Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 11:28:56 +0500 From: awilson@smtpinet.aspensys.com (Wilson, Anne) AIDS Daily Summary January 10, 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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Man Infects Stepdaughter, 7, with HIV in Rape" "Few Needle Swaps Exist as HIV Spreads in L.A. County" "VIMRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. Announces Results of NIH-Sponsored Clinical Trial (ACTG 150) on VIMRxyn in AIDS Patients" "Conservative Radio Host Says He Has AIDS, and Boston Shows Its Heart" "Haitian Refugees Could All Be Home Within a Week" "Synentech Announces Reorganization, R&D Expansion" "HIV Infection, Risk Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms Among Puerto Rican Sex Workers" "Avanti Overcomes Safety Concerns Raised by FDA" "AMA's Science Reporters Conference Features Good and Bad Medical ews" "First Word" ************************************************************ "Man Infects Stepdaughter, 7, with HIV in Rape" Washington Times (01/10/95) P. A5 On Jan. 15, 1994, just three hours after getting married, Frank Cisco Bridges--a crack addict with full-blown AIDS--raped his seven-year-old stepdaughter and infected her with HIV. The child's mother was convicted of child endangerment and being an accessory after the fact to her daughter's rape and will be sentenced today. The mother hung up the phone when her 10-year-old son called 911 to report his sister's injury. On the morning of Jan. 15, 1994, the woman had bailed Bridges out of jail on a petty theft charge so they could be married at her home. While at first Bridges blamed a nonexistent twin brother, he eventually broke down and admitted committing some of the offenses. He plead guilty to five felony counts of child molestation and rape and was sentenced in July to 38 years in prison. The girl, now 8 years old, is displaying diminished motor skills, an early sign of the fatal illness. "Few Needle Swaps Exist as HIV Spreads in L.A. County" Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (01/09/95) P. B1; Cheevers, Jack Injection drug users are the second largest group of HIV-infected people in Los Angeles County. They are also the principal route of HIV transmission to heterosexuals, their sex partners, and children. It is estimated that 14,000 county residents are infected as a result of contaminated needles. As needle-related infections have almost doubled in five years in the county, public health experts warn that the local government is not doing enough to fight the virus among intravenous drug users. Although health experts say that supplying sterile equipment through needle exchanges is one of the best ways to attack the problem, city and county officials have provided little or no support for such programs. There are concerns that the programs violate state law and encourage drug abuse. Two private needle exchange groups try to fill the vacuum, but they have very small budgets and are able to reach only a fraction of those who need help. Studies show that needle exchanges are an inexpensive, effective way to reduce the spread of AIDS among users. It has also been found that needle exchanges do not encourage existing addicts to use more drugs, or lure non-users into drug abuse. Needle exchanges have sparked debate among residents--including those who want the exchanges off the streets, in medical clinics with trained professionals, not volunteers. "VIMRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. Announces Results of NIH-Sponsored Clinical Trial (ACTG 150) on VIMRxyn in AIDS Patients" Business Wire (01/09/95) VIMRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Monday announced the results of a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound VIMRxyn, synthetic hypericin. Called ACTG 150, the trial--which was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health--enrolled 27 HIV-infected men and women with fewer than 300 CD4 cells. The participants were intravenously treated with VIMRxyn two to three times weekly for up to 24 weeks in three different dosing groups. "ACTG 150 successfully fulfilled its major goals of determining the safety profile and Maximally Tolerated Dose of VIMRxyn given by intravenous administration to this patient group," said Dr. Howard Hochster, Medical Director for VIMRx. Additional results of VIMRxyn's ability to affect markers of infection include a positive CD4 cell count response in some patients, and a trend to a decrease in p24 levels and in viral cultures in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. "Conservative Radio Host Says He Has AIDS, and Boston Shows Its Heart" New York Times (01/08/95) P. 12; Tierney, John Last week in Boston, right-wing talk-show host David Brudnoy addressed not welfare mothers or affirmative action, but his ordeal with AIDS. Brudnoy discussed his homosexuality and his disease with his callers for the first time. His announcement prompted a citywide show of affection, including one from Mayor Thomas M. Menino--who appeared at Brudnoy's apartment with a proclamation of David Brudnoy Appreciation Day--and one from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who called the program to wish him well. His regular callers jammed the switchboard offering prayers and tips for conquering AIDS, along with denunciations of liberals. He has also received thousands of supportive letters. Brudnoy, who had previously refused to discuss his sexuality because he considered it a personal matter, decided he could not keep it a secret after he collapsed on the air in October with AIDS-related pneumonia. "Haitian Refugees Could All Be Home Within a Week" Reuters (01/09/95); Zengerle, Patricia Five hundred more Haitian refugees were sent home on Monday. U.S. officials said that the nearly 3,000 remaining Haitians held at Guantanamo Bay could be back in Haiti within a week. While some Haitians refugees accepted an U.S. offer to voluntarily return to Haiti in exchange for a job and payment of $80, many are being interviewed by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials to determine if their fears of persecution in Haiti justify their staying at the base. As of Monday, only 74 out of more than 900 interviewed had been given permission to stay. The only exception to U.S. policy are approximately 240 Haitians, aged 17 and