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Week Ending: April 23rd, 2005
Alan Franciscus
Editor-in-Chief
To download pdf version click here
This Issue:
• Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Human Pancreatic [Beta]-Cell Dysfunction
• Fury over Needle Vending Machines
• Progress in Haemophilia Bad Blood Row
• Health Board Urged to Back Needle Exchange
• Banding versus Propranolol to Prevent Initial Variceal Hemorrhage in Cirrhosis
• Patients Alerted over Hepatitis C
• Anadys and LG Hepatitis B Prodrug Shows Activity in Phase II
• Schering-Plough Hepatitis Combo Shows Clinical Benefit
• Commons Votes for Immediate Compensation of "Forgotten Victims" Tainted Blood
• The Tainted Blood Scandal Is More Shameful than Adscam
• Aethlon Medical Sends HIV-AIDS & Hepatitis-C Treatment Technology to India
• Needle Exchange Bill Clears Committee
• Study: Hepatitis C treatment Shows Promise
• In Our View: Regulating Tattoos
• Hep C Replicates in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
• 83 Patients Alerted after Hepatitis C Fear
• Neighbors, Relatives Join to Help a Friend in Need
• First National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis, USA
April 16th, 2005
Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Human Pancreatic [Beta]-Cell Dysfunction
SourceURL:http://www.rednova.com
Many patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) develop type 2 diabetes (1). This prevalence is much higher than that observed in the general population and in patients with other chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis B virus, alcoholic liver disease, and primary biliary cirrhosis. Furthermore, it has been shown that post- transplantation type 2 diabetes appears to be higher among patients with HCV (2). However, the pathogenetic basis for the association between HCV infection and diabetes has not been understood. A direct involvement of the virus in the development of insulin resistance has been proposed, and ß-cell dysfunction in HCV-positive patients has been observed in some cases (1). Because HCV can infect many tissues other than the liver (3), we hypothesized that the virus might directly damage insulin-secreting cells. This article suggests that HCV may be present in human pancreatic ß-cells and demonstrates that islet cells from HCV-positive patients have morphological and functional defects.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- The pancreases of 5 HCV-positive (age 68 9 years, 3 men and 2 women, BMI 25.8 1.6 kg/m^sup 2^) and 10 HCV-negative (age 67 9 years, 6 men and 4 women, BMI 26.8 2.0 kg/m^sup 2^) donors were harvested and studied with the approval of our local ethics committee. Histological studies were performed by immunohistochemistry (using the monoclonal mouse anti-HCV E2 protein, clone IGH222 [Innogenetics, Gent, Belgium]) and electron microscopy, as described elsewhere (4,5). Isolated islets were prepared by enzymatic digestion and density gradient purification, and islet functional and survival studies were accomplished as previously described (5,6).
RESULTS- Histology results are summarized in Fig. 1. No sign of islet cell staining was found in HCV-negative pancreases by immunohistochemistry (Fig. 1A); however, focal or diffuse HCV- positive islet cells were observed in HCV-positive pancreatic glands (Fig. 1B). Positive staining was found in 39 12% of 140 examined islets, and the percentage of stained cells was 54 13% per islet. The appearance of a control ß-cell at electron microscopy is given in Fig. 1C, showing the characteristic insulin granules and normally preserved mitochondria. In ß-cells from HCV-positive pancreases, the presence of virus-like particles was observed, mainly close to the membranes of Golgi apparatus, which, in turn, appeared hyperplastic and dilated (Fig. 1D). The mitochondria appeared round-shaped with dispersed matrix and fragmented cristae (Fig. 1D). Additional ß-cell changes were observed at the level of rough endoplasmic reticulum, which showed long and dilated tubular membranes, with numerous electrondense ribosomes bound to the latter (not shown). These morphological changes were accompanied by reduced in vitro glucose-stimulated insulin release (Table 1); however, apoptosis was similar in control as in infected islet cells (Table 1).
CONCLUSIONS- Approximately 40% of patients with HCV infection will display symptoms of some extrahepatic manifestation during the illness (1). Most extraliver manifestations of chronic HCV infection are immunological; however, the virus may have a direct cytopathic action, because it can infect many tissues other than the liver (3). In the present article we have suggested the presence of HCV infection in pancreatic ß-cells of human subjects, and we have provided evidence that this was associated with morphological cell changes and altered islet cell function. The immunohistochemical method we have used to show the presence of infection in islet cells has been previously validated (4), and the electron microscopy morphological alterations of the ß-cell are similar to those reported in other cell types during HCV infection (7). The insulin secretion functional defects of islets from HCV-positive donors might contribute to the development of diabetes in predisposed subjects. On the other hand, the absence of increased apoptosis is in line with the observation that reducing viral load is associated with improvement of diabetes in HCV-positive patients (8). In conclusion, the present article proposes that HCV can infect human pancreatic ß-cells and that this is accompanied by ß-cell dysfunction. A direct cytopathic effect of HCV at the islet cell level is therefore suggested to explain, at least in part, the association between HCV infection and diabetes, especially in predisposed subjects (1).
