-----===[[[ A I D S w i r e D I G E S T 11.01.93 ]]]===----- Researchers Create Molecule to Block AIDS Infection * Wall Street Journal (11/01/93) P. A11A French researchers have created a type of molecules that they say are able to block AIDS infection in test-tube research. In lab trials, the molecule CDR3 blocks the entry doors on three cell types targeted by HIV: lymphocyte, macrophage, and intestinal cells, according to the team at North Marseille Hospital. "Thanks to this molecule, we managed to stop, in the laboratory, not only the infection of the target cells by the HIV-1 virus, of European stock, but also an African virus, HIV-2," said virologist Jacques Fantini, one of the researchers. He compared the discovery to "a pass key that allows one to block all the locks to stop the virus from entering healthy cells." The process still must be verified in mice and monkeys, but is an "important step in basic research against AIDS," said Jurphaas Van Rietschoten, research director at the National Center for Scientific Research, which oversaw the work. "It's a hope, not a guarantee," he said, cautioning that it is uncertain whethere the molecule will prove toxic in animals or humans. AIDS Activists Protest at Capitol * United Press International (10/29/93) Sorensen, Andy Sacramento--More than 90 activists from the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) staged a political funeral Friday before the Capitol to protest California Gov. Pete Wilson's policy towards people with AIDS. The group accused Wilson of cutting AIDS funding, and denounced his veto of a needle exchange bill that would have provided clean syringes to intravenous drug users who turned in dirty ones. Dressed in black and pulling a rolling casket to symbolize those who have died from AIDS, the protestors chanted "Pete Wilson you can't hide, we charge you with homicide." They were prevented from reaching the Capitol steps by a wall of police in riot gear and on horseback, and a brief clash ensued in which five members of ACT-UP were injured. The protest ended shortly after a woman sprinkled into the air the final ashes of a man who died of AIDS. "Until the government is willing to implement preventive measures, we're going to get nowhere in fighting the spread of this dreadful disease," said event organizer Edward Wold. Shannon Bowman, spokesperson for the state Health and Welfare Agency, defended Wilson's veto of the needle exchange bill. "The governor is spending millions of dollars on saying it is wrong to use drugs," she said, adding that evidence that the programs reduce the spread of the virus "was not clear enough to send a mixed message." Bowman also refuted claims that the governor cut AIDS spending. She asserted that spending has increased from $115 million to $148 million in the past three years. AIDS Agency in Chaotic State, Critics Charge * Washington Times (10/29/93) P. C8 Barras, Jonetta Rose Critics attest that the Agency for HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., is "in a state of chaos." Indeed, the agency has been plagued with numerous problems from as far back as a year ago, when an agency employee was sent on a $2,000 trip to the Virgin Islands for a conference which records indicate he never registered for or attended. Some employees and activists suggest that government money is abused by staff and contractors; one employee insists that the organization's education programs are "seriously off the mark." There have been charges of discrimination in contracting, and some say divisions within the office are affecting service. Racial undertones, in fact, ran throughout the agency's most recent problem, which involved the dismissal of agency director Caitlin Ryan and two other high-level officials. The incident began when Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad, medical director of the Abundant Life Clinic in the District, accused Ryan of improperly steering a $100,000 contract away from his organization because of his affiliation with the Nation of Islam. An internal investigation found that Ryan did tamper with the award, and she was promptly fired. This, internal disputes, and the other problems persisting in the Agency for HIV/AIDS are so bad that the office appears to be having difficulty retaining a new director. The prime candidate recently turned down the position, saying that the agency was much too troubled. Danish Police Find Stolen HIV Test Tubes * Reuters (10/29/93) Copenhagen--Danish police have found 70 of the 75 test tubes of HIV that were stolen from a Copenhagen hospital, and arrested a suspect of the theft. The test tubes were taken from a locked freezere at Hvidovre Hospital, where they were being used for research purposes. The thief may have believed that they contained drugs which could be sold, said authorities. Police discovered 69 of the test tubes in a Copenhagen apartment after the arrest of a 30-year-old man; one more was found in a park frequented by drug addicts. The suspect denied stealing the test tubes, reported a police spokesperson. AIDS Sufferer Surrender Ends Riviera Hostage Drama * Reuters (10/31/93) Nice, France--A man with AIDS detained three hostages in a French Riviera clinic for six hours before surrendering early Sunday after his brother, a police officer, convinced him to give up, said authorities. Christophe Azouzi, 32, a former patient of the Sainte-Marie clinic, had demanded $120 million and a helicopter in exchange for the release of two nurses and a friend of one of the nurses whom he held captive. According to police, Azouzi was suicidal but agreed to surrender after long telephone conversations with doctors and his brother, who is part of a police anti-terrorist squad. Azouzi set the hostages free unharmed and was taken to a Nice police station for questioning. Dinkins Administration Failed to Spend $11 Million in Federal AIDS Funds * United Press International (10/29/93) Byron, Peg New York--The Dinkins administration reported recent calculations indicating that New York City will fail to spend about $11 million of an allocated $44 million from the Ryan White Care Act before the year ending in April 1994. AIDS Policy Coordinator Ronald Johnson said he hoped the money would be used more quickly in the future, but admitted obstacles of New York contradicting rules and problems starting programs for infected homeless people and drug addicts. This year's unspent money will be used for primary care and housing for New Yorkers ill with tuberculosis or HIV, as well as for projects in a newly released AIDS plan by the Dinkins administration. The new plan will expand services and focus special attention on women and AIDS orphans. New York City is responsible for the nation's largest concentration of women with AIDS, and claims that half of all mothers who die leave their children without parents. The Ryan White Care Act has been increased by 40 percent for next year, and the city could receive as much as $90 million, said Barry Gordon, AIDS coordinator for the Public Health Service's local office. Said Mayor David Dinkins, "We very desperately need to spend not only that money, but we need more." Scandal of Blood Plasma Untested for HIV Broadens in Germany * United Press International (10/31/93) Berlin--Germany's HIV scandal grew Sunday as a second firm was charged with supplying blood plasma not screened for the AIDS virus, and as hospitals began reviewing records to identify patients who received untested blood. Pharm Dessau was charged with the knowing distribution of plasma which had not been tested for HIV. Last week, another supplier called UB Plasma was shut down on similar charges. Meanwhile, hospitals throughout the country are reviewing transfusion records from the past several years. One hospital in Torgau used 87 units of untested blood supplied by UB Plasma in just the past four or five weeks, according to the