Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 11:53:11 -0400 From: aidsinfo@aspensys.com (CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse) AIDS Daily Summary May 20, 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 ************************************************************ " 'Promising' Gel Could Prevent HIV Infection in Women" "Infectious Diseases Resistant, Study Finds" "Old in Africa" "Obituary: Howard Shapiro, 40, A Writer With AIDS" "Teens Teach Peers About AIDS" "AIDS Victim Jailed for Biting" "First Spanish Conference on AIDS Set Here" "Roundup: Thailand's Prenatal HIV Transmission" "HIV-1 Entry Cofactor: Functional cDNA Cloning of a Seven-Transmembrane, G Protein-Coupled Receptor" "Judge Freezes Accounts of Firm Touting AIDS Treatment" ************************************************************ " 'Promising' Gel Could Prevent HIV Infection in Women" USA Today (05/20/96) P. 1A; Painter, Kim A vaginal gel has been shown to protect monkeys from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), suggesting that it could protect women from HIV. The study, led by Roberta Black of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, demonstrates the most promising lead yet for a chemical that women can use to protect themselves from the virus. The vaginal gel, containing a drug called PMPA, was applied to five monkeys that were then exposed to SIV, along with two other untreated monkeys. The monkeys who received the gel did not become infected, but the researchers note that further study is needed to determine whether the gel will work as well in women. Related Story: Baltimore Sun (05/20) P. 2A "Infectious Diseases Resistant, Study Finds" New York Times (05/20/96) P. A3 In its annual report, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that infectious diseases are becoming more resistant to antibiotic drugs. The agency says that more money must be spent to fight malaria, cholera, and tuberculosis. These three diseases are becoming more prevalent even though they are preventable or easily treatable. WHO also notes that some 30 new infectious diseases have emerged in the last 20 years, including AIDS and the Ebola virus. According to WHO's report, infectious diseases caused more than one-third of all deaths worldwide last year, and resistance to antibiotics is increasing due to misuse. "Old in Africa" Washington Post (05/19/96) P. A1; Buckley, Stephen In sub-Saharan Africa, where AIDS has orphaned many children, elderly grandparents are often called upon to serve as full-time parents. The elderly, however, also suffer from a lack of family or government financial support, and increasingly need to work to support themselves. Africa's elderly were historically respected for their wisdom and power, and cared for by their children. But now, as younger Africans struggle to support themselves, and AIDS hits the 20- to 30-year-old age group particularly hard, the elderly have become the primary caregivers for many children. "Obituary: Howard Shapiro, 40, A Writer With AIDS" New York Times (05/20/96) P. B14 Howard Aaron Shapiro, who started writing humorous newspaper and magazine articles about living with HIV when he found out he was infected, died Saturday at the age of 40. His writing gave readers insight to his life with the disease and his struggle to get assistance to survive. Mr. Shapiro's work has been published in the New York Press and in the gay publication Body Positive, in which his last column, written while in the hospital, will appear. "Teens Teach Peers About AIDS" St. Louis Post-Dispatch (05/17/96) P. B1; Librach, Phyllis Brasch Students from St. Louis-area schools attended the Youth Forum on HIV and AIDS Thursday, educating their peers about how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent its spread. The program, which has been held since 1991, has trained about 175 teens, who in turn have taught 10,000 students about AIDS. The peer teachers, who advocate abstinence, are thought to be able to communicate better with teens than adults would. "AIDS Victim Jailed for Biting" Toronto Globe and Mail (05/17/96) P. A10 A man with AIDS was given a maximum reformatory sentence of nearly two years for biting an undercover police officer because the judge said he knew he was threatening the officer's health. After biting the officer, Robert Thissen told him that "the joke's on you. I've got AIDS." Thissen, a transvestite prostitute, had offered his sexual services to the undercover officer but a struggle ensued when the officer tried to arrest him. The officer has tested negative for HIV. "First Spanish Conference on AIDS Set Here" Houston Chronicle (05/17/96) P. 28A; Zuniga, Jo Ann The first all-Spanish AIDS conference in Houston began on May 18. Conference organizers intended to reach the growing population of minorities with AIDS. Workers from Amigos Volunteers in Education and Services (AVES) and the Houston Health Department have visited apartments, cantinas, and other sites to conduct HIV tests. Each year, AVES reaches about 250 to 300 HIV or AIDS patients, of whom about 80 percent are Latinos. "Roundup: Thailand's Prenatal HIV Transmission" Xinhua News Agency (05/20/96) The number of children infected with HIV born in Thailand is increasing rapidly, posing future social problems for the country. One quarter of all infants born to HIV-positive women in Thailand carry the virus, and even if they do not, their parents are likely to die before they are old enough to take care of themselves. The number of orphans born to women with HIV is expected to rise to 20,000 per year by the year 2000. The government is increasing spending on HIV/AIDS prevention and advanced research on remedies from tropical plants. "HIV-1 Entry Cofactor: Functional cDNA Cloning of a Seven-Transmembrane, G Protein-Coupled Receptor" Science (05/10/96) Vol. 272, No. 5263, P. 872; Feng, Yu; Broder, Christopher C.; Kennedy, Edward A.; et al. To infect a human cell, HIV-1 requires a CD4 receptor and another cofactor specific to human cells. This cofactor is needed for the virus to fuse to the cell membrane and enter the cell. Edward A. Berger and colleagues at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases identified this cofactor, which they called fusin. The researchers said the identification of fusin would provide new insight into how HIV infects target cells and would allow the creation of transgenic lab animals that would serve as more effective models HIV-1 infection in humans. "Judge Freezes Accounts of Firm Touting AIDS Treatment" American Medical News (05/13/96) Vol. 39, No. 18, P. 11 A Pennsylvania company accused of fraudulently promoting an ozone treatment as an AIDS cure has been ordered to provide a full financial report and has had its accounts frozen. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused Lazare Industries of Marshalls Creek, Pa., and Richard J. Harley, the company's chief executive, with scheming to defraud 72 investors in the sale of $1.4 million of stock. In a lawsuit, the SEC charged that Lazare and Harley misled investors or failed to give them information about the company's ozone therapy. The SEC claims that they wrongly said that the treatment, consisting of "ozone-oxygen enemas," was patented and that it had undergone extensive testing which showed it was effective against AIDS. In actuality, one clinical test of the therapy was stopped by the Food and Drug Administration after two months. The treatment was advertised on the Internet, radio, and through direct mail. Harley asked people seeking treatment at his clinic to invest in the company, promising huge returns as the business grew.