Chase, Marilyn; While tests to detect HIV infection have recently joined the ranks of Food and Drug Administration-approved home test kits, the agency has warned consumers of possible frauds.
New OSHA TB Standard May Cost $254 Million, But Could Save Up to 190 Lives Each Year: TB Monitor (10/17/97); The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed its long-awaited tuberculosis standard Friday in the Federal Register.
A Chemokine Trap for HIV Co-Receptors: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1074; Lusso, Paolo; Although a study reported in the October Nature Medicine describing a novel method of HIV prevention is promising, application of the results in humans is still a long way away.
HIV Screening Launched in Ireland: Lancet (10/11/97) Vol. 350, No. 9084, P. 1084; Birchard, Karen; In Ireland, a free national screening and counseling program for people who may have been exposed to HIV via contaminated blood products was launched on Oct. 6.
Urethral Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection and HIV-1 Transmission: Lancet (10/11/97) Vol. 350, No. 9084, P. 1076; Jackson, D.J.; Rakwar, J.P.; Bwayo, J.J.; et al.; Although Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) has not generally been a factor considered in population-attributable risk fractions for HIV infection related to STD pathogens, it is a common infection in women and may be more common in men than is realized.
Namibian Government Acts on AIDS: Africa News Service (10/16/97); Schutz, Helen; Legislation under consideration in the Namibian National Assembly would ban direct or indirect pre-employment testing for HIV.
Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors: AIDS Clinical Care (10/97) Vol. 9, No. 10, P. 75; Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are a structurally and chemically dissimilar group of antiretrovirals that can be used effectively in triple-therapy regimes.
Female Condom Released in Canada: United Press International (10/16/97); A Canadian pharmaceutical company has announced the release of a female condom expected to provide increased protection from sexually transmitted disease and unwanted pregnancy.
Luo Defends Condoms: Africa News Service (10/16/97); Phiri, Reuben; Zambia's deputy health minister says those who believe the government is endorsing promiscuity by recommending the use of female condoms are ignoring the facts of the country's culture.
Journal Departures Reflect AIDS Dispute: Boston Globe (10/16/97) P. A11; Saltus, Richard; The resignation of Drs. David Ho and Catherine Wilfert from the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine is evidence of the intensity of the current ethical debate surrounding U.S.-sponsored AZT trials in developing nations.
AIDS Seen Taking Huge Economic Toll in Cambodia: Reuters (10/17/97); Birsel, Robert; Cambodia, a country struggling with high rates of poverty, malnutrition, and poor education, also faces the highest rate of increase of HIV infection among Asian nations, according to a new United Nations report.
World-Wide: OSHA Proposed [TB] Regulations: Wall Street Journal (10/17/97) P. A1; The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recommended the mandatory use of respirators and routine testing to lower rates of tuberculosis infection in people who work in facilities such as hospitals, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters.
Gradenigo Syndrome in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patient: Archives of Internal Medicine (10/13/97) Vol. 157, No. 18, P. 2149; Morales, Cesar; Tachauer, Allan; A second report of an HIV-positive man with Gradenigo syndrome suggests that HIV-infected individuals who also have an ear infection may be at greater risk for the extremely rare complication.
AIDS Doctors Push for Live-Virus Vaccine Trials: Lancet (10/11/97) Vol. 350, No. 9084, P. 1082; McCarthy, Michael; While some researchers say the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) plan to test a live-attenuated HIV vaccine on humans by 2000 is scientifically unsound, supporters say the test is a mandate of morals.
Locally Acquired Heterosexual Outbreak of Syphilis in Bristol: Lancet (10/11/97) Vol. 350, No. 9084, P. 1100; Battu, Vijay R.; Horner, Patrick J.; Taylor, Patrick K.; et al.; Researchers from the Bristol Royal Infirmary in the United Kingdom report a local outbreak of 27 cases of early infectious syphilis in a letter to the editor of the Oct. 11 issue of the Lancet.
CDC Reports 30 Percent Increase in Herpes: One in Five Americans Infected: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, Office of Communication (10/15/97); The prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in the United States has increased 30 percent since the late 1970s, with almost 22 percent of the population now living with the incurable disease according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Across the USA: California: USA Today (10/16/97) P. 9A; Health officials report that new cases of AIDS and deaths from the disease among gay and bisexual white men in California have dropped sharply this year, following a trend that started five years ago.
HIV-Related Deaths on Decline [in Illinois]: United Press International (10/15/97); HIV-related deaths dropped 21 percent in 1996, to the lowest statewide level in six years.
To the Students, Free Condoms Seem Sensible: New York Times (10/16/97) P. A29; Richardson, Lynda; Students at a public high school in Brooklyn, NY, say the availability of condoms in school is "a good thing," because it provides a resource to teenagers who will have sex with or without protection.
Viruses in Pig Organs Could Infect Humans: Washington Post (10/16/97) P. A8; Weiss, Rick; Two viruses that are capable of infecting humans and belong to the same family as HIV have been found in pig hearts and kidneys.
Science and Health Bulletin: Zambia--Female Condom: PANA Wire Service (10/15/97); Mulenga, Mildred; Zambia's Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, has launched an educational program supporting the use of the female condom to prevent transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
AIDS May Spread Faster in Asia than Africa: Reuters (10/15/97); Jin, Justin; Widespread drug use may be helping HIV to spread more rapidly in Southeast Asia than in Africa, according to an official from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
Angiogenic and HIV-Inhibitory Functions of KSHV-Encoded Chemokines: Science (10/10/97) Vol. 278, No. 5336, P. 290; Boshoff, Chris; Endo, Yoshio; Collins, Paul D.; et al.; Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or HHV-8) encodes proteins which may inhibit HIV infection, researchers report.
Causes of Death of HIV-Infected Persons in Ottawa, Ontario, 1984-1995: Archives of Internal Medicine (10/13/97) Vol. 157, No. 18, P. 2069; Kravcik, Stephen; Hawley-Foss, Nanci; Victor, Gary; et al.; A review of data regarding HIV-infected patients affiliated with an Ontario hospital who died between 1984 and July 15, 1995, shows the impact of prophylaxis and treatment developments on the causes of death in 356 HIV-infected patients.
Tackling Mother-to-Child HIV in Cote d'Ivoire: Lancet (10/11/97) Vol. 350, No. 9084, P. 1084; Feinmann, Jane; Participating researchers say the controversial short-course AZT trials, sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the government of Cote d'Ivoire, and designed to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission in the African nation, have revealed more immediate treatment problems than the ethical questions currently debated in the United States.
HIV-1 Vpr Suppresses Immune Activation and Apoptosis Through Regulation of Nuclear Factor KappaB: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1117; Ayyavoo, Velpandi; Mahboubi, Artin; Mahalingam, S.; et al.; Vpr, an accessory gene product of HIV-1 thought to play a part in early stages of viral infection, was found to perform functions of glucocorticoids (GCs), including modulation of the function of the GC receptor (GR) complex in human peripheral blood mononuclear blood cells.
Prescribing Protease Inhibitors for the Homeless: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/15/97) Vol. 278, No. 15, P. 1236; Bangsberg, David; Tulsky, Jacqueline P.; Hecht, Frederick M.; et al.; Although blanket recommendations to prescribe protease inhibitors for mentally ill or substance-abusing patients are not always in the best interest of either patients or public health, clinicians should not assume that the homeless are incapable of complying with combination treatments, write four researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Issues Regarding Antiretroviral Treatment for Patients With HIV-1 Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/15/97) Vol. 278, No. 15, P. 1235; Carpenter, Charles C.J.; In response to several letters to the editor in the Oct. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Charles Carpenter agrees that there is a "need for prospectively designed adherence assessments during controlled clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs."
Number of HIV-Infected Convicts On the Rise In [Russia]: Itar Wire Service (10/14/97); A total of 1,179 Russian convicts are infected with HIV, a nearly four-fold increase over 1996, according to a Russian Interior Ministry official.
Cel-Sci: Researcher Gets Grant to Study Co.'s AIDS Vaccine: Dow Jones News (10/14/97); The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $219,000 grant to support research into Cel-Sci's experimental HGP-30 AIDS vaccine antigen.
Across the USA: Colorado: USA Today (10/15/97) P. 20A; The mayor of Denver, CO, has appealed to the City Council to allow the operation of a needle-exchange program to fight the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases.
Results Strong in AIDS Drug Trial: Boston Globe (10/14/97) P. D2; Early data from a trial of a new Vertex Pharmaceuticals protease inhibitor indicates that the drug reduces HIV to undetectable levels in 70 percent of patients.
San Francisco Tests 'Morning-After' Medicine for HIV: Washington Times (10/15/97) P. A10; Haddock, Vicki; Starting this week, San Francisco will become the first city in the United States to offer new "morning-after" drugs to individuals trying to prevent HIV infection.
AIDS Experts Leave Journal After Studies Are Criticized: New York Times (10/15/97) P. A1; Altman, Lawrence K.; Two renowned AIDS experts, Drs. David Ho and Catherine M. Wilfert, have resigned from the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine in response to the journal's criticism of U.S.-funded trials of AIDS treatments in Third World countries.
Inactivation of HIV-1 Chemokine Co-Receptor CXCR-4 by a Novel Intrakine Strategy: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1110; Chen, Ji-Dai; Bai, Xuefan; Yang, An-Gang; et al.; A research team from the Department of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest University has found a new in-vitro approach to immunize cells against T-tropic HIV infection while maintaining normal biological features.
Combination Therapies for HIV Infection and Genomic Drug Resistance: Lancet (10/04/97) Vol. 350, No. 9083, P. 970; Katzenstein, David; Understanding of how HIV mutates to resist combination drug therapies has not kept up with the emergence of new therapeutic options, writes Stanford University Medical Center's David Katzenstein in a editorial in the Oct. 4 Lancet.
HIV Identified in Over 290 Children in Russia: Itar Wire Service (10/13/97); More than 290 Russian children have been diagnosed with HIV this year, according to an annual report on that nation's 1993 -1997 implementation of the convention on children's rights.
HIV-Positive Sub-Group at Risk for TB Relapse: Reuters Health Information Services (10/14/97); A multicenter study of 119 HIV-positive adults in Uganda who had completed treatment for tuberculosis revealed that 10 patients relapsed after a median of 12.7 months.
HIV Vaccine Still Years Off--Top AIDS Researcher [Says]: Reuters (10/13/97); Dr. Luc Montagnier, the French scientist who co-discovered HIV, said Sunday that development of a successful vaccine is still many years away.
AIDS Will Cut Malawi Life Expectancy--World Bank: Reuters (10/13/97); Fumulani, Anderson; The World Bank has predicted that if the AIDS epidemic in Malawi remains unchecked, the average life expectancy of residents there will fall to from 45 to 44 years by 2010.
AIDS Epidemic a Double Tragedy in Kenya: Toronto Globe & Mail (10/13/97) P. A10; Outa, George O.; Individuals fighting the AIDS epidemic in Kenya face a continuous spread of disease and the lack of funds to stop it.
AIDS Drug Makers Aim Pitch Right at Patients: Boston Globe (10/13/97) P. C1; Gorov, Linda; Pharmaceutical companies are bypassing doctors and gearing advertisements for anti-viral drugs directly at patients.
Biotech Firm Alters Cells to Kill Others with HIV: Baltimore Sun (10/14/97) P. 2A; Cell Genesys, a California biotechnology firm, announced Monday that it has genetically altered immune cells to seek out and kill other cells infected with HIV.
AIDS Drugs Give Little Hope to Thousands Unable to Pay: New York Times (10/14/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; The advent of protease inhibitors to treat AIDS has revived hope among those infected with HIV, but the cost of the drugs has made it nearly impossible for many low-income persons to obtain them.
Tainted Blood Bill: Crain's New York Business (10/06/97) Vol. 13, No. 40, P. 55; New York Governor George Pataki is expected to make a decision by the end of the month regarding legislation that would give hemophiliacs who have contracted HIV from contaminated blood two more years to sue manufacturers for damages.
A Needling Issue: U.S. News & World Report (10/13/97) Vol. 123, No. 14, P. 19; Stanglin, Douglas; Ahmad, Shaheena; Robinson, Linda; et al.; The annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services has historically included a clause permitting federal funding for needle exchanges only if scientific evidence proves such programs lower rates of HIV transmission without increasing drug use.
HIV-1 Viral Load, Phenotype, and Resistance in a Subset of Drug-Naive Participants From the Delta Trial: Lancet (10/04/97) Vol. 350, No. 9083, P. 983; Brun-Vezinet, Francoise; Boucher, Charles; Loveday, Clive; et al.; A prospective substudy of 240 zidovudine-naive subjects from the Delta-1 trial, which tested effectiveness of three drug regimens, found results similar to those of the broader investigation.
Australia-Health: Cultural Taboos Complicate Awareness: IPS Wire (10/10/97); While the World Health Organization reports a decline in HIV/AIDS cases in Australia in recent years, cultural and social taboos still complicate health groups' efforts to raise awareness of the virus in minority communities.
Loser Fears Court Costs in Blood Case: Toronto Globe & Mail (10/10/97) P. A3; Claridge, Thomas; Lawyers for a man who recently lost a suit against the Canadian Red Cross say that they hope the plaintiff will not be charged with extra court costs.
Drug Maker Takes on AIDS, Cancer and the Short-Sellers: New York Times (10/12/97) P. 7; Fisher, Lawrence M.; Agouron Pharmaceuticals' Viracept may have a modest advantage over other protease inhibitors in that it is less likely to cause cross-resistance.
CDC Changing Position on Anergy Testing, Therapy: AIDS Alert (10/97) Vol. 12, No. 10, P. 117; This fall, medical experts expect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its guidelines for anergy testing and preventative therapy for tuberculosis in HIV- positive patients.
Pregnant Women Eligible for Single-Dose Nevirapine Study: AIDS Treatment News (10/03/97) No. 280, P. 4; James, John S.; The AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will conduct a study of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical's Viramune (nevirapine) for women in labor.
Resistance Test Welcomed, With Caution: AIDS Alert (10/97) Vol. 12, No. 10, P. 113; The first commercially available rapid HIV resistance assay, manufactured by Murex Technologies in Atlanta, is now available for research use in the United States and is the first stage of a developing journey into resistance assays.
Regulation of the Response to HIV-1 Needs a Combined Approach: Lancet (10/04/97) Vol. 350, No. 9083, P. 1009; Morris, Kelly; Immunologists, virologists, and clinicians discussed the future of AIDS therapy research at a small conference in the United Kingdom last month.
New Therapy for HIV-1 Shows Early Promise in Kenyan Trial: Lancet (10/04/97) Vol.350, No. 9083, P. 1009; Kigotho, Anderson W.; A larger study is now in progress to confirm a Kenyan research team's reports of a Maillard reaction inhibitor's effectiveness in fighting HIV-1.
Where Death Gets a Double Shot: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/09/97) P. A2; Cernetig, Miro; Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, Canada, is home to between 6,000 and 10,000 heroin addicts and, not coincidentally, the world's highest rate of HIV transmission--18.6 percent.
KS Virus May Spur Cancer and Block HIV: United Press International (10/09/97); Bovsun, Mara; Data from the United Kingdom suggest the virus linked to Kaposi's sarcoma, KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), makes HIV- blocking chemokines.
U.N. Acts on Drug-Abuse Link to AIDS in Vietnam: Reuters (10/10/97); The U.N. International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) will begin a three-year, $635,086 initiative to stem the spread of HIV among Vietnamese drug addicts.
Death Rate in U.S. Hits New Low: Washington Times (10/10/97) P. A9; Price, Joyce; The overall death rate in the United States reached an all- time low in 1996, primarily due to a 26 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths.
Alarmed Researchers Push for More Aggressive Treatment and Monitoring: AIDS Alert (10/97) Vol. 12, No.10, P. 109; Many questions regarding current HIV treatment were raised at a June conference on HIV resistance in St. Petersburg, FL, including concern over the spread of resistance to new drug treatment "cocktails."
Glad To Be Number 2: Advocate (10/14/97) No. 744, P. 22; AIDS is no longer the leading cause of death for individuals age 25 to 44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptomatic Primary Infection and Disease Progression: AIDS Clinical Care (10/97) Vol. 9, No. 10, P. 81; P.J. Veugelers; et al.; According to a prospective study headed by P.J. Veugelers, prolonged fever during primary HIV may be a clinical predictor of rapid disease progression.
AIDS Vaccine Trial: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1055; Birmingham, Karen; The proposed trial to test a live-attenuated HIV vaccine on human subjects in 2000 has drawn social publicity and medical comment to the issue of AIDS vaccine development.
Weakened SIV Vaccine Still Kills: Science (10/03/97) Vol. 278, No. 5335, P. 24; Cohen, Jon; While volunteers gathered by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) bring media attention to proposed human trials of a live-attenuated HIV vaccine, the simian research those trials would be based on suggests they may never be safe.
Medicaid's Outdated AIDS Policy: Boston Globe (10/08/97) P. A22; The Clinton Administration should change requirements for Medicaid coverage to cover early-stage treatment of HIV- infected patients, write the editors of the Boston Globe.
New AIDS Drugs, New Ethical Issues: Boston Globe (10/08/97) P. A22; Nyhan, David; The newly developed protease inhibitors have not only offered new hope for people with AIDS, but also spurred new ethical debates regarding giving these anti-AIDS drug "cocktails" to patients who continue to engage in high-risk behaviors.
Several on AIDS Panel Might Quit: Washington Times (10/09/97) P. A6; Several members of the Presidential Advisory Council on AIDS said yesterday they are unhappy with the administration's lack of response to their recommendations, and they may resign in protest of the White House's refusal to lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchanges.
People Less Judgmental, Fearful About AIDS: USA Today (10/09/97) P. 10D; Painter, Kim; Americans see AIDS as far less of a threat today than they did 10 years ago, according to a new CNN/USA Today Gallup Poll.
AIDS Research in Africa: Juggling Risks and Hopes: New York Times (10/09/97) P. A1; French, Howard W.; Interviews with women from Ivory Coast who are participating in one of several studies on short regimens of AZT in pregnant women suggest that some participants do not clearly understand the study.
CCR2 Chemokine Receptor and AIDS Progression: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1052; Smith, Michael W.; Carrington, Mary; Winkler, Cheryl; et al.; In a letter to the editor in the October issue of Nature Medicine, researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) suggest the failure to detect a link between the CCR2-64I chemokine receptor and delayed onset of AIDS in a study published in the same issue of the journal may be due to the cohort used.
The Role of CCR5 and CCR2 Polymorphisms in HIV-1 Transmission and Disease Progression: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1160; Michael, Nelson L.; Louie, Leslie G.; Rohrbaugh, Amy L.; et al.; A study investigating associations between polymorphisms of CCR5 Delta32 and CCR2B 64I co-receptors, and viral load and progression to AIDS in HIV-positive patients, found that individuals with defective CCR5 receptors have a significantly lower median viral load at study entry.
HIV and AIDS in Germany: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 24; Mauss, Stefan; Dressler, Stephan; While Germany is still classified as a pattern I country under World Health Organization standards, meaning most new HIV infections occur in "populations at risk," trends within this broad classification are slowly changing.
Montagnier Collaborates to Develop HIV Co-Receptor Antibodies: Nature Medicine (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 1056; Birmingham, Karen; AIDS researcher Luc Montagnier, credited as a co-discoverer of HIV's role in AIDS progression, will work with the U.K.-based KS-Biomedix Holdings to develop a new immunotherapy to fight HIV.
Patterns of Tuberculosis Transmission in Central Los Angeles: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/08/97) Vol. 278, No. 14, P. 1159; Barnes, Peter F.; Yang, Zhenhua; Preston-Martin, Susan; et al.; A study of 162 tuberculosis patients in central Los Angeles suggests measures to reduce transmission of TB should be based on location--especially areas where the homeless gather-- rather than on testimonies about interpersonal contacts.
Baylor Professor Gears Up to Search for HIV Vaccine: Houston Chronicle (10/06/97) P. 10D; SoRelle, Ruth; Dr. Mary K. Estes, a professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, has been selected as one of 49 researchers nationwide to receive a two-year federal grant of $222,000 for use in the search for an HIV vaccine.
New Blood Adjunct May Spare Organs Damage: Investor's Business Daily (10/07/97) P. A4; Benko, Laura B.; The expected release of a new plasma volume expander may reduce the use of albumin, a natural blood product given to patients undergoing major surgery.
Blood Agency Blasted in Court Case Seeking Damages: Toronto Globe and Mail (10/07/97) P. A7; Grange, Michael; Three families are seeking damages from the Canadian Red Cross, which allegedly neglected to take precautions to protect the blood supply from HIV early in the AIDS epidemic.
Amgen's Drug Points Up Risks of Biotech Field: Wall Street Journal (10/08/97) P. B1; Rundle, Rhonda; California biotechnology firm Amgen Inc. has received Food and Drug Administration approval for its first new drug in six years, a treatment for chronic hepatitis C.
Are Abstinence-Only Sex-Education Programs Good for Teenagers? No: Insight (09/29/97) Vol. 13, No. 36, P. 25; Haffner, Debra W.; Abstinence education is a key part of a child's education, but teenagers need a comprehensive education that will help them to take care of their sexual health and make informed decisions, asserts Debra W. Haffner, head of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.
Cuba and AIDS: National Review (09/29/97) Vol. 49, No. 18, P. 42; Burr, Chandler; A bill authored by Congressman Tom Coburn (R-Okla) aims to depoliticize the epidemiology of AIDS by treating it like other infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and hepatitis A. HR-1062 proposes routine testing of at-risk individuals, confidential reporting of infection to health agencies, and aggressive partner notification.
Is it Time to Face the Reality of a Failed Healthcare System?: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 38; Zuniga, Jose; Although the U.S. economy is booming, Americans remain pessimistic in the face of a failing healthcare system and recent signs that the federal government is ignoring the crisis, according to Jose Zuniga, political editor of the Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care.
Management of Patients with HIV/AIDS: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/08/97) Vol. 278, No. 14, P. 1133; Lewis, Charles E.; Although recent studies as well as Health and Human Services guidelines promote treatment of HIV-positive patients by "experts," Dr. Charles Lewis, in the Oct. 8 Journal of the American Medical Association, notes that "expert" can be an elusive and subjective term.
'HIV Specialists:' The Time Has Come: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/08/97) Vol. 278, No. 14, P. 1131; Zuger, Abigail; Sharp, Victoria L.; Recent developments in AIDS research have moved the question of whether AIDS is a "primary care disease" from the realm of ethics and philosophy into practicality, write Drs. Abigail Zuger and Victoria Sharp in the Oct. 8 Journal of the American Medical Association.
Sri Lanka-Health: Economic Cost of AIDS Complacency: IPS Wire (10/06/97); Sri Lanka allows a portion of its United Nations funding for HIV/AIDS programs to go unspent each year, and health officials are criticizing this trend and attributing the complacency to a lack of political initiative.
Second Condom Survey: New York Times (10/07/97) P. A30; A recently publicized study by New York University researchers which found no link between condom distribution and increased teen-age sexual activity mirrors another study from DePaul University, writes Ounce of Prevention Fund Executive Director Harriet Meyer.
Doctors' Instruments Spread Tuberculosis: Washington Post Health (10/07/97) P. 23; Russell, Cris; According to two studies recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), contaminated bronchoscopes were the likely source of recent outbreaks of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis.
Contraception for HIV-Infected Women: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 10; Johnstone, Frank D.; Decisions regarding the use of contraception for HIV-infected women are complicated by changing opinions regarding prevention and treatment.
Are Abstinence-Only Sex-Education Programs Good for Teenagers? Yes: Insight (09/29/97) Vol. 13, No. 36, P. 24; McIlhaney Jr., Joe S.; Safer sex education should not be taught to adolescents as a viable alternative to abstinence, according to Dr. Joe McIlhaney, founder and president of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, TX. McIlhaney notes that adolescents and young adults are at the highest risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases, in part because of their still immature reproductive systems.
The Key to a Cure?: Advocate (10/14/97) No. 744, P. 22; Researchers at Yale University have found a virus that affects cattle can be genetically engineered to bind to HIV in the laboratory, rendering the virus incapable of entering cells.
Vaginitis in HIV-Infected Women: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (10/97) Vol. 3, No. 10, P. 16; Horgan, Mary; HIV infection has an uncertain, but possibly significant, relationship with gynecologic disease.
Nigeria to Intensify Fight Against AIDS: Reuters (10/04/97); Nigeria's National AIDS Control Program coordinator Sani Nasir Gwarzo announced on a national radio show that the government will take unspecified measures to intensify its fight against the spread of HIV.
Congress Should Support Condom Distribution: New York Times (10/03/97) P. A22; Wagoner, James; Reports that a recent study suggests that allowing high school students to have access to condoms does not affect rates of teen-age sexual activity reinforces long-standing recommendations made by several public health agencies, writes James Wagoner, executive director of the Washington-based Advocates for Youth, in an Oct. 3 letter to the editor of the New York Times.
Condom Opponents Must Face Reality: USA Today (10/03/97) P. 13A; Nelson, Jill; Opposition to programs that provide access to condoms to high school students is a result of poor logic and revisionist thinking, according to columnist Jill Nelson in Friday's USA Today.
Condom Program Puts Kids at Risk: New York Times (10/06/97) P. A22; Hartigan, John D.; A New York lawyer who drafted the state board of regents' 1991 guidelines on AIDS education says a recently publicized condom distribution program in New York public schools was probably harmful to students.
William Paul Resigns from U.S. AIDS Research Office: Reuters (10/03/97); William Paul, director of the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health, announced Friday that he would resign from his position in order to conduct research into an AIDS vaccine.
Economic Obstacles to the Optimal Utilization of an AIDS Vaccine: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (09/97) Vol. 3, No. 9, P. 31; Russell, Philip K.; Although work on an HIV vaccine has become more prominent in recent months, even if a vaccine is found, economics will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether it is accessible in the regions that need it the most.
Scientific Basis for PEP Rests in Animal Trials: AIDS Alert (09/97) Vol. 12, No. 9, P. 100; The efficacy of post-exposure prophylaxis in treating non- occupational HIV exposure is not yet known, primarily due to the inability to conduct a double-blind, randomized study.
A Deadly Dance: Newsweek (09/29/97) Vol. 130, No. 13, P. 76; Peyser, Marc; A 23 percent drop in AIDS-related deaths in the last year, primarily due to new protease inhibitors, may be prompting a small but growing group of gay men to engage in unsafe sex.
Needle and Syringe Exchange: Pride and Prejudice: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (09/97- 10/97) Vol. 8, No. 5, P. 18; Bradley-Springer, Lucy; Increasing evidence suggests that needle and syringe exchange programs (N/SEPs), operated in conjunction with education and counseling programs, significantly reduce transmission rates of HIV and other blood-borne diseases in injection drug-using populations.
HIV Suppressed Long After Treatment: Science (09/26/97) Vol. 277, No. 5334, P. 1927; Cohen, Jon; The report, at a Maryland AIDS conference, of a German patient who has undetectable levels of HIV nine months after ceasing treatment has sparked both interest and skepticism in the medical community.
Researcher Warns of Danger of AIDS Vaccine Test: Reuters (10/02/97); The upcoming planned experiment by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) presents a serious risk to the individuals who have volunteered to participate, according to Ruth Ruprecht of the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston.
Blocking HIV's Doorway: Financial Times (10/02/97) P. 14; Baxter, Andrew; A research team from Wake Forest's Bowman Gray School of Medicine has designed a way to inactivate a chemokine co- receptor believed to be used by HIV to gain entrance into lymphocytes.
'People's Doctor' for Surgeon General?: Washington Times (10/03/97) P. A19; Criner, Lawrence; In an editorial in the Washington Times, Lawrence Criner wonders whether David Satcher, recently nominated for the position of surgeon general, is really the right man for the job.