interior ministry of the state of Saxony, where the hospital is located. The Association of Hospitals in Lower Saxony cautioned that checking records would be an expensive undertaking. German political leaders, in the meantime, demanded tougher laws to regulate the blood plasma industry. Poll: Teens Want Hillary Clinton for Prez in 1996 * United Press International (10/28/93) New York--Today's teenagers think that Hillary Clinton should be elected U.S. president in 1996, and view AIDS as the nation's leading problem, reveals a recent survey that polled 5,000 young people across the country on such topics as their sexual and political opinions. Teens pointed to AIDS as America's worst problem, followed by crime, the economy, and education. Although they identified the deadly virus as the most important issue, 63 percent of teens still believe that sex before marriage is okay for responsible teens, and 74 percent say birth control should be available to high school students. Arena's Bold AIDS Play Focuses on Home, Family * Baltimore Sun (10/28/93) P. 4E Rousuck, J. Wynn The nation's oldest continuously operating black community theater will present a play that revolves around something that African-Americans are becoming all too familiar with--AIDS. Cheryl West's "Before It Hits Home," the first major drama to portray the effect of the deadly disease among blacks, imparts much essential information about AIDS but focuses especially on nature, home, and the limitations of familial love. The script is bold in its language, depiction of the disease, and treatment of the lead character's bisexuality. The play itself centers around jazz sax player Wendal Bailey, who discovers he has AIDS and tells his male lover, but cannot bring himself to confront his girlfriend. Partner notification, thus, becomes an important theme and lesson of the play. Weak and discouraged, the protagonist visits home, where his mother abandons him when he needs her most and his father, who has always complained of his son's shortcomings, dishes out unconditional love. "Before It Hits Home" is being staged by the Arena Players in Baltimore, Md., through Nov. 14. AIDSFront: Medical Briefs * Advocate (10/19/93) No. 640, P. 33 With testing of gp160 beginning in August, Massachusetts became the first state to sponsor testing of an AIDS therapy that is the reverse of others. The new therapy uses a vaccine to fight infection that has already taken hold in the body. Conventional vaccines aim to prevent infection, but this latest therapy intends to battle viruses once they have invaded the immune system. The trial is being conducted by the HIV/AIDS bureau of Massachusetts' department of public health, and is being funded with $150,000 in state funds. The trial will examine the effects of gp160 on 140 HIV/AIDS patients. Genelabs Technologies Inc. Reports Preliminary Results of Phase II Clinical Trial for AIDS Drug--GLQ223-- at Scientific Conference * Business Wire (10/18/93) Redwood City, Calif.--Genelabs Technologies Inc. recently presented preliminary results of its Phase II study of GLQ223, an anti-viral compound, against AIDS and AIDS-related complex. The results were reported by the principal investigator, James O. Kahn, assistant clinical professor at the University of California at San Diego and associate director of the AIDS program at San Francisco General Hospital. Patients randomized to AZT, GLQ223, or a combination had similar rates of CD4 cell decline, said Kahn. Data analyses, however, implied treatment-associated benefits for GLQ223 in clinical, immunologic, and virologic parameters. November 2, 1993 EEOC Sues Fund for AIDS Patient * Baltimore Sun (11/02/93) P. 9C Woodruff, John E. In a national effort to protect the health benefits of AIDS-infected employees, federal authorities are suing a Baltimore Teamsters union welfare fund. "This is a test case to challenge a ... decision that unilaterally eliminated AIDS from its coverage," said Leslie R. Stellman, one of the attorneys involved in the case. The case surfaced when Harry Johnson Jr., a member of the Teamsters Local No. 355, complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that the union welfare fund was denying him health insurance and sick leave based only on the fact that he has AIDS. Today, Johnson is very ill and hospitalized, according to EEOC lawyers, who contend that the welfare fund violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing Johnson medical coverage throughout his illness and cutting his sick leave. "We cut him off, that's a fact," conceded Luther West, the fund's lawyer. West justified the action by insisting that federal law permits the fund to "pick and choose what benefits we provide and what illnesses we cover." The case is one of several being pursued across the nation by the EEOC to test the agency's power to protect health benefits of AIDS patients. New Strategy Backed for Fighting AIDS * New York Times (11/02/93) P. C1 Altman, Lawrence K. Outside of the United States and Western Europe, by far the greatest number of global HIV infections are transmitted via heterosexual contact. While condoms protect men from infection, sexually active women have no comparable protection. They can ask, but not force, partners to use conventional prophylactics. The female condom is an alternative, but it is expensive and unproven in prevention of HIV infection. With no immediate prospects for an AIDS vaccine and limitations of HIV drugs, the World Health Organization is looking toward a new research strategy. The goal is to develop a safe and effective substance that women can insert into the vagina, without the knowledge of their partners, in gel, foam, sponge, or other form to kill the virus, or at least prevent it from infecting cells in the body. Health officials also hope to identify a substance that will work against other sexually transmitted diseases, since research indicates that reduction of other STDs, which facilitate HIV entry into the body, would reduce the risk of HIV infection. One substance being tested is nonoxynol-9, a spermicide sold in America and many other nations. Research has shown that, when used as a vaginal microbicide, it effectively prevents transmission of chlamydia and gonorrhea. At least 10 other substances are being explored as well. Researchers must be especially cautious and sensitive in assuring that a potential microbicide does not kill the microbes that are natural to the vagina and benefit female hygiene, and that it does not impair a woman's ability to bear children, or affect spermatozoa and cause defects. * A Political Battle on AIDS Research * New York Times (11/02/93) P. D1 Meier, Barry After more than a year of heated debate, Congress is expected to begin deliberating on whether to kill funding for expanded human trials of an experimental AIDS vaccine, GP-160. The controversy has been introduced primarily by those who assert that the vaccine's manufacturer, Connecticut-based MicroGeneSys, received the $20-million government appropriation through the efforts of an influential lobbyist, and not because the vaccine has exceptional therapeutic potential. But Franklin Volvovitz, MicroGeneSys' chief executive, says that GP-160 could help the immune systems of AIDS patients combat established infections, and that all of the argument surrounding the trials is obscuring the potential of the vaccine. Volvovitz further asserts that his company hired Washington lobbyist Russell Long because it was refused hearings in the capital. Long persuaded senators to include the $20 million for testing of GP-160 under a $250-million Defense Department appropriation. Under the legislation, the trial would be conducted unless the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Defense Department agreed within six months not to do so. When the agencies decided to conduct the trial, but also opted to include other