under, who are at the base without adult relatives; and 44 refugees, most of whom have tuberculosis or HIV, who were approved to enter the United States but have not yet received visas. An additional 200 Haitians who have tuberculosis will return home after completing six months of drug treatment. "Synentech Announces Reorganization, R&D Expansion" PR Newswire (01/09/95) Synentech, Inc. on Monday announced a corporate reorganization, which will allow an expansion of its research and development (R&D) effort into proprietary product discovery. Synentech President and CEO Paul C. Ahrens will resign from those positions to establish a new R&D effort researching new applications of novel amino acids and peptides. The R&D entity will be independent, but Synentech will own all rights to discoveries of new applications, and will reimburse Ahrens for certain expenses associated with the research effort. Synentech's peptide building blocks are being used by drug companies to make a wide range of peptide-based drugs currently being developed for treatment of AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. "HIV Infection, Risk Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms Among Puerto Rican Sex Workers" American Journal of Public Health (12/94) Vol. 84, No. 12, P. 2000; Alegria, Margarita; Vera, Mildred; Freeman Jr., Daniel H. et al Puerto Rico ranks third in annual AIDS incidence rates among U.S. states and territories. To determine the relationship between sex workers' psychological status and their HIV serostatus and risk behaviors, Alegria et al collected information through structured interviews and blood specimens tested for HIV from 127 sex workers on the island. Seventy percent of the prostitutes matched the high depressive category, according to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Of the women who were HIV seropositive, 91.4 percent were highly depressed. High depressive symptomatology, however, was also reported among 58 percent of the women who were seronegative. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the use of injected drugs and engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse with clients were strongly associated with a high level of depressive symptoms. "Avanti Overcomes Safety Concerns Raised by FDA" AIDS Alert (01/95) Vol. 10, No. 1, P. 4 With the marketing of the Avanti condom in November, London International U.S. Holdings Inc. became the first of several condom manufacturers working to provide people with the first viable alternative to the latex condom. "This has not been an easy development," said John Blumenthal, vice president of marketing for London International, which also makes Ramses and Sheik condoms. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the safety of the Avanti condom, it has closely watched changes London International made to the condom after it was first approved in 1989. The safety of the type of polyurethane used in the Meme breast implant and the Today contraceptive sponge was in doubt around the same time. The FDA questioned the stability and toxicity of the Avanti polyurethane, as well as the safety and reliability of the retention ring--which prevents the condom from slipping. FDA spokeswoman Sharon Schneider said that polyurethane is a relatively benign material, and that the FDA has no reason to believe the polyurethane condom could cause cancer or any other adverse reactions. Unlike latex, polyurethane is not susceptible to the effects of ozone and oxidation. Although its actual shelf life in not known, durability tests have shown that it remains stable for up to five years. "AMA's Science Reporters Conference Features Good and Bad Medical News" Journal of the American Medical Association (01/04/95) Vol. 273, No. 1, P. 5 The safety of the United States' blood supply and the decline of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were among the good news received by journalists attending the American Medical Association's 13th Annual Science Reporters Conference. The risk for HIV is roughly one infection per 225,000 units of blood transfused. Dr. Harvey G. Klein, chief of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the National Institutes of Health estimates that, from the approximately 14 million blood components transfused each year, from 50 to 100 patients are likely to become HIV-infected. Recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the risk may be as low as one case in every 340,000 to 420,000 units transfused. In terms of STDs, the overall incidence of gonorrhea and syphilis have declined, which is probably due to a combination of sexual behavior changes in some parts of the population, public education, and disease control efforts, according to Dr. H. Hunter Handsfield, professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Gonorrhea and chlamydia, however, remain epidemic among teenagers and people of color. A decline in STD rates may slow the spread of HIV, which research has shown is more easily transmitted through skin or mucous membrane skin lesions caused by other STDs. "First Word" Omni (01/95) Vol. 17, No. 4, P. 6; Taylor, Elizabeth A victory in the war against AIDS, writes actress and AIDS activist Elizabeth Taylor, requires courage and boldness in educating the public. It is everyone's responsibility to protect themselves and others from HIV infection, she declares. The American public is slowly becoming more supportive and understanding of people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. More people are becoming involved because they have been touched by the illness of friends and loved ones. But, says Taylor, the stigma associated with AIDS continues to be the greatest barrier in the fight against the disease. It is encouraging, however, to see films such as "Philadelphia" and plays such as "Angels in America" receiving high praise, she notes. Although some of the media continue to promote old stereotypes and sensationalize the issue, Taylor points to others who have presented sensitive and touching portraits of the realities of living with HIV or AIDS. The media is a valuable tool in the campaign against AIDS, Taylor contends. People must not cease activism or appeals for more resources, but most importantly, she concludes, people must never stop caring and giving all the support they can to those with HIV or AIDS.