2005 by the American Diabetes Association.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in pan by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
References
1. Lecube A, Hernandez C, Genesca J, Esteban JI, Jardi R, Simo R: High prevalence of glucose abnormalities in patients with hepatitis C virus infection: a multivariate analysis considering the liver injury. Diabetes Care 27:1171-1175, 2004
2. Bruchfeld A, Wilczek H, Elinder CG: Hepatitis C infection, time in renal-replacement therapy, and outcome after kidney transplantation. Transplantation 78:745-750, 2004
3. Mayo MJ: Extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C infection. Am J Med Sci 325: 135-148, 2003
4. Verslype C, Nevens F, Sinelli N, Clarysse C, Pirenne J, Depla E, Maertens G, van Pelt J, Desmet V, Fevery J, Roskams T: Hepatic immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against HCV- E2 to evaluate antiviral therapy and reinfection of liver grafts in hepatitis C viral infection. J Hepatol 38:208-214, 2003
5. Marchetti P, Del Guerra S, Marselli L, Lupi R, Masini M, Pollera M, Bugliani M, Boggi U, Vistoli F, Mosca F, Del Prato S: Pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic patients have functional defects and increased apoptosis that are ameliorated by metformin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:5535-5541, 2004
6. Marchetti P, Lupi R, Federici M, Marselli L, Masini M, Boggi U, Del Guerra S, Patan G, Piro S, Anello M, Bergamini E, Purrello F, Lauro R, Mosca F, Sesti G, Del Prato S: Insulin secretory function is impaired in isolated human islets carrying the Gly(972)[arrow right]Arg IRS-1 polymorphism. Diabetes 51:1419-1424, 2002
7. Falcon V, Acost-Rivero N, Chinea G, Gavilondo J, de la Rosa MC, Menendez I, Duenas Carrera S, Vina A, Garcia W, Gra B, Noa M, Reytor E, Barcelo MT, Alvarez F, Morale-Grillo J: Ultrastructural evidences of HCV infection in hepatocytes of chronically HCV- infected patients. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 305:1085-1090, 2003
8. Bahtiyar G, Shin JJ, Aytaman A, Sowers JR, McFarlane SI: Association of diabetes and hepatitis C infection: epidemiologic evidence and pathophysiologic insights. Curr Diab Rep 4:194-198, 2004
MATILDE MASINI, MD1; DANIELA CAMPANI, MD2; UGO BOGGI, MD3; MICHELE MENICAGLI, MD2; NICOLA FUNEL, MD1; MARIA POLLERA, MD1; ROBERTO LUPI, PHD1; SILVIA DEL GUERRA, PHD1; MARCO BUGLIANI, PHD1; SCILLA TORRI, PHD1; STEFANO DEL PRATO, MD1; FRANCO MOSCA, MD3; FRANCO FILIPPONI, MD4; PIERO MARCHETTI, MD, PHD1
From the 1 Metabolic Unit, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy; the 2 Section of Transplantation Pathology, Division of Surgical, Molecular and Ultrastructural Pathology, Department of Oncology, University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy; the 3 Referral Center for the Treatment of Pancreas Diseases, Department of Oncology, University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy; and the 4 Liver Transplant Unit, University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Piero Marchetti, MD, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Metabolic Unit, Ospedale Cisanello, Via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy. E-mail: marchant@immr.med.unipi.it.
Received for publication 30 November 2004 and accepted in revised form 29 December 2004.
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April 17th, 2005
Fury over Needle Vending Machines
http://www.news.com.au
By Mark Alexander
FAMILIES are outraged by the Queensland Government's decision to install controversial syringe-vending machines in drug-plagued communities.
The Opposition and local authorities have also criticised plans to install the machines, which sell five clean syringes and a disposal container for $2.
They say the dispensers will become a lure for addicts and dealers and will lead to a worse drug problem.
"What they are doing is making the drug problem more widespread by making syringes more widely available," Australian Families Association Queensland president Alistair Barros said.
"This sends the wrong message to young people - 'Here are the syringes, go use them'."
Queensland Health is trying machines at five hospitals - the Gold Coast, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Toowoomba, - until the end of the year.
It says the machines will give drug users access to clean syringes, leading to a decrease in the number of shared syringes and the incidence of diseases such as hepatitis C and AIDS.
"Needle-disposal machines have the ability to further protect public health," Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Unit director Kevin Lambkin said.
Mr Barros said the machines presented serious health hazards as they were unsupervised and could be used by children.
He said the Government's "harm-minimisation" approach to drugs was not working. "We need human resources. The Government should drop the idea, forget it, and rethink the whole drug management strategy."
Opposition health spokesman Stuart Copeland said needle exchange programs should be staffed by health professionals who could monitor clients and offer counselling and intervention programs for drug users.
The machines would become a magnet for dealers and "undesirable activities. People are not going to be able to smoke in the vicinity of hospital entrances but they will be able to buy drug paraphernalia," he said.
