1995

No Thanks: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 23; Gallagher, John; Texas education commissioner Michael Moses recently rejected a $1.35-million federal grant on the grounds that it would have forced the state to discontinue its abstinence-based sex education program. Dianne Hardy-Garcia, executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, said, There had been grumblings about
Finding New Uses for Thalidomide: Nature Medicine (12/95) Vol. 1, No. 12, P. 1230; Gershon, Diane; Midtrial results of a Phase II, placebo-controlled study of thalidomide suggest that the drug is a safe and effective treatment for mouth ulcers in HIV patients. The placebo side of the study therefore has been shut down and all patients will now be able to receive the drug on an open-label basis. The two-part study, w
Some Members of APHA Interested in Forming Caucus on AIDS: Nation's Health (12/95) Vol. 25, No. 11, P. 14; Members of the American Public Health Association (APHA) are considering the formation of a caucus that would focus on the group s future AIDS policies. The worst thing we can do is become silent or complacent about the AIDS epidemic, said member Suzanne Keller. The APHA s AIDS policies, which were adopted in 1982, cov
Treatment with Lamivudine, Zidovudine, or Both in HIV-Positive Patients with 200 to 500 CD4+ Cells per Cubic Millimeter: New England Journal of Medicine (12/21/95) Vol. 333, No. 25, P. 1662; Eron, Joseph J.; Benoit, Sharon L.; Jemsek, Joseph; et al.; To determine the safety and activity of lamivudine plus zidovudine in the treatment of HIV-infection, as compared with either drug alone, Eron et. al. studied more than 360 patients with CD4 levels between 200 and 500 cells. During the double- blind, 24-week study, patients were randomly assigned to receive either lami
BFTI Receives Peruvian Naval Approval to Conduct Trials for Its Rapid Immunochromatographic Assay for Detection of the HIV 1/2 Viruses: Business Wire (12/28/95); The Peruvian Ministry of Interior has approved Bio-Fluorescent Technologies Inc. s (BFTI s) plan to conduct trials of its rapid assay test for the HIV 1/2 virus with the navy. The trials are the first part of the navy s requirements to qualify a product for sale. The navy department intends to provide HIV tests to all
Budget Talks May Continue into Weekend: Washington Post (12/29/95) P. A1; Harris, John F.; Dewar, Helen; President Clinton and Republican congressional leaders affirmed on Thursday their desire to restart budget negotiations, however both parties said they are not likely to reach an agreement in the next few days. The president also vetoed the authorization bill for defense appropriations. Aides report that Clinton object
Isis Drops Human Trials of a Genetic Drug: New York Times (12/29/95) P. D2; Fisher, Lawrence M.; Isis Pharmaceuticals has suspended clinical trials of a potential treatment for genital warts, an antisense compound known as Isis 2105, because it claims that the results and potential market do not merit further development. The company s shares dropped 37.5 cents to $13.25. According to analysts, the minimal decli
Employee with AIDS Loses Award on Appeal: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/29/95) P. B1; Lounsberry, Emilie; The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia reversed on Thursday a $125,000 award to a SEPTA manager who said that his right to privacy had been violated when an administrator discovered he had AIDS by examining employee prescription claims. The court ruled that an employer s need for access to empl
Less HIV Found in Donated Blood: Boston Globe (12/28/95) P. 1; Saltus, Richard; More accurate HIV tests and increased education of potential blood donors have made the risk of receiving an HIV-infected blood transfusion very low, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18 to 27 donations out of the 12 million given each year are tainted with HIV, th
Tracing the Trail of Tainted Blood: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/29/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Thousands of documents emerging in Canada s tainted-blood inquiry indicate that the plasma industry was reliant on high- risk blood donors than it had previously admitted. Specifically, these donors include prisoners, drug addicts, and poor people from the United States , the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia,
Health Insured?: POZ (12/95-01/96) No. 11, P. 28; Hanssens, Catherine; There are numerous legal issues which can arise for an HIV- infected person seeking, or trying to keep, private health insurance. Currently, employers and insurers are in court, attempting to limit the Americans with Disabilities Act s (ADA s) protections against insurance discrimination. Both the ADA s and the Equal E
Living on the Edge: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 25; Simmons, Todd; Australian scientists reported in November that eight Australians failed to develop symptoms of AIDS despite having been infected with HIV for at least 15 years. The researchers determined that the group shared a genetically flawed strain of HIV, a finding which could prove useful in the development of future AIDS trea
HCFA to Help Women Protect Infants from HIV: Nation's Health (12/95) Vol. 25, No. 11, P. 5; The Health Care Financing Administration will work with Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, and Rhode Island to help pregnant women protect their unborn children from HIV. Using material based on National Institutes of Health research, the programs will attempt to educate women about the benefits of HIV counseling and volun
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infects Endothelial and Spindle Cells: Nature Medicine (12/95) Vol. 1, No. 12, P. 1274; Boshoff, Chris; Schulz, Thomas F.; Kennedy, Margaret M.; et al.; Sequences of a new human herpesvirus, called Kaposi s sarcoma- associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8, have been identified in HIV-related and classical Kaposi s sarcoma. To identify the cell types infected in KS tumor tissue with this virus, Boshoff et al. used polymerase chain reaction in situ hybridizatio
Elusive HIV-Suppressor Factors Found: Science (12/08/95) Vol. 270, No. 5242, P. 1560; Balter, Michael; Former National Cancer Institute researcher Robert Gallo recently announced that a team led by himself and Italian scientist Paolo Lusso found three closely related polypeptides that shut down production of many strains of HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV in laboratory cultures. The three so-called chemokines-- known as RANTES, M
India Urged to Seek New Ways to Combat Oldest Job: Reuters (12/26/95); Vaughan, Lisa; An increasing number of women in India are turning to prostitution in order to survive, social workers and activist claim. Jyotsna Chatterji, director of the Delhi-based Joint Women s Program, told a conference on women in prostitution that the pressures of liberalization, urbanization, and migration are stimulating th
AIDS Cases Reported in Two Beijing Colleges: Reuters (12/25/95); Ten students at two colleges in Beijing have AIDS, according to the Yangcheng Evening News. It is extremely urgent to spread the program of prevention of AIDS on China s university campuses, the paper quoted AIDS expert Zeng Yi as saying. The 10 students were found positive in spot tests, though it is not clear whether
The Overselling of Gene Therapy: Washington Post (12/26/95) P. A23; Greenberg, Daniel S.; In an editorial in the Washington Post, Daniel S. Greenberg, editor and publisher of Science & Government, discusses the recent criticism of gene-therapy by a committee of physicians and scientists appointed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH report, directed to researchers and biotechnology compan
Fears, Suits and Regulations Stall Contraceptive Advances: New York Times (12/27/95) P. A1; Lewin, Tamar; There are several factors involved in the delay in creating new contraceptive devices, family planning experts say. Lawsuits, a lengthy government approval process, and fears on the part of both consumers and drug companies have led experts to predict that it will be years before any new methods are made available in t
Epitope Inc.: Stock Jumps 34 Percent on News FDA Approved HIV Test: Wall Street Journal (12/27/95) P. 14; Epitope Inc., Beaverton, Ore., received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) for the marketing of the company s Western blot confirmatory test for use in HIV-1 testing with its OraSure oral-specimen-collection product. Following that news, the company s shares soared $4.50, or 34 perc
Sunday, the Rabbi Got AIDS: Village Voice (12/05/95) Vol. 40, No. 49, P. 27; Beiser, Vince; Most Orthodox Jews are hesitant to acknowledge that AIDS exists in their communities. However experts estimate that in New York, some 15,000 of the area s 2 million Jews are HIV- infected. No one knows how many cases are in the Orthodox societies because virtually all are kept are concealed. Transmission routes such as
HIV Suppression by Interleukin-16: Nature (12/07/95) Vol. 378, No. 6557, P. 563; Baier, Michael; Werner, Albrecht; Bannert, Norbert; et al.; Baier et al. of Germany s Paul-Ehrlich Institute report in the journal Nature that interleukin-16 (IL-16), a previously identified lymphocyte chemoattractant, suppresses the replication of both HIV and the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). African green monkeys that are naturally infected with SIV in the wild have h
Added Challenges in Fighting AIDS: Red Tape, Delays: Miami Herald (12/21/95) P. 1B; Rogers, Peggy; Patients and experts say that HIV-infected Dade County, Fla., residents sometimes must undertake monumental struggles to obtain public assistance. We see people who are very weak, very much in pain, who have to take very long bus rides and then wait hours for services, said Martin Terris, director of planning and commu
Washington Wire: Effects of Federal Shutdown: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. A1; The second federal government shutdown has, among other things, interrupted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s disease tracking efforts with states.
Hemagen in Pact to Create Diagnostic Test for AIDS: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. B4; Sheffield Medical Technologies and Hemagen Diagnostics Inc. will collaborate to develop a test to forecast the speed of AIDS progression in patients. According to Sheffield, impending licensing deals for its candidate AIDS and cancer products could generate profit for the firm by 1998. The small biotechnology firm, whi
Vatican Cautions on Sex Education: Washington Post (12/22/95) P. A23; Williams, Daniel; A new handbook from the Vatican urges parents to take their children out of sex-education classes that teach safe sex or deal with sex only as a health issue not-related to Christian values. The guidelines were issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family in a report called Human Sexuality: Truth and Significance.
Nature and Apathy Destroy AIDS Vigil: New York Times (12/22/95) P. A22; Ybarra, Michael J.; San Francisco s AIDS Vigil, a tent city pitched in front of the Federal Building ten years ago in protest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s delays in reviewing treatments for HIV, has come to an end. The campers had withstood pressure from all sides to leave, yet stayed, distributing condoms, AIDS information,
Abbott AIDS-Drug Application: Wall Street Journal (12/22/95) P. B11; Abbott Laboratories has filed a drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its ritonavir . The compound is a protease inhibitor, a class of drugs which have been shown to reduce viral load in HIV-infected patients and boost their immune systems in clinical studies.
