Subject: CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update Date: Fri Jan 16 07:31:03 PST 1998 (205 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1998, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update January 16, 1998 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright 1998, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. NOTICE: The CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update will not publish on Monday, January 19, 1998, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Publication will resume on Tuesday, January 20. HEADLINES --------- GENERAL MEDIA "U.S. Scientists Report Third Gene Resists AIDS" "Vaginal DNA Vaccines Effective Against STDs" "Improving HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor May Be Feasible" "Court Warns TB Hospital After Dogs, Monkeys Found on Beds" "Hepatitis G May Be an STD" "PNG Health Authorities Raise Alarm Over New AIDS Cases" "Ivory Coast To Fight AIDS Among Drivers" "Population--Trinidad and Tobago: Condoms" "Leading By Example" **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "U.S. Scientists Report Third Gene Resists AIDS" Reuters (01/15/98) Stephen O'Brien--who leads AIDS genetics research at the National Cancer Institute--and colleagues report in the journal Science that they have found a third genetic mutation that offers people some resistance to AIDS. The mutation concerns the gene controlling production of the SDF1 protein, used for communication between immune cells; only about 5 percent of the population carries the two copies of the mutation required for protection. The researchers, who studied the genetic makeup of 2,800 participants in AIDS trials, found that patients who had two copies of the mutation and who were HIV-positive developed AIDS seven to 10 years later than average. They noted that SDF1 prevalence could explain why HIV remains in the immune system for so long before it causes AIDS, and say the information could lead to the development of new AIDS drugs. "Vaginal DNA Vaccines Effective Against STDs" Fox News Online (01/13/98) According to a study led by Dr. Julie Livingston of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, intra-vaginal administration of DNA-based vaccines may eventually be an effective method of long-term immunization against sexually transmitted diseases. The researchers, who report their findings in the current issue of Infection and Immunity, concluded that "vaginal immunization is an effective regimen to induce immunity at this (body) site." The team studied the efficacy of oral and intra-vaginal DNA-based vaccines on female rats and noted that, while both methods succeeded in immunization, the intra-vaginal method produced longer-lasting results. The researchers suggested that "DNA vaccines administered ... to the female genital tract may represent a method to stimulate a local immune response" to illnesses of the reproductive system. "Improving HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor May Be Feasible" Reuters Health Information services (01/15/98) Researchers at Vanderbilt University claim that the bioavailablity of HIV-1 protease inhibitors may be boosted by inhibition of P-glycoprotein, a multidrug transporter. In the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigations, the researchers suggest that HIV-1 protease inhibitors, which have limited oral absorption and variable tissue distribution, may be P-glycoprotein substrates. Testing indinavir, nelfinavir, and saquinavir in an in vitro system, the researchers found that all three compounds are transported by P-glycoproteins. According tothe researchers, targeted pharmacologic inhibition of P-glycoprotein transport activity may allow for higher concentrations of HIV-1 protease inhibitors. "Court Warns TB Hospital After Dogs, Monkeys Found on Beds" South China Morning Post Online (01/14/98); Zubrzycki, John India's High Court has given the Rajan Babu tuberculosis hospital, New Delhi's leading TB hospital, one week to clear out an influx of stray dogs and wild monkeys that have overrun wards and taken over beds. Authorities at the hospital allege that a shortage of guards allowed the animals to sneak in overnight. The All Indian Lawyers' Association claimed that the hospital's condition is unsanitary, while the Counsel for the Lawyers Union asserted that the situation was so unhygienic that healthy visitors risked contracting TB. The association also said that the hospital has a shortage of medicine, particularly for multiresistant TB strains. Statistics show that India has 14 million people with TB and that about 10 percent of New Delhi's 1 million residents are infected. "Hepatitis G May Be an STD" Fox News Online (01/14/98) Researchers in Sweden and Honduras tested 387 blood samples for the hepatitis G virus--a strain of viral hepatitis first discovered in 1996 which is thought to be transmitted only through blood--to determine