Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 09:51:19 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary August 2, 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 ************************************************************ "Moscow Shelves HIV Plan" "On to Beijing" "Obituaries: Paul H. Douglas, 37, An AIDS Researcher" "AIDS Virus Carriers in S. Korea on the Rise" "Legalize Medicinal Marijuana" "HemaCare Signs Agreements to Establish a Comprehensive Blood Center at USC Health Sciences Campus" "Back to Primary School" "Wasting Syndrome--Affordable Treatments" "HIV Infection and Skin-Care Needs" "FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials" ************************************************************ "Moscow Shelves HIV Plan" Financial Times (08/02/95) P. 2; Thornhill, John The Russian government has delayed plans to require all long-term visitors to be tested for HIV before entering the country, explaining that the requisite administrative arrangements have not yet been made. However, foreign ministry official Mikhail Demurin confirmed on Tuesday that the law will be effective soon. Although the measure requiring all foreign visitors planning to spend more than three months in Russia to obtain a certificate proving they are not HIV-positive was supposed to go into effect on Aug. 1, the health and foreign ministries do not seem to able to agree on a feasible mechanism for implementing the regulations. Since 1987, more than 400 HIV-infected foreigners have been deported from the country. "On to Beijing" Washington Post (08/02/95) P. A25; Pelosi, Nancy There is strong support from leaders in Congress for withdrawing the U.S. delegation from the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, concedes Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a piece published in the Washington Post. However, even though democratic nations need to find ways to protest China's history of human rights violations, canceling U.S participation would be wrong, Pelosi contends. Many of the most important human rights issues in the world will be addressed at this conference, such as women in war-torn areas who are raped and then become pregnant or infected with HIV. AIDS, however, is also a threat during times of peace. There is a critical need to educate and help women protect themselves and their families from HIV. In Africa, for example, the destruction of family and social life that comes as a result of the epidemic has affected entire regions, and numerous villages have been destroyed by the disease. At the conference, a coalition of U.S. and international groups involved in HIV prevention will hold educational and outreach activities to help participants realize that HIV is a threat to all women, and that prevention efforts have to become a part of their efforts for women's rights. In conclusion, Pelosi asks Congress for support in efforts to improve the lives of women and their families worldwide. "Obituaries: Paul H. Douglas, 37, An AIDS Researcher" New York Times (08/02/95) P. D20 AIDS researcher Paul Harding Douglas died of AIDS last Friday at age 37. Douglas, who worked at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, was a co-author of "The Essential AIDS Fact Book," a text that was published in 1987 and reissued in 1992. Douglas and co-author Laura Pinsky also wrote "The Essential H.I.V. Treatment Fact Book" with Craig Metroka. Three years ago, Douglas was made a research associate at Cornell's AIDS clinical trials unit. In 1994, he became executive director of the division's activities that are supported by the American Foundation for AIDS Research. He is survived by his companion, Gary Ledet; his parents; two sisters; and a brother. "AIDS Virus Carriers in S. Korea on the Rise" Reuters (08/02/95) During the first seven months of 1995, 59 South Koreans tested HIV-positive, bringing the total number of infected citizens to 472, a Health Ministry official announced on Tuesday. In July alone, 10 people--including two foreigners--tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. "The number being reported is not really the case," the official said. "We believe the number is about three to five times more." "Legalize Medicinal Marijuana" Philadelphia Inquirer (08/02/95) P. A17; Caplan, Art The law that makes marijuana illegal to use for medical purposes should be changed, writes Art Caplan--director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania--in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The case against the legal prescription of marijuana is based on arguments that legalization will undermine society's efforts to combat drug abuse, and that synthetic alternatives are already available. It is also argued that there is no reliable scientific proof that the drug can, as its supporters claim, relieve symptoms caused by chemotherapy for AIDS and cancer, or ease the pain of cramps or migraines. These statements, however, are not valid, Caplan contends, because if a person is dying, there are no risks and harms in taking marijuana. "HemaCare Signs Agreements to Establish a Comprehensive Blood Center at USC Health Sciences Campus" Business Wire (08/01/95) On Tuesday, HemaCare reported the finalization of agreements to build a comprehensive blood center at the University of Southern California (USC) Health Sciences Campus. The Blood Center, which is expected to open Nov. 1, will provide such blood products and services as single-donor plateletpheresis and peripheral stem cell