How Blood Was Smuggled from AIDS-Ravaged Africa: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/22/95) P. A1; Shaw, Donna; Documents show that between 1985 and 1987, Armour Pharmaceutical Co. bought blood plasma smuggled out of Africa to Europe and then made it into products for human use. The shipments of plasma were mislabeled as animal plasma, but there are no indications that Armour was aware of the deed, which was done by an African s
Drug Seems to Cut AIDS Infection for Workers Stuck with Needles: New York Times (12/22/95) P. A32; Altman, Lawrence K.; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that AZT appears to decrease by nearly 80 percent the risk of HIV infection for health workers accidentally jabbed with needles. With the help of British and French health officials, the CDC assessed 31 health care workers who became infected after such
Doctors Who Treat AIDS Support Each Other: American Medical News (12/11/95) Vol. 38, No. 46, P. 28; Eight Dallas doctors have established a support group to help them deal with the stress of treating dying patients. If I didn t have this group, I do think that I may not have been able to stay involved with treating AIDS patients as long as I have, says Dr. Brady Allen, who has seen 300 people die from AIDS-related ca
Potential AIDS Drug Targets Different Viral Enzyme: Chemical & Engineering News (11/27/95) Vol. 73, No. 48, P. 24; Unlike most other AIDS drugs, which block either reverse transcriptase or protease, a potential AIDS therapy called AR- 177 inhibits integrase, which HIV uses to insert its genetic code into the DNA of the host cell, according to Aronex Pharmaceuticals Robert F. Rando and others. Aronex s oligonucleotide is made up ent
A Short-Term Study of the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of Ritonavir, an Inhibitor of HIV-1 Protease: New England Journal of Medicine (12/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 23, P. 1528; Danner, Sven A.; Carr, Andrew; Leonard, John M; et al.; A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase I and II study of 84 HIV-infected individuals with CD4 levels greater than 50 revealed that the HIV-1 protease inhibitor ritonavir was well-tolerated and had potent anti-HIV activity. Danner et al. report that during the initial four weeks of the study, which was sup
Sequus Pharmaceuticals Initiates Commercial...: Business Wire (12/20/95); Sequus Pharmaceuticals reported on Wednesday that it has begun shipping DOXIL to wholesalers and distributors, following FDA marketing clearance of the drug. According to I. Craig Henderson, chairman and CEO of Sequus, We began receiving orders from the field as soon as we announced FDA market
More than Half a Million AIDS Cases Reported in U.S.: Houston Chronicle (12/20/95) P. 4D; Federal health officials have recorded more than 500,000 cases of AIDS as of last month. Sixty-two percent of those individuals have died. The largest proportion of the cases is among men who have sex with men, but the figure is decreasing. Other categories that combined now account for more cases than men who have sex
Vatican Publishes Sex Guide for Good Catholics: Reuters (12/20/95); Webber, Jude; The Vatican has put out a new sex education guide for parents that says that safe sex is immoral and dangerous policy. The handbook notes, Without wanting to take away from them their rightful autonomy, parents must know how to say no to their children when it is necessary. The 60-page book, which was compiled by the P
Venture into the Transplant Unknown: Washington Times (12/21/95) P. A18; Ambrose, Jay; The promise of last week s baboon bone marrow transplant into an AIDS patient is that scientists not only attempted to produce essentially a second immune system, but they also aspired to learn more about cross-species medicine, writes columnist Jay Ambrose in the Washington Times. A key risk involved is that baboons c
Blue Cross May Force Illness-Prone New Yorkers into Managed Care Plans: Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (12/21/95); Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, New York state s largest insurer, may cancel thousands of individual and family Tradition Plus health insurance policies that enable some of the sickest people to select their own physicians and hospitals. Consumer advocates claim that the insurer s forced move of these people into ma
U.S. Agency Targets Minnesota Young Adults with AIDS- Prevention Ads: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (12/21/95); Skog, Jason; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new national safe sex ad campaign aimed at young people in late November, called Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The series of radio and television spots show young adults speaking candidly about AIDS, sex, and abstinence. CDC spokesman Michael Gr
AIDS Drug Also Fights Hepatitis B: Washington Post (12/21/95) P. A9; Researchers report in today s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that the recently approved AIDS drug 3TC appears to suppress the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in people with chronic infections. Currently, the only available treatment for hepatitis B is interferon
5 Tips for Running Program That Exchanges Needles: AIDS Alert (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 12, P. 149; Although it seems unlikely that the federal government will act on recommendations to fund needle exchange programs (NEPs), individuals can still work for state and local efforts, according to Prof. Peter Lurie of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California in San Francisco. Lurie, an author
Chronic Diarrhoea in HIV+ Patients: Role of Enterocytozoon Bieneusi: Journal of the American Medical Association (12/06/95) Vol. 274, No. 21, P. 1657; Bernard et al. studied HIV-infected individuals to determine the various characteristics of chronic diarrhea related to the disease. The researchers isolated 34 pathogenic agents in some 50 percent of the patients. The most frequently identified pathogen was Enterocytozoon bieneusi, which was found in nearly one-quarte
A Preliminary Study of Ritonavir, an Inhibitor of HIV-1 Protease, to Treat HIV-1 Infection: New England Journal of Medicine (12/07/95) Vol. 333, No. 23, P. 1534; Markowitz, Martin; Saag, Michael; Powderly, William G.; et al.; Markowitz et al. conducted a study of the safety and efficacy of ritonavir , a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 protease in vitro, in 62 HIV-1-infected patients. The 12-week trial consisted of a four-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded stage which was followed by an eight-week dose-blinded phase.
Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. Filed Form 8-K: CDA Investnet (12/19/95); The FDA has granted marketing approval for Sequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. s Doxil for the treatment of Kaposi s sarcoma in AIDS patients for whom conventional combination chemotherapy is ineffective or who are intolerant to such therapy. Furthermore, the company has established a Patient Assistance Program to help selecte
AIDS Ministry Names Another New Director: Richmond-Times Dispatch (12/19/95) P. B5; The Richmond AIDS Ministry (RAM) has tapped Sheila Crowley, former head of The Daily Planet, to be its third executive director in two years. According to Claire Forsyth, president of RAM s board of directors, Crowley possesses the right management experience and skills necessary to help guide [us] through our next pha
About Face: City to Pay for AIDS Housing: Houston Chronicle (12/19/95) P. 22A; Robinson, James; The city of Houston is expected to reverse itself and provide about $700,000 for AIDS housing. The move would basically undo a decision made by the City Council last November, in which it deferred to local opposition and essentially ended the project being undertaken by Brentwood Baptist Church. By providing the money,
Krever Given More Time to File Blood-Probe Report: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/19/95) P. A5; Canadian Justice Horace Krever has been allotted additional time to sift through the enormous amount of evidence given in the country s tainted-blood scandal before filing his final report. The federal Privy Council Office has given Krever until Sept. 30, 1996 to complete the report, said government spokesman Gerald Si
New Drugs Hurt BioChem Shares: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/19/95) P. B13; Northfield, Stephen; Within the past few weeks, both Canadian and U.S. health authorities have granted approval to 3TC , an AIDS drug discovered by BioChem Pharma Inc. and co-developed with Glaxo Wellcome , but BioChem stock has dropped. The company says it cannot explain the sudden dip in share price, but analysts b
The Healing Power of Prayer Is Tested by Science: Wall Street Journal (12/20/95) P. B1; Pereira, Joseph; Researchers across the country are trying to determine what effect prayer has on healing. Critics, however, are outraged that public funds are being spent on such studies. Interest in prayer was boosted in the mid-1980s, when a study of nearly 400 coronary patients found that the prayed-for group was much less likely t
Agouron's AIDS Drug Races Against Time and Titans: Wall Street Journal (12/20/95) P. B4; Rundle, Rhonda L.; Agouron Pharmaceuticals is fourth in the rush to commercialize a new class of AIDS drugs called protease inhibitors . Leader Hoffmann-La Roche recently became the first to receive approval for a protease inhibitor. To win a piece of the HIV market, the small company must demonstrate tha
Trials of Marijuana's Medical Potential Languish as Government Just Says No: Scientist (11/27/95) Vol. 9, No. 23, P. 1; Gwynne, Peter; Researchers say that at present, no trials involving the medical use of marijuana are being conducted. Supporters of such studies attribute the lack of action to the federal government, charging that the current administration, as well as its predecessors, is unjustly concerned about being thought of as lenient toward
Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Lysis Inhibited by Viable HIV Mutants: Science (11/24/95) Vol. 270, No. 5240, P. 1360; Meier, Ute-Christiane; Klenerman, Paul; Griffin, Philip; Although it is not fully understood why the immune response fails to destroy HIV in most patients, the mutation of viral antigens may play a role. Meier et al. report that they observed significant inhibition of specific antiviral lysis when cytotoxic T lymphocytes were engaged in CD4-positive cells that were acutely i
High Level of AIDS Needed to Infect Infants: Baltimore Sun (12/19/95) P. 2A; Researchers from the New York State Department of Health report that high levels of HIV in the bloodstream of pregnant women are needed before the virus can be transmitted to the infants. The researchers, who studied 30 pregnant women, said that patients with 50,000 viruses per milliliter of blood had a 75-percent chan
AIDS Patients' Stories Still Need to Be Told: Houston Chronicle (12/19/95) P. 3D; Ager, Susan; In a Houston Chronicle editorial, Susan Ager writes that media coverage of AIDS has changed considerably since the disease s first appearance in this country. She notes that schoolchildren know all about the disease and that it is now referred to by name in obituaries instead of by euphemism. However, she is concerned
Defense Bill Includes Automatic Dismissal For Those With AIDS: Baltimore Sun (12/19/95) P. 2A; A defense bill awaiting final Congressional action this week would call for the automatic dismissal of service members who are HIV-infected. President Clinton has identified this provision as one that could prompt him to veto the bill. Senate negotiators proposed removing the provision, but House members passed the mea
When Doctors and Patients Decide to Test the Far Limits of Treatment: New York Times (12/19/95) P. C3; Altman, Lawrence K.; As the fifteenth anniversary of the discovery of AIDS approaches, doctors and patients are increasingly frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for the disease. As a result, they are collaborating with their patients to test the limits of experimental treatment. One of the most dramatic recent examples is that o
Blood Bank Setup Faulted in HIV-Tainted Transfusion: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/19/95) P. B1; Meyer, Josh; The Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles has been named in a $1.5-million lawsuit alleging that the facility s mismanagement resulted in the transfusion of HIV- positive blood to Aleta J. Clemons. Clemons had entered the county-run facility for a routine hysterectomy. The suit, which also names the
The Czar Trip: Advocate (12/12/95) No. 696, P. 22; Moss, J. Jennings; The Dec. 6 White House conference on AIDS will mark President Clinton s most public involvement with the disease since he took office. However, one difficulty that the president--and thus Patricia Fleming, the national AIDS policy director--may face is that his dealings with AIDS often produce two contradictory critici
Grapefruit Juice and Saquinavir: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 5; James, John S.; Hoffmann-La Roche s saquinavir has very low bioavailability, in part, because it is poorly absorbed and because it is quickly destroyed by an enzyme called CYP3A4. A small study of the protease inhibitor in 12 HIV-negative subjects showed that chemicals in grapefruit juice inhibit that enzyme. Participants who drank on
Across the USA: Nebraska: USA Today (12/15/95) P. 8A; The Nebraska Supreme Court will not review a case in which a court ruled that a four-year-old child should be returned to the home of a foster mother who has AIDS. The boy has been cared for by the woman and her husband since he was three months old.
