Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary for Date: Wed Jun 7 07:01:00 PDT 2000 (199 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 2000, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update Wednesday, June 7, 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 "Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV)-Specific CTL Are Present in Large Numbers in Livers of SIV-Infected Rhesus Monkeys" GENERAL MEDIA "Women's Global Views Examined by Survey" "Youths Found Heeding Limits" "Treasury Secretary to Visit Five African Nations" "South Africa Sees Poverty as Factor Behind AIDS" "Long-Term Itraconazole Prophylaxis Promotes Drug Resistance in AIDS Patients" "Depression Treatment Can Reduce Healthcare Costs of HIV-Infected Patients" "Canadians Favour AIDS Tests for Immigrants" "Yvette Cooper Announces Pilot Scheme for Liquid Based Cytology and HPV Testing" *************************************************************** PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS *************************************************************** "Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV)-Specific CTL Are Present in Large Numbers in Livers of SIV-Infected Rhesus Monkeys" Journal of Immunology Online (www.jimmunol.org) (06/01/00) Vol. 164, No. 11, P. 6015; Schmitz, Jorn E.; Kuroda, Marcelo J.; Veazey, Ronald S.; et al. A recent study evaluated the immunopathogenesis of AIDS-related hepatitis in rhesus monkeys with SIV infection. The livers of the monkeys were shown to have mild hepatitis, and there was no evidence that most of CTL cells were end-stage cells about to die. The researchers noted that liver tetramer-binding cells demonstrated an increased expression of the adhesion molecule CD62L, suggesting that the expression of certain adhesion molecules by CTL might help to capture these cells in the organ. According to the authors, "These results demonstrate that functional SIV-specific CD8+ T cells are present in large numbers in the liver of chronically SIV-infected monkeys ... so the liver may be a trap for virus-specific cytotoxic T cells." **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "Women's Global Views Examined by Survey" New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (06/07/00) P. A12; Crossette, Barbara A new study, released to coincide with the special United Nations General Assembly meeting on the progress of the world's women, examined American women's attitudes on a variety of issues. The poll, from Belden Russonello & Stewart, included 1,500 women and 701 men. The survey found that women more often than men base their foreign policy concerns on such global social issues as healthy, poverty, and human rights. According to Joan Dunlop, a fellow at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and head of the Women's Lens on Global Issues project at the Aspen Institute, which requested the study, "What this poll tells us is that American women understand that the well-being of themselves, their families, and communities are increasingly intimately connected with the well-being and stability of other countries." U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala noted that epidemic diseases like AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are high on the list of women's issues and concerns. Diseases affect economies, resources, and everyday life, Shalala said. In the survey, women placed more priority than men on international efforts to prevent childhood diseases and also on birth control availability. "Youths Found Heeding Limits" Boston Globe Online (www.boston.com/globe) (06/07/00) P. A3; Newmyer, Jacqueline An Urban Institute study has found that fewer teenagers are taking part in risky behavior since the start of the last decade. The findings show that adolescents are more likely to avoid risky behavior now than any time in the last 10 years. However, an increasing number of Hispanic youths are engaging in multiple forms of risky behavior, such as tobacco use, marijuana use, suicide attempts, drinking, and sex. The researchers hope to identify pattern behaviors and help teens avoid them. Eighty-one percent of students who engaged in five or more risk behaviors had at least one positive behavior. The number of teens abstaining from all 10 risky behaviors listed increased from 20 percent to 25 percent. The number of multiple risk-takers grew 6 percentage points for Hispanics, while white teens saw a two percentage-point decline. "Treasury Secretary to Visit Five African Nations" Nando Times Online (www.nandotimes.com) (06/06/00); Crutsinger, Martin U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers will visit five African countries during a trip intended to draw attention to President Clinton's call for more international support in the region. Starting Saturday, Summers will travel to Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, and Egypt. Summers said the Clinton administration will lead the demand for assistance to poor nations at the Group of Eight economic summit in Okinawa. Administration officials hope to tackle the issues of HIV and debt forgiveness at the meeting. At the United Nations Conference on Women in New York, Summers noted that "last year, the combined wars in Africa killed 200,000 people. AIDS killed 10 times that number," and the situation is getting worse. "South Africa Sees Poverty as Factor Behind AIDS" Fox News Online (www.foxnews.com) (06/06/00) South Africa's Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, said Tuesday that poverty and malnutrition are key factors impacting AIDS. She noted that the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis also influence AIDS. Tshabalala-Msimang said, "A better understanding of these relationships is crucial for an appropriate and comprehensive response." The health minister added that the cost of many AIDS drugs is prohibitive for most HIV and AIDS patients in South Africa, and would still be even with substantial cuts in prices. "Long-Term Itraconazole Prophylaxis Promotes Drug Resistance in AIDS Patients" Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com) (06/06/00) A report by Dr. L. Joseph Wheat of Indiana University School of Medicine, published in the June issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (2000;44:1585-1587), studied 295 AIDS patients who had CD4 cell counts of 150 or less. Of the patients, who were all receiving long-term itraconazole prophylaxis for Candida albicans, those who developed candidiasis were tested for susceptibility to itraconazole and fluconazole. Dr. Wheat and colleagues found that significantly fewer patients who took itraconazole developed mucosal candidiasis compared with a placebo group, although the median concentration at which the concentration of 50 percent of isolates was blocked was much higher in the itraconazole group versus the placebo group. The study concluded that AIDS patients receiving itraconazole prophylaxis can become less susceptible to both itraconazole and fluconazole. "Depression Treatment Can Reduce Healthcare Costs of HIV-Infected Patients" Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com) (06/06/00) Researchers from Rutgers University who collected data on 5,559 HIV patients covered by Medicaid found that antidepressant treatment for patients with depression is associated with lower monthly costs for medical care. The team, led by Dr. Usha Sambamoorthi, compared groups of depressed patients treated with or without antidepressants. The team found that women were more likely to be diagnosed as depressed, and that more depressed patients with antidepressant prescriptions received antiviral therapy than patients without the prescriptions. The study, reported in the May issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine (2000;15:311-320), found that patients treated with antidepressants also had lower average monthly inpatient expenditures than patients no treated for depression. "Canadians Favour AIDS Tests for Immigrants" Vancouver Sun (www.southam.com/vancouversun) (06/07/00) P. A8; McGregor, Glen The majority of Canadians believe immigrants should be screened for HIV and be prohibited from entering the country, if they test positive. Polling conducted for Health Canada shows that most residents believe the costs of caring for HIV-infected immigrants is too high. Canada currently requires only tuberculosis and syphilis testing for immigrants. While the survey found that most people believe healthy immigrants should have priority over sick ones, an HIV support group also noted that requiring the test would make immigrants the first in the country to undergo mandatory HIV screening. "Yvette Cooper Announces Pilot Scheme for Liquid Based Cytology and HPV Testing" M2 Presswire (www.presswire.net) (06/06/00) Yvette Cooper, the United Kingdom's Minister for Public Health, has announced that the government will introduce liquid based cytology (LBC) and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of the Cervical Screening Program. LBC techniques are new ways to prepare cervical samples for the lab. HPVs can be transmitted sexually and have been associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. Cooper stated that the LBC will most likely benefit cervical screening and help get timely treatment to women. The pilot trials will start in March 2001.