producers' vaccines, MicroGeneSys refused to donate its vaccine. The agencies, again, have the power to choose one of three routes: halt financing, conduct multi-vaccine trials, or redirect the $20-million appropriation into general AIDS research. A Timely AIDS Documentary * Boston Globe (11/01/93) P. 14 The newly released documentary "Sex Education in America: AIDS and Adolescence" made its Washington, D.C., premiere yesterday. According to the editors of the Boston Globe, the timing of the documentary could not have been more fortuitous. It portrays the tragic story of a society that, despite the increasing rate of teenage AIDS cases, continues to deny adolescent sexuality and the high risk teens run of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This message is delivered by young Americans who have already contracted the virus. The Boston Globe calls the documentary "heartbreaking." With such undeniable facts, say the editors, one would think parents and educators would literally be forcing all imaginable, detailed information about sex and its risks on young people. Instead, they say, small but conservative alliances rally against comprehensive sex education and condom distribution. Produced by a former medical news reporter in Boston, Jeanne Blake, the Boston Globe says this documentary is a "wake-up call to teenagers on the life-or-death threat posed by AIDS." United Biomedical Two Steps Closer to an Effective Multicomponent Synthetic AIDS Vaccine * Business Wire (10/31/93) Hauppauge--At Sunday's annual NIH Conference on Advances in AIDS, United Biomedical Inc. reported two significant milestones in the development of a safe and effective multicomponent synthetic AIDS vaccine. Preliminary results of Phase I clinical trials of UBI's single-component HIV vaccine indicated that humans could successfully generate antibodies to neutralize a primary field isolate of the AIDS virus, said director of Virology, Dr. Barbara Potts. UBI also reported success in showing that primary field isolates of globally diverse strains of HIV could be neutralized by immunizing animals with an experimental multicomponent vaccine concocted from mixtures of synthetic antigens representing variable worldwide strains of HIV. "The accomplishment of these two significant milestones enables UBI to accelerate its timetable for the development of a safe and effective global AIDS vaccine," said Dr. Wayne Koff, vice president for Vaccine Research and Development. Report: AIDS Has Struck 339,250 in This Country * Philadelphia Inquirer (10/29/93) P. A30 AIDS is now the primary killer of men aged 25-44 years, and the fourth-leading cause of death among women in the same age group, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic in 1981, the disease has infected 339,250 Americans, and killed 204,390. The government's tab of diagnosed cases was augmented this year by some 48,915 Americans who fell under the new, expanded AIDS case definition. In the first three quarters of this year alone, the CDC added 85,526 new cases, a 141-percent increase over the previous year. Cuba Says Nearly 1,000 People Infected With AIDS * Reuters (10/27/93) Havana--A total of 965 Cubans are infected with HIV, reported news agency Prensa Latina, quoting specialists from the Cuban AIDS control program. Of the HIV population, 224 persons have developed AIDS symptoms, including three who have died. Twelve HIV-infected individuals died of other causes, said the agency. The figures for those ill with AIDS and those who died from it are higher than those cited in a U.S. study released earlier this month. That study, by Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes of the University of California at Berkeley, reported that there were 187 cases of full-blown AIDS and 111 AIDS deaths on the island. Still, because measures taken to control AIDS are much more strict in Cuba than elsewhere, the numbers indicate that the disease is being kept in check among the population of nearly 11 million. British Teenagers Get AIDS Facts From TV Soaps * Reuters (10/27/93) London--British adolescents are educated about AIDS more often from television soap operas than from school teachers, according to a survey by Barnardo's, a British children's charity. The survey said that 7 out of 10 teenagers first heard about the disease on TV programs such as the soap opera EastEnders. In comparison, only one in 10 learned about AIDS in the classroom or at home. HIV/AIDS education has been dropped from the national curriculum in British schools, and beginning in 1994, parents will have the authority to remove their children from sex education classes. "Many children watched the programme [EastEnders] to find out more because they were a little embarrassed about raising it at home," said Neil Churchill, a spokesperson for Barnardo's. Two-thirds of the 530 British children aged 11 to 14 years who were surveyed admitted that they were concerned about the disease. "Though mountains of words have been written about AIDS and HIV, the message is still not getting through to millions of school students," said Susanna Dawson, an actress whose character on the British soap has AIDS. Dawson is featured in a video, funded in part by Barnardo's, that addresses the AIDS experience of two EastEnders characters. The video is being promoted in schools across the country. Research Using Genes Shows Promise to Fight AIDS * Reuters (10/19/93) New Orleans--Research using genes to trigger the body's immune system response to the AIDS virus have shown encouraging results, reports University of Philadelphia researcher Dr. David Weiner. Immune responses were triggered in mice, rabbits, and primates from inoculations with HIV genes, said Weiner. The mice produced antibodies, T-cells, and killer T-cells, all indications of positive immune system response. Rabbits produced an immune response even more quickly than did the mice. Of the three primates studied, two immediately began producing T-cell and antibody responses. "We know now that we can vaccinate mice, rabbits and primates," Weiner said. "Eventually we may be able to vaccinate people, too." Occupational HIV Infection * Lancet (Great Britain) (10/16/93) Vol. 342, No. 8877, P. 980 Bignall, John The UK Communicable Disease Surveillance Center (CDSC) received 176 reports of occupational exposures to HIV between the years of 1985 and 1992. Ninety-nine persons with percutaneous exposures had follow-up data for three months. Of these, two have seroconverted, in addition to the seroconversion of two other health care workers whose exposures were not reported to the CDSC. Of that total of four infected health care employees, two are nurses, one is a phlebotemist, and all had needlestick injuries that seroconverted within three months. They received their needlesticks through resheathing a needle, insertion of an intravenous cannula, transfer of blood samples from a syringe with the needle attached to a specimen bottle, and venepuncture in a restless child. "Getting Real" About HIV and Homeless Youth * American Journal of Public Health (10/93) Vol. 83, No. 10, P. 1490 Clatts, Michael C. Information on prevention, HIV testing and counseling, delaying the onset of sexual initiation, and condom distribution are all measures that need to be taken to curb the spread of AIDS, says Dr. Michael C. Clatts of the Youth at Risk Project. However, he says, to think that these alone can breed prevention is tragically shortsighted. This is especially true for homeless youths who, as a population, have a seroprevalance rate of nearly 20 percent. Thousands in number, they often have a chronic reliance on the trade of sex for money, food, and shelter. The fact is, according to Clatts, most people who in the upcoming decade will become infected with HIV will do so not because of inadequate information, myths, or failures of intention. Instead, he claims, they will