Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 09:08:46 -0400 (EDT) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary October 21, 1994 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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Lifeline: Cause Celeb" "Deaths: Cleews Vellay" "Poverty Increases Risk of Death from AIDS--Study" "Massie a Hit at HIV Conference with Lessons of Being Positive" "Agouron Begins Clinical Testing of Anti-HIV Drug" "Trinity Biotech PLC Reports 6 Month Financial Results" "Soap Summit to Discuss Development of Storylines Affecting U.S. Attitudes Toward Reproductive Behavior" "Assisted Suicide Court Battles Intensify" "Homosexuality" "Gene Therapy Leaves the Lab, Faces Big Hurdles in the Clinic" ************************************************************ "Lifeline: Cause Celeb" USA Today (10/21/94) P. 1D; Vigoda, Arlene On Dec. 21--World AIDS Day--20 country music stars will participate in a benefit concert for a Nashville AIDS organization. Scheduled to perform at the event, being held at the Grand Ole Opry House, are Kathy Mattea, Billy Ray Cyrus, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, David Ball, and others. Tickets for the event will go on sale Oct. 29. "Deaths: Cleews Vellay" Washington Post (10/21/94) P. D5 Cleews Vellay, a cofounder and former president of the French branch of ACT UP, died of AIDS on Oct. 18 in Paris. Vellay lobbied to raise public awareness of AIDS-related problems that AIDS patients experience. He also condemned the French government for laxity in developing AIDS prevention and education programs. Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/21) P. B7 "Poverty Increases Risk of Death from AIDS--Study" Reuters (10/21/94) A Canadian study has found that poverty reduces the survival rate of AIDS patients. Professor Martin Schechter of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver led a research team that followed the lives of 364 gay men for 10 years beginning in November 1982. "Men on low incomes had a 63 percent greater chance of death from AIDS by December 1993 (the end of the study) than those on higher incomes," said the study. Low income was defined as less than US$7,500 a year. The study offered no conclusions as to why low-income patients may be more susceptible to death, but suggested that nutrition may be partially responsible. "Massie a Hit at HIV Conference with Lessons of Being Positive" Boston Globe (10/20/94) P. 38; Howe, Peter Robert K. Massie, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, discussed his struggle with hemophilia and HIV on Wednesday at a meeting of the AIDS Action Committee. Massie received sustained applause and support when introduced as the first HIV-positive person in the country to run for a statewide office. "I step forward because I am proud of my life and all the help that I have received from others and what I have become as a result...," said Massie. He has frequently spoken during his campaign about the spiritual and practical lessons of HIV. Robert Greenwald, director of public policy for the committee, said that one of the reasons that Massie is an inspiration to Massachusetts residents with HIV or AIDS is because of "the fact that he is a person with HIV is not central to his campaign." "Agouron Begins Clinical Testing of Anti-HIV Drug" PR Newswire (10/20/94) Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has started human clinical trials of AG1343, its anti-HIV drug. The safety and pharmocokinetic parameters of single and multiple oral doses of the drug will be assessed in phase I studies during the next 60 days. AG1343 demonstrated potent inhibition of HIV replication in vitro in preclinical trials. "If AG1343 displays the same pharmacological profile in humans that it has in test animals, this compound could ultimately play an important role in anti-HIV chemotherapy," said Peter Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Agouron. AG1343 is a synthetic compound engineered to inhibit HIV protease--a key enzyme in the replication of infectious HIV particles. "Trinity Biotech PLC Reports 6 Month Financial Results" PR Newswire (10/20/94) Trinity Biotech plc, an Ireland-based diagnostics company, has reported more than a 30-fold increase in both its second quarter and half-year revenues over the same periods in fiscal year 1993. "Revenues continue to be derived chiefly from pregnancy sales, but HIV test sales are now coming on stream," said CEO, Ronan O'Caoimh. The company is also involved in the development of a new single-step HIV test. "Soap Summit to Discuss Development of Storylines Affecting U.S. Attitudes Toward Reproductive Behavior" PR Newswire (10/20/94) The first "Soap Summit," sponsored by Population Communications International, will feature discussion on how to incorporate American attitudes toward reproductive behavior into the plots of soap operas. More than 45 leading health experts, television executives, and top soap opera creative talents will attend the meeting. Global and U.S. population issues will be addressed, as well as the role of television soaps in influencing reproductive behavior. Dr. Bradley Greenberg, professor of Telecommunications and Communications at Michigan State University, will discuss whether and how five soaps that he studied deal with reproductive issues--including safe sex and AIDS. His findings will be compared to the results of a similar study conducted 10 years ago. "Assisted Suicide Court Battles Intensify" Reuters (10/19/94); Appleson, Gail Lawyers in New York on Wednesday urged U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Griesa to overturn the state's ban on doctor-assisted suicide. The suit--funded by Compassion in Dying--was filed on behalf of three people with AIDS, two of whom have already died. Compassion in Dying claims the ban is unconstitutional, and alleges that the law denies people "the liberty and privacy to decide what to do with their own bodies and forces them to endure pain, anguish and loss of dignity." The organization provides advice to people who wish to commit suicide; Instead of administering lethal drugs, however, they refer the individuals to doctors for prescriptions of drugs that can be fatal when taken in large doses. Approximately 30 states have laws that prohibit assisted suicide. "Homosexuality" New England Journal of Medicine (10/06/94) Vol. 331, No. 14, P. 923; Friedman, Richard C.; Downey, Jennifer I. Although the AIDS epidemic is not confined to homosexuals, it has increased the stigmatization of gay men because they account for such a large number of AIDS cases in the United States. The epidemic has also intensified stigma against lesbians --who actually are at no increased risk of AIDS, but are often assumed to be at high risk because they are homosexual. Homosexuals that have AIDS are often discriminated against by employers, social service agencies, insurance carriers, and health care providers. Fear of homophobia and stigmatization may lead a homosexual who is HIV-positive or being tested for HIV to internalize negative attitudes and isolate himself or herself from others. While one showed an increased frequency in the rate of completed suicides among gay men with AIDS, studies of people with AIDS and those tested for HIV have not demonstrated an increase in suicidality. HIV-positive individuals often cope with the disease by remaining involved in life's activities, keeping in touch with others, and maintaining hope. "Gene Therapy Leaves the Lab, Faces Big Hurdles in the Clinic" AIDS Alert (10/94) Vol. 9, No. 10, P. 140 Researchers in gene therapy are initiating small trials in mice and humans that could yield a new approach to fighting HIV by boosting or possibly restoring the immune system. Researchers at the University of Washington have been encouraged by the reconstituted immune systems in patients given escalating doses of CD8 T cell clones and by the fact that none of the patients developed life-threatening cytomegalovirus. A University of California at San Diego-developed and FDA-approved process for an ex vivo Phase I clinical trial uses a ribosome molecule derived from the tobacco ringspot virus. Designed to resemble antisense RNA, the ribosome has been shown in vitro to inactivate HIV expression in target cells, resulting in an antiviral effect. Finally, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles have found a way to test the safety and validity of treatments by introducing genetically altered human cells into mice. It was determined that mice infected with HIV showed a decline in human immune cells implanted into their system. By using the animal model, tests of gene therapies can be performed in as little as three months and the mice may be used in gene therapy tests for other diseases.