Up Against Moral Zealots: Washington Post (10/02/97) P. A15; Cohen, Richard; While morality is good, it must be tempered with practicality, writes Richard Cohen in an editorial in Thursday's Washington Post.
The Impact of Condoms in Schools: New York Times (10/03/97) P. A22; Although slight, the positive effects of access to condoms in school make such programs worthwhile, according to an editorial in Friday's New York Times.
Not For Adults Only: U.S. News & World Report (09/29/97) Vol. 123, No. 12, P. 70; Brink, Susan; An overwhelming majority of all available prescription drugs, including new drugs for the treatment of AIDS, were not tested on children prior to receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use in adults.
Scientists Using New Tactics to Curb STD Rates in U.S.: Scientist (09/15/97) Vol. 11, No. 18, P. 1; Watanabe, Myrna E.; Although HIV receives most of the current attention in STD prevention, experts note that incidence of other sexually transmitted diseases in the United States is very high.
Financial Inhibitions: Advocate (09/16/97) No. 742, P. 42; Gallagher, John; The use of protease inhibitors is extending the life span of some HIV-positive individuals, but also straining the financial programs designed to help patients procure treatment.
AIDS Cancers: Conundrums and Controversies: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (09/97) Vol. 3, No. 9, P. 10; Mascolini, Mark; While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes Kaposi's sarcoma, lymphoma, and cervical cancer as AIDS-defining illnesses, the associations between AIDS and various other forms of cancer, and how best to treat these combinations, are subjects of much research and debate.
NIH: Scientists Develop Powerful Tool for Studying TB: M2 Presswire (10/01/97); A new technique developed by researchers who are funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases may allow scientists to study the roles of virtually every gene in the tuberculosis bacterium.
U.S. Studies Find New Approaches to AIDS Therapy: Reuters (10/01/97); Fox,; Maggie Two new studies focusing on the link between cytokines and HIV are providing medical experts with new possibilities for fighting AIDS.
A Deadly Profit: Boston Globe (10/01/97) P. A21; Jackson, Derrick Z.; Pharmaceutical companies charge prices that are ethically wrong for drugs that treat world-crippling diseases like AIDS, writes columnist Derrick Z. Jackson in the Boston Globe.
It's AIDS, Not Tuskegee: Time (09/29/97) Vol. 150, No. 13, P. 83; Ho, David D.; Insistence on unfeasible standards because of ethical uncertainty could jeopardize research designed to stop the spread of HIV, writes Dr. David Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York City.
Top U.S. Health Officials Defend Third-World HIV Research: New York Times (10/02/97) P. A15; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Harold Varmus and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. David Satcher issued a joint response Wednesday to critics of NIH- and CDC-sponsored clinical trials that use placebos to research effective AZT dosage in HIV-positive pregnant women.
HIV-1 Infection in China: Lancet (09/27/97) Vol. 350, No. 9082, P. 963; Neild, P.J.; Gazzard, B.G.; While past reports of HIV infection rates in China have primarily been limited to injection drug users (IDUs) in the southern province of Yunnan, figures presented this summer at a Beijing symposium provide a broader picture.
HIV-1 Drug Resistance Reported in Brazil: Lancet (09/27/97) Vol. 350, No. 9082, P. 937; Csillag, Claudio; Nearly one-third of AIDS patients being treated with a combination of two reverse-transcriptase inhibitors and one protease inhibitor in a 100-person study had to switch to another therapy because of drug resistance.
Hormonal Contraception, Vitamin A Deficiency, and Other Risk Factors for Shedding of HIV-1 Infected Cells From the Cervix and Vagina: Lancet (09/27/97) Vol. 350, No. 9082, P. 922; Mostad, Sara B.; Overbaugh, Julie; DeVange, Dana M.; et al.; An evaluation of 318 HIV-1 infected women attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in Mombasa, Kenya, shows a correlation between hormonal contraceptive use and vitamin A deficiency, and the shedding of HIV-infected cells.
Selenium Level Linked to AIDS Death: Reuters (09/30/97); Zengerle, Patricia; Taking supplements of the mineral selenium may improve survival rates for HIV-positive individuals, suggests research published Tuesday in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Famvir Curbs Patient Asymptomatic Shedding in Herpes: Dow Jones News (09/30/97); Womack, Anita; New research presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Toronto suggests that SmithKline Beecham's Famvir is effective in preventing the transmission of genital herpes in herpetic patients who are asymptomatic.
Kenya--Population: Heading Into an AIDS Storm: IPS Wire (09/30/97); Legislators in Kenya have adopted a new bill that addresses the nation's rapidly intensifying AIDS problem.
Spermicide May Help Protect Against STDs: Reuters (09/29/97); Researchers reported Monday that very high dose nonoxynol-9 ointments protect female mice from the genital herpes virus.
Stanford Rook Shares Plunge on Drug Setback: New York Times (10/01/97) P. D12; An independent committee monitoring third-phase trials of Stanford Rook's tuberculosis drug SRL172 in South Africa has found no difference in efficacy between the new drug and the best existing therapies.
Cel-Sci's Herpes Vaccine Effective in Mice Tests: Baltimore Sun (10/01/97) P. 1C; A new herpes simplex vaccine has demonstrated efficacy in fighting herpes infection in mice, Cel-Sci announced Tuesday.
Hospital Contamination Tied to Several TB Cases: New York Times (10/01/97) P. A16; Researchers have reported links between contaminated diagnostic equipment and the spread of tuberculosis.

September

U.S. Drafts Guidelines on Treating Children With HIV: Reuters (09/29/97); New guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend giving potent drug combinations to infants born HIV positive as soon as possible to prevent disease progression.
Request for Comments on Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection: AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) (09/30/97); The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is requesting comments from all interested parties on the following document: Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.
Tuberculosis Infection After Bronchoscopy: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/01/97) Vol. 278, No. 13, P. 1111; Wenzel, Richard P.; Edmond, Michael B.; Implementation and monitoring of adequate guidelines for bronchoscope cleaning and disinfection are essential to the control of tuberculosis in the United States, write Drs. Richard Wenzel and Michael Edmond in an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis by a Fiberoptic Bronchoscope: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/01/97) Vol. 278, No. 13, P. 1093; Michele, Theresa M.; Cronin, Wendy A.; Graham, Neil M.H.; et al.; A traditional and molecular epidemiologic investigation suggests that a contaminated bronchoscope is the most likely link of infection between two individuals who were diagnosed with Mycobacterium tuberculosis six months apart.
Transmission of a Highly Drug-Resistant Strain (Strain W1) of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Journal of the American Medical Association (10/01/97) Vol. 278, No. 13, P. 1073; Agerton, Tracy; Valway, Sarah; Gore, Betty; et al.; A review of a 1995 outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) in eight patients in South Carolina has revealed that inadequate cleaning and disinfection of a bronchoscope used on one MDR TB-positive patient led the outbreak.
Experts: Delay in Sex-Disease Vaccines: United Press International (09/29/97); Smith, Michael; Scientists said Monday that research to find vaccines against sexually transmitted diseases has been slowed by a lack of support from the government and the public.
U.S. Awards Grants to Study AIDS Vaccines: Reuters (09/29/97); The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced Monday it has awarded grants totaling $11.8 million to 49 research projects that will study vaccines to fight HIV.
AZT Not Needed in AIDS Cocktails: United Press International (09/29/97); Susman, Ed; Research presented at the American Society for Microbiology's infectious disease conference in Toronto suggests that AZT may no longer be necessary in multi-drug cocktails used to fight HIV.
U.S. Unit Says FDA Clears Combivir Tablet for AIDS: Wall Street Journal (09/30/97) P. B6; The Food and Drug Administration has approved Glaxo Wellcome Inc.'s Combivir tablet, which contains two of the more popular AIDS drugs and allows HIV-positive patients to reduce the complexity of their multidrug regimens.
Setbacks for Many on Drugs for AIDS: New York Times (09/30/97) P. C4; On Monday, doctors at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Toronto said that new AIDS treatments are beginning to fail in about half of those undergoing treatment.
Condoms in School Said Not to Affect Teen-Age Sex Rate: New York Times (09/30/97) P. A1; Richardson, Lynda; A new analysis of school districts in New York City and Chicago suggests that AIDS education programs which include easy access to condoms do not increase rates of sexual activity, but do increase use of condoms.
A Trial of Three Regimens to Prevent Tuberculosis in Ugandan Adults Infected With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: New England Journal of Medicine (09/18/97) Vol. 337, No. 12, P. 801; Whalen, Christopher C.; Johnson, John L.; Okwera, Alphonse; et al.; Six months of isoniazid therapy reduces the risk of tuberculosis in HIV-positive adults who test positive for purified protein derivative (PPD) by 67 percent--at least in the short-term--researchers report.
AIDS Medication Errors: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/17/97) Vol. 278, No. 11, P. 888; Confusion regarding similar HIV-drug brand names has resulted in at least 10 prescription errors, according to the Medication Errors Reporting (MER) program.
Across the Nation: New Jersey: USA Today (09/26/97) P. 12A; The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that a rape victim can demand that her attacker be tested for HIV and that she have access to the results. The ruling upholds a 1993 law that increased the rights of victims.
Sentence in AIDS Confidentiality Breach: United Press International (09/25/97); A former Florida state health worker has been sentenced to one year of probation for breaching AIDS patients' confidentiality by providing a former lover with a list of the names of 4,000 AIDS patients in the state.
Dental Worker Exposure to Bloodborne HIV Underreported: Reuters Health Information Services (09/25/97); Dental workers are exposed to HIV through patients' blood more often than existing figures suggest, according to new research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.
UN Warns of Risk to AIDS Vaccine Volunteers: Reuters (09/25/97); Nebehay, Stephanie; The 50 doctors who volunteered to be injected with a form of HIV as part of a vaccine test face serious risk of acquiring HIV and will put their sexual partners at risk, according to a Thursday statement by the United Nations AIDS program in Geneva.
AIDS Vaccine Volunteers Vow to Pressure FDA: USA Today (09/26/97) P. 3A; Bacon, John; The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care says it plans to continue seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for 50 volunteers to be injected with a live HIV vaccine, but National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Anthony Fauci said the move will not expedite vaccine development.
AIDS Slashes African Life Expectancy: United Press International (09/26/97); Dawley, Heidi; AIDS may have reduced the average life expectancy by almost 16 years in some parts of Uganda, reports Britain's Medical Research Council.
New York City Has Highest AIDS Rate: United Press International (09/25/97); New York City has the highest AIDS rate among 50 U.S. cities, according to new figures for the number of AIDS cases tallied between July 1996 and June 1997.
Gonorrhea Cases Increase Among Gay Men: Washington Post (09/26/97) P. A6; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a significant increase in cases of gonorrhea among homosexual men in some U.S. STD clinics, indicating that safer sex practices may not be taken as seriously as the AIDS epidemic begins to slow.
Gonorrhea Among Men Who Have Sex with Men--Selected Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics, 1993 1996: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (09/26/97), Vol. 46, No. 38; An increase in high-risk encounters among men who have sex with men (MSM) could explain an increase in gonococcal infection (GC) cases and could further impact HIV transmission among MSM.
Detention of Persistently Nonadherent Patients with Tuberculosis: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/10/97) Vol. 278, No. 10, P. 843; Oscherwitz, Tom; Tulsky, Jacqueline Peterson; Roger, Steve; et al.; An analysis of attempts to detain 67 tuberculosis patients who were chronically nonadherent to treatment in 12 California counties reflects the difficulty of providing treatment to such individuals.
HIV-Positive Dentist Absolved: American Medical News (09/15/97) Vol. 40, No. 35, P. 22; HIV-positive dentists are not obligated to inform patients of their seropositive status as part of informed consent for dental procedures, the Supreme Court of Delaware ruled.
Course of Neurosyphilis Not Accelerated in HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/24/97); Data from a study of 30 neurosyphilis patients suggests that HIV infection does not facilitate progression of the disease.
Intensive Prenatal Management Helps Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission: Reuters Health Information Services (09/24/97); Intensive nurse case management of prenatal care for HIV- positive pregnant women lowers the rates of vertical HIV infection and increases effective zidovudine therapy, according to researchers at the MACC Fund Research Center in Wisconsin.
Kenya: Declare AIDS a National Disaster: Africa News Service (09/24/97); Shimoli, Eric; Two members of Kenya's parliament said Tuesday that the AIDS epidemic should be declared a national disaster in order to secure more government resources for the fight against the disease.
India -- Health: AIDS Prevention Begins at Home: IPS Wire (09/24/97); SANGRAM, a non-governmental organization based in Sangli, India, that works to fight the spread of HIV, has launched a new program to combat the disease at the grass-roots level.
FDA Warns About Taking Seldane With Many New Generation of Drugs: Washington Post (09/25/97) P. A3; The FDA cautioned on Wednesday that Seldane, an allergy medication, could cause a potentially fatal heart condition if used in combination with a variety of new drugs.
Science & Health Bulletin: Africa -- Tuberculosis: PANA Wire Service (09/24/97); Draku, Moses; In 1995, Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest number of new tuberculosis cases of any global region, as well as a high rate of TB and HIV co-infection, according to the World Health Organization.
50 Offer to Take Weakened AIDS Virus to Create Vaccine: Baltimore Sun (09/25/97) P. 13A; Fifty HIV-negative physicians and activists have volunteered to inject themselves with a weakened strain of HIV.
Protease Inhibitor-Associated Hyperglycaemia: Lancet (09/06/97) Vol. 350, No. 9079, P. 713; Dube, Michael P.; Johnson, Deborah L.; Currier, Judith S.; A study of seven HIV-infected men without prior histories of glucose intolerance links two protease inhibitors with non- ketosis-prone hyperglycemia, researchers report.
Long-Term Hospitalization for Tuberculosis Control: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/10/97) Vol. 278, No. 10, P. 838; Singleton, Linda; Turner, Marie; Haskal, Ruth; et al.; Statistics from Massachusetts' inpatient tuberculosis treatment unit's (TTU's) first five years of operation show success in treating patients with complicated medical histories, including multidrug-resistant TB, HIV infection, and injection drug use.
HIV-Positive Women Have High Prevalence of Gynecologic Disease: Reuters Health Information Services (09/23/97); A Yale University research team reports a high instance of gynecologic disease in HIV-positive women and recommends that "a complete gynecologic history and examination ... be included as part of the standard care of HIV-infected women hospitalized with acute medial illness."
U.S. Doctor Calls for Universal Circumcision: Reuters (09/24/97); Newborn circumcision provides increased protection against sexually transmitted diseases, a U.S. doctor reports in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Lower Survival Seen In Older HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/23/97); Younger HIV-infected patients have much better survival rates than older infected individuals, and not much is known about the course or effects of the disease in people in their fifties and sixties, researchers said at a recent National Institute of Health conference on HIV/AIDS and aging.
What Is the Harm?: New York Times (09/24/97) P. A30; Kliger, Craig H.; In the debate over U.S.-funded HIV-transmission tests in Third World countries, an important issue should be determining the government's intent in using the results--according to Craig H. Kliger, a former member of the American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs.
AIDS Studies Violate Helsinki Rights Accord: New York Times (09/24/97) P. A30; Angell, Marcia; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, New England Journal of Medicine Executive Editor Marcia Angell claims that U.S.-sponsored AIDS tests in the Third World violate the Declaration of Helsinki.
FDA Acts to Get More Women in Drug Studies: Washington Post (09/24/97) P. A12; On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a regulation that would force pharmaceutical firms to stop excluding young women from studies of promising new drugs for fear they will get pregnant during the research.
Employers Work Around AIDS: USA Today (09/24/97) P. 4B; Armour, Stephanie; Top employers around the United States are preparing their workplaces for an increasing number of returning workers with HIV/AIDS.
Employers Adapting as Workers With HIV Return: USA Today (09/24/97) P. 1A; Armour, Stephanie; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Business Responds to AIDS and Labor Responds to AIDS Programs will host a conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29-30 to help U.S. businesses learn to cope with the increasing number of persons with HIV/AIDS who are returning to work.
Trends in Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in the United States, 1993-1996: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/10/97) Vol. 278, No. 10, P. 833; Moore, Marisa; Onorato, Ida M.; McCray, Eugene; et al.; Data collected between 1993 and 1996 indicate that resistance to tuberculosis-fighting drugs in the United States "remains a serious public health concern," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Haemophilus Species Bacteremia in Adults: Archives of Internal Medicine (09/08/97) Vol. 157, No. 16, P. 1869; Munoz, Patricia; Miranda, Maria Eugenia; Llancaqueo, Alvaro; et al.; Researchers from Spain's Hospital General Universitario say that HIV infection has become the most prominent underlying disease in adults in their facility with Haemophilus species bacteremia (HB).
Condom Maker to Advertise on Bahraini Television: Compass News Service (09/22/97); Condom manufacturer Durex plans to air satellite television ads with HIV prevention and family planning messages in Bahrain, the first such ads in the conservative region.
Zambia: Empower AIDS Patients, Urges BOZ Official: Africa News Online (09/22/97); The AIDS epidemic should be seen as an economic and social issue, not just a health problem, said Bank of Zambia deputy governor Situmbeko Musokotwane.
Immune Response Remune Study: Dow Jones News (09/22/97); Immune Response, a biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs for HIV and AIDS, said Monday that a recent study of Remune found that the drug led to decreased levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in 11 HIV-infected individuals.
ICN Shares Rise 14 Percent on Results of Study of a Drug Cocktail Against Hepatitis C: Wall Street Journal (09/23/97) P. B14; Rundle, Rhonda L.; ICN Pharmaceuticals' ribavirin, an antiviral drug used in treating hepatitis C, reportedly worked well in combination with Schering-Plough's Intron A (alfa interferon) in two clinical trials.
Amnesty May Lead to Tuberculosis Outburst in Russia: Itar Wire Service (09/23/97); The release of some 455,000 convicts as part of a planned amnesty in Russia may result in an outbreak of tuberculosis in the country, according to a leading Russian pulmonologist.
UPI Science News: [Fauci Responds to Physicians' Plan to Test Live HIV Vaccine]: United Press International (09/22/97); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that the 50 Chicago volunteers who plan to serve as "guinea pigs" for testing of a live HIV vaccine are acting prematurely.
Western Pacific Can Avoid Worst of AIDS, Says UN: Reuters (09/23/97); Dr. Peter Piot, head of the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, says that Western Pacific countries, including China, Japan, and Vietnam, have the opportunity to avoid the worst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
New Strain of Highly Contagious Tuberculosis Is Identified: New York Times (09/23/97) P. C3; Grady, Denise; A Smoky Mountain community on the Tennessee-Kentucky border recently fell victim to a new, highly contagious strain of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
Battling HIV on Many Fronts: New England Journal of Medicine (09/11/97) Vol. 337, No. 11, P. 779; Steinbrook, Robert; In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Deputy Editor Robert Steinbrook advocates a four-part, "more comprehensive and coordinated approach to HIV infection."
States Find Needle Exchanges Effective in HIV Prevention: American Medical News (09/08/97) Vol. 40, No. 34, P. 7; Stapleton, Stephanie; Used in conjunction with services including substance abuse treatment, HIV testing, and primary healthcare outreach, needle-exchange programs should be part of community efforts to fight AIDS, according to a recent Association of State and Territorial Health Officials report.
Alleged AIDS Victim Faces Murder Count in Spitting: Richmond Times-Dispatch (09/19/97) P. B4; A Virginia man who claims to have AIDS has been charged with attempted capital murder for allegedly spitting at a police officer.
Positive Strides, Uphill Climb in AIDS Fight: Washington Post (09/22/97) P. D1; Bowles, Julie Makinen; As new drug therapies extend AIDS patients' lives, many AIDS organizations are being challenged to meet a corresponding increase in demand for services.
AARP Video Kit Provides Education About HIV/AIDS: U.S. Newswire (09/19/97); The American Association of Retired Persons has released a new HIV/AIDS awareness video focusing on how the disease can affect the lives of individuals over age 50.
Lack of Knowledge Barrier to HIV Treatment: Reuters (09/19/97); A report presented at the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Miami Beach says that about one-third of HIV-positive minority group members surveyed in the Philadelphia area said they did not need to visit a doctor.
U.S. AIDS Conference: AIDS Battle Is Not Over: United Press International (09/19/97); Sandra Thurman, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, told 2,500 attendees at the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Miami Beach that "high-gear" efforts to fight the epidemic must continue.
Shades of Tuskegee: Washington Post (09/22/97) P. A19; Raspberry, William; A number of projects now set to begin in Third World areas seek an AIDS treatment that is as effective--but less expensive--than high doses of AZT.
Doctors Want Approval to Inject Themselves With Live-Virus HIV Vaccine: USA Today (09/22/97) P. 9A; Members of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, a group based in Chicago, want permission to risk their lives by being the first humans to be injected with a vaccine consisting of a live, though weakened, strain of HIV.
Update: Trends in AIDS Incidence United States, 1996: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (09/19/97) Vol. 46, No. 36, p. 861; Successful prevention efforts and new drug therapies are delaying the progression of HIV and contributing to a decrease in AIDS incidence, according to an report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Treatment With Indinavir, Zidovudine, and Lamivudine in Adults with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Prior Antiretroviral Therapy: New England Journal of Medicine (09/11/97) Vol. 337, No. 11, P. 734; Gulick, Roy M.; Mellors, John W.; Havlir, Diane; et al.; A combination of indinavir, zidovudine, and lamivudine significantly reduced levels of HIV RNA in HIV-infected patients who had previously taken zidovudine, report Roy M. Gulick of the New York University School of Medicine and colleagues.
Court: Blood Bank Must Give Info on HIV-Infected Donor: American Medical News (09/08/97) Vol. 40, No. 34, P. 8; A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a girl who received a blood transfusion from a donor later found to have AIDS has a right to detailed information about that donor and the screening methods that were used.
Across the USA: Texas: USA Today (09/19/97) P. 18A; Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman Allan Polunsky has asked for a review of the state's AIDS policies in correctional facilities following reports of a growing number of HIV infections.
New AIDS Drug 'Discovered' by Kenyan Doctors: Africa News Service (09/18/97); Njihia, Gichuru; A new drug for the treatment of AIDS has produced "dramatic" improvement in subjects during testing, according to research presented in the latest issue of the East African Medical Journal.
UK Charities Condemn HIV Treatment Lottery: Reuters (09/19/97); British charity officials have called for a revamping of care for people with AIDS and HIV so that the quality of the care does not depend on where they live.
U.N. Survey Says Corporate Awareness of AIDS Rises: Reuters (09/17/97); Kaban, Elif; The United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS published a study earlier this week stating that almost 75 percent of large Western corporations have enacted measures to help reduce the risk of HIV infection on the job.
India--Health: Spread of HIV Forcing Clean-Up of [Blood Banking System]: IPS Wire (09/18/97); The intensifying spread of HIV in India is fueling a drive among health officials to overhaul the nation's blood banking system.
Hospital Patients Urged to Get AIDS Tests: Washington Times (09/19/97) P. A7; Officials at Twelve Oaks Hospital in Houston, TX, are strongly recommending that 53 former patients be tested for HIV.
Scientists Defend Ethics of AIDS Research: Reuters (09/18/97); Fox, Maggie; Several top U.S. AIDS experts have refuted a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine that condemned U.S. research on pregnant women with HIV conducted in developing countries.
In Search of AIDS-Resistance Genes: Scientific American (09/97) Vol. 277, No. 3, P. 44; O'Brien, Stephen J.; Dean, Michael; Scientists researching new ways to fight HIV have found promise in a rare genetic mutation.
A Controlled Trial of Two Nucleoside Analogues Plus Indinavir in Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and CD4 Cell Counts of 200 per Cubic Millimeter or Less: New England Journal of Medicine (09/11/97) Vol. 337, No. 11, P. 725; Hammer, Scott M.; Squires, Kathleen E.; Hughes, Michael D.; Hammer, Scott M.; Researchers for the AIDS Clinical Trial Group 320 Study Team report that a combination of the protease inhibitor indinavir and the two nucleoside analogues zidovudine and lamivudine "significantly slows the progression of HIV-1 disease" in patients with CD4 counts of 200 or lower, as compared to treatment with zidovudine and lamivudine alone.
Therapeutic Strategy Proposed for AIDS-Related CNS Lymphoma: Reuters Health Information Services (09/17/97); AIDS patients with primary central nervous system lymphomas (AIDS-PCNSL) may respond to treatment involving Fas-induced apoptosis, according to new research published in the Sept. 1 issue of Blood.
Small Stock Focus: Cel-Sci: Wall Street Journal (09/18/97) P. C7; Bauman, Larry; Cel-Sci has completed a Phase I safety study of its HGP-30 AIDS vaccine.
Health -- Argentina: Women Most at Risk for AIDS: IPS Wire (09/17/97); Young wives in Argentina are most at risk for HIV infection, health experts say, despite widespread belief among the population that the disease is a problem for men.
Across the USA: Arizona: USA Today (09/18/97) P. 13A; Arizona's AIDS Drug Assistance Program reports that it will not take on any new patients until March 31, 1998, because it is $1 million in debt.
Protest at Agency Targets Rule on Needle Exchange: Washington Post (09/18/97) P. A17; Fountain, John W.; Approximately 200 protesters gathered outside the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday to call for an end to the ban on federal funding for needle-exchange programs, according to Federal Protection Police officials.
U.S. AIDS Research in Poor Nations Raises Outcry on Ethics: New York Times (09/18/97) P. A33; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell, executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, contends that U.S. studies in HIV-infected women in Africa, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic are a "retreat from ethical principles."
N.M. Doctors Say HIV Drugs Out of Reach Since Medicaid Managed Care: American Medical News (09/01/97) Vol. 40, No. 33, P. 14; Physicians at the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center say they are having problems obtaining HIV drugs for Medicaid patients since Cimarron HMO took over the state program.
Absence of Viral Rebound After Treatment of HIV-Infected Patients With Didanosine and Hydroxycarbamide: Lancet (08/30/97) Vol. 350, No. 9078, P. 635; Vila, Jorge; Nugier, Fabienne; Bargues, Gerard; et al; One year after ending 12 months of treatment, two HIV-1- infected patients have shown no signs of resurgence, French researchers report.
Plasma Viral Load and CD4 Lymphocytes as Prognostic Markers of HIV-1 Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/27/97) Vol. 278, No. 8, P. 607; Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh investigated the ability of clinical, serologic, cellular, and virologic markers of HIV-1 infection to predict disease progression and death.
Serodia-HIV Test Useful in Areas With Few Resources: Reuters Health Information Services (09/15/97); The Sept. 13 issue of the Lancet reports that the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Fujirebio Inc. of Japan have joined forces to develop a low-cost HIV-1 test that provides results within two hours.
Pneumococcal Vaccination Benefit Unproven in HIV-Positive Individuals: Reuters Health Information Services (09/15/97); In the August issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs, a Danish researcher asserts that there is insufficient data available to recommend antipneumococcal vaccination for HIV-infected patients.
Combo Therapy Works Well Against HIV: United Press International (09/15/97); Researchers attending the 35th annual meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America say a combination of three drugs -- Videx (ddI), Zerit (d4T), and Crixivan (indinavir) -- has produced significant improvement in HIV- infected patients.
Acyclovir-Resistant Herpes A Concern in HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/15/97); The acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus infects almost 4 percent of HIV-positive individuals, despite its rarity in the overall population, according to research presented Sunday at the 35th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
HIV Transmission's Two Worlds: Washington Post -- Health (09/16/97) P. 7; Okie, Susan; The number of children born in the United States who are infected with HIV has declined significantly in the last several years, from about 1,800 per year in the early 1990s to about 500 per year today.
