Date: Tue, 7 Feb 1995 09:35:16 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary February 7, 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 ************************************************************ "HHS--Increases: NIH, AIDS, Head Start" "Protein in Saliva Found to Block AIDS Virus in Test Tube Study" "Across the USA: South Carolina" "More AIDS Education Needed, Findings Show" "Researchers on AIDS Sound Optimistic Note" "More at Risk of AIDS, State Health Officials Say" "Regimen Containing Short-Term Rifampicin for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infection" "Microsatellite Instability in Primary Neoplasms from HIV+ Patients" "Business Vet Joins AIDS Foundation" "Internet Altruism May Help Online Business" ************************************************************ "HHS--Increases: NIH, AIDS, Head Start" Washington Post (02/07/95) P. A17; Rich, Spencer For fiscal year 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested $715.8 billion, compared to $665.9 billion in fiscal 1995. A total of 95 percent of the budget goes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare. Outlays for Medicare and Medicaid were projected at $212 billion less over five years than previously expected, because of lower inflation and a cleanup of inappropriate state matching fund claims. Areas targeted for increases in spending are the National Institutes of Health, up $468 million to $11.8 billion; Head Start, up $400 million to $3.9 billion; and the Ryan White programs for AIDS patients, which are up 14 percent. HHS would also consolidate 108 separately financed Public Health Service programs, costing $4.2 billion a year, into 16 programs with the same overall funding, and with administrative savings expected. Related Story: New York Times (02/07) P. A22 "Protein in Saliva Found to Block AIDS Virus in Test Tube Study" New York Times (02/07/95) P. C3; Altman, Lawrence K. Researchers from the National Institute of Dental Research told a meeting sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology last week that a protein in human saliva blocks HIV infection of human cells in the test tube. The protein, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), appears to prevent infection by attaching itself to the surface of monocytes, explained Drs. Tessie B. McNeely and Sharon M. Wahl. This finding may explain the low incidence of infection via saliva, they said. The researchers are now working with Synergen to evaluate the protein's potential to protect against HIV infection or modify its effects in humans. "Across the USA: South Carolina" USA Today (02/07/95) P. 11A A total of 9,959 cases of HIV have been confirmed in South Carolina since 1981, officials said. Of that number, 66 percent are African-American, 75 percent are male, and 75 percent are between the ages of 20 and 39. Approximately one half of the HIV-infected people have been diagnosed with AIDS. "More AIDS Education Needed, Findings Show" New York Times (02/07/95) P. A24; Dean, Laura In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Laura Dean--the director of the AIDS Research Unit at the Columbia School of Public Health--notes that a recent article about AIDS being the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 25 and 44 overlooked a recent study in New York City. The study found that 9 percent of young gay men between the ages of 18 and 24 tested HIV-positive, with 2 percent of the uninfected men testing positive one year later. Most of the HIV-infected men in this group were not aware of their HIV status, which suggests that self-reported estimates of HIV prevalence should not be trusted. There has also been an increase in sexual partners and episodes among young gay men in New York City, according to data from the Columbia School of Public Health. The prevention programs that effectively reach white gay men have not reached black and Hispanic men, and need to be strengthened, concludes Dean. "Researchers on AIDS Sound Optimistic Note" Boston Globe (02/06/95) P. 1; Knox, Richard A. AIDS researchers' renewed hope was evident at the conclusion of a national AIDS conference last week. Many specialists said they came away with new respect for the immune system's ability to fight HIV for years at a time. Research on emerging drugs and drug combinations that offer multiple treatment approaches were also presented. "There's no question there were more interesting and promising developments reported at this conference than we've seen in the past several years," said Dr. Harvey Makadon, of Beth Israel Hospital. For example, a new class of anti-HIV drugs called protease inhibitors work at a later stage in the viral life-cycle, blocking the assembly of HIV proteins into infectious new viruses. In early human trials, Abbott Drug's ABT-538 and Merck Pharmaceutical's L-735,524 both produced encouraging reductions in HIV blood levels and increases in patient's CD4 cell levels that were sustained over six months. Many researchers believe that the next step should be rapid, simultaneous human trials of several drug combinations to select those worthy of large, expensive, and lengthy studies that can determine real clinical benefit, in terms of longer, healthier lives. "More at Risk of AIDS, State Health Officials Say" Chicago Tribune (02/04/95) P. 1-5; Frisch, Suzy While the overall number of reported AIDS cases in Illinois rose 3 percent last year, the number of cases involving heterosexuals increased 41 percent, the