                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      February 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 Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
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Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"AIDS Deaths Continue to Rise in 25-44 Age Group, U.S. Says"
"Remorse From a Heavyweight"
"Sequus Drug Is Approved"
"N.J. Gives Hemophiliacs Hope on AIDS Lawsuits"
"Ryan White's Legacy"
"Answers on Blood Seem Elusive"
"Empiric Therapy for AIDS-Related Pneumonia Appropriate in 
Selected Cases"
"Risk of Kaposi Sarcoma in Unmarried Men Similar in Pre-AIDS Era 
and AIDS Era"
"Gene Therapy Blocked by Strong Immune Response"
"Tokyo Professor Accused on Perjury Over Evidence of HIV 
Infection"
"Mortality Due to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25-44 Years-
United States, 1993 and 1994"
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"AIDS Deaths Continue to Rise in 25-44 Age Group, U.S. Says"
New York Times (02/16/96) P. A22;  Hilts, Philip J.
     The number of lives lost to AIDS among 25-44 year-old American 
men and women of every race continued to increase in 1994.  The 
disease has become the third leading cause of death for women in 
that age group and the leading cause of death for white men in 
that group.  In 1994, there was a 30 percent rise in AIDS-related
deaths among white women, a 28 percent increase among black 
women, and a 13 percent increase among black men.  The new 
figures are based on a report published Thursday by the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.  AIDS cases among minorities 
and women are often linked to drug use and sex with infected drug
users.  The two are related because drug use impairs a person's 
judgment about having sex and some people trade sex for drugs and
share needles used to inject drugs.  The number of deaths from 
AIDS in the United States increased 9 percent in 1994 from the 
previous year, and has increased every year since the epidemic 
began 15 years ago.  The number of new AIDS cases in 1994 was 
63,000 and the number of new infections is estimated at 40,000 to
80,000.  AIDS-related deaths in 1994 totaled 41,930.  Related 
Stories: Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. A3; Baltimore Sun 
(02/16/96) P. 2A
      
"Remorse From a Heavyweight"
Washington Post (02/16/96) P. A1;  Romano, Lois
     At a press conference in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, heavyweight 
boxer Tommy Morrison told his young fans to "no longer consider 
[him] a role model," after a second test confirmed that he is 
infected with HIV.  Morrison said he "had the opportunity to be a
role model, but blew it.  Blew it with irresponsible, irrational,
immature decisions."  He stated that he will not fight again and 
urged required HIV tests for professional boxers.  Furthermore, 
Morrison said that he has tried to contact people whom he might 
have infected, including both sparring and sexual partners.  He 
said he does not know how he became HIV-infected but noted that 
part of his life was marked by "a very permissive, fast, reckless
lifestyle."  Related Stories: New York Times (02/16/96) P. B7; 
Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. D1
      
"Sequus Drug Is Approved"
Wall Street Journal (02/16/96) P. B2
     Sequus Pharmaceuticals has announced the receipt of regulatory 
approval to sell Doxil, a drug for the treatment of Kaposi's 
sarcoma, in 15 European countries.  The approval, handed down by 
the European Committee on Proprietary and Medicinal Products, 
covers all members of the European Union, Sequus said.  Doxil has
been granted marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration as a treatment for patients who cannot benefit 
from established therapy, but the European body has approved it 
as a first-line therapy as well.
      
"N.J. Gives Hemophiliacs Hope on AIDS Lawsuits"
Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. B7;  Conway, Chris
     Hemophiliacs are again pushing for a New Jersey law that would 
give them more time to sue drug makers whose products infected 
them with HIV.  State Sen. William Gormly has been working on a 
compromise with the governor to address the proposed bill's 
constitutionality.  Gov. Whitman vetoed a similar proposal last 
year.  The new plan would extend for an additional two years the 
state's two-year statute of limitations for HIV-infected 
hemophiliacs who want to sue.  An Institute of Medicine report 
released last year found that manufacturers of plasma products 
were not doing adequate research into heat-treating their 
products to kill viruses because there was no competitive 
pressure.
      
"Ryan White's Legacy"
Philadelphia Inquirer (02/16/96) P. A24
     A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial emphasizes the need for 
continued government funding for AIDS drugs for needy patients.  
The editors note that Congress has provided only limited funding 
for the Ryan White Act, which subsidizes Medicaid funds to 
provide drugs for AIDS patients.  A recent survey showed that 
almost half of the states are facing a financial shortage in 
their programs that pay for AIDS drugs.  The program in 
Pennsylvania enjoyed a surplus of money the last several years, 
but has now been reduced by the Ridge administration.  The 
editors emphasize that funding the treatment of AIDS patients is 
not just a matter of compassion, but is also an investment.  
Effective medication, they note, enables people with AIDS to 
continue to work and to function.
      
