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Software Vault: The Diamond Collection
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1995-03-17
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AIDS Daily Summary
March 17, 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
************************************************************
"Review Exonerates Researchers in Test of Hepatitis Drug that Led
to 5 Deaths"
"Rap Star Eazy-E Says He Has AIDS"
"House Approves $17.1 Billion in Spending Cuts"
"African AIDS Epidemic Creating a Society of Orphans"
"Tongue Found to Hold Natural Antibiotics"
"'Greg Louganis Day' to Be Celebrated in West Hollywood"
"Off the Menu: God's Love Dinners"
"HIV Cop Case Settled"
"AIDS Clinical Trials: Why They Have Recruiting Problems"
"Double Vision"
************************************************************
"Review Exonerates Researchers in Test of Hepatitis Drug that Led
to 5 Deaths"
Wall Street Journal (03/17/95) P. B2; McGinley, Laurie
Researchers involved in the 1993 test of the hepatitis drug
fiauluridine (FIAU), which led to five deaths, showed "no
evidence of negligence or carelessness" and could not have
foreseen the fatalities, a panel of the Institute of Medicine has
determined. The panel said that the trial, conducted by
researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was
justified, and that appropriate procedures were followed. The
decision backs up an NIH panel that in April 1994 exonerated the
researchers, but is in contrast to the Food and Drug
Administration, which last year claimed that the scientists and
their sponsors had violated several rules governing clinical
trials. FIAU showed early potential as a treatment for hepatitis
B. Although other trials had been conducted, the six-month NIH
trial was abruptly stopped after 13 weeks, when a patient's liver
failed. Five patients eventually died, and two more survived
after receiving liver transplants. Related Stories: Washington
Post (03/17) P. A2; Philadelphia Inquirer (03/17) P. A2-R;
Washington Times (03/17) P. A8; Los Angeles Times--Washington
Edition (03/17) P. A4
"Rap Star Eazy-E Says He Has AIDS"
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (03/17/95) P. B1; Respers,
Lisa
Rap artist Eazy-E, co-founder of the Compton rap group N.W.A. and
a major figure in the commercial development of "gangsta" rap,
has AIDS, his record company announced on Thursday. Eazy-E,
whose real name is Eric Wright, is one of the first major music
performers to make such an announcement. His condition "will
cause many people or kids who may have just casually glossed over
information about HIV to really look closer," said Bishop Carl
Bean, executive director of Minority AIDS Project. Wright, a
self-described ex-gang member and former drug dealer, did not
mention how he contracted HIV. In his statement, however, he
indicated he had had a number of sexual partners. Related Story:
Washington Post (03/17) P. B2
"House Approves $17.1 Billion in Spending Cuts"
Washington Post (03/17/95) P. A7; Morgan, Dan
After two days of debate, the House yesterday passed a $17.1
billion spending cuts bill. The bill makes cuts in numerous
programs, especially low-income housing, environmental,
education, and job-training programs. Republicans used
procedural tactics to block votes on several important
amendments, including one offered by Rep. Christopher Shays
(R-Conn.) to restore $186 million for a housing program for
people with AIDS. "This cause matters to me," said Shays, who
related how the widow of former representative Stewart
McKinney--who had AIDS and whose seat Shay now holds--had
dedicated herself after McKinney's death to finding homes for
people with the disease. White House Chief of Staff Leon E.
Panetta said that if the spending cut package reaches President
Clinton's desk in its present form, "there's no question...that
the president, in fact, would veto it."
"African AIDS Epidemic Creating a Society of Orphans"
Washington Post (03/17/95) P. A41; Buckley, Stephen
In Africa, AIDS has left millions of children without parents,
and has affected thousands more who contracted HIV through their
mothers. UNICEF predicts that by 1999, as many as 5 million
African children will have lost their mothers to AIDS. An
estimated 1.3 million of the 9.5 million people in sub-Saharan
Africa who have HIV or AIDS are children. The spread of AIDS on
the continent is, in part, due to cultural mores that assent to
men having simultaneous sexual partnerships with more than one
woman. At the Kakuuto offices of Doctors of the World, a medical
relief group, AIDS Program coordinator Fred Sekyewa says babies
born to mothers with AIDS have a 25 to 50 percent chance of
becoming infected, and that one in three pregnant women examined
there tests positive for HIV. Sekyewa adds that many women with
AIDS have children because of cultural pressures. "In African
societies it is an abomination for a woman to die without a
child," he says. AIDS experts are concerned that the impact of
AIDS on children will reduce school enrollments, roll back gains
in infant mortality rates, and further tax family structures
already destroyed by political and economic crises in many
African countries.
