UNITED STATES:   "Study Links HPV to Lung Cancer"
ABC News     (04.28.08):: Russell Goldman

Human papillomavirus has long been linked to cancers of the sex organs, particularly the cervix. More recently, scientists have found connections between HPV and cancers of the mouth and throat. Now comes word from a new study that the STD may be associated with lung cancer as well.

Dr. Arash Rezazadeh of the University of Louisville presented his team's findings last week at the First European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva. In an examination of 23 lung cancer samples, "The researchers found six samples that tested positive for the presence of [HPV], the virus that also causes many cases of cervical cancer. One was later shown to be a cervical cancer that had spread to the lungs," said a statement issued by the conference.

Smoking remains the chief risk factor for the development of lung cancer, and all the samples studied came from smokers. However, "the fact that five out of 22 non-small-cell lung cancer samples were HPV-positive supports the assumption that HPV contributes to the development of non-small-cell lung cancer," said the statement.

While this is the first research to track the combined impact of smoking and HPV on the lungs, doctors have known for some time that female smokers who acquire HPV are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cervical cancer, according to Dr. Lauren F. Streicher, an OB/GYN and a professor at Northwestern Medical School. "Seventy to 80 percent of women are exposed to HPV, but less than 1 percent of women get cervical cancer. We know lesions on the cervix are more likely to become cancerous in smokers," she said.

The study did not address whether Gardasil, the HPV vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, might be effective against lung cancer. However, the HPV type - 16 - found in the lung cancer samples is among those targeted by the vaccine. "Type 16 is the one that causes cancer," Streicher said. "As more of these studies are completed, we're learning that the vaccine would clearly be preventive in many different kinds of cancers, not just cervical."

UNITED STATES:   "In Hepatitis Trends, Good News and Bad"
New York Times     (04.29.08):: Nicholas Bakalar

In the United States, routine vaccination against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is in large part responsible for declines in new infections to their lowest recorded levels, according to new CDC data. However, the agency recorded slight increases in new hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, for which there is no vaccine.

HAV is spread by the fecal-oral route, mostly through close personal contact. Outbreaks occurred about every 10 years until the vaccine became available in 1996. During 1995-2006, HAV incidence declined by 90 percent to just 1.2 cases per 100,000 population. Declines were noted especially among children in states where HAV vaccination is routine.

HBV is transmitted through blood or body fluids. Sometimes infection is acquired during birth or during long-term contact with an infected person. Men have higher HBV rates than women, and two groups at highest risk for the disease are injection drug users and men who have sex with men. An HBV vaccine has been available since 1981. During 1990-2006, new HBV infections dropped 81 percent to 1.6 cases per 100,000 population.

HCV is also spread through blood and body fluids. There were 3.2 million chronically HCV-infected Americans in 2006. While the number of new infections continues to be small, reports have plateaued since 2003, with a slight increase in 2006. Injection drug use is the most common risk factor for HCV.

"The trends in A and B reflect the power of vaccinations to prevent disease to the point where we can talk about eliminating them," said Dr. John W. Ward, director for viral hepatitis at CDC. However, "[HCV] is common in the U.S., and more effective interventions are needed."

The full report, "Surveillance for Acute Viral Hepatitis - United States, 2006," was a Surveillance Summary published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2008;57:SS-2).

UNITED STATES:   "Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Use and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Individuals Who Are HIV Infected and Were Recently Released from Jail"
Am Journal of Public Health Vol. 98; No. 4: P. 661-666    (04..08):: Kristen Clements-Nolle, PhD, MPH; Rani Marx, PhD, MPH; Michael Pendo, MPH; Eileen Loughran, BA; Milton Estes, MD; Mitchell Katz, MD

The authors evaluated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) use and risk behaviors among 177 inmates who were HIV-infected and were released and then re-incarcerated in San Francisco jails during a 12-month period. A quarter of the adults who are HIV-infected in the United States pass through correctional facilities annually.