suffer because of social and economic inequities. Clatts suggests that health care providers "get real" about circumstances such as poverty, sexual abuse, homelessness, homophobia, and limited unemployment that prompt young people into high-risk situations. Until these conditions are addressed, the course of AIDS is not likely to be stemmed among this segment of the HIV population, he says. November 3, 1993 AIDS Not Mentioned for Fear of Suicide * Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (11/02/93) P. A16 Downey, Donn The doctor who treated a man who died of AIDS-related causes in March 1990 testified in court that he did not inform Kenneth Pittman that he was at risk for infection because he feared his patient would become suicidal. Dr. Stanley Bain testified Monday at the civil trial launched by Pittman's family against him, Toronto General Hospital, and the Canadian Red Cross Society. "I felt that Ken would not have been able to handle it," he said, noting that there was considerable stigma affiliated with the AIDS disease. Bain said that Pittman had already lost his job, and felt abandoned by friends. Since Pittman developed a heart condition in 1982, said the physician, he could not recall his patient "not being depressed." Bain also cited a survey concluding that men aged 29 to 59 with HIV were 60 times more likely to commit suicide. Although he was concerned about the risk Pittman posed to his wife, Bain went over his patient's records, which indicated that in 1988 Pittman told his doctor that he was not sexually active. Rochelle Pittman has since tested positive for HIV and maintains that she and her husband had an active sex life up until a few months before his death. Pittman received transfusions during heart surgery in 1984, and the donor later tested positive for the AIDS virus. After Bain was notified, he was advised that the decision to inform Pittman was at his own clinical discretion. Uncertain whether his patient had even been infected, with no effective treatment available if he had been, and given Pittman's emotional frame of mind, Bain chose not to notify his patient. Germany--Tainted Blood * Associated Press (11/02/93) Thorson, Larry Berlin--In the latest development in Germany's AIDS-contaminated blood scandal, police Tuesday arrested two more employees of a blood products company and hospitals throughout the country sorted through files in search of patients who may have been infected. In western Germany, police in Koblenz arrested the laboratory physician and the controls manager at UB Plasma, the company charged last week with saving money by conducting inadequate tests for HIV. Although reliable tests were available in 1985, the staff at UB Plasma allegedly mixed blood donations, thus rendering test results uncertain. Since it was discovered Thursday that blood products may have been tainted, at least one new case of infection has surfaced. That case is a Bosnian child who received 60 blood products while being treated for cancer at a hospital in Frankfurt. Officials say risk of infection is low, but urge HIV testing for anyone who received transfusions or other blood products. On the Front Lines in AIDS War * Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (11/02/93) P. A5 Picard, Andre Medecins de coeur (Doctors With Heart), a new, rare film about AIDS, premiered recently. By Tahani Rached of the National Film Board, this film differs from others about the disease in that it is not about death. The film is in intimate look at the ethical, mental, and physical pain of compassionate physicians and their plea for tolerance, understanding, and the need for society to treat dying AIDS patients with dignity. Rached's film revolves around the staff of L'Actuel medical clinic in downtown Montreal. The center, which now treats more than 3,000 patients with HIV/AIDS, was founded in 1984 by Dr. Clement Olivier; Dr. Michael Marchand, who has since died from AIDS; and current chairman Dr. Rejean Thomas. Olivier compares the emotional roller coaster upon which AIDS doctors ride to bungee jumping. This morality leads the co-founders and their colleagues to take stances that are seemingly radical. They oppose mandatory disclosure of positive HIV tests, promote sexual equality as a way of stemming infection rates, and state bluntly that condoms cannot be eroticized. Medecins de couer examines their philosophies and their work with AIDS patients. The film summarizes the ugly realties of the disease and ends with the L'Actuel staff burying Dr. Michael Marchand. National Leadership Coalition on AIDS to Honor Union President; Public Employee Union Has Educated More Than 7,500 Union Members Since 1983 * PR Newswire (11/02/93) Washington--This month, the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS will honor Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), for his union's early efforts to educate AFSCME employees and members about the deadly AIDS disease. "I urge corporate CEOs and union presidents to implement an AIDS policy that mandates education for every worker in America," says McEntee. "Without such a policy our members and employees will not know that they can come to their union when they need us the most. After all, that is what unions are all about." AFSCME was the first labor organization to incorporate an AIDS policy for international union staff members. That policy focuses on non-discrimination in hiring, job assignment, promotion, eligibility for benefits, performance appraisals, or the termination of infected employees solely because of their condition. AFSCME estimates that it conducts more than 30 workshops and conferences nationwide each year. The union was also instrumental in shaping "Business and Labor Responds to AIDS," a public awareness/education program initiated by the Centers for Disease Control. Frank Russo Guild: AIDS Guild Corrals Support for Western Hoe-Down; Dale Chihuly, Seattle Supersonics Donate Collector Auction Items * PR Newswire (11/02/93) Seattle--Encouraged by the success of last year's fundraiser, the Frank Russo Guild will host its second annual Hoe-Down on Saturday, Nov. 6. Complete with a live band, line dancing, and buffet, the AIDS organization hopes to reach its goal of $30,000 to support programs for people living with AIDS. The event features auctions that include donations from internationally acclaimed artist Dale Chihuly, who contributed a $10,000 sculpture and a signed Venetian painting. Other items to be auctioned are a basketball autographed by the 1993 Seattle Supersonics, a rare 75-year-old West African Janus headpiece, and two round-trip tickets to New York, including a two-night stay at the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel. Proceeds will benefit Seattle's Bailey-Boushay House, the country's first skilled nursing facility that was planned, financed, built, and staffed for the sole purpose of meeting the needs of AIDS patients. Children's Orthopedic Hospital, which runs a "one-stop" health center for women and children infected and affected by HIV, will also benefit from the event. The Frank Russo Guild was founded in June 1992, and named for the manager of an engineering firm who died of AIDS in 1991. Verex Reports Start of Aztec Phase III Clinical Trials for Treatment of AIDS and HIV Viral Infections * PR Newswire (11/01/93) Englewood, Colo.