AIDS Weekly articles from September 2001

AIDS Weekly archives from September 2001

Antiretroviral Therapy Effective For African Patients.
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - African patients infected with HIV realize as much benefit from potent antiretroviral therapy as European or other patients, researchers say. Alexander...

Some Groups Have Benefited Less From Antiretroviral Therapy.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Potent antiretroviral therapy has benefited some demographic groups of HIV patients more than others, researchers in Maryland report. "The advent of highly...

Puberty Delayed In Perinatally Infected Children.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Health care workers providing treatment for adolescents infected with HIV at birth may need to deal with psychological issues stemming from delayed puberty,...

Erythrocyte-Delivered Drug Can Protect Macrophages.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Italy have developed a novel method for delivering protective drugs to macrophages at risk of HIV infection. "Monocyte-derived macrophages...

Antiretroviral Treatment Response Improves Chemotherapy Response.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients with HIV or AIDS-related lymphoma are more likely to achieve benefit from chemotherapy if they undergo successful antiretroviral treatment, researchers...

Stimulating Innate Human Immune System May Retard Disease Progression.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research published in the August 2001 issue of the journal Experimental Hematology presents laboratory findings that could lead to an antibody-based medication that prevents or attenuates the...

"Chemical Condoms" Safe, Effective For Primates.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A number of "chemical condoms" now being studied may help protect women from sexual transmission of HIV, according to researchers in England. "Vaginal...

Immunoglobulin A Antibodies Useful For Pediatric Testing.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Argentina say that testing for HIV specific antibodies is a cost-effective method of screening infants in developing countries for HIV infection....

Cerebrospinal Fluid CD23 Levels Can Mark AIDS-Related Disease.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Levels of soluble CD23 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AIDS patients can be used to diagnose AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has spread to the brain...

Antiretroviral Therapy Effective For African Patients.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - African patients infected with HIV realize as much benefit from potent antiretroviral therapy as European or other patients, researchers say. Alexander J....

Effective Treatments Lacking For Most Desperate Patients.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New medications are urgently needed for individuals who have drug-resistant HIV, and academia, industry, and government must work together to bring them into the clinic, urged AIDS researchers in an...

Improved Lipoprotein Profile In Patients Taking Nevirapine.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Preliminary findings from three studies presented at the First International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment, July 2001, demonstrate that HIV positive individuals taking a...

Pill Touted As Cure Is Useless, Declares Thai Government.
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A pill that was distributed free by a private foundation to thousands of people as an AIDS cure appears to be useless, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand has said. The Salang Bunnag Foundation,...

Resistance Tests Can Predict Response Up To Two Years.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A retrospective study presented at the First International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment, July 2001, showed that Virco's resistance tests can predict clinical response to HIV...

Study Reports On Viremia Suppression By Quadruple Combination Therapy.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Quadruple combination HIV therapy with efavirenz (brand name: Sustiva; DuPont Pharmaceuticals), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), plus nelfinavir and two nucleoside reverse...

Survey Suggests Few HIV Patients Are Aware Of Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Awareness of the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV related anemia among people living with HIV remains alarmingly low, according to the results of a small, first-of-its-kind survey of 669 HIV...

Rapid New HIV Test To Be Released Soon.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BICO, Incorporated (BIKO), a subsidiary of Rapid HIV Detection Corp. (Rapid Corp.), has acquired the worldwide marketing rights for a new HIV diagnostic test known as InstantScreen(R). The...

Asia Sex Industry Hurts AIDS Efforts.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Asia's sex industry is growing rapidly and diversifying, making efforts to control AIDS more difficult, the World Health Organization (WHO) said August 13, 2001. It said Asia has managed to greatly...

AIDS Cases In The U.S.: Not Growing, But Not Declining Either.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The declines in the number of Americans contracting HIV and those dying of AIDS are leveling off, signaling a disturbing turning point in the 20-year epidemic, federal health officials said August 13,...

Sweden Sees 48% Increase In New HIV Cases, Numbers For Vietnam Reported.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of new cases of HIV reported in Sweden increased by 48% in the first half of 2001 compared with the same period last year, the Swedish Institute for Infection Disease Control said August 8,...

HLA Allele Expression Does Not Predict T-Cell Targets.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele expression does not reliably predict the immune response to cells infected by HIV, according to researchers in the United...

CDC Reports Many Americans Discover Infection Status Late.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 40% of HIV positive Americans don't know they are infected until just before developing full-blown AIDS, sometimes missing out on a decade or more of treatment, suggests a government study...

Study Confirms Infection From Receptive Oral Sex Occurs Rarely.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) found the probability of HIV infection through unprotected receptive oral sex with a...

Simplified Simian Virus May Be Useful For Study.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe have developed a simplified but functional version of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which may be useful for study purposes. ...

