                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                       July 31, 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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"Studies Link Herpes Virus to AIDS-Related Disease" 
"Tainted Tattoos"
"Inside the Beltway: Of Mike and Men" 
"Glitzy Shops and Top Stars Do Her Bidding"
"AIDS Education Reversing Trends in Some Nations" 
"'It's A Shame, It's A Lie,' Chant Veiled Protesters" 
"New TB Vaccine Could Be Safer, More Effective"
"New AIDS Cases Found in Hong Kong"
"HIV-1 Core Protein Has Unusual Structure" 
"The High Cost of AIDS"
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"Studies Link Herpes Virus to AIDS-Related Disease" 
Richmond Times-Dispatch (07/31/96) P. A2
     New research establishes a closer link between Kaposi's
sarcoma, a cancer commonly found in homosexual AIDS patients, and 
a herpes virus.  Two studies published in the August issue of 
Nature Medicine suggest that the human herpes virus type 8 causes 
the cancer.  The finding may lead to the development of a vaccine 
for the disease.
     
"Tainted Tattoos"
Washington Times (07/31/96) P. A2; Castrone, Lisa
     The appearance of homemade tattoos and self-pierced body
parts in schools is raising concerns about the transmission of 
bloodborne diseases.  Tattooing and body piercing can spread 
hepatitis, tuberculosis, and supposedly HIV, although no cases 
have been documented.  Dr. Elaine Scholes, a pediatrician at 
Denver Health Medical Center, advises persons interested in 
piercing or tattooing to see a professional and to make sure 
clean equipment is used.
     
"Inside the Beltway: Of Mike and Men"
Washington Times (07/31/96) P. A10; McCaslin, John
     Mike Petrelis and other homosexual AIDS activists are
objecting to the recent announcement that the National Institutes 
of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
are committing research to reducing the risk of heterosexual HIV 
transmission, while virtually ignoring homosexual transmission.  
HHS Secretary Donna Shalala revealed a plan to develop vaginal 
microbicides to protect women from HIV infection at the recent 
International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver.
     
"Glitzy Shops and Top Stars Do Her Bidding"
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (07/31/96) P. B1; Helfand, 
Duke
     Maxine Harris, who has volunteered for AIDS Project Los
Angeles (APLA) for 11 years, works like a professional fundraiser 
in her effort to obtain luxury items for the organization's 
annual silent auction.  The 63-year-old has become very 
successful at persuading stores like Gucci, Neiman Marcus and 
Ralph Lauren to contribute, and in eight years the auctions have 
raised $636,400.  APLA has named an annual volunteer honor for 
Harris, who lives on $1,384 a month from Social Security and 
suffers from multiple illnesses.
     
"AIDS Education Reversing Trends in Some Nations" 
Houston Chronicle (07/29/96) P. 6E; SoRelle, Ruth
     HIV prevention programs, which come in different forms
around the globe, are having a positive impact on the epidemic in 
some locations.  In Uganda, the AIDS Service Organization 
emphasizes the ABC's of prevention--abstinence, being faithful, 
and consistent use of condoms.  The rate of HIV infection has 
declined about 30 percent in pregnant women in the country.  
Meanwhile, education targeted at young soldiers in Thailand has 
resulted in sharp drops in infection rates, according to UNAIDS 
Director Dr. Peter Piot.  In South Africa, "Puppets against AIDS" 
reaches 10,000 people in both cities and rural villages each 
week.  Prevention is especially important in developing countries 
because they cannot afford to treat the disease.
     
"'It's A Shame, It's A Lie,' Chant Veiled Protesters" 
Houston Chronicle (07/29/96) P. 6E; SoRelle, Ruth
     At the 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver, 
activists from the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT-UP, 
stopped a briefing by an American Medical Association official to 
protest the AMA's support for mandatory HIV testing for pregnant 
women.  Member Dawn Acero said the group opposes the policy 
because it fears the order will discourage women from getting 
care.
     
"New TB Vaccine Could Be Safer, More Effective" 
Reuters (07/30/96); Zabarenko, Deborah
     A new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that uses a gene from the TB
organism, rather than a weakened strain, may be safer and more 
effective than the vaccine used now, researchers report in the 
August issue of Nature Medicine.  The traditional TB vaccine uses 
an attenuated strain of the organism that infects cows.  
Scientists at Merck Research Laboratories have developed a 
vaccine that uses a gene from the version of TB that infects 
humans.  Human trials are still far in the future, but researcher 
Margaret Liu says the vaccine has shown promise in mice.  The 
DNA-based vaccine would also be safer than those that contain the 
weakened organism because there would be no risk of infection.
     
"New AIDS Cases Found in Hong Kong"
Xinhua News Agency (07/30/96) 
     In Hong Kong, 26 new AIDS cases were reported in the second 
quarter of this year, bringing the total to 214, the Department 
of Health announced Tuesday.  During the same period, 38 people 
were found to have HIV, bringing the total number of documented 
HIV infections to 702.  Among them, 336 were infected through 
heterosexual sex and 231 through homosexual or bisexual sex.  
Drug-related transmission accounted for 14 of the cases, and 3 
were attributed to mother-to-child transmission.  Sixty-six 
people were infected through contaminated blood products before 
1985 when such products were first tested and treated.
     
"HIV-1 Core Protein Has Unusual Structure"
Chemical & Engineering News (07/15/96) Vol. 74, No. 29, P. 10; 
Dagani, Ron
     Researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County
and the University of Utah at Salt Lake City have described the 
three-dimensional structure of the capsid protein that makes up 
the core of HIV-1.  Knowing the structure, which was surprising 
because it is unlike any known virus protein, may help in drug 
development and provide information about HIV-1 replication.  
Researchers used nuclear resonance spectroscopic methods to 
determine the protein's structure, and were surprised to find it 
consisted of seven alpha helices, two beta hairpins, and a single 
exposed loop.  Drug developers may be able to use the structure 
to design a drug capable of blocking HIV's ability to infect a 
cell, the researchers said.
     
"The High Cost of AIDS"
Maclean's (07/15/96) Vol. 109, No. 29, P. 14
     The economic impact of AIDS, which often kills people in
their most productive years, was recently discussed at the 11th 
International conference on AIDS in Vancouver.  John McCallum, 
chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada, said that, as of 
1995, $8 billion in Canadian human capital had been destroyed by 
the disease.  This includes the value of education, training, 
skills, and entrepreneurial talents lost when an AIDS patient 
dies.  McCallum said that the cumulative incidence of AIDS would 
at least nearly double between now and the year 2000, and again 
in the following 10 years.  This would equate to a total of $30 
billion in lost human capital by 2010.
     
     


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