--Verex Laboratories Inc. has begun a major Phase III clinical trial of Aztec, its new AIDS drug. The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Aztec against Retrovir, the only currently approved first-line HIV/AIDS treatment drug. Aztec is an AZT-based, twice daily, controlled release formulation which, in Phase II trials, proved to be more tolerable and produce fewer adverse side effects than the immediate release formulation that is currently available. The study design involves 200 or more patients in a double blind study being conducted concurrently in eight locations in the United States. Patients will be enrolled for an 18-week period, during which they will receive either Retrovir or Aztec in a randomized manner. The study is being directed by Dr. Alan Hollister of the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver, and is expected to last for six to eight months. Research Confirms Effectiveness of Condoms in Preventing HIV * AIDS Alert (10/93) Vol.8, No. 10, P. 160 Two new studies tighten evidence that consistent use of condoms effectively lowers the risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. In one study of couples where one partner was HIV-positive and one was not, none of the 123 partners who used condoms with each act of intercourse for two years became infected. Of 122 uninfected partners who used condoms inconsistently, 12 contracted the virus. The other study of HIV-positive men and their HIV-negative female partners indicated that 2 percent of consistent condom users became infected in comparison to 15 percent of inconsistent condom users. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that latex condoms not only serve as a barrier to HIV particles, they also reduce the risk of gonorrhea, herpes, genital ulcers, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Recent laboratory studies conclude that latex condoms are an effective barrier to HIV, while natural-membrane condoms have been shown to leak the virus. Health Plan Removes AIDS Benefits Cap * Business Insurance (10/25/93) Vol. 27, No. 44, P. 2 Wojcik, Joanne The Allied Services Division Welfare Fund, which provides health care coverage to union members employed by 20 companies nationwide, has agreed to settle one of the first lawsuits brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by lifting a cap it imposed on AIDS benefits. The EEOC had charged that the $5,000 cap on payments for AIDS treatment was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The self-insured fund had reduced the lifetime cap on AIDS coverage from $300,000 to $5,000 following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to review a similar case that had found that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act did not prohibit a self-insured employer from capping coverages for AIDS, according to EEOC attorney Pamela Thomason. Crack Users' Cracked Lips: An Additional HIV Risk Factor * American Journal of Public Health (10/93) Vol. 83, No. 10, P. 1490 Porter, Judith and Bonilla, Louis The use of crack cocaine has been implicated as a risk factor in the spread of the AIDS virus through sexual activity, more specifically sex as payment for the drug. Judith Porter of the Bryn Mawr Department of Sociology and Louis Bonilla of Princeton University suggest that the actual process of smoking crack may be a risk factor. For the past year and a half, Porter and Bonilla volunteered as AIDS educators and street outreach workers in a low-income black and Latino area high in drug sale and abuse. Crack users who attended their weekly presentations at detoxification centers, or whom they encountered in crack houses, often informed them of the risk of smoking crack. First, commercially made pipes are too expensive, so many users have switched to metal "straight shooters," or pieces of car antennas to smoke. Since the metal transmits the heat that vaporizes the crack, the metal becomes heated and burns or blisters the lips of the user. Glass pipes often splinter or chip, cutting the smoker's lips. Because crack stems are shared, exposed blood on the smoking instruments resulting from cracked, cut, blistered, and burned lips opens an avenue of transmission for HIV-infected blood. There is also increased risk for AIDS during oral sex, which often occurs in crack houses, when a crack user's lips are cut and blistered. AIDS and the Public Health * Lancet (Great Britain) (10/16/93) Vol. 342, No. 8877, P. 942 Giesecke, Johan There are two extreme views on the public health strategy to fight AIDS, with actual policy of most countries falling somewhere in between, according to Johan Giesecke of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huddinge Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. The first school of thought is that, in countries plagued by AIDS, all persons should behave as if they or their partners are infected with the virus. An individual's HIV status is irrelevant, and screening for the virus does not improve prevention. Information and education are the sole tools with which the public health arms itself. The other view holds that the best way to avoid AIDS is to localize infected persons, track chains of infection, and try to minimize transmission from infected individuals to vulnerable persons. HIV is necessary for the identification of infected people who are free of symptoms. Cuba, where testing is mandated and HIV-infected individuals are placed in a sanitarium, is the only country to adopt the second view. Love at First Sight * Advocate (10/19/93) No.640, P. 35 Bull, Chris While AIDS is the leading cause of mortality of young people in five states, and is running rampant globally, activists charge that political pressures have prevented the Centers for Disease Control from responding in an adequate and effective fashion. But with Dr. David Satcher taking over as executive director of the agency in January, the activists expect a heightened response to the epidemic. They were encouraged by an article that Satcher published in a Meharry Medical College journal. In that piece, Satcher wrote of the country's need to target "education and counseling of high-risk individuals, based on sexual preferences, practices, or history of drug abuse." These are exactly the type of programs activists say they have been encouraging the CDC to implement. "I suspect that Satcher will be more sensitive to gay men of color..." speculated Kerrington Osborne, of the National Task Force of AIDS Prevention, an education organization for black and Hispanic homosexual men. Daniel T. Bross of the AIDS Action Council comments, "Dr. Satcher is a longtime advocate for community medicine and will bring much-needed leadership to the CDC in strengthening the community-based response to the AIDS epidemic." November 4, 1993 German Blood Recipients Urged to Take AIDS Test * Philadelphia Inquirer (11/04/93) P. A13 Atkinson, Rick As the German HIV scandal over contaminated blood continues to expand, health officials there have urged AIDS testing for all patients who have received blood products or transfusions since the early 1980s. Hospitals and clinics are preparing for the flood of panicked patients who will undoubtedly sap the country's AIDS-testing capacity. German Health Minister Horst Seehofer announced that the expense of the testing would be covered by the country's health-insurance system. The latest development in the scandal involves UB Plasma, a blood products company that evidently distributed its products to some 60 German hospitals and clinics even though it was aware that the products were contaminated with the AIDS virus. So far, there is no evidence that the tainted blood was shipped to the United States. Because some American hospitals in Germany have relied somewhat on the blood banks there, concern continues to grow among hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel and their families who have served in Germany within the past decade. Related Story: Washington Post (11/04) P. A1 Suit Denied Over Failure to Tell Partner About AIDS Test Result * New York Times (11/04/93) P. B14 A Federal judge agreed that a man, identified only as J.B., was indeed betrayed by a male lover who kept his AIDS condition secret, but ruled that the man could not collect damages from his partner's estate. Although Federal Judge H. Lee Sarokin was clearly sympathetic to J.B., he dismissed the case because the plaintiff, who has