Blood Processing Plant Crucial, Red Cross Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/15/95) P. A8; Picard, Andre; To avoid a tainted blood tragedy similar to the one experienced in the 1980s, the Canadian Red Cross must proceed with construction of a $300-million fractionation plant, the head of the agency said. According to Douglas Lindores, secretary-general of the humanitarian group, if the organization loses control of the blo
Potent New Weapon: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/15/95) P. A9; Cimons, Marlene; Protease inhibitors are an apparently effective new class of AIDS drugs that attack HIV at a later stage than the family of drugs known as nucleoside analogs do and cause a remarkable drop in the amount of virus detectable in HIV-infected patients blood. However, like the older nucleoside analogs, such as
The Fight Goes On for Thalidomide's Victims: Reuters (12/18/95); Fox, Maggie; Thalidomide , the drug that was found in 1961 to have caused thousands of severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women, is making a comeback. The drug is being tested as a possible treatment for AIDS, Alzheimer s disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions; has been approved for use in AIDS pati
On AIDS Drug, Profits over Patients: New York Times (12/18/95) P. A16; Greene, Jeffrey B.; Kramer, Larry; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration s (FDA s) recent approval of Hoffmann-La Roche s Invirase will be welcomed by HIV-infected individuals and health care providers, write Jeffrey B. Greene, a clinical associate professor of Medicine at New York University, and Larry Kramer, co-founder of Gay Men s Health Crisis, in
Voices: Is It Morally Acceptable to Use Baboon Cells to Combat AIDS?: USA Today (12/18/95) P. 10A; Last week, AIDS patient Jeff Getty had baboon bone marrow cells infused into his body in an attempt to slow disease progression. The technique is controversial, with concerns being voiced about transmitting animal diseases to humans and cruelty to animals. USA Today surveyed its readers on these issues, asking whether
Animal-to-Human Transplants Worry Disease Controllers: Washington Times (12/18/95) P. A8; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is entering the debate over the federal government s role in regulating cross-species transplants, or xenotransplants. CDC epidemiologist Louisa Chapman says that the question of whether such transplants could spread new diseases among humans is real. Some 150 d
AIDS Patient Who Received Baboon Cells Is 'Doing Well': New York Times (12/18/95) P. A15; Altman, Lawrence K.; Physicians report that Jeff Getty, the man who received a baboon bone marrow transplant last week in an attempt to fight AIDS, is doing very well. Getty is in an isolation room at San Francisco General Hospital to help prevent infection while his immune system is even more weakened by the chemotherapy and radiation he
U.S./China AIDS Research Proposed: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 2; James, John S.; There is increasing professional and community support for a proposed joint U.S./Chinese research collaboration in San Francisco. If any such work takes place, it should prove very useful to AIDS research. China , for example, has conducted extensive research in Tanzania , working with local professio
Scope of the AIDS Epidemic in the United States: Science (11/24/95) Vol. 270, No. 5240, P. 1372; Rosenberg, Philip S.; In the journal Science, Philip S. Rosenberg reports that a deconvolution method called backcalculation was used to estimate the nation s age-specific HIV infection rates as of January 1993. Using this technique, there were an estimated 630,000 to 897,000 HIV-infected children and adults--including up to 150,000 women--
Tight Budget Forces End of AIDS Journal: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/14/95) P. 9C; The Journal for Moving On, a volunteer-produced magazine for people with HIV and AIDS in Missouri, has suspended publication due to a lack of funding. Matt Wagner, executive director of the Moving On Coalition, said that the decision to halt publication was the result of statewide AIDS funding difficulties. The bimonth
Westside: AIDS Facility for the Homeless Opens: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/15/95) P. B3; The Hollywood Community Housing Corp. opened a complex on Tuesday that will house homeless HIV and AIDS patients. Residents of the home, known as Itis, will receive job training and placement, as well as medical care. Jack Gardner, executive director of the Hollywood Community Housing Corp. observed that the home will
AIDS Patient Expecting to Die Stole from Job: Washington Times (12/15/95) P. C7; A former claims clerk for Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield pleaded guilty to seven felony charges, including grand larceny, computer fraud, and forgery. AIDS patient Lloyd Mitchell Weaver Jr. informed police that he thought he would die before he was arrested. Weaver used some $560,000 in stolen Trigon funds to buy numero
Work on Mild H.I.V. Type May Aid Search for AIDS Vaccine: New York Times (12/15/95) P. A38; Hilchey, Tim; Mount Sinai Medical Center researchers say they have identified a relatively mild strain of HIV that can inhibit reproduction in a more virulent strain. In the Journal of Molecular Medicine, Dr. Jay Rappaport--an associate professor of immunobiology at Mount Sinai--and others, including researchers at the National Inst
State Aid for Gallo Urged: Baltimore Sun (12/15/95) P. 1C; Frece, John W.; Government and business leaders from Maryland urged approval on Thursday of state funding for Dr. Robert C. Gallo s planned institute of Human Virology. House Appropriations Chairman Howard P. Rawlings and Senate Budget and Taxation Chairwoman Barbara A. Hoffmann anticipated that their committees would approve the init
Fund That Denied Benefits for AIDS Settles EEOC Suit: Wall Street Journal (12/15/95) P. B10; Felsenthal, Edward; In one of the largest settlements ever in a lawsuit against a health plan for denying AIDS coverage, the Mason Tenders District Council Welfare Fund agreed to pay $1 million to 14 people with AIDS or their survivors. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had charged that the employee-benefit fund for New York con
Patient Faced Risks for AIDS Causes: New York Times (12/15/95) P. A37; AIDS patient Jeff Getty has been described as a man of both passion and extremes. Evidence of this is seen in his request to be injected with the bone marrow of a baboon in an attempt to boost an immune system ravaged by AIDS. Getty s battle to receive the transplant, a process that could either help or hurt him, is hi
Dying AIDS Patient Gets Baboon Marrow Transplant: Washington Post (12/15/95) P. A1; Schwartz, John; Weiss, Rick; On Thursday night, AIDS patient and activist Jeff Getty received baboon bone marrow cells in an effort to boost his immune system. Earlier this week, Getty noted that the procedure was risky and had dubious potential for success. Yet he also said that there are few treatments for late-stage AIDS patients, and that he w
Agenda: Respect Yourself: Advocate (12/26/95) No. 697, P. 12; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new public-service-announcement campaign titled Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The effort includes 12 television and seven radio commercials geared toward the 18-25 -age group. One ad featuring gay men shows a young African- American man walk
Infectious Bite Treated as Bloodborne Transmission: AIDS Alert (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 12, P. 155; The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will not alter its guidelines for preventing transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, despite having confirmed the first case of HIV transmission through biting. CDC spokeswoman Michelle Bonds explains, We are talking about blood-to-blood transmission. If you
AIDS Vaccine 'Needs Focused Effort' as Drug Firms Back off Research: Nature (11/23/95) Vol. 378, No. 6555, P. 323; Butler, Declan; There is a growing consensus that the scientific world desperately needs to increase its AIDS vaccine development efforts, a sentiment that is being propelled by the increasing recognition that only a vaccine can stem the epidemic in developing nations. This need for a new vaccine strategy is anticipated to be the prim
Suspect Arrested in Killing of Lesbian Activists: Reuters (12/13/95); Oregon police have arrested and charged a man with two counts of aggravated murder in last week s killing of two lesbian activists. Robert James Acremant has been charged in the murders of domestic partners Roxanna Ellis and Michelle Abdill, a Medford, Ore., police officer said. Civil rights activists were outraged at
U.S. Soldier Charged with Assault for Unprotected Sex: Reuters (12/13/95); The U.S. Army has filed assault charges against Specialist Kevin Barrow of the 41st Engineer Battalion at Ft. Drum, N.Y. for having unprotected sexual intercourse with a female soldier and not disclosing his HIV-positive status to her. According to army spokesman Maj. Rudy Cohen, Barrows violated a Defense Department s
Md. Firm Shares in Drug Tests on Cancer: Baltimore Sun (12/13/95) P. 1C; Guidera, Mark; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. will finance biotechnology firm EntreMed in a five-year joint research effort to study the use of thalidomide as a cancer therapy. Since its banning in 1962, thalidomide has become popular again as a potential treatment for several serious diseases, including AIDS, leprosy, and cancer. This m
Advocates for Young Sue New York City: New York Times (12/14/95) P. B1; Bernstein, Nina; Two advocacy groups for abused and neglected children-- Children s Rights Inc. and Lawyers for Children--filed a class action suit on Wednesday, seeking a takeover of New York City s child welfare agency by a court-appointed receiver. The advocates claimed that the death of six-year-old Elisa Izquierdo--who was beaten
Baboon Bone Marrow Transplant to AIDS Patient Planned: Reuters (12/14/95); Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Pittsburgh are scheduled to conduct an experimental and controversial transplant of baboon bone marrow into an AIDS patient today. San Francisco General Hospital spokeswoman Alice Trinkl said the infusion of bone marrow cells will
The Shocking Truth about Studies: Scientists' Love/Hate Relationship with AZT: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 100; Gower, Timothy; It often seems as if scientific research flip-flops, with studies contradicting each other for such reasons as flawed data or differences in scientific methodology. For example, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of AZT was stopped early for ethical reasons in 1986 because the d
First 500,000 AIDS Cases--United States, 1995: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (11/24/95) Vol. 44, No. 46, P. 849; A total of 501,310 AIDS cases had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Oct. 31, 1995. More than 62 percent of these individuals have died. Nearly half of the cases were reported between 1993 and 1995, while 10 percent were reported in the years between 1981 and 1987 and 41 percent
Japan Activists Urge Action in HIV Blood Scandal: Reuters (12/12/95); Some 2,000 Japanese students and labor activists protested outside the Health and Welfare Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday, demanding that the Health Minister and other officials relinquish their positions for not having done more to stop the use of contaminated blood products in the 1980s. Nineteen -year-old Ryuhei Kawada
U.S. Prosecutors Drop Charges for AIDS-Infected Man: Reuters (12/12/95); U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman announced on Tuesday that a British man who has been charged with receiving millions of dollars stolen from AT&T will not be tried because he has AIDS. Pitman explained, It s twofold--first it is not humanitarian to send someone for his remaining days to prison, and [second] to house and
Interfaith Task Force Marks 10th Year: Boston Globe (12/12/95) P. 38; Ribadeneira, Diego; Established in 1985, at a time when many churches hesitated to deal with AIDS because it was thought of as a homosexual disease, the Ecumenical Task Force on AIDS has provided comfort and catharsis for thousands of people affected by the epidemic. Tuesday marked the interfaith organization s 10th anniversary, which was
Chronicle: Guests Squeezing in to Honor Judy Peabody and Her AIDS Work: New York Times (12/13/95) P. B9; Brozan, Nadine; The Gay Men s Health Crisis in New York has honored Judy Peabody for her 10-year commitment in the fight against AIDS. For the majority of those years, Peabody has been the leader of a support group for the caretakers of AIDS patients, has worked to improve services, and has raised funds. She has helped hundreds of peo
Across the USA: Alabama: USA Today (12/13/95) P. 10A; The case against 41-year-old Willie Robinson, who was accused of raping a seven-year-old girl when she was four, has been declared a mistrial. Prosecutors claim the girl contracted HIV during the incident, and that she may not live to testify at next month s retrial.
