Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:24:04 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 05/10/96 AIDS Daily Summary May 10, 1996 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any other organization. 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 ************************************************************ "Scientists Find Elusive Protein, H.I.V.'s Guide" "New Issue Update: Cell Genesys" "Minority-Led AIDS Groups Vow Again to Disrupt Ride" "Across the USA: Pennsylvania" "AIDS as Drama: The Grief is Sincere" "Thai-U.S. Study on Mother-Child HIV Transmission" "State Policy Agendas Neglect Women's Needs; Center..." "Danger in Water for AIDS Patients" "Perceived Health, HIV Illness, and Mental Distress in African-American Clients of AIDS Counseling Centers" "Government: Budget-Consciousness" ************************************************************ "Scientists Find Elusive Protein, H.I.V.'s Guide" New York Times (05/10/96) P. A1; Leary, Warren E. Federal scientists have found a protein essential to HIV's invasion of the body's white blood cells, ending a long search that may allow new avenues of research and treatment. HIV targets a receptor molecule, CD4, on the cell's surface, but scientists have been searching for another protein that the virus also needs. Now Edward A. Berger and colleagues at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases report in today's issue of Science that they have found the protein, which has been named "fusin" because it facilitates the virus' fusion with the cell's outer membrane. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the institute, called the finding "a tremendous advance." The discovery may have implications for vaccine research and may help explain why some HIV-infected individuals remain healthy for years. Related Stories: Washington Post (05/10) P. A37; USA Today (05/10) P.13D "New Issue Update: Cell Genesys" Investor's Business Daily (05/10/96) P. A4 The Food and Drug Administration has approved a second Phase II clinical trial of Cell Genesys' AIDS gene therapy based on an investigational drug application. Under the treatment, a patient's own T-cells are collected, genetically altered to recognize and destroy HIV-infected cells, and then returned to the patient's body. "Minority-Led AIDS Groups Vow Again to Disrupt Ride" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/10/96) P. B2 The Minority AIDS Coalition, a group of minority-led AIDS groups in Philadelphia, repeated their promise on Thursday to boycott the planned Philadelphia-to-Washington, D.C. AIDS bike ride. The group, which represents about 30 AIDS organizations, says it feels slighted by the event organizers and notes that unless it is named as one of the groups to benefit from the fundraiser, it will not participate. "Across the USA: Pennsylvania" USA Today (05/10/96) P. 7A A 6-year-old HIV-infected child was included in a group of Pittsburgh children who used the same pencil eraser to give each other bloody "tattoos" by rubbing their skin raw. All the children will be tested for HIV. "AIDS as Drama: The Grief is Sincere" Wall Street Journal (05/10/96) P. A11; Irwin, David W. In response to an earlier letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal by Mark Lasswell, David W. Irvin objects to Lasswell's criticism of the portrayal of AIDS patients in the Broadway musical "Rent." Irvin notes that Jonathan Larson, the creator of "Rent," is sincere in his use of music to communicate his feelings about the disease and should not be criticized because his work is popular. Irwin suggests that Lasswell find a way to share his grief over his friend, a hemophiliac who died of AIDS, and not direct his anger at others who are dealing with grief. "Thai-U.S. Study on Mother-Child HIV Transmission" Xinhua News Agency (05/09/96) At least 400 women participating in a joint study by the United States and Thailand will receive AZT during their ninth month of pregnancy and during labor to determine the drug's efficacy in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission. Women in the study would be advised not to breast-feed their babies, because HIV can be transmitted through breast-feeding. If AZT is effective, it is expected to help reduce perinatal transmission of HIV among the 20,000 HIV-infected women who give birth each year in Thailand. An earlier study, conducted by the United States and France, found that HIV could reduce mother-to-child transmission by two-thirds. The dosage being tested in the Thailand study, however, is cheaper and therefore more feasible for developing countries. "State Policy Agendas Neglect Women's Needs; Center..." U.S. Newswire (05/09/96) Policies advanced by state legislatures threaten to harm women, the Center for Women Policy Studies said Thursday. The group--an independent and nonprofit feminist policy research and advocacy organization--offered an alternative pro-woman policy agenda, the Contract with Women of the USA, and female legislators in eight states have already followed with their own contracts. Among other issues, the center objects to the new federal law that will require states to test infants for HIV by the year 2000 if they do not show that testing pregnant women has resulted in a decline in the number children born with HIV. This policy, the group says, threatens women's privacy as well as subjects them to potential discrimination. "Danger in Water for AIDS Patients" United Press International (05/09/96) The California Public Interest Research Group reported Thursday that violations of drinking water standards in the state have resulted in contamination that is especially dangerous to people with compromised immunity, including people with AIDS. According to the group's report, the water contained fecal matter, toxic chemicals, and other contaminants. Cryptosporidium was not detected in California during the study period, however. Congress is considering weakening water standards, increasing the threat to people with weak immunity. The proposal would call for reduced monitoring of drinking water contaminants and limited public disclosure about such conditions. "Perceived Health, HIV Illness, and Mental Distress in African-American Clients of AIDS Counseling Centers" Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (03/96-04/96) Vol. 7, No. 2, P. 43; Linn, J. Gary; Anema, Marion G.; Hodess, Sandra; et al. Research has shown that in order for people with AIDS to successfully cope with the disease, they should have an accurate, positive perception of their health status. HIV-infected individuals with limited access to health care and HIV education, including many minority adults, often lack this type of self-appraisal. J. Gary Linn of Tennessee State University and colleagues conducted a study of 255 HIV-infected black adults to determine the impact of health self-appraisal on their mental health. The researchers found that AIDS-related depression is affected substantially more by a patient's perceived health status than by their symptoms. Personal and social resources, including gender, income, and church attendance, were found to have a relatively small, though significant, influence on mental distress. The authors suggest that clinical attention be paid to the type and number of a patient's HIV symptoms as well as to his or her personal and social resources. The study also suggests that special medical, psychological, and educational outreach services for African-American women with HIV or AIDS are needed because this group has low morale and health appraisal. "Government: Budget-Consciousness" Advocate (04/30/96) No. 706, P. 14 President Clinton wants to increase federal spending on AIDS programs in 1997 by 2.4 percent over expected 1996 levels. If Congress were to agree to the increase, government spending for such issues as research and treatment programs would total $3.9 million. AIDS activists are concerned, however, that Clinton hopes to cut $59 billion from Medicaid, and because he has not proposed an increase to the federal AIDS housing program. Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:34:54 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 05/10/96 -- Correction AIDS Daily Summary May 10, 1996 Today's CDC AIDS Daily Summary contained an error. The abstract for the article "Government: Budget-Consciousness" from the April 30, 1996, edition of the Advocate stated that "If Congress were to agree to the increase, government spending for such issues as research and treatment programs would total $3.9 million." The abstract should have stated that "spending for such issues as research and treatment programs would total $3.9 billion."