                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                       July 27, 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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"Board Upholds Hill Staffer Fired Over AIDS Fear"
"Man with TB Infected 45 at Bar, Study Says"
"New York TB Cases Decline"
"Senate Votes Voluntary AIDS Testing for Pregnant Women"
"Campaign Launched for HIV-AIDS Issues"
"Across the USA: North Dakota"
"Deaths Probed at AIDS Hospice"
"Russell 2000 Advances to Set a Record, While Nasdaq Composite 
Tops 1,000"
"Failure of T-Cell Homeostasis Preceding AIDS in HIV-1 Infection"
"Customers Sue Illinois Insurance Company"
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"Board Upholds Hill Staffer Fired Over AIDS Fear"
Washington Post (07/27/95) P. A17
     A congressional grievance committee has ruled in favor of a gay 
man who claimed he was fired by Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins 
(D-Mich.) because she thought he was infected with HIV.  "The 
Office of Fair Employment Practices finds that [Bruce Taylor] was
terminated because he was perceived to be HIV positive or to have
AIDS and would require time off for health reasons," wrote 
hearing officer Edward Hosken Jr.  According to the Associated 
Press, Collins testified in June that she never thought the 
former aide and press secretary was infected with HIV or ill with
AIDS.  The congresswoman contended that Taylor was fired because 
her office was eliminating six positions following the Republican
election victory.  Taylor, however, claimed that both Collins and
her chief of staff, Meredith Cooper, knew that his partner was 
dying of AIDS and that he was asked if he, too, had AIDS.  Taylor
sought back pay, legal fees, and $50,000 in damages under the 
Americans With Disabilities Act.  The board ruled that he should 
receive back pay and pay up until the end of this month, unless 
he finds another job before that date, as wells as reimbursement 
for legal expenses.
      
"Man with TB Infected 45 at Bar, Study Says"
New York Times (07/27/95) P. A21;  Altman, Lawrence K.
     Epidemiologists have discovered that, in 1992, a regular at a 
neighborhood bar in Minneapolis, Minn., infected at least 45 
bartenders and other customers with tuberculosis (TB).  As a 
result, at least one patron died and others customers spread the 
infection to two more.  This outbreak accounted for 35 percent of
all new TB cases in Minneapolis that year.  According to an 
article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the case showed 
that the spread of TB at a bar can be "a major public health 
problem."  The recent rise in TB is due in part to co-infection 
with HIV, which weakens the immune system and makes it vulnerable
to infection with certain microbes.  The Minneapolis outbreak, 
however, was not associated with AIDS.  The incident does raise 
some important questions, including whether some strains of TB 
bacilli are more virulent than others.  Scientists have long 
suspected that such differences take place, but have not 
documented them.
      
"New York TB Cases Decline"
New York Times (07/27/95) P. A21
     As a result of improved treatment and infection control, there 
has been a significant decrease in the number of drug-resistant 
tuberculosis (TB) cases in New York City, Dr. Thomas R. 
Frieden--head of the bureau of TB control in the city Department 
of Health--reported on Tuesday.  In 1993 and 1994, cases of TB 
from bacteria that were antibiotic-resistant fell nearly 45 
percent from 1991 and 1992.  There were 435 multidrug resistant 
(MDR) cases in 1993 and 1994, compared with 775 in the previous 
two years, according to data reported in the New England Journal 
of Medicine.  "This has documented for the first time that even 
in the era of HIV, and even when there is a lot of MDR, 
tuberculosis can be controlled," Frieden said.
      
"Senate Votes Voluntary AIDS Testing for Pregnant Women"
Reuters (07/26/95);  Kirchhoff, Sue
     On Wednesday, the Senate approved a plan to expand voluntary HIV 
testing of pregnant women.  The Senate passed an amendment 
introduced by Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) to require 11 states, 
which account for 80 percent of all infants infected with HIV, to
implement guidelines for the voluntary testing and counseling of 
pregnant women.  Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) rejected the 
legislation and offered amendments to limit use of funds in the 
measure.  "AIDS is a chronic disease of sexually promiscuous 
people," he said, noting that "gay used to be a beautiful word 
but it's been corrupted."  The Senate voted without opposition 
for a Helms amendment to require the spousal notification of 
people diagnosed with AIDS.  Other amendments Helms wants put to 
vote include prohibiting the use of funds in the legislation to 
promote homosexuality or injection drug use, and keeping Congress
from spending more money on AIDS than on cancer.  A final vote on
the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act is expected today.
      
