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D ecember 11, 1996 • T he P oru and O bsi rver
■ « ■ N
i
Virulent spread of HIV infections among Minorities
A comprehensive report that sheds
new light on the terrible severity of
drug-related AIDS epidemic among
African Americans and Latinos and
the need for an appropriate govern
mental response is being released on
December 1,1996, World A IDS Day.
Joycelyn Elders, M D , formerUS
Surgeon General, in her foreword to
he study, zeroes in on the devastation
to African American and Latino fam
ilies in the United States where AIDS
is now the leading cause o f death
among persons between 25 and 44
“The shocking fact is that half of
those deaths are injection-related."
Said Dawn Day, Ph D., the study’s
author.
Among persons who inject drugs,
African Americans are four times
more likely than whites to have con
tracted AIDS, and Latinos are at least
one and a halftimes more likely than
whites to have contracted AIDS.
All racial/ethnic groups begin at
the same point: almost no AIDS cas
es per ni i 11 ion among those ages 16 to
20. The rate o f increase with age is
relatively slow for whites and more
rapid among Latinos and African
Americans. Thus by the time people
reach the ages o f 4 1 to 45. the inci
dence o f injection-related AiDS
among African Americans is eigh
teen times that of whites, and among
I atinos it is eight times that o f whites
Fortunately, there is prevention
technology available. Clean needle
programs are very inexpensive. Treat
ing people with AIDS is not. The cost
to society o f treating the 25,000 cas
es o f injection-related AIDS diag
nosed last year will be over $3 bil
lion.
"This powerful report brings home
the severity o f the problem o f AIDS
spread through dirty needles.” “ It
makes me angry!” "We do not allow
M cD o nald House o f P o rtlan d ,
D o e rn b e c h e r H ospital, L egacy
Emanuel Children’s Hospital, and
Shriner's Hospital have joined forc
es in an exciting project to enable
communications between children
and families via new video phone
technology.
Intel and IBM provided eight IBM
Aptiva personal computers equipped
with Intel Video Phone w ith Proshare
technology tothe Ronald McDonald
House o f Portland.
Each o f the V ideo Phone sy s
tem s allow users to transform a
reg u lar phone call into a video
phone call.
A video phone system will be
located at the Ronald McDonald
House and each o f the local chil
ravage every minority community
across the country.” "W e have the
tools and know-how to stem the in
travenous spread of HIV." “The only
missing factor is the determination
by our public officials to make sav
ing lives a higher priority than
sloganeering about ‘zero tolerance
for drugs. ” Said Dr. Day
The report, titled Health Emer
gency 1997: The Spread o f Drug-
Related AIDS Among African Amer
icans and Latinos, presents many new
statistics on the spread o f HI V among
African Americans and Latinos and
realistic prescriptions for policy mak
Genetic discoveries during the last
three years are enabling doctors to
test for four hereditary ataxias.
Ataxia involves a loss o f muscle
coordination often characterized by
balance and walking problems, clum
siness in reaching and slurred speech.
Many o f its varieties are progressive
"Knowing the type o f ataxic dis
ease can make a big difference in
disease m anagem ent,” said Dr.
Tetsuo Ashizawa, director o f The
Axalia Clinic at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston.
In addition to its heredity forms,
ataxia can also be caused by diseases
such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or
brain tumors or by drug or alcohol
overdose.
Baylor’s clinic, Ashizawa says,
focuses on inherited ataxias and
ataxias with no known cause.
"Once we make a genetic deter
mination o f ataxia type, we can pro-
dren’s hospitals. Additional Video
Phone Systems will be located in
the homes o f patients staying at the
Ronald McDonald House.
The Ronald McDonald House
provides a home away from home
for families with ill children who
have traveled a distance to receive
medical care in Portland area hos
pitals.
“As a result o f technology pro
vided by Intel and IBM, w e’ll be
able to keep children and their fam
ilies close when they need it most,
not only at our current location
also but as a service to families at
our new house scheduled to open
in April,” said Jan Stranski, O per
ations Manager, Ronald McDonald
House o f Portland, Oregon.
vide genetic determination o f ataxia
type, we can provide genetic coun
seling as to risk o f passing it on to
your children," Ashizawa said. “If
needed, we can do testing and coun
seling for other family members and
prenatal testing.”
Knowing the specific ty peofatax-
ia, also alerts the doctors to any pos
sible complications.
“There are different rates o f pro
gressive and different risks,” he said.
"A patient with Friedreich ataxia will
be at greater risk for heart, nerve and
glucose metabolism complications.”
Baylor’s clinic and Kleberg DNA
diagnostic lab currently test for
spinocerebellarataxiatype I (SCAI),
Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3),
F rie d re ic h
a ta x ia ,
and
dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy
(DRPLA).
Patients at the ataxia clinic also
benefit from ‘one-stop’ access to
Relief for Parkinson’s disease tremors
An electrode implanted in the brain
allows doctors and patients to “turn
o ff' Parkinson's disease tremors.