Potent Addition to Drug Combinations Against AIDS Is Seen By DuPont Merck: Wall Street Journal (09/16/97) P. B6; Waldholz, Michael; DuPont Merck's Sustiva, an experimental anti-AIDS drug, will likely be a potent addition to the new drug cocktails that have been used to treat AIDS in the past year, researchers plan to report today at a meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America.
Latent AIDS Found in Patients: Baltimore Sun (09/16/97) P. 1A; Bor, Jonathan; Evidence that quantities of HIV may be hiding in unused white blood cells in HIV-infected patients with normally undetectable viral levels dampened excitement over recent developments in treatment at a weeklong conference held by the University of Maryland's Institute for Human Virology.
Needle-Exchange Program Founders Convicted in N.J.: American Medical News (09/01/97) Vol. 40, No. 33, P. 26; Two founders of a New Jersey needle-exchange program were recently convicted of violating the state's law against possession and distribution of needles.
Tuberculosis: A Clinical Problem of International Importance: Lancet (08/30/97) Vol. 350, No. 9078, P. 660; Cornwall, Janet; In an essay in The Lancet, Janet Cornwall urges those working against tuberculosis to scrutinize the way existing knowledge is used rather than spend more money on research.
CCR-5 Delta Heterozygosity Slows Progression to AIDS: Reuters Health Information Services (09/12/97); A new study published in the September issue of AIDS suggests that HIV-1-infected patients with CCR-5 delta 32 heterozygosity will experience a slower early HIV-1 progression.
Roche Says Its HIV Protease Drug Better: Reuters (09/13/97); Hoffmann-La Roche reports that its new soft-gel formulation of saquinavir gives a stronger response than its older drug Invirase.
Call For Mandatory Reporting of HIV Infection Draws Mixed Reaction: Reuters Health Information Services (09/12/97); A recent editorial in which New England Journal of Medicine deputy editor Robert Steinbrook called for nationwide mandatory reporting of HIV infection has drawn mixed responses.
New Program on Women, HIV Prompts Enthusiastic [Response]: U.S. Newswire (09/12/97); A new program designed to educate health care providers about women and HIV has received an enthusiastic response.
About 3,000 Test HIV-Positive in Russia in 1997: Itar Wire Service (09/13/97); In this year alone, some 2,985 people have tested HIV-positive in Russia, raising the total number of known infections to 5,550.
A 'Straight Talk' Pledge: Boston Globe (09/13/97) P. A3; Neergaard, Lauran; On Friday, President Clinton nominated Dr. David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to the position of surgeon general.
The Go-Go Dancers Haven't Gone: Washington Post (09/15/97) P. A20; Richburg, Keith B.; Despite more than a year spent campaigning against "social evils" in Vietnam society, the communist government is faced with a thriving prostitution industry and concern about the spread of HIV.
National Minority AIDS Council Announces New Web Site Focusing on U.S. Conference on AIDS: National Minority AIDS Council (09/15/97); The National Minority AIDS Council has launched a new World Wide Web site, located at www.uscaids.org, that highlights the group's upcoming United States Conference on AIDS.
STDs Still Taboo During Doctor Visits: USA Today (09/15/97) P. 1D; Healy, Michelle; Only 15 percent of women discuss sexually transmitted diseases during their first gynecological or obstetrical visit with a new doctor, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Glamour magazine.
Health Officials Argue That Generalists Can Treat HIV: AIDS Alert (09/97) Vol. 12, No. 9, P. 104; AIDS experts continue to debate who is most qualified to care for HIV-positive patients: specialists or generalists.
Delavirdine Pharmacokinetics in HIV Patients Unaffected by Fluconazole: Reuters Health Information Services (09/11/97); New research in the September issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy suggests that fluconazole and delavirdine can be taken concurrently by HIV-positive patients without adjusting the dosage of either drug.
Virus Protein May Help Fight HIV, Experts Say: Reuters (09/12/97); Fox, Maggie; Glaxo Wellcome researchers, working in collaboration with Thue Schwartz of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and international colleagues, have discovered that the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), a virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma, may offer valuable information on how to fight HIV.
Cross-Border Sex Raises AIDS Alarm in Hong Kong: Reuters (09/12/97); Men who are crossing from Hong Kong onto the mainland of China and having unprotected sex with prostitutes pose a serious health threat to the island, according to a recent survey.
AIDS Foundation Condemns House Vote: United Press International (09/11/97); The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which operates the largest needle-exchange program in the United States, is publicly condemning Thursday's vote in the House of Representatives to bar the use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs.
Court Rules Asymptomatic HIV Infection Is Not a Disability: Reuters Health Information Services (09/11/97); The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed an HIV- positive man's suit against his employer based on its determination that asymptomatic HIV infection is not a disability.
Clinton Plans to Nominate C.D.C. Head to Health Job: New York Times (09/12/97) P. A16; Bennet, James; President Clinton will nominate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. David Satcher for the post of Surgeon General today, officials say.
AIDS Study Shows Drop of 26 Percent in Mortality Rate: Wall Street Journal (09/12/97) P. B8; The number of AIDS-related deaths declined 26 percent between 1995 and 1996, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
Protease Inhibitors Turn 1: Advocate (09/02/97) No. 741, P. 47; Gallagher, John; One year after the debut of potent protease inhibitors, many AIDS patients are cheering their success and forecasting the end of the epidemic while others are facing disappointment.
Havana: Assessing Cuba's Approach to Contain AIDS and HIV: Lancet (08/30/97) Vol. 350, No. 9078, P. 647; Burr, Chandler; Cuba has one of the most successful AIDS programs in the world, with death from AIDS 35 times less likely there than in the United States.
AIDS Patients Demand Drugs as Government Hesitates: Nature Medicine (09/97) Vol. 3, No. 9, P. 943; Jayaraman, K.S.; : Indian AIDS activists are joining state and private medical professionals in petitioning their government to approve the use of newly developed AIDS-fighting drugs.
Genital Ulcer Disease Incidence Increases With HIV-1 Infection: Reuters Health Information Services (09/10/97); A published study from the University of Nairobi links HIV-1 seropositivity to increased incidence of genital ulcers.
Community Pressure Driving Studies of HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis: Reuters Health Information Services (09/10/97); Two proposed studies aimed at determining the effectiveness of nonoccupational HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) sparked debate at a Sept. 9 meeting of two National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases advisory committees.
Bar to HIV Boy Stirs Test Case: Richmond Times-Dispatch (9/11/97) P. A1; Blackwell, Lorraine; Virginia father Lucian Montalvo is suing a Richmond-area karate school after the school owner barred his son from classes because the boy is HIV-positive.
Women Are Left Out of Hunt for AIDS Drugs: New York Times (09/11/97) P. A34; Wolfe, Maxine; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, City University of New York professor Maxine Wolfe contends that the effect of AIDS drugs on women has been researched inadequately.
Journal Now Urges Reporting of HIV: New York Times (9/11/97) P. A27; Dr. Robert Steinbrook, deputy editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, is calling for mandatory reporting of all HIV infections to the federal government.
Landmark AIDS Study Is Finally Released: Wall Street Journal (09/11/97) P. B7; Waldholz, Michael; A landmark study publicized last year--which showed that a combination of three potent anti-AIDS drugs could eliminate detectable levels of HIV in patients' blood--is finally being released in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Participation in Clinical Trials: AIDS Clinical Care (09/97) Vol. 9, No. 9, P. 73; The study "Race, Gender, Drug Use, and Participating in AIDS Clinical Trials: Lessons From a Municipal Hospital Cohort," conducted in Boston City Hospital's ambulatory practices and reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, covers the participation of colored people, women, and injection drug users in clinical trials.
Debating Dual AIDS Guidelines: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/27/97) Vol. 278, No. 8, P. 613; Voelker, Rebecca; A debate has arisen regarding the necessity for two sets of AIDS care guidelines.
Study Shows Avanti Breaks More Than Latex Condoms: AIDS Alert (09/97) Vol. 12, No. 9, P. 105; The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development completed a clinical efficacy study of the first approved polyurethane condom, Avanti, in March.
Cardiac Mass and Function Preserved in Pediatric HIV Malnutrition: Reuters Health Information Services (09/09/97); A study published in September's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports an inverse relationship between cardiac muscle mass and nutritional status in HIV-positive children.
AIDS Wiping Out Malawi Professionals: Africa News Service (09/09/97); Malawi's National AIDS Control Program estimates that half of the country's professionals, including those in the military, will have contracted HIV by 2000.
Health--AIDS: New Treatment Eludes Most: IPS Wire (09/09/97); Despite recent progress in AIDS treatment for patients in wealthy nations, health workers say most women infected worldwide cannot afford the drugs to prevent HIV transmission to their infants.
AIDS Vaccine Committee Urges NIH Center to Speed Testing: Reuters Health Information Services (09/09/97); A recently budgeted government vaccine testing center and federal cooperation with an industry laboratory would help speed AIDS vaccine testing in the United States, according to National Institutes of Health AIDS Vaccine Research Committee Chairman David Baltimore.
TB Experts Report on Jailing Patients: United Press International (09/09/97); Bovsun, Mara; Experts on tuberculosis say that the problem with drug- resistant strains of TB is so drastic that patients who refuse to take their medicine should be incarcerated in sanitariums or even jail.
Tougher TB Rolls Across 42 States: Washington Times (09/10/97) P. A8; A strain of tuberculosis that resists the two drugs normally used to cure the infection has spread to 42 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
Should the HIV Threat Be Treated Like Other Infectious Diseases? No: Insight (09/01/97) Vol. 13, No, 32, P. 25; Pelosi, Nancy; Although much more needs to be done prevent the spread of HIV, extensive research has already shown us "what works in HIV prevention," asserts Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in Insight magazine.
Should the HIV Threat Be Treated Like Other Infectious Diseases? Yes: Insight (09/01/97) Vol. 13, No. 32, P. 24; Coburn, Tom; The HIV Prevention Act, which would require mandatory testing, reporting, and partner notification for HIV-infected persons, is necessary to stem the spread of HIV, argues the bill's sponsor, Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), in Insight magazine.
Multiple Misdiagnosis of Tuberculosis Resulting From Laboratory Error--Wisconsin, 1996: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (08/29/97) Vol. 46, No. 34, P. 797; Lab errors produced false-positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis at least five times last year at several Wisconsin laboratories, resulting in the potential misdiagnosis of TB in 11 people.
CXR Patterns Vary With Immunosuppression Levels in HIV-Related TB: Reuters Health Information Services (09/08/97); HIV-infected patients with pulmonary tuberculosis show abnormal chest radiography results characteristic of their stage of HIV infection, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and others.
Drug Desensitization Often Feasible in HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/08/97); An Australian researcher reports in the August issue of Drug Safety that desensitization had a high success rate in reducing drug hypersensitivity in HIV-positive patients.
Zimbabwe: Is Breast Milk Still Best?: Africa Information Afrique (09/08/97); Machekanyanga, Zorodzai; Zimbabwe's Health and Child Welfare Minister Timothy Stamps is encouraging mothers to breast feed their infants, despite evidence that breast milk can transmit HIV.
Active Herpes Infection Can Increase HIV Load: Reuters Health Information Services (09/08/97); New research published in September's Journal of Infectious Diseases indicates that HIV transcription and plasma viral load increase during herpes simplex virus (HSV) episodes in HIV-infected individuals.
Expo for HIV-Positive Carves Out a Niche for Education, Marketing: USA Today (09/09/97) P. 7D; Painter, Kim; The Poz Life Expo, a traveling marketing and educational event for people affected by HIV, is making its way across the country and through some controversy this fall.
AIDS vs. Education: Washington Times (09/09/97) P. A17; Driscoll, James; Many HIV-infected individuals depend on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program for the medications that can prolong their lives, but fear losing drug benefits when states run out of money, writes James Driscoll, National AIDS Policy Advisor at the Log Cabin AIDS Policy Institute, in an editorial in the Washington Times.
NIH Expert Panel Recommendations on Syringe-Exchange: U.S. Conference of Mayors AIDS Information Exchange (08/97) Vol. 13, No. 3, P. 1; During this year's Consensus Development Conference on Interventions to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors at the National Institutes of Health, panel experts called for changes in current HIV prevention programs and policies, including the introduction of syringe-exchange programs.
Is It Appropriate to Notify Parents of a Minor's STD?: American Medical News (08/25/97) Vol. 40, No. 321, P. 19; An article by attorney Ellen H. Moskowitz regarding whether it is ethical to treat a 13-year-old for a sexually transmitted disease without notifying her parents appeared in the May 26 issue of American Medical News' Ethics Forum, and has prompted two letters in response.
Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus May be Transmitted Through Saliva: Reuters Health Information Services (09/04/97); In the September issue of the Journal of Virology, a team lead by Dr. Jeffrey Vieira of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, reports that the human herpesvirus 8 associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KSHV) can be found in the saliva of KS patients.
New Gel Offers 'Gentler' Help for Skin Cancer: Investor's Business Daily (09/05/97) P. A4; Benko, Laura B.; Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics, a new biotechnology joint venture between Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, is set to seek FDA approval of Panretin, a topical gel for the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Micronutrient Deficiency a Factor in HIV-Positive Pregnancy: Reuters Health Information Service (09/05/97); Study results presented at a Virginia conference on global solutions for HIV transmission from mothers to infants cite micronutrient deficiencies as a factor in infection.
Miscellaneous Note: "Baseline HIV-1 Levels After Seroconversion Predict Long-Term Mortality" Reuters Health Information Services (09/05/97) The concentration of HIV-1 RNA in a person's blood shortly after infection may be an indicator of the virus' future rate of progression, according to a recent study from Canada. The study, published in September's Journal of Infectious Diseases, analyzed HIV-1 RNA levels of 79 HIV-positive gay men from seven months after seroconversion for up to 11.5 years. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver team found that after 11.5 years, 69 percent of those who started with higher levels of HIV-1 RNA had developed AIDS, with 61 percent mortality. Out of those with lower baseline viral loads, however, 34 percent had developed AIDS, with 27 percent mortality. P Copyright (c) 1997 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. This information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), National AIDS Clearinghouse as a public service. Noncommercial reproduction encouraged. Distributed by AEGIS, your online gateway to a world of people, knowledge, and resources. Direct Dial: v.34+: 714.248.2836; v.120/ISDN: 714.248.0433 * 8N1/Full Duplex) * Internet: telnet:aegis.com WWW: http://www.aegis.com
Tanzania: AIDS Threatens Agricultural Workforce: Africa Information Afrique (09/06/97); Kasumuni, Ludger; The rapid spread of HIV through rural Tanzania has significantly depleted the country's agricultural work force and left the remaining workers under great financial strain.
A Revolution in AIDS Drugs Excludes the Tiniest Patients: New York Times (09/08/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; While protease inhibitors have revolutionized AIDS care, transforming the disease from a terminal illness to an almost manageable chronic disease, children largely have been excluded from the drugs' benefits.
HIV Test Performed Without Informed Consent: American Medical News (08/25/97) Vol. 40, No. 32, P. 10; An Ohio appellate court has ruled in favor of Ohio State University Hospitals and Clinics in a lawsuit filed against the hospital by an unspecified plaintiff who alleged a violation of an HIV-specific informed consent law.
Chimera: Pouncing on the Chemokine Receptor: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (08/97) Vol. 3, No. 8, P. 13; Mascolini, Mark; The seven-transmembrane receptor family, which claims the chemokine receptors among its progeny, is sinuous and made of many complex parts.
Health Notes: Possible New Approach to Brain Tumors in AIDS Patients: United Press International (09/05/97); Wasowicz, Linda; Researchers report in the journal Blood a new approach to treating primary central nervous system lymphomas.
Dr. Luc Montagnier to Head New AIDS Research Project: Reuters Health Information Services (09/04/97); Dr. Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute in Paris will collaborate with the U.K.-based KS Biomedix Holdings to develop a new treatment for HIV infection using the company's sheep monoclonal antibody technology.
Research on Integrase Points to 'Powerful New Weapon' Against HIV: Reuters Health Information Services (09/04/97); Robert Craigie of the National Institutes of Health detailed his work with integrase as a target for anti-HIV therapy at a recent conference on biochemistry and molecular biology.
Across the USA: Texas: USA Today (09/05/97) P. 10A; The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether doctors should be required to notify others if a patient has been or has been exposed to HIV.
Chlamydia Screening Practices of Primary-Care Providers--Wake County, North Carolina, 1996: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (09/05/97) Vol. 46, No. 35,; A study has found that few young women are being screened for chlamydia--a test that could prevent severe reproductive consequences for sexually active adolescent women.
Scientists Craft New Viruses to Destroy Cells Infected With AIDS: Washington Times (09/05/97) P. A9; Two groups of scientists will announce the creation of the first virus-killing viruses in today's issue of the journal Cell.
Are Advances in Treatment Changing Views About High-Risk Sex?: New England Journal of Medicine (08/14/97) Vol. 337, No. 7, P. 501; Dilley, James W.; Woods, William J.; McFarland, William; Because recent developments in the treatment of HIV/AIDS have provided hope for those battling the illness as well as those at risk of infection, many believe the existence of the same treatments also affects risky sexual behavior.
Booster HIV-1 Vaccine Gives Good Results: Lancet (08/23/97) Vol. 350, No. 9077, P. 569; Morris, Kelly; Researchers announced that combining the "prime/boost" vaccine strategy with immunization has offered promising results.
Science & Health Bulletin: AIDS--Feeding: PANA Wire Service (09/03/97); Zimbabwean herbalist Sithembile Moyo has advised people with AIDS to focus on traditional foods, which are unrefined, to avoid damaging the immune system.
Cel-Sci Wins U.S. Patent Allowance for AIDS Test Kit; Diagnostic Method: Dow Jones News (09/03/97); Cel-Sci Corp. has received a U.S. patent allowance for its diagnostic method and test kit based on the serological detection of HIV.
FTC Tells Ramses Condom Maker That It Must Back Up Its Claims: Wall Street Journal (09/04/97) P. B3; Wilke, John R.; The Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on London International, a subsidiary of London International Group PLC, which claimed in a number of print ads that its Ramses brand condoms are "30 percent stronger than the leading brand."
Help Least Likely Where Most Needed: Washington Post (09/04/97) P. A1; Rupert, James; While the recent releases of new AIDS-fighting drugs have sparked hope among millions in North America, Western Europe, and Australia, those infected with the virus in developing nations--almost 93 percent of the total number of people with HIV--remain despondent.
Vaccine for Developing Nations Faces Scientific, Financial and Ethical Hurdles: Washington Post (09/04/97) P. A14; Weiss, Rick; As scientists move closer to the development of a vaccine against AIDS, they must confront many social, economic, and ethical issues.
Global Inequity in Babies' HIV Rate: USA Today (09/04/97) P. 1D; Painter, Kim; The infant HIV-infection rate is on the decline in Europe and the United States, but the numbers continue to grow in developing countries, health researchers said Wednesday.
Postexposure Treatment of HIV: New England Journal of Medicine (08/14/97) Vol. 337, No. 7, P. 499; Li, Roger W.; Wong, John B.; Researchers from the New England Medical Center in Boston attempted to analyze the cost effectiveness of prophylaxis against HIV, comparing no treatment to the use of zidovudine; zidovudine and lamivudine; and zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir.
A Macrophage Invasion Mechanism of Pathogenic Mycobacteria: Science (08/22/97) Vol. 277, No. 5329, P. 1091; Schorey, Jeffrey S.; Carroll, Michael C.; Brown, Eric J.; Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard Medical School in Boston have identified an apparently unique method of macrophage invasion by pathogenic mycobacteria, including the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy.
AIDS-Associated Parasitic Sinusitis/Otitis Often Recurrent: Reuters Health Information Services (09/02/97); New research published in the August issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that HIV-infected patients who contract parasitic sinusitis and otitis often suffer relapses in the absence of long-term suppressive therapy.
Health Notes: Bad Habits of College Students: United Press International (09/03/97); New research indicates that many American college students indulge in risky behavior.
To the Point: Home Access Health: Investor's Business Daily (09/02/97) P. A2; Home Access Health announced that it will provide free HIV test kits to individuals who could not get test results after Johnson & Johnson discontinued its home HIV test.
Bangladesh--AIDS: Waking Up to the AIDS Disasters: IPS Wire (09/02/97); Although Bangladesh, with a population of 120 million, has recorded only 61 cases of HIV, health authorities are concerned that the actual number of infections in much higher.
Mexico--Health: Church Under Attack for Its War on AIDS: IPS Wire (09/02/97); Roman Catholic Archbishop Norberto Rivera and the PROVIDA, a non-governmental organization comprised of conservative Catholics, have taken an anti-condom stance toward preventing the spread of HIV in Mexico.
Mothers No More: Washington Times (09/03/97) P. A5; The National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research and the American Society for Microbiology are co-sponsoring a four-day conference on "Global Strategies for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants."
Recruiting Foot Soldiers in HIV Siege: Washington Post (09/03/97) P. A9; Weiss, Rick; AIDS activists in eight U.S. cities have worked for the last several years to recruit thousands of HIV-negative--but at- risk--volunteers who are willing to be injected with an experimental AIDS vaccine.
Advances Inject Hope Into Quest for Vaccine: Washington Post (09/03/97) P. A1; Weiss, Rick; Researchers, who once had high hopes of developing a vaccine against AIDS only to see those hopes frustrated by HIV's unique ability to mutate, are optimistic again.
Differential Transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2: Lancet (08/23/97) Vol. 350, No. 9077, P. 562; Christiansen, Claus Bohn; Albert, Jan; Machuca, Roberto; et al.; Danish and Swedish scientists present two cases of seroconversion occurring within six months in two female sexual partners after being exposed to an HIV-1-infected and HIV-2-infected male.
Miami AIDS Researcher Denies Charges Over Billing Irregularities: Nature (08/21/97) Vol. 388, No. 6644, P. 704; Dalton, Rex; AIDS researcher Lionel Resnick, who was indicted in Miami last August on 52 counts of mail fraud and money laundering related to a billing scheme that started eight years ago, says the federal action is the result of an administrative misunderstanding.
Jury Awards No Damages in HIV Suit: United Press International (08/29/97); A federal jury has awarded no damages to a former Illinois prison inmate who claimed to have contracted HIV as a result of repeated rapes by other inmates at the Menard Correctional Center.
Kenya--Tuberculosis on the Rise: PANA Wire Service (09/01/97); Ejime, Paul; The chairman of the Kenya Association of Physicians said in Monday's issue of The East African Standard that the number of tuberculosis cases in Kenya has increased 10-fold in the last decade.
Across the USA: Illinois: USA Today (09/02/97) P. 11A; According to the Chicago Public Health Department, AIDS- related deaths fell 20 percent in 1996 to 777, down from 968 reported a year earlier.
Area's Mixture of Efforts Reflects Divergent Values: Washington Post (09/02/97) P. A1; Goldstein, Amy; The Whitman-Walker Clinic, the largest provider of AIDS services in the Washington, D.C. area, supplies a variety of literature to reflect the region's divergent values.
Kenyan Prostitutes May Hold Key to Defeating AIDS: Reuters (08/30/97); Green, Matthew; About 5 percent of Kenyan prostitutes attending Puwani clinic in Nairobi appear to be immune from HIV, and researchers are studying them to gain insight into how they might develop a vaccine against the disease.
Demand for Drug Therapy May Overtake Public Funds: Washington Post (09/01/97) P. A17; Brown, David; The huge cost of triple-drug therapy to combat AIDS is straining the budgets of many AIDS-drug assistance programs (ADAPs), and new guidelines that strongly recommend the therapy are expected to encourage even more patients to request the drugs earlier in the course of HIV infection.
AIDS: Health Officials Launch a New Campaign to Determine How Widespread the Virus Is: Washington Post--Health (09/02/97) P. 12; Okie, Susan; Researchers who study the spread of HIV are seeking a new system for tracking the epidemic.
HIV Prevention Fractures into Local Struggles: Washington Post (09/02/97) P. A1; Okie, Susan; As part of efforts to quell the intense controversy surrounding federally sponsored efforts to prevent the spread of HIV--such as condom distribution, needle exchanges, and explicit sex education in schools--the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided three years ago to abandon national programs in favor of local efforts.

August

The Acquisition of Herpes Simplex Virus During Pregnancy: New England Journal of Medicine (08/21/97) Vol. 337, No. 8, P. 509; Brown, Zane A.; Selke, Stacy; Zeh, Judy; et al.; Researchers studied more than 7,000 women at-risk for herpes simplex virus (HSV), using serologic and virologic methods, to investigate the acquisition of the infection during pregnancy.
Contrasting Genetic Influence of CCR2 and CCR5 Variants on HIV -1 Infection and Disease Progression: Science (08/15/97) Vol. 277, No. 5328, P. 959; Smith, Michael W.; Dean, Michael; Carrington, Mary; et al.; Researchers attempted to identify chemokine receptor genes, in addition to CCR5 and CXCR4, that play a role in HIV-1 progression.
Viral Kinetics in HIV-1 Perinatal Infection: Lancet (08/16/97) Vol. 350, No. 9076, P. 493; Krivine, A.; Le Bourdelles, S.; Firtion, G.; et al.; Using polymerase chain reaction with or without HIV-1 culture, researchers prospectively investigated early viral replication in perinatal HIV-1 infection in 180 infants born to women infected with HIV.
World Health Organization Collaboration Centre on AIDS: Canadian Corp. News Wire (08/28/97); Using polymerase chain reaction with or without HIV-1 culture, researchers prospectively investigated early viral replication in perinatal HIV-1 infection in 180 infants born to women infected with HIV.
Jury Deliberates HIV Ex-Inmate Suit: United Press International (08/28/97); A federal jury in East St. Louis, IL, began deliberations Thursday morning in the case of Michael Blucker, a former state prison inmate who claims he was infected with HIV after repeated rapes by fellow prisoners.
District Bans HIV-Positive Student: United Press International (08/29/97); The mother of an unidentified nine-year-old girl who is HIV- positive is planning to seek legal counsel after the child was denied enrollment in the Portage, MI, Public School system.
J&J to Close Its HIV Hotline: Investor's Business Daily (08/29/97) P. A2; After discontinuing its Confide brand home HIV test in June, Johnson & Johnson today will end the toll-free number established for consumers to obtain their results.
Experimental HIV Treatment Launched: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (08/29/97) P. B1; The first of five children infected with HIV underwent an experimental gene therapy Thursday at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.
4 Wisconsin Labs Err in TB Diagnosis: New York Times (08/29/97) P. A18; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that four laboratories in Wisconsin erred in tests last year that led to mistaken diagnoses of tuberculosis for 10 people, upsetting patients and resulting in unneeded tests of their families and hospital workers.
WHO Urges Greater Efforts to Defeat Tuberculosis: Baltimore Sun (08/29/97) P. 23A; The World Health Organization is calling for increased efforts to combat tuberculosis.
Complicated Intestinal Tuberculosis of the Mesenteric Root: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/20/97) Vol. 278, No. 7, P. 530ac; Swiss researchers note the difficulty of tuberculosis diagnosis and the long delay until specific treatment in the journal Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.
India Finds Little to Celebrate on Independence Day: Lancet (08/16/97) Vol. 350, No. 9076, P. 499; Kumar, Sanjay; India, whose population is expected to pass the 1 billion mark by 2000, has the highest number of cases of tuberculosis, HIV, leprosy, and filariasis worldwide.
Differential Transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2 Reported: Reuters Health Information Services (08/27/97); In the August 23 issue of the Lancet, Dr. Claus Bohn Christiansen of the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark and colleagues describe a case in which an individual infected with both HIV-1 and HIV-2 can transmit both viruses or only one via sexual contact.
Russian Drug Addiction Spreads AIDS: Reuters (08/26/97); Macdonald, Alastair; A crippling illegal drug-use problem has emerged in Russia since the fall of communism six years ago.
Post-Exposure HIV Prophylaxis Often Halted Prematurely: Reuters Health Information Services (08/27/97); Many British Columbia emergency rooms now offer post-exposure prophylaxis to firefighters, police officers, and others exposed to HIV.
