Date: 25 Aug 1999 17:26:54 From: aidsnews@igc.org Subject: AIDS Treatment News #325 AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #325, August 20, 1999 phone 800-TREAT-1-2, or 415-255-0588 CONTENTS: Upcoming Research and Treatment Conferences, Meetings Retroviruses Conference Dates and Deadlines United States Conference on AIDS, Nov. 5-8 in Denver 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS, Los Angeles, October 9-12, Scholarship Deadline Sept. 1 Growth Hormone Symposium, October 7-10, 1999 Lymphoma Patient Educational Forum, October 16-17, Manhattan Beach AIDS Jobs Available San Francisco General Hospital: Studies for Patients Beginning Antiretroviral Treatment Poppers: More Evidence of Suppressed Immunity ***** Upcoming Research and Treatment Conferences, Meetings by John S. James Today the most complete information on upcoming conferences is available on the Web. Instead of duplicating the work of others by maintaining our own list of meetings, we provide links to other organizations which are already doing so; you can reach these links through our site, http://www.aidsnews.org . In mid-August we went through those lists and other information, and selected some of the most important conferences and meetings to bring to our readers' attention: 1999 * August 29-September 1, 1999, National HIV Prevention Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/hiv_aids/conferences/nhpc99.htm . Not a treatment meeting, but an important conference which activists and professionals should be aware of, even if they are not directly involved. * August 28-September 2, 1999, 1999 Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, Maryland, http://www.ihv.org/ihv%20htmls/99mtg.html . A technical conference on basic and applied research on AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. We will attend, and expect to report on this meeting in future issues of AIDS TREATMENT NEWS. * September 1-5, 1999, 2nd Conference on Global Strategies for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants, Montreal, Canada, http://www.globalstrategies.org/conferences/montreal/index.html . Note the coordination with the conference below. (This conference is full.) * September 5-6, 1999, Advances in Pediatric AIDS, Montreal, Canada, http://www.nyas.org/scitech/contents/conf990905.html . Note coordination with conference above. * September 8-10, 1999, 1st International Congress on Cytokines and Chemokines in Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland. Email: wsnow@bellsouth.net . * September 26-29, 39th ICAAC (Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy), San Francisco, California, http://www.asmusa.org/mtgsrc/ic99main.htm . ICAAC is most important in odd-numbered years, when there is no competing International AIDS Conference; see ICAAC announcement in AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #323, July 16, 1999. * October 1, 1999, Integrating a Spectrum of HIV/AIDS Therapies: Maximizing Benefits of HAART with complementary Care, New York, New York. Contact Rachel Sacks, 212-566-7333, fax 212-566-4539, email bodyposedu@aol.com. We believe that much more attention is needed to using nutritional, dietary supplement, lifestyle, and other approaches together with standard of care antiretroviral treatment, particularly for reducing side effects of medications. Industry has considerable control of the research agenda, and has little interest in non-proprietary products which cannot be sold at an enormous markup--or in calling attention to the side effects of its expensive drugs. * October 7-10, 1999, International Symposium on Growth Hormone in Immune Reconstitution, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida; call Serono Symposia USA, 800-283-8088. (See announcement in this issue, below.) * October 9-12, 1999, 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS, Los Angeles, California, http://www.womenandhiv99.com . See announcement below. * October 10, 1999, Diagnostic Technologies in the Management of HIV/AIDS and Other Life-Threatening Coinfectious Diseases, First International Symposium, Vienna, Austria, http://www.iapac.org/conference/99diagprogram.html . Note coordination with conference below. * October 11-13, 1999, The Third International Conference on Healthcare Resource Allocation for HIV/AIDS and Other Life- Threatening Illnesses, Vienna, Austria, http://www.iapac.org/conference/99program.html . Note coordination with conference above. * October 16-17, Lymphoma Patient Education Forum, Manhattan Beach, California, http://www.lymphoma.org/pages/edforum.html . * October 23-27, Seventh European conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV Infection, Lisbon, Portugal, http://www.euro-aids99.com/ . * November 5-8, The United States Conference on AIDS (USCA), Denver, Colorado, http://www.nmac.org/usca/default.htm . U.S. skills-building conference; see announcement below. * November 12-15, 2nd Canadian