Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 09:41:29 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary May 8, 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 ************************************************************ "A Modest AIDS Protest Packs a Powerful Wallop" "China Issues Stricter Drug-Advertising Rules" "On Parade: Pride, Diversity of Gays" "Across the USA: California/Pennsylvania" "Marks May Be from Whip, Trial Told" "Cuba to Offer AIDS Test by Mail" "Detection of Herpesvirus-Like DNA Sequences in Kaposi's Sarcoma in Patients With and Those Without HIV Infection" "HIV-1 Subtype C in China" "Nerve Growth Factor: Major Trial Canceled, Revived after Protest" "Abuse and HIV-Related Risk" ************************************************************ "A Modest AIDS Protest Packs a Powerful Wallop" Washington Post (05/08/95) P. B3; Aguilar, Louis An estimated 1,100 people participated in the Mothers March Against AIDS in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Friends and relatives of people who had died from AIDS-related complications marched toward the White House carrying signs with pictures of their sons or daughters in good health. Beverly Rotter organized the protest after an incident at the Brooklyn, N.Y., restaurant that she manages, when a politician told her that AIDS "only happens to certain people." "We can't just let people believe this disease won't reach someone you know," Rotter said. She used the Internet and mailing lists supplied by gay organizations and support groups for people with AIDS to spread word of the march. Today, Rotter and others will lobby their members of Congress to try to increase funding for AIDS research. "China Issues Stricter Drug-Advertising Rules" Reuters (05/08/95) Major newspapers reported on Monday that China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Public Health, State Pharmaceuticals Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture have jointly imposed new restrictions on pharmaceutical advertising. Promotion of drugs for mental illness, tumors, AIDS, sexual dysfunction, and birth control is now forbidden. In addition, narcotics, poisonous or radioactive drugs, and vaccines may no longer be advertised. Pharmaceuticals may no longer be promoted with endorsements from research bodies, experts, doctors, or patients and, lastly, advertisements may not cite efficiency rates or awards. "On Parade: Pride, Diversity of Gays" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/08/95) P. B3; Langland, Connie The sixth annual Diversity of Pride Parade in Center City on Sunday was part of three days of seminars, parties, and other programs sponsored by PrideFest--a coalition of gay, lesbian, and biracial groups promoting gay pride. Among the parade participants were the Spruce Street Singers, the Artemis Motorcycle Club, AIDS patients, and various religious gay groups. The noisy part of the parade was from ACT UP, with more than 20 supporters chanting to the beat of drums and tambourines. "Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!" they chanted. They carried a 12-foot-high representation of a bloody fist. Other supporters carried a light-weight replica of a coffin bearing the names of people who have died from AIDS. "Across the USA: California/Pennsylvania" USA Today (05/08/95) P. 7A The University of California at San Francisco AIDS Health Project has opened, providing one-stop shopping for people with HIV or AIDS. Also, in Allentown, Pa., a federally funded team will be on the streets this summer trying to stop the spread of AIDS. The team will carry condoms and bleach kits for sterilizing needles, and will offer incentives and information to act safely. "Marks May Be from Whip, Trial Told" Toronto Globe and Mail (05/05/95) P. A4; Feschuk, Scott Deep bruises on the body of Conrad Boland could have been caused by a whip rather than a syringe filled with contaminated blood, a lawyer representing former model Marilyn Tan said on Thursday. The Crown claims the bruise marks the point where Tan injected Boland with HIV-infected blood as revenge for breaking up with her. Boland, however, testified that he bought a whip prior to their vacation to California, and that Tan hit him with it on his buttock and thigh. Boland also revealed that he had used injection drugs during drug sessions with prostitutes as recently as seven years ago. He claimed to have always used a sterile needle. In addition, the society photographer told the court that he had unprotected sex with another woman two months before Tan allegedly injected him. Boland testified that he tested HIV-positive a few months after the incident with Tan, after having tested negative two months prior to the trip. "Cuba to Offer AIDS Test by Mail" Reuters (05/05/95) Cuba will launch an AIDS campaign this year that will involve mail-order blood analysis and the promise of privacy. The campaign hopes to identify a part of the population that has had sexual contact with HIV-infected individuals but has not been tested, said Rolando Ramirez of the National AIDS Control and Prevention Group. A special mail-order blood analysis program will be established for those people who do not want to go to a hospital or clinic for the test. Because the entire public health system is operated by the