Innovation: Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics, Faulding: Investor's Business Daily (08/28/97) P. A2; Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics reported promising results of tests of its Panretin Topical Gel for use against AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
AIDS Felony Bill Approved: United Press International (08/27/97); A bill that would authorize felony charges against people who knowingly transmit HIV to sexual partners has advanced to the California Assembly floor.
AIDS Is No. 1 Killer of Adults in Tanzania: Washington Times (08/28/97) P. A15; According to a new report from The Adult Morbidity and Mortality Project, a joint British and Tanzanian project, AIDS is the leading cause of death among Tanzanian adults.
CDC Announces Its First National Business and Labor Conference on HIV/AIDS: Business Responds to AIDS -- Labor Responds to AIDS (08/27/97); The CDC's first National Business and Labor Conference on HIV/AIDS will be held on September 29-30, 1997 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Costernal Swelling and Diffuse Bone Pain in Tubercular Osteomyelitis: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/20/97) Vol. 278, No. 7, P. 530ac; The differential diagnosis of rheumatic diseases with joint and vertebral column involvement should include tuberculosis, say German scientists.
Reduction of Trachoma in Absence of a Disease-Control Programme: Lancet (08/09/97) Vol. 350, No. 9075, P. 447; Numazaki, Kei; Ikehata, Masami; Chiba, Shunzo; et al.; Chlamydia trachomatis is an ocular and urogenital disease that can lead to trachoma and inclusion conjunctivitis, which is associated with sexually transmitted disease.
HIV-Positive Men Who Practice High-Risk Sex Have Significant Effect on Epidemic: Reuters Health Information Services (08/26/97); A new report in the August issue of AIDS Care indicates that some HIV-infected men continue to have unsafe sex and may play a key role in the spread of HIV.
Better Message for Kids: USA Today (08/27/97) P. 12A; Kurth, Ann; In a letter to the editor of USA Today, Ann Kurth, the executive director of Mothers' Voices, disagrees with drug czar Barry McCaffrey's assertions that needle-exchange programs for addicts seeking to prevent HIV infection send "the wrong message."
Government Intervention Said Necessary to Prevent AIDS: Africa News Online (08/26/97); HIV prevention groups are urging Ethiopia's government to pay more attention and to intervene in the fight against the disease.
Attitude to IV Drug Users Fuels Hepatitis C Spread: Australian Associated Press (08/26/97); Rouse, Rada; Australia's "don't care" attitude toward injection drug users has helped to fuel the spread of hepatitis C, claims Chris Puplick, chair of the Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Diseases (ANCARD).
FDA Considers Thalidomide for New Uses: Wall Street Journal (08/27/97) P. B1; Womack, Anita; The Food and Drug Administration is considering a proposal that would allow pharmaceutical firms to sell thalidomide--a drug known to have caused major birth defects in the 1960s--in the United States.
Spain's War on AIDS Visits the Prado: New York Times (08/27/97) P. A4; On Monday, the Spanish Foundation Against AIDS distributed free condoms and postcards of Goya's "The Nude Maja" with the words "Prevention is an Art" emblazoned across them at the Prado museum in Madrid.
HIV Transmission Rates: Washington Post (08/27/97) P. A2; According to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco, women are far more likely than men to be infected by an HIV-positive heterosexual partner.
Women, Poverty and AIDS: Sex, Drugs, and Structural Violence: New England Journal of Medicine (08/14/97) Vol. 337, No. 7, P. 504; Bayer, Ronald; In the August 14 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, Ronald Bayer of the Columbia University School of Public Health reviews the book "Women, Poverty, and AIDS."
The Hidden Epidemic: Issues in Science and Technology (Summer 1997) Vol. 13, No. 4, P. 80; Eng, Thomas R.; A reluctance to discuss sexual health issues openly, as well as the biological and social factors associated with sexually transmitted diseases, has resulted in unseen STD epidemics in the United States.
Early BCG Vaccination and Development of Atopy: Lancet (08/09/97) Vol. 350, No. 9075, P. 400; Alm, Johan S.; Gunnar, Lilja; Pershagen, Goran; et al.; Researchers from the Sachs' Children's Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, hypothesized that a recent increase in the frequency of atopic diseases could be attributed to either a decline in the amount of infectious disease or changes in childhood vaccination programs.
Fluconazole-Resistant C. Albicans May Be Transmitted Orally: Reuters Health Information Services (08/25/97); New research published in the July 15 issue of AIDS suggests that Candida albicans may be transmitted between HIV-positive sexual partners, an event that would explain the increased rate of fluconazole-resistant strains of C. albicans.
Women Likelier to Be Infected by HIV-Positive Mate: Reuters (08/25/97); New research from the University of California at San Francisco indicates that women are more likely than men to contract HIV from an infected heterosexual partner.
Safe-Sex Lapse: New York Times (08/26/97) P. A22; Levi, Jeffrey; The problem with taking traditional epidemiological steps toward HIV prevention is that the science of the disease itself makes it unwise, asserts Jeffrey Levi, former deputy director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, in the New York Times.
Collecting Names Won't Advance AIDS Fight: New York Times (08/26/97) P. A22; Forbes, Anna; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Anna Forbes of the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and Social Research writes that the shift towards HIV reporting by name has three basic problems.
Health Notes: Will a Guy With a Sex Disease Warn His Partner?: United Press International (08/26/97); Researchers from Seattle's Batelle Centers for Public Health studied some 450 men after diagnosis with a sexually transmitted disease to determine their habits.
Experts Urge Steps to Stem Antibiotic Resistance: Washington Post--Health (08/26/97) P. 7; Okie, Susan; Health experts are calling for changes in antibiotic use to slow the spread of drug-resistant infections such as tuberculosis.
AIDS-Related PCP Treatment Variations Do Not Affect Outcome: Reuters Health Information Services (08/22/97); Despite the differences in two hospitals regarding the medical care of HIV patients with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a multi-center research group reports that survival rates were not notably different.
Blood Dendritic Cells Express Multiple HIV-1 Coreceptors: Reuters Health Information Services (08/22/97); In the August issue of Blood, researchers demonstrated how multiple chemokine reactors may be serving as co-receptors for HIV-1 entry into blood dendritic cells.
Bacterial Vaginosis May Increase Susceptibility to HIV Infection: Reuters Health Information Services (08/22/97); A study reported in the August 22 issue of the Lancet shows that the frequency of HIV-1 infection among women with severe bacterial vaginosis was 26.7 percent compared to 14.2 percent in those without.
Drug Relief Offered to Pregnant HIV Sufferers: Africa News Service (08/22/97); Glaxo Wellcome, the maker of AZT, may provide thousands of HIV -positive women with access to inexpensive drugs that would reduce the risk of their passing HIV to their children.
HIV Infection Associated With Malabsorption of Antituberculosis Drugs: Reuters Health Information Services (08/22/97); New research published in the most recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that lowered concentrations of anti-tuberculosis drugs in patients with advanced HIV infection may be related to malabsorption.
Jamaica Tries to Quiet 2 Prisons After Riots: New York Times (08/25/97) P. A10; An HIV prevention plan that included the distribution of condoms to guards and inmates sparked riots at two Jamaican prisons.
Civil Trial for Ex-Inmate With HIV: Washington Post (08/25/97) P. A6; A Illinois man claims that he was infected with HIV after repeatedly being raped in jail.
Pulmonary Resection as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Multiple Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/20/97) Vol. 278, No. 7, P. 530u; South African researchers conducted a retrospective study of 62 patients undergoing pulmonary resection for the treatment of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Live HIV Vaccines--How Safe?: Nature Medicine (08/97) Vol. 3, No. 8, P. 816; Dittmer, Ulf; Stahl-Hennig, Christine; Hunsmann, Gerhard; In a letter to the editor of Nature Medicine magazine, researchers from the German Primate center assert that even though neonatal macaques recently responded to a live- attenuated SIV vaccine safely and effectively, human newborns may not respond as well.
Obstacles and Progress Toward Development of a Preventive HIV Vaccine: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (08/97) Vol. 3, No. 8, P. 28; Heward, William L.; MacQueen, Kathleen M.; Jaffe, Harold W.; Researchers have been seeking an HIV vaccine almost since the disease was first discovered, and while a number of phase I trials have been carried out, few have been extended to phase II and none to phase III.
Russia Opens the Doors to Western TB Treatments: Lancet (08/02/97) Vol. 350, No. 9074, P. 348; Banatvala, Nick; Due to an epidemic of tuberculosis in Russia, the Russian government has recently begun moving towards a modern TB control program--the first sign that the country may be getting serious about tuberculosis reform.
Effective Female Condom: Journal of the American Medical Association (08/13/97) Vol. 278, No. 6, P. 460; Voelker, Rebecca; Use of the female condom, a polyurethane plastic sheath that a woman inserts into her vagina, can result in a significant reduction in the average incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, a UNAIDS study found.
PNG Health Minister Says AIDS Reaching Crisis Levels: Reuters (08/22/97); An AIDS crisis potentially more severe than the one in Africa is occurring in Papua New Guinea.
Israeli Army AIDS Tests Angry Ethiopian Jews: Reuters (08/21/97); Goller, Howard; The Israeli army reported Thursday that it routinely tests its Ethiopian Jewish soldiers and known homosexuals for HIV without their consent.
Scientists Find Possible New Way to Fight TB: Reuters (08/21/97); Fox, Maggie; Researchers report in the journal Science that they have identified the means by which the tuberculosis bacterium and leprosy invade cells.
AIDS Is Still an Exceptional Disease: New York Times (08/22/97) P. A27; Rotello, Gabriel; In a commentary in the New York Times, Gabriel Rotello, the author of "Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men," writes that AIDS is a disease that warrants exception to the normal, epidemiological steps of contact tracing and case recording for sexually transmitted diseases.
Despite New AIDS Drugs, Many Still Lose the Battle: New York Times (08/22/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; The advent of potent triple-drug therapies with protease inhibitors offer the hope that HIV infection may now be more of a chronic, treatable illness than a sure fatal one, but the new drugs do not work for everyone.
Two Tests Work Better Than One at Tracking HIV Disease: AIDS Alert (08/97) Vol. 12, No. 8, P. 95; Two studies published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicate that combining viral-load testing with CD4 cell counts is more accurate at predicting HIV progression than either of the two methods alone.
Funds Earmarked for AIDS Vaccine Centre: Nature (08/07/97) Vol. 388, No. 6642, P. 510; The National Institutes of Health has received a mandate from Congress that $26.1 million of next year's funding should be allocated to the construction of an HIV vaccine research center.
Ritonavir Reduces KS Lesions in AIDS Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (08/20/97); New research published in the August issue of AIDS suggests that the protease inhibitor ritonavir may serve as a treatment for AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
Africa--AIDS: Kenya's Uphill Task Against Pandemic: IRIS/GIN Wire Service (08/20/97); Kenya's AIDS prevention efforts have had little effect on curbing the spread of the disease.
Science & Health Bulletin: Mali--AIDS: PANA Wire Service (08/20/97); The country of Mali is seeing a steep rise in its number of people with HIV and AIDS.
Infected Doctors Fight to Practice: Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/21/97) P. A11; Many doctors who are infected with HIV are fighting for the right to operate on patients.
Progress on AIDS Brings Movement for Less Secrecy: New York Times (08/21/97) P. A1; Richardson, Lynda; There is a growing consensus among health officials, lawmakers, and advocates for people with AIDS that the benefits of early HIV testing and reporting of those infected could outweigh privacy concerns.
Herpes Risk to Babies Linked to Antibodies: Baltimore Sun (08/21/97) P. 7A; New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that physicians should inform pregnant women nearing delivery about the risks to their infants of contracting genital herpes.
Needle Exchanges Still Stir Debate: USA Today (08/21/97) P. 3A; Fields, Gary; The Family Research Council released a study on Wednesday that found that 51 percent of 1,000 people surveyed believe needle- exchange programs are irresponsible.
Severe Hepatitis in Patients With AIDS and Haemophilia B Treated With Indinavir: Lancet (08/02/97) Vol. 350, No. 9074, P. 364; Matsuda, Juzo; Gohchi, Kengo; Yamanaka, Masami; In the British medical journal The Lancet, Japanese researchers report a case of severe hepatitis in an AIDS patient with hemophilia B who had recently started taking indinavir.
Transmission of Hepatitis C by Intrahepatic Inoculation With Transcribed RNA: Science (07/25/97) Vol. 277, P. 570; Kolykhalov, Alexander A.; Agapov, Eugene V.; Blight, Keril J.; et al.; Hepatitis C virus infects over 1 percent of the world's population and is strongly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Not a 'Morning After' Pill: American Medical News (08/11/97) Vol. 40, No. 30, P. 1; Shelton, Deborah L.; At a recent national meeting of physicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention addressed the topic of providing antiretroviral therapy for people who fear they may have been exposed to HIV through risky behavior.
Genital Ulcer Definition Influences HIV Risk Estimates: Reuters Health Information Services (08/19/97); Researchers report in the August issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases that the wide variation in risk for HIV infection as a result of genital ulceration is related to how genital ulcer is defined.
HIV Envelope DNA Plus Protein May Offer Effective Vaccine Strategy: Reuters Health Information Services (08/19/97); A bimodal vaccination using HIV-1 env DNA plus envelope protein can produce a strong anti-HIV immune response in rhesus monkeys, report scientists in the August 18 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Thalidomide Has Immunologic as Well as Metabolic Effects in HIV: Reuters Health Information Services (08/19/97); In addition to immunological activation, short-term thalidomide treatment can significantly increase body weight in HIV-infected patients, say Rockefeller University researchers.
More Addicts, More AIDS: Investor's Business Daily (08/20/97) P. A30; Financier George Soros recently showed his support of needle- exchange programs to stem the spread of HIV with a $1 million grant to fund them.
Weld Nomination Highlights AIDS Issues: Washington Times (08/20/97) P. A4; Bedard, Paul; The controversy surrounding the nomination of former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, who supports needle- exchange programs and the medical use of marijuana, to the position of ambassador to Mexico may be undermining President Clinton's quiet efforts to investigate such anti-AIDS programs.
AIDS Doctors Seek Vaccine Volunteers: Washington Times (08/20/97) P. A5; Price, Joyce; The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) is calling on doctors, researchers, and AIDS advocates to inject themselves with a weakened strain of HIV to see if such a vaccine protects them from more potent strains.
DOTS Is Effective Even in Nomadic Populations: Lancet (08/02/97) Vol. 350, No. 9074, P. 343; Crowe, Sam; Directly observed short-course chemotherapy (DOTS) has been proven an effective course of treatment in the prevention of tuberculosis.
HIV Protein Prepares Virus' Next Victim: Science News (07/26/97) Vol. 152, No. 4, P. 53; Travis, J.; The human immunodeficiency virus can only reproduce efficiently inside immune cells that have been activated out of their natural resting state.
Hypersensitivity Reactions Reported With HIV Protease Inhibitors: Reuters Health Information Services (08/18/97); New research published in the August issue of the journal AIDS suggests that the frequency of hypersensitivity reactions to protease inhibitors is higher than that seen with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
Great Strides For Women: USA Today (08/19/97) P. 12A; Shalala, Donna; In a USA Today commentary, Secretary of the Department of Heath and Human Services Donna Shalala writes that women's health is moving in leaps and bounds.
Women's Health Gains Lag Behind Research Progress: USA Today (08/19/97) P. 12A; Seven years after a government study that determined that women's health spending in the United States amounted to far less proportionately than men's, the editors of USA Today note that spending on women's health research has reached peak levels.
Eastern Africa--Children: Targeting Minors to Stem [the Spread of HIV]: IRIS/GIN News Service (08/18/97); At a recent meeting of UNICEF's Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), it was noted that of the 30 countries hardest-hit in the world by AIDS, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for half.
Past HIV Vaccine Development Strategies Flawed: Reuters Health Information Services (08/18/97); In the August 1 issue of Internal Medicine News, Dr. David Baltimore, head of the AIDS Vaccine Research Committee of the National Institutes of Health, points out that very little progress has been made towards the development of an AIDS vaccine in the past 15 years.
Occupational HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis Registry Established: Reuters Health Information Service (08/18/97); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established an HIV postexposure prophylaxis (HIV PEP) registry.
Hands-on Doctor Oversees AIDS Programs: Washington Post--Health (08/19/97) P. 9; Okie, Susan; Joseph O'Neill, a doctor in an inner-city Baltimore clinic, became the first head of the HIV/AIDS bureau within the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Faith in AIDS Drugs Spurs Rise in Unsafe-Sex Practices: Washington Times (08/19/97) P. A3; Price, Joyce; Health-care experts are concerned that the advent of effective therapies against AIDS, such as protease inhibitors, has put some individuals at risk of contracting the disease.
Federal AIDS Policy Issues Today: AIDS Treatment News (08/01/97) No. 276, P. 2; James, John S.; The recent 19 percent drop in overall U.S. AIDS deaths and inequalities among races and genders which indicate disparities in access to treatment, have become issues for the federal government, according to AIDS Treatment News.
New HIV/AIDS Drugs Raise Hopes--But Also Costs: American Medical News (08/04/97) P. 5; Stapleton, Stephanie; New combination AIDS therapies that include protease inhibitors and antivirals are providing hope for some patients, but the high price of these drugs has many concerned.
Gene Testing Starts to Pay Off: Fortune (08/04/97) Vol. 136, No. 3, P. 25; Stipp, David; Genetic testing, once feared because it could be used to foretell a predisposition to fatal diseases, is now being sought after by doctors for a different reason.
Isoniazid Preventive Therapy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus- Infected Persons: Archives of Internal Medicine (08/11/97-08/25/97) Vol. 157, No. 15, P. 1729; Moreno, Santiago; Miralles, Pilar; Diaz, Maria; et al.; The long-term benefits of isoniazid prophylaxis in patients co -infected with HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were studied by researchers from the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Madrid, Spain.
Vietnam Adopts New AIDS Detection Measures: Reuters (08/18/97); An increase in the number of people infected with HIV in Vietnam has prompted the government to announce new measures to improve the country's ability to detect and control the virus.
Soros to Donate $1 Million for Needle Exchanges: Wall Street Journal (08/18/97) P. B3; Billionaire financier George Soros urged government officials to "respect the scientific evidence" that needle exchange programs help reduce the spread of HIV as he donated $1 million toward purchasing clean hypodermic needles for high- risk injection drug users.
Tuberculosis Morbidity--United States, 1996: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (08/01/97) Vol. 46, No. 30, P. 695; The number of tuberculosis cases reported in the United States in 1996 declined 6.7 percent from 1995 to 21,337, the fourth consecutive year the figure has gone down.
A Controlled Trial of Isoniazid in Persons With Anergy and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Who Are at High Risk for Tuberculosis: New England Journal of Medicine (07/31/97) Vol. 337, No. 5, P. 315; Gordin, Fred M.; Matts, John P.; Miller, Carol; et al.; To determine the efficacy of six months of isoniazid prophylaxis in HIV-infected patients with anergy who are at high risk for tuberculosis, researchers for the Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS studied more than 500 at- risk patients between 1991 and 1996.
AIDS: An Epidemic Of the Young, Minorities & Women: Reuters Health Information Services (08/14/97); Both domestically and worldwide, AIDS is becoming a disease of the young.
Chicago Launches HIV/AIDS Primary Prevention Programs: Reuters Health Information Services (08/14/97); Two HIV/AIDS projects funded by the National Institute of Mental Health--CHAMP and HEROIC--were honored Thursday at the University of Chicago.
Disability Checks of 95,000 Children Are to Be Cut Off: New York Times (08/15/97) P. A1; Pear, Robert; Disability benefits will be denied to 95,180 children under the stricter new standards of the welfare system.
Young Gays: Fear Recedes, Risk Rises: Baltimore Sun (08/15/97) P. 1A; Bor, Jonathan; Although awareness of HIV is at an all-time high among young gay men, risk reduction has become lamentably lax.
Scientists Pinpoint Protein That May Hold The Key to Cancer, Aging: Washington Post (08/15/97) P. A14; Weiss, Rick; Competing teams of scientists have uncovered a protein that plays a key role in the development of cancer and in the aging process.
With AIDS Treatment, New Hints of Risky Sex: Boston Globe (08/14/97) P. A5; Saltus, Richard; Researchers at the University of California San Francisco recently surveyed 54 gay men seeking HIV testing and found that the likelihood of risky behavior was rising as reports of improved treatments continue to be released.
2nd Mutation Discovered That Slows Down AIDS Advance: Washington Post (08/15/97) P. A14; Brown, David; A genetic mutation in the CCR2 receptor on human cells has been identified by researchers from the National Cancer Institute.
Long-Term Risk of Tuberculosis Among Foreign-Born Persons in the United States: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/23/97- 07/30/97) Vol. 278, No. 4, P. 304; Zuber, Patrick L.F.; McKenna, Matthew T.; Binkin, Nancy J.; et al.; The majority of the tuberculosis cases among foreign-born persons in the United States can be attributed to imported Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Focus on Fungal Infections: Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (07/97) Vol. 3, No. 7, P. 27; MacDougall, David S.; Nearly 800 researchers, clinicians, and others gathered in San Antonio earlier this year to discuss advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of fungal infections.
Interferon-Gamma Depletion Associated with HIV Disease Progression: Reuters Health Information Services (08/13/97); Researchers report in the August 8 issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses that lower levels of interferon-gamma are apparently related to HIV-1 progression.
AIDS Policy Center Applauds White House Effort on [Drug Testing for Children]: U.S. Newswire (08/13/97); A proposed rule released Wednesday by the White House would require pharmaceutical companies to test new drugs on children for safety, efficacy, and dosage.
Science & Health Bulletin: Kenya--AIDS Kit: PANA Wire Service (08/13/97); Kenyan and Japanese scientists at the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) have developed an HIV testing kit that is reportedly faster and less expensive than the one currently used in Kenya.
New HIV/AIDS Statistics Show Rates Down in Australia, Up in China: Reuters Health Information Services (08/13/97); The rate of HIV infection in Australia has been falling in recent years, due in large part to safer sex campaigns and needle-exchange programs for injection drug users.
Many Positive Individuals Still Overlooked for PCP Prophylaxis: Reuters Health Information Services (08/13/97); The San Francisco Department of Public Health has concluded that uninsured and non-white HIV-infected individuals are less likely to receive primary prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
Across the USA: Vermont: USA Today (08/14/97) P. 12A; A Vermont woman who claims her late husband was infected with HIV through a blood transfusion in 1985 has been awarded a $595,000 settlement.
Taking Chances With AIDS: Washington Post (08/14/97) P. A11; Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco recently conducted a small survey to determine whether the advent of new AIDS therapies have changed people's behavior when it comes to preventing HIV infection.
Epidemics of Syphilis in the Russian Federation: Trends, Origins, and Priorities for Control: Lancet (07/19/97) Vol. 350, No. 9072, P. 210; Tichonova, L.; Borisenko, K; Ward, H.; et al.; Following steady declines throughout the 1980s, syphilis has yet again reared its head in Russia.
Island Fever: Poz (08/97) P. 32; A proposal put forth by Puerto Rican Health Secretary Carmen Feliciano reportedly would have permitted officials to identify "suspicious persons" at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, test them without their permission, and request a list of their sex partners for the past decade.
AIDS Cases Rising Steadily Worldwide: American Medical News (07/28/97) P. 22; New cases of full-blown AIDS are increasing by almost 20 percent annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Training Centers Gear Up to Teach New Standards: AIDS Alert (08/97) Vol. 12, No. 8, P. 89; The Health Resources and Services Administration reports that by the time new federal guidelines for the treatment of HIV become final, it will have developed a plan to teach the new standard of care in its training programs.
More Evidence Reported for Protective Role of CTL in HIV Infection: Reuters (08/11/97); Researchers from the University of Massachusetts in Worcester investigated the effect of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity on HIV replication.
Long-Term Isoniazid Protective Against TB in HIV-Positive Patients: Reuters (08/11/97); New research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that long-term isoniazid prophylaxis provides protection against tuberculosis in HIV-positive patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and also increases survival.
FDA Warns Consumers Against Internet HIV Kits: Newsbytes Online (08/11/97); The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned consumers about the risks of buying HIV home testing kits online.
Health Notes: Healing Disease With the Mind: United Press International (08/12/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; The University of California at San Francisco held its first "healing retreat" for 30 HIV-infected patients earlier this year.
Sexual Transmission of the Hepatitis C Virus and Efficacy of Prophylaxis With Intramuscular Immune Serum Globulin: Archives of Internal Medicine (07/28/97) Vol. 157, No. 14, P. 1537; Piazza, Marcello; Sagliocca, Luciano; Tosone, Grazia; et al.; Italian researchers attempted to determine the risk of sexual transmission of the hepatitis C virus and the efficacy of intramuscular immune serum globulin (IG) in preventing HCV infection among at-risk heterosexual partners of anti-HCV- positive patients.
Control of Tuberculosis by Community Health Workers in Bangladesh: Lancet (07/19/97) Vol. 350, No. 9072, P. 169; Chowdhury, Mushtaque R.; Chowdhury, Sadia; Islam, Nazrul; et al.; British and Bangladeshi researchers have analyzed the second and third phases of an experimental tuberculosis-control program in Bangladesh that relied on community health workers to diagnose and treat the disease.
Pregnancy Increases Mortality in Indian Women with AIDS: Reuters (08/08/97); Researchers from the United Arab Emirates University report that pregnancy has a negative effect on both maternal and fetal mortality among women with AIDS.
Blood Workers Are Convicted: New York Times (08/09/97) P. 11; Two former supervisors of the New York Blood Center have been convicted of conspiring to tamper with tests that screen blood for HIV and hepatitis.
Seminal HIV RNA Reduced by Antiretroviral Treatment: Reuters (08/08/97); New research reported in the August issue of AIDS suggests that successful suppression of HIV RNA load in blood is paralleled by a reduction of vital load in semen.
Asia: Trawler Crews Pose AIDS Risk to Aborigines, Island: Australian Associated Press (08/10/97); Corben, Ron; Many island and Aboriginal communities in Northern Australia may be at risk for HIV infection spread by Thai trawler crews working in the Torres Strait.
Lifeline: Hepatitis Risk: USA Today (08/11/97) P. 1D; DeRosa, Robin; Many Americans who have had blood transfusions, particularly before 1990, may have been exposed to hepatitis C, health officials say.
China's Silent Epidemic: Washington Times (08/11/97) P. A1; Hutzler, Charles; In China, where HIV has spread rapidly with the help of the booming drug trade, health experts estimate that tens of thousands of individuals are infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Anti-HIV Mix Found in Gulf Veterans: Washington Times (08/11/97) P. A1; Rodriguez, Paul M.; Congressional oversight panels, including the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees, plan to investigate a report that squalene, a synthetic chemical compound used in experimental inoculations against HIV, has been discovered in the blood of some ailing Gulf War Veterans.
Disclosure of Condom Breakage to Sexual Partners: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/23/97- 07/30/97) Vol. 278, No. 4, P. 292; Warner, Lee D.; Boles, Jaqueline; Hatcher, Robert A.; In a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Emory University's D. Lee Warner and colleagues discuss the public health implications of men who do not inform their female partners about condom breakage.
Transfusional Risk of HHV-8 Infection: Lancet (07/19/97) Vol. 350, No. 9072, P. 217; Lefrere, Jean-Jacques; Mariotti, Martine; Girot, Robert; et al.; The possibility that human herpes virus eight can be transmitted through blood transfusions was investigated by a team of doctors from France's Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine.
HIV-1 Reported in Patient With 'Protective' CCR-5 Alleles: Reuters (08/07/97); An HIV-positive patient has been identified by Italian doctors as homozygous for the mutation of the gene for the CCR-5 chemokine receptor that is thought to render immunity from HIV -1 infection.
