Faculty Bibliography

People infected with drug-resistant strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are up to three times as likely to die in a given period than those with other strains, according to scientists meeting in Washington DC on Dec 16, 1993. A team headed by Clyde S. Crumpacker of the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston made the finding

Australian health officials reported on Dec 15, 1993 that the HIV virus was transmitted from one patient to four others in a surgeon's office in Australia because of a breakdown in infection-control practices. The cases are believed to be the first in which HIV was transmitted from patient to patient in a health care setting

The first national survey of HIV infection based on blood tests has generally confirmed previous government estimates of the number of people infected with the virus. The survey, The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, was conducted from 1988 to 1991 as part of a Federal survey to measure nutrition, blood pressure and the amount of cholesterol in the blood

A new study has found that simply attending the standard single training course for surgeons in laparoscopy may not be enough to become proficient in the procedure. The need for surgeons to have more experience with laparoscopy surgery before they begin operating is discussed

The randomized survey, conducted among 7,792 people in households, indicated that excluding many people from high-risk groups, 550,000 people in the United States were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, said the scientists from the National Center for Health Statistics who conducted the survey. Dr. [Geraldine McQuillan] said that because of limitations to the study, estimates of the number of HIV-infected people in the country had a wide range. She said that excluding the high-risk groups, the number of infected people ranged from 299,000 to 1.02 million. The new survey was based on HIV blood tests among 7,992 individuals from 18 to 59 years old randomly selected from 44 communities throughout the nation. Twenty-nine people were found to be infected by the virus for a prevalence of 0.39 percent. Because of the number of individuals who declined to give a blood sample, there was a range in infection rate from 0.21 to 0.72 percent

Dr. Gene M. Shearer, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute and an author of the report, said IL-12 had turned out to be 'the most powerful' regulator of immune response that his team had found in laboratory experiments with cells damaged by HIV. IL-12 belongs to a group of natural blood proteins known as interleukin (IL), or cytokines, that help regulate the growth of immune cells. Cells from many HIV-infected people fail to show normal immune reactions when exposed to an influenza virus or other antigens that normally stimulate the immune system. In the new study, Shearer's team added several antigens to cultures of white blood cells from 40 people infected with HIV and from nine who were not. Among the antigens used were an influenza virus and synthetic versions of proteins contained in the outer coat of HIV. When IL-12 was added to the cultures the cells displayed a normal response to antigens

Gene M. Shearer, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute, reported in the journal Science on Dec 10, 1993 that test-tube experiments have restored normal immune responses in cells from people affected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Restoration of the immune function was achieved by adding a natural blood substance known as IL-12 to the cells

A major unanswered question about AIDS is whether the immune system can be restored once the virus has damaged it. With evidence that IL-12 can restore immune functions, plans are under way to begin safety tests by next summer on a small number of infected patients, the National Cancer Institute said. In the new study, [Gene Shearer]'s team added several antigens to cultures of white blood cells from 40 people infected with HIV and from nine who were not. Among the antigens used in the study were an influenza virus and synthetic versions of proteins contained in the outer coat of HIV. When IL-12 was added to the cultures in which the cells were grown, the cells displayed a normal response to antigens

Facing great economic and political pressures to overhaul health care, two prestigious Boston teaching hospitals, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, said on Dec 8, 1993 that they had agreed to merge

Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospitals in Boston MA are expected to approve the merger of the hospitals when the board meets on Dec 8, 1993. The merger of the two hospitals grows out of an effort by the dean of Harvard Medical School, Daniel Tosteson, who had prodded the school's five teaching hospitals to come up with ways to control costs and at the same time preserve the quality of their teaching programs and patient care