AIDS Weekly articles from February 2002

AIDS Weekly archives from February 2002

Early Recombinant Interleukin-12 Treatment May Provide Protection.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Early administration of recombinant interleukin-12 can protect macaques from the simian version of HIV, according to researchers in the United States. Dr....

Thymic Size Linked To Progression Rate.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that thymic size is linked to the speed of progression in HIV infected children. "Early infection of the thymus, an...

Placental DC-SIGN Expression May Enable In Utero Infection.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United Kingdom have identified a protein that may mediate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. "DC-SIGN is a C-type lectin able to bind...

Blood Markers May Reflect Newborns' Potential For Contracting HIV.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Preventing HIV infected pregnant women from transmitting the virus to their newborns has long been a major concern for obstetricians. As such, many doctors continue to debate the benefits of elective...

Blocking Transmission Of HIV Virus Between Partners.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and their colleagues have made a significant advance in understanding how to block the transmission of the AIDS virus from one sexual...

Duplicated Vaccine Efforts Waste Resources.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The race to be first to develop an AIDS vaccine could have dire consequences. In a recently published commentary, John P. Moore of Cornell University, New York, argued that the competitive mentality...

Monkey Dies In AIDS Vaccine Test.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a study that illustrates how cunning a foe AIDS is, a monkey that was given an experimental AIDS vaccine died after the virus changed just one of its genes. HIV, which causes AIDS, already is...

Tests Reveal No Systemic Adverse Effects From MDI-P.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Discoveries, Inc., (MDI) announced that test results from WIL Research Laboratories have indicated that MDI-P, MDI's proprietary AIDS drug, produced no systemic toxicity in laboratory animal...

HIV May Increase Sexual Transmission Risk For Hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - HIV infection can increase the risk of sexually transmitting hepatitis C, researchers in Italy warn. "There are widely discrepant findings on the sexual...

Eventual Viral Escape From Cytotoxic T Cells May Limit Vaccine Efficacy.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - HIV vaccines based on the induction of cytotoxic T cell responses may not provide long-term protection, researchers in the United States warn. "Potent...

HIV-Like Virus Detected In Wild Chimpanzee.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An international team of researchers has identified a wild chimpanzee infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVcpz). The identification of the infected animal strengthens the scientific case...

Start Of Pilot Program Should Improve Healthcare Delivery In Africa.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... 2002 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PharmAccess International (PAI) announced the start of the CARE partnership pilot program to deliver comprehensive HIV healthcare in four African centers. Together with support and funding from...

Minority Patients Slower To Start, Faster To Drop Antiretroviral Treatments.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Minority AIDS patients in the United States are more likely to start antiretroviral treatments late and less likely to continue using these drugs, researchers...

Hepatitis C Among Predictors For Kidney Problems In Women With HIV.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Medical collaborators in the U.S. have cited hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection as well as several other factors for causing proteinuria and kidney failure in...

Antiretroviral Treatment Has Little Effect On Anal Morbidity.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Intensive antiretroviral HIV therapy does not appear to alter the course of anal morbidity associated with the infection, researchers in the United States...

Library Vaccine Shows Promise.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - An HIV "library" vaccine has produced promising results in a murine model, researchers in the United States report. "HIV-1 is a fundamentally difficult...

Nevirapine And Co-Risk Factors Affect Livers In HIV Patients.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A class of drugs used for treating patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may increase the risk for liver dysfunction when certain other...

Condoms, Education Dramatically Reduce HIV Spread In Thailand.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Public health efforts in Thailand successfully reduced the sexual transmission of HIV and AIDS, but the transmission of the disease through injection drug is increasing, according to a study conducted...

Rifampicin Reduces Nevirapine Levels In Coinfected Patients.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The antituberculosis drug rifampicin lowers in vivo levels of the antiretroviral agent nevirapine, researchers in Spain report. Dr. Esteban Ribera and...

ELISPOT Testing Can Help Determine Cellular Response.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) testing can be used to measure the effectiveness of HIV and other vaccines, researchers in the United States report. ...

Vical's Naked DNA Technology Used To Deliver HIV Vaccine.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study published in Nature describes the use of the Vical, Inc., (VICL) "naked DNA" technology in the ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine to combat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The...

