
                               AIDS Daily Summary 
                                  June 1, 1995


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 Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"AIDS-Infected Patients Cost Hospitals Up to $260,000 Per Year, 
Study Says"
"Republicans Don't Enjoy Having Budget Compared to AIDS Virus"
"Scientists: Airline's Primate Ban Could Hinder Medical Research"
"The Stuff of Dreams Nears Reality"
"Some U.S. States Have Toughened Up on Tattoo Artists"
"300 People Face HIV Test after Rome Blood Probe"
"Progenics Report on HIV Antiviral Molecule Published in AIDS 
Research and Human Retroviruses"
"Exploring Transgenic Plants as a New Vaccine Source"
"Morbidity and Mortality from Transfusion-Transmitted Disease in 
Haemophilia"
"Under False Pretenses"
"In a New Light: Sex Unplugged"
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"AIDS-Infected Patients Cost Hospitals Up to $260,000 Per Year, 
Study Says"
Baltimore Sun (06/01/95) P. 16A
     AIDS patients--many of whom rely on Medicaid or charity for 
life-extending treatment--can cost hospitals as much as $260,000 
a year, researchers said on Wednesday.  A study in the Journal 
AIDS shows that many hospitals are so strapped that if Congress 
cuts billions from Medicaid, they may have to allot AIDS care to 
stay in business.  In some hospitals, AIDS patients take up more 
than 7 percent of the beds each day, according to the National 
Public Health and Hospital Institute study.  Also, an AIDS 
patient's stay averages 12 days, compared to just 7.2 days for 
the typical patient's hospital visit.  The Institute's president,
Dennis Andrulis, reported that inpatient HIV care cost $1.6 
billion in 1991.  While the average small hospital lost $92,000 
that year treating people with AIDS, the average deficit 
approached $260,000 at teaching hospitals, where most AIDS 
patients seek care, Andrulis said.  However, he added, the 
financial picture at teaching hospitals has improved since 1988, 
when the average loss was $500,000.  Continuing losses are due to
the fact that 90 percent of HIV-infected patients in public 
hospitals rely on Medicaid, Medicare, or charity for care.
      
"Republicans Don't Enjoy Having Budget Compared to AIDS Virus"
Washington Times (06/01/95) P. A6;  Garrett, Major
     On Wednesday, Republicans reacted to claims by White House AIDS 
Policy Director Patricia S. Fleming that their health care budget
proposals are as dangerous to AIDS patients as HIV.  Rep. Steve 
Gunderson (R-Wis.), a longtime advocate for AIDS funding, called 
Fleming's remarks "cruel, callous, and insensitive."  Fleming 
told participants of an AIDS conference on Wednesday that the GOP
budget would reduce services for poor AIDS patients.  The House's
budget resolution would reduce the projected growth in Medicaid 
spending by $187 billion over seven years, while the Senate's 
version would reduce growth by $175 billion over the same period.
Medicaid, which provides health care for poor and disabled 
Americans, makes up about 6 percent of the annual federal budget.
Due to rising costs, however, Congress has decided to let states 
administer the programs to see if they can lower costs through 
innovation.  Opponents argue that this move will encourage states
to cut corners of health care for the poor.  Fleming said the 
administration will fight the GOP Medicaid plan "to the bitter 
end."
      
"Scientists: Airline's Primate Ban Could Hinder Medical Research"
Journal of Commerce (06/01/95) P. 1A;  Koenig, Robert
     Lufthansa Cargo AG's decision last month to stop transporting 
primates has limited the supply of animals, and has scientists 
warning that their medical research will be seriously impaired.  
Officials at the German airline, which had been the largest 
transporter of primates, said they stopped carrying monkeys 
primarily because of the emotional campaigns waged by 
animal-rights groups.  "Clearly, this will impact many 
pharmaceutical companies and medical-appliance companies that are
required by the FDA to test new products on primates," said Joe 
Bielitzki, a veterinarian at Emory University who is an expert on
the use of primates for research.  Bielitzki also cautioned that 
because primates are critical to some AIDS research, airlines' 
refusal to carry them "could slow down some aspects of AIDS 
research by two or three years."
      