Dysfunctional Cytotoxic T Cells Underlie Pathogenesis.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe have shown that functional deficits in some immune cells may be a factor in the development of AIDS-related lymphomas. "Acquired...

NIH Report Shows That Condoms Do Not Provide Safe Sex.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Condoms, long the mainstay of the safe-sex public health model, do not protect against the spread of nearly all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to a benchmark report released by the U.S....

National Minority AIDS Council To Government: Condom Report Is Dangerous.
September 3, 2001... 2001 SEP 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) labeled as "misleading and dangerous" a report from the U.S. National Institutes of Health that suggests, in part, that condoms are not effective in the halt of...

Once-Daily Antiretroviral Regimen Safe, Effective.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in California say that an antiretroviral regimen consisting of four medications taken once a day can provide safe and effective control of HIV...

Heimlich Valve Reduces Mortality For AIDS Patients.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - AIDS patients who fail to respond to conventional treatments for collapsed lungs should be implanted with a Heimlich valve, which can provide prompt...

False-Positive Epstein-Barr Antibody Test Results Reported In Patients With Primary HIV Infection.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physicians with high-risk patients who present with symptoms of acute Epstein-Barr virus infection (or infectious mononucleosis) should consider a diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)...

People Heterozygous For Gene Mutation May Be Partially Resistant To HIV.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have found that people who carry one copy of a mutation that protects cells against HIV infection may be partially resistant to the virus. The new finding is reported in a study by...

AIDS Turnaround: Researchers Suddenly Upbeat Over Vaccine.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The scientists trying to create a vaccine to prevent AIDS suddenly seem optimistic, even bullish - words that have not been heard much in this perennially gloomy field. For the first time,...

Researchers Identify HIV Induced Changes In B Cells.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- One of HIV's most insidious properties is its ability to influence virtually every part of the human immune system. Antibody-producing B cells, for example, begin to malfunction early after people...

Scientists Discover New Details Of HIV Infection Process.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Laboratory of Molecular Biology have discovered an unexpected step in the process that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses...

Hydroxyurea May Reduce T-Cell Responses.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The DNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea may depress some T-cell-based immune responses, researchers in the United States report. "Hydroxyurea (HU) is...

Indinavir Inhibits Lymphocyte Cell Cycle, But Not Apoptosis.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Contrary to some reports, researchers in the United States say that the protease inhibitor indinavir does not prevent programmed cell death of white blood...

Macrophage Inflammatory Protein Isoforms Have Different Antiviral Effects.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Belgium have modified an HIV inhibiting version of macrophage inflammatory protein to increase its antiviral capacity. "Recently, the...

Nevirapine Superior To Protease Inhibitors For Drug Regimens.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Replacing protease inhibiting drugs in antiretroviral regimens with nevirapine or other non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) improves...

Stimulating Innate Human Immune System May Halt Disease Progression.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New laboratory findings could lead to an antibody-based medication that prevents or attenuates the progression of HIV to AIDS. This research advance is based on new insights into the emerging...

Immunostimulatory DNA Sequences Stimulate Immune Responses.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dynavax's proprietary immunostimulatory DNA sequences (ISS) have been shown effective in producing potent immune responses in mice when linked to envelope protein gp120 antigen. In the study,...

New Method Engineers HIV Zinc Finger Proteins.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Recently published research describes a new system that permits the rapid engineering of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) able to bind in a highly specific fashion to more diverse DNA sequences than was...

Kenyan Study Could Help Other African Countries Improve HIV Blood-Transfusion Strategies.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A 1994 study that highlighted the problem of HIV-1 transmission from blood-transfusion programs in Kenya, and which resulted in positive government action, could help other African countries...

Women At Higher Risk For Human Papillomavirus Virus Infection.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Female HIV patients have a high prevalence of coinfection with human papillomavirus, which is a risk factor for cervical cancer, researchers in Mexico...

IP-10 Elevation Triggered By HIV Envelope Protein.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The HIV envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) triggers astrocyte expression of a protein found at high levels in patients suffering from HIV dementia,...

Microglial Response To HIV Protein Surprisingly Low.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Microglial activity that characterizes HIV dementia seems to be provoked by the body's own chemical messengers, rather than by exposure to HIV envelope...

Cyclophosphamide-Based Chemotherapy Provides Limited Benefit.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimen can provide some benefit for patients suffering from HIV related non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but their outlook...

Patents For First AIDS Vaccine Specifically Designed For Africa Will Be Jointly Owned.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The partners involved in developing and testing the first HIV/AIDS vaccine specifically designed for an African strain of the disease have agreed to joint ownership of the drug's patents. ...

Contraceptive Safe And Effective Against HIV Transmission.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a recent paper, scientists at Parker Hughes Cancer Center reported that 5-bromo-6-methoxy-5,6,-dihydro-3'-azidothymidine-5'-(p-bromophenyl) methyoxyalaninyl phosphate (WHI-07), a potent...