"This is another example of the Government walking away from its responsibilities."
Mackay Deputy Mayor Don Rolls said the council had not been consulted before a vending machine was installed at Mackay Base Hospital.
He said he was concerned about the potential for children to get access to needles. "I would be hoping that because they're in the hospital there would be some supervision," he said.
Queensland's trial comes five years after the Victorian Government scrapped plans to install syringe-vending machines throughout Melbourne amid public anger.
Last year New South Wales authorities backed down on a proposal to replace a controversial needle exchange van with a vending machine in Sydney's drug-plagued suburb of Redfern.
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April 18th, 2005
Progress in Haemophilia Bad Blood Row
SourceURL:http://www.stuff.co.nz
Haemophiliacs who contracted hepatitis C in the bad blood saga have won a chance at compensation, with health officials agreeing to consider a paper outlining a proposed settlement.
The breakthrough came on the eve of a Haemophilia Foundation conference in Wellington at the weekend, where the fight for compensation was a hot topic.
Foundation president Mike Carnahan said a meeting with Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi had proved valuable. The foundation would prepare a paper for the Health Ministry outlining the case for compensation and this would allow a proposition to be made to the Crown.
"We're hoping that might be the basis of a settlement of the hepatitis C issue. It is significant movement and I'm hopeful that it will bear fruit."
An estimated 170 New Zealanders with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C, a potentially fatal liver disease, in the late 1980s from contaminated blood product before screening of donor blood was introduced here in 1992.
One sufferer, Steve Waring, said the Government had neglected the victims for too long.
"We've been battling the Government for a very long time. We're saying we're not going to go away, we're going to crank it up again, and we're determined to get some kind of resolution.
"When you compare the New Zealand scene with what's happened internationally you see this incredible picture of neglect. It's wrong," Waring said.
A news media conference is due to be held tomorrow to mobilise against the Government and continue the fight for compensation.
Carnahan said haemophiliacs had thus far been excluded from compensation and fewer than five had met the restrictive terms of a previous settlement offer from the Government.
New Zealand was one of the last countries to introduce screening and the last to compensate people who were affected by the lack of screening.
World Haemophilia Foundation past president Brian O'Mahony and lawyer Raymond Bradley, both of Ireland, were guests at the weekend's conference. They discussed their work internationally in getting compensation for haemophiliacs affected by tainted blood.
O'Mahony said last week that he was appalled and dismayed by the "miserly" attitude of the New Zealand Government.
"It is clear there is a lot of culpability here." –NZPA
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April 19th, 2005
Health Board Urged to Back Needle Exchange
News & Record (Greensboro)
Jason Hardin
While North Carolina currently has no state-run or officially sanctioned needle-exchange programs, a bill before the state General Assembly could change that. The bill would set up state-funded exchanges in three as-yet unidentified counties. It would allocate $550,000 each year for two years to create and evaluate the programs.
On Monday, the Guilford County Board of Health met to decide whether to support the measure. After hearing from supporters and detractors of needle exchanges, the board did not take a vote but agreed it could use more information and will continue to look into the programs. "It's worth hearing more perspectives," said board member Jim Wells.
Two needle exchanges currently operate in North Carolina despite legal obstacles. In High Point, the Wright Focus Group (WFG) has distributed needles in Guilford County for years. Though it is illegal for anyone to possess drug paraphernalia - including needles - law enforcement allows the group to carry out its mission. Jordan Beedoe, WFG's executive director, said the program is essential in preventing the spread of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis and HIV. "People should not concentrate on the needles," said Beedoe. "People should concentrate on saving lives."
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Banding versus Propranolol to Prevent Initial Variceal Hemorrhage in Cirrhosis
SourceURL:http://www.gastrohep.com/
Patients treated with propanolol had significantly higher failure rates, higher rates of first esophageal varix hemorrhage and cumulative mortality than banding patients, finds the latest issue of Gastroenterology.
Standard care for prevention of first esophageal variceal hemorrhage is β-blockade, but this may be ineffective or unsafe.
Dr Jensen and team from California compared endoscopic banding with propranolol for prevention of first variceal hemorrhage.
The research team designed a multicenter, prospective trial, where 62 patients with cirrhosis and high-risk esophageal varices were randomized to propranolol or banding.
The dose of propranolol was titrated to reduce resting pulse by 25% or more, and banding was performed monthly until varices were eradicated.
The researchers followed up the patients on the same schedule for a mean duration of 15 months.
The primary end point was treatment failure, defined by the team as the development of endoscopically documented variceal hemorrhage or a severe medical complication requiring discontinuation of therapy.
The investigators estimated direct costs from Medicare reimbursements and fixed or variable charges for services up to treatment failure.
Background variables of the treatment groups were similar.
The investigative team reported that the trial was stopped early after an interim analysis showing that the failure rate of propranolol was significantly higher than that of banding.
Mortality rate in the propranolol group was 4 in 31 patients compared with none in the banding group – Gastroenterology
Significantly more propranolol than banding patients had esophageal variceal hemorrhage.