HIV/AIDS Skills Building Symposium: Getting Together, Sharing Together, Learning Together, Winnipeg, Canada, http://www.cdnaids.ca/ . Canadian skills-building conference. * November 18-21, 37th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, http://www.idsociety.org/meetings/index.html . * December 1, 1999, World AIDS Day, http://www.avert.org/worldaid.htm . * December 1, 1999, AIDS-Associated malignancies: Biology & Clinical Management, San Francisco, California. http://medicine.ucsf.edu/programs/cme/brochures/120199/ . Note coordination with conference below. * December 2-4, 1999, Comprehensive Review of HIV Management: Winter Symposium, San Francisco, California, http://medicine.ucsf.edu/programs/cme/all.shtml . Note coordination with conference above. * December 11-14, 1999, National AIDS Treatment Advocates Forum (NATAF), Miami, Florida, http://www.nmac.org/nataf/default.htm . 2000 * January 30-February 2, 2000, 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, San Francisco, California, http://www.retroconference.org . One of the most important conferences on basic and clinical AIDS research. See announcement of dates and deadlines, below. * April 16-21, 2000, 13th International Conference on Antiviral Research, Baltimore, http://www.isar-icar.com/future.html . * May 4-7, 2000, 10th Annual Clinical Care Options for HIV Symposium, Scottsdale, Arizona. Email: registration@mail.medscape.com . * July 9-14, XIII International AIDS Conference - AIDS 2000, Durban, South Africa, http://www.aids2000.com/ . * October 22-26, 2000, Fifth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection, Glasgow, UK. 2001 * April 7-13, 2001, 13th International Conference on Antiviral Research, Seattle, Washington http://www.isar-icar.com/meeting.htm . 2002 * July 2002, XIV International Conference on AIDS, Barcelona, Spain. 2004 15th International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada. In early August, 1999, it was announced that the International AIDS Conference in 2004 will be held in Toronto. The United States was not considered as a site, in part because it requires visitors to disclose their HIV status in order to enter the country. ***** Retroviruses Conference Dates and Deadlines Retroconference 2000, the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, will take place January 30 - February 2 in San Francisco. Major dates and deadlines are: * Abstract submission, October 5, 1999 (except late breakers); * Registration opens for abstract authors, November 12; * Registration opens for other researchers and clinicians, November 30; * Late breaker abstract deadline, January 5, 2000. Note: This conference is usually full long before it opens. Researchers and clinicians who do not have abstracts accepted should apply immediately when their registration opens on November 30. Press is handled separately, and usually there are some scholarships for community people. Generally there is no onsite registration for anybody, including press. ***** United States Conference on AIDS, Nov. 5-8 in Denver The United States Conference on AIDS (USCA), a major skills- building meeting, will take place November 5-8, 1999, in Denver, Colorado. Hotel reservations should be made by October 1, and advance registration by October 8. This conference is sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council. The 10 conference tracks are: Care and primary care; Executive director leadership; Fundraising and finance; Housing; International issues; Nutrition; Prevention; Public policy; Special issues; and Treatment and research. For more information, call The United States Conference on AIDS, 202-483-6622x343, or email lwilliam@nmac.org . ***** 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS, Los Angeles, October 9-12, Scholarship Deadline Sept. 1 The 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS, sponsored by the City and the County of Los Angeles, will focus on four tracks: Basic and Clinical Science, Behavioral and Prevention Science, Policy and Public Health, and Programs, Outreach, and Provision of Care. About 3,000 participants are expected to attend. The preregistration deadline is September 24; there will also be onsite registration on a space-available basis. At least 300 scholarships are available; the deadline for application is September 1. Scholarships can be used for registration, hotel, air travel, local transportation, and/or childcare. For more information, call the conference hotline at 877-266- 3966, fax 213-738-6566, email womconf@primenet.com, Web http://www.womenandhiv99.com . For information in Spanish, call 800-847-7212. ***** Growth Hormone Symposium, October 7-10, 1999 Serono Symposia recently announced a 3-day International Symposium on Growth Hormone in Immune Reconstitution, to be held at St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. "Sessions will include: current status of neuroimmunology; role of growth hormone