From: Billi Goldberg <bigoldberg@igc.apc.org>
Subject: CDC Summary 12/21/92
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6664
Organization: unspecified
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 09:37:43 PST

                        AIDS Daily Summary
                         December 21, 1992 
 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.  Copyright 1992, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD 

 "Drug May Help Slow Progression of AIDS, Early Studies Suggest" Wall 
Street Journal (12/21/92), P. B7
     The onset of AIDS may be slowed by the drug thymopentin when  used 
in combination with AZT, according to Immunobiology Research  Institute, 
a Johnson + Johnson unit.  The data on thymopentin,  also known as TP5, 
is currently being discussed by the company  and the Food and Drug 
Administration.  Marcus Conant, a San  Francisco AIDS physician, said 
the study followed the progress of 173 patients who received AZT plus 
TP5, and 179 who were  administered AZT plus a placebo.  Patients were 
subsequently  observed for development of AIDS, from a state of being  
asymptomatic to AIDS-related complex (ARC), from ARC to AIDS, or  from 
AIDS to death.  Dr. Conant said that after 48 weeks three  people in the 
TP5 group had worsened, while 16 people in the  control group had 
worsened.  A company spokesman said TP5 is a  synthetic hormone that 
imitates the active portion of the natural hormone thymopoientin, which 
is believed to incite the body's  immune system.  The drug, which is 
given as an injection three  times a week, has the advantage of low 
toxicity in patients who  receive it, said Dr. Conant.  Tests are 
continuing on TP5 in an  attempt to determine whether giving the immune-
booster can, in  fact, stabilize patients.  The early findings are 
promising, but  far from conclusive, said Dr. Conant. 

"Obituaries: Clara Hale, 87, Ran Home for Drug and AIDS Babies" 
Washington Times (12/21/92), P. B2
     Clara Hale, 87, who operated a home for the treatment of  drug-
addicted and AIDS babies, died Dec. 18 of complications from a stroke.  
Known as "Mother Hale," she was commended by public  figures including 
John Lennon and Former President Ronald Reagan. As recently as two 
months ago, Hale had continued to treat some  of the children sheltered 
in her modest five-story Harlem home,  said John Winkleman, spokesman 
for Hale House.  She began her  career that made her a symbol of 
nurturing and child care when  she was 64 years old and ready to retire.  
Hale's treatment of  the children was done simply, with no formal 
training and with  hands-on care and love.  The Hale House was started 
by accident.  Hale's daughter Lorraine was driving in Harlem in 1969 
when she  saw a drug-addicted women seated on a crate with a baby on her  
lap.  The woman was in a drugged trance and was in danger of  dropping 
the child.  Lorraine Hale, who is now president of Hale  House, said, 
"In a great act of impetuousness, I got out of the  car.  I lectured her 
and told her to take the baby to my mother." The following day, Clara 
Hale called Lorraine and said, "There's  a junkie at my door and she 
says you sent her."  Clara Hale  nursed the child through withdrawal and 
told the mother there was no charge for the care.  The news spread 
quickly, and within six  months Hale was treating 22 drug-addicted 
babies. 

"AIDS Victim Ricky Ray Remembered as "Beautiful Soul"" United Press 
International (12/19/92)
     Sarasota, Fla.--Ricky Ray, the 15-year-old hemophiliac who died  of 
AIDS, was remembered by family and friends as a "beautiful  soul that 
has touched our lives."  A letter from President-elect  Bill Clinton was 
delivered to Ray's parents by Sen. Bob Graham  (D-Fla.).  Clinton had 
telephoned Ricky while he was in the  hospital last month to show his 
support.   The letter said in  part, "The pains and trials that you and 
your children have  experienced have helped all Americans to show more 
understanding  and less bigotry about AIDS."  The Rev. James Martin, 
minister of administration at First Baptist lamented "an ongoing of this  
beautiful soul that has touched our lives and has touched the  lives of 
people around our world."  Ray died early Sunday Dec. 13 at the family 
home in east Orange County after a six-year battle  against AIDS.  He 
and his two hemophiliac brothers, Robert, 14,  and Randy, 13, were 
diagnosed with HIV infection in 1986 while  living in Arcadia, Fla.  
They are believed to have contracted HIV through contaminated blood 
transfusions.  Robert and Randy are  not yet exhibiting outward signs of 
the disease, said Dr. Jerry  Barbosa, chief of pediatrics at All 
Children's Hospital in St.  Petersburg.  Local officials in Arcadia 
banned the brothers from  attending school in 1986.  But the parents 
sued and a federal  court ordered officials to allow them to take 
regular classes.   Other students' parents boycotted the school for a 
week, and an  arsonist destroyed the Ray home in 1987. 

