AIDS Weekly articles from November 2000

AIDS Weekly archives from November 2000

DNA Vaccine Controls AIDS in Monkeys.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A DNA vaccine, combined with an extra immune protein, delivers a one-two punch that appears to control a highly pathogenic AIDS virus and prevent the development of the disease in monkeys, a team of researchers...

HIV-1 Antigen and Immunostimulatory Sequence Stimulate Antibody Responses.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) Researchers in the United States report that they may have developed the ideal candidate HIV-1 vaccine for testing in both primates and humans. "We hypothesized that HIV-1 specific CD4(+) T helper immune...

Early Antiretroviral Treatment Has Immunological Benefits.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Spain report that early antiretroviral therapy has immunological benefits for patients with HIV-1 infection. M. Plana and colleagues at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona investigated "whether...

Marinol Might Reduce Associated Nausea and Vomiting.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Study findings show that 85% (23/27) of HIV/AIDS patients who added Marinol (dronabinol) to their current antiretroviral therapy had a 50% improvement in symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Marinol is...

Phosphonate Derivatives of AZT, d4T, and ddA have Anti-HIV Activity.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Phosphonate derivatives of nucleoside analogs have anti-HIV activity, researchers in Russia have determined. "It has been shown that 5'-hydrogen phosphonate of AZT provides clear inhibition of HIV...

Pancreas Often Involved as an AIDS Complication.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from Brazil, there are often pathologic changes of the pancreas in patients suffering from AIDS. "Pancreatic involvement in AIDS is rarely mentioned in medical literature," stated E.Z....

Estrogen May Reduce Risk of Vaginal Transmission of HIV.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Estrogen was shown to reduce the risk of vaginal transmission of SIV in a macaque model. "Postmenopausal women and women who use long-acting, injectable, progestin-based contraceptives, are at increased...

Artificial Intelligence Used to Unravel HIV Mystery.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data presented at the 5th International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection, Glasgow, Scotland, for the first time revealed the mutations in the genetic code of HIV that make the virus resistant to the...

HIV-1 Immunogen Fails to Increase Disease-Free Survival for Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Adding HIV-1 Immunogen to unrestricted antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not reduce disease progression among adults infected with HIV, compared to what is achievable by ART alone, according to an article in...

Researchers Say Resource Priorities Need Re-Allocating.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV prevention resources are not allocated in the most cost-effective fashion, say researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS). The UCSF...

Negative Life Events Affect Immune Status of HIV(+) Children.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Negative life events adversely affect the immune status of HIV-1 infected children and adolescents, a recent study found. L.C. Howland and colleagues, University of Massachusetts looked at "the association...

Advances in Avoiding HIV Transmission Via Semen Reported.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers announced results of research on HIV that may lead to the development of assisted reproduction techniques that will allow patients with HIV to have children without transmitting the virus to their...

Agenerase Approved in European Union.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) announced that its collaborator, Glaxo Wellcome, has received approval from the European Commission to market the HIV protease inhibitor (PI) Agenerase (amprenavir), in all...

No Genotypic Resistance Detected in Clinical Trials of Kaletra.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data presented at the Fifth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection in Glasgow, Scotland, held during October 2000, showed that to date, patients new to HIV therapy have not developed genotypic...

Virco Introduces Drug-Specific Biological Cut-Offs for Its HIV Resistance Tests.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data presented October 23, 2000, at the 5th International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection, in Glasgow, Scotland, identified and discussed new drug-specific, biological cut-off values developed by...

AIDS Conference a First for Middle East.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Organizers and participants in the first major AIDS conference in the Middle East expressed frustration that the conference received little attention in a region where public awareness of the disease is low....

President Mbeki to Scale Down Involvement in South Africa's AIDS Policies.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- After months of suffering withering criticism for his controversial AIDS policies, South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki has decided to scale down his involvement in his country's AIDS debate. The decision...

Expert Says Doctors Should be Able to Keep HIV Status Secret.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A leading health policy expert says the U.S. government should no longer compel HIV infected doctors to tell patients about their disease, reopening a debate that raged a decade ago after an American woman...

Six-State Study of HIV Patients Launched.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill hope to better understand the connection between life stress and the pursuit of health care through a $2.9 million study of HIV...

