AIDS Weekly articles from August 2000

AIDS Weekly archives from August 2000

Novel Therapy Uses Ribozymes and Stem Cells.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- A novel therapy for the treatment of HIV infection is being developed that incorporates ribozymes and stem cells. Seeking to genetically alter hematopoietic stem cells with anti-HIV catalytic RNAs...

Denial Speeds Progression to AIDS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- New research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that men infected with HIV will more rapidly develop AIDS if they use strategies of denial to cope with the disease threat. The new...

Amprenavir Useful in Initial and Salvage Treatment.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- The new protease inhibitor (PI) Amprenavir , which recently received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, can be used in both initial and salvage combination therapies. ...

Diabetes Drug May Be Useful in Treating AIDS-Related Syndrome.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- A pilot study using metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, indicates that the medication may be useful in treating HIV lipodsytrophy, a disorder of fat metabolism that occurs in people with AIDS,...

Rifabutin/Protease Inhibitors Successfully Treat TB in HIV Patients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Rifabutin combined with protease inhibitors (PI) can be used to effectively treat HIV patients with tuberculosis (TB). "Drug interactions between rifamycins and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)...

Ultrasensitive Test Measures HIV-1 RNA in Plasma.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists in Italy have updated an HIV-1 RNA detection assay. "An ultrasensitive version of an 'in-house' reverse transcription-competitive polymerase chain reaction assay described previously for...

HIV and Invasive Cervical Cancer Studied in South African Women.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in South Africa found that HIV infected women presented with cervical cancer earlier than their non-HIV infected counterparts. "The goal of this study was to determine whether South African...

DNA Expression Vectors Target Gag Antigen to the Secretory Pathway.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States report enhancing primary and secondary cellular immune responses against HIV-1 Gag by using DNA expression vectors that target Gag antigen to the secretory pathway. "In...

Pneumonia Vaccine Ineffective in HIV-1 Infected Ugandan Adults.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- A 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine evaluated in HIV-1 Ugandan adults was reported by researchers in the United Kingdom to be practically useless. "Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae is a...

Activists Call for Fast Track Development of Reticulose.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- With the close of the 13th International AIDS Conference, a coalition of AIDS treatment activists are demanding better access to Reticulose, a lipoprotein-nucleic acid complex manufactured by Advanced Viral...

Clinical Trials Needed to Determine Best Use of Existing Treatments and Develop New Ones.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- During the next two years, more clinical trial results are needed to determine the optimal use of therapies and to identify new drugs for those patients whose treatments have become ineffective, according to...

Metabolic Abnormalities Caused by Protease Inhibitors.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Protease inhibitor (PI) use can alter the lipid profile of HIV patients, and result in central obesity, researchers in Spain report. "The use of PI in HIV infected patients has been associated with a...

Tuberculosis Adversely Affects Outcome in HIV Patients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Evaluation of cytokine profiles in HIV/AIDS patients shows that tuberculosis adversely affects outcome in these patients. "HIV infection is associated with a profound dysregulation of the immune system and...

Chemokine Receptor Antagonists Move to Phase II Trials.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Research from Belgium shows that chemokine receptor antagonists are promising anti-HIV agents. "The chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR5 are used as coreceptors by the T-tropic X4 and M-tropic R5 HIV-1...

Immune-Based Ampligen Therapy Viewed as Next Hope for HIV Antiretroviral Resistance.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- The close of the 13th World AIDS Conference has led to an increased emphasis in the pursuit of effective methods of treating drug-resistant HIV. "The 13th World AIDS Conference has left us with definitive...

South Carolina is Site for Hepatitis C Exposure Risk Survey.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- One of the few studies to conduct an analysis of source patient seroprevalence for hepatitis C virus was reported recently at the CDC 2000 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases that was held...

Ho Discusses Problem of Elusive HIV/AIDS Cure at Major Conference.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Laboratory studies in the past five years have armed researchers and clinicians with significant tools in the development of therapies to treat HIV affected individuals. Dr. David Ho, scientific director...

Sharp Drops in Perinatally-Acquired HIV Reported in U.S.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Comprehensive prevention and treatment efforts in the United States have brought sharp drops in mother-to-child (perinatal) transmission of HIV, according to new data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Success Reported in Thailand, But Other Developing Countries Lag Behind.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- At the XIII International AIDS Conference held in Durban, South Africa, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on the success of one of the first large-scale perinatal prevention...