whether the virus can also be transmitted sexually. The investigators discovered a high rate of HGV in healthy people without such known risk factors as treatment for hemophilia and intravenous drug use; the virus was detected in 3 of 100 Swedish volunteers and in 1 in 50 Honduran university students. While the researchers note that HGV infection is "related to common risk factors for blood-borne infections," high rates of infection among homosexual men and healthy volunteers suggest the possibility of sexual transmission. The researchers added that the virus can be transmitted perinatally and may be transmitted by "other routes yet to be defined." "PNG Health Authorities Raise Alarm Over New AIDS Cases" Australian Broadcasting Corp. Online (01/16/98) Despite efforts to stem the spread of HIV, Papua New Guinea health authorities claim that cases of AIDS are reaching alarming levels in the country. According to PNG Health Secretary Dr. Puku Temu, the number of reported AIDS cases at the end of 1997 totaled 862, the highest number of cases in the Pacific Rim. Temu appealed to both the government and private sectors for aid in stopping HIV infection. "Ivory Coast To Fight AIDS Among Drivers" BBC News Online (01/15/98) The Ivory Coast has initiated a new anti-AIDS campaign targeting lorry (truck) and taxi drivers. The campaign will include educational jingles on the radio, automatic condom dispensing machines, and signs on major highways featuring a grinning lorry driver holding a packet of condoms. Ivory Coast has an HIV/AIDS incidence rate of approximately 10 percent, one of the highest rates in the world. "Population--Trinidad and Tobago: Condoms" IPS Wire (01/15/98) Trinidadian Health Minister Hamza Rafeeq has called for an expansion of condom retailing sites and has asked the local Pharmaceutical Board for its support in selling the prophylactics at places besides authorized licensed pharmacies. The measure has resulted in controversy since 70 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Supporters claim that the plan would allow the country to catch up with other local regions in HIV prevention and reduce the climbing AIDS rate. However, opponents, including the Catholic Club Pro Vita, say that encouraging the public "to place their confidence in condoms in order to ensure safe sex is naive at best and at worst, grossly irresponsible." Earl Thorne, health educator with the National AIDS Program, argues that condoms are not prescription drugs and should not be regulated like them, adding, "We need more responsible behavior among men and women, particularly men because women often lack the ... economic power to make these decisions." "Leading By Example" American Medical News (01/12/98) Vol. 41, No. 2, P. 3; Shelton, Deborah More than 270 people across the globe have volunteered to participate in the first human clinical trials of a live-attenuated HIV vaccine; nearly 150 are doctors who hope their support will encourage the approval of a trial. In fact, the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care last summer announced plans to work toward a phase I trial by the turn of the century. IAPAC Deputy Director Jose Zuniga, who is also a volunteer, says the group plans to submit a provisional protocol for the trial to the Food and Drug Administration this month. Says Charles Farthing, chair of the IAPAC's live-attenuated vaccine subcommittee: "Physicians need to respond to the moral imperative of doing everything possible to bring low-cost, effective HIV vaccines to the market. At present, IAPAC is working with Therion Biologics, Corp., which holds the licensing rights for a candidate live-attenuated vaccine. The company plans to submit a manufacturing proposal to the FDA this month. Before human clinical trials can proceed, explains Therions' Dennis Panicali, there are several issues that must first be addressed, including how to produce a vaccine and the long-term safety of a vaccine. These concerns have been the primary reason the National Institutes of Health has not opted to enter human clinical trials with a live-attenuated vaccine. But, says Farthing, moving into human trials could decrease the timetable for an effective vaccine by nearly 5 years. ***************************************************************** The AIDSNews Mailing List is maintained by the CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. Regular postings include the CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update, conference announcements, clinical trials information, current funding opportunities, and selected MMWR articles. To SUBSCRIBE, send the command "subscribe aidsnews firstname lastname" to the address listproc@aspensys.com. To UNSUBSCRIBE, send the command "unsubscribe aidsnews" to the address listproc@aspensys.com. If you need assistance, please contact aidsinfo@cdcnac.org. *****************************************************************