Merck's Medco Unit Moves 'On Track,' Chairman Gilmartin Assures Analysts: Wall Street Journal (12/13/95) P. B6; Tanouye, Elyse; Merck & Co. s managed medical care division is living up to expectations, according to Merck Chairman Raymond Gilmartin, who was attempting to eliminate speculation that Merck was fighting to make the acquisition worthwhile. Medco is on the track of internal performance measures set for the unit, Gilmartin told ana
One AIDS Virus Strain Apparently Weakening: Washington Times (12/13/95) P. A16; A strain of HIV found primarily in West Africa has been weakening in strength over time, thus enabling infected individuals to live longer, a U.S. scientist reported at an AIDS conference. According to the Harvard AIDS Institute s Phyllis Kanki, a study of nearly 200 HIV-2-infected Senegalese women revealed that only o
Americans Receive New Medicines as Quickly as Others, FDA Asserts: Washington Post (12/13/95) P. A3; Schwartz, John; Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David A. Kessler said Tuesday that Americans receive new medicines as quickly as citizens of other countries, including treatments ranging from AIDS therapies to drugs for ovarian cancer, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and osteoporosis. Kessler said the average total devel
New AIDS Treatment Article Series Available: AIDS Treatment News (11/17/95) No. 235, P. 1; James, John S.; Boston s nonprofit Search for a Cure has introduced Reasons for Hope, a series of monthly articles that explain advanced practical treatment choices for AIDS to persons who are newly diagnosed, or who do not have an extensive background in AIDS treatment. The series features an easy reading level, yet the articles high
AIDS Update: HIV Information On-Line: Men's Health (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 44; Many people are concerned that efforts to censor indecent material on the Internet or services such as America Online could hamper HIV education attempts. Derek Gordon of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which intends to launch a World Wide Web site, explained, Almost everything we do might involve frank discussions
HIV Mars Heart Development: Science News (12/02/95) Vol. 148, No. 23, P. 380; Seachrist, Lisa; Researchers at Harvard Medical School have concluded that a child born to an HIV-infected mother is predisposed to developmental heart problems. Led by Steven Lipshultz, the scientists studied some 400 infants born to HIV-positive women, and discovered that 12 percent of these children experienced such heart disorders
Thailand Weighs AIDS Vaccine Tests: Science (11/10/95) Vol. 270, No. 5238, P. 904; Cohen, Jon; Thailand is emerging as the most important AIDS vaccine test- site in the world. There s probably more going on here than anywhere, notes epidemiologist William Heyward of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the coming years, tests and research in Thailand could help determine the efficacy of firs
AIDS Researcher Says Africa to Get Prevention Help: Reuters (12/10/95); Kizito, Edmond; Prevention is the best method of fighting HIV, according to AIDS researcher Luc Montagnier, who said on Sunday that he was establishing AIDS education centers in Africa. Education on AIDS prevention should be intensified and emphasized, he explained to an African AIDS conference. Montagnier added, Research should also
Inmates: The 'Other' AIDS Patients: Boston Globe (12/11/95) P. 29; Kong, Dolores; Some public health and prisoners advocates are concerned that the national commitment to fight HIV inside prisons may be wavering. Prisons in the Northeast, for example, have reported HIV infection rates of 20 percent. During the last few years, prisons in Massachusetts and some other states have significantly improved
New AIDS Drugs' Aim Is 'Buying Time': Miami Herald (12/11/95) P. 1C; Jacobs, Sandra; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Thursday the protease inhibitor saquinavir , which is now being sold by Hoffmann-La Roche under the brand name Invirase . This new class of AIDS drugs works by inhibiting the pr
AIDS Patterns Shifting: Half-Million U.S. Cases: Washington Post (Health) (12/12/95) P. 5; Colburn, Don; More than 500,000 cases of AIDS had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of November 1995. Sixty-two percent, or some 311,000, of those individuals have died. Although men who have sex with men still account for the greatest proportion of AIDS cases, that number is decreasing. G
Facing Budget Queries: New York Times (12/12/95) P. C11; Hilts, Philip J.; As new head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the issues Dr. Richard Klausner must address is AIDS research spending. A report from the Gay Men s Health Crisis (GMHC) claims that about $172 million, or 81 percent of the institute s $212 million AIDS research budget, was intramural- -$68 million more than r
The Magic Bullet: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 40; Wells, Ken R.; Donald Francis, head of Genentech Inc. s AIDS vaccine program, claims that shortsightedness and greed on the part of pharmaceutical companies and other investors have diverted limited funds from the development of preventive vaccines for HIV. Business advisers will tell you that developing a cure for AIDS is more profi
Inhibitors of HIV Nucleocapsid Protein Zinc Fingers as Candidates for the Treatment of AIDS: Science (11/17/95) Vol. 270, No. 5239, P. 1194; Rice, William G.; Supko, Jeffrey G.; Malspeis, Louis; et al.; In the war against HIV, HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein zinc fingers are key antiviral objectives because they are intolerant to mutation, and are necessary for both acute infection and virion assembly, report Rice et al. in the journal Science. The researchers identified nontoxic compounds called disulfide-substituted benz
Zaire Orders Brothels to Close: Reuters (12/08/95); Zaire s Justice Ministry has demanded the closure of the nation s brothels, threatening those running them with legal action if they do not comply. Prostitution is one of the few professions to prosper in the Central African country s economy. Professional prostitutes have been joined by students and housewives, provid
When Families Live with AIDS: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/08/95) P. 1C; Shirk, Martha; Project ARK (AIDS/HIV Resources for Kids), a joint project of the Washington University and St. Louis University schools of medicine, is a one-stop service facilitator for families affected by HIV and AIDS. Dr. Gregory Storch, Project ARK s medical director, explained that the program should help round out the gaps in
Blood-Sucking Fly Plague Hits Australian City: Reuters (12/11/95); Entomologists in Perth, Australia , say that the blood-sucking Stomoxys fly is encroaching on the city. The state s agricultural department has had reports of the fly in the city s northern, eastern, and southern suburbs. The flies-- which are more commonly known as the stable, dog, or lawnmower fly--are capable of car
Across the USA: New Jersey: USA Today (12/11/95) P. 11A; New Jersey Insurance Commissioner Elizabeth Randall has rejected a proposal that would have allowed group insurers to test for HIV and deny coverage to individuals who test positive.
AIDS: The Truth at Last?: Investor's Business Daily (12/11/95) P. A2; Fumento, Michael; A new study published in the journal Science indicates an AIDS epidemic that is both smaller than the government has said and one that clearly discriminates, writes Reason Magazine s Michael Fumento in a guest editorial in the Investor s Business Daily. Fumento notes the overwhelming differences between infected groups
EU Plans to Relax Curbs on R&D Aid: Journal of Commerce (12/11/95) P. 9A; Butler, Katherine; The European Union last week proposed relaxing limits on state aid for research and development to the maximum allowed under the most recent world trade agreement. The move, designed to make Europe more competitive with the United States , received clearance from the EU s executive but still requires approval from the
Stressed for Success: Washington Post (12/11/95) P. A1; Boodman, Sandra D.; A Washington Post survey of more than 700 Washington, D.C. area teenagers reveals a high level of stress in their lives-- stress related to such issues as grades, whether to have sex, and the spread of AIDS. Sixty percent of the 16- and 17-year- olds reported stress, and girls were more likely to report the problem tha
New Chiron Method for Treating AIDS-Related Illness Wins OK: Investor's Business Daily (12/11/95) P. A17; An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Friday the approval of Chiron Corp. s Vitrasert , an implant that would directly administer to the eye drugs for a potentially blinding disease in AIDS patients. Cytomegalovirus ( CMV ) retinitis affects a
Coming Clean about Needle Exchange: Lancet (11/25/95) Vol. 346, No. 8967, P. 1377; Laws that prohibit the sale or possession of drug paraphernalia and those that keep drug addicts from obtaining clean injection equipment are detrimental to the public s health, according to the editors of The Lancet. The editors state that such laws should be eliminated, as should Public Law 102-394--a law which the I
Prevention of SIV Infection in Macaques by (R)-9-(2- Phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine: Science (11/17/95) Vol. 270, No. 5239, P. 1197; Tsai, Che-Chung; Follis, Kathryn E.; Sabo, Alexander; et al.; Researcher Che-Chung Tsai of the University of Washington Regional Primate Research Center and his colleagues compared the efficacy of pre- and postexposure therapy with the antiviral compound (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine, or PMPA, against the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in 35 macaques. Subcutaneous
Preliminary Results From Phase III Trial of Doxil: Business Wire (12/06/95); SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced on Wednesday preliminary Phase III clinical trial results that indicated anticancer drug Doxil showed effectiveness in treating Kaposi s sarcoma in AIDS patients. The drug was compared to standard combination chemotherapy consisting of the drugs Adriamycin, Bleomycin, and Vincristi
Schering-Plough Corp.: Intron A Melanoma Drug Cleared By FDA For Sale: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B4; The FDA has granted marketing approval to Schering-Plough Corp. for the anticancer drug Intron A. The drug is an auxiliary treatment to surgery for patients with malignant melanoma, and clinical tests have shown it to be effective in increasing patients survival rates. Previously Intron A was approved for treatment o
AIDS Victim Named Woman of the Year: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/07/95) P. A4; Chatelaine magazine has selected as its Woman of the Year Rochelle Pittman, a woman who died of AIDS earlier this year after bringing much attention to the scope of Canada s tainted -blood tragedy. Mrs. Pittman became infected from her husband, who received infected blood during heart surgery. According to the magazine
AIDS Ministry Lays Off Eight; Using Volunteers: Richmond Times-Dispatch (12/07/95) P. B3; Robertson, Gary; Financial constraints have forced the Richmond (Va.) AIDS Ministry to layoff many of its employees this year, including eight workers within the last two weeks. The organization is now relying on volunteers to provide services to 16 AIDS patients in two residential facilities. A spokeswoman for the group said that the
Gay Ex-Cop Charges Discrimination on Miami Beach Force: Miami Herald (12/07/95) P. 1B; De Valle, Elaine; Pete Zecchini, an openly gay former officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, has charged the force with discrimination. Zecchini said that his difficulties began four years ago, when it became known that his lover was HIV- positive and others feared that he was as well. The Miami Beach Police Department has pres
Across the USA: Texas: USA Today (12/08/95) P. 10A; The decision of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses to refuse nearly $2 million in federal grants for AIDS education has ignited anger among AIDS activists. Moses said he rejected the money because he did not want requirements for how local schools should teach sex education.
On-Line Society Angered by Plan to Curb Content: Wall Street Journal (12/08/95) P. B5; Sandberg, Jared; Wednesday s 17-16 House vote to make it illegal for anyone to deliberately display indecent material which can be seen by a minor on the Internet punishable by a fine and prison has sparked outrage among users of online services. Consultant Craig Johnson, for example, described Congress move as the age of electronic bo
F.D.A. Backs a New Drug to Fight AIDS: New York Times (12/08/95) P. B12; Hilts, Philip J.; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved on Wednesday saquinavir , the first of a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors . Drug manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
AIDS Update: A Spitting Image of HIV: Men's Health (12/95) Vol. 10, No. 10, P. 44; University of Florida veterinary neurologist Roger Clemmons has designed a saliva test for HIV that is being produced for home use in international markets. The dipstick-style test, called OraScreen HIV Rapid Test, generates results in less than 15 minutes. Beacon Diagnostics, Inc. intends to file for approval from the
France Backs Off Promise to Boost UN AIDS Programme: Nature (11/16/95) Vol. 378, No. 6554, P. 224; Butler, Declan; The decision of the French government not to donate about $20 million to the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has sparked widespread protest in that country and others. The revocation of the funding, which was promised at 1994 s AIDS Summit in Paris, supports skeptics views that the meeting was primarily a po
Parents Slam Schools for Condom Handouts: Washington Times (12/07/95) P. A12; Wetzstein, Cheryl; On Wednesday, the House Economic and Educational Opportunities subcommittee on oversight and investigations heard suggestions on how parents need to reclaim their roles as primary teachers of values to their children. The primary topic of discussion was the school s role in providing sex education, particularly that re
Testing Is Ruled Out on Stabbing Needle: New York Times (12/07/95) P. B8; New York City law enforcement officials reported Wednesday that the needle used to stab a young girl on the subway last week cannot be tested for infectious diseases because no blood or bodily fluids were found on the syringe. Edward D. Fagan, the lawyer for six-year-old Colete Lopez s family, said that the Lopez famil
Group Calls AIDS a 'Slow Plague' Ravaging Africa: Philadelphia Inquirer (12/07/95) P. A25; The National Research Council said Wednesday that rapid action was required to stem the AIDS epidemic which is moving as a slow plague in some African nations. The federal government advisory group said the disease will lower average life expectancy in Zambia from 66 to 33 years by the year 2010. Similarly, life expect
Abbott Labs Drug Is Found Promising in 2 AIDS Studies: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B8; Burton, Thomas M.; Two new studies published in the most recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that Abbott Laboratories experimental AIDS drug ritonavir is effective in increasing patients immune cells and decreasing levels of HIV in their bloodstreams. Ritonavir is currently in Phase III clini
Bills Propose Tough Curbs for On-Line Obscenity: New York Times (12/07/95) P. A1; Andrews, Edmund L.; Members of a House-Senate conference committee agreed in principle on Wednesday to strict new measures against obscene and indecent material on computer networks. The committee stopped short on voting on the specific language of the bill, but House members voted in favor of a measure that would award fines of up to $10
Clinton Slammed on AIDS Efforts: Washington Times (12/07/95) P. A4; Bedard, Paul; AIDS activists forced President Clinton to defend his AIDS policies on Wednesday, suggesting that his anti-AIDS effort is a big con to win back angry homosexuals and liberals. Where have you been, asked AIDS activist Bob Lederer, who repeatedly interrupted and challenged the president during the White House conference
Clinton Pledges to Protect AIDS Funding: Washington Post (12/07/95) P. A26; Devroy, Ann; During the first White House conference on AIDS on Wednesday, President Clinton vowed to safeguard funding and health care programs for AIDS patients. An undertone of the conference and a complaint of protestors outside was that although Clinton has done more than any other president to fight the disease, it has not be
Proteins That May Slow Pace of AIDS Identified, Opening New Research Path: Wall Street Journal (12/07/95) P. B8; Langreth, Robert; Two separate groups of researchers report that they have identified four suppressor proteins that may slow AIDS progression. The findings will likely ignite intense competition among medical researchers to determine whether new treatments can be created using the proteins. This is an important advance toward understand
Peptide T: Negative Trial Result: AIDS Treatment News (11/03/95) No. 234, P. 8; James, John S.; A federal study of more than 200 subjects with AIDS-related cognitive impairment found no evidence that peptide T was useful in the treatment of this disorder. During the trial, the participants received either peptide T or a placebo for six months, after which time each was given peptide T for an additional six months
Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Zimbabwe: Lancet (11/11/95) Vol. 346, No. 8985, P. 1258; Malin, Adam S.; Gwanzura, Lovemore K.Z.; Klein, Susanne; et al.; During the course of one year, report Malin and his colleagues, 64 HIV-positive Africans with acute diffuse pneumonia unresponsive to penicillin and sputum smear-negative for acid-fast bacilli had fibreoptic bronchoscopy performed. One third of those patients had Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ), nea
Catholic University Installs Condom Machines: Reuters (12/05/95); The University of Leuven, a 17th-century Catholic school in Belgium , has sparked controversy by installing condom machines on campus. Professor Dirk van Gerven, head of a student relations committee, explained that the vending machines were a responsible approach to AIDS. The action, however, could cause problems, bec
Australia to Ban AIDS Sufferers from Military: Reuters (12/05/95); Individuals with HIV, AIDS, or other chronic diseases will be prohibited from joining the Australian military. The function of our defence force is to protect Australia and its citizens, and our servicemen and women must be fit to serve anywhere and at anytime as directed by the government, said acting Defence Minister
Prayer Power?: Washington Times (12/06/95) P. A2; Harvard researcher Herbert Benson claims that saying prayers or repeating words or sounds can alleviate symptoms of AIDS, lower high blood pressure, and cure infertility. These repetitions, he says, allow many people ... to trigger a specific set of physiological changes. Benson, a professor at Harvard Medical School,
Lifeline: AIDS Benefit: USA Today (12/06/95) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene; In December 1996, opera singer Jessye Norman will perform in a benefit concert at New York s Riverside Church to help increase AIDS awareness among blacks. Proceeds from the event --which will also feature orchestras, choruses, dancers, and spirituals--will be donated to Balm in Gilead Inc., an AIDS awareness group.