Experimental Drug Helps Rebuild HIV-Damaged Immune Systems Faster than Antiviral Drugs Alone.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Adding an experimental drug to antiviral therapy may help persons with advanced HIV infection rebuild their immune systems faster than antiviral therapy alone, suggest early results from AIDS Clinical Trials...

Transgenic Mice Aid Research.(in treatment of Burkitt's lymphoma)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists will be better able to fight Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare but deadly cancer that attacks children and AIDS patients, now that they have achieved a decades-long goal of genetically engineering mice to...

Increased Risk of Tuberculosis Recurrence in People With HIV-1 Infection.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- People with HIV-1 infection are at an increased risk of recurrent tuberculosis and could benefit from preventive treatment after the first episode of the disease, concludes research published in the October 28,...

Anti-Fungal Agent in Ocean Sponge Could Treat AIDS and Cancer-Related Conditions.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Working with extracts from a sponge found in the Indian Ocean, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution researchers have discovered unique chemical compounds that could lead to new treatment for fungal...

Cre-loxP Hammerhead Ribozyme Inhibits HIV-1 Replication.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Japan report that the Cre-loxP hammerhead ribozyme can inhibit HIV-1 replication. "An alternative strategy has been the use of antiviral genes that are delivered to uninfected cells as...

Non-Replicating Live Vaccine Protects Macaques from Challenge.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Oral immunization with a non-replicating live HIV vaccine protected monkeys from vaginal challenge with a pathogenic virus. "Development of a safe, non-replicating vaccine is the ultimate goal of the HIV...

Vaccine One Year From First Efficacy Analysis.(AIDSVAX from VaxGen)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- VaxGen (VXGN), Brisbane, California, announced that it is now one year away from its first opportunity to determine if its preventive HIV/AIDS vaccine is effective. The milestone was reached when VaxGen's...

HIV Neutralizing Antibody Binds to HIV-1 Envelope Peptide.(monoclonal antibody)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Certain peptides may help in the design of anti-HIV immunogens, according to researchers in the United States. "The human monoclonal antibody 2F5 (MAb 2F5) binds to a linear B-cell peptide epitope from the...

U.S. Congress Passes Needlestick Safety and Prevention Bill.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- On October 26, 2000, the U.S. Senate passed a U.S. House of Representatives' bill, H.R. 5178, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000. H.R. 5178 has strong bipartisan support and unanimously...

Lamivudine Has Protective Effect Against Hepatitis B in HIV Patients.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2000... 2000 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Individuals who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are highly susceptible to a number of other illnesses, including tuberculosis, hepatitis, and certain types of cancer. Researchers...

NF90 Activates Antiviral Pathway Genes Causing Resistance to HIV-1.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) The double-stranded RNA binding protein nuclear factor 90 (NF90) activates antiviral pathway genes that help cells resist HIV-1 infection, researchers have found. "A small subset of HIV infected individuals...

Discontinuation of Therapy Blamed for HIV Clinical Rebound.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy caused retroviral rebound syndrome in three HIV infected patients. "Although viral rebound follows cessation of suppressive antiretroviral therapy in chronic HIV...

HAART Improves Survival of HIV Infected Hemodialysis Patients.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) improves the survival of HIV infected patients on permanent hemodialysis (HD), study findings show. "HIV infected HD patients have a very high morbidity and...

Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers Occur More Frequently in AIDS Patients.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- In situ human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated malignancies in HIV/AIDS patients may be more frequent due to immunosuppression, report researchers in Denmark. "HPV-associated anogenital malignancies occur...

Variation in the Eotaxin Chemokine Gene Protects Against HIV-1 Infection.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States report data that suggest a promoter allele in the eotaxin chemokine gene may protect against HIV-1 infection. "Allelic variation in various host genes has been shown to...

Cornell Parent-Education HIV Program Shown to Improve Parent-Child Discussions about HIV/AIDS.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A Cornell University, New York, parent-education program has shown it can triple the likelihood that parents will discuss risk reduction and related information about HIV, the AIDS virus, with their children....

