Date: Fri, 27 Dec 96 14:14:50 EST From: "Shelly Olim" Subject: AIDS Daily Summary 12/23/96 AIDS Daily Summary December 23, 1996 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "Health Journal: We May Be Living a Little Healthier Thanks to '96 Studies" "Doctors Are Focus of Plan to Fight New Drug Laws" "Staying On: The Cabinet" "Dow Ends Up 11 as Expiration Boost Volume; Gainers Ahead 5 to 3; Oil, Financial Issue Lead" "Man With HIV Guilty of Raping Young Boy" "Doctor Quit Over Blood Safety" "AIDS Seen as Serious Problem by Most" "Cuba Starts Testing Anti-AIDS Vaccine on Humans" "Host Factors and the Pathogenesis of HIV-Induced Disease" "Category of Exposure to HIV and Age in the Progression to AIDS: Longitudinal Study of 1,199 People With Known Dates of Seroconversion" ****************************************************** "Health Journal: We May Be Living a Little Healthier Thanks to '96 Studies" Wall Street Journal (12/23/96) P. B1; Chase, Marilyn Among the medical advances of 1996 are new treatments for HIV infection and cardiovascular disease, improved detection and treatment of cancer, greater information about the impacts of smoking, and genetic testing. Doctors are now armed with new tools for monitoring and treating HIV. Although new drugs have shown dramatic benefits, an AIDS vaccine is needed. The government's recent appointment of Nobel Prize-winner David Baltimore to this effort demonstrates a revitalized commitment to finding a vaccine. "Doctors Are Focus of Plan to Fight New Drug Laws" New York Times (12/23/96) P. A10; Golden, Tim Federal drug officials say they will restrict the impact of new state laws allowing the medical use of marijuana by prosecuting doctors who provide the drug to patients and revoking their prescription licenses. The Justice Department has decided not to take legal action against the measures, which were passed by voters in California and Arizona. The Clinton administration will counter the measures by launching a public relations campaign against the use of illegal drugs, as federal officials target doctors who provide the drugs and state and local police focus on the drug users. While some doctors recommend marijuana for patients with AIDS and other illnesses, national medical and health organizations generally reject its use. "Staying On: The Cabinet" Washington Post (12/23/96) P. A19; Blustein, Paul; Chandler, Clay; Kenworthy, Tom; et al. Among the seven members of President Clinton's cabinet who will remain in office for his second term is Donna E. Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. During the past term, Shalala was instrumental in securing additional funding for AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health. During the coming term, she will likely be involved in efforts to control the financial problems of the Medicare trust fund. She may also focus on reducing teen age pregnancy and reducing cigarette and drug use among teens. "Dow Ends Up 11 as Expiration Boost Volume; Gainers Ahead 5 to 3; Oil, Financial Issue Lead" Investor's Business Daily (12/23/96) P. A11; Fasciocco, Leo In trading Friday, Bristol-Myers Squibb increased 3.25 points to 112.5, following the announcement that its anti-HIV drug Zerit will be covered by the Ontario government's drug benefit program. Bristol-Myers and Warner-Lambert were also thought to be potential bidders for the French drug company Sanofi. "Man With HIV Guilty of Raping Young Boy" Miami Herald (12/21/96) P. 1B; Driscoll, Amy A Miami man with HIV was convicted Friday in a retrial on charges of kidnapping an 11-year-old boy and raping him. Ignacio Perea was convicted in the case, and two similar attacks two years ago; but an appeals court overturned the verdicts due to improper jury selection. In the first trial, prosecutors charged Perea with attempted murder because he was aware he was HIV-positive. An appeals court ruled against those charges. Perea, who may receive five life sentences plus 15 years in the first case, is being tried separately for two other cases. "Doctor Quit Over Blood Safety" Toronto Globe and Mail (12/20/96) P. A1; McIlroy, Anne Dr. Bert Aye, former head of the Canadian Red Cross Society, now says he resigned in September because he believed the safety of the blood system was jeopardized by the replacement of doctors with lay people. Aye noted that nine doctors involved in the Red Cross program quit in the past year. Aye also said senior officials ignored his arguments about the need to have doctors in charge of the blood system. The Red Cross replaced the medical directors at its 17 regional blood centers with lay workers a year ago. "AIDS Seen as Serious Problem by Most" United Press International (12/21/96) Although a new poll shows that most Americans think AIDS is a serious problem, it also found that most people are not concerned that they will become infected. The poll, which was commissioned by Time magazine and CNN, also found that less than half of the respondents have been tested. "Cuba Starts Testing Anti-AIDS Vaccine on Humans" Reuters (12/22/96) An experimental AIDS vaccine developed by Cuban scientists is being tested on 24 volunteers, President Fidel Castro announced Saturday. Through widespread HIV testing and the isolation of many AIDS patients, Cuba has curbed the spread of HIV. Authorities are concerned, however, that the rise in tourism and an increase in sexually transmitted diseases will spur the epidemic in coming years. So far, 1,408 HIV infections have been reported in Cuba, and 524 people have developed AIDS. "Host Factors and the Pathogenesis of HIV-Induced Disease" Nature (12/12/96) Vol. 384, No. 6609, P. 529; Fauci, Anthony S. A variety of host and viral factors effect HIV infection and disease progression. In a review of the research on these factors, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, focuses on the balance between host factors that stimulate HIV and those that suppress the virus. This balance determines the net level of viral replication and the consequent course of disease. Activation of the immune system by opportunistic pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis result in increased HIV replication and accelerated disease progression. Furthermore, cellular activation and the expression of HIV-inducing cytokines are also associated with an immune response. HIV-suppressing cytokines have also been identified, as well as chemokine receptors used by HIV as co-receptors. A genetic defect in one of HIV's co-receptor, found in 20 percent of western European Caucasians, was found to offer limited protection against HIV infection. These findings have important implications for potential treatment and prevention strategies, Fauci concludes. "Category of Exposure to HIV and Age in the Progression to AIDS: Longitudinal Study of 1,199 People With Known Dates of Seroconversion" Journal of the American Medical Association (12/11/96) Vol. 276, No. 22, P. 1782; Pezzotti, Patrizio Italian researchers seeking to determine whether the progression of AIDS is linked to age or the method of HIV infection, evaluated the cases of 1,199 people with known dates of seroconversion. During the median study period of 5.8 years, 18.8 percent of the patients progressed to AIDS. Older subjects were more likely to develop AIDS than younger subjects, but no significant difference was linked to the method of exposure. The CDC AIDS Daily Summary will not be published on Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, 1996. It will resume publication on Thursday, December 26, 1996.