Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, February 25, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
The conference, called "Empowering the African American Community Living with HIV / AIDS," will be held Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel City Center in Oakland.
The first day, which will focus on anti-viral treatment awareness and adherence, is targeted at people with HIV. The second day, which will address prevention and intervention issues unique to the black community, is designed primarily for HIV professionals.
For registration or information on the conference, sponsored by the Association of Northern California HIV / AIDS Service Providers, call (510) 238-8555.
Treatment news
*Besides preventing HIV from killing immune system T-cells, anti-viral treatments also may increase the body's ability to generate new cells in some patients, according to UC-Berkeley and UC-San Francisco researchers. T-cell production rates are higher in patients on protease inhibitor regimens, according to Dr. Marc Hellerstein of both UC campuses.
The body's stockpile of T-cells in AIDS patients has been compared to a sink filled with water. But the drain is wide open and the faucet on full force. "The big question has been, "Is there a reason to turn up the faucet if the drain is still wide open?' " said Hellerstein. "Well, now we have reasons to believe that the faucet is involved, as well."
*Some patients who have been defined as having "failed" protease inhibitor treatment - because their HIV levels climb, despite therapy - still seem to be helped by the treatment.
That is the conclusion of Dr. Steven Deeks of UC-San Francisco and S.F. General Hospital in a study presented at the recent Fifth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Chicago and reviewed this week by AIDS Treatment News.
Deeks found that one year after patients' virus re-emerged, in spite of anti-viral therapy, the number of immune system T-cells in their bodies remained about 100 cells higher, on average, than the number counted before therapy. This may explain why some patients are staying healthy, even when HIV is not suppressed.
"This suggests that failure of a protease inhibitor regimen . . . may not be predictive of subsequent T-cell decline (over the following year)," Deeks said.
Deeks told AIDS Treatment News, "One possible take-home message is that if patients do get even a small T-cell response, that may translate into prolonged clinical benefit.
"Yet our results cannot prove that if you fail protease inhibitor therapies virologically then you should stay on that particular regimen - or even that you should necessarily stay on therapy," he added. Remaining on therapy when it is only partially effective could create the risk of side effects and may accelerate viral resistance to future treatments, he said.
*Protease inhibitors can help not only newly infected patients, but those with advanced HIV who have a long history of treatment with other anti-viral drugs, a new study in the British medical journal Lancet concluded.
The protease inhibitor called ritonavir can stave off the progression of illness in patients with advanced HIV, according to the study of more than 1,000 patients from North America, Europe, and Australia by Dr. William Cameron of Ottawa General Hospital in Canada. Nearly 38 percent of patients getting an inactive placebo died or developed AIDS during the year-long trial, compared with 21.9 percent of patients getting the drug ritonavir, he reported.
TB prevention
A two-month course of therapy to prevent active tuberculosis is an effective alternative to the year-long regimen currently prescribed for people with HIV disease, a five-year international study has found.
The study of 1,600 HIV patients with inactive tuberculosis compared two groups of patients: those who took a 60-day course of daily therapy with two drugs, rifampin and pyrazinamide, vs. those treated daily for an entire year with the drug isoniazid.
The number of people who went on to contract active TB was the same in both groups. But compliance was much better in the two-month group: 80 percent finished treatment, compared with less than 50 percent in the one-year group. The study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, was presented this week at a conference in Geneva.
Services
*Are you caring for a loved one with AIDS? Home Care Companions can teach you the practical skills to do it well. Free evening classes are offered at South Berkeley Community Church. Call (415) 824-3269.
*The National Association of People With AIDS offers a free treatment guide called "Starting with NRTIs: The Cornerstone of Successful Antiretroviral Combination Therapy." It complements an earlier association brochure called "Do You Know Your Options? An Updated Guide to Antiretroviral Therapy." Call the association at (202) 898-0414.
*Are you a good listener? Evening volunteers are needed for the AIDS / HIV Nightline, a suicide prevention service. Call (415) 984-1902.
The toll
Gerald E. Stoddart, 47, a graduate of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with a Ph.D. in philosophy from UC-Berkeley and a law degree from Harvard who practiced environmental law with Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro until 1993 . . . Dario Castelblanco Jr., 48, of San Leandro, graduate and former student body president at San Jose City College, who worked as a customer service representative for Security Pacific Bank and Bank of America for 20 years.
. . . . . .Date . . . . . .reported. . Cases. . Deaths S.F.. . . .2/1 . . . . 25,136. .17,049 Calif.. . .2/1 . . . .105,121 . 66,450 U.S.. . . .2/1 . . . .612,078 .379,258 WHO(rprtd) 2/1 . . .8,400,000 6,400,000
Figures are cumulative since June 1981. Government officials now compile and release statistics quarterly, not monthly. To contribute to AIDSweek, call (415) 777-7867. AIDSweek columns are available on the Internet at
980225
SE980205
Copyright © 1998 - San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Examiner, Permissions Desk, 110 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 7260, San Franciso, CA 94120.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .