                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      August 31, 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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"Parents Sue Romania over Child's H.I.V. Infection"
"Digest: Glaxo Wellcome"
"Across the USA: Indiana"
"Survivor's Guilt"
"The Family Filmgoer: Kids"
"Shelbourne AIDS Housing Still Alive"
"A Human Nucleoporin-Like Protein that Specifically Interacts 
with HIV Rev"
"Treatment of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Patients in Zaire"
"FDA Warning on Raw Oysters"
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"Parents Sue Romania over Child's H.I.V. Infection"
New York Times (08/31/95) P. A3;  Perlez, Jane
     A couple is suing the Romanian Health Ministry for causing the 
HIV infection of their six-year-old daughter.  Unlike the parents
of many Romanian children who became infected with HIV during the
Communist rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, Iasmina Calinciuc's parents 
are willing to sue on her behalf.  "It is the moral 
responsibility of parents who have a child infected in this way 
to go to the courts," Violeta Calinciuc explains.  She and her 
husband, Gabriel, claim that Iasmina became infected with HIV 
after she was given antibiotics with a tainted needle when she 
was hospitalized for respiratory problems three years ago.  Dr. 
Strat Aurel Lulu--the laboratory chief at the Iasi blood bank who
did the tests on Iasmina when she was discovered to be 
HIV-positive last year--agrees, noting that the girl had never 
given blood, but had been given injections of antibiotics during 
her three visits to St. Maria's Pediatric Hospital.  Despite the 
obstacles of the Romanian legal system, including the 10 percent 
tax on potential awards that plaintiffs must pay if they are 
seeking damages, the Calinciucs say they are determined to take 
the case as far as possible.
      
"Digest: Glaxo Wellcome"
Washington Post (08/31/95) P. B14
     Glaxo Wellcome announced that it will now offer medical and 
dental benefits to the live-in companions of its homosexual 
employees.  The pharmaceutical giant manufacturers the world's 
leading AIDS drug, AZT.  AIDS activists who were members of a 
company advisory panel had been calling for the move for several 
years.
      
"Across the USA: Indiana"
USA Today (08/31/95) P. 5A
     On Sept. 7, Ryan White, the Indiana teenager who advocated AIDS 
awareness as he fought the disease, will be among the first of 
five inductees to the Kids Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.  
White died five years ago at the age of 18.
      
"Survivor's Guilt"
Chicago Tribune (08/30/95) P. 2-1;  Griffin, Jean Latz
     The mid-1990s are a confusing time for HIV-negative homosexual 
men, many of whom say they feel like "second-class gay men," or 
hide their HIV status even though they are considered fortunate. 
"Things are difficult enough as it is without the pity element or
the resentment element," one man said.  "I don't want people to 
feel uncomfortable because I'm negative."  Many HIV-negative gay 
men experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, anxiety, 
depression, and even guilt that they are still healthy while 
others have died.  Some therapists say they are seeing a mix of 
emotions similar to that of the "survivor's guilt" seen in those 
who lived through the Holocaust or who walk away from plane 
crashes.  AIDS educators say that efforts to destigmatize the 
disease and portray HIV-infected individuals as able to live full
lives may have gone awry.  "Getting people to make serious 
behavior changes is hard to do when you are pretending that the 
alternative is not too bad," says columnist Gabriel Rotello of 
the Advocate.  Two recently published books--Walt Odet's "In the 
Shadow of the Epidemic: Being HIV-Negative in the Age of AIDS" 
and "HIV-Negative: How the Uninfected are Affected by AIDS" by 
Willam Johnston--focus on the unique experience of being an 
HIV-negative gay man.  The books have been hailed as a validation
of these men's turmoil, though some critics say the authors use a
skewed sample of men with problems and miss the majority who are 
coping successfully.
      