Official Says AIDS May Decrease Ukraine's Population By 2.1 Million in 2016.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- An already steep decrease in Ukraine's population could be hastened by AIDS, which could lead to an additional loss of up to 2.1 million people by 2016, a demographic expert said on October 27, 2000. AIDS...

Opposition Party Defies South African Government's AIDS Policy.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- South Africa's main opposition party said on October 27, 2000, that it was negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for cheap antiretroviral drugs, which it plans to supply free to pregnant women infected...

Unlicensed Test Sold on Web.(Ana-Sal HIV home test kit)
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hundreds of online shoppers may have unwittingly exchanged privacy for accuracy when they bought an unlicensed HIV home test, say authorities who are trying to find the buyers to warn them about the kit. ...

South-South Cooperation Key to Fighting HIV/AIDS - UN Official.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- United Nations Partnerships between developing countries - or what is known as South-South cooperation - is essential in limiting the spread of HIV/AIDS, according to the head of the lead United Nations...

Study of Female Condom Aims to Combat AIDS Worldwide.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A condom for women that never quite caught on in the United States is being studied to see if reusing it can make it more economical and help fight AIDS in developing countries. The Reality Female Condom...

Team Recommends Using Antiretroviral Regimens Beyond Pilot Projects, Research Settings.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Experts have concluded the safety and effectiveness of antiretroviral (ARV) regimens that prevent HIV transmission from mother to child warrant their use beyond pilot projects and research settings. ...

Study Indicates Remune Does Not Slow Disease Progression; Results Published Over Sponsor's Objections.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers led by University of California, San Francisco, and Harvard School of Public Health are reporting the largest randomized trial among HIV-1 infected persons conducted during the 1990s. The...

ViroLogic to Provide Drug Resistance Testing for Investigational HIV Fusion Inhibitor.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- ViroLogic, Inc. (VLGC) announced a research agreement with Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., to provide drug resistance testing services in the Phase III clinical program involving the investigational anti-HIV drug,...

Decrease Worldwide Reaches Target, But Many Countries Still Lagging.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The global death toll in young children has fallen dramatically in the past half-century and has even dropped below the target set a decade ago by world leaders. But the pace of decline has been slowing in...

Preliminary Study Findings for Adefovir Dipivoxil Reported.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) announced results from an ongoing open-label pilot study evaluating the safety and efficacy of adefovir dipivoxil 10 mg once daily as a treatment for lamivudine-resistant chronic...

Incidence of Hepatitis C Virus Low in HIV Patients in Singapore.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Medical investigators in Singapore reported that the number of individuals infected with both the hepatitis C virus and HIV is low in that country. They announced the findings of their epidemiological...

Remune Monotherapy Safe/Immunotherapeutic in Asymptomatic HIV-1 Patients.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to results from a clinical trial, Remune monotherapy is safe and has immunomodulating capabilities in asymptomatic HIV-1 infected patients in Thailand. "We examined the effect of a HIV specific...

B7 Co-Stimulatory Requirements Differ According to Vaccine Type.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Requirements for B7 co-stimulation differ according to whether the vaccine is a DNA vaccine, a protein vaccine, or a recombinant poxvirus vaccine, a recent study indicates. "Whether B7-1 and B7-2 have...

HIV Infected Mothers Not at Greater Risk of Morbidity from C-Section.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV infected mothers have no more complications than non-HIV infected mothers after elective cesarian section (CS), researchers in France reported. "Elective CS substantially reduces the risk of...

Health Care Workers at Risk of Bloodborne Virus Exposure.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Study results indicate 19% of patients admitted to the emergency room of a Mexico City hospital are infected with at least one blood-transmissible virus. "The frequency of hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B...

Cell-Free and Cell-Associated HIV in Plasma Can Be Eliminated.
November 13, 2000... 2000 NOV 13 - (NewsRx.com) Both cell-free and cell-associated HIV can be eliminated in plasma by a filtration/methylene blue photoinactivation system, say researchers in Japan. "Methylene blue phototreatment effectively inactivates...

Women and Men React Differently to Nucleoside Analogue Therapy.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- In a recent study, researchers in the United States observed that women react differently than men to nucleoside analogue therapy. University California, Los Angeles, researchers J.S. Currier et al....