"Campaign Launched for HIV-AIDS Issues"
Washington Times (07/27/95) P. C7
     During a press conference today, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion 
Barry and Melvin H. Wilson, administrator of the D.C. Agency for 
HIV-AIDS, will challenge black residents to "Get the 411 on 
HIV-AIDS."  The African-American HIV-AIDS Mass Media Campaign was
developed in increase public awareness and inform the target 
audience about the AIDS crisis and HIV prevention methods, as 
well as to encourage use of available HIV testing, counseling, 
and treatment services.
      
"Across the USA: North Dakota"
USA Today (07/27/95) P. 8A
     In Fargo, N.D., a woman has claimed that she was too drunk the 
night she had intercourse with her boss to warn him that she had 
AIDS.  Cyndi Potete is the first person charged under a state law
that compels people with AIDS to inform sexual partners of their 
condition.
      
"Deaths Probed at AIDS Hospice"
Boston Globe (07/26/95) P. 28
     The death of at least one AIDS patient is being investigated as 
part of a probe into the unlawful dispensation of pain 
medication, Portland, Maine's chief of police has announced.  An 
investigation launched by the attorney general's office in April 
was turned over to the police when evidence of criminal 
misconduct was found.  Thus far, one nurse has been accused of 
illegally distributing morphine to patients.
      
"Russell 2000 Advances to Set a Record, While Nasdaq Composite 
Tops 1,000"
Wall Street Journal (07/27/95) P. C7;  Bauman, Larry
     Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stocks rose 1.375 to 16.125 following the
announcement of the results of its Phase I clinical trial for 
VX-478, an orally administered protease inhibitor for the 
treatment of HIV and AIDS.  The results suggest that VX-478 can 
be administered at levels needed produce sustained anti-HIV 
activity, the company said.  In addition, Vertex reported a 52 
cents per share loss in the second-quarter, compared with a loss 
of 35 cents in the same period in 1994.
      
"Failure of T-Cell Homeostasis Preceding AIDS in HIV-1 Infection"
Nature Medicine (07/95) Vol. 1, No. 7, P. 674;  Margolick, Joseph
B.;  Munoz, Alvaro;  Donnenberg, Albert D.
     Many have theorized about "blind" T-cell homeostasis--that a 
constant level of T lymphocyte cells is maintained independent of
CD4 or CD8 phenotype.  In a recent study, Margolick et al. 
confirm the relatively constant T-cell counts of HIV-1-infected 
gay men who have not developed AIDS for as many as eight years 
after seroconversion.  It was observed, however, that 
seroconverters who did develop AIDS had rapidly decreasing T-cell
levels for approximately two years before full-blown AIDS 
developed.  These findings indicate that homeostasis failure may 
be a key factor in HIV disease progression.  The researchers 
conclude that, in light of the high rate of T-cell turnover in 
HIV-1 disease, blind T-cell homeostasis may augment HIV 
pathogenesis through a CD8 lymphocytosis that interferes with the
regeneration of lost CD4 T cells.
      
"Customers Sue Illinois Insurance Company"
Washington Blade (07/07/95) Vol. 26, No. 27, P. 16;  Walsh, 
Sheila
     Seventy-seven clients of Universal Guaranty Life Insurance have 
sued the company after it tried to renege of hundreds of life 
insurance policies, many of which were held by people infected 
with HIV.  The Springfield, Ill., company offered policies for up
to $100,000, with as much as $1,000 a month in disability 
coverage.  However, when Universal learned that its independent 
agents were marketing the policies to the gay community and to 
people with HIV, the company tried to take back its offer.  In a 
letter to hundreds of customers last fall, company president 
James Melville said that the agents had fraudulently solicited 
applications for insurance for people who had medical conditions 
"that the agent knew the Company would not willingly accept."  
Melville offered a stipend--which was sometimes a little as 
$1,000--to customers who voluntarily returned their policies.  
The customers involved in the suit have all refused to sell back 
their policies, alleging that the policies are still valid and 
that Universal engaged in "deceptive trade practices."   They are
seeking enforcement of statutory penalties of up to $25,000 per 
policy for "breach of contract."
      
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