The researchers also found that the cumulative mortality rate was significantly higher in the propranolol with 4 out of 31 patients, than in the banding group with none.
The team observed that the direct costs of care were not significantly different between the two treatments.
Dr Jensen’s team concluded, “For patients with cirrhosis with high-risk esophageal varices and no history of variceal hemorrhage, propranolol-treated patients had significantly higher failure rates.”
“Propranolol-treated patients also had higher rates of first esophageal varix hemorrhage, and cumulative mortality than banding patients.”
“However, the direct costs of medical care were not significantly different.”
Gastroenterology 2005: 128(4): 870
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Patients Alerted over Hepatitis C
SourceURL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/
A group of women who were treated at three Scottish hospitals are being screened for Hepatitis C.
The 67 women are among 2,000 in the UK who were patients of a gynaecologist who had the virus.
The doctor worked at 25 hospitals in England and three in Scotland - Forth Park and the Victoria in Kirkcaldy and the Royal Alexandra in Paisley.
Health officials insisted the risk of infection was very small and screening was being undertaken as a precaution.
Officials from Health Protection Scotland have contacted 41 patients treated by NHS Fife in 1986 and 26 patients who were treated by NHS Argyll and Clyde in 1997 and 1998.
They have received letters, warning them they could be at risk.
We have worked hard to carefully identify any patient who might have been at risk – Dr Lesley MacDonald, NHS Fife
The women have been asked to take a blood test to make sure they are safe and have been offered counselling.
The gynaecologist was immediately transferred to a healthcare area where patients were not at risk.
NHS Argyll & Clyde's consultant in public health medicine, Catherine Chiang, said: "Like most people who are infected with hepatitis C, the healthcare worker had no symptoms and was unaware of the infection."
Dr Lesley MacDonald, NHS Fife's director of public health, said: "We have worked hard to carefully identify any patient who might have been at risk of contracting infection with hepatitis C."
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Anadys and LG Hepatitis B Prodrug Shows Activity in Phase II
SourceURL:http://uk.biz.yahoo.com
Anadys Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ANDS - news) and LG Life Sciences have reported positive new data from an ongoing phase II clinical trial of ANA380 in patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus.
Anadys Pharmaceuticals and LG Life Sciences have reported positive new data from an ongoing phase II clinical trial of ANA380 in patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus.
The ongoing clinical trial is an open label, multi-center, sequential group dose escalation study designed to assess the safety and antiviral activity of ANA380 in chronically infected HBV patients who are resistant to lamivudine.
In the study, oral administration of ANA380 (LB80380) over 12 weeks reduced DNA viral load by an average of 3.9 log10 units, or more than 99.9%, in lamivudine-resistant patients receiving 90mg doses in the study. Patients receiving 60mg and 30mg doses showed an average viral load reduction of 3.2 log10 and 2.8 log10 units, respectively.
The data also demonstrated that ANA380 was well tolerated and safe at all doses studied, although Anadys cautioned that definitive conclusions regarding product safety cannot be made until the results of future clinical trials of longer duration in more patients are known.
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Schering-Plough Hepatitis Combo Shows Clinical Benefit
SourceURL:http://uk.biz.yahoo.com
Retreatment with Schering-Plough's PegIntron plus Rebetol has demonstrated a sustained viral response in difficult-to-treat hepatitis C patients, according to interim trial results.
Retreatment with Schering-Plough's PegIntron plus Rebetol has demonstrated a sustained viral response in difficult-to-treat hepatitis C patients, according to interim trial results.
Results from the first treatment phase of the EPIC(3) trial, a major ongoing study, have shown that a significant portion of patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who failed previous therapies achieved a sustained viral response (SVR) when retreated with weight-based PegIntron (peginterferon alfa-2b) and Rebetol (ribavirin) combination therapy.
Of the first 978 patients enrolled in the trial, 21% achieved an SVR, defined as undetectable virus six months after the end of therapy. This is nearly double the SVR rate of 12% in patients retreated with peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin reported in a similar patient population in a trial named HALT-C.
In addition to examining the ability of PegIntron and Rebetol to achieve SVR in patients who failed previous therapy, researchers also evaluated the ability of early virologic response (EVR). Of those patients who attained EVR, 36% achieved SVR, 57% of those with undetectable HCV-RNA at week 12 achieved SVR, but only 4% of those with detectable viral load at week 12. Patients who were nonresponders or relapsers with undetectable HCV-RNA at week 12 were equally like to achieve SVR.
Results of EPIC(3) showed that in addition to patients with undetectable HCV-RNA at week 12, retreatment also may be a good option for patients with other key factors affecting response. For example, SVR was higher in patients with genotype 2 or 3 virus, in patients who had relapsed after previous therapy, and in patients with F2/3 (mild-to-moderate) fibrosis.
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April 20th, 2005
Commons Votes for Immediate Compensation of "Forgotten Victims" Tainted Blood
SourceURL:http://www.canada.com/
Dennis Bueckert
Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - The Commons unanimously passed a motion Wednesday calling for immediate compensation of the "forgotten victims" of tainted blood, but it's far from clear when or if the victims will actually get help.