government, there are not many private doctors in Cuba who can guarantee the anonymity of their patients. There have been 1,126 cases of HIV detected in Cuba, of which 234 people have died and 365 have full-blown AIDS. "Detection of Herpesvirus-Like DNA Sequences in Kaposi's Sarcoma in Patients With and Those Without HIV Infection" New England Journal of Medicine (05/04/95) Vol. 332, No. 18, P. 1181; Moore, Patrick S.; Chang, Yuan To determine whether the herpesvirus-like DNA sequences found in lesions from AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) are also present in classic KS and HIV-negative homosexual men with KS, Moore and Chang analyzed DNA in tissue samples from patients in all three groups. The researchers also studied DNA in samples of uninvolved tissue from these patients and in control tissue from healthy subjects. All samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers to amplify KS330(233), a sequence of herpesvirus-like DNA. Ninety-five percent of the tissue samples from patients with KS--including 10 of the 11 samples from AIDS patients and all of the samples from the other two types of KS--contained the KS330(233) PCR sequence. Just one of the control samples and only three of the 14 samples of uninvolved skin tested positive. Moore and Chang concluded that the same herpesvirus-like DNA sequences are present in the three types of KS--which suggests that the new human herpesvirus is not just an opportunistic infection in AIDS patients, and that the three kinds of KS may be caused by the same infectious agent. "HIV-1 Subtype C in China" Lancet (04/22/95) Vol. 345, No. 8956, P. 1051; Luo, Chi-Cheng; Tian, Chunqiao; Hu, Dale J. et al. In a letter to the editor published in the Lancet, Luo et al. report the identification and characterization of HIV subtype C in China. The researchers randomly selected 31 serum samples from HIV-1 seropositive male injection drug users from Yunnan province. They obtained amplified DNA from 11 of the 31 samples. The 11 samples clustered into two distinct subtypes--four isolates grouped with the Thailand variant (Thai-B) and the remaining seven were subtype C strains. When the 31 samples were tested by peptide-binding enzyme immunoassay, the numbers of HIV infections identified as Thai-B and subtype C increased to 11 and 9, respectively. The finding of Thai-B-like strains among injection drug users from along the border of the Yunnan province indicates that Thai-B viruses may be found in several countries in the region. Subtype C, however, has been reported from South Africa to Brazil. If subtype C is found in Thailand, it may constitute only a very small number of infections and may not be easily detected. To clarify the interactions of viral subtypes, transmission mode, and geographic distribution of strains of the epidemic, it is necessary to continue to identify representative samples from Yunnan, the authors conclude. "Nerve Growth Factor: Major Trial Canceled, Revived after Protest" AIDS Treatment News (04/21/95) No. 221, P. 5; James, John S. A large government-sponsored study of nerve growth factor for treating HIV-related neuropathy has been in development for three years by the AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. During an 18-week regimen, 180 volunteers will receive low-dose nerve growth factor, high-dose nerve growth factor, or a placebo. But in January, Genentech, Inc.--which owns the patent for this use of recombinant human nerve growth factor--said it would not provide the drug for the study. The company decided "to focus...on those projects which we feel have the highest likelihood for yielding the most rapid determination of efficacy and safety." Genentech planned only to continue a separate study of the drug as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy, which would constitute a much larger market for the product than HIV neuropathy would. After major protests by experts and community groups, however, Genentech reinstated its prior agreement to provide the drug for the study, known as ACTG 291. "Abuse and HIV-Related Risk" Focus (04/95) Vol. 10, No. 5, P. 5; Benson, J.D. There is evidence of a higher incidence of childhood abuse among HIV-infected individuals and those at highest risk for infection. In one study, 65 percent of the HIV-infected participants reported childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, or both. Other studies have found that sexually abused gay men are more likely to engage in HIV-related risk behavior and to be infected with HIV. Additional research has demonstrated that substance abuse has significant implications for primary, secondary, and tertiary HIV-related risk. Substance abuse is also a frequent response to unattended childhood sexual abuse. The goal of treatment should be to help clients understand how abuse has affected their feelings and relationship styles, and to recognize patterns that lead directly to HIV-related risk or other dangerous activities. It is more important for therapists to validate their clients' memories of abuse and its effects than to reveal specific memories. It is also important for counselors to be aware of the effects of unattended abuse--such as low self-esteem, shame, affective disorders, and suicidality--as they help their clients make and maintain behavior change.