Malaysia Urges ASEAN to Tackle AIDS Crisis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Urgent action is needed to fight the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS that infected 1.3 million people in Southeast Asia last year alone, Malaysia's foreign minister said July 24, 2000. Syed Hamid said the...

Australia Launches Global HIV/AIDS Initiative.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Australian foreign-minister Alexander Downer announced the launch on July 26, 2000, of a six-year, $200 million international program to battle HIV/AIDS. Speaking ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia's...

Maternal Life International Awarded Grant for AIDS Care in Africa.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Maternal Life International (MLI), Butte, Montana, has been awarded a $273,000 grant by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) to implement a parish-nurse program for AIDS prevention and care in 25 communities in...

U.S. Senate Okays $600 Million for AIDS Treatment, Relief in Poor.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Legislation committing up to US$600 million in U.S. aid for fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa and developing countries elsewhere was passed July 26, 2000, by the U.S. Senate. On a voice vote, the Senate...

Stigma Prevents Many African Americans from Seeking Testing or Treatment.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., hosted a Town Hall Forum in Chicago, Illinois, on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African American community as part of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's Annual Convention. The...

Experimental Anti-Cancer Drug Also Has Anti-HIV Properties.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The results of a study led by a University of Iowa researcher suggest that a drug already undergoing stage I and II clinical trials as a cancer treatment may also have potential as an anti-HIV therapy. ...

HIV Coinfection Does Not Affect Interferon Treatment for Hepatitis C.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Clinical data from a French multicenter trial show that HIV coinfection does not adversely affect antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. "The aim of this prospective study was to compare...

Indinavir Penetration Enhanced After Addition of Low-Dose Ritonavir.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The penetration of indinavir into the central nervous system and into the male genital tract is enhanced after low-dose ritonavir is added to the drug cocktail, researchers in The Netherlands report. ...

Lamivudine Resistance Explored in HBV and HIV-1 Coinfected Patients.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data from a study in England suggest that drug resistance to lamivudine monotherapy is a likely occurrence in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV-1 coinfected patients. "Lamivudine has potent activity against...

Certain Chemokines May Be Natural Antivirals.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- A researcher in Italy has suggested that certain chemokines may be useful as antiviral agents against HIV infection. "The unexpected collision between the fields of chemokines and HIV has opened new...

Studies Highlight Shortcomings of HIV Treatments.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- New studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlight the growing shortcomings of existing HIV treatment regimens. The studies were discussed July 11, 2000, at a press...

HIV Patients in Macedonia Often Coinfected with Hepatitis B and C.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV patients in Macedonia are often coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because the diseases are transmitted similarly, V. Grunevska and colleagues from the Clinic of...

Studies Focus on Treatment Efficacies in Women.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies revealed continued racial and gender disparities in access to the most effective therapies, and examined the contributing role stress may play in poor...

People with HIV Needed for Interleukin-2 Study.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, Minnesota, is searching for people with HIV who are willing to try an experimental treatment using interleukin-2. Interleukin-2 is a substance that has been...

CDC Research Underscores Deadly Tie Between HIV and TB Pandemics.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented new findings on the link between the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) pandemics at a press briefing at the XIII International AIDS Conference in...

TB Contacts Screening Suggested.(tuberculosis )
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Health clinics should look more carefully for the AIDS virus among people who have close contact with tuberculosis patients because HIV positive people are much more vulnerable to TB, the U.S. Centers for...

Adjuvants Help Induce Mucosal Antibody Immune Responses.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The combination of interleukin (IL)-12 and cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) help stimulate mucosal antibody responses to a HIV-1 gp120 subunit vaccine, a new study has found. "Envelope glycoprotein gp120 is...

Antibody Responses Absent in HIV Exposed Uninfected Sex Workers.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Specific mucosal antibody responses were not found in sex workers from the Gambia who had been exposed to HIV but remained uninfected, reported researchers in the United States. "Specific antibodies to...

Controversy Continues in Nigeria Over Supposed Preventive and Curative Vaccine.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Nigerian government is butting heads with Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka over Abalaka's AIDS vaccine, with the government taking the latest hit. Abalaka claims to have successfully produced a vaccine that can...

Blood Exposures Reduced By Using Safety Device for Subcutaneous Injections.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Risk of exposure to blood can be reduced if safety devices are used to provide subcutaneous injections of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), researchers in France say. "Subcutaneous injections account...

Antiretroviral Drugs Not Foolproof in Preventing HIV Infection via Sex.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients can be a double-edged sword, according to University of Pittsburgh AIDS researchers and their Brazilian colleagues. Investigators showed that while the drugs can...