The motion, introduced by Conservative health critic Steven Fletcher, calls for compensation of people infected with hepatitis C before 1986 or after 1990, who were excluded from an existing $1.1-billion compensation plan.
Even though the Liberals supported the motion, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh described it as "flawed" and gave no deadline or target for compensating the excluded victims.
"While we are supporting the motion, we do so recognizing its limitations," he said.
Dosanjh indicated that the issue will depend in part on whether there is a surplus in the existing fund. An actuarial study is underway, and no deadline has been given for its completion.
Even if there is a surplus, lawyers representing the originally designated victims have suggested they may resist any change in the rules of eligibility. The final resolution will be up to the courts.
Dosanjh has avoided saying what the government would do if there is deemed to be no surplus in the fund, or if the government cannot get access to it.
"We are looking at all options to determine compensation for pre-'86, post-'90 and we have to look at the actuarial surplus," he said outside the Commons. "The court has to determine that. That would be a factor."
Victims bitterly predicted prolonged delay. "It looks like it's a continuation of their history of stalling on this issue and waiting for victims to die," said activist Mike McCarthy. "I don't see any new compassion here."
McCarthy said there are about 5,000 excluded victims. He said the government should be prepared to pay up whether the existing fund has a surplus or not.
"The question is, do people deserve help or don't they? If they do they should get it immediately."
The issue has been festering for almost a decade, producing a steady stream of trouble for the Liberals.
Former health minister Allan Rock insisted there was nothing the government could have done to protect the blood supply from hepatitis C before 1986, and therefore it was not liable.
In 1998, all opposition parties voted to extend compensation to pre-'86 and post-'90 victims, but then-prime minister Jean Chretien declared it a confidence matter and required all Liberal members to vote against it.
Last fall Fletcher introduced a motion calling for compensation of the forgotten victims, but it fell prey to a Liberal filibuster.
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April 21st, 2005
The Tainted Blood Scandal Is More Shameful than Adscam
Globe and Mail
Thurs, April 21, 2005 Page A17
By Andre Picard
In the recent outpouring of pre-election hyperbole, the sponsorship scandal has been described, among other things, as the "worst scandal in Canadian history."
Hold on a second.
The evidence at the Gomery inquiry has been damning and at times disgusting, with sordid tales of millions of dollars wasted on dubious advertising campaigns and allegations of kickbacks, bogus billings, and general sleaziness involving Liberal Party apparatchik and hangers-on.
But it's only money, and maybe a few political careers, that have been lost.
Yesterday, a determined but largely overlooked group of activists travelled to Ottawa to remind the press gallery that there is a much bigger and more devastating scandal that is ongoing -- that of tainted blood.
The combination of bureaucratic bungling, lax regulation, short-sighted politicking and penny-pinching, corporate greed and outright misrepresentation has been costly, not only in dollars but in lives.
Thousands of Canadians -- 2,000 who contracted HIV-AIDS and another 10,000 or so of those who contracted hepatitis C -- will die because they were exposed to transfusions of contaminated blood and blood products.
Many of those deaths were preventable, and would have been prevented had politicians and policy-makers shown leadership and initiative.
And every one of those lives lost should concern us far more than the comparatively trivial sums funnelled to Liberal Party coffers.
We should not, of course, downplay or forgive the wrongdoing -- criminal and otherwise -- at the heart of the sponsorship scandal.
But as we witness the outrage surrounding the testimony at the Gomery inquiry, we should ask ourselves why there was not much more outrage at the revelations of the Krever inquiry.
After all, the failings were sweeping, the malfeasance widespread and the betrayal of public trust profound.
The tainted-blood scandal has long ago fallen from the headlines, so perhaps a reminder of some of the most egregious elements is in order. Consider the following:
In the two years between the time it became obvious that HIV-AIDS was blood-borne and an effective test was developed, attempts to protect the blood supply were "ineffective and half-hearted," according to Mr. Justice Horace Krever.
The public was lied to about the real risks of infection, told the risk was "one in a million" when it was as high as one in 166 for major surgery.
Blood products that were known to be unsafe were distributed to hemophiliacs to save money; in fact, lists were drawn up of patients who should get the inferior product.
The introduction of a test to detect hepatitis C in blood was delayed for four years. As many as 10,000 people may have been infected in that period.
More than $700-million was wasted on a fractionation plant that was to manufacture blood products. The technology was never up to snuff and thousands of litres of donated blood were wasted.
To make up for the shortfall, highly contaminated blood was purchased from U.S. prisons. (The plant was owned, in part, by the Canada Development Corporation, and Paul Martin was a board member when some of those decisions were made);
The Canadian Blood Committee, a group of senior health officials from the federal and provincial governments, systematically blocked the introduction of safety measures.
It also authorized the destruction of all transcripts and recordings of its meetings so it could not be scrutinized.
