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> February 11, 2000:
Hour One: AIDS Update/Flight Safety
There's been plenty of news in the war against AIDS in the past few weeks. A recent meeting of scientists studying retroviruses and infectious diseases brought announcements of new drug trials, and new strategies for battling HIV infection. Researchers from Italy and from Massachusetts unveiled results that suggest that in some cases, taking a break from powerful anti-HIV medications may help the immune system fight back. However, they warned that the results were preliminary, and stopping medication certainly shouldn't be tried by anyone on their own.
Other researchers discussed findings that estrogen may help protect female rats against infection, and that continuous low-level contact with the virus may afford some protection against infection with the AIDS virus. Pharmaceutical company Merck announced discovery of a chemical that blocks the enzyme integrase, which is used by the HIV virus when infecting healthy cells. The finding raises hopes of a future integrase-inhibitor drug. Drugs that inhibit the enzymes protease and reverse transcriptase have proven to be key weapons in physicians' arsenal of anti-HIV medications.
The results were not all positive, however. Some findings were released suggesting that doctors may have to scale back their hopes for effective AIDS vaccines. Public health workers presented findings that suggest that overconfidence in treatment possibilities may be leading to more unsafe sex. And the CDC presented data showing a shift in the demographics of HIV-infected people -- a dramatic increase in infections among African American and Hispanic males.
On this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk about some of the recent AIDS and HIV news - and take your questions about what it all means.
| We'll also try to answer the question "What happens to an airplane before passengers get on it?" The continuing investigation into the crash of an Alaska Airlines jet off the Pacific coast has produced an FAA recommendation that all airlines inspect similar aircraft closely. The recommendation covers over 2000 planes worldwide. We'll find out what aircraft are inspected for, how often, and what maintenance policies are used to try to keep flying safe. | 
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Above: This screw, which drives the rear stabilizer, was recovered from the wreck of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. The FAA is advising that airlines inspect the stabilizer systems of their MD80-type aircraft. NTSB photo.
Guests:
Helene Gayle
Director, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
Bruce Walker
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, AIDS Research Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Philip J. Mick
Assistant Professor
Aeronautical Technology
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Johns Hopkins AIDS Service - ask a question!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention AIDS office
The World Health Organization
Development of Vaccines to Infectious Diseases
The AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service
The AIDS Education Global Information System
National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research
UNAIDS
FAA
NTSB
Flight Safety Foundation
- This segment produced by:
Charles Bergquist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist |