From root@aspensys.com Fri May 5 06:52:33 1995 Received: from qrd.rdrop.com (qrd.rdrop.com [199.2.210.245]) by abacus.oxy.edu (8.6.10/8.6.11) with ESMTP id GAA20331 for ; Fri, 5 May 1995 06:52:25 -0700 Received: from casti.com (vector.casti.com [204.91.98.64]) by qrd.rdrop.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id GAA27276 for ; Fri, 5 May 1995 06:38:30 -0700 Received: from aspensys by casti.com (8.6.9/NX3.0M) id JAA13075; Fri, 5 May 1995 09:51:57 -0400 Received: by aspensys (5.0/SMI-SVR4) id AA03744; Fri, 5 May 1995 09:51:00 +0500 Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 09:51:00 +0500 Message-Id: <9505051328.AA00435@aspensys> Errors-To: martha_vander_kolk@smtpinet.aspensys.com Reply-To: aidsnews@aspensys.com Originator: aidsnews@cdcnac.aspensys.com Sender: aidsnews@aspensys.com Precedence: bulk From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com To: qrd@vector.casti.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 05/05/95 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Comment: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse Content-Length: 10924 X-Lines: 201 Status: RO AIDS Daily Summary May 5, 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 ************************************************************ "Gay Club Promises to Bar Sex" "Research Hints of Immunization by Fruits" "Law Keeps D.C. from Paying Bills" "HIV Trial Told of Strange Thigh Bruise" "Study Finds Oral Cytovene an Effective..." "CDC Says Reptiles Are Transmitting Form of Salmonella" "In the Presence of Death" "Safety and Activity of Saquinavir in HIV Infection" "Newswatch: Privacy Panic" "HIV Test Eliminates Wait, but Physicians Not Using It" ************************************************************ "Gay Club Promises to Bar Sex" Washington Post (05/05/95) P. D6; Goldstein, Amy Under an agreement signed on Thursday with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, a Washington social club for gay men will be allowed to remain open as long as every patron signs an a pledge not to engage in sex during his visit. The Crew Club has been criticized as a new variation of the bathhouses that predate the AIDS epidemic. The club's owner, D.C. Allen, claims the club offers a safe, clean space where gay men can find a sense of community and obtain advice on practicing safe sex. He has asked the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the region's largest AIDS organization, to provide condoms, safe-sex information, and lessons on how to avoid HIV. Critics, however, argue that the club, with its low lights and its policy that permits the men to wear only towels, is a public health threat. Although the Crew Club is not the only place in the area where some gay men continue to meet for casual sex, it is the first new club of its kind to appear since the AIDS epidemic began in the early 1980s. "Research Hints of Immunization by Fruits" New York Times (05/05/95) P. A18; Leary, Warrren E. Preliminary studies indicate that vaccines made from genetically altered plants, including potatoes and bananas, could eventually replace those given by needle for diseases such as hepatitis, cholera, or traveler's diarrhea. In the journal Science, researchers report that experimental animals fed such a vaccine produced antibodies against an infectious organism. The plants were genetically modified to include proteins from a disease organism that stimulates the immune system, said lead researcher Dr. Charles J. Arntzen of Texas A&M University. The findings build on recent work by researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute who put genes from the hepatitis B virus into tobacco plants and injected extracts from the leaves into mice. The extract caused an immune response equivalent to that provided by a standard hepatitis B vaccine. In another paper in Science, researchers report that they used genetically engineered tobacco plants and cross-breeding to produce plants that make a complex antibody to a common bacteria that causes tooth decay. Related Story: Wall Street Journal (05/05) P. B6 "Law Keeps D.C. from Paying Bills" Washington Post (05/05/95) P. A1; Schneider, Howard; Goldstein, Amy Agencies in the District of Columbia have accumulated more than $33 million in bills for services without required contracts, provoking a political battle over whether to pay them even though it would violate city law. This week, Mayor Marion Barry's administration asked that procurement rules be eased so he could determine what the city owes and begin to pay the debts. District law forbids payments to vendors without contracts. D.C. Council members argue that Barry should obey city spending rules, rather than trying to solve problems after the fact. But administration officials, are concerned that unless payments begin soon, some important social service providers will be forced to shut down. Even relatively well-off nonprofit groups are debating how long to continue providing services without written assurances they will be paid. For example, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the area's largest AIDS organization, has had no contract for a $75,000-a-year program to prevent the spread of AIDS among Latino youths since Dec. 31. The clinic has spent $102,000 of its own money to keep that and another program alive, said director Jim Graham. "HIV Trial Told of Strange Thigh Bruise" Toronto Globe and Mail (05/04/95) P. A11 On Wednesday, society photographer Con Boland said he awoke after a night of sadomasochistic sex in California to find an unusual bruise on his left thigh. Boland is testifying in the trial of former model Marilyn Tan, who is charged with injecting him with HIV-infected blood in 1992. Boland has since tested