Washington Blade - November 19, 2004

Research into same-sex parenting is largely new, but several groups already conclude that children fare well in families headed by two lesbians or two gay men, the Times Picayune of Louisiana reported. Organizations focusing on the topic include the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Social Workers and the American Bar Association, the Times Picayune reported. Studies so far show that it is the stability of the parents' relationship and not their sexual orientation that determined the quality of a child's growing-up years, the newspaper reported. "The gist of [the research] is that the kids are fine," Judith Stacey, a professor of sociology at New York University and one of the nation's foremost researchers on gay parenting and gay marriage, told the Times Picayune. "And there's no reason theoretically to expect that they wouldn't be." There are differences between children of gay parents and those raised by heterosexual parents, Stacey noted to the newspaper. Boys raised by gay parents usually are less aggressive and more sexually restrained, for example, and girls raised by gay parents tend to be more sexually adventurous and self-confident.

French claim breakthough in AIDS vaccine research

PARIS - French researchers have announced that they had stimulated antibodies that dramatically barred the AIDS virus from infecting human immune cells in laboratory conditions, according to an Agence French Presse report. The results - the first time such a success has ever been achieved against such a wide genetic range of the virus - "open up interesting prospects for the development of a vaccine against AIDS", the team said in a news release. Many vaccines, such as those against the flu, polio and measles, are based on antibodies, using a piece of the virus to prime the immune system so that it identifies the intruder in the future. But antibody designs against HIV have so far been a huge disappointment. So far, none has been found that can deliver a big immune punch. The French team has targeted a tiny area of a surface protein that, they say confidently, is common across the range of different HIV types. This area is called CBD1 and is part of the gp41 protein. CBD1 binds to a protein in the T-lymphocyte immune cell called caveolin-1, thus helping the AIDS virus to dock to and infiltrate its target. "The anti-CBD1 antibodies work in two ways," the news statement said. "Firstly, they inhibit cellular infection by HIV, and secondly, among cells that are already infected, they lead to the production of defective viruses [which] are unable to infect other cells."

Non-AIDS malignancies on the rise in HIV patients

NEW YORK - Researchers reported this month that non-AIDS-defining malignancies are on the increase, while AIDS-defining malignancies are on the decrease, among patients with HIV, Reuters Health reported. In the November issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, investigators offered the results of a study that included 2,882 patients from 1989 to 1996, before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and also after widespread use of HAART, from 1997 to 2002, Reuters reported. "The rise in non-ADMs despite the overall improvement of patients' immune function on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is likely to worsen in the coming years, given the increasing length of survival of HIV-infected patients, which means a longer time at risk," lead investigator Dr. Roger Bedimo told Reuters Health. There now is "a need for a higher index of suspicion from practitioners, as well as a need for exploration of the utility and cost-effectiveness of novel screening practices - such as anal PAP smears for anal cancers - for their prevention and early detection," Bedimo added, Reuters reported.

Oral HIV test makes magazine's top 100 innovations of the year

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - OraQuick, a rapid HIV test manufactured by OraSure Technologies, is among Popular Science magazine's top 100 innovations of the year. The Bethlehem-based OraSure Technologies developed the procedure, which can detect the virus that causes AIDS in 20 minutes. The test can detect both strains of the virus in either saliva or blood. Popular Science announced its Best of What's New winners last week in New York, the Call reported. OraQuick Advance, unveiled at the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Philadelphia last month, is the latest version of the test but is not yet approved for home use.

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