Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 09:40:09 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 08/15/95 AIDS Daily Summary August 15, 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 ************************************************************ "In Italy, Rebels Without a Cure" "Taking on TB" "School Study: Condoms Don't Encourage Sex" "FDA Oks Transplant of Baboon Bone Marrow" "Americans, Europeans Are Ignorant of STDs" "Research: Why Do HIV Mothers Give Birth to Non-Infected Babies?" "Coming Out Day Co-Founder Dies" "Psychiatry and HIV Hospice Care" "ER Hath a Way with AIDS" "FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials" ************************************************************ "In Italy, Rebels Without a Cure" Washington Post (08/15/95) P. D1; Williams, Daniel Since last week's press conference in which three Italian bank robbers with AIDS explained their plight, many have questioned the law which prohibits their arrest. "Give me a job, a place to live, and treatment...and I'll stop robbing," said one member of the "AIDS gang." To change the 1993 law which forbids the continued jailing of anyone in the final stages of a terminal disease, officials have proposed changes under which a prisoner's individual circumstances would be taken into account before a release was approved. Therefore, a person with AIDS who is still able-bodied would probably not be let go. In addition, funds have been set aside to remedy the problem of treating the disease in jails. In 1993--when the release law was passed--another measure was passed to provide 4,600 hospital beds for AIDS patients. Thus far, however, nothing has been built. "Taking on TB" Washington Post (Health) (08/15/95) P. 10; Arnold, Paul Directly observed therapy, or DOT, is a relatively new tuberculosis (TB) strategy in which health care professionals literally watch active TB patients swallow their pills or actually give them injections themselves. The monitored treatment is for patients who cannot or will not take their medication properly on their own. Patients who consistently fail to take their medicine, can develop drug-resistant strains of the disease and, in turn, transmit potentially fatal strains of drug-resistant TB to others. Nearly two-thirds of D.C. General Hospital's Chest Clinic patients are enrolled in the city's DOT program. In other cities, the therapy has had significant results and is credited with the first substantial decline in New York TB cases in 15 years. "New York targeted unprecedented amounts of resources into TB control, largely for DOT. It is a very labor-intensive therapy, but it clearly works," says TB expert Lee Reichman, a former president of the American Lung Association. In Washington, D.C., cases of active TB have fallen from a peak 163 in 1990 when the city began its DOT program, to 83 this year. "School Study: Condoms Don't Encourage Sex" Philadelphia Inquirer (08/15/95) P. B1; Bruch, Laura J. Condoms do not appear to make teenagers more promiscuous, said Philadelphia school officials on Monday. Four years ago, controversy erupted when condoms were made available in the city's high schools. As a result of the debate, AIDS activists threw condoms and the Catholic Church denounced the program, which was part of a comprehensive sex-education program to stop teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV. Officials said Monday, however, that random samplings of the teens showed no difference in sexual activity among young people at schools where condoms are available and at schools where they are not. Currently, seven of Philadelphia's high schools have health resource centers and two others have complete health clinics. Students are not supposed to be given condoms until they have been counseled about prophylactic use and responsible sexual behavior. "FDA Oks Transplant of Baboon Bone Marrow" Washington Times (08/15/95) P. A6 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Monday that it has approved an experiment to inject baboon bone marrow cells into an AIDS patient. Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California at San Francisco said that researchers are currently awaiting final safety clearance from a hospital, and intend to perform the operation this October. The theory behind the operation is that baboon stem cells, which do not become HIV-infected, may help rebuild a human's ravaged immune system. "Americans, Europeans Are Ignorant of STDs" Washington Post (Health) (08/15/95) P. 5; Rovner, Sandy A survey conducted in France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States reveals that people in the five Western European countries do not know anymore about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) than American adults. Overall, 30 percent of the participants said they