Washington Blade - October 17, 2003

LOS ANGELES | Uncircumcised men are eight times as likely to become infected with HIV than circumcised men, according to a study of nearly 2,300 men in India, Reuters reported. The inner surface of the foreskin does not have the same protective layer as the outside, a researcher at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine theorized, and therefore may be more vulnerable to HIV. In North America and some other areas of the world, male circumcision is common for religious and cultural reasons and to help prevent urinary tract infections and penile cancer, Reuters reported. The procedure, usually done shortly after birth, involves removal of the foreskin, which covers the tip of the penis. In the United States, some two-thirds of male infants are circumcised annually, according to Reuters. In many countries, including India, circumcision is uncommon. "It's important that we offer measures to help curb the spread of AIDS, particularly in developing countries, where it continues to grow at an alarming rate," Dr. Steven Reynolds, post-doctoral fellow in the division of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins and a study investigator said in a statement.

Tanox's HIV drug put on fast track by regulators

HOUSTON | Tanox Inc. said last week that its experimental drug to treat HIV was granted "fast track" status by the Food & Drug Administration, the Associated Press reported. "Fast track" means a company has more regular access to the FDA during the course of a drug's testing and indicates the agency believes the drug has potential to fill an unmet need. The drug, TNX-355, is designed to help HIV patients who do not benefit from standard medication, according to the AP. Houston-based Tanox holds the exclusive right to TNX-355 through a license with Biogen Inc. Unlike other HIV drugs, it works by blocking the spot on blood cells where HIV normally attaches itself. Tanox also co-developed Xolair, an asthma drug approved this year.

Nursing home relents, admits HIV-positive patient

KENTWOOD, La. (AP) | A nursing home that had rejected a stroke patient with HIV has reversed course and accepted him, so a gay rights group plans to drop a federal discrimination complaint against it. Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund will continue its discrimination claims against five other nursing homes that refused to accept Cecil Little, 50. Attorney Jonathan Givner said Little, who had been forced to live in a nursing home 80 miles from his family in the Kentwood area, recently moved into Kentwood Manor nursing home, Givner said. A month before he was discharged from the hospital, his mother and sister approached six nursing homes within six miles of their own homes, Givner said. All agreed to care for Little, but took back their decision after reviewing paperwork revealing he had the virus that causes AIDS.

U.N. report: HIV/AIDS rapidly becoming a young person's disease

LONDON (AP) | Young people are increasingly responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS around the world because of poverty and a severe lack of information and prevention services, the United Nations said. Every 14 seconds a person aged between 15 and 24 is infected with the virus. They now account for half of all new cases of the disease, the U.N. Population Fund said in its annual State of the World's Population report. "We will have a global catastrophe if we ignore young people and ignore their needs," Thoraya Obaid, the agency's executive director, told a news conference in London. The "Making 1 Billion Count" report cautions that there is now the biggest generation of adolescents in history - 1.2 billion of the world's 6.3 billion population are between 10 and 19 - and many are facing deadly diseases, unwanted pregnancy and poverty. The U.N. report called for more investment in youth-friendly services, family planning and education programs.

Australian book claims men are turned gay in womb

SYDNEY, Australia | Gay men may be the result of a failed attempt at unconscious inter-uterine murder by their mother, according to a controversial new book, the Age reported. "Adam's Curse: a Future Without Men" theorizes that gay men are a casualty of a genetic battle of the sexes, the newspaper reported. The book, available in Australia, suggests gay men are also an example of "genetic altruism" - sacrificing their ability to reproduce so they can help their mothers bring up female children. The "gay gene" is a perennial scientific hot potato but so far no one has been able to pin it down, the Age reported. Author Bryan Sykes, a professor of genetics at Oxford University, admits his theory is controversial. But he says it dispels the even more controversial idea that male homosexuality is a genetic disease. "It occurred to me there might be another explanation that was at once genetic and not," Sykes said.

031017
WB031009

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. 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, 2003. 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. .