Association of Protease Inhibitors with Hyperglycemia, Hyperlipidemia, and Lipodystrophy Confirmed.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Although researchers in the United States have been able to confirm that protease inhibitors (PI) cause hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and lipodystrophy in HIV infected patients who take these antivirals,...

HAART Positively Impacts HIV Patients with Cardiac Involvement.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduces the risk of cardiac complications in HIV patients, a new study shows. "Cardiac involvement is frequently observed in HIV infected patients, especially...

Hepatitis C is More Severe in HIV Infected Drug Users.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from Italy, infections resulting from hepatitis C virus are more severe in drug abusers coinfected with HIV. "Drug users with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are frequently...

Hospital Survival Rates for Patients on Ventilation Up 40%.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- The first research data directed at Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) patients who have suffered severe respiratory failure, based on figures from the most recent era of acquired immune deficiency syndrome...

Journal Article Suggests Prescribing Clean Needles.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Doctors should consider prescribing sterile syringes for patients who use injected drugs, according to an article in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The reuse and sharing of syringes...

Alabama Blacks, Especially Women, at High Risk for Acquiring HIV.(Statistical Data Included)
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- While AIDS virus infections are declining overall in Alabama, blacks account for about three-quarters of the new cases. Randall Russell, executive director of AIDS Alabama, told about 300 people attending...

p53 Gene Mutations Occur Early in AIDS-Associated Disorder.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Recent research from the United Kingdom suggests that p53 gene mutations may occur early in AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). "Chromosomal aberrations are a common feature of lymphomas...

Most Healthcare Workers Exposed to HIV Choose Prophylaxis.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Most healthcare workers (HCW) exposed to HIV through work-related injuries complete postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), researchers in the United States reported. "The purpose of this study was to evaluate...

HIV Infected Patients with TB May Present with Normal X-Ray.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV infected patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) may present with normal chest X-rays and a negative sputum smear, cautioned researchers in Italy. "HIV infected patients with TB exhibit atypical...

Immunomodulatory Therapy Helps Manage Opportunistic Infections in HIV Patients.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Immunomodulatory agents help manage viral infections in HIV infected patients, according to a new study. "HIV causes disease by infecting lymphocytes and progressively destroying critical regulatory and...

Continued Development of Coactinon Announced.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VIRS), Durham, North Carolina, announced its continued development of Coactinon in support of an NDA [New Drug Application] filing. Coactinon is a non-nucleoside reverse...

Red Cross Offers $53 million to Tainted Blood Victims.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Thousands of people who sued the Canadian Red Cross over a tainted blood scandal that left more than 11,000 infected with HIV or hepatitis C will vote on whether to accept a $53 million compensation package....

Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases Reduced in Croatia.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Croatia have determined that the risk of being infected with a virus from a blood transfusion in that country has been reduced significantly. In evaluating the risk, D. Grgicevic and...

Agreement Signed to Evaluate Pressure Cycling Technology.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Boston Biomedica, Inc. (BBI), West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, announced the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIHCC) to...

HIV Resistance Testing Contract Awarded.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a contract to Virco, Baltimore, Maryland, to conduct the testing for the agency's pivotal survey of transmission of drug-resistant strains...

AIDS Alliance Launches New Consumer Initiative.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- The AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, & Families on August 7, 2000, unveiled a national consumer initiative that will provide education, training, and resources to HIV affected youth, women, and families....

AIDS Symposium Addresses Myths and Treatment.(Statistical Data Included)
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Physicians and other medical personnel attended a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, hoping to dispel myths surrounding HIV/AIDS and find ways to address the issue in a largely rural state that often cannot or...

U.S. Government Considers Research Finance Rules.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new era of biotechnology economics that promises some scientists great wealth may cause conflicts of interest that affect patient safety and undermine medical research, experts say. At a U.S. National...

Clinical Trial Underway Studying New Anti-Angiogenesis/Immune-Stimulating Drug.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Participants are being sought in 15 cities across the U.S. to take part in a clinical trial with a new cancer drug that can be self-administered as nose drops and has a favorable safety profile. A total...

Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Studied at Teaching Hospital.(Statistical Data Included)
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States evaluated healthcare workers' (HCW) risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens at a community teaching hospital. "Because occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens can...

Breaking the Silence on Abuse of Women and HIV.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- At the XIII International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, in July, the World Health Organization (WHO) sought to break the silence about how violence contributes to the AIDS epidemic. "Violence...