"Tongue Found to Hold Natural Antibiotics"
New York Times (03/17/95) P. A21; Altman, Lawrence K.
Scientists have discovered that cows' tongues contain natural
antibiotic substances that protect cuts from being infected by
the billions of microbes that reside in the mouth. Because human
tongues and cow tongues are similar, the human tongue may have an
antibiotic defense mechanism similar to the cow tongue
antibiotic, a short protein known as a peptide, said Dr. Michael
A. Zasloff, the head of the team from the Magainin Research
Institute. The most abundant peptide the team found was one they
called L.A.P, for lingual antimicrobial peptide. L.A.P.'s
structure resembles other beta defensins that other scientists
have found in the respiratory passageway of cows, the white blood
cells that fight infection, and in the Paneth cells in the lining
of the human small intestine. Animal peptides may also aid in
the prevention and care of infections from viruses such as HIV
and herpes because other defensins have been found to thwart
these agents in the laboratory.
"'Greg Louganis Day' to Be Celebrated in West Hollywood"
Business Wire (03/16/95)
In West Hollywood, Calif., Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis
will be honored today with a proclamation declaring Friday, March
17, as "Greg Louganis Day." The tribute will take place at a
news conference during which he will discuss his autobiography
"Breaking the Surface." "Greg is a true American hero. His
decision to be open about being gay and having AIDS is very
courageous. We salute Greg and the many people who are living
with HIV and AIDS each day," said Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman,
who will present the proclamation.
"Off the Menu: God's Love Dinners"
New York Times (03/15/95) P. C2; Fabricant, Florence
Over 150 New York City restaurants have announced support plans
for God's Love We Deliver, an organization that delivers meals to
homebound people with AIDS. The eateries will donate some or all
of their proceeds from dinners from the evening of March 26 to
the charity. The participating establishments range from the
upscale TriBeCa Grill to the casual Popover Cafe. Some, like
Gramery Tavern and Union Square Cafe, are offering tables for
eight that feature special menus for that night.
"HIV Cop Case Settled"
National Law Journal (03/06/95) Vol. 17, No. 27, P. A8
Under the terms of a settlement between the city of Chicago and
the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Chicago
Police Department will no longer test its recruits for HIV. The
city's testing policy was challenged in federal court after two
individuals were denied jobs because they tested HIV-positive.
The female candidate will receive $18,500, and the male candidate
will receive $6,000.
"AIDS Clinical Trials: Why They Have Recruiting Problems"
AIDS Treatment News (02/17/95) No. 217, P. 1; Mirken, Bruce
AIDS clinical trials often have difficulty enrolling the number
of volunteers needed. "The majority of our trials take a lot
longer than anybody expected to enroll. My guess is that this is
what's happening across the country." said Ronald Mitsuyasu,
director of the University of California at Los Angeles' Center
for Clinical AIDS Research and Education. Obstacles to
enrollment in AIDS trials can be divided into two categories: the
publicity or outreach efforts used to recruit volunteers, and the
design of the trials themselves. One problem with publicity is
that drug companies are often reluctant to release data on a
drug, which makes it difficult for recruiters to give potential
volunteers the data they need to feel safe in the study. Another
is the lack of clear guidance from the Food and Drug
Administration on what publicity materials should or should not
say--which can lead some trial sponsors to err on the side of
caution by not saying enough. People, however, will not be
attracted to a trial whose design is inherently unappealing to
patients or whose inclusion/exclusion of criteria keeps out to
many possible volunteers. Mitsuyasu noted that "patients are
almost burnt out, and maybe somewhat pessimistic about what
trials can do for them."
"Double Vision"
Advocate (03/21/95) No. 677, P. 65; Dale, Wendy
"My Brother's Keeper," a television movie based on a true story,
focuses on twins Tom and Bob Bradley--who are both gay teachers
on Long Island. Having renounced the priesthood, the brothers
live together and teach at the same school. When the movie
opens, the two men learn that Tom, who is HIV-positive, is a
perfect candidate for a bone-marrow transplant. The treatment is
only possible for an individual with an HIV-negative identical
twin. One of the most interesting moments in the drama is when
the doctor suggests the painful and time-consuming transplant,
and Tom simply assumes his twin will volunteer to be the donor.
The movie accurately parallels real-life. For example, when
Tom's insurance company refuses to pay for the treatment, the
brothers choose to go public with their story and fight, which
leads to a court battle and an outpouring of love from Tom's
students and colleagues. Despite a somewhat slow pace, the movie
raises several worthwhile gay-related issues--including the need
for health care reform and the difficulty of combining religion
with homosexuality.