"The Stuff of Dreams Nears Reality"
New York Times (06/01/95) P. D1;  Fisher, Lawrence M.
     Several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are utilizing 
gene therapy to develop vaccines and treatments for various 
diseases, including cancer and AIDS.  Many of these companies are
discovering the difficulty of mastering gene therapy as their 
technique of injecting DNA into "deactivated" viruses raises 
questions of possible infection.  Analysts say that many gene 
therapy companies lack sufficient financing to complete their 
first products and will not secure funding in the public market. 
Among the companies engaging in gene therapy are Bayer, 
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, and Genetic Therapy.
      
"Some U.S. States Have Toughened Up on Tattoo Artists"
Reuters (06/01/95)
     Since the discovery of HIV, many U.S. states have become tougher 
on tattoo artists, a new report has found.  According to a report
in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 17 states 
have increased tattoo regulations and seven states now prohibit 
the practice.  Although no cases of HIV transmission through a 
tattoo needle has even been documented, there have been cases of 
people contracting hepatitis B while being tattooed, the report 
said.
      
"300 People Face HIV Test after Rome Blood Probe"
Reuters (05/31/95)
     Following an investigation into alleged violations of blood donor
regulations at about 50 private clinics in Rome, more than 300 
people must be tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, Italian 
health officials announced on Wednesday.  The move comes after 
magistrates learned that some donors at the Sanatrix clinic may 
not have been properly screened.  Sanatrix, which has been closed
pending completion of the probe, has denied any wrongdoing.  
Officials in Rome are investigating a number of private clinics 
on suspicion of violating the law.  They are also investigating 
claims that staff at public hospitals sold blood supplies to the 
private sector at greatly inflated prices.
      
"Progenics Report on HIV Antiviral Molecule Published in AIDS 
Research and Human Retroviruses"
PR Newswire (05/31/95)
     In the May issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 
researchers from Progenics Pharmaceuticals, the Aaron Diamond 
AIDS Research Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention report that a proprietary Progenics molecule potently 
and broadly neutralizes clinical strains of HIV in vitro.  PRO 
542 (CD4-IgG2), a novel recombinant protein based on Progenic's 
HIV Universal Antiviral Binding Agent technology, neutralizes the
virus by high-affinity binding to the viral envelope of the 
glycoprotein and by detaching the envelope glycoprotein from the 
HIV particle--thus inactivating HIV.  The company is developing 
the molecule for post-exposure prophylaxis and immunotherapy.  
Progenics intends to file an Investigational New Drug application
on PRO 542 and begin Phase I clinical trials by early 1996.
      
"Exploring Transgenic Plants as a New Vaccine Source"
Science (05/05/95) Vol. 268, No. 5211, P. 658;  Moffat, Anne 
Simon
     Recent research results suggest the possibility of genetically 
engineering plants and plant viruses to produce vaccines for 
diseases ranging from bacterial diarrhea to AIDS.  Jan Holmgren 
an immunologist at the University of Goteborg warns of "a lot of 
unknowns" and hazards surrounding plant vaccines, such as the 
need to purify the vaccines of toxic plant materials and 
alkaloids.  However, David Russell, director of plant molecular 
biology at Agracetus Inc., contends that plant-made proteins 
would be easy to produce and less expensive than current 
vaccines.  A team led by plant scientist Charles Arntzen of Texas
A& M University is investigating the possibility of engineering 
edible plants with plant-based vaccines.  Arntzen introduced a 
gene encoding a surface protein from the hepatitis B virus and an
enterotoxin into the tobacco plants to demonstrate that plants 
can elicit an immune response in animals.  Several concerns 
surrounded his experiment, such as the effect of other immunizing
proteins aside from enterotoxin and the selection of appropriate 
foods.  Agracetus has found that plant proteins in genetically 
engineered soybeans can create the monoclonal antibody, BR96, 
which is used in cancer therapy.  In addition, Jack Johnson of 
Purdue University, George Lomonosoff of the John Innes Institute,
and Lisa Wisniewski of Axis Genetics have placed fragments of the
HIV gp41 surface protein on a cowpea mosaic.  Wisniewski said, 
"The results indicated the possibility of producing a preventive 
HIV vaccine by presenting a cocktail of specific HIV epitopes on 
the surface of a plant virus."
      