Didanosine Does Not Affect Rifabutin Bioavailability in AIDS Patients: Reuters (08/07/97); A study reported in the July issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy suggests that the concomitant administration of didanosine (ddI) with rifabutin does not appear to change rifabutin absorption.
Two HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors Show Antagonism In Vitro: Reuters (08/07/97); New in vitro research published in the July issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that the simultaneous administration of saquinavir and indinavir results in antagonism.
Nigeria--Health: Time to Talk About AIDS: IPS Wire (08/06/97); The death of popular singer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has increased awareness about HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, according to some experts.
Cuba Health Official: U.S. Embargo Kept AIDS Low: Reuters (08/07/97); Kerry, Frances; Jorge Perez, the director of the Tropical Medicine Institute of Cuba, said Thursday that the American economic embargo on Cuba has helped to contain the spread of HIV on the island.
HIV/AIDS Declining But Fear for Aborigines, Hepatitis C: Australian Associated Press (08/08/97); Korzy, Miranda; The 1997 Annual Surveillance Report on HIV/AIDS and Related Diseases in Australia indicates that the general rate of HIV infection in Australia is on the decline.
Surveillance for Virulent Strains of HIV: Subtype G and Group O HIV-1: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/23/97- 07/30/97) Vol. 278, No. 4, P. 292; Sullivan, Patrick S.; Do, Ann N.; Robbins, Ken; et al.; Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report the detection of two rare strains of HIV-1.
Most HIV-Positive Patients Know Their CD4 Cell Counts Accurately: Reuters (08/06/97); Researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles report in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology that self-reported counts of CD4 cells appear to be reliable.
Tuberculosis: Old Lessons Unlearnt?: Lancet (07/12/97) Vol. 350, No. 9071, P. 149; Bloom, Barry; Cole, Stewart; Duncan, Ken; et al.; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, researchers discuss directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) for the treatment of tuberculosis.
Host Factors Influence HIV Disease Progression More Than Viral Strain: Reuters (08/06/97); According to the Transfusion Safety Study Group's report in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, the determining factor of HIV-1 disease progression is gauged more accurately by using host factors than by using viral characteristics.
Science & Health Bulletin: Zambia--AIDS HIV/AIDS...: PANA Wire Service (08/06/97); HIV infection and AIDS among children in Zambia could possibly be undermining the success of other child health programs in the country, say Zambian health officials.
Salivary Protease Inhibitor Exhibits Unique Anti-HIV Properties: Reuters (08/06/97); Merck researchers report in the August issue of Blood that the antiviral factor found in saliva, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), significantly inhibits infection of monocytes by HIV-1.
HMOs Can Increase Rate of Voluntary Prenatal HIV Testing: Reuters (08/06/97); The likelihood of women taking voluntary prenatal tests for HIV depends on the ease and accessibility of the tests, as well as the presence of a registered nurse and a "designated educator," according to a report in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology.
AIDS Sentence: Washington Post (08/07/97) P. A20; An HIV-positive soldier at Fort Benning in Georgia was sentenced to six years in prison for having unsafe sex with three women, one of whom has tested HIV positive.
Teen Drug Abuse Decline Yields Hope: USA Today (08/07/97) P. 3D; Manning, Anita; New statistics released Wednesday are giving government officials a glimmer of hope that they may finally be seeing some success from efforts to keep teenagers away from drugs.
Needle Exchange Is Not Enough: Lessons From the Vancouver Injecting Drug Use Study: AIDS (07/97) Vol. 11, P. F59; Strathdee, Steffanie A.; Patrick, David M.; Currie, Sue L.; et al.; Researchers studied more than 1,000 injection drug users in Vancouver, British Columbia, to assess the prevalence and incidence of HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus.
Could I Have Hepatitis and Not Know It?: Health (07/97-08/97) Vol. 11, No. 5, P. 24; Hastings, John; Hepatitis infections are often characterized by fatigue, malaise, and jaundice.
Early Manifestations of MAC: AIDS Clinical Care (08/97) Vol. 9, No. 8, P. 65; Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a complication of advanced HIV infection that can affect up to 25 percent of AIDS patients.
HIV and AIDS in Southeast Asia: Lancet (07/26/97) Vol. 350, No. 9073, P. 288; Muller, Olaf; Ungchusak, Kamnuan; Leng, Hor Bun; et al.; The greater Mekong subregion -- which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, China, and Vietnam -- is the subject of a study examining the effect of migration on HIV and AIDS.
It Takes a Community ... to Lower the STD Rate: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/23/97- 07/30/97) Vol. 278, No. 4, P. 272; Marwick, Charles; The American Social Health Association (ASHA) held a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., in June to discuss community- based programs designed to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
New System May Ensure Pure Blood Supply: Investor's Business Daily (08/05/97) P. A4; Benko, Laura S.; A new blood-purifying system being developed by Cerus Corporation may all but eliminate the risk of contracting a fatal disease from a blood transfusion.
U.S. Lawyers Back Needle Programs to Fight AIDS: Reuters (08/05/97); Croft, Adrian; The American Bar Association (ABA), the world's largest legal group, has urged an end to legal barriers that prevent the implementation of needle-exchange programs.
Taxol Approved for Treating AIDS-Related Skin Cancer: Wall Street Journal (08/06/97) P. B5; On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Bristol-Myers Squibb's cancer drug Taxol for the treatment of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
Too Poor to Treat: Newsweek (07/28/97) Vol. 130, No. 4, P. 60; Pedersen, Daniel; Larson, Eric; Many AIDS service organizations have been feeling the squeeze of financial setbacks, causing patients with the disease to be denied treatment.
HIV-1 Disease Progression and AIDS-Defining Disorders in Rural Uganda: Lancet (07/26/97) Vol. 350, No. 9073, P. 245; Morgan, Dilys; Maude, Gillian H.; Malamba, Samuel S.; et al.; To determine priorities for treatment of HIV-1 in Africa, researchers investigated the progression of the disease in rural Uganda.
A Clinicopathological Observation of 15 Cases of Tuberculosis of the Appendix: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/16/97) Vol. 278, No. 3, P. 178f; Researchers from the Medical School of Hubei Sanxia University in China retrospectively studied 15 cases of tuberculosis of the appendix between 1959 and 1995.
Sales Are Up for Agouron's New AIDS Drug Nelfinavir (Viracept): Reuters (08/04/97); Sales of the anti-AIDS drug Viracept (nelfinavir) have exceeded expectations, say Agouron Pharmaceutical officials, who cite a recent article appearing in the Wall Street Journal.
Severe Hepatitis Complicates Indinavir Treatment in AIDS Patient With Hemophilia: Reuters (08/04/97); A letter to the editor published in the August 2nd issue of the Lancet describes the case of an AIDS patient who developed severe hepatitis during treatment with indinavir.
Role of IL-15 in HIV Infection Elucidated: Reuters (08/04/97); In the August issue of the journal Blood, researchers from Italy's Padua University report that interleukin-15 is involved in the activation and expansion of CD8 T-cells in the extravascular tissues of HIV-infected individuals.
Kenya's AIDS Policy 'Is Gender Insensitive': Africa News Service (08/04/97); A report published by Kenya's Ministry of Health last June has come under fire from the Kenya Women's Political Caucus for being non-specific on the gender aspect of the AIDS epidemic in its policy objectives.
HCV Increases Rate of Vertical HIV Transmission: Reuters (08/04/97); In the August issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, members of the Women and Infants Transmission Study report that HIV-positive mothers infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are nearly two times as likely to transmit HIV to their babies as HIV-infected women without HCV.
Needle-Exchange Bill Faces Battle: USA Today (08/05/97) P. 11A; Leavitt, Paul; To drum up support for a controversial drug measure, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) plans to have needle-exchange participants testify before Congress later this year.
Geography Helps Epidemiologists to Investigate Spread of Disease: Scientist (07/21/97) Vol. 11, No. 15, P. 1; Kling, James; The study of geographical epidemiology has attracted a great deal of interest as of late, due to the rapid spread of HIV and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Extensive Evaluation of a Seronegative Participant in an HIV-1 Vaccine Trial as a Result of False-Positive PCR: Lancet (07/26/97) Vol. 350, No. 9073, P. 256; Schwartz, David H.; Laeyandecker, Oliver B; Arango-Jaramillo, Silvio; et al.; Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health present the case of an HIV-seronegative participant in an HIV-1 vaccine trial.
Polio Vaccine Not Contaminated--WHO: Africa News Service (08/01/97); Barenzi, Lilliane; Uganda's acting World Health Organization resident representative last week refuted the notion--being forwarded by several groups of Ugandans--that the nation's supply of polio vaccine is contaminated with HIV.
Church Calls For Needle Exchange In Prisons: Australian Associated Press (08/01/97); The Catholic Church in Australia is calling for the distribution of needles and syringes to incarcerated drug addicts to help stem the spread of diseases in correctional facilities.
HIV-Positive Women More Vulnerable to Vaginal Yeast Colonization: Reuters (08/01/97); In the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a study conducted by Dr. Ann Duerr of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and colleagues found that HIV-infected women are more vulnerable to Candida vulvovaginitis than HIV- negative women.
Very Few HIV-Positive Patients Are True Long-Term Nonprogressors: Reuters (08/01/97); In a study published in the August 1 issue of Blood, French researchers report their belief that very few HIV-infected individuals are true long-term nonprogressors.
AIDS Spreading in Belarus: Xinhua News Agency (08/03/97); According to the Interfax news agency, the number of HIV infections in Belarus has increased tenfold in the last year, compared to figures from 1987 through 1995.
Across the USA: Missouri: USA Today (08/04/97) P. 9A; At least 1,200 tuberculosis infections in St. Louis, MO, apparently went unreported by a city anti-TB program touted as one of the best in the nation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. City health experts note that improvements have been made.
Australian Scientists Announce HIV Trial on Twins: Reuters (08/04/97); Australian researchers announced on Monday that they will attempt to treat HIV-infected patients with genetically modified cells taken from their healthy identical twins.
Va. Sex-Ed Vote Expected: Washington Post (08/04/97) P. B5; Sex education may soon be optional in Virginia public schools even though pregnancy among school-age girls in the state has decreased since the implementation of the now-mandatory program.
AIDS: Best Hospitals 1997: AIDS: U.S. News & World Report (07/28/97) Vol. 123, No. 4, P. 77; In the July 28 issue of U.S. News & World Report, several hospitals were evaluated and ranked for their AIDS treatment facilities.
French AIDS Group Rejects Far-Right Mayor's Funds: Reuters (07/31/97); Sida Info Service, a hotline for AIDS patients in Vitrolles, France, has rejected funding from mayor Catherine Megret's municipality because it claims her views are "fundamentally different" than those of the group.
Three More AIDS Cases Identified in Cyprus: Xinhua News Agency (07/31/97); The Cypriot Health Ministry reports three new cases of HIV infection for the month of July, raising the total number of infections diagnosed on the island to 271.
Brazil Sees Increase in New AIDS Cases: Xinhua News Agency (07/31/97); Between April and June of this year, 7,552 new cases of AIDS were reported in Brazil, bringing the country's total number of registered cases since 1980 to 110,000.
TB Prophylaxis Not Necessary for All High-Risk HIV-Positive Individuals: Reuters (07/31/97); New research published in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that HIV-infected patients with anergy who have risk factors for tuberculosis do not benefit from isoniazid prophylaxis unless they have been exposed to active TB.
Agouron Says Sales of New AIDS Drug Tops Projections: Wall Street Journal (08/01/97) P. B2; Rundle, Rhonda; Agouron Pharmaceutical's new AIDS drug Viracept produced $43.6 million in sales in its first full quarter on the market, exceeding analysts' expectations.
TB Cases Drop to Record Low: Washington Times (08/01/97) P. A7; The number of tuberculosis cases in the United States is the lowest since national reporting on the disease began in 1953, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

July

Inclusion of Women in Clinical Trials of Antiretroviral Agents for HIV/AIDS During Pregnancy: Lancet (07/12/97) Vol. 350, No. 9071, P. 150; Mangino, Julie E.; Fass, Robert J.; Past clinical trials for new drugs in the treatment of AIDS excluded women of child-bearing age because of potential danger to the unborn child if they became pregnant, note Julie E. Mangino and Robert J. Fass in the Lancet.
Mass Movement: Advocate (07/22/97) No. 738, P. 43; Colbert, Chuck; The recent groundbreaking in Boston for the McBride House, a house being built by Catholic Charities for people with AIDS, seemed to those in attendance a gesture of peace by the Catholic church to those in the gay community who are Catholic.
Rock Removes Blood From Red Cross: United Press International (07/30/97); Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock said Tuesday that the Canadian Red Cross would no longer be responsible for the nation's blood supply.
Business Bulletin: HIV Therapies: Wall Street Journal (07/31/97) P. A1; Sebastian, Pamela; Pennsylvania consulting firm Scott-Levin has issued a new report on HIV therapies.
HIV-Positive Abuser Gets Reduced Term: Washington Times (07/31/97) P. C6; A 47-year-old Maryland man was re-sentenced Wednesday for sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy.
Biogen Sues Amgen, Claiming Violations of Three of Its Patents: Wall Street Journal (07/31/97) P. B10; Biogen has failed a lawsuit against Amgen, alleging that the company violated three of its patents in connection with the manufacture of Amgen's Infergen, a new drug for the treatment of hepatitis C.
AIDS Prevention Needed Among Expatriates: Reuters (07/30/97); According to a report in the July 15 issue of the journal AIDS, expatriates in foreign countries with high rates of HIV often engage in sexual relations with casual or steady local partners.
U.S. Urged to Focus Health Efforts on Common Killers: Reuters (07/30/97); Wilson, Patricia; On Wednesday, Assistant Administrator of the Agency for International Development Sally Shelton-Colby told Congress that the United States should focus more on common infectious disease prevention instead of funneling all its resources to its "disease du jour."
Tracking Disease Hot Zones on the Net: Wall Street Journal (07/31/97) P. B1; Bulkely, William M; ProMed-Mail is a controversial non-profit service that sends electronic disease reports to the world's medical community.
When Older Women Get H.I.V.: New York Times (07/31/97) P. C1; Stock, Robert W.; Older women are contracting HIV more frequently than ever before, due in part to the fact that their immune system has slowed down with age and that they often do not see themselves as at risk.
Russia to Get New TB Center: Science (07/11/97) Vol. 277, No. 5323, P. 185; Philanthropist George Soros has donated $3 million to create two new laboratories to study tuberculosis and hospital-borne infections in Moscow.
HIV Wants to Be Your Friend: Village Voice (07/15/97) Vol. 42, No. 28, P. 30; Schoofs, Mark; Some scientists believe that gene therapy could help the body better protect itself against HIV.
Indonesia Helped to Tackle Communicable Disease: Lancet (07/12/97) Vol. 350, No. 9071, P. 125; Easton, Adam; Wallerstein, Claire; The Asian Development Bank has loaned Indonesia $87.4 million, repayable over 25 years, to launch a campaign against communicable diseases in the region.
Cypriot Fisherman Found Guilty in AIDS Case: Reuters (07/29/97); Kambas, Michelle; On Tuesday, a Greek court found Cypriot fisherman Pavlos Georgiou guilty of recklessly transmitting HIV to Janette Pink, his English partner.
Procept Gets Grant To Develop Tuberculosis Vaccine: Dow Jones News (07/29/97); The National Institutes of Health has awarded Procept Inc. a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant for research and development of new tuberculosis vaccines.
Blood Donation Helps AIDS Victims and Donors: Reuters (07/29/97); Fox, Maggie; Plasma transfusions are being touted by British researchers as an effective new means of AIDS therapy.
AIDS, HIV Cases Reach 5,000 in Japan: Xinhua News Agency (07/29/97); Japan reported 40 new cases of AIDS and 57 new HIV infections during the months of May and June, bringing the total number of HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed in the country to 5,001.
Thais Plan Stepped-Up AIDS Campaign: United Press International (07/30/97); The Thai government is ordering local communities to increase efforts to control AIDS and to improve assistance offered to AIDS patients.
Lining Up for Hepatitis Shots: New York Times (07/30/97) P. C7; Hsu, Karen; Many U.S. adolescents returning to school in the fall will be required to show proof of vaccination against hepatitis B before beginning classes.
Problem With AZT Discovered: Washington Times (07/30/97) P. A6; New research suggests that the anti-AIDS drug AZT is less effective than it could be because of a structural flaw.
Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis Associated With the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: New England Journal of Medicine (07/03/97) Vol. 337, No. 1, P. 15; Van Der Horst, Charles M.; Saag, Michael S.; Cloud, Gretchen A.; et al.; New research indicates that for initial treatment of AIDS- related cryptococcal meningitis, the use of higher-dose amphotericin B and flucytosine is associated with a greater rate of cerobrospinal fluid sterilization and lower mortality than other drugs.
Cuba Quietly Reverses HIV Prevention Policy: Reuters (07/25/97); Condoms and AIDS education materials are now being circulated around Cuba due to a campaign by the international medical group Doctors Without Borders.
HIV Patients at Excess Risk for Nosocomial Bloodstream Infections: Reuters (07/28/97); According to the July issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, hospitalized HIV patients are far more likely to acquire primary bloodstream nosocomial infections than the general inpatient population.
JRI Health Launches "New Look" HIV [Web Page]: M2 Communications (07/28/97); The HIV Infoweb, a Internet-based resource for AIDS and HIV information, has announced that it will sport a new format.
Patients' HIV Care Preferences Not Communicated to Physicians: Reuters (07/28/97); A survey by Dr. Charles Mouton of the University of Texas Health Science Center found that of 1,000 HIV positive patients interviewed, only 35.8 percent had discussed preferences in their personal care with their physician.
Healthy Message Hits the Streets: Boston Globe (07/28/97) P. A1; Kong, Dolores; The Community Health Education Center (CHEC) is a program in Boston, MA, that emphasizes good health and sensible conduct by taking the message to the streets.
Transplants From Animals: Washington Post--Health (07/29/97) P. 4; Carlson, Peggy; In an editorial response to the Washington Post, Peggy Carlson, a U.S. Humane Society physician, responds to an article "Are Transplants From Animals Too Risky?"
Latex Allergies Can Cause Misery: Boston Globe (07/28/97) P. C1; Foreman, Judy; Allergic reactions to latex operating gloves have become a concern throughout the health care community.
Canadian Red Cross Blood Role Curtailed: Washington Times (07/29/97) P. A12; A national blood collection agency will take over the majority of blood gathering in Canada this September, taking away most of the Canadian Red Cross' responsibility for blood drives.
AmFAR Will End Support of CBCT Network, Begin New Clinical Program: AIDS Treatment News (07/04/97) No. 274, P. 7; James, John S.; At the end of its three-year contract cycle in January 1998, the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) will withdraw support of its Community Based Clinical Trials network.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Disadvantaged Australian Communities: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/09/97) Vol. 278, No. 2, P. 117; Fairley, Christopher K.; Bowden, Francis J.; Gay, Nigel J.; et al.; Researchers in Australia recently studied the prevalence of Neisseria gonorehoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and latent human papillomavirus in two populations in the country.
Instituto Butantan Produces Anti-Hepatitis Vaccines: SABI Wire Service (07/25/97); This year, Brazil's Instituto Butantan started producing vaccines against the hepatitis B virus.
CDC Developing Postexposure Treatment Guidelines For HIV: Reuters (07/25/97); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently made the first move in developing postexposure treatment (PET) guidelines for HIV, warning that prevention is still the best method for avoiding AIDS.
AIDS Cases on Increase in Zanzibar: Xinhua News Service (07/26/97); A report from Zanzibar health officials shows that in the last 11 years, 1,465 people on the island have been infected with HIV.
Timber Mill Byproduct May Fight Herpes: United Press International (07/27/97); A substance found in a wood by-product could eventually serve as a treatment for herpes, say researchers from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Komi Republic Protests Against Pen for AIDS and [Tuberculosis Patients]: Itar Wire Service (07/27/97); Yuri Spiridonov, head of the Komi Republic in northern Russia, has condemned the opening of special prisons for HIV-positive and tuberculosis-infected convicts near the city of Pechora.
AIDS Patients, Escaping Death, Fret About Life: USA Today (07/28/97) P. 13A; Finkbeiner, Ann; The treatment of AIDS has made giant leaps in the last few years, writes Ann Finkbeiner, a member of USA Today's board of contributors.
Whites Have More Effective New AIDS Drugs, Survey Shows: New York Times (07/27/97); Richardson, Lynda; The treatment of AIDS has made giant leaps in the last few years, writes Ann Finkbeiner, a member of USA Today's board of contributors.
ICN Pharmaceuticals to Pay $15 Million in Lawsuit Settlement: Wall Street Journal (07/28/97) P. B8; ICN Pharmaceuticals will pay $15 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed in 1995.
Nihon Pall Releases AIDS-Virus Filter: Nikkei Weekly (07/07/97) Vol. 35, No. 1781, P. 10; Tokyo's Nihon Pall Ltd. has developed the Ultipor VF-DV50, a filter that can remove HIV from a solution containing 10,000 to 100,000 cells per milliliter.
Identification of a Chemokine Receptor Encoded by Human Cytomegalovirus as a Cofactor for HIV-1 Entry: Science (06/20/97) Vol. 276, No. 5320, P. 1874; Pleskoff, Olivier; Treboute, Carole; Brelot, Anne; et al.; French researchers investigated whether a (beta)-chemokine receptor known as US28 demonstrates HIV coreceptor activity.
Nepal Launches Campaign Against Tuberculosis: Xinhua News Agency (07/24/97); A new program to prevent and control tuberculosis has been initiated by the government in Nepal.
U.S. Gives Senegal $16.5 Million in Health Aid: Reuters (07/24/97); The United States has awarded Senegal $16.5 million to help finance such health and population programs as birth control and AIDS prevention. The funds are part of a $21 million global grant.
Researcher Clone Virus of Deadly Hepatitis C: Reuters (07/24/97); Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Thursday, that researchers have cloned the hepatitis C virus.
Death Leaves State Without a Case: Houston Chronicle (07/24/97) P. 1A; Asin, Stefanie; On Tuesday, the Houston, Texas, district attorney's office dismissed criminal charges against a woman accused of spending $50,000 of a dying AIDS patient's money.
Around the Nation: [Medical Marijuana Use in Washington]: Washington Post (07/25/97) P. A24; On Thursday, the Washington state Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on the medicinal use of marijuana.
Trends in Deaths Reverse: Washington Post (07/25/97) P. A17; Six percent of all U.S. deaths in 1995 were associated with injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday.
'Morning-After' Drugs for AIDS Draw Warning: New York Times (07/25/97) P. A19; Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Thursday that using costly new AIDS drugs as a "morning-after" treatment could inhibit efforts to encourage safe sex and cause HIV to become more resistant to treatment.
Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Retinitis With a Sustained- Release Ganciclovir Implant: New England Journal of Medicine (07/10/97) Vol. 337, No. 2, P. 83; Musch, David C.; Martin, Daniel F.; Gordon, Judy F.; et al.; Researchers with the Ganciclovir Implant Study Group attempted to determine the relative efficacy of sustained-release ganciclovir implants and intravenous ganciclovir in 188 AIDS patients with newly diagnosed cytomegalovirus retinitis.
Nihon Pall Releases AIDS-Virus Filter: Nikkei Weekly (07/07/97) Vol. 35, No. 1781, P. 10; Tokyo's Nihon Pall Ltd. has developed the Ultipor VF-DV50, a filter that can remove HIV from a solution containing 10,000 to 100,000 cells per milliliter.
Science Feature: Uganda--Tuberculosis: PANA Wire Service (07/23/97); Uganda is now facing an epidemic of tuberculosis, health officials report. Figures from the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program (NTLC) show that the number of Ugandan TB patients increased from 19,000 in 1991 to 27,000 last year.
UPI Science News: [Hepatitis C Infection From Contaminated Medical Instruments]: United Press International (07/23/97); French researchers report that contaminated medical instruments were apparently the cause of two patients' infection with the hepatitis C virus.
Mass. Shows a Sharp Drop in AIDS Deaths: Boston Globe (07/23/97) P. A1; Kong, Dolores; This week, Massachusetts reported a 35 percent drop in AIDS deaths in 1996.
Unusual Strains of HIV Identified in Two Patients: Baltimore Sun (07/23/97) P. 4B; Sugg, Diana K.; Health officials announced Tuesday that two patients whose blood was analyzed at Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed unusual strains of HIV.
District Doesn't Need Marijuana Initiative: Washington Times (07/24/97) P. C2; McCaffrey, Barry R.; Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, writes in an editorial for the Washington Times that passing D.C. Initiative 57, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1997, is not a good idea.
After Unpromising Start, NIH Halts Study of Disputed AIDS Drug Kemron: Washington Post (07/24/97) P. A18; Goldstein, Amy; The National Institutes of Health has terminated a clinical trial of Kemron, or low-dose alpha interferon, a drug touted within some African American communities as a cure for AIDS.
AIDS Epidemic in Kaliningrad: Lancet (06/28/97) Vol. 349, No. 9069, P. 1914; Leinikki, Pauli; Finnish researchers, along with experts from the Pasteur Institute in St. Petersburg, investigated an outbreak of AIDS in Kaliningrad.
Men Behaving Badly: Advocate (07/08/97) No. 737, P. 26; Heitz, David; Although parties featuring drug use and reckless unprotected sex were not uncommon in the gay community in the 1970s and early 1980s, the spread of HIV changed things.
Excess Renal Cell Carcinoma Prevalence Seen In HIV-Infected Patients: Reuters (07/22/97); New research from the Medical Center of Central Georgia indicates that the prevalence of renal cell carcinoma is over 8.5 times higher in HIV-positive hospitalized patients than in HIV-negative patients.
Severity of AIDS-Related Cryptococcal Meningitis Affects Rx Efficacy: Reuters (07/22/97); New research published in the July issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy suggests that the severity of AIDS- related cryptococcal meningitis affects its response to fungicidal therapy.
Undetectable Antibody Reported in a Patient Infected With Typical HIV: Reuters (07/22/97); In the July issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers present the case of a patient infected with a typical strain of HIV who repeatedly tested HIV seronegative.
U.S. Drug Firms Urged to Bring AIDS Drugs to Africa: Reuters (07/23/97); U.S. delegates attending an African/American summit have promised to encourage U.S. drug makers to make costly AIDS medications available to poverty-stricken AIDS patients in Africa.
Across the USA: Massachusetts: USA Today (07/23/97) P. 6A; Massachusetts officials attribute the decrease in AIDS deaths in the state to better treatment therapies.
UNICEF Tells How Half the World Lacks Even Basic Sanitation: New York Times (07/23/97) P. A9; Crossette, Barbara; A report released by UNICEF on Tuesday stated that the spread of new diseases, as well as a resurgence of established ones, can be attributed in part to the fact that more than half of the world's population lacks sanitary toilet facilities.
White House Decries Efforts in D.C. to Legalize Marijuana: Washington Post (07/23/97) P. B5; The White House said Tuesday that it opposes the proposed Washington, D.C., ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal use.
Sex Education That Teaches Abstinence Wins Support: New York Times (07/23/97) P. A19; Although a few were reluctant to ask for the money, all 50 U.S. states have applied for abstinence-education funds from the federal government.
Safety of Hepatitis A Vaccine in HIV-Infected Men: AIDS Clinical Care (07/97) Vol. 9, No. 7, P. 57; Researchers have presented the results of a study of the safety of the hepatitis A vaccine (HAV) among HIV-infected men in the journal AIDS.
Slipping Up: Advocate (07/08/97) No. 737, P. 33; Gallagher, John; Health care professionals say that unsafe sex is on the rise, in part because of the new combination drug treatments.