tested negative for the AIDS virus, "presented no competent evidence of severe emotional distress." Michael Isbell of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a nonprofit group representing homosexual clients and AIDS patients in court cases, praised the decision. Allowing damages when there has been no injury sends out the wrong message, said Isbell, who contends there is a risk that such cases will be abused. "If you open the floodgates on this kind of lawsuit, there's no way to stop it," he said. White House Says AIDS Vaccine Needs Foreign Test * Reuters (11/03/93) Atlanta--A vaccine for AIDS is still out of reach, but when one is finally developed, the White House Office of Science and Technology asserts that it should be tested in countries with high rates of AIDS infection. The White House policy group, in a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that "complete evaluation of the most promising HIV vaccines will require both domestic and international field trials." The agency explained that international trials in countries with high infection rates would yield answers about efficacy in the shortest feasible length of time. World health authorities have identified Africa as having the current highest rates of AIDS infection. Like most other opinions, the White House office concludes that the likelihood of a vaccine being developed quickly is slim. "When one or more potential HIV vaccines will be available for widespread trial of their effectiveness is unknown," said the report. "Evaluation of an HIV vaccine is complex because the virus changes rapidly, and, in addition, because social and behavioral factors are associated with transmission." "Russia--AIDS" Associated Press (11/03/93) Moscow--Some 682 Russians have been diagnosed with the AIDS virus, according to Mikhail Narkevitch, deputy chief of the Russian Health Ministry's disease prevention division. Aware that the number could increase, Narkevitch said, "The figures are valid for today but we do not entertain any illusions." Russia's first instance of AIDS, which is transmitted in the country primarily through sexual contact, was reported in 1987. Health Ministers Alarmed by Spreading AIDS * Reuters (11/03/93) Dhaka--Close to 1.5 million people in Southeast Asia and Pacific countries are infected with the AIDS virus, and that figure could skyrocket to 2.5 million by the year 2000. The disheartening statistics were discussed at a three-day conference of regional health ministers held earlier this week in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by the World Health Organization. Participants at the conference expressed deep concern for the rapid growth of the disease and discussed strategies to combat it, according to a spokesperson. He also said attendees felt the need to create more awareness to curb the spread of AIDS. Nominee for NIH Chief Stresses Need to Support Basic Research * ashington Post (11/04/93) P. A28 Schwartz, John) During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, President Clinton's choice to head the National Institutes of Health defended the value of basic research and pledged to combat racial and sexual discrimination within the agency. Harold E. Varmus, 53, is a professor at the University of California at San Francisco, and a co-recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), committee chairman, said Varmus is "an outstanding choice for NIH director" who "has the vision and the skill to lead this nation's biomedical research into the 21st century." NIH is the primary agency for such research in the United States. Its $11-billion budget funds work in fields such as AIDS, cancer, and human behavior at 18 research institutions. The committee expects to vote on Varmus' nomination next Tuesday, with the full Senate voting soon after. AIDS Research: Which Institutions Are Most Productive and Influential? * Scientist (10/18/93) Vol. 7, No. 20, P. 14 In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, the majority of related research papers was produced by institutions in the public sector, such as the National Institutes of Health. In the past five years, however, corporate laboratories have surfaced and become increasingly involved in this field of research. The newsletter Science Watch reports that data from 1988-92 places several commercial firms among the leading 25 for AIDS-related publications, either in terms of the number of papers published within that time frame, or in the number of times their papers were cited in reports by other researchers. The Philadelphia-based Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the publisher of Science Watch, identified some 24,515 papers. The data indicate that only 14 institutions produced more AIDS papers than the British pharmaceutical giant Wellcome PLC, and American biotech company Genentech Inc. was actually the leader in terms of citation impact. Also performing admirably were Abbott Laboratories and Merck. In comparison, between 1981-92, no biotechnology or pharmaceutical firm is listed among the top 25 ranked institutions. The data reflect a trend showing that, in recent years, the private sector has taken an increasingly larger leadership function in AIDS research. Estimated Condom Failure and Frequency of Condom Use Among Gay Men * American Journal of Public Health (10/93) Vol. 83, No. 10, P. 409 Thompson, John L.P. et al. Condoms are designed to prevent transmissions of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. While they are generally effective, they sometimes fail through breakage or slippage. Because of the increased risk of AIDS via anal and oral sex, condom use has increased heavily among gay male users. Thompson et al. recorded instances of condom failure among a sample of homosexual men in New York throughout the course of one year. The findings identified a link between condom failure and user experience. In general, the risk of condom failure was high for each sexual episode--especially anal sex--among men who had engaged in each act only a few times in the past year. Condom failure decreased rapidly with experience. Breakage and slippage was less frequent for oral than anal sex, and estimated risk of failure also declined with experience. Thompson et al. conclude that gay men should be especially cautious the first few times that they use a condom, but should expect a lower risk of failure after becoming moderately experienced with condom use. Family Physicians' Support for School-Based HIV Prevention Education Programs * Journal of the American Medical Association (10/27/93) Vol. 270, No. 16, P. 1922 Ryan, John G. Sexually active adolescents are at high risk for HIV infection. Education programs effectively prevent infection, but family doctors often are not directly involved in the design and implementation of these programs. To determine the extent to which family physicians do support school-based HIV education programs, a systematic random sample of 2660 family doctors were mailed surveys; 63.7 percent responded. In general, views of school-based HIV counseling were widely supportive. Residency trained and female doctors expressed the greatest support for these programs. Also likely to favor them were the physicians who had fewer professional reservations about direct treatment of people with AIDS, and who believed that communication with patients about sexuality is acceptable. Doctors' attitudes about school-based programs including condom distribution, however, were significantly less favorable. The study concluded that family physicians do have an important part in implementing HIV education programs in the schools, and can be depended upon for their support. School and public health authorities should enlist family physician support when planning and establishing such programs. HIV Antibody Testing Among Those at Risk for Infection * Journal of the American Medical