state Department of Public Health said on Friday. The proportion of female AIDS patients has continued to climb, and cases among homosexuals and bisexuals increased 9 percent. Women made up 15 percent of all AIDS patients in Illinois in 1994, up from 7 percent in 1990. In 1990, there were just 44 cases of heterosexual AIDS reported, but there were 294 in 1993 and 414 in 1994. There were 3,118 AIDS cases reported in Illinois in 1994, with gays and bisexuals making up nearly half the total. Although the number of AIDS cases decreased slightly among African-Americans, cases among Latinos increased 8 percent. "Regimen Containing Short-Term Rifampicin for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infection" Lancet (01/28/95) Vol. 345, No. 8944, P. 264; Harries, A. D.; Mbewe, L. Nyong'Onya; Maher, D. et al. In a letter to the editor published in the Lancet, Harries et al. report the treatment results of a cohort of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients on an intensive treatment that included rifampicin, followed by a maintenance regimen that did not. All patients at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi with new smear-positive pulmonary TB were given the same eight-month short course regimen. After two months of chemotherapy, 46 of the 686 patients registered had died and 26 had defaulted from treatment. Of the 46 deaths, 38 took place during the first 30 days--12 patients were HIV-positive, 1 HIV-negative, and in 25 the HIV status was not known. Despite the limitations, the study shows that in patients who completed a two-month intensive treatment with streptomycin, rifampicin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide, a maintenance phase with isoniazid and thiacetazone or ethambutol is associated with a similar outcome at the end of eight months, regardless of HIV-serostatus. The treatment has significant cost savings over one in which rifampicin is used throughout. "Microsatellite Instability in Primary Neoplasms from HIV+ Patients" Nature Medicine (01/95) Vol. 1, No. 1, P. 65; Bedi, Gauri C.; Westra, William H.; Farzadegan, Homayoon et al. AIDS is associated with a high risk of certain malignancies, particularly Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The pathogenesis of these malignancies is not completely understood. One mechanism of malignant transformation recently outlined in colon tumorigenesis stems from defects in DNA mismatch repair, manifest as widespread microsatellite instability. To determine the presence of microsatellite instability, researchers tested several dinucleotide markers from different chromosomal arms in seven KS lesions--five from patients with AIDS and two from patients without HIV infection. They found a high rate of microsatellite instability in KS and aggressive lymphomas obtained from patients infected with HIV, but detected no evidence of instability in similar lesions from HIV-negative patients. Further study of the underlying mechanisms responsible for HIV-associated instability in primary tumors may provide insight into the pathogenesis of these AIDS-related neoplasms. "Business Vet Joins AIDS Foundation" Crain's New York Business (01/23/95-01/29/95) Vol. 11, No. 4, P. 42; Kripke, Pamela G. Recently, Zack Manna was appointed executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), a national foundation that mobilizes the theater industry to raise and distribute funds to AIDS patients and service groups. For 26 years, Manna was an executive at AT&T Corp., where he founded and served as the executive director of AT&T: On Stage--a program that discovers, creates, produces, and finances new works for theaters nationwide. As corporate marketing services director, he supervised AT&T's multilayered event-marketing program and founded a corporate sponsorship for AIDS projects--the first of its kind in the business world. Through theatrical performances and events, BC and EFA--which merged two years ago--have raised almost $20 million since 1987. More than 80 percent of the money has been distributed directly to AIDS patients, both inside and outside the theater community, and to support organizations. "Internet Altruism May Help Online Business" Interactive Age (01/16/95) Vol. 2, No. 6, P. 20; Frook, John Evan Companies conducting business via the Internet will increasingly be targeted for regulation and should be prepared to fight it, says Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) president Brian L. Dyak, who has proposed the creation of an Internet database to track the number of positive social messages digitized on CD-ROM, carried by online services, and available to browsers over the Internet. The EIC is trying to generate $1.5 million to establish and maintain a World Wide Web site that will include such features as a bulletin board, information on prosocial events, and coverage of new legislation. According to Dyak, companies doing business on the Internet will develop a positive image by actively promoting a prosocial database. The EIC and Hollywood Supports, a nonprofit organization that advocates HIV and AIDS-awareness in the workplace, have applied for a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to sponsor a three-day online conference on AIDS in the workplace. Such programming, says Dyak, will attract large audiences to the EIC site. Topics on the database would include public service, healthy lifestyles, women's issues, and the promotion of responsible sexual behavior.