                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      December 6, 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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"Suspect in Needle Attack Had 2 Previous Escapes"
"White House AIDS Forum to Be Attended by 250"
"Lifeline: AIDS Benefit"
"Prayer Power?"
"Australia to Ban AIDS Sufferers from Military"
"Catholic University Installs Condom Machines"
"Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Zimbabwe"
"Peptide T: Negative Trial Result"
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"Suspect in Needle Attack Had 2 Previous Escapes"
New York Times (12/06/95) P. B4;  Sexton, Joe
     Angel Coro, the man charged with jabbing a six-year-old girl with
a hypodermic needle on the New York City subway last week, 
escaped two times from the Rochester Psychiatric Center before he
left for a third and last time two years ago.  Rochester law 
enforcement officials say Coro disappeared from the state mental 
hospital in both July and August 1991, but each time was 
discovered by the police.  Three weeks after he left the hospital
in 1993, Coro--who has spent many of the past 25 years in mental 
facilities--the State Office of Mental Health listed him as 
discharged.  Meanwhile, Colete Lopez underwent several tests on 
Tuesday to determine whether she was infected from Coro's attack,
though it could be months before her HIV status is known.  Dr. 
William Brokowsky of Bellevue Hospital Center's pediatric 
infectious disease unit noted, however, that even if the needle 
was contaminated, the risk of the girl becoming HIV-infected "is 
small," between 1 in 250 to 1 in 1,000 cases.  Coro's appointed 
lawyer, Richard Siracusa, said that prosecutors have yet to 
request that his client be screened for HIV--a test which by law,
Coro can refuse.  Related Story: Chicago Tribune (12/05) P. 1-10
      
"White House AIDS Forum to Be Attended by 250"
Baltimore Sun (12/06/95) P. 2A
     Some 250 AIDS activists, researchers, and local officials will 
come together today at the first White House conference on AIDS. 
The morning's program will feature "subgroup" meetings on issues 
including research, prevention, and care of people with AIDS.  
President Clinton will then hold a round-table forum with 
representatives from each group to discuss the AIDS epidemic in 
the United States, according to White House spokeswoman Cathy 
McKiernan.
      
"Lifeline: AIDS Benefit"
USA Today (12/06/95) P. 1D;  Vigoda, Arlene
     In December 1996, opera singer Jessye Norman will perform in a 
benefit concert at New York's Riverside Church to help increase 
AIDS awareness among blacks.  Proceeds from the event--which will
also feature orchestras, choruses, dancers, and spirituals--will 
be donated to Balm in Gilead Inc., an AIDS awareness group.
      
"Prayer Power?"
Washington Times (12/06/95) P. A2
     Harvard researcher Herbert Benson claims that saying prayers or 
repeating words or sounds can alleviate symptoms of AIDS, lower 
high blood pressure, and cure infertility.  These repetitions, he
says, allow "many people ... to trigger a specific set of 
physiological changes."  Benson, a professor at Harvard Medical 
School, calls this method "the relaxation response" and contends 
that it can lower the rate of breathing and brainwave activity.  
Although he cites as evidence studies which showed that the 
relaxation response reduced visits to health maintenance 
organizations by more than one-third, Benson cautions that he 
recommends prayer only as part of a three-part approach to 
illness--the other two being medicine and surgery, when needed.
      
"Australia to Ban AIDS Sufferers from Military"
Reuters (12/05/95)
     Individuals with HIV, AIDS, or other chronic diseases will be 
prohibited from joining the Australian military.  "The function 
of our defence force is to protect Australia and its citizens, 
and our servicemen and women must be fit to serve anywhere and at
anytime as directed by the government," said acting Defence 
Minister Gary Punch on Tuesday.  Punch added that proposed new 
measures which exclude the defense forces from 
anti-discrimination laws guaranteed that military personnel were 
of "the highest medical standard."  Senior ministers approved the
plan on Tuesday.  Punch further explained that the Australian 
government was not discriminating against people with HIV and 
AIDS, noting that the prohibition also included such diseases as 
asthma, diabetes, gout, and recurrent migraines.
      
"Catholic University Installs Condom Machines"
Reuters (12/05/95)
     The University of Leuven, a 17th-century Catholic school in 
Belgium, has sparked controversy by installing condom machines on
campus.  Professor Dirk van Gerven, head of a student relations 
committee, explained that the vending machines were a responsible
approach to AIDS.  The action, however, could cause problems, 
because the Catholic Church prohibits the use of artificial birth
control.
      
"Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Zimbabwe"
Lancet (11/11/95) Vol. 346, No. 8985, P. 1258;  Malin, Adam S.;  
Gwanzura, Lovemore K.Z.;  Klein, Susanne; et al.
     During the course of one year, report Malin and his colleagues, 
64 HIV-positive Africans with acute diffuse pneumonia 
unresponsive to penicillin and sputum smear-negative for 
acid-fast bacilli had fibreoptic bronchoscopy performed.  One 
third of those patients had Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP),
nearly 40 percent had tuberculosis (TB), and about 10 percent of 
these were co-infected with both PCP and TB.  The strongest 
independent predictor of PCP was fine reticulonodular shadowing 
on the chest radiograph, and the best clinical predictor of the 
disease was a respiratory rate greater than 40/min.  The average 
CD4 cell count for all PCP cases was 134, while the median for TB
not in the presence of PCP was 206.  According to the scientists,
these factors should be incorporated into regionally applicable 
algorithms for diagnosis and treatment in nations with few 
available resources.
      
"Peptide T: Negative Trial Result"
AIDS Treatment News (11/03/95) No. 234, P. 8;  James, John S.
     A federal study of more than 200 subjects with AIDS-related 
cognitive impairment found no evidence that peptide T was useful 
in the treatment of this disorder.  During the trial, the 
participants received either peptide T or a placebo for six 
months, after which time each was given peptide T for an 
additional six months.  The treatment group evidenced no 
statistically significant improvements over the placebo group.  
The researchers also observed no toxicity related to peptide T.
      
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