Children With HIV Might Benefit From Immunization.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2001... 2001 SEP 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results of a hospital-based study in Malawi suggest that children with HIV infection could potentially benefit from vaccination against rotaviruses, the main cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea...

Porcine Thymus Tissue Can Aid Immune Recovery.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Thymic tissue from swine can support the expansion of blood progenitor cells in humans, researchers in Massachusetts report. "Transplantation of swine...

Cesarean Section Safe For Infected Mothers.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Women infected with HIV can undergo cesarean sections without an undue risk of severe complications, researchers in South Africa report. H.S. Cronje...

Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Blockers Inhibit Viral Activity.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Drugs that interfere with the function of one class of cell-cycle blockers may represent a potent class of HIV inhibitors, researchers report. ...

Indinavir-Ritonavir Treatment May Cause Ingrown Toenails.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Delaware warn that severe cases of ingrown toenails have been observed in HIV patients treated with indinavir (IDV) and ritonavir (RTV). ...

HIV Drug Resistance Isn't Due To Drug-Resistant Strains, Scientists Say.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of drug-resistant HIV cases has already reached epidemic proportions in San Francisco, but transmission of drug-resistant strains is not to blame, reports a new UCLA/UCSF study in the...

Rabies-Based Vector Triggers Anti-Gag Response.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Rabies virus-based vectors that express the Gag protein have shown promise as an HIV vaccine candidate, researchers in the United States report. ...

Brazil Withdraws Threat To Ignore Drug Patents.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Brazil withdrew its threat to ignore patents and start making a generic version of a powerful AIDS drug after a Swiss pharmaceutical giant promised to slash prices by 40%. Health Minister Jose...

NIAID Director Gives AIDS Vaccine Update.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reviewed recent research progress as well as key...

Phase I/II Clinical Trial Of ANTICORT Completed.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Samaritan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced it has completed its Phase Ib/IIa, dose-escalating clinical human trial for safety, toxicity, and efficacy of Anticort in patients with HIV infection. ...

Researchers Say 42% Of HIV In San Francisco Will Be Drug Resistant By 2005.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The share of HIV infections that are drug-resistant will jump to 42% in San Francisco by 2005, according to a team of researchers. Estimating the current rate of drug resistance at 28.5%, the...

65th Meeting Of Expert Advisory Committee On AIDS Releases Report.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) held its 65th meeting on July 3, 2001. At that meeting, the following items were discussed and decisions taken: * EAGA was updated on the...

Saliva-Based Rapid Test Kit Hits Market.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Services International Inc. (MSITF) is pleased to announce that it has added a saliva-based HIV test kit to its current inventory of rapid test kits. Rather than using the invasive...

U.S. Health Official Warns Of Explosive Increase Of AIDS In China.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- China's AIDS epidemic, until now largely confined to drug users and others at high risk, could spread rapidly in the general population without swift and effective measures, a U.S. health official...

Firm Obtains Patent For Method To Combat Deadly Bacteria.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infectech, Inc., (IFEC) received a U.S. patent (#6,277,562) in August 2001, for "A Method for Paraffinophilic Isolation and Identification From a Body Specimen." This patent covers a method...

Signaling Pathway Blockade May Prevent gp120-Induced Neurological Damage.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers say that shutting down part of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway might help prevent HIV related neurological...

Viral Gene Expression Directly Involved In Pathogenesis.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Renal cell expression of HIV genes may be involved in the development of HIV-related kidney disease, researchers report. "Human immunodeficiency...

Tenofovir Can Protect Macaque Infants.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitor tenofovir (or PMPA) can protect newborn primates from the simian form of HIV and may be able to perform the same...

Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Provokes Transcriptional Elongation.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in England say that nuclear factor-(kappa) B (NF-(kappa) B) stimulates HIV transcriptional elongation in addition to its other effects. ...

Vif Protein May Play Role In Virion Function.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Maryland have presented evidence that HIV Vif protein, contrary to conventional wisdom, may be important for viral infectivity. "The...

AIDS Has Become Leading Cause Of Death In Thailand.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AIDS is the leading cause of death in Thailand - not heart attacks or accidents as previously thought, health officials said. AIDS and related complications accounted for 16% of all deaths in...

Researchers Show 'Friendly' Virus Slows HIV Cell Growth.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A team of alcohol have identified a "friendly" virus that appears to retard the growth of HIV cells. The researchers, led by Jack Stapleton, MD, of the Department of Internal Medicine,...

Tripep Researchers Identify Drug Candidate.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2001... 2001 SEP 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tripep AB (TPEP) researchers working on CTN 002, the phase II study of GPG(r), have identified a candidate drug for hepatitis C, entailing a breakthrough for Tripep's research outside the GPG...