knew someone with an STD, but 33 percent could not name a disease besides HIV/AIDS, according to the Gallup Organization poll. Peggy Clarke, president of the American Social Health Association--which sponsored the survey--said that "given the global epidemic of STDs, there is an alarming lack of knowledge about these infections across all the countries surveyed." More than 40 percent of the respondents said they learned about STDs from television, while books and magazines accounted for 30 percent, and just eight percent said they got their information about STDs from their health care providers. "Research: Why Do HIV Mothers Give Birth to Non-Infected Babies?" Miami Herald (08/14/95) P. 5B; Wheat, Jack The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has awarded researchers at the University of Florida $1.1 million for their research into why some infants born to HIV-infected mothers are born with the virus, while others are not. Lead investigator Maureen Goodenow, an associate professor of pathology and pediatrics, said that several factors--including how advanced the mother's disease is, and HIV ability to rapidly mutate--explain why in 70 percent of the cases, infants born to HIV-positive mothers are not infected. Among their research efforts, Goodenow and John Sleasman, a professor of immunology and allergy, will attempt to determine what the anti-HIV drug AZT does to reduce maternal-fetal HIV transmission. "Coming Out Day Co-Founder Dies" Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/14/95) P. B2 Psychologist Robert H. Eichberg, who co-founded National Coming Out Day in 1988, has died of AIDS-related complications at age 50. Eichberg also wrote a book called, "Coming Out: an Act of Love," which describes how people reveal their homosexuality. "His whole life's work was about bridging the gap between gay and nongay communities, allowing people to discover who they are, and really encouraging them to go out and do something with that knowledge," said Lynn Shepodd, president of the Santa Fe Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Pride Committee. Eichberg's activism began 20 years ago when he established a political action committee for homosexual and women's rights in Los Angeles. National Coming Out Day is celebrated each year on Oct. 11. "Psychiatry and HIV Hospice Care" Focus (07/95) Vol. 10, No. 8, P. 5; Fryer, John E. Hospices in the United States and the United Kingdom have been well developed, but in many ways overlook the psychiatric needs of their patients, writes professor John E. Fryer of Temple University. Fryer visited several U.S. and U.K. HIV hospices, and found that a well-trained psychiatrist, experienced in HIV and palliative care, could vastly increase the quality of life for a person dying of AIDS. All too frequently, for example, a condition was simply described "AIDS dementia," when a psychiatrist's more in-depth analysis might have shown several causes that go deeper than the original diagnosis. According to Fryer, the U.S. hospices were less professionally focused and used fewer psychiatrists than the United Kingdom. One hospice professional suggested this may be based on a desire not to "pathologize" residents' problems. Psychiatrists, however, offer the perspective of a doctor who is trained to evaluate a patient both physically and mentally, which allows a more specific understanding of the effects of such issues as grief, opportunistic infections, and the effects of HIV treatment, Fryer concludes. "ER Hath a Way with AIDS" POZ (08/95-09/95) No. 9, P. 35; Meers, Erik Ashok NBC's new medical drama, ER, has received record-breaking ratings and has exposed millions of viewers to AIDS storylines and characters dealing with HIV-related issues. Eight of last season's 25 episodes featured AIDS. "We try to deal with HIV in a number of ways," says Neal Baer, a fourth year Harvard medical student on leave to write for the show. During one program, for example, a man enters the emergency room with his fiancee and a bad case of hiccups. After conducting tests, the doctor asks to speak to privately with the man, who declares he has no secrets from his bride-to-be. The two then learn that the hiccups were caused by AIDS-related abscesses on the man's liver. This episode, based on several cases that Baer has seen, explores the medical and ethical demands of AIDS on both patient and doctor. Fans of the popular show can expect to see continued coverage of AIDS in the coming season. "HIV is a big fact of life and I expect it will continue to be a big part of the show," says Baer. "FDA Announces Public Workshop and Advisory Subcommittee Meeting on Current Issues in AIDS Clinical Trials" U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (08/01/95) 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) 874-4572.