"The Family Filmgoer: Kids"
Washington Post (08/31/95) P. D7;  Horwitz, Jane
     "Kids," an extraordinarily bleak portrait of New York teenagers 
caught up in a whirlwind of sex, drugs, and chaos, represents the
truth for only a very small percentage of today's youth.  The 
documentary-style film chronicles one day in the lives of a group
of friends.  It focuses on an obnoxious teen named Telly, a 
deflowerer of virgins who may be infecting them with HIV.  The 
film's sex scenes are graphic, though there is virtually no 
nudity involved.  However, the unrated film also features much 
profanity, drinking, drug use, and one brutal beating.  Parents 
should be note that while mature teens can handle the movie, 
others may miss the message, seeing only the misbehavior.
      
"Shelbourne AIDS Housing Still Alive"
Miami Herald (08/30/95) P. 10A;  Smoyer, Amy
     In a letter to the editor published in the Miami Herald, Amy 
Smoyer--coordinator of the Shelbourne Apartment Building in 
Miami--commends the newspaper for recognizing Dade County's 
incredible need to create AIDS housing.  Smoyer, however, 
clarifies a recent editorial by noting that while the Shelbourne 
was set on fire last June, the historic building was insured and 
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development--the 
grantee--did not back out on its award.  Smoyer fully expects the
building to be ready for its 24 residents with AIDS by May 1996.
      
"A Human Nucleoporin-Like Protein that Specifically Interacts 
with HIV Rev"
Nature (08/10/95) Vol. 376, No. 6540, P. 530;  Fritz, Christian 
C.;  Zapp, Maria L.;  Green, Michael R.
     Fritz et al. attempted to identify proteins that would interact 
in a yeast two-hybrid assay with both human T-lymphotrophic 
virus-1 Rex and HIV-1 Rev.  The Rev protein aids in the nuclear 
export of unspliced and partially spliced viral RNAs.  The Howard
Hughes Medical Institute team used the yeast two-hybrid screen to
duplicate human Rev interacting protein (hRIP)--which expressly 
interacts with the Rev effector domain, which is thought to 
interact with a cellular cofactor needed for the Rev response 
and, therefore, HIV-1 replication.  To determine the functional 
involvement of hRIP in Rev-mediated RNA export, the authors tried
to identify whether overexpression of hRIP could increase the 
activity of a mutant of the Rev effector domain.  The researchers
concluded that the interaction between Rev and hRIP is 
functionally relevant.  The properties of hRIP indicate that it 
plays a direct role in nucleocytoplasmic transport.
      
"Treatment of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Patients in Zaire"
New England Journal of Medicine (08/24/95) Vol. 333, No. 8, P. 
519;  Perriens, Joseph H.;  St. Louis, Michael E.;  Prignot, 
Jacques
     In response to letters to the editors published in the New 
England Journal of Medicine, Perriens et al. restate that their 
recommendation for a six-month limit on the duration of 
tuberculosis (TB) therapy was made in the context of the 
TB-control program in Zaire.  The authors admit the limitations 
of their study in detecting small differences in survival among 
HIV-infected patients who had been treated for six compared to 
those treated for 12 months.  They feel, however, that the deaths
of 34 of the 37 HIV-infected participants after successful TB 
treatment were unrelated to TB.  The positive rates of treatment 
completion in the study, therefore, demonstrate how supervised 
oral intermittent treatment by local TB clinics could reduce some
of the compliance problems experienced by Elliott et al. in 
Zambia.
      
"FDA Warning on Raw Oysters"
AIDS Treatment News (08/18/95) No. 229, P. 6
     Persons with HIV, liver disease, or certain other medical 
conditions should avoid consuming raw oysters because of the risk
of Vibrio vulnificus infection.  The risk is particularly high 
from oysters that come from the Gulf of Mexico, particularly 
between the months of April and October.  Although this bacterium
is not a danger to most healthy people, 40 percent of infections 
with Vibrio vulnificus are fatal.  The bacterium occurs 
naturally, not as a result of pollution, so eating oysters from 
reputable sources does not offer protection.  Proper cooking is 
necessary to completely kill Vibrio vulnificus and eliminate its 
threat.
      
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