                       AIDS Daily Summary 
                         June 11, 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
     
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"Infected Hemophiliacs and Tainted Lawsuits"
"Resuscitation Ruled Out for Young AIDS Sufferer" 
"Ease Doctor-Patient Secrecy, Experts Urge"
"The Joys of Soliciting Donations"
"Roche Starts First Combination HIV Protease Inhibitor Trial" 
"Playful Spoof Leads to Bride"
"Menstruation Unaffected by HIV Infection" 
"Cambodia Seeks Help for AIDS Victims" 
"Intraocular Therapy"
"Living With Therapy"
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"Infected Hemophiliacs and Tainted Lawsuits" 
New York Times (06/11/96) P. D1 (Meier, Barry)
     Among the 6,000 to 10,000 U.S. hemophiliacs who were infected 
with HIV through tainted blood products, some were interested in 
suing pharmaceutical companies for the maximum payment they could 
get, while others were more interested in getting money quickly 
to provide cash to the dying.  Like the plaintiffs, the 
defendants--Baxter, Bayer, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, and Alpha 
Therapeutic--eventually agreed to join together to advance their 
interests.  Last month, the companies offered a settlement of 
$100,000 for each claimant, up to a maximum of $640 million.  
Hemophiliacs will be surveyed soon on their reaction to the 
offer.  Hemophiliac groups began seeking compensation from drug 
companies in the early 1990s, following disclosures that the 
industry failed to take precautions to protect blood products 
from HIV contamination.
     
"Resuscitation Ruled Out for Young AIDS Sufferer" 
Washington Post (06/11/96) P. B3 (Lewis, Nancy)
     A "Do Not Resuscitate" order was reinstated for a 3-year-old 
Maryland girl with AIDS on Monday, reversing a five-day stay 
issued by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals last week.  The 
girl's mother, who had failed to get medical attention for her 
daughter and refused to let authorities see her for more than six 
months, had requested the repeal of the order.  Doctors say an 
attempt to resuscitate the girl would only cause a painful death. 
Officials believe the mother did not get help for the girl 
because of her own drug abuse problems and her own HIV infection. 
The girl's mother is continuing her appeal on the issue of her 
daughter's guardianship.
     
"Ease Doctor-Patient Secrecy, Experts Urge" 
Toronto Globe and Mail (06/10/96) P. A3
     An expert panel reporting to the Ontario College of Physicians
and Surgeons has recommended that doctors should be forced to 
breach physician-patient confidentiality when someone with HIV 
talks of having unprotected sex with an unknowing partner.  The 
group also said that doctors should inform police when a patient 
threatens to hurt or kill someone.  The group's report will be 
considered by the College's council.
     
"The Joys of Soliciting Donations"
Washington Post (06/11/96) P. E5 (Nguyen, Chris)
     To participate in the upcoming Philadelphia-to-Washington,
D.C. AIDS Ride, each rider must raise at least $1,400.  About 3,000
riders are expected to participate in the 250-mile event, which 
will raise money for both the Whitman-Walker Clinic and Food & 
Friends, a nonprofit organization for people with AIDS.  Event 
organizers have helped riders raise money by giving tips on 
writing a solicitation letter and organizing a fund-raising 
party.
     
"Roche Starts First Combination HIV Protease Inhibitor Trial" 
Reuters (06/10/96) 
     The first clinical trial testing a combination of two protease
inhibitors, Hoffmann-La Roche's Invirase (saquinavir), and 
Abbott's Norvir (ritonavir), is being conducted by Roche 
researchers.  The study includes 120 HIV-positive patients in 
seven U.S. cities.  In vitro and animal studies indicate that 
ritonavir increases the anti-HIV efficacy of saquinavir, while 
the combination does not significantly increase ritonavir blood 
levels.  Cross-resistance is not expected to be a problem.
     
"Playful Spoof Leads to Bride"
Baltimore Sun (06/11/96) P. 14A
     In what he thought was a spoof ceremony for an anti-AIDS 
campaign, Zimbabwe's white health minister may have married a 
15-year-old peasant and thus turned bigamist.  Timothy Stamps 
thought he was thanking the girl's community for a clinic they 
had built, but the villagers accepted his gift with a traditional 
bride price.  The girl's parents say they need to talk to the 
official to determine his intentions toward their daughter.
     
"Menstruation Unaffected by HIV Infection" 
Reuters (06/10/96) 
     Menstruation in HIV-positive women does not appear to be
affected by the infection or subsequent immunosuppression, 
researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
report.  Dr. Tedd V. Ellerbrock and colleagues collected 
information about menstruation patterns from 197 HIV-positive women
and 180 HIV-negative women and found that their menstrual factors 
were similar.  The scientist therefore recommends that abnormal 
bleeding in HIV-positive women be approached the same way as in 
HIV-negative women.
     
"Cambodia Seeks Help for AIDS Victims" 
Reuters (06/10/96) 
     Cambodia's National AIDS Program (NAP) sought help Monday to 
combat the spread of HIV.  An estimated 120,000 Cambodians are 
infected with the virus, and at least 1,000 have AIDS, according 
to the agency.  In November, the World Health Organization 
estimated the figure to be between 50,000 and 90,000.  NAP director
Hor Bun Leng asked for funding to help fight the disease, saying 
the agency needs at least $1 per person for the campaign.
     
"Intraocular Therapy"
Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS 
Care (05/96) Vol. 2, No. 5; P. 25 (Palestine, Alan G.)
     Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, a sight-threatening infection
common in AIDS patients, can be treated systemically with 
intravenous ganciclovir, intravenous foscarnet, or oral 
ganciclovir.  These treatments are subject to resistance, 
however, and become less effective with time.  Retinal detachment 
also occurs in 25 percent to 30 percent of patients with the 
condition.  Intravitreal treatment for CMV retinitis is 
increasingly effective.  It does not have the disadvantage of 
systemic toxicity, and it allows higher drug levels to be 
delivered to the retina.  A disadvantage is that it does not 
treat the infection throughout the body.  Eye diseases are often 
treated locally with topical agents because they are isolated, 
but CMV retinitis cannot be treated topically.  Local treatment 
for CMV involves direct delivery of the drug into the vitreous so 
it can diffuse into the retina, where CMV replicates.  
Intravitreal CMV therapy can be delivered either through 
ganciclovir implantation, ganciclovir injection, foscarnet 
injection, cidofovir injection, or Isis 2922 injection.  Each 
option has its advantages and disadvantages, and using more than 
one of the treatments may be necessary over the course of 
infection.
     
"Living With Therapy"
Focus (05/96) Vol. 11, No. 6; P. 1 (Helquist, Michael)
In the May issue of Focus, Michael Helquist communicates his 
feelings about being diagnosed with AIDS, in the form of a 
diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), and how he 
has dealt with his own therapy for the past two-and-a-half 
years.  Helquist says he recognized the need to be heard and 
understood by a therapist and specified that a therapist should 
have knowledge, empathy, and flexibility.  A therapist, he said, 
should know about the primary treatments for AIDS, including the 
prophylactic drugs used to treat infections and their side 
effects.  Helquist notes that while therapists may not be able 
to learn everything about having AIDS, they should be able to 
surrender themselves to their client's experiences by listening, 
analyzing, and entering the client's world.  A therapist should 
be flexible in understanding that a client may want to 
communicate or deal with problems in alternative ways.  The 
author points out that as people with HIV live longer, dealing 
with HIV-related illnesses will change.  Therapists, he says, 
should therefore also address nutrition, exercise, body weight, 
and medication with their client as these factors become more 
important to longer survival.
     
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