Vaccine works in monkeys
A vaccine made from killed SIV, the AIDS
vims for monkeys, protected eight out of nine
monkeys from later infection with SIV.
Researchers at Tulane University injected
monkeys with vaccine and repeated the
injections one month, two months, and 13
months later. Next the researchers tried to
infect the monkeys by injecting them with
concentrated solutions of SIV. Usually
monkeys infected with SIV develop AIDS and
die within seven months. But all of the
vaccinated monkeys were alive one year after
they were injected with concentrated SIV, and
eight of the nine monkeys remained
uninfected. These scientists hope to develop a
vaccine made from killed HIV that will work
with humans.
Reference: M. Murphy-Corb and others. A
formalin-inactivated whole SIV vaccine
confers protection in macaques. Science.
December 8,1989, pp: 1293-97.
New treatment for KS in the
mouth
Gay men with Kaposi Sarcoma sores in
their mouths benefited from a drug called
vinblastine injected directly into the sores, say
Canadian doctors. If left untreated, KS sores
may cause pain, bleeding, and difficulty
swallowing. This new treatment causes fewer
side effects than the usual treatment.
Reference: J. Epstein and C. Scully.
Intralesional Vinblastine fo r oral Kaposi
Sarcoma in HIV infections. Lancet November
4,1989, pp: 1100-1.
AZT. They also fear that the improvements
seen with AZT may be temporary and deprive
the HIV-infected person of greater future
benefits from AZT.
Reference: J. Cherfas. AZT still on trial.
Science. November 17,1989, p: 882.
J E F F R E Y
Z U R L I N D E N
AZT study continues in Europe
Last summer the NIH ended an AZT study
ahead of schedule because preliminary results
showed that HIV-infected people without
ARC or AIDS benefited from taking AZT.
European scientists conducting a similar study
are not so sure. Although AZT will be
available to volunteers in the European study
who want it, the study will continue. These
European researchers believe that more time
is needed to demonstrate a true benefit when
otherwise healthy HIV-infected people take
•
Reference: B. Larder and S. Kemp. Multiple
mutations in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase
confer high-level resistance to AZT. Science.
December 1,1989, pp: 1155-57.
Gonorrhea increasing in gay
men
BY
protect the virus from AZT. They hope to
develop new and simpler blood tests that wui
determine if HIV-infected people taking AZT
become resistant. Using current methods, it is
almost impossible to know if strains of HIV
are resistant to AZT.
Researchers shed light on HIV
enzyme
Public health officials from Seattle,
Washington report that the number of gay
men with gonorrhea has tripled in the last
year. Although the number o f men with
gonorrhea remains small compared to ten
years ago, it could mean that fewer gay men
are playing safe and using condoms. Rectal
gonorrhea and HIV are spread in the same
way; and in the past, increases in the number
of men with rectal gonorrhea heralded
increases in the number of men infected with
HIV.
Reference: CDC. Trends in gonorrhea in
homosexually active men in King County,
Washington, 1989. MMWR. November 10,
1989, pp: 762-4.
AZT-resistant HIV
Researchers have long known that the drug
AZT does not stop some strains of HIV. Now
scientists at the Wellcome Research Labs
have discovered the changes in HIV that
To reproduce, HIV needs an enzyme
called protease. Protease from HIV has now
been pictured in great detail by scientists in
London. A detailed understanding of the
structure of protease will lead to drugs that
inhibit protease and stop HIV from
reproducing. Meanwhile, researchers in the
United States are studying the interaction of
protease and potential inhibitors. These
researchers hope to design drugs that treat
HIV-infections.
Reference: L. Risto and others. X-ray
analysis o f HIV-1 protienase at 2.7 A
resolution confirms structural homology
among retroviral enzymes. Nature. November
16,1989, pp: 299-302. M. Miller and others.
Structure o f complex o f synthetic HIV-1
protease with substrate-based inhibitor at 2.3
A resolution. Science. December 1,1989, pp:
1149-51.
Help keep JU S T OUT coming out. Send your non-tax deductible contribution to:
3000 For 10 Campaign
JU S T OUT
P.0. Box 15117 Portland, OR 97215
You U know it
w hen you
see it
Like love at first sight,
you'll know your new
nome when you see it.
My job as a professional
Realtor is to make the
process of finding your
nome as easy as possible.
You'll have my support
from start to nnisn,
through the search,
financing, and escrow.
I'll listen to your dreams
and your needs and put
my knowledge, experience
and resources to work.
Then comes the fun
part. Like sinking into a
comfortable chair, you'll
know the one for you by
how good it feels.
Call me. I'll help you
find your way home.
Cathy Siemens
Bridgetown UcH Ity
(5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 -9 3 7 0
(503)238-0135 (home)
\
With the AUTHENTIC
AL-721®
IMMUNE
If it’s not ALTRIGEN
It’s not AL721®
M .
Approved for Clincal Studies as an Antiviral
Treatm ent by Government Agencies in England,
France, Germany and Israel.
ALTRIGEN
EGG L E C I T H I N
E
T
H
I G
E
N
C O R P O R A T I O N
(800) 752-5721 • (800) 75-AL721
INQUIRIES INVITED: IRI DISTRIBUTION, INC.
4720 VINELAND AVE., SUITE
AJCA LAKtrCAtT^ORNIA 91602
24-48 Hr Delivery
e Throughout The USA
ju st out ▼ 5 ▼ January 1990