“The procedure, deep brain stim
ulation, is still in the research phase
in the United States,” said Dr. Rich
ard Sim pson, a neurosurgeon at
BaylorCollegeofM edicine in I lous-
ton.
The technique requires patients to
be awake under local anesthesia while
doctors implant an electrode into the
deep portion oftheir brain called the
thalamus. Once placed, the electrode
is connected to a transm itter and test
ed at different frequencies.
Teenagers risky behavior
Four leading risk categories make
the teen years especially fraught with
hazards. “ Drinking alcohol while
doing other activities, failure to use
safety devices, access to firearms
and sports are the big four," said Dr.
Albert C. Hergenroeder, chief o f ado
lescent and sports medicine at Bay lor
College of Medicine and Texas Chil
dren’s Hospital, both in Houston.
In the 1940's, school “dangers”
for teens included being caught chew
ing gum. running in the hallways or
wearing improper clothing. Today’s
teen must contend with drug abuse,
date rape and assault
W hat's a parent to do? Talk, in
quire and wait, Hergenroeder said.
“ Don’t wait for them to talk to
you. he said. “Talk with them first.
Many parents fall for the ‘not my
child’ myth and fail to realize their
teen could be engaging in risky be
havior.”
When talking, ask specific, some
times blunt, questions: What do you
do for fun? Do you drink and drive?
Do your friends? If your teen's be
havior is not risky, congratulate them.
Even the best teenagers will do dan
gerous things. Hergenroeder urges
parents not to give up.
Researchers believe the high-fre
quency stimulus generated by the
electrode jam s the brain impulses
that create the tremors.
“ T he re su lts are d ra m a tic ,”
Simpson said, “with tremors stop
ping while the current is in and start
ing once the current if off."
I he best candidates are Parkinson's
patients in good overall health who
have tremors as their main problem
and do not respond to medications.
The procedure has been success
ful in Europe and is being tested at
Baylor and five other U S medical
centers.
Children and cancer
Childhood cancer is extremely
rare, but parents can have a healthy
awareness about possible symptoms
by remembering the acronym Chil
dren.
“Childhood cancer can be diffi
cult to recognize because the symp
toms are similar to other childhood
illn e sse s,” said Dr D avid G.
Poplack, head of the Texas Chil
dren’s Cancer Center at Baylor
College o f Medicine and Texas
C hildren's Hospital in Houston;
however, parents can know the eight
warning signals of possible child
hood cancer by thinking “Children”:
Continued, unexplained weight
loss
• Headaches with vomiting in the
morning
• Increased swelling or persistent
pain in hones or joints
• Lump or mass in the abdomen,
neck or elsewhere
• Development of whitish appear
ance in the pupil o f the eye
• Recurrent fevers not due to infec
tions
• Excessive bruising or bleeding
• Not iceahle paleness or prolonged
tiredness
Department o f Energy (DOE) and
will be partially funded by DOE.
The two organizations have partnered
to foster production and use o f alter
native fuel vehicles.
“ We are proud to be a partner in
this project, which will kick-start the
medium-duty vehicle market for al
ternative fuels,” said Lee Slezak,
Federal Fleet AFV program manag
er for the DOE. "The dedicated
CNG two-ton delivery vehicles are a
viable option to diesel and gasoline
trucks, especially when used in high
annual mileage applications. The
knowledge and experience we gain
with these vehicles will help make
future offerings even better.”
"W e were drawn to Freightliner
because it is the only manufacturer
that offers a dedicated CNG package
in a walk-in van," said Han Dinh,
USPS project manager for vehicle
and carrier equipment. “ Freightliner
also has a long tradition of building
durable, reliable trucks The combi
nation o f Freightliner's reputation
with the CNG technology will result
in a superior product.”
“ W e're moving intoa new area by
building in the CNG technology from
the ground up. In the past, all CNG
vehicles have been conversions,” said
Marv Hoff, president o f Freightliner
Custom Chassis Corporation. “This
is a significant new market for us as
urban areas across the country work
to meet new emission standards and
improve air quality.”
The new USPS truck engines will
be built by Cummins, which has pio
neered production o f the CNG en
gine. The Cummins B5.9-I50G en
gine will be installed in the USPS
vehicles. By building a truck with a
dedicated CNG engine, the USPS
expects vehicles to be more efficient
and las, longer. Engines that have
been converted to natural gas often
do not have the extensive modifica
tions necessary to optimize perfor
mance.
Both the USPS and the DOE will
be collecting data on the Freightliner
Exercise alone, not diet and ex
ercise, is the key to keeping the
weight off.
According to a two-year study
conducted at Baylor College of
M edicine's DeBakey Heart Center
in Hou, ¿on, people who exercise
without following a restricted diet
maintain their weight.
“This confirms what we have
known all along-people who diet
fail at it because they feel deprived,”
said Dr. Ken Goodrick o f the Be
havioral Medicine Research Center
at Baylor. “By overcoming nega
tive attitudes about exercise, people
can learn to enjoy it and appreciate
the benefits."