Thirty-two criminal charges have been laid against four individuals, a pharmaceutical company and the Red Cross. The trials have yet to begin.
About $1.4-billion has been spent to date compensating victims of tainted blood, but a large group of "forgotten victims" (those infected with hepatitis C prior to 1986) has still been left out.
The group of "forgotten victims" that surfaced in Ottawa won a small symbolic victory yesterday when Parliament unanimously passed a motion calling for compensation to be extended to everyone -- a mere eight years after Judge Krever recommended they do so.
It has been more than two decades since the tragic events -- principally bureaucratic and political decisions and non-decisions -- at the heart of the tainted-blood scandal began. Yet no one, apart from a few hapless minor officials, has yet paid the price for those misdeeds and those crimes, least of all elected officials.
Monique Bégin, the former federal health minister, said it best: "Justice is offended if people at the top of government in bureaucratic structures are not held responsible for their actions, but employees at less senior levels of the hierarchy are. Moreover, public ethics requires that those at the top be accountable."
There is, in the wake of the Gomery inquiry, a perception that the public is irked and wants to "throw the bums out."
Doing so may well be justified. But bear in mind that there are politicians, public servants and contractors with blood on their hands, not just with their fingers in the kitty.
apicard@globeandmail.ca
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Aethlon Medical Sends HIV-AIDS & Hepatitis-C Treatment Technology to India
SOURCE: Aethlon Medical, Inc
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2005--Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) announced that it will begin shipping its Hemopurifier(TM) treatment technology to India today. The Company stated that today's shipment is the first lot of Hemopurifiers that will be sent to support the HIV and Hepatitis-C human studies that were announced in February.
Aethlon Chairman & CEO, James A. Joyce stated, "The initial shipment of our Hemopurifier treatment technology is a significant milestone for our research team, especially when considering that each Hemopurifier represents new hope for infected individuals that don't have access or are unresponsive to the current standard of care." Once received in India, the initial Hemopurifier lot will undergo required biocompatibility and toxicity testing prior to initiating human studies. Aethlon Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Richard Tullis added, "Our manufacturing and quality procedures are in place and operating efficiently. We are on track to achieve safety and preliminary efficacy data this summer."
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical is pioneering the development of viral filtration devices to treat HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis-C (HCV), and pathogens that are mass casualty biological warfare candidates. Each treatment application employs the use of a proprietary technology known as the Hemopurifier(TM), which is designed to rapidly reduce the presence of infectious disease and toxins in the body. The Hemopurifier converges the established scientific principals of affinity chromatography and hemodialysis as a means to augment the immune response of clearing viruses and toxins from the blood before cell and organ infection can occur. More information on Aethlon Medical and the Hemopurifier technology is available at www.aethlonmedical.com.
Certain of the statements herein may be forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Aethlon Medical, Inc to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's ability to complete the development of its planned products, the ability of the Company to obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals permitting the sale of its products, the Company's ability to manufacture its products and provide its services, the impact of government regulations, patent protection on the Company's proprietary technology, product liability exposure, uncertainty of market acceptance, competition, technological change, and other risk factors. In such instances, actual results could differ materially as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
CONTACT: Aethlon Medical, Inc.
Anne Hoversten, 858.459.7800 x300 (Investor Relations)
anne@aethlonmedical.com
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Needle Exchange Bill Clears Committee
News-Journal (Delaware)
Patrick Jackson
Despite previously unsuccessful attempts, Delaware Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East) is determined to get a bill authorizing a pilot needle-exchange program for the capital city through the Legislature. On Wednesday, the measure cleared the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, and Henry hopes it will be up for a full Senate vote within two weeks. Her goal is to get the bill, SB 60, to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner before the legislative session ends June 30.
"I've been working to get this bill for 10 years," said Henry. "Without it, we're told that one person a day is getting AIDS in Delaware. It's something that will save lives," she said.
If approved, SB 60 would allow the Division of Public Health to deploy a mobile needle exchange where Wilmington IV drug users could swap used needles for clean ones. The van would also conduct HIV testing and provide information on drug treatment programs and health counseling. The pilot program's estimated cost is $1.5 million.
According to AIDS Delaware Executive Director John Baker, the bill, if approved, could slow the spread of HIV. About 2,000 of the state's estimated 3,000 AIDS cases are found in Wilmington, and of those, 60-65 percent were contracted via HIV-contaminated needles. Baker told the committee that a National Institutes of Health study found that needle exchanges can cut new AIDS cases by at least 30 percent. "[An exchange] will also protect women and children who might not know someone is an IV drug user," he added.
