Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 12:01:31 PST (158 lines of text) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary January 28, 1997 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "Many Pneumonia Patients Don't Need Hospitalization" "Trials Support HIV Drug Combinations" "Bio-Technology General Corp.: Newest Heavyweight in Biotech Industry" "Free Speech Through T-Shirt Sales" "Cancer Doctor's Practices on Trial in Texas" "HIV Cases Jump 10 Percent in Hong Kong in 1996" "Threat of AIDS Looms Over Sevastopol on Black Sea" "AIDS Suspect Stoned to Death in Ethiopia" "The Media's Love Affair With AIDS Research: Hope vs. Hype" "International Experts Recommend Concerted Attack Against Infection" ****************************************************** "Many Pneumonia Patients Don't Need Hospitalization" Washington Post--Health (01/28/97) P. 5; Squires, Sally Among the 4 million Americans hospitalized each year for pneumonia, more than a quarter could be treated effectively without being admitted, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reported. Each year, more than 600,000 patients are hospitalized for pneumonia, the most deadly infectious disease in the United States and the sixth leading cause of death overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The unnecessary hospitalizations are attributed to the lack of standards to determine which patients should be admitted and which should be treated as outpatients. Pittsburgh researcher Michael Fine and colleagues published the findings in the New England Journal of Medicine last week. They found that, among 14,419 patients evaluated, the only ones who required hospitalization were those at least 50 years old with at least two unusual vital signs or confounding conditions like cancer and heart disease. "Trials Support HIV Drug Combinations" Financial Times (01/28/97) P. 12; Cookson, Clive Presentations at an AIDS meeting in Washington, D.C. last weekend revealed promising results from many clinical trials of drug combinations. However, the multitude of possible therapies makes treatment decisions difficult for doctors. To that end, Glaxo Wellcome announced on Monday a joint research program with the California company Affymetrix to develop a treatment strategy for each patient based on HIV's pattern of resistance and the patient's clinical experience. "This will be a third stage in the development of tools to guide patient management," explained Glaxo researcher Brendan Larder. "Bio-Technology General Corp.: Newest Heavyweight in Biotech Industry" Investor's Business Daily (01/28/97) P. A4; Benko, Laura B. Bio-Technology General's Oxandrin--an anabolic steroid to help patients suffering from weight loss due to cancer, AIDS, or other medical conditions--is producing strong sales. Analysts predict that the drug's success will help the biotechnology firm to grow at least 50 percent per year through the end of the century. Unlike competing drugs, which work by increasing fat and water, Oxandrin builds muscle and protein mass. Moreover, the drug may be taken orally, instead of by injection, and it does not increase the risk of liver poisoning, as do other anabolic steroids. "Free Speech Through T-Shirt Sales" Washington Post (01/28/97) P. A12; Rodriguez, Jose J. In a letter to the editor in the Washington Post, Jose J. Rodriguez applauds the decision by U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin to allow the sale of T-shirts supporting Clinton/Gore, pointing out that T-shirt sales support many rallies and demonstrations. Rodriguez cites several events last year which were supported by T-shirt sales, including the display of the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D.C. "Cancer Doctor's Practices on Trial in Texas" Washington Post (01/28/97) P. A1; Pressley, Sue Anne Stanislaw Burzynski, a Texas cancer doctor, is being tried for selling a drug that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Charged with making at least $40 million from the drug, Burzynski says this figure spans seven years and includes the salaries of his 130 employees. His 300 patients and their families applaud the treatment, and they fear that if Burzynski is convicted, they will die without the medicine. Burzynksi's drug, made from synthesized versions of peptides found in human blood and urine, has been marketed as a cure for ailments ranging from baldness to AIDS to arthritis. "HIV Cases Jump 10 Percent in Hong Kong in 1996" Reuters (01/28/97) The number of HIV-infected people in Hong Kong grew 9.8 percent from 1995 to 1996, the Hong Kong health department reports. In 1996, 134 people became infected, bringing the total number of infections since 1984 to 776. "AIDS Suspect Stoned to Death in Ethiopia" Reuters (01/27/97) A man suspected of having HIV was stoned to death in Ethiopia's northern Gojam region, the Ethiopian News Agency reported Monday. Andarge Zwede, an emaciated man traveling in the area, was reportedly condemned by a hysterical woman and then stoned by her and six other individuals, who were later arrested. "The Media's Love Affair With AIDS Research: Hope vs. Hype" Science (01/17/97) Vol. 275, No. 5298, P. 298; Cohen, Jon The media's coverage of the advances in AIDS research in 1996 was full of optimism and suggestive of a cure. However, the good news--that new drug combinations can yield dramatic results--may be too positive, some researchers warn. The limitations of the drugs are mentioned in most stories, but usually overshadowed by the general tone of optimism. "The hype has affected everyone--patients, physicians who know a lot about HIV, and even institutional review boards that review clinical trials," said Roy "Trip" Gulick of New York University. The new combination drug therapy does not work for everyone, and long-term effects are still unknown. Drug-resistance is another concern, especially because the therapy calls for patients to take dozens of pills every day. The most misleading news reports, researchers say, have focused on studies to determine whether HIV can be eradicated in patients who start therapy soon after infection. "If you poll people--even people in the field--they're going to be totally confused [about] whether data show eradication of virus in primary infection versus established infections," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "International Experts Recommend Concerted Attack Against Infection" Lancet (01/18/97) Vol. 349, No. 9046, P. 184; Griffin, George E.; Van der Meer, Jos W. M. Participants at a recent meeting titled "The Challenge of Infectious Diseases, the European Perspective" discussed methods for characterizing and tracking emerging infections and the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Pathogens rapidly develop resistance to antibiotics in response to environmental exposure. Study results presented at the meeting suggest that in the Netherlands and other European countries, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are less prevalent because antibiotic use is limited. Researcher John McGowan reported that dramatic changes in hospital practices in the United States, including shorter stays and fewer trained staff members, may be contributing to the rise in infections and resistance. McGowan said that by controlling the use of vancomycin in a hospital setting, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci can be reduced by 60 percent. In the Netherlands, molecular typing of HIV-1 has revealed that strains of the virus infecting intravenous drug users are related to those found in the United States. Research also identified 1976 and 1980 as the start dates for the HIV-1 epidemic in the Dutch homosexual population and drug addicts, respectively.