collection to tertiary care hospitals that are affiliated with the USC School of Medicine. In addition to providing hemapheresis-derived blood products and services, HemaCare also provides blood component products produced by using hemapheresis technology and comprehensive donor screening procedures which reduce the patient risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases. "Back to Primary School" Nature (07/13/95) Vol. 376, No. 6536, P. 115; Moore, John P. There has been a powerful debate about whether using gp120 subunit vaccines to produce neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 would be effective, writes The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center's John P. Moore in the journal Nature. In an article published in the Journal of Virology, Sullivan et al. report that they measured the interactions of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the native, oligomeric forms of the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, and compared them with levels of virus neutralization. These results could help explain why antibodies raised to current monomeric gp120 vaccines do not neutralize primary viruses. The researchers confirmed that mAb interactions with monomeric gp120 do not fully predict virus neutralization, and showed that mAb reactivity with oligomeric glycoprotein is a useful correlate of neutralization. In addition, they found that mAbs do not bind to oligomers from primary viruses as well as they do to oligomers from strains whose envelope glycoproteins have been altered. The researchers also showed that soluble CD4 has a dual effect on the fusogenicity of two strains of primary HIV-1, increasing levels at low concentrations, and inhibiting it at greater concentrations. Sullivan et al. illustrate just how formidable a challenge researchers face in developing an antibody mediated, anti-HIV vaccine, Moore concludes. "Wasting Syndrome--Affordable Treatments" AIDS Treatment News (07/07/95) No. 226, P. 6; James, John S. There are inexpensive treatments for AIDS wasting syndrome, which is defined as the extreme loss of lean body mass not due to obvious causes such as nutritional deficiency or intestinal infection. Early data indicates that most patients can be successfully treated using these approaches. One affordable treatment for non-severe, AIDS-related weight loss is testosterone enanthate, when used in combination with an exercise program. The drug has not been proven in clinical trials, but according to Dr. Marcus Conant in San Francisco, it has offered good results. Conant's team has found that people with true wasting respond very well to human growth hormone. Fourteen of 16 severely wasting patients gained weight with the hormone, after finding no success with the approved treatments Megace and Marinol. Ketotifen is another possibility for treatment, though not much research has been done yet on using it for AIDS-related wasting. It is believed to be very safe, and is used widely in Europe for asthma and allergies. A third possibility is thalidomide, which is now available though an "underground compassionate access" program through the PWA Health Group in New York or Healing Alternatives in San Francisco. The two FDA-approved drugs for AIDS-related wasting are expensive, and their effectiveness for increasing lean body mass is controversial. "HIV Infection and Skin-Care Needs" Advocate (07/25/95) No. 686, P. 47; Cohan, Gary R. Studies show that almost 100 percent of HIV-infected people will encounter at least two skin problems related to the disease at some point, writes Dr. Gary R. Cohan in the Advocate. Some common, but rarely discussed examples of noncancerous HIV-related skin conditions include generalized xerosis, photosensitivity, drug hypersensitivity reactions, and hyperpigmentation. Generalized xerosis, for example, is a condition seen in almost all HIV-infected individuals, characterized by extremely dry, itchy skin. Recommended treatments include limiting the frequency of bathing, using less drying soaps, and avoiding harsh scrubbing of the skin with washcloths or abrasive skin treatments. Cohan recommends that any patient who is concerned about a new or unusual skin change have it examined. "FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials" U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding a public workshop on current issues in HIV clinical trials on Sept. 6 and 7, 1995. At the workshop--to which registration is required--members of the industry and the public will be able to discuss issues regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials of drugs for the treatment of HIV, as well as propose strategies for overcoming known obstacles. A major challenge to developers of HIV treatments is the successful design and conduct of clinical confirmatory trials, which are needed to provide the data used to confirm the clinical benefit of drugs that have received accelerated approval. The workshop will be followed by a joint meeting on Sept. 9 of subcommittees of the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee and the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development. The subcommittees will hear summary presentations from the workshop, and will discuss recommendations on the scientific design of future HIV clinical trials. For more information, call the AIDS Clinical Trial Information Service at (800) 874-2572.* * The number in the AIDS Daily Summary for August 1, 1995, was incorrect. This is the correct number.