Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr16/ad950322.zip/AD950322.TXT

Text File | 1995-03-22 | 11KB | 210 lines

                     AIDS Daily Summary
                       March 22, 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


************************************************************
"A Biotech Company Is Granted Broad Patent and Stock Jumps"
"Celibacy Program Dropped, As Source Is Tied to Church"
"Belgian Researchers Discover Quick New AIDS Test"
"Condom Seller Lets Users Do the Talking"
"Inside the Beltway: Sex-Toy Shotgun"
"Stripping Takes Off in the '90s"
"Russia's HIV Law Passed"
"Drug Shows Promise against MAC Symptoms"
"STD Education Initiative Seeks to Stem Large Number of Cases in
U.S."
"Agenda: Bloody Shame"
************************************************************

"A Biotech Company Is Granted Broad Patent and Stock Jumps"
New York Times (03/22/95) P. D1;  Riordan, Teresa
     Shares of Genetic Therapy Inc. jumped 17.6 percent on Tuesday
following the company's announcement that it had received a broad
patent for a certain approach to gene therapy.  The patent, which
belongs to the National Institutes of Health and is exclusively
licensed to Genetic Therapy, covers any method of reinjecting a
patient with his own cells after they have been genetically
altered.  A. Paul Boni of New York-based equity research firm
Mehta & Isaly said, "Genetic Therapy Inc. now has a very
important strategic position."  James M. Wilson, director of the
Institute for Human Gene Therapy at the University of
Pennsylvania, called the patent "a good sign for biotechnology
generally, since proprietary rights are basic to the development
of this industry."  Scientists are investigating the use of gene
therapy for several disorders, including HIV.  Related Stories:
Wall Street Journal (03/22) P. B6; Washington Post (03/22) P. A1;
Washington Times (03/22) P. B7; Baltimore Sun (03/22) P. 10C

"Celibacy Program Dropped, As Source Is Tied to Church"
New York Times (03/22/95) P. B1;  Hanley, Robert
     Three women, who lead groups on Long Island that encourage
family values and premarital celibacy, recently stopped showing a slide
presentation on AIDS after learning that the show's creators had
had leadership roles in the Unification Church.  Sister Marjorie
McGregor, Janet Gilroy, and Joanne Fruhauf worked hard at
distributing the presentation, "Free Teens, USA," which
emphasized teenage celibacy, and they promoted program creators
Richard A. Panzer and Dr. William L. Bergman.  The church, which
is led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, has been criticized for
enticing young people to join and separating them from their
families.  Although the women had no signs that the men were
recruiting in this case, they severed ties with them immediately.
The men claim their intent was only to stop the spread of AIDS.
Public schools throughout the region have used the slides, many
of them unaware of Panzer and Bergman's ties to the Unification
Church.  Panzer said that although he was the director of the
Unification Church in Rhode Island during the 1980s, he no longer
held any official church position.  Bergman is the head of the
World Medical Health Foundation, which critics say is a front for
the Unification Church.

"Belgian Researchers Discover Quick New AIDS Test"
Reuters (03/21/95);  Pleming, Sue
     Researchers in Belgium have developed a new test for HIV which
produces results within days, compared to common testing methods
which force a delay of several months.  "Usually you have to wait
about three months after exposure before knowing whether you are
HIV-positive, but with this one we can detect the virus a day or
so later," said Professor Jose Remacle of Namur University in
Belgium, on Tuesday.  Remacle's test differs from others in that
it checks specifically for HIV, rather than antibodies which can
only be detected several months after infection.  Remacle said
his test offers psychological benefits for people worried they
might be HIV-positive.  His test can also measure the state of
advancement of the virus in the body.  The test, which costs
about $10 per kit, has been marketed in laboratories in Belgium,
France, and Italy for the past month.  The test's producers are
seeking additional distributors in Europe and are hoping to
capture the U.S. market.

"Condom Seller Lets Users Do the Talking"
Wall Street Journal (03/22/95) P. B8;  Warner, Fara
     In a "reciprocal" ad campaign from Ansell International's
consumer products unit, the company is asking consumers to make
short videos explaining what they think about condoms and safe
sex in the 1990s.  The winning video or a combination of several
is expected to become the next television commercial for
LifeStyles condoms.  The $5 million print campaign comes at a
time when public discussion of condom use appears to be more
accepted than when Ansell first started advertising in 1986.  At
that time, the ads were banned from the major broadcast networks
and some national magazines.  The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, however, has aired public service announcements about
condom use and AIDS for more than a year.  It is not certain,
however, whether the videos will ever be seen on the broadcast
networks.  Fox has run condom ads, but has strict guidelines
about what it will air.  The networks generally accepts
public-service announcements that address the "use of condoms as
a way to reduce the risk of contracting the [AIDS] virus," says a
CBS statement.