White House AIDS Forum to Be Attended by 250: Baltimore Sun (12/06/95) P. 2A; Some 250 AIDS activists, researchers, and local officials will come together today at the first White House conference on AIDS. The morning s program will feature subgroup meetings on issues including research, prevention, and care of people with AIDS. President Clinton will then hold a round-table forum with represent
Suspect in Needle Attack Had 2 Previous Escapes: New York Times (12/06/95) P. B4; Sexton, Joe; Angel Coro, the man charged with jabbing a six-year-old girl with a hypodermic needle on the New York City subway last week, escaped two times from the Rochester Psychiatric Center before he left for a third and last time two years ago. Rochester law enforcement officials say Coro disappeared from the state mental hosp
Shopping for Life: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 35; Foster, R. Daniel; Unlike any other disease, AIDS has inspired a wave of specialty items and merchandise tie-ins. It is also the only disease to have its own gift shop. San Francisco s Under One Roof, which only features products which carry a red ribbon or other symbol, sells merchandise from 60 Northern California AIDS organizations an
AIDS Watch: Drug Research Slows: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 28; According to a federal advisory panel, drug makers have cut back on their AIDS drug research and development endeavors. The slowdown is partly due to pharmaceutical companies who see no potential for profit in continuing research, circumspect investors, and a reduction in government support. The panel suggested providi
Eurocourt Tells France to Pay AIDS Victim, Now Dead: Reuters (12/04/95); The European Court of Human Rights ordered France to pay Daniel Bellet, a hemophiliac who died of AIDS 11 days ago, damages totaling more than $200,000. The Strasbourg-based court said Monday that Bellet was denied his right to access to an appeals court in his legal battles against the national blood bank for being gi
A Howl of Anger: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/05/95) P. B9; Levine, Bettijane; Author Elinor Burkett sees little sense in what she calls the AIDS industry, a combination of specific doctors, politicians, federal research scientists, drug companies, and others she believes have cashed in, copped out, been misled, or succumbed to greed in the fight against HIV. In her new book, The Gravest Show on
50 Calvert High Students Test Positive for TB Germ: Washington Post (12/05/95) P. B5; Shields, Todd; Health officials in Calvert County, Md., discovered 50 students carrying the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), after learning that one student at the crowded Calvert High School had the disease. However, none of the 50 has either developed TB or is contagious, health officials said Monday. An initial screening i
Nationline: Shooting Spree: USA Today (12/05/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Rivera, Patricia V.; Goodwin, M. David; In San Antonio on Sunday, 22-year-old Ulysses Miller entered the home of a woman he said had given him AIDS and shot five individuals, killing two, police report. Miller then killed himself as well. An autopsy will determine whether he was infected with HIV.
As Larger Cities Gain Ground on Ills, Smaller Ones Lose: New York Times (12/05/95) P. B10; Janofsky, Michael; Although such problems as violent crime, infant mortality, and the spread of HIV have started to subside in the country s largest cities, they are growing in smaller cities, according to a new report from the nonprofit National Public Health and Hospital Institute. The report is based on census data, federal crime stat
Judge Frees Check Forger Who Has AIDS: Washington Post (12/05/95) P. B3; Bates, Steve; A federal judge released an AIDS patient who pleaded guilty Monday to cashing some $250,000 in bad checks, noting that federal sentencing guidelines do not take into account criminals who have the disease. I don t have to tell this defendant the future he faces, said U.S. District Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. The Alexandr
Man Charged in Needle Case Fled Hospital: New York Times (12/05/95) P. B1; Sexton, Joe; Law enforcement officials and a spokesman for the New York State Office of Mental Health report that a homeless man who is accused of stabbing a child with a hypodermic needle on the subway last week ran away from a psychiatric hospital in 1993. When Angel Coro disappeared from the Rochester Psychiatric Hospital after
Abbott Labs Plans Lottery to Give Away AIDS Drug: Wall Street Journal (12/05/95) P. B6; More than 2,000 advanced AIDS patients across the world will receive free doses of Abbott Laboratories new experimental drug ritonavir by participating in a lottery, the company said. Specific details of the program will be made available to patient-advocacy organizations and to physicians who treat people with AIDS.
All About AIDS: Science (11/10/95) Vol. 270, No. 5238, P. 919; A plethora of calls from people who question whether HIV causes AIDS or need to reinforce their arguments to skeptics has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to create a pamphlet on the subject. We found ourselves constantly trying to send people references, said NIAID Director Anthony
Is HIV the Cause of AIDS?: Lancet (11/18/95) Vol. 346, No. 8986, P. 1371; Duesberg, Peter H.; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, Professor Peter Duesberg responds to a commentary in which editor Richard Horton asks Duesberg--who does not believe that HIV causes AIDS--to concede defeat in light of yet another connection between the virus, years of life, and death. Duesberg notes, however, that Darby et al.
Parents, Students Support School Condom Programs: AIDS Alert (11/95) Vol. 10, No. 11, P. 141; Studies of New York City schools indicate that parents support condom availability in schools and that students take advantage of them. The city s program mandates that each of its 120 high schools establish a health resource center in which trained personnel provide the prophylactics to students who request them. The
Court Jails Woman Who Injected Lover With Blood: Reuters (12/01/95); A British court sentenced a Ugandan woman to two years in jail for injecting her lover with blood as a parting present when he wanted to end the relationship to be with someone else. Judge Heather Steel said 25-year-old Rhena Ndagga s crime was deliberate, calculating, and cruel, and recommended that the woman be depor
Germans Jailed on AIDS Day Over Tainted Blood: Reuters (12/01/95); In Germany on Friday, three executives at UB Plasma were convicted of distributing poorly tested blood products, and thus causing the HIV-related deaths of at least two persons. Company owner and managing director Ulrich Kleist and head controller Dieter Stuer were both sentenced to four years in jail, and lab doctor A
German HIV Victims May Have to Register: Washington Times (12/04/95) P. A13; German Health Minister Horst Seehofer said that HIV-infected Germans may be forced to register by name with the government. This is just one of the measures being studied by two governments-sponsored AIDS research groups to fight the spread of HIV-1 subtype E, Seehofer explained. An estimated 14,000 Germans have AIDS,
Red Cross Left in Lurch for Funds, CEO Says: Toronto Globe and Mail (12/01/95) P. A1; Picard, Andre; The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is experiencing a serious financial crisis, due, in part, to new blood safety measures and the provinces reluctance to pay for them, said Douglas Lindores, secretary-general and CEO of the humanitarian agency. We ve already gone in hock for $30-million to $40- million to keep Canadians supp
Federal AIDS Education Ad Campaign Aims at Teenagers: Washington Post (12/01/95) P. A16; Health authorities introduced on Thursday a new ad campaign geared toward teenagers, called Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself. The fast-paced, contemporary public service announcements feature young people discussing sex, AIDS, condoms, virginity, and abstinence. For example, in one ad, a young woman named Vivian says
The Reliable Source: Sharon Stone: Washington Post (12/04/95) P. B3; Gerhart, Ann; Groer, Annie; Actress Sharon Stone has taken Elizabeth Taylor s place as the lead fund-raiser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, according to Reuters. I am shocked by how little we know and how little we understand, said Stone, who is expected to raise $76 million in four years.
Epidemiology: 'Center' of AIDS Shifting to Asia: Washington Post (12/04/95) P. A2; Brown, David; Most new AIDS cases will occur in Asia, not Africa, by the turn of the century, the World Bank said on Friday. According to Richard Feachem, one of the institution s senior health officials, the bank s prediction adds to the increasing amount of evidence that the center of gravity of the epidemic is shifting from Afric
Canadian Project Focuses on Legal, Ethical Issues Surrounding HIV/AIDS: Nation's Health (11/95) Vol. 25, No. 10, P. 6; The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian AIDS Society have completed an annotated bibliography of available resources concerning the legal and ethical issues related to HIV and AIDS. The group also made a list of immediate priorities, including testing and confidentiality, criminalization of HIV transmissio
Email Bytes: Victory for Prisoners with HIV Disease: Gay Community News (Fall 1995) Vol. 21, No. 2, P. 3; An Ohio judge has ruled that HIV infection may be regarded as an extraordinary physical impairment under federal sentencing guidelines used to determine reduced prison stays. While HIV status alone does not warrant a sentence reduction, once a defendant has developed infections related to his or her compromised immune
Across the USA: Iowa: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 10A; A new study shows that the number of AIDS cases in Iowa is continuing to rise, and that the number of heterosexuals becoming infected is increasing significantly.
AIDS After Randy Shilts: Still Blame Enough for All: New York Times (12/01/95) P. C33; Kakutani, Michiko; The Gravest Show on Earth: America in the Age of AIDS, a new book from Elinor Burkett, continues where Randy Shilt s 1987 work, And the Band Played On, stopped. Similarly to Shilts, who said that AIDS did not just happen to America--it was allowed to happen, Burkett argues that the AIDS epidemic has been worsened by
Nationline: Bad Condoms: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 3A; Leavitt, Paul; Goodwin, M. David; Thousands of faulty Olympus brand condoms that were given to 250 New York state organizations to be distributed among poor people to prevent HIV-infection have been recalled.
