Date: Thu, 20 Apr 1995 09:34:04 +0500
From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com

                     AIDS Daily Summary
                       April 20, 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


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"Baltimore Grapples with Idea of Legalizing Drugs"
"What's News: Tuberculosis Has Risen Sharply"
"Why Another Bathhouse in D.C.?"
"Across the USA: Tennessee"
"Lebanon AIDS Cases Skyrocket to 7,000 by Year 2000"
"Procept Reports on Promising New Class of Anti-HIV Compounds;
Preclinical Data Demonstrates Activity Against Broad Range of
HIV-1 Isolates"
"Britain's Lords Clear Bill to Curb Child Sex"
"In the Aftermath of Tragedy"
"Transfer of HIV-1 Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes to an AIDS
Patient Leads to Selection for Mutant HIV Variants and Subsequent
Disease Progression"
"Pediatric HIV Infection in Elista, Russia: Interventional
Strategies"
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"Baltimore Grapples with Idea of Legalizing Drugs"
New York Times (04/20/95) P. A16;  Janofsky, Michael
     In an effort to end turf wars, reduce violent crime, ease the
strain on the criminal justice system, and curb the spread of
diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, the city of Baltimore is
considering legalizing drugs.  The idea was proposed by Baltimore
Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke eight years ago.  And while the proposal
has attracted various supporters over the years, the impetus for
action has died, with the Clinton Administration opposed to any
kind of legalization and the Republican-controlled Congress
favoring more stringent enforcement of drug control laws.  Last
fall, after an in-depth study of the city's drug problems, a
grand jury recommended against legalizing drugs.  However, the
members concluded, "Removing the profit from the drug trade may
be the only way to resolve" drug-related problems.  Robert A.
Kaufman, a City Council candidate, recently called for a
resolution urging the federal government to consider establishing
a commission to supply heroin, cocaine, and marijuana to users as
a method of neutralizing the illegal drug trade.  Some city
leaders, however, are unsure whether such a radical approach
would have an effect on fighting drugs at the local level.

"What's News: Tuberculosis Has Risen Sharply"
Wall Street Journal (04/20/95) P. A1
     According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the incidence of tuberculosis has significantly increased among
foreigners in the United States.  The trend is likely to continue
unless there is a greater effort to control the disease among
immigrants, the CDC said.

"Why Another Bathhouse in D.C.?"
Washington Post (04/20/95) P. A20
     It does not make sense for Washington, D.C., authorities to
negotiate a permit for the Crew Club--a new social club in which
several anonymous homosexual encounters have occurred, write the
editors of the Washington Post.  Jim Graham, the administrator of
the Whitman-Walker AIDS Clinic, sees the danger of permitting
such a facility.  "In the midst of an epidemic, I am disappointed
this is part of the landscape in this city," he commented.
Research indicates that, after years of stability, HIV infection
among homosexual men is increasing.  This is due in part to
promiscuous and unsafe sex.  The city, however, is not unaware of
the Crew Club's potential health threat.  The Department of
Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has already responded to a
complaint of sexual activity in the club and city regulators are
negotiating with club to make any kind of sexual activity off
limits.  Any government-licensed club in the capital, whether it
is geared toward homosexuals or heterosexuals, should be
prohibited from letting its premises to be used as a site that
encourages unsafe behavior, the editors conclude.

"Across the USA: Tennessee"
USA Today (04/20/95) P. 11A
     In Memphis, Tenn., an HIV-infected Federal Correctional
Institution inmate was charged with attempted murder after he
allegedly bit two prison guards.  The prisoner knew he was
endangering the lives of the guards, the federal grand jury
indictment said.

"Lebanon AIDS Cases Skyrocket to 7,000 by Year 2000"
Reuters (04/19/95)
     On Wednesday, Lebanon predicted that the number of AIDS cases in
the country will rise from the present 293 to 7,000 by the year
2000.  Health ministry sources said the total figure would
include both cases of HIV infection and full-blown AIDS.  Health
Minister Marwan Hamade said the figures registered by his
ministry were probably too low because just a small portion of
the cases are reported.

