Washington Blade - March 28, 2003

NEW YORK -- T cells uninfected with HIV in sooty mangabey monkeys that are infected with the disease do not die, which could offer new explanations on how AIDS progresses, according to Reuters Health. When a person becomes HIV-positive, the progression towards AIDS is a drop in immune cells called T cells. These cells, both ones infected with the virus and others, are destroyed. But when the monkeys become infected with the primate form of HIV, the monkeys see little or no decrease in the number of uninfected T cells -- and the monkeys never develop AIDS. The study findings show that a necessary step in the progression of HIV to AIDS centers on the loss of uninfected T cells, study author Dr. Guido Silvestri of Emory University in Atlanta, told Reuters Health. "Having a virus that infects and kills [T cells] at high rates is not enough to get AIDS because these monkeys have that, and they don't get AIDS," he said. The monkeys, as a species, have likely been living with the primate version of HIV for years and it is possible that some "started ignoring the virus," allowing them to live many years disease-free, Silvestri said. The study appears in the journal Immunity.

Fla. officials issue warning about staph infections

TALLAHASEE, Fla. -- Health officials in Florida are alerting gays about a drug-resistant staph infection seen in at least a half-dozen U.S. cities in recent weeks. Methicillin-Resistent Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, is a skin infection resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics that began surfacing late last year among gay men in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and have also been reported in Washington, Houston, Atlanta and other cities. The infections manifest themselves as boils and abscesses on various parts of sufferers' bodies, including rectal and groin infections. "Letting our communities know about this infection is vitally important," said Dr. Gene Copello, executive director of Florida AIDS Action. Officials also want health providers and others to be aware of how to prevent the infections, while also beginning to track them, a process that is informal at best in other cities already seeing staph cases. "The infection can lead to life-threatening complications, especially for those whose immune systems are already comprised by HIV infection," said JoAnn C. Green, a registered nurse and volunteer with AIDS Action.

Powerful HIV drugs contribute to diabetes risk in women, study says

NEW YORK -- Protease inhibitors, powerful drugs extremely effective in preventing HIV from progressing to AIDS, appear to increase the risk of developing diabetes in women, a new study shows, according to Reuters Health. But the association between the drugs and a small increase in risk of diabetes should not be a deterrent to use, according to study author Dr. Jessica E. Justman of the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York. "[Protease inhibitors] are so effective in helping people with AIDS be healthier and live longer, and the risk of diabetes is small, compared to the risk of death without treatment," Justman said. Diabetes can often be addressed through other medications or by losing weight, though people using protease inhibitors should receive regular screenings for it, she said. The study appeared in the March 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Contrasting studies dispute young gays' mental health

LONDON -- Young gay men are sometimes anxious and depressed, while continuing to have unprotected sex, according to a new British study. But a second, smaller study suggests that gay teens often see themselves as similar to heterosexual classmates and don't experience psychological distress. A study in London showed that an "alarming" number of young gay men expressed high levels of self-hatred and low self-esteem, according to lead author Dr. Debra Bekerian, from the University of East London's school of psychology. "To the extent that these findings are a representative sample, they suggest that young gays are suffering from serious mental health issues and that some formal attention needs to be given to this problem," Bakerian told Health News U.K. The study also discovered that some young gay men ignore safe-sex campaigns, which may be feeding a rise in sexually transmitted diseases. But a study of 15 gay men between the ages of 16 and 22 by Dr. Tom A. Eccles, a pediatrician at Indiana University School of Medicine, showed that gay teens experience "much less angst" than thought, according to Reuters Health. "Increasingly, sexual minority youth seem to be much more open in the general community, much more so in the last 20 years and also they increasingly perceive themselves pretty much like everyone else," he said. But Eccles said he doesn't dispute that gay teens do have an increased risk for suicide and substance abuse.

From staff and wire reports

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