The study consisted o f 127 over
weight men and women who were
placed in one o f three groups: a
diet-and-exercise group,a diet-only
group and an exercise-only group.
During the first year o f the study,
the diet-only and diet-and-exercise
groups lost the most weight. But by
the second year, both groups re
gained the weight.
I he exercise-only group mem
bers were taught by psychological
and physical benefits o f exercise.
I hey lost weight and maintained
the loss.
The study findings were pub
lished in the Journal o f the Ameri
can Dietetic Association.
3------------ 5»
ENTER
TO
WIN
§1,000 and other
“ It’s always a good idea to see
tour pediatrician if you have con
cerns,” Poplack said.
CNG trucks. The Gas Research
Institute has received a grant to as
sist in the monitoring o f the vehi
cles’ performance, durability and
emissions.
The 50 Freightliner trucks will be
delivered to USPS in July 1997.
The USPS currently has the larg
est alternative fuel fleet in the nation
It has converted some 7,000 mail
delivery trucks to compressed natu
ral gas.
Freightliner Corporation, head
quartered in Portland, Oregon, pro
duces and markets commercial vehi
cles in Class 4-8 and is a member of
the Mercedes-Benz AG group, the
world's largest commercial vehicle
manufacturer.
Freightliner entered in 1995 the
Class 3-7 bus and chassis market
serving the delivery walk-in van,
school bus, shuttle bus, motor home
and commerc ial air freight segments.
Freightliner is building on the CNG
experience to provide similar prod
ucts to other customers.
multi-disciplinary services.
“The monthly clinic provides neu
rological evaluations, genetic evalu
ation and counseling, physical reha
bilitation, psychological services,”
Ashizawa said. “Most patients come
to the clinic every three to four
months.”
Bringing ataxia patients together
on one day allows more communica
tion between patients, Ashizawa says
It also will promote better patient
awareness o f research opportunities.
"Baylor has a strong background
in ataxia research with discoveries of
the genetic mutations linked to two
major form s-SCA I and Friedreich
ataxia,” he said. “The ataxia clinic,
one ofthe few in the nation, is anoth
er way to build on our base o f infor
mation."
Clinic senior advisor is Dr. Hilda
Zoghbi, who discovered the SCA I
gene.
Keeping the weight o ff
great prizes!
New alternative fuel trucks in production
Freightliner has been awarded a
contract to build 50 alternative fuel
delivery trucks with Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) technology for
the United States Postal Service
(USPS). The two-ton mail trucks
will be used for daily delivery in New
York City
The vehicles will be some o f the
first medium-duty trucksoftheirtype
built by an original equipment man
u fa c tu re r (O E M ) to include a
Cummins CNG engine. To date, the
majority o f medium-duty trucks have
been converted to alternative fuel
and only buses and light-duty vehi
cles have been available from OEMs.
The Freightliner model MT 45
chassis has a Cummins 5.9-liter nat
ural gas engine which achieves a
maximum o f 150 horsepower at 2,500
rpm The truck will have a 148"
wheelbase, a gross vehicle weight o f
15,200 lbs., and two 16" by 54" fuel
tanks.
The contract is par, o f a joint
venture between the USPS and the
ers. Focusing heavily on authorita
tive studies that support clean needle
programs as a critical preventive for
the spread o f HIV infection among
drug-injectors and their wives, hus
bands and newborn babies. Dr. Day
presents a social, moral, and public
health policy analysis o f the AIDS
epidemic.
Dr Dawn Day is currently Direc
tor o f the Dogwood Center, and inde
pendent research organization in
Princeton, New Jersey. She is an
activist scholar with almost 30 years
experience as a research and writer
on social issues.
Ataxia testing improves
Ronald McDonald house children see
and talk to loved ones back home
Intel and IBM are providing vid
eo p h o n e sy ste m s to R onald
McDonald House o f Portland.
The Ronald McDonald House
o f Portland, Oregon unveiled a new
program for children being treated
at local hospitals to use the latest
video phone technology to see and
hear their loved ones back home.
In many cases, children at these
hospitals cannot have visitors dur
ing their treatment and recovery,
which can involve long periods o f
time away from home.
F o ra child away from home and
faced with difficult challenges, see
ing and hearing your loved ones
can help in the child’s recovery.
IBM Corporation and Intel C or
poration along with the Ronald
people to get clean needles that would
reduce the spread o f HIV disease.”
"Yet we do not mind spending the
$ 119,000 or more for each person
who develops AIDS to take care of
them, to watch them die....... That
makes no sense!” “ We have got to be
about preventing problems, not fix
ing things after they are broken."
said Dr. Elders. Professor, Universi
ty o f Arkansas Medical Center
"Unless we find the moral com
mitment and political will to carry
out proven prevention methods like
clean needle programs and to make
clean needles accessible. AIDS will
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