"Mother Teresa: Don't Treat AIDS Patients as Lepers" United Press 
International (12/18/92)
     New Delhi, India--Mother Teresa, of Calcutta, called for  worldwide 
compassion for AIDS patients on Friday, claiming it was unjust to treat 
them like lepers.  Mother Teresa, winner of the  1979 Nobel Peace Prize 
told the Rotary Club in New Delhi, that  AIDS patients need love and 
compassion and it was unfair to  condemn them.  The Roman Catholic nun 
said that negative  attitudes toward patients of leprosy have gone 
through a radical  change and said it is time that myths about AIDS also 
are  eliminated.  She urged people to pray for those who suffer in the 
world.  "Prayer will generate faith and with faith will flow the  stream 
of love, which in turn will culminate in service to  mankind," Mother 
Teresa said. 

"Three-Headed Dog From Hell" Washington Post (12/21/92), P. A21  
(Califano, Joseph A.)
     The new president and Congress can take significant steps in  
preventing, treating, and researching AIDS, tuberculosis, and  substance 
abuse, according to Joseph A. Califano Jr., president  of the Center on 
Addiction and Substance abuse at Columbia  University and former 
secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1977 to 1979.  The 
combination of AIDS, substance abuse, and new drug-resistant strains of 
TB threatens every person and fetus in America--and brings the country 
to the brink of the most  dangerous public health crisis in its history.  
Fueled by the  AIDS crisis and by substance abuse, TB is reemerging in 
inner  cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San  
Francisco, Miami, Philadelphia, and Washington.  Among children,  the 
rate of TB infections has risen 40 percent.  And in indigent  
populations, TB rates are worse than those of the poorest  countries in 
sub-Saharan Africa.  What is most alarming of this  public health crisis 
is that each of these killers and cripplers  encourages others to be 
more detrimental and difficult to  prevent, control, and treat.  By 
sharing needles and trading sex  for drugs, and through promiscuous and 
unprotected sex by  children that are high, substance abuse has become 
the prime  culprit in the spread of HIV infection.  Moreover, people 
with  weakened immune systems are more apt to contract TB, but harder  
to diagnose.  The funding of AIDS, TB, and drug prevention is  
insufficient.  Also, the small amounts the U.S. spends on  psychological 
and social research explain why we know so little  about how to prevent 
self-destructive behavior, concludes  Califano. 

"Neuronal Loss in Symptom-Free HIV Infection" Lancet (12/05/92) Vol. 
340, No. 8832, P. 1413   (Everall, Ian et al.)
     Clinical cognitive abnormalities are very rare in asymptomatic  
HIV-positive patients, write Ian Everall et al. of the Institute  of 
Psychiatry at De Crespigny Park in London, U.K.  The  researchers 
estimated neuronal density in the superior frontal  gyrus of 14 HIV-
positive patients and 15 HIV-negative controls.   All were IV-drug users 
and none had HIV-linked neuropathology.   The mean neuronal numerical 
density for the HIV group was 488  (94) compared with 479 (78) for the 
controls (not significantly  different).  The numerical densities were 
not significantly  related to age in either the HIV group or the 
controls.  Neuronal numerical density is a function of nerve-cell number 
and tissue  volume.  Although principle cell density could remain 
constant in the face of neuronal loss due to parallel tissue shrinkage, 
this  appears unlikely.  When these types of abnormalities are found,  
they are often subclinical and do not predict progression to  clinical 
dementia.  Explanations of the mechanism of neuronal  loss in AIDS 
include a neurotoxic effect on the envelope  glycoprotein gp120, which 
is thought to be effected through  activation of calcium channels linked 
to the N-methyl-D-asparate  (NMDA) receptor, and possibly neuronal 
vasocactive intestinal  polypeptide receptors.  Even though decline in 
neuronal number is a potential indicator of HIV-related dementia, it  
characteristically develops in late stage HIV disease and not  when 
there are no exhibiting symptoms of AIDS, conclude the  researchers. 