Association (10/06/93) Vol. 270, No. 13, P. 1576 Berrios, Daniel C. et al. Researchers from the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies in San Francisco conducted a study to determine the prevalence of HIV testing among adults at risk for infection. Berrios et al. interviewed a random sample of 13,786 people, aged 18 to 75 years old, about their testing, sexual, and intravenous drug abuse histories. The results showed that, at less than 40 percent, overall testing was low in high-risk groups. The exceptions were men engaging in same-sex intercourse (60 percent), and male and female injection drug users (46 and 73 percent). At only 35 percent, the lowest rate of testing, much to the concern of Berrios et al., was the group most at risk--heterosexuals having unprotected sex with multiple partners. In general, men reported testing more commonly than women, unmarried persons more commonly than married persons, and blacks and Hispanics more commonly that whites, Asians, and other ethnic groups. To encourage antibody testing among the groups at risk, Berrios et al. suggest the use of promotional campaigns that are designed to reach all segments of the population. HIV Data Open Window on Future of the AIDS Epidemic * AIDS Alert (10/93) Vol. 8, No. 10, P. 156 First-time compilation of state data reporting HIV cases is creating proof that in the second decade of the AIDS epidemic health care workers will treat fewer homosexual men, and more women, blacks, and adolescents, especially teenage girls. The data indicates that gay men account for only 39 percent of HIV infections, but 62 percent of AIDS cases. The epidemic is shifting towards young heterosexuals, with teens making up 3 percent of HIV infections and .15 percent of AIDS cases. Epidemiologists say this tells them that infection is happening at a younger age than it was in the previous decade. Women, too, are becoming infected with greater frequency. They now contribute to 18 percent of HIV infections and 10 percent of AIDS cases. Further evidence shows that the epidemic is spreading disproportionately among blacks. The data was extracted from 22 states that legislate name reporting of HIV cases. This reporting system can help epidemiologists improve services and identify where prevention resources need to be located, but civil liberty issues surrounding name reporting have fueled flames of controversy. President Clinton's health proposals, however, could create legal protection that will make the practice more widely accepted. November 5, 1993 AIDS Hysteria Grips Germany * Washington Post (11/05/93) P. A32 Atkinson, Rick In the face of a worsening contaminated blood scandal, tens of thousands of Germans swamped hospitals, clinics, and health agencies to inquire about HIV testing. "We can't answer all the calls, there are just too many," said Christa Mueller-Breitkreutz, head of the local health agency in Bonn. "We can't get on with other work." The hysteria was set off by the recommendations of Health Minister Horst Seehofer and other health officials that any patient who received transfusions or blood products since the early 1980s be tested for the AIDS virus. Several other health officials criticized the government's call for mass testing, calling it premature and an overreaction. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, head of a prominent organization of physicians, noted that "only about 10 percent of surgical operations involve administering blood or blood products." Others pointed out that certain products are treated with heat or chemicals that kill most viruses. It is uncertain exactly how many former patients will be tested. A large German newspaper ran a headline announcing that 15 million people would take the AIDS test, although officials predict that the actual number will be much lower. Related Stories: New York Times (11/05) P. A1; Financial Times (11/05) P.1 4-Year Investigation Exonerates AIDS Researcher * Washington Post (11/05/93) P. A12 Brown, David Charges of "scientific misconduct" in the writing of a 1984 AIDS paper were cleared against a former NIH scientist yesterday by the Department of Health and Human Services. Mikulas Popovic had been accused by the department's Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of writing a paper that included "untrue statements," but the four-year investigation failed to prove this, or that any falsifications were intentional. Ultimately, the allegations were stripped down to interpretations that ORI deemed knowingly false, and others said were not more than hasty errors. "One might anticipate that from all this evidence ... there would be at least a residue of palpable wrongdoing," wrote the panel in a 79-page opinion. "That is not the case." Popovic's paper reported the successful growth of the AIDS virus in cell culture, a development that helped make an AIDS test possible. The charges stemmed from entries on a table of data, an ambiguous sentence, and a disagreement between Popovic and a lab technician. While Popovic, 52, has been exonerated, NIH researcher Robert C. Gallo, then Popovic's boss, is scheduled to go before the same HHS appeals board Monday to defend himself against misconduct charges involving AIDS papers. Gallo is accused of misappropriating the AIDS virus from French researchers. Related Story: New York Times (11/05) P. A28. Sex Ed at School, Home Is Key, AIDS Czar Says * Philadelphia Inquirer (11/05/93) P. B1 Collins, Huntly AIDS czar Kristine Gebbie yesterday called for more sex education in schools and at home to help combat the national AIDS crisis. "It's our failure to talk that has caused children to experiment with their sexuality in ways that are dangerous to them," theorized Gebbie. While urging that children as young as 12 be taught about condoms as a means of protection against AIDS, Gebbie said the decision to make condoms available in schools should be left to school authorities, not the federal government. Gebbie's comments were delivered at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where an hour later she opened the museum's AIDS exhibit. The interactive exhibit, which includes a video giving explicit directions on how to put on a condom, was hailed by Gebbie as "a new direction in AIDS education." The AIDS czar also called for an expansion of research, more activist involvement in setting research priorities, and more attention to AIDS curricula in medical schools. Needle Scare at Time Magazine * Washington Post (11/05/93) P. G1 Romano, Lois Time magazine's Washington Bureau was thrown into a panic this week when 19 staffers learned that some of the syringes used to administer flu shots were used more than once. Several employees noticed that internist Wesley Oler was giving shots, wiping off the needle with cotton and alcohol, then moving on to the next shot recipient. Although this is has been an unacceptable medical practice for many years, staffers waited until the doctor left to discuss the issue and present their concerns to management. Bureau chief Dan Goodgame recommended HIV and hepatitis tests, at the expense of the magazine, for the inoculated staffers. John Cornwall, Time's medical director, yesterday visited the Washington bureau, where he recommended safe sex practices to the employees. Oler, a prominent physician, acknowledged reusing syringes. "I ran short of needles and used some of them twice after carefully scrubbing them down with alcohol sponges," he explained. Pamela Howard, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Oler's procedures were not in accordance with CDC guidelines. "Sterilization is essential for hypodermic needles because they do enter deep tissue," said Howard. "Use of liquid germicides such as alcohol doesn't guarantee sterility." Time has reported Oler to the District of Columbia department of public health. D.C. Could Face TB Epidemic, Panel Warns * Washington