Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr16/ad950207.zip/AD950207.TXT

Text File | 1995-02-07 | 12KB | 212 lines

                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      February 7, 1995

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"HHS--Increases: NIH, AIDS, Head Start"
"Protein in Saliva Found to Block AIDS Virus in Test Tube Study"
"Across the USA: South Carolina"
"More AIDS Education Needed, Findings Show"
"Researchers on AIDS Sound Optimistic Note"
"More at Risk of AIDS, State Health Officials Say"
"Regimen Containing Short-Term Rifampicin for Pulmonary
Tuberculosis in HIV-Infection"
"Microsatellite Instability in Primary Neoplasms from HIV+
Patients"
"Business Vet Joins AIDS Foundation"
"Internet Altruism May Help Online Business"
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"HHS--Increases: NIH, AIDS, Head Start"
Washington Post (02/07/95) P. A17;  Rich, Spencer
     For fiscal year 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) requested $715.8 billion, compared to $665.9 billion in
fiscal 1995.  A total of 95 percent of the budget goes to Social
Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare.  Outlays for Medicare
and Medicaid were projected at $212 billion less over five years
than previously expected, because of lower inflation and a
cleanup of inappropriate state matching fund claims.  Areas
targeted for increases in spending are the National Institutes of
Health, up $468 million to $11.8 billion; Head Start, up $400
million to $3.9 billion; and the Ryan White programs for AIDS
patients, which are up 14 percent.  HHS would also consolidate
108 separately financed Public Health Service programs, costing
$4.2 billion a year, into 16 programs with the same overall
funding, and with administrative savings expected.  Related
Story: New York Times (02/07) P. A22

"Protein in Saliva Found to Block AIDS Virus in Test Tube Study"
New York Times (02/07/95) P. C3;  Altman, Lawrence K.
     Researchers from the National Institute of Dental Research told a
meeting sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology last
week that a protein in human saliva blocks HIV infection of human
cells in the test tube.  The protein, secretory leukocyte
protease inhibitor (SLPI), appears to prevent infection by
attaching itself to the surface of monocytes, explained Drs.
Tessie B. McNeely and Sharon M. Wahl.  This finding may explain
the low incidence of infection via saliva, they said.  The
researchers are now working with Synergen to evaluate the
protein's potential to protect against HIV infection or modify
its effects in humans.

"Across the USA: South Carolina"
USA Today (02/07/95) P. 11A
     A total of 9,959 cases of HIV have been confirmed in South
Carolina since 1981, officials said.  Of that number, 66 percent
are African-American, 75 percent are male, and 75 percent are
between the ages of 20 and 39.  Approximately one half of the
HIV-infected people have been diagnosed with AIDS.

"More AIDS Education Needed, Findings Show"
New York Times (02/07/95) P. A24;  Dean, Laura
     In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Laura Dean--the
director of the AIDS Research Unit at the Columbia School of
Public Health--notes that a recent article about AIDS being the
leading killer of Americans between the ages of 25 and 44
overlooked a recent study in New York City.  The study found that
9 percent of young gay men between the ages of 18 and 24 tested
HIV-positive, with 2 percent of the uninfected men testing
positive one year later.  Most of the HIV-infected men in this
group were not aware of their HIV status, which suggests that
self-reported estimates of HIV prevalence should not be trusted.
There has also been an increase in sexual partners and episodes
among young gay men in New York City, according to data from the
Columbia School of Public Health.  The prevention programs that
effectively reach white gay men have not reached black and
Hispanic men, and need to be strengthened, concludes Dean.

"Researchers on AIDS Sound Optimistic Note"
Boston Globe (02/06/95) P. 1;  Knox, Richard A.
     AIDS researchers' renewed hope was evident at the conclusion of a
national AIDS conference last week.  Many specialists said they
came away with new respect for the immune system's ability to
fight HIV for years at a time.  Research on emerging drugs and
drug combinations that offer multiple treatment approaches were
also presented.  "There's no question there were more interesting
and promising developments reported at this conference than we've
seen in the past several years," said Dr. Harvey Makadon, of Beth
Israel Hospital.  For example, a new class of anti-HIV drugs
called protease inhibitors work at a later stage in the viral
life-cycle, blocking the assembly of HIV proteins into infectious
new viruses.  In early human trials, Abbott Drug's ABT-538 and
Merck Pharmaceutical's L-735,524 both produced encouraging
reductions in HIV blood levels and increases in patient's CD4
cell levels that were sustained over six months.  Many
researchers believe that the next step should be rapid,
simultaneous human trials of several drug combinations to select
those worthy of large, expensive, and lengthy studies that can
determine real clinical benefit, in terms of longer, healthier
lives.