Interviews with study participants assessed sociodemographics, incarceration history and use of supportive services the month preceding re-incarceration. They were also screened for depression, and questioned about past or present alcohol dependence and sexual and drug use behaviors. Participants were given a pill card with pictures to determine antiretroviral use during the preceding month and asked about doses missed.

In general, participants were economically disadvantaged and repeat incarceration was common. A majority were homeless the month preceding incarceration. Risk-taking behavior included sero-discordant unprotected sexual intercourse (27 percent-38 percent) and syringe sharing (17 percent). Although almost two-thirds had a history of antiretroviral use, 59 percent (n=64) of this group did not use HAART the month preceding incarceration. Among HAART users, 52 percent missed medication doses once a week or more.

The discontinuation of HAART was independently associated with homelessness, marijuana use, injection drug use, and the lack of community medical care.

According to the authors: "Suboptimal HAART use while in the community compromises the personal health of ex-offenders and may increase HIV transmission, including transmission of drug-resistant strains. This is particularly troubling given the rates of serodiscordant unprotected sexual intercourse and distributive syringe sharing we observed and others have reported."

The authors concluded that the study results "highlight the need for coordinated public health interventions that begin during incarceration and continue post-release. Such interventions are critical to improving health outcomes for inmates who are HIV-infected and preventing further HIV transmission in the community."

UNITED STATES:   "New Sell Via Cell for AIDS Message"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution     (04.26.08):: Gayle White

Recently, five teams of college students in Atlanta created HIV prevention videos on their cellphones as part of a campaign to encourage young people to get tested for the virus. The goal is to release the videos by June 27, National HIV Testing Day.

The project is sponsored by CDC, Verizon Wireless, and the University of Georgia's New Media Institute (NMI). Verizon donated use of its equipment and $12,000, while CDC provided expertise and $30,000. Students from UGA, Emory University, Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and the University of South Carolina created the videos.

NMI Director Scott Shamp said the idea for the project was conceived at a journalism conference three years ago. Shamp and two colleagues were discussing the time and energy spent on the trivial use of cellphones. Surely students' cellphones could be tapped for important social messages, they concluded.

The public service announcements made a big impact on the students involved in creating them. Justin Milburn, a Clark student-actor, said he got the message that young people should get tested for HIV and discuss the disease with their friends.

"We are especially concerned about HIV and younger people," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. "We have to make sure our messages are innovative, relevant, and culturally competent. There's no better way than to involve young people."

FLORIDA:   "Contraceptive Lessons for Sixth-Graders Start in May"
Palm Beach Post     (04.27.08):: Christina DeNardo

Beginning in May, Palm Beach County will teach an expanded sex education curriculum that includes information about STD and pregnancy prevention through the use of contraceptives.

Previously, the county taught sixth-graders an abstinence-based curriculum that focused on how to resist pressure to have sex. Information about STDs was limited, and contraceptives were not mentioned.

The revised curriculum, the result of extensive lobbying on the part of county health officials seeking to better address high rates of teen pregnancy and STDs, includes more detailed lessons in five sessions. Students in the sixth grade will now learn how condoms can help prevent STDs and pregnancy. In seventh grade, they will learn about the different types of STDs. And in eighth grade, they will learn about the various types of contraceptives and how they work, as well as the symptoms of STDs.

"We first stress abstinence. However, there are students out there that have made the decision to have sex, and we have to make sure they have the information to protect themselves," said Wendy Spielman, who oversees the school district's science curriculum.

Superintendent Art Johnson said the lessons will be taught by science teachers since the school system does not have enough health professionals. Earlier this month, the district began training the teachers on the new curriculum and provided strategies to deal with sensitive situations.

The district provided specifics on each lesson to parents, who can opt their children out of any part of the class.

Media & Society | mtvU, Kaiser Family Foundation, POZ Magazine Launch Online Game To Confront HIV/AIDS-Related Stereotypes

[May 01, 2008]