"Answers on Blood Seem Elusive"
Toronto Globe and Mail (02/14/96) P. A7;  Picard, Andre
     Two years into the Canadian government inquiry of the tainted 
blood tragedy that left 1,200 Canadians infected with HIV, 
answers seem unlikely.  The inquiry, being headed by Justice 
Horace Krever, is hampered by legal challenges, and many of those
infected are concerned that Krever's report may never be 
published.  The Canadian Red Cross and other parties are trying 
to remove any allegations of wrongdoing from the inquiry's 
findings.  One element of hope is that the public is now more 
aware of the threats of tainted blood and as a result, is 
demanding a say as consumers.  People who were infected, or lost 
loved ones as a result of the tainted blood, say their hope at 
the beginning of the inquiry has now turned to despair and 
disappointment.
      
"Empiric Therapy for AIDS-Related Pneumonia Appropriate in 
Selected Cases"
Reuters (02/15/96)
     Researchers at the National Institutes of Health report that "if 
convenient, cost-effective diagnostic facilities are not readily 
available," empiric therapy for AIDS-related pneumonia is 
appropriate for some patients with HIV.  Empiric oral therapy 
against the common, treatable community-acquired pathogens is the
usual treatment in individuals with healthy immune systems.  
However, Drs. Henry Masur and James Shelhamer note that in 
patients whose immune systems are compromised, "the range of 
potential pathogens is so broad" that doctors are reluctant to 
try empiric therapy.  The researchers suggest, though, that an 
empiric approach is possible, and they recommend broad coverage 
of treatment.
      
"Risk of Kaposi Sarcoma in Unmarried Men Similar in Pre-AIDS Era 
and AIDS Era"
Reuters (02/15/96)
     Researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the Danish 
Epidemiologic Science Center say the risks of Kaposi's sarcoma 
(KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in unmarried men have not 
increased significantly with the AIDS epidemic.  Robert Biggar 
and Mads Melbye compared the risk of never being married with 
ever being married.  They found no increased risk for KS, except 
between 1973 and 1976.  The risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was 
slightly lower in single men before 1976, but the risk of anal 
cancer was more than five times higher for men aged 20-59 before 
the AIDS epidemic.  The researchers suspect that the increased 
risk of anal cancer before AIDS was related to the risk of anal 
human papillomavirus infection in homosexual men.
      
"Gene Therapy Blocked by Strong Immune Response"
Lancet (02/03/96) Vol.347, No.8997, P. 314;  McCarthy, Michael
     A clinical trial in Seattle was conducted to determine whether 
genetically modified CD8 HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes 
(CTLs) could improve an HIV-infected patient's immune response.  
In prior studies with retrovirus vectors, gene-modified cells 
persisted over time without inducing an immune response.  In the 
Seattle study, six HIV-positive patients were given the modified 
CD8 CTLs in four increasing doses.  In five of the six patients, 
"there was effective transfer and persistence of modified CTLs 
after the first two infusions, but clearance after the last two 
doses," according to the researchers.  The patients were found to
have developed cytolytic reactivity to the modified cells.  The 
results indicate the necessity of strategies that make the 
gene-modified cells less vulnerable to the host immune system.
      
"Tokyo Professor Accused on Perjury Over Evidence of HIV 
Infection"
Nature (02/01/96) Vol.379, No.6564, P. 388
     A coalition in Tokyo has filed perjury claims against a Tokyo 
University scientist who served in the Ministry of Health and 
Welfare in the early 1980s and was responsible for policies on 
blood products.  The 72-member group, which includes HIV-positive
hemophiliacs, charges that public health professor Atsuaki Gunji 
lied when he gave evidence in a case the group brought against 
the government and pharmaceutical companies.  Gunji had testified
that he was unaware that HIV infection routes are like those of 
hepatitis B.  The group says they have a document that was 
submitted to the Ministry's AIDS study group which indicates that
the routes of infection were similar.  Gunji, however, claims 
that he never meant to lie, and denies that he did.  The group 
has also sued the head of the AIDS study group, for "willful 
negligence" resulting in death.
      
"Mortality Due to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25-44 Years-
United States, 1993 and 1994"
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (02/16/96) Vol. 45, No. 6;
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
     Death rates from HIV infection, the cause of AIDS, continued to
increase in 1994, with over 70% of deaths occurring among
Americans aged 25-44, according to provisional data from the
National Center for Health Statistics.   HIV remains the leading
cause of death for Americans aged 25-44, and the rate of HIV-
related deaths is increasing most rapidly among women and blacks. 
The death rate from HIV infection is now 4 times higher in black
men 25-44 than in white men in the same age group, and the death
rate among black women in this age group is 9 times higher than
among white women.  These findings demonstrate the ongoing impact
of the AIDS epidemic on the premature loss of life.  The full
text document is available electronically through CDC NAC ONLINE,
the CDC NAC Web page, http://cdcnac.aspensys.com:86, or gopher at
cdcnac.aspensys.com.  You may also order a paper copy by calling
(800) 458-5231 and requesting publication number D213.  One copy
free per caller.


AIDS Daily News will not publish Monday, February 19, 1996,
in observance of President's Day.  Publication will resume
Tuesday, February 20.
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