"Morbidity and Mortality from Transfusion-Transmitted Disease in 
Haemophilia"
Lancet (05/20/95) Vol. 345, No. 8960, P. 1309;  Lee, Christine A.
;  Sabin, Caroline A.;  Phillips, Andrew N. et al.
     Lee et al. report that 111 male hemophiliacs at London's Royal 
Free Hospital Haemophilia Centre were infected with HIV between 
1979 and 1985.  The men, who are reviewed at least every six 
months, have been followed for up to 15 years since HIV 
seroconversion.  At the time of HIV infection, the men were 
coinfected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).  As of Jan. 1, 1995,
61 men were still alive, six of whom have AIDS.  The average time
to AIDS progression in this group is now 14.2 years.  A total of 
13 patients have shown no signs of HIV infection.  HCV 
progression in HIV-infected patients is accelerated by 
coinfection with HIV.  Overall, 9 of the 50 men who died 
experienced liver failure.  Although the prospect of mortality 
and morbidity related to HCV infection is of concern, there is no
reliable indicator of which patients are likely to develop liver 
disease.  As efforts are made to increase the life expectancy of 
HIV-infected hemophiliacs, substantial morbidity and mortality 
related to HCV infection are likely to occur, the authors 
conclude.
      
"Under False Pretenses"
Advocate (05/16/95) No. 681, P. 34;  Dahir, Mubarak
     Researchers who conduct clinical trials advise against cheating 
not only to protect their data, but also to protect patients' 
health.  However, an unknown number of participants in AIDS 
clinical trials routinely violate the conditions of the study.  
"Nathan," for example, analyzed a sample of a liquid with which 
he has been injecting himself as part of a double-blind study.  
If the liquid contains a drug, he will remain in the trial.  But 
if it is a placebo, he will leave the study to enroll in another.
"The strategy is to jump from study to study and get as much 
short-term benefit as you can," he explains.  Some patients 
falsify their medical history to qualify, seeking access to new 
drugs or improved health care.  Others, like Nathan, have their 
drugs tested or change the dosage.  While some experts on AIDS 
clinical trials estimate the number of cheaters is less than 10 
percent of all those enrolled, others say the number is higher.  
"It is very prevalent," says Petros Levounis of the Columbia 
University School of Medicine.  Drug trials are designed with 
safeguards to detect cheating.  Research sites are regularly 
inspected and blood tests can sometimes reveal whether a patient 
is taking certain drugs.  Still, if a person is intent on 
cheating, he or she will find a way to do it.  The best way to 
reduce cheating on trials, says Tulane University's Lynn Besch, 
is to win the participants' trust prior to the trial by getting 
them involved in planning and review stages as early as possible.

"In a New Light: Sex Unplugged", Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (5/23/95)
     Thursday night, June 1st from 8-9 pm ET, ABC-TV is presenting
the fourth annual "IN A NEW LIGHT," a public information outreach 
special. This year's show is subtitled, "SEX UNPLUGGED" and will 
deal with the pressure that young people feel to become sexually 
active.  The show focuses on teenagers who have chosen abstinence, 
decided to postpone sex, or are sexually active and are protecting
themselves. Special events are being planned in communities across 
the country in coordination with the airing of the primetime telecast. 
Contact the CDC National AIDS Hotline (800) 342-2437) for additional 
information, receive an information packet and to register your viewing 
event.  You may also call the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse at 
(800) 458-5231 to have the packet faxed to you on NAC FAX.  
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