"More at Risk of AIDS, State Health Officials Say"
Chicago Tribune (02/04/95) P. 1-5;  Frisch, Suzy
     While the overall number of reported AIDS cases in Illinois rose
3 percent last year, the number of cases involving heterosexuals
increased 41 percent, the state Department of Public Health said
on Friday.  The proportion of female AIDS patients has continued
to climb, and cases among homosexuals and bisexuals increased 9
percent.  Women made up 15 percent of all AIDS patients in
Illinois in 1994, up from 7 percent in 1990.  In 1990, there were
just 44 cases of heterosexual AIDS reported, but there were 294
in 1993 and 414 in 1994.  There were 3,118 AIDS cases reported in
Illinois in 1994, with gays and bisexuals making up nearly half
the total.  Although the number of AIDS cases decreased slightly
among African-Americans, cases among Latinos increased 8 percent.

"Regimen Containing Short-Term Rifampicin for Pulmonary
Tuberculosis in HIV-Infection"
Lancet (01/28/95) Vol. 345, No. 8944, P. 264;  Harries, A. D.;
Mbewe, L. Nyong'Onya;  Maher, D. et al.
     In a letter to the editor published in the Lancet, Harries et al.
report the treatment results of a cohort of smear-positive
pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients on an intensive treatment
that included rifampicin, followed by a maintenance regimen that
did not.  All patients at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in
Malawi with new smear-positive pulmonary TB were given the same
eight-month short course regimen.  After two months of
chemotherapy, 46 of the 686 patients registered had died and 26
had defaulted from treatment.  Of the 46 deaths, 38 took place
during the first 30 days--12 patients were HIV-positive, 1
HIV-negative, and in 25 the HIV status was not known.  Despite
the limitations, the study shows that in patients who completed a
two-month intensive treatment with streptomycin, rifampicin,
isoniazid, and pyrazinamide, a maintenance phase with isoniazid
and thiacetazone or ethambutol is associated with a similar
outcome at the end of eight months, regardless of HIV-serostatus.
The treatment has significant cost savings over one in which
rifampicin is used throughout.

"Microsatellite Instability in Primary Neoplasms from HIV+
Patients"
Nature Medicine (01/95) Vol. 1, No. 1, P. 65;  Bedi, Gauri C.;
Westra, William H.;  Farzadegan, Homayoon et al.
     AIDS is associated with a high risk of certain malignancies,
particularly Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and B-cell non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma (NHL).  The pathogenesis of these malignancies is not
completely understood.  One mechanism of malignant transformation
recently outlined in colon tumorigenesis stems from defects in
DNA mismatch repair, manifest as widespread microsatellite
instability.  To determine the presence of microsatellite
instability, researchers tested several dinucleotide markers from
different chromosomal arms in seven KS lesions--five from
patients with AIDS and two from patients without HIV infection.
They found a high rate of microsatellite instability in KS and
aggressive lymphomas obtained from patients infected with HIV,
but detected no evidence of instability in similar lesions from
HIV-negative patients.  Further study of the underlying
mechanisms responsible for HIV-associated instability in primary
tumors may provide insight into the pathogenesis of these
AIDS-related neoplasms.

"Business Vet Joins AIDS Foundation"
Crain's New York Business (01/23/95-01/29/95) Vol. 11, No. 4, P.
42;  Kripke, Pamela G.
     Recently, Zack Manna was appointed executive director of Broadway
Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), a national foundation that
mobilizes the theater industry to raise and distribute funds to
AIDS patients and service groups.  For 26 years, Manna was an
executive at AT&T Corp., where he founded and served as the
executive director of AT&T: On Stage--a program that discovers,
creates, produces, and finances new works for theaters
nationwide.  As corporate marketing services director, he
supervised AT&T's multilayered event-marketing program and
founded a corporate sponsorship for AIDS projects--the first of
its kind in the business world.  Through theatrical performances
and events, BC and EFA--which merged two years ago--have raised
almost $20 million since 1987.  More than 80 percent of the money
has been distributed directly to AIDS patients, both inside and
outside the theater community, and to support organizations.

"Internet Altruism May Help Online Business"
Interactive Age (01/16/95) Vol. 2, No. 6, P. 20;  Frook, John
Evan
     Companies conducting business via the Internet will increasingly
be targeted for regulation and should be prepared to fight it,
says Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) president Brian L.
Dyak, who has proposed the creation of an Internet database to
track the number of positive social messages digitized on CD-ROM,
carried by online services, and available to browsers over the
Internet.  The EIC is trying to generate $1.5 million to
establish and maintain a World Wide Web site that will include
such features as a bulletin board, information on prosocial
events, and coverage of new legislation.  According to Dyak,
companies doing business on the Internet will develop a positive
image by actively promoting a prosocial database.  The EIC and
Hollywood Supports, a nonprofit organization that advocates HIV
and AIDS-awareness in the workplace, have applied for a grant
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to sponsor a
three-day online conference on AIDS in the workplace.  Such
programming, says Dyak, will attract large audiences to the EIC
site.  Topics on the database would include public service,
healthy lifestyles, women's issues, and the promotion of
responsible sexual behavior.