"Procept Reports on Promising New Class of Anti-HIV Compounds;
Preclinical Data Demonstrates Activity Against Broad Range of
HIV-1 Isolates"
Business Wire (04/19/95)
     Scientists at Procept, Inc. have discovered a new class of
compounds that inhibit HIV-1 infection of immune cells by
interrupting early events in the viral infection process.
According to the data presented at the Keystone Symposia in
Colorado, PRO 2000, Procept's primary anti-HIV compound, blocks
the binding of the glycoprotein gp120 to a corresponding CD4
protein on the surface of immune cells.  The company launched
Phase I human clinical trials of the compound in February.

"Britain's Lords Clear Bill to Curb Child Sex"
Reuters (04/19/95)
     Britain's House of Lords passed a bill on Wednesday that would
allow Britons who sexually exploit children overseas to be
prosecuted and brought to justice in England.  The Sexual
Offenses Amendment Bill must now go to the House of Commons
before it can become law.  The U.K. Coalition of Child
Prostitution and Tourism, an umbrella group of charities, led the
campaign for the bill's passage.  The demand for younger children
is growing rapidly because of the misconception that they are a
lower risk group for HIV and AIDS, the coalition said.  While the
problem of child sex tourism is most severe in Asian countries
such as Thailand and the Philippines, it also takes place in
African and Latin American countries.  Similar legislation has
been proposed in the United States, Australia, Sweden, France,
Germany, and Norway.

"In the Aftermath of Tragedy"
Washington Post (04/19/95) P. C7;  Harrington, Richard
     Two late-summer benefits have been arranged as a result of the
death of rapper Eazy E (Eric Wright) from AIDS.  Both events--one
put together by Uptown Records CEO Andre Harrell in New York and
the other sponsored by Los Angeles radio station KBBT, where
Wright had a weekly show--will benefit AIDS-related charities and
educational efforts, particularly ones geared toward young
African Americans.

"Transfer of HIV-1 Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes to an AIDS
Patient Leads to Selection for Mutant HIV Variants and Subsequent
Disease Progression"
Nature Medicine (04/95) Vol. 1, No. 4, P. 330;  Koenig, Scott;
Conley, Anthony J.;  Brewah, Yambasu A. et al.
     Koenig et al. tried to determine the safety and efficacy of
supplementing HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in an
HIV-1-seropositive subject.  The patient was infused with an
expanded autologous CTL clone directed against the HIV-1 nef
protein.  The clone was adoptively transferred to determine
whether enhancing CTL activity would reduce viral burden or
improve clinical course.  The infusion, however, was followed by
a decrease in circulating CD4 T cells and an increase in viral
load.  A nef epitope was not found in some of the HIV isolates
obtained from the plasma or CD4 cells of the patient.  These
findings indicate, the authors conclude, that active CTL
selection of viral variants could add to the pathogenesis of AIDS
and that clinical progression take place despite high levels of
circulating HIV-1-specific CTLs.

"Pediatric HIV Infection in Elista, Russia: Interventional
Strategies"
American Journal of Public Health (04/95) Vol. 85, No. 4, P. 586;
Mintz, Mark;  Boland, Mary;  O'Hara, Mary-Jo
     As a result of unsafe medical practices, a group of children
became infected with HIV-1 between 1988 and 1989 at a municipal
hospital in Elista, Russia, write Mintz et al. in a letter to the
American Journal of Public Health.  Since 1990, however, medical
teams from the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Pediatric HIV
International Training Program of the Children's Hospital AIDS
Program in Newark, N. J., have provided expertise and service in
educating and training Elista's health care providers.  During
the program, the New Jersey medical teams make three 10-day,
on-site visits to Elista.  In return, Elista's health care
providers travel to the Children's Hospital in Newark for six
weeks of training and education.  In Elista, the Francois-Xavier
Bagnoud team reviewed and examined each HIV-infected child.
Clinical case conferences and teaching sessions took place each
evening.  As a result of the project, appropriate infection
control procedures have been instituted in the hospitals and
nosocomial transmission of HIV has declined significantly, the
authors conclude.