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Study: Hepatitis C treatment Shows Promise
SourceURL:http://www.advocate.com/
Human Genome Sciences says a recent study showed its experimental hepatitis C drug is well-tolerated and reduces the virus in some treatment-naive patients. The study involved 56 patients who were each given one of five doses of Albuferon. Patients were given two doses of Albuferon 14 days apart and were followed for six weeks, with the rate of viral load assessed on the 28th day. Sixty-nine percent of the patients taking the two highest doses achieved the targeted viral load reduction on the 28th day of the study. Hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the developed world and afflicts about 4 million people in the United States, the company said. (AP)
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In Our View: Regulating Tattoos
http://www.joplinglobe.com
Oklahoma has the toughest tattoo law the land. Simply put, it makes tattooing illegal. A bill appearing before the House Health and Human Resources Committee would have lifted the ban and imposed sanitary regulations on those who do the tattooing. Unfortunately, it was never heard.
The fact is that people will get tattoos, whether they are legal or not, and body artists will ink those designs even though they could face misdemeanor charges. What the bill would have done is make it safer for those who get tattoos by legalizing and regulating the industry.
Supporting the proposal were the Oklahoma Department of Health and physicians' groups, according to The Associated Press. They fear that using dirty needles, for instance, could spread life-threatening diseases.
According to the AP, Oklahoma has seen a 78 percent increase in hepatitis C infections between 2000 and 2003. Thirty-four percent of those infected had tattoos. A 2004 outbreak of hepatitis B in one Oklahoma county may be linked to unsanitary home tattooing.
The bill should be taken up and sent to the House for consideration.
Maybe this isn't a major health issue for some legislators. But health professionals believe that it is.
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April 22nd, 2005
Hep C Replicates in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Source: www.gastrohep.com
Hepatitis C replicates in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with occult Hep C infection and although these patients do not have serum Hep C-RNA, they could be potentially infectious, finds a study reported in the latest Gut.
Occult hepatitis C virus infection is characterised by the presence of Hepatitis C-RNA in the liver in the absence of anti-Hepatitis C, and serum viral RNA.
Up to 70% of these patients also have Hepatitis C-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells but it is not known if Hepatitis C is replicating in these cells.
Dr Carreño studied possible Hepatitis C replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 18 patients with an occult Hepatitis C infection who were selected on the basis of Hepatitis C-RNA positivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
The research team detected Hepatitis C-RNA positive and negative strands in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
The results were detected by strand specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and by in situ hybridisation.
The team confirmed the presence of Hepatitis C-RNA positive strand in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in all patients.
3% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were harbouring the Hepatitis C-RNA negative strand – Gut
The mean percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells which had the Hepatitis C-RNA positive strand was 3%.
The researchers found that the Hepatitis C-RNA negative strand was in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 61 % patients.
Again, this was detected by strand specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by in situ hybridization.
In addition, the investigators observed that the percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells harbouring the Hepatitis C-RNA negative strand was 3%.
There was a significant correlation between the percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with the Hepatitis C-RNA positive strand and that of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with the Hepatitis C-RNA negative strand.
Dr Carreño concludes, "Hepatitis C replicates in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with occult Hepatitis C infection."
"Thus, although these patients do not have serum Hepatitis C-RNA, they could be potentially infectious."
Gut 2005: 54: 682-685
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83 Patients Alerted after Hepatitis C Fear
SourceURL:http://www.hastingstoday.co.uk
More than 80 women have been warned they may have contracted Hepatitis C from a Hastings gynaecologist between 1983 and 2001.
The 83 former patients of the Conquest Hospital and Buchanan Hospital, which closed in 1997, were notified by letter on Tuesday and told to have blood tests.
They were also advised to call a special helpline for counselling, but Dr David Scott, medical director of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for the Conquest, said the risk is small.
He added: "We have worked hard to carefully identify any patient who might have been at risk of contracting infection with Hepatitis C from this healthcare worker and have contacted them to offer counselling and a blood test for Hepatitis C.
"I want to emphasise we are offering screening purely as a precaution."
The healthcare worker worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Conquest Hospital between November 13 2000 and August 31 2001 and the Buchanan Hospital in 1983.
They also worked in other hospitals in the UK, where similar patient notification exercises are taking place.
As soon as infection was diagnosed, the healthcare worker transferred to other healthcare duties where there was no risk at all to patients.
A spokesman for the Conquest Hospital said: "There are a number of people locally who may been infected.
"Patients who may be at risk have been sent a letter and asked to call a specialist helpline.
"The letter also invites them to attend their GP for a blood test.
"Results should be available within seven working days from the test.
"In the event of any patient testing positive they will be contacted individually and further testing and follow up by a liver specialist will be arranged.
"Of the 83 patients, a small number no longer live in the area but they have been sent the letter and their local GPs have been contacted."
In total, 2,000 patients from 25 hospitals in England and Scotland have been told of the scare in letters from the Health Protection Agency.
The exercise has also been carried out in accordance with advice from the UK Advisory Panel for Healthcare Workers infected with blood borne viruses.
According to the NHS Trust, the healthcare worker did not know they were infected as Hepatitis C often has no noticeable symptoms, but it can lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer.
Those infected can also become carriers of Hepatitis C, transmitting the infection through blood-to-blood contact, and more rarely through sexual intercourse.
It cannot be transmitted through social contact, kissing or sharing food and drink.