HIV-positive. Prior to their vacation to California, Tan asked questions about how someone would get HIV, Boland said. After the trip, she told him she was positive he had HIV. Boland also said he became suspicious when they stopped having sex after the California trip. Tan told him she had a serious infection and was not supposed to have sex for three months. "Study Finds Oral Cytovene an Effective..." PR Newswire (05/04/95) A study published in the May issue of the journal AIDS indicates that Cytovene is a safe and effective alternative to intravenous ganciclovir for maintenance treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. The study, conducted by the Oral Ganciclovir European and Australian Cooperative Study Group, also demonstrates the drug's efficacy against sepsis and other catheter-related events. Cytovene slows the progression of CMV retinitis by blocking the virus' ability to reproduce. Cytovene's developer, Syntex, says it has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application for marketing clearance of the drug as a preventive treatment in HIV-positive individuals at risk for CMV retinitis. "CDC Says Reptiles Are Transmitting Form of Salmonella" Wall Street Journal (05/05/95) P. B4B; De Lisser, Eleena According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reptiles are the cause of a rare form of salmonella that has appeared in 13 states during the past 15 months. In some instances, the infection resulted in serious illnesses, including meningitis. The CDC also said the infection was transmitted even when exposure was through an indirect contact. The CDC estimates that 5 percent of the 2 million cases of salmonella reported in the United States each year could be linked to reptiles. Those most at risk of developing severe complications are infants, young children, and adults with immunocompromised systems--such as people with AIDS. "In the Presence of Death" New York Times (05/05/95) P. C5; Brantley, Ben Inspired by the final days of Paul Walker--a theater director, performer, and instructor who died of AIDS in 1993--Eve Ensler's "Extraordinary Measures" presents death as the ultimate class in life study. The play is set in Walker's hospital room, where he lies unconscious, kept alive only by the "extraordinary measures" of the medical support systems. The room becomes a forum for Walker's friends and family to address the man who can no longer answer or question their feelings. The play adroitly examines the self-centeredness and competitiveness that frequently surface in the face of death. "Safety and Activity of Saquinavir in HIV Infection" Lancet (04/15/95) Vol. 345, No. 8955, P. 952; Kitchen, Valerie S.; Skinner, Celia; Ariyoshi, Koya et al. Kitchen and her colleagues assessed the antiviral activity and tolerability of saquinavir--an orally active, selective HIV proteinase inhibitor--in HIV-positive males with few or no symptoms and CD4 counts of 500 or fewer. The participants were randomized to receive 25, 75, 200, or 600 mg of saquinavir three times a day for four months. CD4 cell counts reflected a trend indicative of a dose response in favor of the 600 mg dosage; the greatest increase was seen around the fourth week. None of the cultures of the eight patients with viremia at baseline became negative after treatment. Also, peripheral blood mononuclear cell and plasma-viral load by culture and DNA and RNA polymerase chain reaction all demonstrated a reduction of viral load with higher doses of saquinavir. Overall, the drug was well tolerated by this group of previously untreated patients. This study provides evidence for the treatment of HIV infection by the inhibition of virally-encoded proteinase enzyme, Kitchen et al. conclude. "Newswatch: Privacy Panic" U.S. News & World Report (05/08/95) Vol. 118, No. 18, P. 66; Rubin, Rita; Newman, Richard J.; Sherrid, Pamela A viatical settlement company--one that buys life insurance policies from patients with AIDS or other terminal diseases--is provoking unnecessary fears about confidentiality. Now Life Partners, one of the largest viatical firms, has put ads in 21 gay newspapers across the country alleging that the seven states that require licensing for such settlements are likely to reveal confidential health information. Experts, however, say such information held by states is closely protected by law. Individuals considering selling a life insurance policy can get advice from AIDS Project Los Angeles, by calling (213) 993-1473. "HIV Test Eliminates Wait, but Physicians Not Using It" AIDS Alert (05/95) Vol. 10, No. 5, P. 66 Although an HIV test that provides results in 10 minutes is being used in many hospitals, it has not caught on in primary care settings, says the test's manufacturer. Murex Corp.'s SUDS HIV-1 test received Food and Drug Administration approval in 1992. Epidemiologist Dr. William Kassler of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that one significant barrier to the adoption of the test is cost. Most primary care physicians do not have the requisite laboratory to conduct the test. An advantage of the SUDS test, however, is that by offering the test and its results in the same session, patients are more likely to learn their HIV status, says Loretta Goodwin, a Murex product manager. The CDC estimates that as many as 40 percent of patients tested in public sites never return for their results. Another possible advantage is that the same counselor can perform both pre- and post-test counseling, offering more continuity to the patient. The SUDS test has a sensitivity rate close to 100 percent, and less than three out of 1,000 tests are false positives. Accuracy, however, is adversely affected by inadequate specimen preparation and temperature, the CDC notes.