Treatment of Hepatitis C in HIV Patients is Cost-Effective.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients co-infected with HIV is cost-effective, researchers in the United States assert. "The majority of persons infected with HIV from intravenous...

HIV Patient Presents with Rare Disorder.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- A man in Puerto Rico presented with the first documented case of plasma cell granuloma in the spinal cord in an HIV patient. "[Our purpose was] to describe the association of plasma cell granuloma in an...

Women Report More Anal Sex than Expected.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- When machines, not people, are used to conduct risk assessments in HIV negative women, the rates of anal sex are higher then previously reported, researchers in the United States reported. "To assess the...

Decision Analysis Suggests Checking CD4 Count, Viral Load Every Six Months.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to researchers in the United States, the optimal frequency for testing HIV infected patients for CD4 cell counts and HIV RNA levels is every six months when CD4 cells counts are >300 cells/(micro)l...

Time of Perinatal Infection Influences Rate of Neurodevelopment.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from the United States, the timing of perinatal transmission of HIV-1 infection influences neurodevelopment of the fetus. "Identifying HIV-1 infected children who are at greatest risk...

FDA Approves New Version of Drug.(eieqnowin3)
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on October 31, 2000, approved a new easier-to-use version of a standard AIDS drug that may ease patient complaints that the medicine is too hard to swallow. The drug...

Large Number of Patients Get Wrong Drugs in State Programs.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Medicaid programs in the four U.S. states with the greatest number of AIDS patients are failing to deliver proper drug treatments to large numbers of their patients, government-funded research finds. ...

Special U.N. Meeting to Intensify Fight AIDS Set for June 2001.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- The United Nations General Assembly on November 3, 2000, set June 25-27, 2001, as the dates for a special U.N. conference on AIDS. The conference will be held in New York City. A resolution adopted by...

AIDS Expected to Batter South Africa's Economy.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- The rampant spread of HIV and AIDS was expected to batter South Africa's economy, but it was impossible to guess exactly how badly, finance minister Trevor Manuel said on November 1, 2000. An estimated...

AIDS May Be Responsible for Half of Natural Deaths in Botswana.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- AIDS may be responsible for at least half of all natural deaths in Botswana and the government planned to review its strategy in fighting the deadly disease, according to president Festus Mogae. In his...

Nearly 25,000 People Found HIV Positive in Vietnam.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vietnam has 24,473 people who have tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, an official reported on November 1, 2000. The actual figure of HIV carriers, however, is in the range of 135,000 to...

U.N. Says Latin America Has to Address Prevention.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- To stop the AIDS epidemic that is ravaging Latin America, nations must learn to deal frankly with homosexuality and invest heavily in AIDS prevention, a top United Nations official said. "Twenty-years of...

Ukraine's President Decrees Preventive Measures Against AIDS Spread.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Ukraine's president Leonid Kuchma ordered his government to come up with a plan to battle AIDS in this former Soviet republic, where the disease is threatening to spread rapidly, the presidential press...

Worldwatch Says AIDS Devastating African Demographics.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- The AIDS epidemic in Africa is reducing life expectancy, raising mortality, lowering fertility, leaving more men alive than women, and producing millions of orphans, according to an analysis by an...

Phony AIDS Letters Sent to Dozens in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Dozens of people in Minneapolis, Minnesota, were sent phony, official-looking letters telling them they are infected with the AIDS virus. Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton's name and City Hall address appear as...

China Coping with Rise in Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Trying to combat a surge in sexually transmitted diseases, Chinese officials will crack down on quack doctors and set up a new center to oversee treatment. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were...

Care Has Improved in Scotland.(for those with bleeding disorders)
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study of the quality of care given to people with bleeding disorders in central Scotland through the years 1980-1994 showed improvements, researchers in that country reported. "To estimate the resources...

Kissing May Spread Cause of Kaposi's Sarcoma.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Most people do not think of kissing as a way of spreading serious sexually transmitted diseases. But kissing between men may be what spreads human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma,...

Novel Assay Quantifies HIV-1 Group M and Group O Subtypes.
November 20, 2000... 2000 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abbott Laboratory researchers have developed a sensitive assay capable of efficiently quantifying HIV-1 group M and group O subtypes. "Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genetic diversity...