                     AIDS Daily Summary
                    Wednesday, October 16, 1996

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National 
AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a 
public service only. Providing this information does not 
constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC National AIDS 
Clearinghouse, or any other organization. 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
******************************************************

"State Court Expands Human Rights Law"
"Dual Strategy to Fight Both TB and AIDS"
"Across the USA: New Jersey"
"PM's Brother May Testify at Krever Blood Inquiry"
"Teen-Agers Find Drugs Easy to Obtain and Warnings Easy to 
Ignore"
"Brazil Votes to Give AIDS Patient Free Drugs"
"Quick Action Can Curb Drug-Resistant TB"
"BioChem Pharma Says Emory Patent Claims Invalid"
"Following the Inner Light"
"Bringing Medicine Home"

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"State Court Expands Human Rights Law"
New York Times (10/16/96) P. B5; Dao, James
     The New York State Court of Appeals announced a decision Tuesday 
that significantly extends the protection of people with HIV from
discrimination by doctors and dentists.  The court ruled that the
state's Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination in 
employment, housing, and public accommodations, should be 
interpreted to cover the offices of doctors and dentists, as well
as any place that provides "conveniences and services to the 
public."  The court was considering two cases in which people 
charged that they had been denied dental services because they 
had tested positive for HIV or had been exposed to the virus.

"Dual Strategy to Fight Both TB and AIDS"
Wall Street Journal (10/16/96) P. A21; Sbarbaro, John
     A combined strategy is needed to fight the spread of HIV and
tuberculosis (TB), contends Dr. John Sbarbaro, Medical Adviser to
the Global TB Education Fund, in a letter to the editor in the 
Wall Street Journal.  He notes that TB causes the most 
AIDS-related deaths worldwide, and that treating AIDS patients 
effectively for TB could prevent nearly 4 million TB cases and 
increase the lives of people with HIV by an average of two years.
Without such precautions, Sbarbaro says, people infected with HIV
and TB will die earlier than necessary, and TB will continue to 
spread to the general population.

"Across the USA: New Jersey"
USA Today (10/16/96) P. 9A
     A survey of 625 New Jerseyans found that 92 percent support 
government aid for people who have a health problem for which 
they are not responsible, such as those who contract HIV through 
blood transfusions.  Only 53 percent of those polled thought that
people who contracted HIV through unsafe sex should be eligible 
for government aid, however.

"PM's Brother May Testify at Krever Blood Inquiry"
Toronto Globe and Mail (10/15/96) P. A1; McIlroy, Anne
     Because of his connection to the leader of Canada's commission of
inquiry into the country's tainted-blood tragedy, the brother of 
Prime Minister Jean Chretien is expected to be called in an 
inquiry hearing this week.  Michel Chretien, a scientist at the 
Clinical Institute of Montreal, served with Justice Horace Krever
as co-chairman of the Royal Society of Canada report on AIDS in 
1988.  That report made recommendations on preventing the spread 
of HIV in Canada and treating those who were infected.  The 
Ontario government is expected to call Chretien to testify at the
hearings, which are being held to allow those parties cited for 
blame in the tragedy to defend themselves.  Ontario is expected 
to argue that the 1988 report shows that the committee did not 
realize the implications of the tainted-blood incidents, and 
that, therefore, the provincial and federal governments cannot be
blamed for not taking action.

"Teen-Agers Find Drugs Easy to Obtain and Warnings Easy to 
Ignore"
New York Times (10/10/96); Wren, Christopher S.
     The increase in marijuana use among teen-agers, reported in a 
recent government study, was confirmed by interviews with 30 
teens in New York and Massachusetts.  Teenagers from 
working-class and suburban neighborhoods across the country said 
that marijuana is as easily obtained as beer or cigarettes.  The 
interviews found that marijuana is the most popular drug among 
teenagers, and that cocaine and heroin use are not nearly as 
prevalent.  The teens said anti-drug campaigns were ineffective, 
adding that parents, teachers, and other adults have little 
impact on their choice to use drugs.  Moreover, they said they 
did not start using marijuana because of peer pressure, but 
because it seemed fun and offered some escape.

"Brazil Votes to Give AIDS Patient Free Drugs"
Reuters (10/15/96)
     Legislation that would provide free drugs to AIDS patients was 
approved by Brazil's Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, 
congressional officials said.  "This bill will save the lives of 
people who are HIV-positive and cannot afford the cocktail of 
drugs," noted Green party deputy Fernando Gabeira, the author of
the bill.  The measure--already approved in the Senate--will be 
sent to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for final approval.  
It is not yet known, said Gabeira, how much the government will 
have to spend to fulfill the terms of the new law.

"Quick Action Can Curb Drug-Resistant TB"
Reuters (10/15/96)
     Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can be spread in hospitals and 
is often deadly, but early diagnosis and proper treatment can 
extend the lives of patients, according to researchers from the 
New York City Department of Public Health.  A review of 267 TB 
cases over a 43-month period found that 86 percent of patients 
also were infected with HIV, that 70 percent of the TB infections
were likely acquired in hospitals, and that 83 percent of the 
patients died during the study period.  The researchers concluded
that, with quick diagnosis and proper treatment, patients with 
damaged immune systems and drug-resistant TB lived up to a year 
longer.  The study appears in this week's issue of the Journal of
the American Medical Association, with a related study that found
that 27 percent of 229 TB patients in New York City in 1991 died
within one year.

"BioChem Pharma Says Emory Patent Claims Invalid"
Business Wire (10/15/96)
     BioChem Pharma, the maker of 3TCr (lamivudine), filed a response 
on Tuesday to a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Emory 
University.  Francesco Bellini, CEO of BioChem, says the company 
welcomes the chance to settle the patent issue and "finally put 
to rest Emory University's baseless claims to 3TCr."  BioChem 
Pharma currently receives royalties on the AIDS drug from Glaxo 
Wellcome under a licensing agreement that has permitted Glaxo to 
manufacture and sell the drug since 1995.

"Following the Inner Light"
Science News (10/05/96) Vol. 150, No. 14, P. 220; Travis, John
     Frustrated with the methods available to track how infection 
spreads in the body, Stanford University virologist Christopher 
H. Contag developed a better way, using bioluminescence.  
Luciferase, an enzyme that occurs naturally in fireflies and 
certain glowing bacteria, has long been used by scientists.
Contag proposed inoculating live animals with bioluminescent 
micro-organisms to observe their action in the body from outside.  
The researchers experimented by inoculating mice with salmonella 
that had been engineered with the Luciferase gene.  The weakest 
strain of salmonella was quickly eliminated by the mouse, while 
the strongest strain spread rapidly through the body's tissues.  
The researchers suggest that the new technique will be useful in 
tracking infections, including HIV, and monitoring how effective 
various drugs are at fighting infection.  Genetically engineered 
mice have been developed that can simulate HIV infection, and 
with further research, SIX infections in primates might be 
similarly studied.

"Bringing Medicine Home"
Consumer Reports (10/96) Vol. 61, No. 10, P. 47
     HIV tests have joined the ranks of medical tests that can be 
performed at home, including tests for pregnancy, ovulation, 
cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.  About $1 billion 
is now spent by Americans on such products, which offer privacy 
and are usually less expensive than a professional test.  A
survey by the government found that, while only 20 percent of 
people at increased risk for HIV said they  planned to seek a 
professional HIV test within a year, 42 percent said they would 
likely use a home HIV test.  Because a positive HIV test result 
can be traumatic, the companies selling home HIV tests only 
provide results over the phone.  The consumer, identified by a 
confidential code number, hears a recorded message if the test 
result is negative and is connected to a counselor if the test is
positive.
