CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update 08/02/2013

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8/2/2013
National News FDA to Scrutinize HPV Test Linked to False Readings International News Financial Firms Turn Focus on People Living with HIV/AIDS Medical News Plant-Based Compound May Inhibit HIV Local and Community News Patients Were Exposed to Hepatitis B Because Nurses Lacked Access to Electronic Medical Records News Briefs TB Case Prompts Testing at Charlottesville Shelter AIDS Walk Colorado Coming Soon Hop on for Hope Ride Helping Orphans with HIV/AIDS	National News FDA to Scrutinize HPV Test Linked to False Readings UNITED STATES :: STDs USA Today (07.31.2013) :: By Bob Ortega The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning more than six months ago that BD SurePath test kits used to screen women for human papillomavirus (HPV) could give incorrect false-negative results. However, laboratories continued to use the BD SurePath test, prompting a dispute between FDA and the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA). Becton Dickinson and Co. originally developed the BD SurePath kit for Pap testing; laboratory use of the kit for HPV testing was not FDA-approved. Laboratories used SurePath for approximately 3 million Pap/HPV tests annually, despite national cervical cancer screening guidelines that specified use of FDA-approved tests for HPV screening. ACLA argued that FDA had no jurisdiction under federal law because the SurePath test was not a medical device. Current law specifies that a laboratory can develop clinical tests or use existing tests for non-FDA-approved purposes, if the laboratory conducted studies to establish the “test’s accuracy and sensitivity.” At present, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) exercises oversight of lab-developed tests under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA). Developers can outsource review of laboratory-developed tests to auditors, such as the College of American Pathologists, but are not required to provide results of validation studies to CMS. Because of concerns about SurePath and other laboratory-developed tests, FDA has submitted new draft guidance to the Obama Administration. The College of American Pathologists agreed with the FDA proposal to regulate “high-risk laboratory-developed tests” and recommended that CLIA regulations continue to govern the development of “low- and moderate-risk laboratory-developed tests.” Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top International News Financial Firms Turn Focus on People Living with HIV/AIDS UGANDA :: HIV/AIDS New Vision (Kampala) (08.01.2013) :: By Oyet Okwera The Association of Microfinance Institutions of Uganda (AMFIU) and the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks (NFPLHN) in Uganda have partnered to encourage all Mityana financial institutions to guarantee business loans to HIV-infected Ugandans. In the past, some Mityana microfinancial institutions and banks categorized HIV-infected individuals as a financial risk and refused to approve their business loan requests. AMFIU and NFPLHN aimed to reduce this stigma faced by HIV-infected loan applicants by increasing HIV/AIDS awareness, developing HIV/AIDS workplace policy, and demonstrating that HIV-infected owners can operate productive businesses. Desired outcomes of the project would be an expanded client base and increased revenue for financial institutions, and economic stabilization and increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected business owners. The Ttamu Ssikyomu HIV/AIDS Positive Group in Mityana district exemplifies a successful microfinancial institution dedicated to self-reliance and self-sustainability for HIV-infected small business owners. Coordinator Rose Ssemuwemba stated that the 75-member group—which includes 40 women, five men, as well as orphans and HIV-infected children—had disclosed their HIV status to the community. The group’s business activities include poultry, pig raising, quarrying, handcrafts, and party rentals. The group saves money in their own “bank,” and receives some financial support from Mityana Hospital and Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese. The Agency for Co-operation in Research and Development, the Humanist Institute for Co-operation, and Stop AIDS Now also agreed to support the project targeting HIV-infected clients of microfinance institutions. AMFIU Executive Director David Baguma stated that the project eventually would cover 20 microfinance institutions and 15 groups of HIV-infected people in Uganda. The Uganda AIDS progress report for 2012 noted that national spending on HIV/AIDS accounted for 15 percent of domestic revenue, and the government’s budget allotted only $25 million for HIV/AIDS efforts. The cost of supplying ART for all 540,000 HIV-infected Ugandans would be $270 million. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top Medical News Plant-Based Compound May Inhibit HIV UNITED STATES :: HIV/AIDS Science Daily (07.29.2013) Researchers at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax County, Va. are in the early stages of experimenting with genistein, a compound in soybeans and other plants, as an effective HIV treatment. Genistein is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which blocks cell communication. Normally, sensors on the cell’s surface communicate with the cell’s interior as well as with other cells. HIV tricks the surface sensors into sending signals to the interior that change the cell’s structure and allow the virus to enter and infect it. According to Yuntao Wu, a professor with the GMU-based National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Molecular and Microbiology, genistein disrups this cellular deception that allows the virus to infect cells. This approach differs from that of antiretrovirals, which attack the virus itself. The researchers believe that manipulating the cell rather than the virus might be more successful in preventing drug resistance. Wu noted that the research is in an early stage, but if genistein proves to be effective, it could be used along with current HIV treatment. Wu also believes that the plant-based approach could reduce the common side effect of drug toxicity caused by the frequency and lifelong duration of multidrug treatments to which HIV-infected individuals must adhere. The researchers are working to determine the amount of genistein needed to inhibit HIV and whether the level of genistein found naturally in plants would be enough or if they would need to develop drugs. Due to sequestration-based budget cuts, the lab has had to locate new ways to fund its research, including the “NYC DC AIDS Research Ride” cycling fundraiser, which previously raised money for the lab. The full report, “Genistein Interferes with SDF-1- and HIV-Mediated Actin Dynamics and Inhibits HIV Infection of Resting CD4 T Cells,” was published online in the journal Retrovirology (2013; 10 (1): 62 doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-10-62). Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top Local and Community News Patients Were Exposed to Hepatitis B Because Nurses Lacked Access to Electronic Medical Records MASSACHUSETTS :: Viral Hepatitis Boston Globe (08.01.2013) :: By Liz Kowalczyk A Massachusetts state health department investigation revealed that Boston Medical Center exposed 13 dialysis patients to hepatitis B because contract nurses did not have full access to computerized medical records. Officials are monitoring five patients who did not show immunity to the disease; to date, none has tested positive. Staff members disinfect dialysis machines between patients, but they perform additional mandatory procedures, such as cleaning all internal tubing with bleach and heat, after treating a patient with hepatitis. Contract nurses working for private company DaVita relied on verbal information and were unaware one patient had hepatitis; the nurses used the same machine for two weeks on 13 other patients before another nurse discovered the error. State investigators issued a “statement of deficiencies” and cited the hospital for violating regulations. According to the investigators, the hospital did not ensure that the nurses “received orientation and read-only access to the hospital’s computerized medical record system before being allowed to independently care for hemodialysis patients.” The case exposed the possible dangers of using outside contractors who were unfamiliar with hospital procedures and computer systems. Hospital Spokesperson Jennifer Watson wrote in an e-mail that Boston Medical Center had “conducted a comprehensive review of the inpatient dialysis unit” and was working with DaVita to establish stronger procedural guidelines. The hospital told state investigators it now audited records every week to ensure proper disinfection of dialysis machines. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top News Briefs TB Case Prompts Testing at Charlottesville Shelter VIRGINIA :: TB The State (Columbia, S.C.) (08.01.2013) :: By The Associated Press The Thomas Jefferson Health District will test approximately 100 individuals at The Haven Homeless Shelter in Charlottesville, Va., for TB after confirming one case of active TB at the shelter. Testing at the shelter will begin on August 16 and will continue through early September. According to Thomas Jefferson Health District Director Dr. Lilian Peake, the public was not at risk because high TB risk required 25–50 hours of exposure time. Haven staff are posting information about the situation at the facility and personally informing any shelter guests who need to undergo testing. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top   AIDS Walk Colorado Coming Soon COLORADO :: HIV/AIDS The Denver Channel (08.02.2013) :: By Patricia Zakhem The 26th annual AIDS Walk Colorado is scheduled for August 10 in Denver’s Cheesman Park, with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. Each year, more than 8,000 individuals from across the state gather to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS and to raise funds for the Colorado AIDS Project and more than 20 other AIDS service organizations in the Denver metropolitan area. The 5K event memorializes those who have lost their battle with HIV/AIDS and honors those who continue their fight. The event will feature live music, food, vendors, a beer garden, a “Diva Dash Stiletto Fun Run,” and a volleyball tournament that will feature the Colorado Gay Volleyball Association. For further information, please visit www.AIDSWalkColorado.org. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top   Hop on for Hope Ride Helping Orphans with HIV/AIDS ILLINOIS :: HIV/AIDS The Pantagraph (Illinois) (08.01.2013) :: By Phyllis Coulter Cyclists in central Illinois will hold the second annual cycling fundraiser for a Guatemalan orphanage founded by a local Illinois couple. The “Hop on for Hope” ride raises money for Village of Hope, which cares for special-needs orphans, including those with HIV/AIDS. After adopting two children from Guatemala, Tom and Amy West Block decided to relocate from Illinois to that country to help other children there. In addition to their Guatemalan children, the couple also has four biological children, one adopted from Ethiopia, and two adopted from Texas. Dick West, Amy West Block’s father, hoped that his cycling team would be able to surpass its previous fundraising total of $7,000 for this year’s event. West noted that the orphanage strives to provide its children with a more traditional family setting than larger institutions can offer, with dedicated staff providing “physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational care” and working to ensure that the children do not end up on the streets after they turn 18. Other Central Illinois organizations support the Village of Hope, including the fundraiser sponsor Lifesong for Orphans. Read Full Article Share this Article Back to Top
The CDC National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention provides the above information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, other sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. The above summaries were prepared without conducting any additional research or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles being summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against relying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summaries. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted above for full texts of the articles. The Prevention News Update electronic mailing list is maintained by the National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Regular postings include the Prevention News Update, select articles from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series, and announcements about new NPIN products and services.

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