"Inside the Beltway: Sex-Toy Shotgun"
Washington Times (03/22/95) P. A6;  McCaslin, John
     Recently, a federal employee--who asked not to be
identified--attended the mandatory HIV-AIDS training course as
required by President Clinton in a September 1993 directive.  The
Pentagon worker expressed concern to her supervisors that because
"the nature of [her] organization does not typically involve
exchange of bodily fluids," she hoped a personal risk discussion
would not extend beyond office contact.  She warned them that she
would leave the class if it strayed too far from
workplace-related information.  When the Red Cross instructor
began a discussion of flavored condoms after the phrase "sex
toys" appeared on a slide, the worker left the room.  Her
co-workers later informed her that she missed "the 'Saran Wrap'
discussion [and] how to safely remove a condom."  The worker has
suggested that the administration re-examine its objectives and
methods of HIV-AIDS education.  "The shotgun approach with a
captive audience of federal employees seems inappropriate," she
commented.

"Stripping Takes Off in the '90s"
USA Today (03/22/95) P. 1D;  della Cava, Marco R.
     Hollywood has rediscovered stripping.  The forthcoming
"Striptease," for example follows actor Demi Moore as she strips
to raise funds for a child-custody battle.  "I think part of the
attraction is you can only go so far, that's the intrigue," says
Atom Egoyan, director of the recently released film "Exotica."
AIDS has been a factor in the nationwide doubling of the number
of strip clubs to almost 3,000 since 1992, says traveling
salesman Bill Harland, author of "The Complete Guide to
Gentleman's Entertainment."  "This is the safe sex alternative of
the '90s," he adds.

"Russia's HIV Law Passed"
Lancet (03/11/95) Vol. 345, No. 8949, P. 644
     A controversial law in Russia, which called for mandatory HIV
testing of all visitors to the country, has been amended.  The
lower house of parliament unanimously accepted the amendment put
forth by President Boris Yeltsin, exempting people visiting the
country for less than three months from testing.  Diplomats will
also be exempt, but other foreigners who intend to stay for more
than three months must either produce recent certification that
they are HIV-negative or be tested upon arrival.  The new law
takes effect on Aug. 1.

"Drug Shows Promise against MAC Symptoms"
AIDS Alert (03/95) Vol. 10, No. 3, P. 38
     A new study has found that clarithromycin significantly decreases
Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) bacteremia and appears to
increase survival in AIDS patients.  "This was the first study
showing that a single drug could sterilize the blood of patients
with disseminated MAC infection," said lead author Dr. Richard
Chaisson, assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins
University.  The effectiveness of the drug, however, was limited
by drug resistance, and there is clearly a need for combination
therapy with clarithromycin and other agents, Chaisson said.  The
Food and Drug Administration approved clarithromycin for the
treatment of MAC in 1992.  The drug, however, had not been
adequately studied for efficacy until now, Chaisson added.  The
patients who received the lowest dose of clarithromycin had
longer average survival times than those patients in either of
the higher doses.  Most patients in all three groups eventually
had a distinct reduction in MAC symptoms, and at least one blood
culture became negative for MAC.  Over a median time of 16 weeks,
46 percent of all patients developed resistance to the drug, and
with it a recurrence of symptoms.

"STD Education Initiative Seeks to Stem Large Number of Cases in
U.S."
Nation's Health (03/95) Vol. 25, No. 3, P. 9
     On Feb. 14, nine national health organizations and a major
pharmaceutical company launched a sexually transmitted disease
(STD) education initiative.  Representatives of those groups used
Valentine's Day--a day associated with love and passion--to
unveil a new booklet about STDs, and to report the findings of a
survey about Americans' attitudes, knowledge, and behavior.
Burroughs-Wellcome, a manufacturer of STD treatments,
commissioned the study--which found that 62 percent of the men
and 50 percent of the women surveyed were at high or moderate
risk of contracting an STD.  About three-quarters of the high
risk men and women, however, said they were not worried about
getting an STD.  The survey also found that almost two-thirds of
the respondents knew little about six common STDs, including HIV,
genital herpes, and syphilis.

"Agenda: Bloody Shame"
Advocate (03/07/95) No. 676, P. 11
     According to testimony given by Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, a former
assistant director for public health practice at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, blood banks did too little to
stop the spread of AIDS at a crucial period during the 1980s.
Koplan said that the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
strongly resisted measures that were intended to slow the
transmission of HIV, which had not yet been isolated.  Koplan
made the allegations while testifying in a lawsuit against the
AABB filed by a woman who claims she became infected with HIV
from a blood transfusion she received in 1983.