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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lawrence lerner who wrote (18487)	4/2/1998 8:58:00 AM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 32384

Larry, Thanks for the heads up. I'm not sure if the finding suggests an increased incidence, but the skin cancer is indeed KS: Wednesday April 1 6:41 PM EST Virus Linked To Kaposi's Sarcoma NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The results of a study of homosexual men support the theory that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) causes Kaposi's sarcoma, a common malignancy in AIDS patients. The study, published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine, also presents "...the most suggestive evidence to date that HHV-8 is sexually transmitted," write the research team. Previous studies have reported a higher prevalence of HHV-8 among homosexual and bisexual men, Dr. Jeffrey N. Martin of San Francisco General Hospital, California, and colleagues explain. However, they point out that this correlation "...is not direct proof of sexual transmission." To further investigate this relationship, Martin's group evaluated HIV-positive and HIV-negative men enrolled in the San Francisco Men's Health Study, which began in 1984. At the beginning of the study, the researchers noted whether or not the subjects had antibodies to HHV-8, which indicates exposure to the virus, and then followed all of the subjects to see if they developed Kaposi's sarcoma. Overall, 223 (37.6%) of the 593 subjects who reported homosexual activity in the previous 5 years tested positive for HHV-8, while none of the 195 heterosexual subjects tested positive for the virus. Martin's team found a correlation between a positive test for HHV-8 and a history of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, they noted a linear association between a positive test for HHV-8 and the number of male sex partners. From their results, the researchers estimated that subjects with both HIV and HHV-8 had a 49.6% probability of developing Kaposi's sarcoma within 10 years. A positive test for HHV-8 "...preceded and was independently associated with subsequent Kaposi's sarcoma," they write. This relationship was still evident even when the researchers adjusted the data to include the effect of more advanced HIV disease progression and the number of homosexual partners. The "critical" first step in designing interventions is to understand the epidemiology of HHV-8, they continue. Based on these findings, Martin's team concludes that "the potential transmission of HHV-8 through unprotected sexual practices provides yet another impetus to reinforce safe sexual behavior." SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine (1998;338:948-954)

To: lawrence lerner who wrote (18487)	4/2/1998 9:00:00 AM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 32384

Here's the abstract: The New England Journal of Medicine -- April 2, 1998 -- Volume 338, Number 14 Sexual Transmission and the Natural History of Human Herpesvirus 8 Infection Jeffrey N. Martin, Donald E. Ganem, Dennis H. Osmond, Kimberly A. Page-Shafer, Don Macrae, Dean H. Kedes Abstract Background. Although human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) has been suspected to be the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, little is known about its seroprevalence in the population, its modes of transmission, and its natural history. Methods. The San Francisco Men's Health Study, begun in 1984, is a study of a population-based sample of men in an area with a high incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We studied all 400 men infected at base line with HIV and a sample of 400 uninfected men. Base-line serum samples were assayed for antibodies to HHV-8 latency-associated nuclear antigen (anti-LANA). In addition to the seroprevalence and risk factors for anti-LANA seropositivity, we analyzed the time to the development of Kaposi's sarcoma. Results. Anti-LANA antibodies were found in 223 of 593 men (37.6 percent) who reported any homosexual activity in the previous five years and in none of 195 exclusively heterosexual men. Anti-LANA seropositivity correlated with a history of sexually transmitted diseases and had a linear association with the number of male sexual-intercourse partners. Among the men who were infected with both HIV and HHV-8 at base line, the 10-year probability of Kaposi's sarcoma was 49.6 percent. Base-line anti-LANA seropositivity preceded and was independently associated with subsequent Kaposi's sarcoma, even after adjustment for CD4 cell counts and the number of homosexual partners. Conclusions. The prevalence of HHV-8 infection is high among homosexual men, correlates with the number of homosexual partners, and is temporally and independently associated with Kaposi's sarcoma. These observations are further evidence that HHV-8 has an etiologic role in Kaposi's sarcoma and is sexually transmitted among men. (N Engl J Med 1998;338:948-54.) Source Information From the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (J.N.M., D.H.O., K.A.P.-S.), the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (J.N.M., D.H.O.), and the AIDS Program and Infectious Diseases Division (J.N.M.), Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco; and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (D.E.G., D.M.), the Department of Medicine (D.E.G.), and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (D.E.G., D.H.K.), University of California, San Francisco. Address reprint requests to Dr. Kedes at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Box 0414, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0414.