In January 2004 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) discovered combination treatment of severe hepatitis C resulted in up to 55 per cent of patients clearing the virus.
In less severe cases evidence is accumulating that combination therapy can lead to upwards of 80 per cent of people clearing the virus.
Concerned members of the public should contact NHS Direct on 0845 850 2878.
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Neighbors, Relatives Join to Help a Friend in Need
http://www.hometownannapolis.com
By E.B FURGURSON III, Staff Writer
At age 44, Roger Dennison isn't supposed to be facing death from hepatitis C-induced liver failure. The south county native should be out on his Harley, working at his job on a county utilities crew, or doing what he loves best, coaching youth football.
Hoping to right that wrong, his friends, relatives and strangers are putting on a dinner-dance benefit Saturday to defray the cost of his medical bills, which will mount further if he gets matched up in time for the liver transplant that could save his life.
"We have been planning and organizing this event since January," said his sister, Donna Rigby, of Ferndale. "When we began, April was so far away. Now it's this week ... We can't believe it. It's like planning a wedding!"
Food service giant Lankford-Sysco has donated the food for the spaghetti dinner, plus all the tablecloths and other paper products. Bowen's Farm Supply outside Annapolis donated a lawn mower, a wheelbarrow full of other tools and yard goods for the auction. Games of chance and a 50/50 raffle will also help raise money.
"We even had two ladies, a mother and a daughter, donate two $1,000 checks," Mrs. Rigby said. "We could not believe it."
Mr. Dennison, the oldest of five children, moved to Delaware three years ago, but spent his first 41 years in south county.
He graduated from Southern High School in 1978 and lived on Oakwood Road in Edgewater except for a year or so in Harwood. After he married his wife, Tina, in 1990 they bought his grandparents' house, also on Oakwood Road. After graduating he worked on the railroad and then in construction before getting a job with the county about 10 years ago.
An old high school buddy, Bob Jones, lived next door. He remembers picking up Roger for school in his 1958 Plymouth. "After school we'd run over to Gino's on West Street and hang out. Or we'd go to Teddy's Pool Hall. There was always something going on around Roger."
Occasionally the two got into a little trouble, but marriage cured that. They kept in touch over the years, then saw more of each other when the Dennisons returned to the street.
"One time Tina sent him to the store for something," Mr. Jones said, "but he ran into me in the driveway. Two hours later Tina remembered he was gone, and found us out there. 'Where have you been? she asked.' There we were, just talking all that time."
Mr. Jones, a part-time disc jockey over the years who will provide the music for Saturday's event, said it was a shock to hear about his old friend's condition.
"It is a reality check," he said. "Until you do it yourself, you can't look someone in the eye and say, 'I know what you're going through'... knowing you need a liver and wondering if you'll get it in time."
Mr. Dennison, who worked for the county Department of Public Works on water and sewer repairs for about nine years, was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1998. He has used up his family medical leave and 60 days of unpaid leave since a near-death episode just after Thanksgiving put him in a coma for five days.
"We really thought we were going to bury him," his sister said.
Last week he spent a night in the hospital after another episode.
Mr. Dennison said he is taking "shopping bags full of medications ... and they are about to put me on a rabbit diet ... That's no fun," He said the vegetable-heavy diet is meant to keep episode-inducing proteins from his system.
Now he's about to lose his job because he's not fit to return to work. With his job goes health coverage, though he is on his wife's policy. Should he recover, he'll get preferential hiring.
At the end of last month, Mr. Dennison was put on the liver transplant waiting list at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He's about a third of the way down the list, but he's hopeful.
"It is not a straight one-two-three list. Someone can jump ahead. It depends on the severity," he said.
Organizers are calling Saturday's dinner dance "Hope and Help for Roger." All he needs now is a little luck, too.
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First National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis, USA
SourceURL:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
This biannual conference has been designed to provide an arena in which our nation's preeminent scientists, providers and professionals will gather to discuss the intersection between Methamphetamine use, HIV, and Hepatitis, as well as other relevant issues.
Science and Response in 2005
August 19th and 20th, 2005 in Salt Lake City
The conference program is currently being developed and will include plenaries, break out sessions, and opportunities for discussion. Information regarding registration, accommodations, the agenda, etc., are available through the links section. Click here for more.
If you have any urgent questions, call Amanda Whipple at 801.355.0234 ext. 3
OUR MISSION
The Harm Reduction Project advocates for drug policy reform and works for the enhancement of services available to marginalized populations. Our mission is to reduce the harm associated with marginalized behavior.
The term harm reduction refers to various strategies and approaches for reducing the physical and social harms associated with risk-taking behavior. Harm reduction is about preventing disease, death, incarceration and isolation. It is about improving and saving lives. Harm reduction is about making dangerous behaviors less dangerous.
Harm reduction seeks to prevent the harms caused by risk-taking behavior rather than attempting to eliminate that behavior altogether. Harm reduction acts on the recognition that risk-taking behavior has persisted despite all efforts to prevent it and will continue to do so.
http://www.harmredux.org
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