Critics Choice: 24 Hours of Action on AIDS: New York Times (12/01/95) P. C30; Dunning, Jennifer; Starting at 12:01 A.M. today, Dancers Responding to AIDS will perform for 24 consecutive hours in New York City s St. Mark s Church. This latest project of the group which was formed four years ago by the Paul Taylor dancer Hernando Cortez is called The Remember Project. The program will feature performances by the Tay
AIDS Day Finds Magic on a Mission: USA Today (12/01/95) P. 2D; Williams, Jeannie; Magic Johnson and filmmaker Spike Lee will speak today, World AIDS Day, at Brooklyn Technical High School about AIDS and positive roles in society. Over 55 percent of [AIDS] cases are people of color, he noted. We have to get out there and hammer the message. Johnson, who learned he was HIV-positive in 1991, reports th
New UM Clinic Honors an AIDS Victim who Inspired Others: Baltimore Sun (12/01/95) P. 1C; Bor, Jonathan; The University of Maryland Medical Center s new AIDS clinic will be dedicated today to Evelyn Jordan , a former patient who touched the lives of both staff members and patients alike. I met some patients who really made a change in their life from being around Evelyn, said nurse practitioner Debra Kosko.
State Aims AIDS Ads at High-Risk Individuals: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/01/95) P. B1; Boxall, Bettina; California health department officials introduced on Thursday the first part of a $6-million HIV prevention campaign. The program is geared toward high-risk groups who do not necessarily consider themselves to be in that category, including young men, men who have sex with men but do not think of themselves as gay, and
State to Cut Payments for Drugs in AIDS Program for Poor: New York Times (12/01/95) P. B7; Belluck, Pam; The New York State Health Department announced Thursday the state will no longer fund approximately 70 percent of the drugs used by low-income people infected with HIV under its HIV Uninsured Care Programs. According to spokeswoman Diane Mathis, the department had to make the cutbacks because the program--which is prim
Multipronged Approach Reveals Conformation of Key AIDS Peptide: Chemical & Engineering News (11/13/95) Vol. 73, No. 46, P. 32; Investigators at the National Institutes of Health used a multipronged approach to determine that portion of glycoprotein 120 (gp120) that is thought to bind to human cells as the first phase of HIV infection is probably found in the intact protein as an (alpha)-helix. The critical peptide, called C4, is one of the few
Decreased Expression of AMPA Receptor Messenger RNA and Protein in AIDS: A Model for HIV-Associated Neurotoxicity: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1174; Everall, Ian Paul; Hudson, Lance; Al-Sarraj, Safa; et al.; Infection with HIV can result in extensive neuronal loss and severe dementia , and although the reasons behind the neurotoxicity are unclear, interruption of glutamate-linked calcium entry has been suggested as one cause. Everall et al. present a study in which they demonstrate a reduction in HIV- infected brains of th
Zimbabwe AIDS Group Folds Through Lack of Cash: Reuters (11/29/95); The AIDS Counselling Trust (ACT), Zimbabwe s primary non- governmental anti-AIDS organization, will shut down operations on Dec. 1 due to a lack of cash, reported executive director Elizabeth Matenga on Wednesday. Matenga added, This comes at a time when the AIDS (epidemic) is at its peak in Zimbabwe, with 300 to 400 p
Candlelight Procession to Mark World AIDS Day: Baltimore Sun (11/30/95) P. 4B; Maryland residents will unite in honor of World AIDS Day on Friday at a candlelight march around the Statehouse, marking 15 years of the AIDS epidemic.
Lifeline: Airtime for AIDS: USA Today (11/30/95) P. 1D; Willis, Kim; On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, a minimum of 165 cable networks and local television stations will air AIDS-related programs and public service announcements. The movies Longtime Companion, And the Band Played On, and Philadelphia will be broadcast on Bravo, HBO, and Showtime, respectively.
D.C. Doctors Offer to Aid Inmate Care: Washington Post (11/30/95) P. C5; Goldstein, Amy; The Medical Society of the District of Columbia has offered to help redesign medical and psychiatric services in the city s Department of Corrections, calling the quality of health care provided to District inmates appalling, according to a new report from the organization. The report marks a rare occasion in which the
New AIDS Ads Aim for Young Adults: USA Today (11/30/95) P. 4D; Painter, Kim; A new federal AIDS prevention campaign geared toward 18- to 25 -year-olds carries the theme Respect yourself. Protect yourself. The television and radio commercials show young adults discussing abstinence, safer sex, sobriety, and communication. One ad features a man who says, If you don t practice safe sex, and I do,
Criticism Delays Plan to Boost AIDS Funding: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/30/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; Undercounting of Philadelphia s AIDS cases has caused the city to miss out on some $2.7 million in federal funding during the past two years, city health officials said Wednesday. The number of AIDS cases there was undercounted by as much as 28 percent. Still, a proposal from the Health Department to guard against futu
Another German Trial for H.I.V.-Tainted Blood: New York Times (11/30/95) P. A4; Dr. Gunter Kurt Eckert, the co-owner of the German drug laboratory Aprath, went on trial on Wednesday, charged with almost 6,000 counts of murder or attempted murder for selling HIV-contaminated blood products. Prosecutors claim that in 1986 and 1987, Aprath issued nine batches of unscreened blood donated by an HIV-inf
Update on HIV Transmission and Pathogenesis: Lancet (11/11/95) Vol. 346, No. 8985, P. 1290; Gozlan, Marc; A number of studies put forth at the 10th Cent-Gardes Symposium dealt with the dynamics of HIV multiplication, new animal models, and multiply exposed seronegative individuals. Researcher David Ho, for example, said that a study of five HIV-infected patients treated with the protease inhibitor ABT- 538 indicated that 5
Early Expression of SIV Replication by CD8-positive Nef- Specific Cytotoxic T Cells in Vaccinated Macaques: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1167; Gallimore, Awen; Cranage, Martin; Cook, Nicola; et al.; Gallimore et al. assessed the protective potential of nef- specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in macaques vaccinated with a high intravenous dose of the pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVmac251(32H)(pJ5). The researchers observed an inverse correlation between the vaccine-induced nef-specific CTL precur
A Vaccine Is the Only Way to Stem the AIDS Epidemic: Boston Globe (11/28/95) P. 25; Essex, Max; Political leaders must realize that everyone is vulnerable to HIV, which is why a vaccine is so desperately needed, writes Max Essex, chairman of the Harvard AIDS Institute, in the Boston Globe. Essex points out that the heterosexual aspect of the epidemic has been ignored, despite the fact that heterosexual HIV transm
Treatment's High Cost: New York Times (11/28/95) P. A22; Barnes, Mark; In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Mark Barnes-- Executive Director of the AIDS Action Council--voices his support of a recent column which concluded that some members of the AIDS community have maintained an atmosphere that seems to limit hopefulness. Although they are not cures, new scientific discoveri
Cambodia HIV Cases Said to Number Up to 90,000: Reuters (11/29/95); According to a report from the Cambodian Health Ministry and the World Health Organization , as many as 90,000 Cambodians may be HIV-infected. This estimate is significantly higher than one in August which said there were about 30,000 carriers of the virus that causes AIDS in the country. Health officials noted that o
Bill on HIV Counseling Draws Divided Reaction: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/29/95) P. B1; Collins, Huntly; At a two-hour hearing before the Philadelphia City Council on Tuesday, citizens debated a controversial measure that would force health-care professionals in the city to provide HIV counseling and testing to all pregnant women. Champions of the bill claimed it could help prevent maternal-infant HIV transmissions. Howev
The Glamorization of AIDS: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 29; Simmons, Todd; Some people claim that by glossing over the realities of HIV and AIDS with such images as flawless models in magazines and ad campaigns, the young or impressionable believe that they are safer than they actually are. Officials at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center were so concerned about what the
Quick Uptakes...AIDS and Human Rights: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/22/95- 11/29/95) Vol. 274, No. 20, P. 1577; Voelker, Rebecca; In observance of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, the United Nation s World Health Organization (WHO) will stress human rights and responsibilities. This year s theme--which, according to WHO officials, highlights equality and solidarity in the global response to AIDS--builds upon the multi-nation pledge made last year at the
D.C. Area Residents Less Healthy on Average: Washington Post (District Weekly) (11/23/95) P. D.C.1; Goldstein, Amy; A new study reveals that the Washington, D.C. area has been harder hit by such diseases as AIDS and tuberculosis compared to the rest of the nation. The data, however, is imperfect-- the AIDS information, for example comes from different time periods for each county. But Alexandria (Va.) Health Department Director Josh
Inside Art: A Seventh Day Without Art: New York Times (11/24/95) P. C30; Vogel, Carol; The seventh annual Day Without Art on Dec. 1 is meant to increase public awareness of people living with AIDS and those who have died from the disease. This year, some 5,600 cultural institutions across the world are participating in the event in which televisions will go blank for one minute at 8:01 P.M, artworks in m
Across the USA: Washington: USA Today (11/27/95) P. 9A; The cremation of a man who had died from AIDS was delayed when Spokane County (Wash.) Coroner Dexter Amend demanded an autopsy to prove the death was sodomy-related, the man s family claims. The autopsy request was rejected, with forensic pathologist George Lindholm calling it a witch hunt.
AIDS Fight Brings 2,500 to Vizcaya: Miami Herald (11/27/95) P. 1B; Martin, Lydia; About 2,500 people gathered at Vizcaya on Sunday to raise money for AIDS and praise advances that have been made in the war against the disease. One reveler, Phil Carpenter, noted, We ve lost 40 friends to AIDS. But it has not been in vain. The White Party was established 10 years ago to help the failing Health Crisis
Experts Cite Prostitutes' Role in AIDS: Los Angeles Times (11/26/95) P. A11; Hutzler, Charles; Health experts say that prostitutes play a critical role in the transmission of HIV between cities and villages of China . A 1993 survey discovered that the majority of these women sold sex only part of the time. The work was used merely to augment their small incomes. Tang Weihong, the Beijing Union Medical College st
Obituaries: John Watters, 47, an Advocate of Needle Exchange Programs: New York Times (11/26/95) P. 50; Fisher, Lawrence M.; Dr. John Watters, an advocate of clean needle exchanges to stem the spread of HIV, was found dead last Monday at the age of 47. The coroner s office reported that his death was being investigated as a possible drug overdose. Dr. Watters aggressively fought for programs that permitted injection drug addicts to exchange
Teen Sex Drama Ignores AIDS: Baltimore Sun (11/28/95) P. 1E; Zurawik, David; Fox s made-for-television movie The Price of Love takes a look at the world of teenage runaways and male prostitution in Hollywood. According to the story, 16-year-old Bret--played by actor Peter Facinelli--is first abused and thrown out by his step-mother, and then ends up on Santa Monica Boulevard as a male hustler.