in lymphopoiesis; use of growth hormone to promote immune reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation or in AIDS; and use of growth hormone in the elderly to promote immune function." "This symposium is designed for physicians interested in a novel approach to treating immune deficiencies and scientists interested in neuroendocrine-immune interactions. "Speakers at the symposium include 26 physicians and specialists in the areas of immunology and all conditions affected by immune reconstitution." For registration and other information, call 800-283-8088 and ask for Serono Symposia. ***** Lymphoma Patient Educational Forum, October 16-17, Manhattan Beach The 4th Annual Patient Educational Forum on Lymphoma will be hosted by the Lymphoma Research Foundation of America, October 16-17 in Manhattan Beach, California. This meeting is not HIV-specific. The program appears to be a good one, including: a keynote speech by Wendy Harpham, M.D., author and lymphoma survivor; "What We Know About Lymphoma" by Julie M. Vose, M.D.; "Why Participate in Clinical Trials" by Alexandra Levine, M.D.; practical sessions including health insurance, and side effects of treatment; and disease-specific breakouts (Hodgkin's disease, indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (follicular, low grade), other indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (small lymphocytic, MALT, Waldenstrom's, CLL), aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (diffuse large cell, mixed cell), highly aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (Burkitt's, lymphoblastic), mantle cell lymphoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma); research and treatment news; and sessions on nutrition, and on alternative and complementary treatments for cancer. Lymphoma is increasing rapidly in the general population, and is much more common in persons with HIV. A study of risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including medications and lifestyle factors, was published this month in the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. More information about the October program can be found at http://www.lymphoma.org/pages/edforum.html . ***** AIDS Jobs Available by John S. James In the last few weeks we have seen more help-wanted announcements than ever before--reflecting both the prosperous economy, and successes in funding and fundraising for AIDS programs in the last year or two. In addition, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) is planning to start the Community Based Service Organization (CBO) Jobs Bank on its Web site, probably in September; and AIDS Action, in Washington, D.C., already lists jobs on its site, offering listings to its 3,200 member organizations. These services are free both to the individual looking for work and to the organization listing the job. NMAC Jobs Bank NMAC announced its CBO Jobs Bank on August 10. When it has opened, individuals will be able to get listings at http://www.nmac.org . Later it will be possible to search the jobs bank by organization, region, or job title. Agencies seeking to fill a position should send the following email to info@nmac.org: Organization name Job title for the job vacancy Brief description (25 words maximum) Job location (city, state) Resume submission deadline (closing date) Start date Contact information Information will be verified and then added to the database. Note: Meanwhile, NMAC lists its own job openings at http://www.nmac.org/jobs/nmacopportunities.htm . It is currently looking for a Data Entry Specialist, Internet Programs Coordinator (Treatment Education, Training and Advocacy), Web Master, Technical Assistance Trainers, and Information Services Manager. AIDS Action Job Listings AIDS Action lists jobs from its member organizations at http://www.aidsaction.org/jobs.html . As of mid August this site listed only 11 jobs, probably because the member organizations are not yet familiar with the service. Organizations listing jobs include The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, AID Atlanta, New Mexico AIDS Services, National Minority AIDS Council, Northwest AIDS Foundation, AIDS Outreach Center (Fort Worth, TX), and Community AIDS Resource (Coral Gables, FL). Other Announcements Here are a few announcements for treatment-related jobs: * Science Program Analyst, and * Science Project Manager, and * Administrative Assistant. