Date: Fri, 27 Dec 96 14:12:40 EST From: "Shelly Olim" Subject: AIDS Daily Summary 12/26/96 AIDS Daily Summary December 26, 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 ****************************************************** "Celebrities Caught on Both Sides of AIDS Animal Research" "Managed Health Care in Prisons Gains Favor, but Draws Concern" "A Year of Tangible Medical Advances" "Iran to Impose AIDS Test on Foreign Travelers" "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--Deaths [From] AIDS" "Selenium May Reduce Risk of Some Cancers" "Agouron Says JT Is Partner in HIV Research" "Funding Renewed for JAMA HIV/AIDS Web Site" "Rapid HIV Testing" ****************************************************** "Celebrities Caught on Both Sides of AIDS Animal Research" Washington Times (12/26/96) P. A6; Richardson, Valerie AIDS activists confronted numerous Hollywood stars on their way to the Animal's Ball and Humanitarian Awards gala, which was hosted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The protesters accused the celebrities of hypocrisy, saying that they cannot support both animal rights groups and AIDS research, which uses animals for testing. Some of the stars reportedly looked away uncomfortably when accused. Peter Cashman, a former radio personality who has tested HIV-positive, noted, "The PETA attacks, the terrorism, harassment, and lies [are] destroying AIDS research projects, and that has to stop." PETA officials, however, say that there are other ways to conduct AIDS testing, including the use of computers that can simulate biological conditions. Other PETA backers, meanwhile, claimed that animal research has not proven useful to AIDS research. "All major breakthroughs in AIDS research have come about through studying the [virus'] interaction with human cells, not those of other species," said ACT UP co-founder Peter Tatchell. "Managed Health Care in Prisons Gains Favor, but Draws Concern" New York Times (12/26/97); Petersen, Melody Bloating U.S. prison populations and a concomitant rise in the cost of medical care for inmates are prompting more U.S. prisons to bring in private companies to manage prison health care. However, although the shift to managed care seems to be saving taxpayers' money, inmate advocates fear the move may compromise health care in jails, noting that it has brought an increase in complaints about prison health services. A surge in the last decade in the number of inmates in U.S. jails, primarily because of mandatory drug sentencing, has left more people who require more expensive medical care behind bars, including many drug users infected with HIV. While some prisons laud the health care that private companies are providing, complaints are growing in other cases, such as in New Jersey, where HIV-infected inmates have said they no longer get regular doses of certain costly drugs which can help them live longer. "A Year of Tangible Medical Advances" USA Today (12/26/96) P. 1D; Peterson, Karen S. Health magazine reports that this year's major medical advances are already helping to increase longevity in the United States. The magazine's selections for 1996's leading discoveries include protease inhibitors, new AIDS drugs that, when used in combination with older drugs, could increase the lifespan of many HIV-infected individuals. Other advances include new drugs for osteoporosis and diabetes, and new or improved tests for ulcers and prostate cancer. "Iran to Impose AIDS Test on Foreign Travelers" Xinhua News Agency (12/25/96) Visitors to Iran will now be tested for HIV, according to health officials in the country. The testing, which will be conducted at clinical facilities at the ports of entry, is intended to stem the spread of the virus, Deputy Health Minister Mohammad Esma'eel Akbari explained. The official noted that "specific information about the place where [foreign travelers] would reside is registered and if need be they would be contacted later." Iranians who leave the country for at least three months would also be screened for HIV. Some 260 AIDS patients live in Iran, but the nationalities of these patients were not revealed. "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--Deaths [From] AIDS" PANA Wire Service (12/25/96); Amath, Mamadou New statistics show that HIV and problems in Zimbabwe's health sector resulted in 94,352 deaths in the country between January and December 1996. The figure is about a 20 percent increase over 1995's total, when 71,758 deaths were reported in the 11.2 million strong nation. "Selenium May Reduce Risk of Some Cancers" Washington Post (12/25/96) P. A4 A new study, led by University of Arizona epidemiologist Larry Clark, shows that selenium, which is currently being trumpeted as being a treatment for everything from dandruff to AIDS, could reduce the risk for certain types of cancer, including prostate, colon, rectal, and lung. Selenium is a mineral found in seafood, liver, and vegetables grown in selenium-rich soil. The research indicated that, when compared with participants who received a placebo, patients who took daily doses of selenium had 63 percent fewer cases of prostate cancer, 58 percent less colon or rectal cancers, and a 45 percent reduction in lung cancer. However, researchers warned in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the results need to be repeated since the study was originally created to monitor whether selenium could prevent skin cancer--which it did not--and because 75 percent of the participants were men. "Agouron Says JT Is Partner in HIV Research" Reuters (12/24/96) Agouron Pharmaceuticals and Japan Tobacco report that they are co-developing the HIV drug Viracept, a synthetic chemical compound designed to inhibit the HIV protease. Agouron also noted that it has submitted a new drug application for Viracept to the U.S. Food And Drug Administration. "Funding Renewed for JAMA HIV/AIDS Web Site" American Medical News (12/16/96) Vol. 39, No. 47, P. 8 Funding for the HIV/AIDS Information Center on the World Wide Web, produced and maintained by the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association, has been renewed by Glaxo Wellcome. The site, which began in December 1995, "uses up-to-the-minute scientific reporting and postpublication peer review to assure the timeliness and validity of clinical, scientific, and other information in this rapidly changing field," said Dr. George D. Lundberg, editor-in-chief of the American Medical Association's Scientific Information and Multimedia Group. Included at the site, located at http://www.ama-assn.org/aids, are clinical updates, daily news reports, information on social and political issues related to HIV and AIDS, and services for AIDS patients. Visitors to the Web page can also search the National Library of Medicine's AIDS databases and BIOETHICSLINE, a reference collection on the ethical, legal, and political aspects of health care. "Rapid HIV Testing" AIDS Clinical Care (12/96) Vol. 8, No. 12, P. 103; Sax, Paul E. The most commonly-used HIV antibody tests are sent to laboratories and can require one to two weeks for results, even though the test can be completed in 24 hours. A rapid test offers the advantage of one-stop testing, outcome, and counseling; provides immediate results for women in labor; and can guide postexposure prophylaxis decisions in health care settings. Researchers at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York City evaluated the accuracy of a rapid assay which takes 10 minutes and requires no special equipment. Using standard tests to confirm the findings of the rapid assay, they found that the rapid test had a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.991. The researchers also reported that about half of the study participants did not return for the results of their standard tests, including more than one-third of the infected patients. The patients could not be informed of the results of the rapid test because it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. An editorial accompanying the study strongly encourages the development and use of the rapid test in the United States, where two such tests are currently approved and are not widely used.