Heroin Influx Ignites a Growing AIDS Epidemic in China: New York Times (11/28/95) P. A3; Tyler, Patrick E.; The heroin trade that swept into China during the 1980s has undermined the stability of thousands of peasant villages and has helped spread HIV among the country s injection drug users. Although China s Ministry of Public Health reports that there are 2,428 cases of HIV infection, few people have been tested for the vi
AIDS Phobia, Public Health Warnings, and Lawsuits: Deterring Harm or Rewarding Ignorance?: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1562; Mariner, Wendy K.; Several recent court decisions have dealt with so-called AIDS phobia cases--those in which a person has claimed monetary damages for his or her fear of acquiring AIDS. In an article in the American Journal of Public Health, Contributing Editor Wendy K. Mariner argues that negligence law should not allow HIV-negative pe
Netherlands Revises HIV Coordination Efforts: Lancet (11/18/95) Vol. 346, No. 8986, P. 1358; Spanjer, Marjanke; The Dutch National Committee against AIDS (NCAB) has been adjourned. Some of the functions of the group--which was established eight years ago and then had its term extended another four years--will be divided among other agencies, but the majority will be absorbed into the AIDS Fund. The NCAB noted in its last report
Clinic to Give $130,000 to Area AIDS Agencies: Washington Post (District Weekly) (11/23/95) P. D.C.1; Thomas-Lester, Avis; Washington, D.C. s Whitman-Walker Clinic has announced plans to distribute $130,000 among more than 20 area AIDS organizations. The funds are part of the $1.7 million raised during the organization s annual AIDSWALK event in September. Brother Help Thyself, a District-based group that gives grants to smaller community-
Across the USA: New York: USA Today (11/24/95) P. 6A; The director of the New York state AIDS Institute says she will resign in protest of planned budget cuts. Dr. Nilsa Gutierrez contends that Gov. Pataki ordered her to reduce the institute s $180 million budget by as much as 20 percent for 1996. Related Story: New York Times (11/23) P. B6
Researchers Offer Clue to How AIDS Virus Survives Prolonged Attack by Immune System: New York Times (11/24/95) P. A20; Kolata, Gina; Scientists at Oxford University in England have discovered how HIV continues to survive in the body despite aggressive attacks by the immune system. The researchers say that through subtle mutation, or a change in its genetic structure, HIV actually defuses the attack force that is meant to eliminate infected cells. On
AIDS Risk Cited for Young Men: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/24/95) P. A3; Neergaard, Lauran; New statistics show that one in every 92 young American men may be infected with HIV. The data show that minorities are especially vulnerable, with one of every 33 young black men and one in every 60 Hispanics estimated to be HIV-positive in 1993, according to a new report in the journal Science that contains the most
AIDS Cases in U.S. Since '81: 501,310: Chicago Tribune (11/25/95) P. 1-22; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that the number of AIDS cases diagnosed in the United States during the past 14 years now totals 501,310. Sixty-two percent of that number have died. Dr. Patricia Fleming of the CDC s AIDS surveillance division noted, Over half a million people with
Asia AIDS Epidemic May Top African Outbreak, U.N. Says: Baltimore Sun (11/25/95) P. 7A; Dr. Peter Piot, head of the United Nations AIDS program, said Friday that the AIDS epidemic in Asia could exceed the disease s spread in Africa. Piot added that the number of new infections in some northern European nations appears to have peaked. Compared to the current 14 million to 15 million adults worldwide who ha
New Issue Update: PathoGenesis Corp.: Investor's Business Daily (11/27/95) P. A4; PathoGenesis Corp. has announced an initial public offering of 3 million common shares of stock at a price of $10 per share. The Seattle-based firm has also given underwriters a 30-day overallotment option to buy as many as 450,000 more shares. PathoGenesis is presently developing such drug candidates as PA-1648 for My
Pharmacia & Upjohn to Launch 17 Drugs: Wall Street Journal (11/27/95) P. A9B; Forsberg, Birgitta; The newly-formed Pharmacia & Upjohn plans to launch about 17 new drugs within the next two years, including treatments for AIDS, cancer, Parkinson s disease, glaucoma, and urinary incontinence. An application for Rescriptor , an AIDS-treatment drug designed to work as part of a drug cocktail , will be
Good-Bye, Mr. Studds: Advocate (11/28/95) No. 695, P. 20; Moss, J. Jennings; The impending retirement of Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.), along with that of Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-Wisc.), could reduce gay representation in Congress to one man, Rep. Barney Frank, who is also a Massachusetts Democrat. It is simply time to...start afresh in some new endeavors, Studds explained. Certainly, we ll be as
AIDS Intervention in Uganda: Science (10/27/95) Vol. 270, No. 5236, P. 564; Wawer, Maria J.; Gray, Ronald H.; Quinn, Thomas; In a letter to the editors of Science, Wawer et al. respond to Rachel Nowak s recent claim that their study in Rakai, Uganda , runs counter to internationally accepted guidelines. International guidelines urge that should a therapy tested during a study be proven effective, it should be made reasonably available to th
HIV-Blood Scientist Defends Reporting Delay: Nature (11/02/95) Vol. 378, No. 6552, P. 9; Appel, Adrianne; Alfred Prince, head of the laboratory of virology and parasitology at the New York Blood Center, claims that the 1985 decision of Armour Pharmaceutical not to withdraw HIV- infected blood products and not to inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) of the contamination was justified considering the HIV-rela
ChemTrak Expands Product Development and Sales...: Business Wire (11/21/95); ChemTrak, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has named Rodger J. Richeal as Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Christopher P. Matoske as Director of Trade Sales and Marketing. Company CEO Prithipal Singh said the two men will be key in the marketing process of ChemTrak s newest items--a home HIV test service and H. pylori
Beatles Donate Money for Romania's AIDS Children: Reuters (11/21/95); Popescu, Karin; Olivia Harrison, wife of Beatle George Harrison, said Tuesday that some royalties from the Beatles new song Free as a Bird will go to a Romanian AIDS charity established by the singers wives and rock star Elton John. Harrison was in Bucharest as part of her work with the five-year-old Romanian Angel Appeal, a charity s
Kids with AIDS Need Equal Rights, Conference Told: Reuters (11/21/95); Charles, Deborah; At the opening ceremony of an Asia-Pacific program on AIDS and child rights on Tuesday, health care, child rights, and international law experts said that children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. The pandemic shows no sign of abatement, particularly here in Asia, explained Dr. Brian Doberstyn,
Chronicle: A Generous Producer Expects Hundreds for Thanksgiving: New York Times (11/22/95) P. B7; Brozan, Nadine; Theater and film producer Marty Richards has invited every Equity actor in a Broadway or Off Broadway show, ballet, or opera to join him for Thanksgiving dinner at New York City s Arcimboldo restaurant. Richards explained his actions by noting that many performers are busy during the holiday and are not able to be with
City Plan to Revamp AIDS Services Unit Draws Fire: New York Times (11/22/95) P. B2; Alvarez, Lizette; Some advocates of people with AIDS claim that New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani s proposal to rework the Division of AIDS Services may further complicate these patients efforts to obtain critical services. Giuliani vowed not to reduce the number of workers or financing in the unit, yet heads of AIDS- related communi
AIDS Watch: Talking about AIDS: Men's Fitness (11/95) Vol. 11, No. 11, P. 28; AWARE: Positive Health Talk Radio is the only news and talk program in the United States that is devoted entirely to HIV- related issues. The program is broadcast in such cities as Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Philadelphia, and Provincetown, MA.
Detection of Diverse HIV-1 Genetic Subtypes in the USA: Lancet (11/04/95) Vol. 346, No. 8984, P. 1198; Brodine, S.K.; Mascola, J.R.; Weiss, P.J.; et al.; Although HIV-1 subtype B prevails in North America and Europe, Brodine et al. detail in the British medical journal The Lancet the discovery of HIV-1 subtypes A, D, and E in five U.S. military personnel who acquired their infections during deployments overseas. According to the authors, these cases-- the first non-HIV-
OncoRx Holds Patent Pending Rights to 3-TC For...: Business Wire (11/20/95); Exclusive rights to a U.S. patent application for anti-HIV and anti-HBV drug 3TC (lamivudine) are held by OncoRx Inc. for the treatment of hepatitis B virus. Yale University filed the patent application, but OncoRx licensed the exclusive rights from Yale in 1994 and h
Moral Victories for Riley, Heat Players: Miami Herald (11/20/95) P. 1B; Jervis, Rick; On Sunday, six members of the Miami Heat basketball team distributed turkeys to needy families and signed autographs at Miami s Ninth Street Mall. Meanwhile, across town, Heat coach Pat Riley shot baskets and chatted with 65 youths at South Beach s Shore Club Hotel as part of an event for Project Cradle--a University o
AIDS Researchers Meet to Brainstorm: Houston Chronicle (11/20/95) P9. 7C; SoRelle, Ruth; In the fifth such meeting in as many years, nearly 50 international AIDS researchers recently gathered in Houston to discuss methods of boosting immune systems that have been ravaged by HIV. The meeting was developed by Project Inform, and without it, many scientists say they would not have taken some dramatic steps th
Fighting the Death Sentence: New York Times (11/21/95) P. A21; Sullivan, Andrew; In an op-ed column in the New York Times, Andrew Sullivan, editor of The New Republic, questions whether we are behind the times in terms of the HIV epidemic. The atmosphere around the disease, he claims, had often made hopefulness taboo. Although medical science has found not a cure, treatments are now available which
Across the USA: South Dakota: USA Today (11/21/95) P. 9A; South Dakota Gov. Janklow has declared Dec. 1 as AIDS Awareness Day in the state. A total of 95 cases of AIDS and 247 cases of HIV have been reported in South Dakota in the past decade.