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, in New York, NY, has these job descriptions on its Web site, http://www.iavi.org . * Scientific Director. The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, Washington, DC, is seeking a scientific director. "The Scientific Director should have a doctoral degree and extensive experience in HIV research, drug development, and/or care delivery. This newly created position will begin on a part-time basis, estimated at 50% effort..." For more information, contact David Barr, Executive Director, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, phone 202-530-2307, fax 202-530-2372, email ihodxb@gwumc.edu. * Hotline Manager. Project Inform, San Francisco, is hiring a manager for its National HIV/AIDS Treatment Hotline. Desired qualifications include: "A BA degree or equivalent experience, plus two years of supervisory experience; Program development skills and experience; Bilingual in English/Spanish strongly preferred; Ability to train, coordinate, support and motivate volunteers; Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities; Knowledge of HIV/AIDS treatments and related opportunistic diseases, as well as women's health issues; Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Ability to work independently; Computer literacy, especially Microsoft Word, Excel and Access; and Ability to work knowledgeably, effectively and respectfully with a diverse range of individuals with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, economic circumstances, and HIV status." For more information, see http://www.projectinform.org . * Public Policy Associate. Project Inform is also seeking an Associate to develop, implement and evaluate federal health policy agendas and strategies, under the leadership of the Director of Public Policy. Qualifications include: "Public policy advocacy experience, preferably on the federal level; Demonstrated understanding of HIV/AIDS policy issues on a national, state and local level; Strong knowledge of federal health care policy issues; Experience in grassroots community organization preferred; BA degree (political science, social sciences, public health or related field); Excellent interpersonal skills; Ability to manage multiple tasks, set and maintain priorities, and work independently and efficiently in a time-sensitive environment; Ability to develop and implement a strategic plan for a particular policy issue; Demonstrated leadership skills; Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Computer literacy; Ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse range of individuals with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, economic circumstances, and HIV status; Personal commitment to Project Inform's mission; and Knowledge of and sensitivity to HIV/AIDS issues, the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS." For more information, see http://www.projectinform.org . [Note: These lists of qualifications may be useful for other AIDS organizations to review during their own hiring process- -which is why we quoted them at length.] * Many other job openings are listed on other organizations' Web sites. We did not check theses sites--there are thousands of AIDS organizations--but only noted a few which came to our attention. ***** San Francisco General Hospital: Studies for Patients Beginning Antiretroviral Treatment San Francisco General Hospital has several studies available for persons just starting antiretroviral therapy. It also has a special clinic on most Friday afternoons, where patients can discuss these trials with a leading HIV physician. (Note: Most of these studies are also available at certain other institutions in the U.S.; here we are looking at options for previously untreated patients at San Francisco General Hospital.) If you are about to begin antiretroviral treatment, you have many options to choose from--but not enough information to help you and your doctor make the best decision. Clinical trials will help to find this information for patients who are making the choice in the future. For participants today, many trials pay for the drugs and laboratory tests for standard-of-care antiretroviral treatment for HIV; however, there may not be any provision for continuing to pay for the drugs after the trial ends, so before volunteering, patients and their doctors should consider how care will be maintained at that time. Treatment Studies * ACTG 384: Comparing the antiviral effectiveness and side effects of starting with a regimen including a protease inhibitor (nelfinavir), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (efavirenz), or both. This study will also compare starting with AZT+3TC, vs. d4T+ddI. Everyone will receive treatment with at least three drugs. * FIRST. This long-term study also tests starting with a protease inhibitor (any one or two), vs. a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (any), vs. both. Everyone also receives two nucleoside analogs. [Note, in this study people can either choose (preselect) their own protease inhibitor or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or they can choose to be randomized between nelfinavir and indinavir, and between efavirenz and nevirapine.] * NR 15720: Comparing once-daily ritonavir plus saquinavir, vs. once-daily efavirenz. All volunteers will also receive two nucleoside analog drugs. * BMS 007: This study tests a new protease inhibitor, BMS- 