Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 07:46:29 PST (184 lines of text) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 21, 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 ****************************************************** "U.S. Panel Urges Study of Medical Marijuana" "HIV Initiative" "Assisted-Suicide Penalty Bill Passes House" "STD Control Key to HIV Prevention" "New German AIDS Cases Fall, But Women Victims Up" "Africa-HIV/AIDS: Hopes for Tackling [AIDS Discrimination in Tanzania]" "HIV Antiviral Treatment Response Correlates With Clinical Benefits" "Welfare Benefits for Japan's HIV Patients?" "Experts Agree an AIDS Vaccine Is Doable--So Why Don't We Have One?" "CCR3 and CCR5 Are Co-Receptors for HIV-1 Infection of Microglia" ****************************************************** "U.S. Panel Urges Study of Medical Marijuana" New York Times (02/21/97) P. A27; Leary, Warren E. The potential medical benefits of marijuana merit further study, said a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health to consider the controversial issue. Dr. Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the committee's recommendations on possible studies of the drug are expected within four weeks. The group concluded that marijuana appears beneficial for several diseases or conditions. However, further study is needed to determine whether it is better than proven therapies, and whether benefits can be obtained without the intoxication that comes with smoking the drug. The major active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is already available in a medication used to treat nausea associated with chemotherapy and AIDS-related wasting. Protesters interrupted the NIH panel's meeting several times, claiming that the conference was a "stalling tactic" to delay wider access to marijuana by patients with AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. "HIV Initiative" Financial Times (02/21/97) P. I Shell International, Levi Strauss, the W.H. Smith group, and Glaxo Wellcome have joined together to back a national initiative in the United Kingdom on improving awareness among employers about how to handle hiring and employing HIV-positive workers. A total of 48 U.K. companies have already signed up to support the National AIDS Trust statement on employment principles, which follows the 1996 introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. The Act provides protection from HIV-related employment discrimination. The companies involved have pledged to oppose pre- or post-employment HIV testing and to ensure that when an employee's HIV status is known that it does not lead to "any unnecessary and damaging disclosures." "Assisted-Suicide Penalty Bill Passes House" Richmond Times-Dispatch (02/20/97) P. A12; Whitley, Tyler The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Wednesday penalizing anyone--not only physicians--who helps someone commit suicide. An amendment setting a minimum of two assisted suicides before the penalty would be imposed was rejected. The bill does not become effective unless it passed again next year; this allows the Supreme Court time to rule on the issue. "STD Control Key to HIV Prevention" Reuters (02/20/97) Advances in HIV treatment over the last year have been matched by progress "in understanding factors related to the prevention of HIV transmission," according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One major factor in preventing HIV transmission is controlling the transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases. In an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers note that the "prevalence of HIV shedding in the genital tracts of both men and women increases substantially in the presence not only of accelerating immunosuppression but also of other STDs." Moreover, research has also proven that STD treatment can reduce HIV incidence. The researchers advocate that STD detection and treatment be incorporated into HIV prevention efforts. The editorial also recommends the promotion of condom use and interventions to lower the number of dangerous sexual behaviors and drug use. "New German AIDS Cases Fall, But Women Victims Up" Reuters (02/20/97) While the total number of new AIDS cases in Germany declined 8 percent last year, the number of cases in women jumped 10 percent, researchers at the Robert Koch Institute reported on Thursday. A total of 1,641 new AIDS cases were reported in 1996, with women accounting for about 260 cases, the largest number ever. Of the estimated 50,000 people in Germany infected with HIV, 80 to 85 percent are men. "Africa-HIV/AIDS: Hopes for Tackling [AIDS Discrimination in Tanzania]" Panos/GIN (02/19/97) Following the government's proposal last summer to ban AIDS discrimination in Tanzania, a meeting of lawyers, policy makers, and doctors was called last month to develop an anti-discrimination initiative. Participants at the conference heard from HIV-infected individuals who had lost their jobs and said they received inadequate medical care because they were HIV-positive. A review of the national AIDS policy, as well as changes to the current law, was recommended. Many participants supported a ban on HIV-testing by employers and called for police officers and prison wardens to be trained in legal policies relevant to HIV/AIDS. "HIV Antiviral Treatment Response Correlates With Clinical Benefits" Reuters (02/20/97) Two trials of ZDV/3TC combination therapy have revealed that clinical changes are associated with decreases in viral load and increases in CD4 cell counts. Researchers, led by Dr. Andrew N. Philips of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, report that higher CD4 cell counts were linked to lower risk of disease progression and death. Researchers from the North American Lamivudine HIV Working Group have also reported that patients who were treated with ZDV and 3TC maintained significantly lower HIV RNA levels and higher CD4 cell counts than controls. Moreover, disease progression was slower in these patients. The researchers concluded that improvements in HIV RNA and CD4 levels are associated with clinical improvements, but that further study is needed. "Welfare Benefits for Japan's HIV Patients?" Lancet (02/15/97) Vol. 349, No. 9050, P. 484; Gutierrez, Ed Following talks with lawyers representing Japanese patients who contracted HIV through transfusions with tainted blood, Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry is weighing the possibility of making HIV patients with CD4 counts below a certain level eligible for disability welfare benefits. The benefits include home assistance and short stays at care facilities. Previously, only people with overt disabilities, such as blindness, and those with AIDS, qualified. "Experts Agree an AIDS Vaccine Is Doable--So Why Don't We Have One?" Advocate (02/18/97) No. 727, P. 35; Gallagher, John Experts agree that a vaccine is critical to ending the growing AIDS epidemic, but according to activists, the vaccine effort thus far has been disappointing. "There is not enough going on in any sector: not in government or industry or groups that represent affected communities," said David Gold, of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), an organization promoting vaccine development. Most researchers agree that a vaccine is possible, but, according to AVAC's Bill Snow, "the realistic people say it's going to be a long time." The search for a vaccine started when HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, but so far only a few candidates have been tested and no vaccine has been tested in a large-scale human trial. Researchers in the pharmaceutical industry are seeking government leadership in the vaccine effort, AVAC members say. They hope the appointment of David Baltimore as chairman of a federal vaccine committee will help invigorate vaccine research. Still, researchers expect that a vaccine will ultimately be added to the available HIV prevention methods. It is not expected to replace them. "You have to look at multiple ways to prevent infections rather than looking for the magic bullet," said Connie Celum, a researcher at the University of Washington. "CCR3 and CCR5 Are Co-Receptors for HIV-1 Infection of Microglia" Nature (02/13/97) Vol. 385, No. 6617, P. 645; He, Jianglin; Chen, Youzhi; Farzan, Michael; et al. The three chemokine co-receptors known to be involved in HIV-1 infection--CCR5, CXCR4, and CCR3--are found in various types of cells and tissues. Resistance to HIV-1 infection has been linked to defective CCR5 alleles, suggesting that CCR5 plays an important role in HIV-replication in the body. In the central nervous system (CNS), HIV-1 targets brain cells known as microglia and causes AIDS-related dementia. Researchers now report that these target cells express both CCR3 and CCR5. The researchers found that the CCR3 ligand, eotaxin, and an anti-CCR3 antibody inhibited HIV-1 infection in the brain cells, as did a CCR5 ligand. The authors suggest that both co-receptors promote HIV-1 infection of the CNS and that the identification of CCR3's role in the infection of microglia may lead to new treatments for AIDS-related dementia.