High-Dose Cytosine Arabinoside-Based Regimens Effective As Salvage Therapy.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in California say that high-dose cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C)-based chemotherapy regimens can provide some hope for HIV patients with refractory or...

David Martin Is New VP, Drug Development.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced the appointment of David E. Martin, PharmD, to the position of Vice President, Drug Development. Martin joins Panacos from Bristol-Myers Squibb (formerly...

Commentary: Companies Could Reduce HIV Drug Costs to Zero in Poor Countries.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug companies could influence the fight against the AIDS epidemic by reducing the cost of HIV drugs in poor countries to zero, writes Donald Berwick in the British Medical Journal. He argues that...

AIDS Surpasses Black Death As Deadliest Disease In History.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In terms of illness and death, AIDS is worse than the Black Death of the 14th century. Ninety-five percent of new infections of HIV are in the world's poor countries and heterosexual transmission is...

Bioinformatics Research Collaboration Formed To Study Infectious Diseases.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Bloomberg School of Public Health have announced a $10 million bioinformatics research collaboration to...

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards 3-Year Grant to AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a grant of $600,000 over 3 years to the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC). Founded in 1995, AVAC is a consumer-based advocacy organization...

Triangle Plans NDA Submission for Coviracil, Discontinues Work On Coactinon.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... 2002 FEB 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) has provided updated information on the development of two of its HIV compounds, Coviracil and Coactinon. Following recent discussions with the U.S. Food and...

Intermittent Treatment Can Reduce Cost, Complications.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Controlled interruptions in antiretroviral treatment can reduce the morbidity - and high cost - associated with such therapy, researchers in the United States...

Viral Library May Aid Vaccine Development.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Japan and Thailand have developed an HIV viral library to facilitate the search for antiviral vaccines. "A major hindrance in HIV vaccine...

Nutritional Supplements Can Help Patients Gain Weight, Raise CD4 Counts.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Nutritional supplements enriched with peptides and some fatty acids can help HIV patients gain weight while improving immune function, researchers in Spain...

Prednisolone Doesn't Protect Against Allergic Reactions To Antivirals.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The anti-inflammatory agent prednisolone is ineffective against antiretroviral-induced allergic reactions, researchers warn. Dr. Ferdinand W.N.M. Wit led...

Controversial Oral Vaccine Said To Induce Immune Response.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Thailand say that a controversial vaccine can reduce viral populations and raise immune cell counts in HIV patients. Vichai Jirathitikal...

Bacteriophage Successful Against Resistant Bacteria.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are using viruses to attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Working with scientists from Exponential Biotherapies in Port Washington, New York, they...

AIDS Project LA Wary Of New Leadership.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) reacted with concern about the anticipated appointment of former Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) as cochair of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). In...

Roll Call: Study Shows How Bacteria Signal A Quorum.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have identified a molecule that allows bacteria to send signals between species, a discovery that may eventually lead to new drugs designed to disrupt bacterial communication. The...

Scientists Gain Understanding of Virus Nano-Machine For Cell Puncturing, DNA Delivery.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a discovery that could eventually lead to a new class of antibiotics, researchers have learned how the bacterial virus, bacteriophage T4, attacks its host, the Escherichia coli bacterium. ...

Study Finds Chronic Sorrow Higher For HIV Positive Women Than Men.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV positive women with children are more likely than men to suffer from chronic sorrow related to their illness, fear of death, poverty and social isolation, according to a study published in the...

Number Of Britons With HIV Set To Rise, Government Says.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of people infected with HIV in Britain will rise by almost 50% by 2005, health chiefs said January 31, 2002. The latest projections suggest the number living with the human...

Company Raises $41M In A Private Placement.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative anti-infective agents, today announced that it has closed a...

Activists File Court Papers To Get Medicine To HIV Infected Pregnant Women.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AIDS activists have asked a South African court to order the government to immediately provide medicine to HIV-infected pregnant women that could prevent the disease from being passed to their babies....

Amid High Hopes and Frustrations, Global Fund on AIDS/TB Holds First Meeting.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... 2002 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A special fund of nearly $2 billion to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria has moved one step closer to helping victims of the three diseases, which kill an estimated 6 million people a year. ...