Very Early Marker of AIDS Progression Identified: Reuters (07/21/97); In the July issue of the journal Blood, Dr. Reinhold Forster of Germany's Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine reports that the deregulated expression of BLR1, a B cell chemokine receptor involved in B-cell migration, may serve as a marker of AIDS progression even in the asymptomatic stage of HIV infection.
HIV Prevalence Low Among Sex Workers In Mexico City: Reuters (07/21/97); The risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among female sex workers in Mexico City is low, according to the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
AIDS Campaigner Urges China Boost Sex Education: Reuters (07/22/97); Bertrand Boudreau, a Canadian bicycling round the world to promote AIDS awareness, said that China appears determined to fight the spread of HIV, yet lacks sufficient sex education in schools.
For Past Decade, Quilt Has Put Focus on AIDS: Houston Chronicle (07/21/97) P. 11A; Lavigne, Paula; On Sunday, Houston residents celebrated the 10th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which honors nearly 77,000 people who have died of AIDS.
Monoclonal Antibody Has Potential to Treat, Prevent HIV Infection: Reuters (07/21/97); Scientists from Harvard report in the July 20 issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses on the development of hu5A8, a nondepleting CD4-specific human monoclonal antibody that may have the potential to block HIV replication.
Does Marijuana Really Cure?: Washington Times (07/22/97) P. A17; McKinnon, Manon; Those who support the legalization of marijuana for medical treatment are taking the first step toward the legalization of all drugs, writes Manon McKinnon, a policy analyst at Empower America, in an editorial in the Washington Times.
Work Week: An OSHA Plan to Shield Health Workers Against Resurgent TB Is Installed: Wall Street Journal (07/22/97) P. A1; Karr, Albert R.; The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced that it will issue a plan that requires hospitals, nursing homes, and homeless shelters to protect their workers from exposure to tuberculosis.
Court Sets New Standard For Some H.I.V. Lawsuits: New York Times (07/22/97) P. A17; The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of allowing people to sue for emotional distress caused by fear of having contracted HIV, even if no actual exposure took place.
Protease Inhibitors in the Homeless: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/02/97) Vol. 278, No. 1, P. 63; Bangsberg, David; Tulsky, Jaqueline P.; Hecht, Frederick M.; et al.; Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco and San Francisco General Hospital assert that standard protease inhibitor therapy should be made available to the homeless and marginally housed, in a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Reduction of Concentration of HIV-1 in Semen After Treatment of Urethritis: Implications for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of HIV-1: Lancet (06/28/97) Vol. 349, No. 9069, P. 1868; Cohen, Myron S.; Hoffman, Irving R.; Royce, Rachel A.; et al.; Because transmission of HIV-1 in sub-Saharan Africa is predominantly through heterosexual contact and the rate of other sexually transmitted diseases is also high in that region, epidemiologists have suggested that STDs increase the rate of HIV-1 transmission via higher viral concentration in the semen.
Providers Applaud Suicide Ruling: Modern Healthcare (06/30/97) Vol. 27, No. 26, P. 3; Scott, Lisa; Provider organizations are praising the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that doctor-assisted suicide is not a constitutional right.
Hepatitis: Silent Predator: MacLean's (07/01/97) Vol. 110, No. 26, P. 98; Elash, Anita; Hepatitis surfaced as a major health problem in the mid-1960s. Presently, up to 500 million people worldwide carry the most serious forms of the disease, hepatitis B and C, with about 500,000 located in Canada alone.
International Trial of Buffergel for HIV/STD Prevention to Begin: Reuters (07/18/97); Buffergel, a topical microbicide manufactured by Reprotect, is slated to begin international Phase I safety trials this fall, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "The Blue Sheet."
HIV Mom Arrested for Child Abuse: United Press International (07/21/97); Child abuse charges have been filed against Sarah Jane Salazar, the first Filipino to acknowledge publicly that she is infected with HIV.
Most of World AIDS Cases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Xinhua News Agency (07/20/97); At least 75 percent of the world's AIDS cases are found in sub -Saharan Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
Across the USA: Ohio: USA Today (07/21/97) P. 6A; Under a new law in Ohio, tattoo artists and body piercers must now be licensed and inspected by state health officials. The new law also requires state residents under the age of 18 to get parental consent for tattoos and piercings.
Women and AIDS: The Better Half Got the Worse End: New York Times (07/20/97) P. 4-1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a 19 percent decrease in U.S. AIDS deaths this past year, deaths among women fell only 7 percent between 1995 and 1996.
Optional Sex-Ed Counseling Plan Irks Legislators: Washington Times--Metropolitan Times (07/21/97) P. C7; Some Virginia legislators are considering introducing bills to reinstate mandatory sex education and elementary school guidance counselors, which may be ended if the State Board of Education decides to make the classes and counselors optional.
Forgotten But Not Gone: Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Advocate (07/08/97) No. 737, P. 35; Gallagher, John; Even though HIV is considered the most frightening risk among men who have unprotected sex, the threat of other sexually transmitted diseases also presents a major hazard.
Dissent in the House: POZ (07/97) P. 73; Pelosi, Nancy; Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Connie Morella (R-Md.) recently introduced an HIV prevention bill that is aimed at increasing funding for AIDS research, improving legislation for HIV prevention programs, and maintaining anonymity in HIV testing.
India Negotiates WB Loan for AIDS Control: Xinhua News Agency (07/18/97); After receiving a loan of $87 million in 1992 to help combat AIDS, India has initiated negotiations with the World Bank for a second loan to fight the disease.
Japanese Official Fired for AIDS Remark: United Press International (07/17/97); The head of an advisory committee to Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry was fired Thursday for saying that it was a waste of government money to offer free medical care to AIDS patients.
Prisoners Cleared in TB Scare: Australian Associated Press (07/17/97); According to Graham Rouch, chief health officer of Australia's Victorian Department of Human Services, an inmate of Victoria's Beechworth Prison who is infected with active tuberculosis has not infected any other inmates or prison staff members.
New AIDS Treatments Hurt Viatical Business: Washington Times (07/17/97) P. B8; Gallagher, Jim; For terminally ill people, especially AIDS patients, viatical settlements are an effective means of ensuring financial security during their last months of life.
Manila No Longer Allows Media Interview With AIDS Victims: Xinhua News Agency (07/18/97); The media will no longer be permitted to interview AIDS patients in the Philippines, according to the country's Department of Health.
Girls Get Gonorrhea More Often Than Boys: Washington Times (07/18/97) P. A10; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that teenage girls get gonorrhea about 1.5 times as often as teenage boys.
Miami Doctor's Death May be Serial Killer's Work: Washington Times (07/18/97) P. A3; FBI agents warn of a possible link between Tuesday's fatal sidewalk shooting of designer Gianni Versace and another killing Thursday only miles from the site of the Versace shooting.
Florida Court Says Man With AIDS Cannot Get Doctor to Help Suicide: Washington Post (07/18/97) P. A15; The Supreme Court of Florida on Thursday denied an AIDS patient's request to be prescribed a lethal dose of medication by his physician.
Autopsy Risk and Acquisition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Case Report and Reappraisal: Journal of the American Medical Association (07/02/97) Vol. 278, No. 1, P. 3e In the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, researchers from Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine present a well-documented case of autopsy-acquired HIV in a pathologist who suffered a scalpel wound during the surgery. The researchers noted that there previously had been no documented cases of HIV-1 transmitted during an autopsy, so risk was considered limited. "Allah's Prodigal Son" Village Voice (07/01/97) Vol. 42, No. 26, P. 48; Noel, Peter; Shortly before he died of AIDS on Nov. 23, 1996, Kuba Abu Koss was given a mock trial by his peers from the Lost-Found Nation of Islam (LFNOI).
Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AZT: PANA Wire Service (07/16/97); The government of Zimbabwe is considering the possible use of AZT in pregnant HIV-infected women to reduce transmission of the virus to unborn infants, despite evidence that the drug is ineffective as an AIDS treatment for the HIV-positive mothers when used without other drugs.
Science & Health Bulletin: Zambia--AIDS NGO Adopts [Method of Prevention]: PANA Wire Service (07/16/97)
White House Promises a Fight to Make Weld Ambassador: New York Times (07/17/97) P. A20; Stout, David; The White House said Wednesday that it is ready to fight to gain confirmation of Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld as U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
Panel Seeks Care for Research Chimps: New York Times (07/17/97) P. A16; Leary, Warren E.; A committee from the National Research Council said Wednesday that a federal agency should take over responsibility in caring for most chimpanzees used in medical research.
Marijuana Initiative Fought: Washington Post (07/17/97) P. D5; Petitions are being circulated by ACT UP in Washington, D.C., in an effort to form a ballot initiative for the legalization of marijuana in the District for medicinal uses.
Setting a Course for Survival: USA Today (07/17/97) P. 2D; Juersivich, Heidi; The crew of the Survivor, a racing yacht adorned with names of people who have died of AIDS, finished 19th in the 2,200 mile Trans-Pacific Yacht Race.
States to Promote Sexual Abstinence: Washington Times (07/17/97) P. A10; An aide to Senator Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) reported Wednesday that at least 48 states have applied for funding from the $50 million federal abstinence-education program.
New Tactic of Invasion by AIDS Virus Is Found: New York Times (07/17/97) P. A18; Grady, Denise; New research published in the journal Nature suggests that HIV invades human cells on several fronts and that future AIDS treatment must be designed to block multiple pathways.
Update: Syringe-Exchange Programs--United States, 1996: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (06/20/97) Vol. 46, No. 24, P. 565; In November 1996, the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City mailed questionnaires to the directors of 101 syringe- exchange-programs (SEPs) and followed them up with structured telephone interviews to try to determine the efficacy of needle-exchange programs.
AZT Shows Promise as Breast Cancer Fighter: Science News (06/28/97) Vol. 151, No. 26, P. 397; Seppa, N.; The drug AZT, used to fight the spread of HIV in the body, may prove useful as a model for developing drugs that work against cancer.
Zambia: Impact of HIV on Surgical Practice: Lancet--Supplement (06/97) Vol. 349, P. SIII19; Kasongo, Zachariah; HIV has had a significant effect on the Department of Surgery at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital, writes Zachariah Kasongo of the orthopedic surgical unit in a Lancet supplement.
HIV Disease Shortens Life Expectancy of Gay Men by up to 20 Years: Reuters (07/15/97); A mortality analysis of homosexual males indicates that gay men in Vancouver, British Columbia, have a life expectancy eight to 20 years shorter than non-gay men in the same area.
Resistant HIV Emergence Unpredictable With Saquinavir Monotherapy: Reuters (07/15/97); New research published in the June issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy suggests that a year of monotherapy with saquinavir results in a variable pattern of reduced susceptibility to the drug.
'Sugar Daddy' Syndrome Blamed for AIDS Infection: Africa News Online (07/15/97); Girls believed to be HIV negative are being singled out by older men for sexual favor in Zambia, a trend that is increasing the severity of the HIV infection rate among Zambian girls aged 15 to 19.
Agouron Sells Asian Rights to Viracept: Reuters (07/15/97); Agouron Pharmaceuticals and Japan Tobacco announced on Tuesday that they have sold Asian marketing rights to the protease inhibitor Viracept to Hoffmann-La Roche, a subsidiary of Roche Holding, for $6 million plus royalties.
The Reliable Source: Coburn's Intimate Lunch: Washington Post (07/16/97) P. D3; Gerhart, Ann; Groer, Annie; On Thursday, Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) will host "Sex, Lunch, and Overhead Slides," a luncheon in the Capitol during which he will discuss abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases.
Weld, Seeking Mexico Post, Challenges White House to Stand Up to Helms: New York Times (07/16/97) P. A10; Rimer, Sara; Reports that President Clinton may be re-considering nominating him as ambassador to Mexico have prompted Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld to challenge the White House to back him for the post.
Suit Is Planned Over HIV Law: New York Times (07/16/97) P. A17; The HIV Law Project, a non-profit organization that provides legal assistance to poor women and children with HIV, is readying a lawsuit against two New York City hospitals and the state of New York over a new law that mandates HIV testing of newborns in the state and disclosure of the results.
Tommy Morrison Wants You to Believe: POZ (07/97) P. 66; Schoenfeld, Bruce; Heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison, diagnosed with HIV in February of 1996, believes that modern medicines and treatments linked to HIV are merely death accelerators.
Naked Before the World: Newsweek (06/30/97) Vol. 129, No.26, P. 84; Spragins, Ellyn E.; Hager, Mary; Computer information technology has enabled the medical profession to store and access records of virtually anyone's complete medical history.
Tropical Medicine in the HIV/AIDS Era: Lancet--Supplement (06/97) Vol. 349, P. SIII17; Gilks, Charles F.; Over 95 percent of the 3 million to 4 million new HIV infections expected this year will be in low-income, tropical nations.
The Need for Blood Donations: Washington Post (07/15/97) P. 5; According to the American Red Cross, blood donors are not classified by race or age but by the presence or absence of antigens in their blood.
Study Links Heart Attacks to Infections: Wall Street Journal (07/15/97) P. B1; Winslow, Ron; New research published in the most recent issue of Circulation, a journal published by the American Heart Association, suggests that infections can cause heart attacks and antibiotics might be used to treat patients with heart problems.
UPI Science News: [NIH Warning on Indinavir]: United Press International (07/14/97); National Institutes of Health researchers announced Monday that the protease inhibitor indinavir may leave crystals in a patient's urine, causing back and flank pain as well as frequent, painful urination.
United Nations: AIDS to Hit 1 Million Children: IPS Wire (07/14/97); According to a new United Nations report, the number of children with AIDS in the world is expected to rise from 830,000 in 1996 to more than 1 million this year.
Should Drugs for AIDS Be Withheld From Noncompliant Patients?: Washington Post--Health (07/15/97) P. 9; Carey, Jeanne; Schoenbaum, Ellie; This week, Congress will consider whether or not to pass a measure that will increase federal funding and enable poor patients with no insurance or Medicaid to buy protease inhibitor therapies.
Pataki-U.S. Accord Seen On Revamping Medicaid: New York Times (07/15/97) P. A16; Hernandez, Raymond; In a move to cut New York's $24 billion annual Medicaid bill, Governor George Pataki and the Clinton administration have reached an agreement that requires most of the 3.5 million Medicaid recipients in the state to enroll in managed care.
AIDS Deaths Drop 19 Percent in U.S., in Part From Newer Treatment: New York Times (07/15/97) P. A1; Altman, Lawrence K.; Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Monday that AIDS deaths in the United States continue to decline.
Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Infection in 1997: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/25/97) Vol. 277, No. 24, P. 1962; Carpenter, Charles C.J.; Fischl, Margaret A.; Hammer, Scott M.; et al.; The International AIDS Society has updated the guidelines it issued for antiretroviral therapy in July 1996.
Effectiveness of Needle-Exchange Programmes for Prevention of HIV Infection: Lancet (06/21/97) Vol. 349, No. 9068, P. 1797; Hurley, Susan F.; Jolley, Damien J.; Kaldor, John M.; Australian researchers used an ecological study design to examine changes over time in HIV seroprevalence in intravenous drug users throughout the world in cities with and without needle-exchange programs (NEPs).
A Hemophilia Treatment Is Recalled by Hyland Unit: Wall Street Journal (07/14/97) P. B10; Baxter Healthcare's Hyland subsidiary initiated a recall of three lots of its Recombinate Antihemophilic Factor after a quality-assurance test revealed that four of 10,000 mock units tested contained penicillium.
Glaxo's Appeal Overrides Key Patent's Expiry: Wall Street Journal (07/14/97) P. B10B; Moore, Stephen D.; Glaxo Wellcome's patent on the best-selling ulcer drug Zantac will soon to run out, but the company is not expected to suffer significantly.
AIDS Patients' Needs Are at Record Levels: Wall Street Journal (07/14/97) P. A15; In a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, Jim Graham, executive director of Washington D.C.'s Whitman Walker Clinic, notes that there has been a significant decline in public support for AIDS-related causes.
Offering Clean Needles: Washington Post (07/14/97) P. A18; The spread of HIV is a continued threat among intravenous drug users (IDUs), observe the editors of the Washington Post.
Patents: A Disposable Needle With Color Coding: New York Times (07/14/97) P. D2; Chartrand, Sabra; The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent for a new needle that changes color once it has been used.
Across the USA: South Carolina: USA Today (07/14/97) P. 12A; Health officials in North Carolina claim that the use of home HIV kits has hampered the state's ability to plan effectively for preventative and supportive health programs.
Federal Funds Refuel a Sex-Ed Fire: USA Today (07/14/97) P. 3A; Ritter, John; With the federal government offering grants to states for abstinence-based education, the issue of what to teach children on the subject of pregnancy prevention is becoming increasingly controversial.
Doctor Stirs Storm With AIDS Strategy: Washington Times (07/14/97) P. A1; Price, Joyce; Dr. David Hodes, head of the infectious diseases division of the pediatric department of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has been receiving much attention lately for his position on dealing with the AIDS epidemic.
Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination in Taiwan and the Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Children: New England Journal of Medicine (06/26/97) Vol. 336, No. 26, P. 1855; Chang, Mei-Hwei; Chen, Chien-Jen; Lai, Mei-Shu; et al.; Researchers in Taiwan recently examined the effects of a nationwide hepatitis B vaccination program, which was instituted in the country in 1984, on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in children.
Keep Your Hands Off, Please, NIH Tells Congress: Lancet (06/21/97) Vol. 349, No. 9068, P. 1821; Greenberg, Daniel S.; At a special June meeting of the House subcommittee that votes on funding for the National Institutes of Health, Rep. Ernest J. Istook (R-Okla.) asserted that NIH is overly concerned with politics and political correctness.
Hollywood Throws Its Support Behind Outfest: USA Today (07/11/97) P. 8D; Rothman, Clifford; The 15th Los Angeles gay and lesbian film festival opens today, featuring some 200 films during the 10-day event.
Kaposi's Sarcoma Decreasing as AIDS-Defining Illness: Reuters (07/10/97); According to a report in the July issue of the British Journal of Cancer, the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma as an AIDS- defining illness has been decreasing since 1987.
Bisexual Transmission Not Big Contributor to AIDS Epidemic in US: Reuters (07/10/97); Researchers in San Francisco have concluded that bisexual transmission of HIV is not a major factor in the spread of the virus.
AIDS Drug Still Under Test Is Available to Some Kids: Investor's Business Daily (07/11/97) P. A1; Glaxo Wellcome reports that children up to age 13 in the advanced stages of AIDS who have not benefited from other therapies may be eligible for treatment with 1592, an experimental AIDS medication.
Doctors Group Says Drug Policy Flawed: Boston Globe (07/10/97) P. A4; Knox, Richard A.; Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy, a group of 37 doctors, met Wednesday to discuss the effects of America's illicit drug use policy.
School-age Children With HIV Monitored: Boston Globe (07/10/97) P. A3; A new study in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics reports that the first generation of children born with HIV has reached school age and that most of them, even those with symptoms of AIDS, are attending school.
Finland Jails American HIV Carrier: Washington Post (07/11/97) P. A28; An American man has been sentenced to 14 years in jail by a Finnish court on 17 counts of attempted manslaughter after having unprotected sex while knowing that he was infected with HIV.
States, in Midst of Cash Crunch, Restrict AIDS-Drug Programs, Report Finds: Wall Street Journal (07/11/97) P. B12; McGinley, Laurie; A new study conducted by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and the AIDS Treatment Data Network reveals that 22 states have imposed emergency restrictions to limit either the number of people served by AIDS-drug assistance programs or the availability of the medications themselves.
Possible Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Associated With Exposure of Mucous Membrane to Contaminated Blood: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (07/11/97) Vol. 46, no. 27,; This article reports findings from a CDC investigation of a case of HIV transmission from an HIV-infected man to his female sexual partner.
Tom Coburn Talks AIDS: POZ (07/97) P. 70; Burr, Chandler; In an interview with POZ magazine, Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), sponsor of the HIV Prevention Act of 1997, defends the measure.
Birth Control: Scared to a Standstill: Business Week (06/16/97) No. 3531, P. 142; Freundlich, Naomi; Drug makers, concerned about potential liability lawsuits, have avoided the U.S. contraceptive market.
South Asia--AIDS: HIV Sneaks Across Open Borders: IPS Wire (07/10/97); HIV is becoming an increasing threat to South Asia.
Health of Russian School Children Deteriorating: Xinhua News Agency (07/09/97); New research shows that adolescents in Russia are in increasingly poor health.
Cel-Sci Corporation Announces Development of a Potential AIDS Vaccine for Worldwide Use: PRNewswire (07/09/97); Cel-Sci has announced the development of a modified version of its HGP-30 AIDS vaccine.
Youth Need Sex Education, Family Planning: Xinhua News Agency (07/09/97); According to a new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) booklet, young people worldwide feel a need for more accurate information on sex, AIDS, family planning, and marrying and having children.
Twice Called: Boston Globe (07/09/97) P. D1; Lehr, Dick; Dr. Jon Fuller works in the Boston Medical Center clinic caring for patients with HIV, dealing daily with the reality of patients contracting deadly pneumonia, relapsing into their intravenous drug habits, and asking for lethal prescriptions should they want to end their lives sooner than the disease can.
French State Fined for Doctor's HIV: Reuters (07/09/97); A Versailles court has ordered the French state to pay $922,000 in damages to a physician who contracted HIV when he cut himself during an operation on an AIDS patient.
Across the USA: North Carolina, California: USA Today (07/10/97) P. 10A; Charges against a man who allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl while he knew he was infected with HIV were dismissed on Wednesday in a North Carolina court.
Better Way to Treat AIDS Eye Infection Is Found: New York Times (07/10/97) P. A18; New research published in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that a time-release ganciclovir tablet implanted in the eye may be an effective treatment for cytomegalovirus retinitis, a common complication of AIDS.
Postcoital Vaginal Bleeding as a Risk Factor for Transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in a Heterosexual Partner Study in Brazil: Archives of Internal Medicine (06/23/97) Vol. 157, No. 12, P. 1362; Guimaraes, Mark D.C.; Vlahov, David; Castilho, Euclides A.; Researchers in Brazil and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland studied heterosexual couples to establish the role of postcoital vaginal bleeding in HIV transmission.
Marketing Pact Reached: Nikkei Weekly (06/16/97) Vol. 35, No. 1778, P. 7; Japan's Green Cross Corporation will collaborate with Bristol- Myers Squibb on the Japanese marketing of d4T, a drug for the treatment of AIDS.
UC San Francisco Researchers Receive $4 Million NIH Grant to Study Acute Infection and Early HIV Disease: Business Wire (07/08/97); The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a $4 million grant to University of California at San Francisco researchers for a study on AIDS.
More Than 100 Countries to Observe World Population Day: M2 Presswire (07/08/97); The theme for this year's World Population Day will be adolescent reproductive health care.
Exotic Imports Have Captured Italy's Sex Market: New York Times (07/09/97) P. A4; Bohlen, Celestine; The prostitution market in Italy is growing rapidly, in large part because of the surge of international prostitution rings.
HMO Meeting Set on Coverage of AIDS: Houston Chronicle (07/08/97) P. 18A; Zuniga, Jo Ann; AIDS patients, health officials, agencies, and doctors will participate in discussion of a new health maintenance organization plan for Texas on Thursday.
Home Tests Useful, But With Caveats: Boston Globe (07/07/97) P. C1; Foreman, Judy; Home medical tests for such conditions as high cholesterol, pregnancy, HIV, and blood sugars are becoming increasingly popular, because the tests allow consumers to get quick results.
The Normal Heart Vs. Cooler Heads: New York Times (07/09/97) P. A23; Arenson, Karen W.; Larry Kramer, a successful playwright and one of the founders of Gay Men's Health Crisis, recently offered to donate several million dollars toward the development of a gay and lesbian studies program at Yale University, his alma mater.
Business Travel: A Study Indicates There May Be More to Travel Illness Than Jet Lag and Infectious Diseases: New York Times (07/09/97) P. D2; McDowell, Edwin; A recently released study of insurance claims filed by World Bank employees suggests that business travelers file more medical claims at greater rates than workers who stay at home.
Link Found to Spread of AIDS: New York Times (07/09/97) P. C8; Altman, Lawrence K.; Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill have found that HIV-positive men who have also contracted another sexually transmitted disease have eight times as much HIV in their semen as do men without two infections.
If the Condom Breaks: Time (06/23/97) Vol. 149, No. 25, P. 48; Gorman, Christine; Among the topics to be discussed at next month's special meeting of AIDS experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are the so-called morning-after treatment for exposure to HIV and the effects it could have on combating AIDS.
Health Agencies Update: Reproductive Health: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/25/97) Vol. 277, No. 24, P. 1924; Stephenson, Joan; A panel from the National Research Council reports that even poor nations with limited resources can improve reproductive health.
U.S. Sees New Path of Hepatitis Infection: Reuters (07/03/97); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the case of a hepatitis C-infected woman who accidentally transmitted the virus to her hemophiliac child via an injection of a blood clotting agent shows the danger of infection in families where an illness is being treated at home.
Zambia's Medical Council in Tiff Over AIDS Cure Claims: Africa News Service (07/07/97); An African Medical Council is alleging that Professor Mulenga Lukwesa, inventor of a drug that supposedly reverses the symptoms of HIV and AIDS, has a dubious medical background.
Health Notes: New AIDS Drug Available: United Press International (07/07/97); Wasowicz, Lidia; Pharmacia & Upjohn has launched Rescriptor (delavirdine mesylate), a new AIDS drug recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug is intended for use with other therapies for HIV infection.
U.N. to Give China $1.89 Million to Fight AIDS: Reuters (07/08/97); China will reportedly receive $1.89 million from the United Nations Development Program over the next four years to stem the spread of HIV.
Forbidding Fruit: How Safe Is Our Produce?: Washington Post--Health (07/08/97) P. 10; Boodman, Sandra G.; In the past several years, public health officials have investigated an increasing number of produce-related illnesses.
Needle Programs Are Needed: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (07/08/97) P. A10; Now is the time to end the ban on federal funding of needle- exchange programs, write the editors of the Los Angeles Times, because they have been proven to reduce HIV transmission without increasing drug abuse.
The Gods of Fertility: New York Times (07/08/97) P. A15; Bruni, Frank; Fertility doctors in the New York area, where clinics report some of the highest success rates in the world, are being confronted with a growing number of moral and social issues.
Sex-Ed Funds Worry States: Washington Post (07/08/97) P. A1; Mathews, Jay; State health officials, reluctant to spurn birth control groups yet eager for federal funding, are grappling over how to react to a controversial abstinence-only sex-education grant approved by Congress.
Activist Wins a MacArthur: Village Voice (06/24/97) Vol 42, No. 25, P. 26; Schoofs, Mark; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation recently awarded AIDS activist Mark Harrington, founder of the Treatment Action Group, a $240,000 fellowship for his campaign to restructure AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health.
HIV-Prevention Strategies: Lancet (05/10/97) Vol. 349, No. 9062, P. 1394; Gostin, Lawrence; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, Lawrence Gostin of the Georgetown University Law Center responds to a March article that discussed the ban on federal funding for needle- exchange programs and the hesitancy of states and municipalities to implement them.
The Hole Story on Body Piercing: Washington Post (07/05/97) P. D1; Wartofsky, Alona; Body piercing has become increasingly trendy in recent years, and some people are finding that the practice also has some negative aspects.
Suffer the Children: New York Times (07/07/97) P. A23; Lewis, Anthony; The government's moves to toughen penalties for youth offenders are putting children at risk, claims Anthony Lewis in the New York Times.
Across the USA: Utah: USA Today (07/07/97) P. 12A; The Department of Justice reports that Intermountain Health Care's blood bank service does not meet federal standards and has taken away the organization's license.
New Policy by AIDS Agency Angers Advocacy Groups: New York Times (07/06/97) P. 13; AIDS advocacy groups claim that a new policy for contacting caseworkers at one of New York City's busiest outreach centers violates patients' privacy.