232632, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, compared with nelfinavir. Volunteers will also receive d4T+ddI. Volunteers assigned to the new drug will receive it alone for the first two weeks (without the d4T+ddI), to see how well the drug works alone; this monotherapy period involves a risk (probably small) of developing resistance to the drug. * BMS 152: This study tests a new enteric-coated ddI, which is easier to take than standard ddI. In both cases, volunteers will receive other antiretrovirals also, to constitute a standard starting regimen. * Merck 094: Testing the safety and efficacy of indinavir plus ritonavir twice daily (given with d4T and 3TC). This study uses a low dose of ritonavir, which slows the body's metabolism of indinavir, so that it may be possible to give medications twice instead of three times a day, which is what Merck wants to find out. This trial is scheduled to last only 24 weeks, although possibly it could be extended. Non-Drug Studies There are also three studies which are not primarily treatment trials (although volunteers usually need to be starting treatment in order to qualify): * Evaluating T-cell turnover, immune reconstitution, and thymic function in patients starting antiretroviral therapy. * CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) Viral Load Studies. This trial is particularly looking for patients with AIDS dementia complex, but is also available for anyone starting antiretroviral therapy. It requires lumbar punctures, and offers reimbursement of $75 to $125 for each. * REACH Homeless Cohort Study. This is a study to see how effective antiretroviral treatment is in the homeless or marginally housed. Volunteers need to be homeless or living in an SRO hotel in the Mission, Tenderloin, or South of Market (in San Francisco)--and need to be planning to start treatment in the next eight weeks. Patients interested in any of these studies should discuss them with their physician. Physicians and patients can learn more--or find out about the Friday afternoon Antiretroviral Naive Research Study Clinic--by calling Nelson Murcar, R.N., at the Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital, 415-476-9296x333. [Note: None of the studies above is for patients with primary HIV infection--meaning the flu-like illness which often occurs soon after HIV infection. They can be referred to the Options Project at San Francisco General Hospital, 415-502- 8100, which is running two studies for them. People can enroll in Options and elect not to start therapy also.] ***** Poppers: More Evidence of Suppressed Immunity by John S. James Four months ago AIDS TREATMENT NEWS noted a toxicology study finding increased cancer in mice exposed to isobutyl nitrite, in concentrations approximating social use of the drug-- apparently due to suppression of immune responses that would normally control the cancer, not direct stimulation of cancer cells(1) ("Poppers: Large Cancer Increase and Immune Suppression in Animal Tests," AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #317, April 16, 1999). Now another study(2) has found increased bacterial growth, and further evidence of immune suppression. At a recent meeting in Amsterdam, researchers reported that isobutyl nitrite inhalation "results in increased bacterial growth in the lungs and livers of infected mice, suppresses the ability of mediastinal lymph nodes to respond to antigen- specific stimulation, and may reduce the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations in the mediastinal lymph nodes after pulmonary infection with Listeria monocytogenes." This study was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. References 1. Soderberg LSF. Increased tumor growth in mice exposed to inhaled isobutyl nitrite. TOXICOLOGY LETTERS, 1999; volume 104, pages 35-41. 2. Schafer R, Barnett J, Soderberg L, and Damiani C. Pulmonary exposure to isobutyl nitrite reduces resistance to a respiratory infection. 10th International Congress of Mucosal Immunology, Amsterdam, June 27 to July 1, 1999. ***** AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Published twice monthly Subscription and Editorial Office: P.O. Box 411256 San Francisco, CA 94141 800/TREAT-1-2 toll-free U.S. and Canada 415/255-0588 regular office number fax: 415/255-4659 email: aidsnews@aidsnews.org useful links: http://www.aidsnews.org Editor and Publisher: John S. James Associate Editor: Tadd T. Tobias Reader Services: Tom Fontaine Operations Manager: Phillip T. Alden Statement of Purpose: AIDS TREATMENT NEWS reports on experimental and standard treatments, especially those available now. 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For instructions, send email to majordomo@aidsnews.org; the first line must be "info aids-treatment-news" (without the quotes). Back issues are available at http://www.aids.org/atn Copyright 1999 by John S. James. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used.