Doctor Indicted Over Cancer Drug: Washington Post (11/21/95) P. A11; Schwartz, John; Houston physician Stanislaw R. Burzynski was indicted Monday on 75 counts of mail fraud and violations of federal medical laws. U.S. Attorney Gaynelle Griffin Jones claims that Burzynski and the Burzynski Research Institute introduced an unapproved cancer-fighting drug called antineoplastons into interstate commerce, f
FDA Gives Approval to Glaxo, Sequus to Market Separate AIDS Therapies: Wall Street Journal (11/21/95) P. B12; Langreth, Robert; The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has approved Glaxo Wellcome PLC s AIDS drug Epivir ( 3TC , lamivudine) for use in combination with
Would Xenotransplants Produce Epidemics Worse than AIDS?: Science News (11/04/95) Vol. 148, No. 19, P. 299; Travis, John; The greatest concern about xenotransplantation may be whether it should be done, not whether it is feasible. According to virologist Jonathan S. Allan of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, the risk of introducing dangerous new viruses into the human population is real. Allan is concerned that baboons car
Sociodemographic Characteristics and Sexual Behavior of Bisexual Men in France: Implications for HIV Prevention: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1543; Messiah, Antoine; Mouret-Fourme, Emmanuelle; The French National Survey on Sexual Behavior, a large-scale random telephone survey, provided information about a small number of bisexual men in France . The survey revealed that these bisexual men had fewer sexual partners than homosexual men, more than heterosexual males, but a comparable number to multipartnered h
Research Shows AZT and Either ddI or ddC Better than AZT Alone: Nature Medicine (11/95) Vol. 1, No. 11, P. 1113; Moran, Nuala; Following the recently released conclusions of the Delta trial, Britain s Medical Research Council now recommends that people with HIV and AIDS receive a combination of two anti- AIDS drugs. The Delta trial stopped three months ahead of schedule when it became clear that a mixture of
Ability of Primary Care Physicians to Recognize Physical Findings Associated with HIV Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/01/95) Vol. 274, No. 17, P. 1380; Paauw, Douglas S.; Wenrich, Marjorie D.; Curtis, J. Randall; et al.; Paauw et al. assessed the ability of 134 general internists and family practitioners to recognize HIV-related physical findings. Just over 25 percent of 89 physicians correctly diagnosed a patient with Kaposi s sarcoma, while nearly 23 percent of 97 doctors detected oral hairy leukoplakia and just 17 percent of 133 phy
Mother Theresa to Set Up AIDS Hospice in New Delhi: Reuters (11/17/95); Mother Theresa will establish an AIDS hospice in New Delhi, the Press Trust of India said last week. The news service reported only that the 85-year-old nun said that at her center, which will be devoted to women and children, AIDS patients would receive much needed love. Mother Theresa, who termed AIDS patients in
Latin American Women Face Rising AIDS Risks: Reuters (11/17/95); Orgill, Margaret; Health experts announced on Friday that Latin American housewives have among the region s greatest risk of AIDS because of infection from husbands having affairs or using drugs. The most important risk factor for a Latin American woman is being married, said Fernando Zacarias, coordinator of the Pan American Health Org
Genentech's Brewer Resigns and Jennings Will Be Reassigned: Wall Street Journal (11/20/95) P. C12; Genentech Inc. has announced the resignation of Richard Brewer, a high-ranking executive in charge of the biotech firm s marketing operations. An 11-year veteran of the company, Brewer had sparked anger among federal regulators and others for his aggressive marketing methods, but a Genentech spokesperson said that he
Obituaries: John Rico, Republican Activist: Washington Post (11/20/95) P. B4; Republican party official and political strategist John Rico died of AIDS on Saturday at age 45. In 1979, Mr. Rico ran Ronald Reagan s presidential campaign headquarters in Los Angeles. He later moved to Oregon, where he became chief of staff for the then-Republican state Senate from 1985 to 1991. Mr. Rico went public
Budget Bill Dismisses Moderates' Input, Aimed to Soften Most Conservative Plans: Wall Street Journal (11/20/95) P. A16; Georges, Christopher; The final compromise between House and Senate Republicans in the ongoing battle of the seven-year budget overhaul indicates that House conservatives were able to ignore Senate moderates endeavors, especially those concerning welfare and Medicaid. With Medicaid, for example, the final compromise version of the bill elim
Epidemiology: Warding Off the AIDS Virus: Washington Post (11/20/95) P. A2; An experimental drug called PMPA completely protected monkeys in a situation similar to that in which health care workers are exposed to HIV. PMPA is extremely close to AZT , the oldest AIDS drug, yet it works faster and is 100 times less toxic. After eight months, all 25 simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-injected m
Reducing the Risk of HIV Infection Among South African Sex Workers: Socioeconomic and Gender Barriers: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1521; Karim, Quarraisha Abdool; Karim, Salim S. Abdool; Soldan, Kate; et al.; Karim et al. undertook a study of female sex workers at a truck stop in South Africa to determine the social context that places them at high risk for infection with HIV, and how this context influences their risk-reduction capabilities. Ten in-depth interviews and 12 questionnaires revealed that the 12 respondents, wh
Patient of Dentist with AIDS May Get Economic Damages: National Law Journal (10/30/95) Vol. 18, No. 9, P. B21; The Supreme Court of Delaware ruled in September that although a patient could not collect damages for treatment by a healthcare professional who had AIDS without evidence of ensuing injury or HIV-exposure, economic damages could be recovered for misrepresentation. Brzoska v. Olsen involved 38 people who sued the estat
Bone Implant Infection Risk Combated: Richmond Times-Dispatch (11/16/95) P. E1; Orndorff, Beverly; LifeNet, the organ procurement agency that serves central and eastern Virginia, has developed and implemented a new bone cleansing technology that attempts to eliminate the risk of disease transmission from processed cadaver bone implants. The process, called Allowash, uses a mixture of biological detergents to lower t
AIDS on Rise in Latin America--Experts: Reuters (11/16/95); Health experts predict that an estimated 1 million Latin Americans could have AIDS by the turn of the century and that more effective campaigns must therefore be developed to prevent the spread of HIV. Most people in the region know about AIDS and how to prevent it, but we need to convert this into action, explained Fe
HIV Patients Warned About D.C.'s Water: Washington Post (11/17/95) P. A15; Kyriakos, Marianne; The Whitman-Walker Clinic, the largest AIDS clinic in the Washington, D.C. area, and the National Association of People With AIDS warned AIDS patients on Thursday not to drink the city s tap water for fear of bacterial infections. A spokesman for the two groups said that people with weakened immune systems should drink
Study: Medicaid, AIDS Deaths Linked: Philadelphia Inquirer (11/17/95) P. A2; Ritter, Malcolm; People with AIDS who are hospitalized for what appears to be Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ) are 73 percent more likely to die in the hospital if they are covered by Medicaid instead of private insurance, a new study claims. Researcher Charles Bennett noted that if planned Medicaid budget cuts are enacted, this
Drug Is Found to Bar Infection by an AIDS-Type Virus: New York Times (11/17/95) P. A25; Kolata, Gina; Researchers report in the journal Science that a drug called PMPA completely prevented one group of monkeys from becoming infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV. In the study, none of the 25 monkeys who were given Gilead Sciences experimental drug before or up to 24 hours after they were inoculated bec
AIDS: Why Let the Courtroom Become Your Classroom?: American Management Association (11/95) Vol. 84, No. 11, P. 62; Breuer, Nancy L.; Just because an employee is infected with HIV does not mean that the courtroom must be involved, writes Nancy A. Breuer in the American Management Association. Overall, AIDS is a business issue--and thus a productivity and a market issue-- that requires strategic planning. Some suggestions for planning include creating
Infectious Disease Testing for Blood Transfusions: Journal of the American Medical Association (11/01/95) Vol. 274, No. 17, P. 1374; The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Infectious Disease Testing for Blood Transfusions composed a statement on infectious disease testing for blood transfusions following its recent conference. Among its recommendations, the nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel of experts said that antib
Applied Immune Science Reports Third Quarter Results: Business Wire (11/14/95); Applied Immune Sciences reported revenues of $166,000 for the third quarter, which ended September 30th, compared to $263,000 in revenues for the same period last year. Net loss was $6,568,000 compared to $6,396,000 in 1994. Applied Immune Sciences entered into a strategic alliance with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer in
Playboy TV Preempts Prime-time Line-up with Evening of Programming to Support World AIDS Day; Includes Live Show with Suzi Landolphi: Business Wire (11/15/95); In recognition of World AIDS Day, Playboy Television will devote four hours of programming to AIDS awareness and the issue of safer sex. The nation s third largest pay-per-view service will offer a special lineup, including a live call-in show featuring AIDS educator, comedienne, and entertainer Suzi Landolphi. The cab
Blue Cross Announces $2.8 Million in Grants for Health Programs: Business Wire (11/15/95); Blue Cross of California has awarded 15 health-related programs grants totaling nearly $2.8 million. Of those programs, Los Angeles AIDS Healthcare Foundation received $150,000 to increase its prevention services. Additionally, Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services, Inc., West Hollywood, was given $153,402 for i
What Have We Learned If We Can't Share?: Toronto Globe and Mail (11/15/95) P. A20; Graydon, Michael; During the past 12 years, gay men grew in the face of AIDS, yet blinded themselves to the world beyond their own community, contends writer and activist Michael Graydon in the Toronto Globe and Mail. Within the epidemic, women are now at particular risk for the disease--as gay men were and are--and the necessary steps
Across the USA: South Carolina: USA Today (11/16/95) P. 13A; Conway, S.C., television station WBTW will broadcast a retraction and pay a settlement to Erin Kirby, a student at Coastal Carolina University who was wrongly identified in 1993 as being HIV-infected.
At Uncle Sam's, No One Answers: Washington Post (11/16/95) P. A1; Barr, Stephen; Montgomery, David; Although the federal government shutdown does not affect all government offices, the closure has already taken its toll. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has halted its disease surveillance, including monitoring current AIDS cases and the 1995 flu season. In addition, surveys on public health
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Advocate (11/14/95) No. 694, P. 32; Gallagher, John; Gay participants in the Million Man March on Washington on October 16 said they were welcomed by other marchers, but that they were disappointed by the distant reception they got from march organizers who backed out of a promise to include an openly gay speaker. However, Elias Farajaje-Jones, a divinity professor at Ho
Multiple Introductions of HIV-1 Subtype E into the Western Hemisphere: Lancet (11/04/95) Vol. 346, No. 8984, P. 1197; Artenstein, Andrew W.; Coppola, Julieta; Brown, Arthur E.; The HIV epidemic in Southeast Asia is primarily due to HIV-1 subtype E. Artenstein et al. analyzed the HIV-1 subtypes of 11 Uruguayan military personnel. Five of the six infections that were acquired during a United Nations deployment in Cambodia were identified as subtype E. Previous reports have limited the occurrenc
OncoRx Announces Third Quarter Results: Business Wire (11/14/95); OncoRx Inc. reported a third-quarter loss of $1,284,420, or 21 cents a share, on Tuesday. In addition, the company-- responding to the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee s recent recommendation for the rapid approval of 3TC as part a combination therapy
RBC-CD4 HIV/AIDS Therapy; Preliminary Results Show No Significant Adverse Effects in HIV Patients: Business Wire (11/14/95); Sheffield Medical Technologies Inc. has begun the dose- escalation part of a Phase I/IIA clinical trial for its HIV/AIDS therapeutic, RBC-CD4. The company also reports that the preliminary results of the first phase of the trial indicate that the drug was well tolerated and had no significant side effects in HIV-infect
Obituaries: Bruce B. Decker; Activist Served on State AIDS Panel: Los Angeles Times (11/14/95) P. A18; Oliver, Myrna; AIDS activist and philanthropist Bruce B. Decker died of AIDS- related complications on Saturday at the age of 45. Mr. Decker served four years as former Calif. Gov. George Deukmejian s chairman of the state AIDS Advisory Committee. In addition, he was the founder and finance chairman of a campaign against Proposition
Cuba Has 1,180 HIV Positive Cases: Reuters (11/14/95); There have been 1,180 cases of HIV recorded in Cuba , the official news agency Presna Latina announced Tuesday. It reported that Manuel Hernandez, head of the national anti-AIDS campaign, said that 271 of that total had died and 413 had developed AIDS. Hernandez added that there have been 76 new HIV infections in Cuba
Lifeline: Play's the Thing: USA Today (11/15/95) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene; Betty Buckley, star of the Broadway show Sunset Boulevard, is participating in a Norma Desmond Day. The highest bidder will work with Buckley for one day, both learning the role and doing a walk-on in the performance. The proceeds will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Bids, which can be phoned in at 212-221-9
Addenda: Glaxo Wellcome: New York Times (11/15/95) P. D7; Glaxo Wellcome has selected New York-based FCB Healthcare, a division of True North Communications, to manage the consolidated advertising account for its HIV drugs Retrovir, Mepron, Daraprim, and Septra. The account was previously distributed amongst FCB Healthcare and Harrison, Star, Wiener & Beitler, New York.
The Ripple Effect: Empty Halls, Lost Money, Discontent: Washington Post (11/15/95) P. A1; Montgomery, David; The U.S. government closed on Tuesday, thanks to the federal budget impasse. Hundreds of thousands of government workers will be affected by the shutdown, and companies that do business with the government will face delayed payments. Jim Graham, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the Washington, D.C. area
Advocates Want D.C. Declared a Disaster Area: Washington Post (11/15/95) P. D1; Loeb, Vernon; A coalition of Washington, D.C. advocacy groups, known as the Fair Budget Coalition, plans to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recommend that the city be declared a modified emergency, based on widespread poverty, spreading infectious disease, poor healthcare, unemployment, and increasing homelessness. T
New Interactive Internet Form from CDC NAC: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse (11/14/95); An interactive World AIDS Day form has been added to the CDC NAC Web site. The form allows users to input information about their organization s planned World AIDS Day activities, as well as read about what others are doing. All interested callers are encouraged to visit our Web site, http://cdcnac.aspensys.com:86, and
International Conference, Vancouver 1996: Arrangements, Deadlines: AIDS Treatment News (10/20/95) No. 233, P. 5; James, John S.; The theme of next July s 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver, British Columbia, is One World, One Hope. The meeting will offer several new elements, including program formats, such as formal debates and late breaker sessions; health insurance for attendees; and blinded review of abstracts. In addition, t
HIV-1 Seroconversion and Risk Behaviors Among Young Men in the U.S. Army: American Journal of Public Health (11/95) Vol. 85, No. 11, P. 1500; Levin, Lynn I.; Peterman, Thomas A.; Renzullo, Philip O.; et al.; To determine the risk factors re