Post (11/05/93) P. B3 Loose, Cindy Unless the District of Columbia immediately improves testing and treatment for tuberculosis, the city could suffer a full-blown epidemic, cautioned a panel of physicians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Lung Association. "The District has all the ingredients for a TB epidemic," said panel chairman Bill Banton, describing an increasing number of patients who exacerbate the problem by failing to take medication as prescribed, which results in the development of deadly drug-resistant strains of the disease. TB is primarily affecting D.C. residents who are HIV-positive, drug addicts, incarcerated, or homeless. Although the study only looked at the capital, the specialists also warned of suburban problems with the disease, which has increased due to immigrants, who account for 70 percent of reported infectious cases in Northern Virginia. The doctors are calling for a state-of-the-art TB laboratory to replace the old lab, which is not equipped to test whether a strain is drug-resistant. They also recommended care beds for homeless TB patients and called for community action. Wild Things * Advocate (11/02/93) No. 641, P. 15 AIDS group administrators and government policy makers were plagued in September by loose talk, sloppy management, and shady pasts. In Puerto Rico, for instance, top health official Enrique Vazquez Quintana was fired Sept. 14 after commenting during a broadcast interview that a severe shortage of AZT at a San Juan hospital "does not make any difference" because the AIDS patients who need it "are going to die anyway." Although Vazquez Quintana protested that his statement was taken out of context, Gov. Pedro Rossello declined to reinstate him, choosing instead to name Carmen Feliciano to the position as health secretary. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, Puerto Rico has the second-highest per capita rate of AIDS in the country. In Galveston, Texas, David Petty was dismissed as executive director of the AIDS Coalition of Coastal Texas following allegations that he made unauthorized payroll advances to himself and misappropriated $2,000 from the group for the personal purchase of a pickup truck. Petty denied the accusations, but on Sept. 17, was charged with felony. A Sept. 20 article in the Detroit Free Press alleging that only 4 percent of the $450,000 collected by the National Alliance for Children With AIDS actually went to services for infected children forced the organization to disband. Finally, in San Francisco, nonprofit AIDS group Cal-PEP replaced its board president after allegations of his criminal activity placed $161,500 in jeopardy. J Center Helps People Get the Answers on AIDS * Washington Blade (10/29/93) Vol. 24, No. 46, P. 10 Clark, Darice For many people, an HIV-positive diagnosis is the beginning of a long educational process. In Washington, D.C., one place where HIV-infected individuals can get information is the AIDS Resource Center, located in a thrift shop in Northwest. Just opened months ago, the center is a community-based, non-clinical center where people to make phone calls to get answers to their AIDS questions. It is also a "safe space" for people who have tested positive for the virus, but have not yet disclosed their condition to family, friends, or colleagues. Founders Steve Michaels and Wayne Turner hope that the center will eventually be a work area for AIDS activists as well. "The idea is to empower people," says Michaels. "Sharing information is important if you want to effect change and find a cure." Michaels and Turner want the center to be linked to all major computer networks across the nation with access to AIDS information. The thrift shop, which houses clothing and furniture donations mostly from people who have died from AIDS, funds the AIDS Resource Center and pays the rent. Although this was not the location the founders originally anticipated, they admit now that the storefront makes the center more accessible and visible. News in Brief: Europe Against AIDS * Lancet (10/09/93) Vol. 342, No. 8876, P. 922 The European Commission has asked the EC governments for a one-year extension of the 1991-93 "Europe Against AIDS" program. Primarily created to help fund projects in member states, the program has, to date, supported some 80 projects. For the upcoming year, the Commission plans to focus on projects involving AIDS and drug abuse, HIV transmission within the prison system, HIV transmission associated with travel and tourism, the increasing numbers of women and children who are infected, and fighting discrimination against people with the disease. FDA Panel: Revoke DDC-AZT OK, Back Monotherapy * American Medical News (10/25/93) Vol. 36, No. 40, P. 10 Staver, Sari The FDA's anti-viral drugs advisory panel has strongly recommended that the agency rescind its tentative approval of the anti-HIV drug DDC to be used in conjunction with AZT. Group members back DDC as a single agent. Last year, DDC became the first drug under a program that allows experimental products to hit the market before final studies are finished. Since then, the use of the combination has increased steadily in patients whose CD4 lymphocyte levels fall after AZT therapy. Those on the committee made the first recommendation because a new study found combination therapy equals monotreatment in effectiveness, according to Dr. Alvin Novic, a biology professor at Yale University. Clinicians on the panel claimed that this limitation would not obstruct access to DDC. Insurance policies usually don't reimburse for "off-label" applications, but in practice insurers rarely watch prescribing habits. Dr. Kenneth Mayer, who directs the HIV program at Brown University School of Medicine, requested "more compelling evidence" that combination therapy is ineffective. He supports keeping DDC as part of AZT therapy. Alloimmunization as an AIDS Vaccine? * Science (10/08/93) Vol. 262, No. 5131, P. 161 Shearer, Gene M. et al. The speculations of Stott and colleagues, and the work of Larry Arthur et al. suggest the idea of a vaccine for HIV based on cellular proteins known as human lymphocyte antigens (HLAs). These proteins can be identified as HLA alloantigens when first entering the host during the first stages of HIV infection. Studies indicate that protection of macaques against SIV (the equivalent of the AIDS virus in monkeys) is correlated with the presence of antibodies against HLA antigens. Recognition of HLA alloantigens supports the theory of Plummer et al. that prostitutes in Nairobi who seemed to be resistant to HIV may have used alloantigen recognition to reject HIV-infected leukocytes in semen before efficient HIV infection could occur. Shearer et al. note advantages of alloimmunization as a potential HIV vaccine. Allogeneic response is the strongest known antigen-specific immune response, does not require preimmunization, and is well developed at birth. It is also responsible for foreign tissue allograft rejection, which could kill allogeneic leukocytes introduced by parenteral exposure. On the down side, alloantigen-immunized people may not be good candidates for allografts. Also, it is impossible to determine which HLA antigens would need to be known. Finally, immunization with foreign leukocytes comes with the risk of infecting the individual with other viruses. NOTE: Compilation by Michael Tidmus : AIDSwire. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to republish on electronic media for which no fee is charged, provided the complete text of this notice is attached to any republished portion or portions. * From the AIDS Daily Summary. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse has made this information available 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. Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. -----===[[[ A I D S w i r e D I G E S T 11.01.93 ]]]===----- .