Seattle to establish subsidized natural medicine clinic
HIV primary care needs are subject of study
Clinton veto of defense bill holds
Law firm seeks clients for AZT lawsuits
British medics test chemical condom
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Seattle to establish subsidized natural medicine clinic
The King County Council, which governs the greater Seattle region, has voted to establish the nation's first government-subsidized natural medicine clinic.
The new naturopathic clinic will enable poorer Americans to take advantage of the alternative treatments, which have primarily been the province of better-educated, wealthier individuals. Proponents of natural medicine note that the techniques involved are quickly taking hold.
"People want to get well in a world where costs and an obsession with high technology are forcing cutbacks in conventional medicine," said Merrily Manthey, a trustee at both a naturopathic college and a large urban hospital in Seattle. In response to the growing demand for such medicine, the National Institutes of Health established in 1992 the Office of Alternative Medicine, which has since given out millions of dollars worth of grants for research into natural therapies. Bastyr University, for example, has received $850,000 to study alternative methods of treating AIDS.
But for the King County Council, the decision to establish the naturopathic clinic has been difficult. The council has voted twice in the past year in favor of the clinic, but officials still have not determined whether the funds will come from the state, the federal government, or the county.
Meanwhle, Paracelsian, Inc. Has announced the initiation of Phase I clinical trials of its primary compound, PN355, for the treatment of HIV. The trials will be conducted at Bastyr University in Seattle, one of the world's leading centers for the study of alternative medical therapies for the treatment of AIDS and HIV infection.
The trial will involve study of ten patients infected with HIV, and three uninfected subjects. The 90-day trial will evaluate the safety of escalating doses of PN355. Study data will be collected and analyzed for the next six months. Subsequent studies (Phase II/III) of PN355 are expected to commence in late 1996, pending successful completion of earlier clinical studies.
PN355 is derived from an extract of a Chinese herb, one of over 2,800 extracts Paracelsian is screening through its core signal transduction technology for possible use in the treatment of certain viral infections and tumors. The herbs are widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), natural treatments whose safety and benefits have been documented for centuries.
Laboratory research conducted at the Frederick Research Center in June found that PN355 augments inhibition of HIV infection when used in combination with AZT.
Bastyr University was founded in 1978, and boasts an enrollment of over 900 students. It is one of two nationally-accredited naturopathic medicine colleges in the United States. Bastyr also trains students in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, nutrition and behavioral sciences.
"The trial will afford us the opportunity to gather clinical data on this promising herb extract," said Carlo Calabrese, MPH, Chairman of the Research Department at Bastyr. "Long-term, our goal will be to determine how PN355 can contribute to AIDS management."
HIV primary care needs are subject of study
The major concern of people with HIV/AIDS receiving primary care are financial, not medical, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.
The researchers conducted a three-year study to identify and describe the health care needs of HIV-positive individuals in four primary care settings. Patients' needs were assessed using an adaptation of the Community Health Intensity Rating Scale, called the Healthcare Needs Scale for Patients with HIV/AIDS, that measures the multidimensional healthcare needs created by the disease process. The representative sample included 386 patients in hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, and their own homes.
As a whole, the patients were most concerned about their finances. More than 50 percent of all participants were worried about a lack of income or financial resources, and some 48 percent voiced concerns about employment problems. In addition, one-fifth of the respondents said that the family process -- that is, family's and friends' inability to adapt to the demands of the disease, which then affected the patient's health -- was a significant problem. Twenty percent also said that sleep problems interfered with or made it impossible for them to conduct their normal activities.
Overall, the percentage of patients reporting needs on any of the 24 items listed in the survey was greater in the hospital and outpatient settings than in other settings, and a greater proportion of patients reporting long-term care needs were in home care.
Clinton veto of defense bill holds
President Clinton's veto of the defense appropriation bill -- which included a provision banning HIV+ people from serving in the U.S. military -- has withstood congressional attempts to override it.
The House voted 240-156 to override Clinton's veto, 24 short of the two-thirds vote that would have been required in the House and the Senate to enact the bill into law despite the veto.
In his latest clash with the Republican-controlled Congress, Clinton used the 11th veto of his presidency to reject the $264.7 billion bill that sets defense spending priorities for the next several years. At the same time, Clinton acted to give uniformed men and women of the U.S. armed forces the 2.4 percent pay increase that the bill would provide.
In his veto message on the bill, which Clinton said undermine arms reduction treaties with Russia, the President said he also objected to the "unwarranted" prohibition against allowing HIV+ people to serve in the armed services.
"I am anxious to have Congress delete the unacceptable provisions in this bill and to return it to me for my signature," Clinton said in a written statement.
Rep. Floyd Spence, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the House National Security Committee, expressed disappointment at the veto, saying he believed Republicans had accommodated Clinton's principal concerns.
Rather than face reporters, Clinton vetoed the bill privately in the Oval Office. Reporters and news cameras were allowed to watch through a window looking into his office.
Law firm seeks clients for AZT lawsuits
People living with HIV/AIDS who have suffered health problems or sustained other damages from being prescribed AZT are being solicited by a law firm that is interested in discussing a possible suit against AZT's manufacturer, Glaxo Wellcome.
The firm is Kananack, Murgatroyd, Baum & Hedlund, a plaintiff law firm specializing in product liability, commercial vehicle negligence, and wrongful death litigation, which has offices in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In addition to suing AZT's manufacturer, the firm may
also file lawsuits against the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
To qualify to file an AZT lawsuit, individuals must have been asymptomatic when AZT was prescribed, taken it for a significant period of time, and have suffered damages to their health, income, or personal lives as a result thereof. For more information, call Kananack, Murgatroyd, Baum & Hedlund's Los Angeles office at 1-800-827-0087.
British medics test chemical condom
British researchers are testing "chemical condoms" that could let women guard against HIV but still get pregnant, the journal New Scientist has reported.
The vaginal virucides would be aimed at women whose partners refuse to practice safe sex.
"Eventually, virucides could offer women greater control over their sexual health. They may be marketed in the form of gels, creams or foams," said the weekly science magazine.
If successful in preventing the transmission of HIV, the compounds could be especially useful in countries such as Uganda where women face intense pressure to bear children despite the high incidence of HIV.
Tests began late last month in London, after scientists identified a number of compounds that appeared to prevent HIV from invading susceptible cells.
Researchers grasped the potential but their work on vaginal virucides soon ran into problems as benefits from killing the virus had to be weighed against damage done to other cells.
The latest trials at St Mary's Hospital aim to exploit the compounds' ability to kill the virus while also protecting vulnerable cells.
A safety trial on 36 women who were not sexually active revealed no side effects or damage to the vaginal lining. The team will now test a series of other compounds in the same way. It then plans larger trials with women in stable sexual relationships who are unlikely to be exposed to HIV in an effort to assess the product's comfort and convenience.
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