Subject: CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update Date: Wed May 31 06:48:04 PST 2000 (179 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 2000, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update Wednesday, May 31, 2000 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 HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles. HEADLINES PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS "Specific Interaction of CCR5 Amino-Terminal Domain Peptides Containing Sulfotyrosines With HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein gp120" GENERAL MEDIA "President Touts Positive Role of Portugal in World Affairs" "Cancer Test Could Benefit Gays, Bisexuals" "Bar Code: Cambodia's 'Beer Girls' Peddle the Product and Endure the Hassle" "Domestic Violence Against Women a 'Global Epidemic:' UNICEF" "Jane Fonda Premiers Documentary on Nigerian Girls" "Understanding Sexual Behavior Key to Successful HIV Prevention Strategies" "Preliminary Results of Gene Therapy for AIDS Lymphoma Are Promising" "Black Churches to Lead Anti-AIDS Drive" *************************************************************** PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS *************************************************************** "Specific Interaction of CCR5 Amino-Terminal Domain Peptides Containing Sulfotyrosines With HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein gp120" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online (www.pnas.org) (05/23/00) Vol. 97, No. 11, P. 5762; Cormier, Emmanuel G.; Persuh, Marjan; Thompson, Daniah A.D.; et al. Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute tested the binding of CCR5 Nt peptides to different soluble gp120/CD4 complexes and anti-CCR5 mAbs. CCR5 plays a role in HIV's entry into cells. According to the authors, the findings indicate that proper posttranslational modification of the CCR5 Nt is needed for gp120 binding and viral entry. Furthermore, the researchers note that the Nt domain establishes the specificity of the interaction between CCR5 and gp120s from isolates that employ this coreceptor. **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "President Touts Positive Role of Portugal in World Affairs" Washington Times (www.washtimes.com) (05/31/00) P. A3; Cain, Andrew During his visit to Portugal on Tuesday, President Clinton called on the European Union (EU) to "address challenges beyond our borders," including the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The president also plans to ask leaders at the EU meeting in Lisbon today to intensify the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. He stated, "I hope we will come out of that meeting with a common approach to the global health crisis" that will boost scientific research, facilitate the distribution of drugs and vaccines, and save more lives. "Cancer Test Could Benefit Gays, Bisexuals" USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (05/31/00) P. 8D A study conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of California at San Francisco shows that screening for anal cancer among gay and bisexual men could save lives. The study, published in Thursday's American Journal of Medicine, suggests that screening men for the human papillomavirus would help detect pre-cancerous cells in high-risk, HIV-negative men. The scientists note that the screening procedure is comparable to the Pap smear for women. Last year, they reported similar findings for HIV-infected homosexual men. Statistics show that as many as 35 gay men per 100,000 develop anal squamous-cell cancer each year. "Bar Code: Cambodia's 'Beer Girls' Peddle the Product and Endure the Hassle" Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (05/31/00) P. A1; Marshall, Samantha; Stecklow, Steve In Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia, beer and liquor distributors use "beer girls" to promote their products. As a marketing ploy, using attractive young women to sell alcohol has been successful; however, the women have reported being groped while working, and many have supplemented their pay by having sex with their clients. According to the Cambodian government, a recent survey found that 40 percent of 379 beer girls reported exchanging sex for money or presents, and they had "the lowest rates of consistent condom use during commercial sex" of any group investigated. An estimated 19 percent of Cambodia's "indirect commercial sex workers," a group which includes beer girls, are infected with HIV. The head of UNAIDS in Cambodia, Geoff Manthey, notes that denial on the part of beer companies that their girls are having sex with customers is a big problem, and he recommends that distributors provide sex education and free condoms. "Domestic Violence Against Women a 'Global Epidemic:' UNICEF" Kyodo News Service (home.kyodo.co.jp) (05/31/00) A new report from UNICEF asserts that domestic violence against women is a global epidemic. The report, titled "Domestic Violence Against Women and Girls," states that women continue to be physically, sexually, and psychologically harmed by their intimate partners or family member. From 40 percent to 60 percent of sexual assaults within the family are performed against girls 15 and younger, UNICEF noted. The report also said that 50 countries permit girls under the age of 16 to marry as long as there is parental consent--a practice which puts them at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. "Jane Fonda Premiers Documentary on Nigerian Girls" Reuters (www.reuters.com) (05/31/00) At a reception sponsored by the International Women's Health Coalition on Tuesday, actress Jane Fonda showed a 15-minute documentary she made about adolescent girls in Nigeria. The film, titled "Realities of Girls' Lives: How We Can Act Now," was shown to 300 female activists, diplomats, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and describes poverty in Nigeria, as well as three projects aimed at reducing pregnancy and abortions among teenagers. According to Fonda, Nigeria's new government has asked the three groups to create a nationwide sex education program. The coalition notes that 82 percent of teenage girls in Nigeria report having had sex; however, little is known about contraceptives or sexually transmitted diseases. "Understanding Sexual Behavior Key to Successful HIV Prevention Strategies" Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com) (05/29/00) A commentary in The Lancet (2000;355:1844,1897-1901) emphasizes that fighting HIV worldwide demands better understanding of sexual parameters. Co-author Dr. Michael W. Ross of the WHO Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research in Houston noted that behavioral changes can work, and interventions are fairly inexpensive. Ross and co-author Dr. Basil Donovan of Sydney Hospital in Australia assert that the focus on risk behavior should be shifted to normal sexual behavior, including individual physiology, culture, barriers to safe sex, attitudes toward death, and condom use. The authors point out that while costly drugs are available to a small percentage of the world's people, behavior change is the only way to safeguard against infection in most of the world. "Preliminary Results of Gene Therapy for AIDS Lymphoma Are Promising" Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com) (05/30/00) Preliminary research from Dr. John Zaia, director of virology at the City of Hope National Medical Center in California, indicates that myeloablative therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) could be a safe treatment for AIDS-related lymphoma. Zaia, who presented his findings at the Fourth International AIDS Malignancy Conference at the National Institutes of Health, said the study of five subjects with HIV-associated lymphoma presents hope that SCT will be effective. The researchers stressed, however, that the impact on long-term engraftment is still not known. "Black Churches to Lead Anti-AIDS Drive" Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online (www.seattle-pi.com) (05/31/00) A $50,000 grant from Washington State health department will support an HIV prevention and education effort by African-American churches in the Puget Sound area. The campaign will start in June with a program from Baker Street Ministries Counseling and Training Center titled "HIV: An Issue of Blood." The effort will also include several workshops for the clergy next year and training for church members who wish to become HIV and AIDS educators.