Officially Reported AIDS Cases Rise 18 Percent: Reuters (07/04/97); Nebehay, Stephanie; The World Health Organization reported Friday that nearly 1.65 million people have been recorded officially as having developed AIDS since the start of the pandemic 16 years ago-- an increase of 18 percent from last year.
Head of Nation's Largest Blood Center Resigns Amid Probe: Washington Post (07/05/97) P. A7; John Adamson, president of the New York Blood Center, the largest independent blood supplier in the United States, resigned Thursday.
No One Trusts the Dying: Washington Post (07/07/97) P. A19; Angell, Marcia; The Supreme Court may have voted against permitting doctor- assisted suicide for dying patients, but eventually the practice will become legal because dying patients need that choice, writes Marcia Angell, executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, in the Washington Post.
FDA Sent Warnings to J&J on HIV Test; Firm Decided to Pull Kit on Slow Sales: Wall Street Journal (07/07/97) P. B5; Tanouye, Elyse; Johnson & Johnson says its decision to withdraw its Confide home HIV test from the market last month was motivated by low demand and was "absolutely not" the result of two Food and Drug Administration warning letters.
Reemerging Pathogens and Diseases Out of Control: Lancet--Supplement (06/97) Vol. 349, P. SIII8; Heymann, David L.; Rodier, Guanael; The emergence and reemergence of infectious disease in the past 20 years can be attributed to several factors, including urbanization, population growth, increased travel, and poverty.
A Bloody Mess at One Federal Lab: U.S. News and World Report (06/23/97) Vol. 122, No. 24, P. 26; Hawkins, Dana; Employees of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the oldest national lab in the United States, allege that they were tested for syphilis, pregnancy, and the sickle-cell gene without their knowledge.
Alza Acquires Mycelex Troche From Bayer: Reuters (07/02/97); Alza announced on Tuesday that it had purchased rights to Bayer's Mycelex Troche (clotrimazole), a drug for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis, for a $50 million upfront payment and royalties if future net sales are above a certain level.
Legalise Cannabis For Medical Uses: Reuters (07/02/97); Smith, Helen; At a conference of the British Medical Association in Edinburgh, Scotland, British doctors voted nearly unanimously to allow the use of cannabis for the treatment of serious conditions such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.
Blood Bank Exec Sees Possible Blood Drought: Reuters (07/02/97); Zabarenko, Deborah; America's Blood Centers executive director Jim MacPherson reported Wednesday that the nation's blood supply may see one of its worst shortages this summer.
South Korea's HIV Carriers Increase: Xinhua News Agency (07/02/97); According to South Korea's Health and Welfare Ministry, 56 more South Koreans have contracted HIV in the first half of this year, bringing the total number of HIV-infected South Koreans to 670 by the end of June.
Protease Inhibitor Therapy for Homeless HIV Patients Debated: Reuters (07/02/97); Researchers from the University of California and elsewhere recently met in San Francisco to discuss the ethical implications of providing protease inhibitor drugs to homeless HIV-infected patients.
U.S. Children Doing Better in School But Using More Drugs, Report Finds: Washington Times (07/03/97) P. A4; Price, Joyce; American children are better educated than ever yet face increasing parental neglect and abuse and adolescents are increasingly turning to drugs, according to a new presidential report.
Assisted Suicide Decision Looms in Florida: New York Times (07/03/97) P. A14; Navarro, Mireya; In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to let individual states decide whether to permit physician-assisted suicide, the Supreme Court of Florida is faced with the need to make an immediate decision.
F.D.A. Warnings Preceded Withdrawal of H.I.V. Test: New York Times (07/03/97) P. D4; Canedy, Dana; Prior to Johnson & Johnson's removal of its Confide home HIV test kit from drugstore shelves last week, the Food and Drug Administration had apparently been warning the company about changes in its quality control procedures.
The Gloves Come Off Over Latex: Business Week (06/16/97) No. 3521, P. 85; Weber, Joseph; Since the late 1980s, when the U.S. government required health care workers to protect themselves further from the transmission of HIV, use of latex gloves has continued to rise.
OSHA Sets New TB Standards: Washington Business Journal (06/12/97) P. 8; Mukherjee, Sougata; The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, citing tuberculosis as one of the most dangerous and contagious diseases dealt with by health care workers, will soon implement new safety standards for those who treat TB patients.
Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention in Managed Care Settings Research: Housing the Elderly Report (06/23/97) No. 6, P. 11; The Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $650,000 for a study of sexually transmitted disease prevention within a managed care environment.
Zambian First Lady Urges Against Spread of AIDS: Xinhua News Agency (07/01/97); Zambian First Lady Vera Chiluba has made a plea to her people to uphold their cultural values in order to help halt the spread of HIV.
University of Colorado Receives NIH Funding for [Research on AIDS Drugs]: States News Service (07/01/97); The National Institutes of Health has awarded $4.5 million to the University of Colorado for research designed to find out how HIV causes disease in adults.
Seminar on Anti-TB Drugs Opens in Nepal: Xinhua News Agency (07/01/97); A seminar on the production, marketing, distribution, and quality control of anti-tuberculosis drugs opened in South Africa on Tuesday.
Sexual Issues Fan Parents' Fears: New York Times (07/02/97) P. C8; Marano, Hara Estroff; Some parents in New York City have become concerned about their children's sex lives after students at area private secondary schools announced that they are lesbians.
Day Care Centers Sued Over HIV Policy: United Press International (07/01/97); Three day-care centers in Beloit, WI, are being sued by the U.S. attorney's office for allegedly refusing to enroll a four -year old boy who is HIV-positive.
AIDS Spreads Faster in Prisons, Warns U.N.: IPS Wire (07/01/97); The United Nations is concerned about rising HIV infection in the world's prisons.
A Poster Child for AIDS Grows Into a National Spokesman: New York Times (07/02/97) P. D17; Richardson, Lynda; At the age of four, Joey DiPaolo contracted HIV on May 23, 1984, when he received a tainted blood transfusion during surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.
Low-Dose Compared With Standard-Dose m-Bacod Chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Associated With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (06/05/97) Vol. 336, No. 23, P. 1641; Kaplan, Lawrence D.; Straus, David J.; Testa, Marcia A.; et Kaplan, Lawrence D.; Researchers for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group studied the response rates, survival, and toxic effects in HIV-infected individuals with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who were treated with low-dose chemotherapy or a standard dose treatment with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).
HIV-2 In Children: Disease Progression Slower Than HIV-1: Reuters (06/30/97) French researchers report the characteristics and clinical course of seven youths who contracted HIV-2 either from a blood transfusion or vertically in the June issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. The doctors observed that the progression of immunodeficiency with HIV-2 was significantly slower than with HIV-1. It reportedly took eight years for the children to develop severe immunodeficiency. The researchers also note that "nucleoside analogs and protease inhibitors are as effective on HIV-2 as on HIV-1."; "HIV May Spare Cells--For a Short Time" Science News (06/14/97) Vol. 151, No. 24, P. 371 New research suggests that HIV may deliberately delay the death of the body's defensive T cells.
Johnson & Johnson Withdraws Home HIV Testing Service: Reuters (06/30/97); Johnson and Johnson's Direct Access division reported last week that because of a lack of consumer demand, it is pulling its HIV home-testing kit off the shelves.
Back in Circulation: Washington Post--Washington Business (06/30/97) P. 12; Chandrasekaran, Rajiv; Most American Red Cross blood banks used, until recently, antiquated computer mainframes for the storage and recall of crucial information regarding the donation and testing of blood.
Benchmarks of Justice: New York Times (07/01/97) P. A1; Greenhouse, Linda; The Supreme Court issued several landmark decisions in its most recent term.
A Right That Doctors Spurn: Washington Post (07/01/97) P. A19; Dionne, E.J. Jr.; In an editorial in the Washington Post, E.J. Dionne Jr. suggests that the Supreme Court's decision not to identify physician-assisted suicide as a right is an extremely wise one.
Hepatitis B Vaccine May Block Liver Cancer: Washington Post--Health (07/01/97) P. 5; Okie, Susan; Researchers in Taiwan recently tracked the incidence rates and death rates for hepatocellular carcinoma to determine whether a national immunization program to fight hepatitis B had lowered liver cancer rates in children.
Immigration Law Arouses Adopters' Opposition: Washington Post--Health (07/01/97) P. 7; Okie, Susan; U.S. parents who adopt infants and children from overseas are concerned about a new immigration rule that requires those children to be vaccinated in their home countries before being admitted to the United States.
Rural Areas See Spread of HIV: Richmond Times-Dispatch (07/01/97) P. B1; Santos, Carlos; New research from the University of Virginia shows that HIV is spreading to the rural parts of Virginia via individuals with multiple heterosexual partners.

June

Blood Trial Ends: Maclean's (06/16/97) Vol. 110, No. 24, P. 25; The trial regarding whether or not the Canadian Red Cross Society failed to test blood for HIV, resulting in the 1993 deaths of Alma Walker and Ronald Osborne, has come to an end.
Prophylaxis Against HIV-1 Infection in Chimpanzees by Nevirapine, a Nonnucleoside Inhibitor of Reverse Transcriptease: Nature Medicine (06/97) Vol. 3, No. 6, P. 665; Grob, Peter M.; Cao, Yunzhen; Muchmore, Elizabeth; et al.; Researchers from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, and the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates have attempted to determine whether the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor nevirapine could protect against HIV-1 infection.
Hepatitis-B Vaccine Down Under: Lancet (06/07/97) Vol. 349, No. 9066, P. 1680; Finkel, Elizabeth; Following a recommendation for universal pre-adolescent vaccination by its National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia is set to launch a A$14 million campaign to immunize children against hepatitis B.
VP Gore to Launch Free Access to World's [Medical Data]: M2 Presswire (06/27/97); Vice President Al Gore helped to launch a new service from the National Library of Medicine on Friday.
Health: World AIDS Campaign Focuses on Children: IPS Wire (06/27/97); Organizers of the annual World AIDS Campaign announced in Brussels on Friday that the theme for their 1997 effort will be "Children Living in a World With AIDS."
Over 8,500 Ugandans Infected Daily With HIV: Xinhua News Agency (06/30/97); A Ugandan newspaper reports that more than 8,500 Ugandans are infected with HIV each day.
Promising Early Results From HIV Vaccine Tests: Australian Associated Press (06/30/97); Researchers report that a new vaccine using a combination of DNA and fowlpox virus has shown promise in testing for an immune response to HIV.
Revelers Mark Gay Pride Day in New York and San Francisco: Washington Post (06/30/97) P. A4; The annual Gay Pride Day celebration took place in New York and San Francisco on Sunday.
Surgery Likely for Holyfield: Washington Post (06/30/97) P. D7; Squires, Sally; Boxer Evander Holyfield required 15 stitches in his right ear after being bitten twice Saturday night during a professional bout with heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson Saturday in Las Vegas.
Cries of the Dying Awaken Doctors to a New Approach: New York Times (06/30/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; The Supreme Court ruled last week that states can ban physician-assisted suicide, but the decision does not settle the contentious issue of inadequate care for terminally ill individuals.
New Immunization Mailing List from NITIS: National Immunization Technical Information Service (NITIS) (06/27/97); The CDC National Immunization Technical Information Service (NITIS) announces a new electronic mailing list, Immunize-L. Immunize-L is a free read-only mailing list that distributes immunization-related information via e-mail.
Zidovudine, Didanosine, or Both as the Initial Treatment for Symptomatic HIV-Infected Children: New England Journal of Medicine (06/12/97) P. 1704; Englund, Janet A.; Baker, Carol J.; Raskino, Claire; et al.; In a recent study conducted for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group 152, researchers attempted to determine the safety and efficacy of treatment of symptomatic HIV-infected children with zidovudine alone versus either didanosine alone or combination therapy with the two drugs.
Vaccine Booster: Advocate (06/24/97) No. 736, P. 15; When announcing his pledge to find an AIDS vaccine by 2007, President Clinton likened the challenge to John F. Kennedy's 1961 vow to put a man on the moon.
Rationale for Vertical HIV Prevention Trial in Africa Defended: Reuters (06/26/97); Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, defended the study of new approaches toward preventing the vertical transmission of HIV in certain developing nations.
Studies Say Marijuana Affects Brain in Same Ways as Heroin and Cocaine: Wall Street Journal (06/27/97) P. B6; Langreth, Robert; New research published in the journal Science suggests that contrary to prior beliefs, marijuana takes over the brain's system of pleasure to produce a euphoria much like that of heroin and cocaine.
Drug Combinations Help H.I.V.-Infected Children: New York Times (06/27/97) P. A23; New research released by the National Institutes of Health suggests that HIV-infected children benefit more from a combination of drugs than from doses of a single drug.
Area Groups to Offer Free HIV Testing: Washington Post (06/27/97) P. B5; Bazzi, Mohamad; More than 5,000 AIDS clinics, hospitals, physician's offices and community groups throughout the country will offer free HIV tests today in honor of National HIV Testing Day.
Johnson & Johnson Pulls Its Home Test For HIV Off Market: New York Times (06/27/97) P. B9; Due to lack of demand, Johnson & Johnson's Direct Access Diagnostics unit is taking its Confide home HIV test off the market.
A.M.A. Backs Drug-User Needle Exchanges: New York Times (06.27/97) P. A15; Seelye, Katharine Q.; Citing an "urgent public health need," the American Medical Association on Thursday called for a change in laws to allow injection drug users to possess and have easy access to clean hypodermic needles.
High Court Strikes Down Internet Smut Law: Wall Street Journal (06/27/97) P. B1; Felsenthal, Edward; Sandberg, Jared; The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the Communications Decency Act, a provision of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that made it illegal to transmit "indecent" material to minors via the Internet.
Justices Deny Right to Suicide Aided By a Physician: Wall Street Journal (06/27/97) P. A2; Felsenthal, Edward; Anders, George; The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Americans do not have a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide.
Besting AIDS--and the Drug Giants: Business Week (06/09/97) No. 3530, P. 79; Armstrong, Larry; Agouron Pharmaceutical's protease inhibitor, Viracept, approved in the United States in March, is the fourth drug in its class to receive Food and Drug Administration clearance.
Mixed AIDS Results: Maclean's (06/09/97) Vol. 110, No. 23, P. 67; Canada's Laboratory Centre for Disease Control in Ottawa reports that the number of AIDS deaths in the country dropped by 20 percent to 30 percent in 1996.
U.S. HHS: Medication for Treating Heroin [Addiction]: M2 Presswire (06/25/97); New research published in Wednesday's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that heroin addicts can reduce their use of the drug by as much has 90 percent by using levomethadyl acetate hydrochloride (LAMM).
Princess Di, The Last Auction Hero: Washington Post (06/26/97) P. E1; Groer, Annie; Gerhart, Ann; Princess Diana's charity auction of nearly 80 of her dresses on Wednesday raised $3.26 million for five U.S. and U.K. cancer and AIDS programs.
Health Notes: Details of 3-Drug AIDS Therapy Guidelines Provided: United Press International (06/26/97); New AIDS treatment guidelines issued today in the Journal of the American Medical Association recommend that AIDS patients be considered for three-drug therapy when physicians find between 5,000 and 10,000 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.
National Leaders Urge Americans to Get Tested on National HIV Testing Day: PRNewswire (06/23/97); In Washington, D.C., many AIDS leaders gathered on Monday to promote National HIV Testing Day on Friday, June 27.
Rights for AIDS Patients: New York Times (06/26/97) P. A33; In New York City on Wednesday, the city council passed a bill that would establish a "Bill of Rights" for HIV-positive residents of the city.
Got the Gig, But Where's the Health Insurance?: New York Times (06/26/97) P. B1; Freudenheim, Milt; With the cost of health care rising, an increasing number of people involved in the performing arts are finding themselves with no health coverage.
Pre-Wedding Syphilis Testing Dropped: Philadelphia Inquirer (06/26/97) P. B3; Sampson, Pamela; Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge on Wednesday signed into law a bill that ends mandatory syphilis testing for couples planning to get married in the state.
U.N. Report Says Tens of Millions Use Drugs: New York Times (06/26/97) P. A12; Wren, Christopher S.; A new report from the United Nations International Drug Control Program shows that almost 2.5 percent of the world's population--about 140 million individuals--smoke marijuana and hashish.
The Best [New York] Hospitals: AIDS: New York (06/09/97) Vol. 30, No. 22, P. 49; France, David; The new combination drug therapies are changing the way AIDS is perceived, making it no longer only an inpatient illness.
PCR Patient Tangle Slows Quick Assay of HIV Levels: Science (06/06/97) Vol. 276, No. 5318, P. 1488; Cohen, Jon; The interaction of biomedical research with commercial licensing agreements is resulting in some conflict.
To the Point: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Investor's Business Daily (06/24/97) P. A2; An FDA advisory panel is recommending approval for Bristol- Myers Squibb's Taxol as a treatment for Kaposi's Sarcoma.
Zambia: Child Labor on the Increase: Africa Information Afrique (06/24/97); In Zambia, the number of children forced to live off the streets is increasing. These children are generally poor, from broken homes, or orphaned children of parents who died from AIDS.
Australians Stress Continued Importance of HIV/AIDS Prevention: Reuters (06/24/97); At the Third International Conference on the Biophysical Aspects of HIV Infection/AIDS Impact in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday, researchers discussed several important points regarding HIV prevention.
Personal Health: With a Culprit in Hand, Myths About Ulcers Are Replaced by Mysteries: New York Times (06/25/97) P. C10; Brody, Jane E.; Scientists have learned much about ulcers, including the fact that they are caused by infection with the Helicobacter pyloris bacteria and that this bacteria can be carried by the common housefly.
20,000 New Genes Boon to Research: USA Today (06/25/97) P. 1A; Friend, Tim; Researchers from The Institute for Genomic Research announced on Tuesday the discovery of more than 20,000 genes from 11 species of microbes, including the germs that cause ulcers, malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, and syphilis.
Oral HIV Tests to Be Given Free at Philadelphia Area Sites: Philadelphia Inquirer (06/25/97) P. B2; Free oral testing for HIV will be available throughout Philadelphia on Friday as part of National HIV Testing Day.
Mayors Want to End Needle Restrictions: United Press International (06/24/97); The U.S. Conference of Mayors ended its meeting on Tuesday with a cry to government officials to lift restrictions imposed on the use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs.
The Use of Injection and Heroin Are Rising in Cities, a Study Says: New York Times (06/25/97) P. A14; Wren, Christopher S.; A new report on national trends in illicit drug use shows that use of heroin, especially through injection, is on the rise.
Special Precautions for Isoniazid Therapy in Minority Women: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/04/97) Vol. 277, No. 21, P. 1664; Nightingale, Stuart L.; Numerous reports of isoniazid-associated fatal hepatitis have prompted the FDA to demand new product labeling for all isoniazid formulations.
Finding the Path to Safer Medicine: Automatic I.D. News (06/97) Vol. 13, No. 7, P. 32; Hardison, Beth; In response to three cases in six years in which nuclear medicine patients were accidentally injected with HIV-infected blood, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a set of blood radiolabeling procedure recommendations in 1992.
Defense Is the Best Offense: Individual Investor (06/97) Vol. 16, No. 187, P. 38; Schlegel, Jeff; Although Immune Response, a Carlsbad, CA, biotechnology company, has not seen a profit on the $120 million it has spent during its 10 years on the market, some of the products in its pipeline hold great potential for the future.
German Court Jails Doctor for AIDS Death: Reuters (06/23/97); German doctor Guenter Eckert was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison on Monday for the death of a woman to whom he had administered a HIV-tainted blood transfusion.
Across The USA: New Hampshire, Massachusetts: USA Today (06/24/97) P. 10A; New Hampshire has given the green light to a new two-year needle-exchange program, set to begin January 1, 1998.
Schooled in Saying No to Sex: USA Today (06/24/97) P. 2D; Peterson, Richard; An education course called Postponing Sexual Involvement was administered to 187,000 teens ages 12 to 14 in California.
Herbs May Ease Addiction: USA Today (06/24/97) P. 1D; Sternberg, Steve; Researchers at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Chemical Dependence plan to analyze a mixture of herbs developed by a Vietnamese scientist for the treatment of addiction to opium, heroin, and possibly cocaine.
ICN to Acquire Roche Holding Product Rights: Wall Street Journal (06/24/97) P. B13; Kravetz, Stacy; ICN Pharmaceuticals reports that it will acquire worldwide rights to seven products currently owned by Roche Holding as well as a Roche manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico and non- U.S. rights to two other products.
Anguished Debate: Should Doctors Help Their Patients Die?: New York Times (06/24/97) P. C4; Angell, Marcia; Hendin, Herbert; Rutenfrans, Chris; et al.; As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the issue of physician-assisted suicide, many doctors and ethicists are debating whether it is wrong for a doctor to prescribe lethal drug doses for terminally ill patients.
You Can Get It by Having Sex. You May Not Know You Have It. It Can Make You Infertile. It's Called Chlamydia.: Washington Post (06/24/97) P. 12; Okie, Susan; Health workers are becoming increasingly worried about sexually transmitted diseases, particularly chlamydia, in the young.
No Plateau for HIV/AIDS Epidemic in US Women: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/11/97) Vol. 277, No. 22, P. 1747; Philips, Pat; At the third National Conference on Women and HIV in May, it was noted that women, the fastest-growing new group of AIDS patients in the United States, are being overlooked.
Foscavir Receives New Indication: AIDS Alert (06/97) Vol. 12, No. 6, P. 71; Foscavir (foscarnet sodium) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in combination with Cytovene (intravenous ganciclovir) for the treatment of recurrent AIDS- related cytomegalovirus retinitis that has been treated previously with either drug alone.
Inside Politics: Stokes Honored: Washington Times (06/23/97) P. A5; Today, June 23rd, marks the third annual National HIV Testing Day.
Discord on Pollution Strains United Front as Summit Concludes: Washington Post (06/23/97) P. A1; Baker, Peter; Blustein, Paul; World leaders met in Denver this past week for their annual economic summit.
Epidemiology: Viruses' Role in Promoting Cancer: Washington Post (06/23/97) P. A2; Brown, David; James Berenson and Matthew Rettig of the Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Medical Center report in the June 20th issue of Science that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) may help to promote cancer in patients with multiple myeloma, which is marked by an influx of plasma into bone marrow cells.
Worst Yet to Come in Battle Against AIDS: Xinhua News Service (06/22/97); Dr. Peter Piot, director of UNAIDS, reports that there has been a dramatic increase in AIDS cases in South and Southeast Asia.
Across The USA: D.C.: USA Today (06/23/97) P. 10A; Under a new city-funded HIV prevention program, clean needles are being distributed to injection drug users in Washington, D.C.
International Organizations Call for HIV Vaccine: PRNewswire (06/22/97); An "International Call for Action on HIV Vaccine Development" was released on Sunday by 55 of the world's leading AIDS- related non-governmental organizations.
Doctors Design Rules on Care For the Dying: New York Times (06/23/97) P. A12; New guidelines concerning the care of terminally ill patients have been released by the American Medical Association.
USA Asked to Take Lead in Global Health: USA Today (06/23/97) P. 1D; Manning, Anita; A new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, urges the United States to take the lead in addressing international health issues, such as drug-resistant bacteria and foodborne disease.
Availability of Report of NIH Panel To Define Principles of Therapy of HIV Infection and Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-Infected Adults: Federal Register: 06/19/97 Vol. 62, No. 118, P. 33417-33418; The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office of Public Health and Science, is requesting comments from all interested parties on the following two documents "Report of the NIH Panel to Define Principles of Therapy of HIV Infection" developed by the subject NIH Panel and "Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents," developed by the Panel on Clinical Practices for Treatment of HIV Infection, convened by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Pa. Prison Employees Settle for TB Masks: Federal Times (06/09/97) Vol. 33, No. 18, P. 8; Rivenbark, Leigh; As part of a settlement between management and workers, employees at a federal prison in Allenwood, Pa., will soon receive masks to prevent the spread of tuberculosis.
HIV Status, Informed Consent, and the Surgical ICU: AIDS Clinical Care (06/97) Vol. 9, No. 6, P. 50; New research from South Africa suggests that while morbidity may be higher, overall survival of HIV-positive patients in surgical intensive care is about the same as that of HIV- negative individuals.
A Seductive Drug Culture Flourishes on the Internet: New York Times (06/20/97) P. A1; Wren, Christopher S.; Adolescents who have access to the Internet are equipped with a virtually limitless exchange of ideas and information.
Md. Seeks to Alleviate Unnecessary Pain in Dying: Washington Post (06/20/97) P. B1; Goldstein, Amy; The state of Maryland is launching an initiative that it hopes will eliminate or reduce financial, medical, and legal problems that cause many individuals to die in unnecessary pain.
UPI Science News: [More Needles Being Exchanged]: United Press International (06/19/97); Manning, Elizabeth; New research indicates that about 25 percent more needles were exchanged in the United States last year, despite the government's ban on funding for the programs.
Roche Says Study Backs Invirase for AIDS: Reuters (06/20/97); Roche, a Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company, reports that a 22-nation study of a triple-drug therapy--including its protease inhibitor Invirase--slowed progression of AIDS by 50 percent, compared to using standard two-drug treatment.
Safe-Sex Campaign Begun by Kremlin to fight AIDS: Baltimore Sun (06/20/97) P. 9A; Following a nearly 80 percent increase in HIV infections in Russia in the first five months of 1997, the Kremlin unveiled on Thursday a new safe-sex advertising campaign that is based on foreign efforts.
Deadly Bacteria Elude Screening in Blood Supply: Washington Post (06/20/97) P. A7; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 12 people have died since 1985 as a result of blood transfusions tainted with a deadly type of bacteria that can easily escape detection.
Herpes Virus Tied to AIDS May Trigger Bone Cancer: Philadelphia Inquirer (06/20/97) P. A7; Recer, Paul; New research published in Friday's edition of the Journal Science suggests that the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV), the virus that causes AIDS patients to develop a previously rare form of cancer, may also cause multiple myeloma, a bone-marrow cancer.
Aggressive Treatment of HIV Is Urged: Wall Street Journal (06/20/97) P. B5; McGinley, Laurie; The clinical guidelines on the treatment of HIV-infected patients released Thursday by the National Institutes of Health have been applauded by AIDS activists.
Immune to a Plague: Discover (06/97) Vol. 18, No. 6, P. 61; Radetsky, Peter; The natural immunity of some people and animals to certain diseases spurred researchers across the United States to search for a gene that could protect people from HIV.
Does It Make Clinical Sense to Equate Terminally Ill Patients Who Require Life-Sustaining Interventions With Those Who Do Not?: Journal of the American Medical Association (06/04/97) Vol. 277, No. 21, P. 1705; Alpers, Anne; Lo, Bernard; In an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Ann Alpers and Bernard Lo assess the ruling made recently by two U.S. courts of appeals that competent, terminally ill patients whose lives are being sustained via life support are equivalent to competent, terminally ill patients who do not need such support.
Human CD4 Cells Transfected With IL-16 cDNA Are Resistant to HIV-1 Infection: Inhibition of mRNA Expression: Nature Medicine (06/97) Vol. 3, No. 6, P. 659; Zhou, Paul; Goldstein, Simoy; Devadas, Krishnakumar; et al.; Researchers from the National Institutes of Health recently sought to determine the potential of human interleukin-16 for gene therapy in AIDS patients.
Television and People: Briefly...[AmFAR]: USA Today (06/19/97) P. 3D; On Friday, the American Foundation for AIDS Research will honor talk host Christina Saralegui for speaking about AIDS in the Latino community. The event will take place in Beverly Hills.
USA Snapshots: AIDS Virus Worry: USA Today (06/19/97) P. 1A; A new Harris Poll indicates that 12 percent of all adults in the United States were "very concerned" about contracting HIV.