"Detection of HIV-1 DNA Sequences in Pre-Ejaculatory Fluid" Lancet 
(12/12/92) Vol. 340, No. 8833, P. 1469   (Ilaria, Gerard et al.)
     A significant proportion of HIV-1 positive men will have  
detectable levels of HIV-1 DNA sequences in pre-ejaculatory  fluid, 
write Gerard Ilaria et al. of the New York  Hospital-Cornell Medical 
Center in New York, N.Y.  The  researchers conducted a study involving 
14 HIV-1-positive men and 2 HIV-negative controls who provided pre-
ejaculatory fluid  specimens.  The specimens consisted of 100-500 ul 
viscous fluid  with white blood cells (WBC) and occasional epithelial 
cells, but no spermatozoa, although no man was azoospermic.  Specimens 
from  6 of the 14 men (43 percent) tested repeatedly positive for HIV-1 
DNA sequences in pre-ejaculatory fluid.  Negative controls tested 
repeatedly negative.  Mean age and serum CD4 counts were not  
significantly different for men who tested positive or negative  for 
HIV-1 DNA sequences in pre-ejaculatory fluid.  Ejaculated  semen is 
produced by the prostate, seminal vesicles, vasa  deferentia, 
epididymides, and testes, whereas pre-ejaculatory  fluid is produced by 
the urethral and bulbourethral glands.  The  role of these glands is 
unknown, but may be related to prevention of urogential infection--
suggested in part by the finding of  lymphoid cells in the mucosa of the 
bulbourethral glands.   Seminal fluid contains measurable amounts of 
HIV-1 DNA and RNA,  thought to be predominantly linked with WBC fraction 
as well as  cell-free seminal fluid.  The anatomical source of HIV-
positive  WBC in seminal fluid is unknown.  The researchers conclude 
that  the WBC in pre-ejaculatory fluid contributes to HIV-1  
transmission. 

"Invasive Haemophilus Influenzae Infections in Men With HIV  Infection" 
Journal of the American Medical Association (12/16/92) Vol. 268,  No. 
23, P. 3350  (Steinhart, Rachel et al.)
     Men with HIV infection or AIDS are susceptible to invasive  
Haemophilus Influenzae infections, including H influenzae b, but  such 
infections are still rare in this population, write Rachel  Steinhart et 
al. of the University of California--Berkeley.  The  researchers 
conducted a study of all men aged 20 to 49 residing  in San Francisco 
with invasive H influenzae disease.  During the  3-year time period from 
January 1, 1989 through December 31,  1991, there were 17 men who 
qualified for the study.  In all 17  patients, H influenzae was 
recovered from blood.  Among the 17  patients, 16 either had AIDS or 
were known to be infected with  HIV, yielding annual cumulative 
incidence rates for invasive H  influenzae infections among men with 
AIDS, HIV-infected men  without AIDS, and all HIV-positive men of 79.2, 
14.6, and 22.7  per 100,000, respectively.  However, only 33 percent of 
cases  were due to serotype b.  The corresponding rates for invasive H  
influenzae b disease were 11.3 and 7.6 per 100,000.  The  researchers 
conclude that rates of invasive H influenzae disease  they observed in 
HIV-positive men, particularly those with a  prior AIDS-defining illness 
is approximately 100 times the rate  of invasive H influenzae disease 
previously reported in all  adults. 

"Court OK's Payout Cuts on AIDS Claims" Advocate (12/15/92) No. 618, P. 
22  (Coward, Cheryl)
     The Supreme Court's refusal to hear a Houston firm's decision to  
cut AIDS-related payouts under a self-insured employee health  care 
program may result in other self-insured firms making  similar 
reductions, according to activists.  Suzanne Goldberg, an attorney for 
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF),  which represented the 
plaintiff in the case, Greenberg v. H+H  Music Co., said, "By refusing 
to hear this case, the Court leaves employers free to avoid paying for 
benefits they have promised to employees."  The case involves former H+H 
Music employee John  McGann, who filed a lawsuit against the company in 
1989 after it  cut its maximum payout for AIDS-related claims from $1 
million to $5,000.  McGann died last year, but the lawsuit has been 
carried  out by Frank Greenberg, the executor of McGann's estate.  
Donald  White, a spokesman for the Health Insurance Association of  
America, said the ramifications of the court's refusal apply only to the 
defendant, a small "very atypical" company that chose to  self-insure 
its employee health plan.   James A. Kinder,  executive vice president 
for the Self-Insurance Institute of  America, a trade group, said the 
cutback was legal under the  Employee Retirement Income Security Act 
(ERISA), a 1974 law that  permits firms to self-insure employee health 
care plans.  Carisa  Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the AIDS Action 
Council, a lobbying group, said that her group will lobby Congress for 
changes in  ERISA. 

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