A Most Anguishing Decision: USA Today (06/19/97) P. 3A; Price, Richard; The Supreme Court is preparing to rule soon on the controversial "right to die" issue.
Health-Care and Welfare Revisions Win Approval of Senate Finance Committee: Wall Street Journal (06/19/97) P. B10; Georges, Christopher; A package of health care and welfare revisions including $129 billion in Medicare and Medicaid savings over the next five years, was unanimously approved by the Senate Finance Committee.
Space Chimps Looking for Homes: United Press International (06/19/97); More than 140 Air Force-owned chimpanzees, including many of lineage pointing directly to the simian pioneers of the space race, will be seeking new homes in the coming years.
Bike Ride for AIDS Is Subject of Debate: Richmond Times-Dispatch (06/19/97) P. B1; Bacque, Peter; Although charity events like the AIDS Ride, where each volunteer is supposed to raise at least $1,700 dollars to participate, are very popular, questions are now being asked about just where the money ends up.
Panel Expected to Call for Triple-Drug Therapy for HIV: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (06/19/97) P. A4; Cimons, Marlene; Officials from the National Institutes of Health are expected to recommend today that most HIV-infected patients receive early, aggressive treatment with triple-drug combinations that include a protease inhibitor.
Drugs: To Your Health: U.S. News & World Report (06/02/97) Vol. 122, No. 21, P. 12; Grose, Thomas K.; A new advertising campaign in the United Kingdom will promote, for the first time, the legalization of marijuana for medical use.
Dispute Over AIDS Patent Going Nowhere Fast: Financial Post (05/31/97) P. 11; Lanthier, Jennifer; Negotiations in the ongoing patent fight between Emory University and BioChem Pharma over the AIDS drug 3TC (lamivudine) appear to be stalled.
Access to Antiviral Therapies in African Countries: Lancet (06/07/97) Vol. 349, No. 9066, P. 1704; In a letter to the editor of The Lancet, Dominique Kerouedan warns decision-makers to prepare themselves for demands that new triple therapies against AIDS be made available in developing nations.
Ethnic Data Needed for HIV and Other Infectious Diseases in UK: Reuters (06/17/97); British researchers are calling for increased data regarding the ethnic makeup of people infected with HIV.
Most HIV-Infected Mothers Opt to Reduce Vertical Transmission Risk: Reuters (06/17/97); According to a report in the June issue of AIDS, HIV-positive pregnant women who are aware of their infection are likely to reduce the risk of transmission by using interventions.
For Many Girls, First Sex Was 'Not Wanted': Washington Post (06/18/97) P. A14; Vobejda Barbara; The National Survey of Family Growth, a study conducted periodically among more than 10,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44, indicates that nearly one-fourth of teenage girls' first sexual experience was "voluntary but not wanted."
Senate Finance Panel Rejects Proposal to Expand Children's Health Coverage: Wall Street Journal (06/18/97) P. A4; Georges, Christopher; McGinley, Laurie; Just hours after President Clinton endorsed a bipartisan proposal to expand health care for some 5 million children, the Senate Finance Committee rejected the plan by a vote of 11 -9.
Personal Health: When a Dying Patient Seeks Suicide Aid, It May Be a Signal to Fight Depression: New York Times (06/18/97) P. C10; Brody, Jane E.; Some researchers and health-care experts believe that terminally-ill patients who express the will to die are suffering from depression and should be treated for the disease before their requests are granted.
Mexico May Use Digene HIV Test: Baltimore Sun (06/18/97) P. D1; Guidera, Mark; Digene Corp., of Beltsville, MD, reported Tuesday that it is negotiating with the Mexican Ministry of Health to provide its new test for monitoring HIV patients.
Long-Term Protection of Chimpanzees Against High-Dose HIV-1 Challenge Induced by Immunization: Nature Medicine (06/97) Vol. 3, No. 6, P. 651; Lubeck, Michael D.; Natuk, Robert; Myagkikh, Maria; et al.; Researchers from Wyeth-Ayerst, Chiron, Advanced BioScience Laboratories, and the National Cancer Institute recently examined a combination AIDS vaccine approach consisting of priming with adenovirus-HIV-1(MN)gp160 recombinants followed by boosting with HIV-1(SF2)gp120.
HIV Services By Clinic Type: AIDS Clinical Care (06/97) Vol. 9, No. 6, P. 51; To determine the quality of services available to AIDS patients in New York, researchers surveyed 179 outpatient clinics used by Medicaid-enrolled AIDS patients.
Needle-Exchange Bill Signed Into Maine Law: Portland Press Herald (06/13/97); Weinstein, Joshua L.; The state of Maine passed a bill on Thursday that makes it legal for residents to possess up to 10 hypodermic needles without a prescription and authorizes the state Health Bureau to organize a needle-exchange program.
Opposite Attraction: Pitching Abstinence to the Young and the Restless at the HFStival: Washington Post (06/15/97) P. C1; O'Donnell, Christine; Organizers of HFStival, a large concert sponsored by the Washington, D.C., radio station WHFS, invited this year the Savior's Alliance to Lift the Truth (SALT) to sponsor an information booth at the concert's Community Action Fair.
Senate Unit's Plan to Extend Medicaid to More Children Draws GOP Support: Wall Street Journal (06/17/97) P. A20; Georges, Christopher; McGinley, Laurie; A bipartisan Senate coalition will introduce in the Senate Finance Committee today a $16 billion plan to extend Medicaid to cover up to 5 million more children than the existing plan.
Watching Host Cells Collaborate in Bacterial Infection: New York Times (06/17/97) P. C3; Hilts, Philip; Scientists now have the capability to videotape pathogens as they invade a body.
Parents & Kids, Talking About Sex: Washington Post (06/17/97) P. E5; O'Connell, Mary Lee; In an article for the Washington Post, columnist Mary Lee O'Connell stresses the need for parents to educate their children about sex and sexuality.
Oregon Braces for New Fight on Helping the Dying Die: New York Times (06/17/97) P. A1; Goldberg, Carey; Oregon passed in 1994 a "Death With Dignity Act," which made it legal for physicians to help terminally ill patients end their lives.
Global Plan to Fight Infectious Disease Sought: USA Today (06/17/97) P. 1A; Nichols, Bill; Leaders of eight nations--the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Britain, Canada, and Russia--plan to coordinate their efforts to track and eradicate infectious diseases.
Clinton Ready to Announce Choice for Surgeon General: Washington Times (06/17/97) P. A4; Strobel, Warren P.; Officials reported Monday that President Clinton is set to announce Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Dr. David Satcher as his choice for surgeon general.
America's Sexual Right Turn: Insight (06/02/97) Vol. 13, No. 20, P. 10; Judge, Mark Gauvreau; Two recent federal studies have indicated that the number of sexually active teens between the ages of 15 and 19 has decreased by 5 percent.
Goal Is to Give Every New Doc an 'AIDS Cookbook': AIDS Alert (06/97) Vol. 12, No. 6, P. 63; Before leaving Kaiser Family Foundation in California, Mark Smith helped to lay the groundwork for the first comprehensive HIV treatment standard in almost five years.
Keep Guard Up Against HIV-1-Related Lung Infections, Say Experts: Lancet (05/31/97) Vol. 349, No. 9065, P. 1607; McCarthy, Michael; Experts recently recommended that HIV-1 infected patients responding to antiretroviral therapy should continue to take prophylactic drugs to safeguard against opportunistic infections until scientists can uncover more information about the safety of halting such treatments.
Most US Voters Favor Needle Exchange Programs For AIDS Prevention: Reuters (06/13/97); New research from the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that 55 percent of 1,000 voters surveyed were either in strong favor or "somewhat in favor" of needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV.
New Strain of AIDS Virus Identified in African Country: Reuters (06/13/97); At a recent Conference on Emerging Infections, sponsored by Harvard University's School of Public Health, Dr. Myron Essex, head of Harvard's AIDS Institute Laboratories, reported a new strain of HIV that has infected up to 43 percent of the pregnant women in Botswana.
It's a Fact of Life, Va. Youths Say: Sex Education Belongs in Schools: Washington Post (06/14/97) P. B8; O'Hanlon, Ann; Interviews with 30 students from Virginia high schools show that sex education is overwhelmingly considered to be a necessary and effective part of the curriculum.
Not the Best Medicine: Washington Post (06/16/97) P. C1; Shales, Tom; On Monday night, HBO will air a stand-up comedy show featuring HIV-positive comic Steve Moore.
Clinton Mulls an Apology for Era of Slavery: Washington Times (06/16/997) P. A1; Price, Joyce; President Clinton is contemplating making a formal apology to African Americans for slavery.
Activists Unite to Battle Child Prostitution: Washington Times (06/16/97) P. A10; Nomura, Takehito; In Asia, more than 1 million children are reportedly uprooted into the illegal sex trade each year.
H.I.V. Testing Project Draws Complaints: New York Times (06/16/97) P. A18; Richardson, Lynda; A new program in New York, implemented on February 1, requires hospitals to locate and counsel mothers of children born infected with HIV.
An Individual Approach to HIV-Vaccine Trials: Lancet (05/24/97) Vol. 349, No. 9064, P. 1559; Morris, Kelly; In his new book "Ethical Issues in HIV Vaccine Trials," Thomas Kerns takes a look at the ethical issues involved in the search for an HIV vaccine, particularly the difficulties that could occur when HIV vaccines are tested in large number of HIV-negative individuals.
Resolution of HIV-Associated Cystic Benign Lymphoepithelial Lesion of the Parotid Gland for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Journal of the American Medical Association (05/28/97) Vol. 277, No. 20, P. 1578; Researchers report the case of a 59-year-old man without identifiable AIDS risk factors whose diagnosis of cystic benign lymphoepithelial syndrome led to a diagnosis of HIV infection.
British Sex Health Policy Has Failed, Experts Say: Reuters (06/12/97); Michael Adler of the University College London Medical School claims that Britain's health and education policies are ineffective against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and increasing rates of teenage pregnancy.
British Studies Find Race Link to Sexual Diseases: Reuters (06/12/97); Two new studies published in the British Medical Journal indicate that blacks from poorer areas in Britain have a significantly greater risk of sexually transmitted disease.
House Bill Backs Safeguard on H.M.O.'s: New York Times (06/13/97) P. A22; Pear, Robert; A House committee approved on Thursday a bill proposing significant changes in Medicare and Medicaid.
Clerics 'Breaking the Silence' on Sex: Washington Post (06/13/97) P. D3; Murphy, Caryle; The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is sponsoring a two-day conference at the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C., this week to give the African- American community a chance to openly discuss sexual issues.
Baxter to Back Vimrx Developmental Venture: New York Times (06/13/97) P. C4; Baxter International and Vimrx Pharmaceuticals have agreed to form a joint venture to develop new treatments for AIDS, cancer, and other diseases.
Eli Lilly: Collaboration With Vertex Against Hepatitis C Is Set: Wall Street Journal (06/13/97) P. A13; Eli Lilly has agreed to collaborate with Vertex Pharmaceuticals on the development and commercialization of protease inhibitors for the treatment of chronic infections caused by hepatitis C.
Guideline on AIDS Therapy Is Prepared by Government: Investor's Business Daily (06/13/97) P. A2; The U.S. government is preparing a guideline on AIDS treatment to resolve questions about how to use new combination therapies that include protease inhibitors.
Funding Urged For Needle Exchanges: USA Today (06/13/97) P. 1D; Sternberg, Steve; Lifting the eight-year old ban on funding for needle-exchange programs for injection drug users would help to further race relations, claim more than 50 health, advocacy, and minority groups in a letter to President Clinton.
Immune Response to a New Hepatitis B Vaccine in Healthcare Workers Who Had Not Responded to Standard Vaccine: Randomised Double Blind Dose-Response Study: Journal of the American Medical Association (05/28/97) Vol. 277, No. 20, P. 1578j; Doctors from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London attempted to evaluate the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a new triple S recombinant hepatitis B vaccine by studying 100 health care workers who had previously not produced an immune response from other currently licensed hepatitis B vaccines.
Ho Joins Montagnier in AIDS Centres Project: Nature (05/22/97) Vol. 387, No. 6631, P. 330; Bernard Salick, founder of Bentley Health Care, which recently brought renowned AIDS expert and HIV co-discoverer Luc Montagnier to Queens College in New York, has also enlisted the help of Dr. David Ho, head of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center.
Science & Health Bulletin: Africa--AIDS: PANA Wire Service (06/11/97); Saladin Osmanov, an AIDS researcher for the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, is urging scientists in Africa to participate in the effort to develop an AIDS vaccine.
UN Agencies to Combat the Spread of HIV in Tanzania: Xinhua News Service (06/12/97); The United Nations agencies in Tanzania say that fighting the spread of HIV is among their top priorities in their development programs.
To Stem Rhode Island's AIDS Epidemic, Let's Decriminalize Syringe Possession: Providence Journal-Bulletin (06/10/97) P. B5; Rich, Josiah D.; Rhode Island, which ranks fourth in the nation in injection drug use as a cause of AIDS, leads the United States in syringe re-use, averaging more than 20 uses per syringe.
U.N. Study Says 50 Million Americans Live Below Poverty Line of $8,122: Washington Post (06/12/97) P. A29; Goshko, John M.; The United Nations reports that even though the United States has the third-highest income per-person, some 50 million Americans still live below the poverty line.
Virginia School Rating Plan Gets Tentative Approval: Washington Post (06/12/97) P. D3; Benning, Victoria; Nakashima, Ellen; A plan to rate schools on academic scores and to lift sex education and guidance counselor requirements was tentatively approved Wednesday by Virginia officials.
Detecting Disease in a Drop of Blood: Washington Times (06/12/97) P. A14; Price, Joyce; Researchers in Australia report the development of a device that can sense virtually all known diseases and can provide test results within minutes.
Surgeon General's Office an Ideological Battleground: USA Today (06/12/97) P. 1A; Hall, Mimi; The selection of a surgeon general has become almost as much a political as it is a health-care issue.
F.D.A. Warns of Diabetes Risk in AIDS Drugs: New York Times (06/12/97) P. A22; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning physicians nationwide that protease inhibitors, used to treat AIDS, can cause diabetes.
More Power to the Czar: Advocate (05/27/97) No. 734, P. 54; Bull, Chris; The newly appointed director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, Sandra Thurman, will be the third person in four years to hold the job.
Second-Generation Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor HBY097 and HIV-1 Viral Load: Lancet (05/24/96) Vol. 349, No. 9064, P. 1517; Rubsamen-Waigmann, Helga; Huguenel, Edward; Paessens, Arno; et al.; Researchers from Germany's Bayer Pharma Research Center, the U.S.-based Bayer Research Center, Hoechst, and the McGill University AIDS Center in Canada recently studied a drug from a new class of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) known as quinoxaline-derivatives.
Planned Tests In Thailand Spark Debate: Science (05/23/97) Vol. 276, No. 5316, P. 1197; Cohen, Jon; As two first-generation HIV vaccines move closer to efficacy testing in Thailand, controversy surrounding the trials is starting to brew.
Internet Companies Join Oprah, Rosie, Daytime TV for Fifth Annual AIDS Day of Compassion June 20: Hollywood Supports (05/20/97); Friday, June 20th, will mark the fifth annual Day Of Compassion, an international media event to show compassion and support for those living with HIV and AIDS.
MMWR: Notice to Readers: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (06/06/97) Vol. 46, No. 22, P. 510; Several federal health agencies have released an HIV- prevention bulletin for health-care providers.
Shares Fall on Cancellation of Launch of 2 Products: Wall Street Journal (06/10/97) P. B11; Shares of Paracelsian declined 27 percent to close at 18.75 in Monday's stock market trading, after it canceled plans to launch two products, AndroVir and AndroCar, as dietary supplements.
Iran to Offer Free AIDS Advice to Citizens: Xinhua News Agency (06/10/97); Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) is now providing free consultation to Iranian citizens who fear they might have contracted HIV.
Virginia Guidance Counselors Await Decision on Their Jobs: Washington Post (06/11/97) P. B3; Benning, Victoria; The Virginia Board of Education is considering the elimination of an eight-year-old state requirement that all elementary schools have guidance counselors.
Morning-After HIV Regimen Weighed: USA Today (06/11/97) P. 4D; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sponsoring a meeting of AIDS advocates, doctors, and state health officials next month to consider the pros and cons of morning-after solutions for people who have engaged in risky sexual behavior.
Considering the Unthinkable: Protocol for Assisted Suicide: New York Times (06/11/97) P. A1; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; As the Supreme Court considers whether or not physician- assisted suicide should be made legal, doctors have begun discussing how their profession should govern the practice.
The AIDS Exception: Privacy vs. Public Health: Atlantic Monthly (06/97) Vol. 279, No. 6, P. 57; Burr, Chandler; In the Atlantic Monthly, author Chandler Burr asserts that HIV and AIDS have largely been exempted from the normal standards of epidemiological study out of concern for civil rights.
Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis With Interferon-(Gamma) via Aerosol: Lancet (05/24/97) Vol. 349, No. 9064, P. 1513; Condos, Rany; Rom, William N.; Schluger, Neil W.; Researchers from the New York University Medical Center recently examined the safety and tolerability of aerosolised interferon-(gamma) in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
The Journey From Policy to Patients: Washington Post--Health (06/10/97) P. 12; Mullan, Fitzhugh; Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, a pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., describes his return to practice after nearly 20 years in the federal government.
The Cutting Edge: Women's Health: Washington Post--Health (06/10/97) P. 5; The National Center for Health Statistics recently released a study that involved many aspects of women's reproductive health.
Zeneca's Cancer Approach Catches On: Wall Street Journal (06/10/97) P. B8; Moore, Stephen D.; Zeneca's approach to cancer treatment has been to enable the patient to live with the disease.
In War Against AIDS, Battle Over Baby Formula Ignites: New York Times (06/08/97) P. 1; Meier, Barry; Although doctors have long advised new mothers to breast-feed to protect the health of their infants, the AIDS pandemic has changed the situation, forcing many infected mothers in developing nations to switch to baby formula.
AIDS Clinic Head Mulls Council Run: Washington Times (06/10/97) P. C4; Morris, Vincent S.; Jim Graham, the head of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington D.C.'s largest treatment center for AIDS and HIV patients, has announced his intention to run for city council member in the Ward 1 primary next fall.
Oregon Moves Nearer to Revote on Allowing Assisted Suicide: New York Times (06/10/97) P. A26; Goldberg, Carey; The Oregon Senate voted 20 to 10 in favor of having people vote on whether to repeal Measure 16, a ballot initiative that would allow physicians to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who wish to end their lives.
Researchers Discover Body Chemical That Fights TB Microbe: New York Times (06/10/97) P. C7; Hilts, Philip J.; Researchers from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts General Hospital report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science the discovery of a substance produced by the body when the lungs are infected with the tuberculosis bacterium.
'Morning After' Treatment for AIDS: New York Times (06/10/97) P. C1; Zuger, Abigail; The use of AIDS drugs, such as protease inhibitors, as a "morning after" treatment to prevent transmission of the disease is controversial.
Gotta Light?: POZ (06/97) P. 74; Lugliani, Greg; The advent of new combination drug therapies means that people with HIV and AIDS are living longer, healthier lives, and many are facing the challenge of stopping smoking.
The New Crisis Facing AIDS Organizations: Adapt or Die: Advocate (05/27/97) No.734, P. 35; Gallagher, John; Although protease inhibitors have been shown to significantly prolong the lives of HIV-positive individuals, some AIDS service organizations have seen the emergence of some troubling trends as a result.
Alternative Projections of Mortality and Disability by Cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study.: Lancet (05/24/97) Vol. 349, No. 9064, P. 1498; Murray, Christopher J.L.; Lopez, Alan D.; To develop priorities in health research, investment, and training, it is important to project the future rates of mortality and disability worldwide.
Across the USA: Colorado, Louisiana, Wisconsin: USA Today (06/09/97) P. 8A; Officials in Colorado attribute three factors--fear of disease, greater use of contraceptives, and pressure from anti -abortion activists--to the decline in abortions in the state.
The Drive for an AIDS Vaccine: Washington Post (06/07/97) P. A21; Shepherd, H.R.; In a Washington Post commentary, H.R. Shepherd, chairman of the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Foundation, claims that President Clinton's call for an AIDS vaccine by the year 2007 is no reason to abandon the pursuit of fighting AIDS through traditional health measures.
The Reliable Source: Activist Calls AIDS Treatment 'Worse Than Disease': Washington Post (06/09/97) P. D3; Gerhart, Anne; Groer, Annie; Mary Fisher, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in 1992, wrote an emotion-filled letter to be read in lieu of the commencement address she was scheduled to give at Detroit's Wayne State University Medical School last Thursday.
GOP Seeks $16 Billion Medicaid Gain for Children by Cutting Provider Pay: Wall Street Journal (06/09/97) P. B2; Georges, Christopher; Rogers, David; House Republicans will introduce their new Medicaid-reform plan this week.
Patents: A Novel Approach to Making a Better Spermicide Harks Back to Some Old-Fashioned Methods: New York Times (06/09/97) P. D2; Riordan, Teresa; Richard A. Cone of Johns Hopkins University and Thomas R. Moench, medical director of Reprotect, have developed a new spermicide that acidifies, and thus neutralizes, sperm.
Questions on Overhead Dog AIDS Bike-Trip Organizer: Washington Post (06/09/97) P. A6; Weiss, Rick; Rumors that Pallotta TeamWorks of Los Angeles, the for-profit company that organizes the AIDS Rides, is taking too large a cut of the money raised are causing some would-be participants to rethink their plans.
Diagnostics Advances Help Doctors Determine Which Drugs to Prescribe: Wall Street Journal (06/09/97) P. B9A; Moore, Stephen D.; Pharmaceutical firms, such as SmithKline Beecham, Roche, and Glaxo Wellcome, are working to develop new diagnostics that will help physicians determine in advance whether a drug will help a particular patient.
Made in Japan: POZ (06/97) P. 76; O'Donnell, Doris; Japanese-born painter Masami Teraoka has blended styles of the old and the new to create a series of watercolors addressing the pain surrounding the AIDS epidemic.
Randomized Trial of Addition of Lamivudine or Lamivudine Plus Loviride to Zidovudine-Containing Regimens for Patients With HIV-1 Infection: The CAESAR Trial: Lancet (05/17/97) Vol. 349, No. 9063, P. 1413; Cooper, D.A.; Katlama, C.; Montaner, J.; et al.; The use of multiple drugs in the treatment of HIV-1 infected patients has increased due to research indicating significant reductions in the mortality and disease progression rate of patients receiving combination therapy.
Thalidomide for the Treatment of Oral Aphthous Ulcers in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (05/22/97) Vol. 336, No. 21, P. 1487; Jacobson, Jeffrey M.; Greenspan, John S.; Spritzler, John; et al.; Research for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 251 of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease suggests that thalidomide could serve as an effective treatment for oral aphthous ulcers in HIV-infected individuals.
Needle Exchange Bill Clears Senate: United Press International (06/05/97); The California Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would permit experimental needle-exchange programs for drug addicts.
Rules Would Toughen Home Care Standards: USA Today (06/06/97) P. 9A; Eisler, Peter; By early next year, new federal rules are expected to be in place that require all home health care providers to complete criminal background checks.
Concern Over Malone's Blister: New York Times (06/06/97) P. C20; Players for the Chicago Bulls basketball team are showing concern about an open blister on the hand of Utah Jazz player Karl Malone.
School Chief Defends Virginia Sex-Ed Stance: Washington Post (06/06/97) P. D3; O'Harrow, Robert Jr.; Richard T. LaPointe, Virginia's superintendent of public schools, said Thursday that the state's plan to eliminate the sex education requirement from schools is, in part, a response to parental objections.
AIDS Charities Suffer as Treatments Improve: Wall Street Journal (06/06/97) P. B1; Burkstrand, Beth; The advent of new drugs to treat AIDS has many charitable donors reducing the amount of their gifts to AIDS groups in the mistaken belief that the war against the disease has been won.
Condom Use Increases Significantly: USA Today (06/06/97) P. 9D; Manning, Anita; Peterson, Karen S.; New research from the National Center for Health Statistics indicates that between 1982 and 1995, condom use by the partners of unmarried women increased from 4 percent to 14 percent.
FDA Cited in Lapses Over Safety of Blood: Philadelphia Inquirer (06/06/97) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Goldstein, Josh; Several reports released by the government on Thursday indicate that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is continuing to have difficulty in protecting the safety of blood products.
A Second Look: POZ (06/97) P. 59; Sonnabend, Joseph; Berkowitz, Richard; In his new book "Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny," author Gabriel Rotello lends urgency to the possibility of a second wave of AIDS.
20th-Century Vampires: MacLean's (05/26/97) Vol. 110, No. 21, P. 46; Schofield, John; Viatical firms, which buy the life insurance policies of terminally ill patients at a percentage of the payout, have raised heated debates since their advent in the late 1980s.
Russia Records 1,300 AIDS Cases in Four Months: Xinhua News Agency (06/04/97); Russia's deputy health minister announced Wednesday that approximately 1,300 AIDS cases were reported in the country between January 1 and April 30 of this year.
Rhone-Poulenc SA, Chiron in Phase II AIDS Trial: Dow Jones News (06/04/97); Rhone-Poulenc reported Wednesday that its Pasteur Merieux Connaught unit has begun Phase II testing of an AIDS vaccine.
Cyprus AIDS Case: Woman Did Not Pass on Virus: Reuters (06/04/97); Evis Bagdadis, an AIDS specialist in Cyprus, rejected on Wednesday allegations that Janette Pink, the British woman who claims to have contracted HIV from her Cypriot lover, passed the disease on to a third party.
Food Charity Gets $150,000 Grant [From Philip Morris]: Washington Post (06/05/97) P. B7; Philip Morris Co. has donated $150,000 to Food & Friends, a Washington, D.C.-based charity that prepares meals and provides groceries and nutrition counseling to people with HIV and AIDS.
California Senate OKs Medical Pot Center: Washington Times (06/05/97) P. A6; The California Senate approved a bill on Wednesday to establish a facility to research the medical use of marijuana.
Pill's Path to Approval in Japan Still Rocky: Reuters (06/05/97); Gibbs, Edwina; Expectations that oral contraceptives would finally receive approval in Japan are giving way to concern that the country's Health Ministry will once again ban the pill.
Guidelines to Clarify HIV Drug Muddle: Wall Street Journal (06/05/97) P. B1; McGinley, Laurie; In response to evidence that many physicians are not experts on the new AIDS drugs, a panel convened by the Department of Health and Human Services is putting together the first federal guidelines on how to use protease inhibitors for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.
Many in U.S. Denied Dignified Death: New York Times (06/05/97) P. A14; Leary, Warren E.; An expert panel from the Institute of Medicine asserted Wednesday that too many Americans experience preventable pain and stress when they are dying.
Spread of HIV-1 To Children in Cambodia: Lancet (05/17/97) Vol. 349, No. 9063, P. 1451; Richner, Beat; Laurent, Dennis; Sunnart, Yit; et al.; The first clinical study of the infant HIV-1 epidemic in Cambodia was conducted at Phnom Penh's Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals I and II. Children age 5 or younger who were suspected of having tuberculosis were admitted to the study and tested for HIV-1 antibodies.
Mismanaged Care: Advocate (05/27/97) 734, P. 50; Dahir, Mubarak S.; In early February, the state of Pennsylvania, in an effort to cut Medicaid costs, began a mandatory switch to health maintenance organizations.
State Passes $1 Million HIV Prevention Increase: Focus Point (05/21/97-05/27/97) Vol. 3, No. 51,; Gold, Rachel; Minnesota lawmakers pleased HIV/AIDS advocates by passing eight out of their nine proposed provisions in the Health and Human Services Omnibus bill, including the addition of $1 million in funding for HIV prevention efforts and a measure that makes it easier to obtain clean syringes.
F