Duesberg seems to be the patron saint of the "anything

      KUGLER:
      WRONG! Read the text of my interview. This was an opinion
      expressed by the Texas researchers.

 Duesberg has been

 Duesberg will

     IN CLOSING: Does James Scutero have an agenda?

                                      Hans J. Kugler, PhD

1.  Of 59 treated lesions, 44 percent achieved complete or
partial response versus 5 percent of control lesions.    

2.  65 percent of patients treated had one or more lesions
respond.    

3.  Average treatment duration was 4+ months.    

4.  Longest patient use was 11+ months.    

5.  Topically administered ALRT1057 is well-tolerated.    

6.  No systemic absorption of the drug has been detected.    

7.  Time to CR ranged from 2 to 28 weeks.    

8.  PR by flattening of the lesion usually occurred by week 8.  

9.  Responses have occurred in patients with a wide range of CD4
counts including counts under 50.    

10. Increased concentration/frequency of ALRT1057 Topical
appears to give more rapid response.    

KS is a tumor first described in l872 by Austro-Hungarian
dermatologist Moritz Kaposi.  It was initially reported to be
associated with certain ethnic groups  however, with the advent
of the AIDS epidemic, the populations at risk have broadened and
the proportion of AIDS patients with KS is estimated to be 20
percent.  The immunological deficiency typical of most AIDS
patients predisposes them to a variety of opportunistic
infections and certain malignancies including KS.    Over 25,000
new patients are diagnosed with AIDS-related KS each year in the
United States.  Eventually, almost all patients with AIDS-
related KS develop disseminated disease, progressing to numerous
lesions involving lymph nodes, the gastrointestinal tract and
other organs.    ALRT1057 Oral and Topical are products being
developed by ALRT. ALRT1057 Oral is beginning international
Phase IIb clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers,
including renal cell carcinoma (in Canada and the U.S. in
combination with interferon alpha), KS, non- Hodgkin's lymphoma,
ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and acute promyelocytic
leukemia.  In addition, ALRT1057 Oral will be evaluated in
HIV-positive patients later this year in a trial planned by the
National Cancer Institute to examine its ability to help sustain
helper T-cell (CD4) levels.    ALRT1057 Oral and Topical are
expected to enter cancer trials in Europe later this year, and
trials for psoriasis began in the U.S. this month.  ALRT's drug
development pipeline includes six additional retinoid compounds
in preclinical evaluation, one of which is scheduled for
submission of an Investigational New Drug application in the
second half of 1996.    Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics,
Inc. is a company whose primary purpose is to discover and
develop drugs based on retinoids. Retinoids have a broad range
of biological actions, and evidence suggests that retinoids may
be useful in the treatment of skin diseases, a variety of
cancers, including kidney cancer, certain forms of leukemia and
other cancers, as well as eye diseases.

/NOTE TO EDITORS:  Allergan Ligand press releases are available
at no charge through PR Newswire's Company News On-Call fax
service and on PR Newswire's Web site.  For a menu of Allergan
Ligand press releases or to retrieve a specific release, call
800-758-5804, extension 509313, or http://www.prnewswire.com on
the Internet/

/CONTACT:  Susan Atkins of Allergan Ligand Retinoid
Therapeutics, 619-550-7687/    (ALRIZ)

Hypothesis: Tolerance for the HIV  receptor on the CD4 molecule is
accomplished by a peripheral network mechanism where it's immune
recognition by idiotypic immune cells is negated by  it's
anti-idiotypic  counterpart.

                  CD4 specific CTLs

                                         Pseudo HIV specific CTLs
            CD4 specific CTLs            HIV specific CTLs

If the above immune effectors (CD4 specific CTLs, pseudo HIV specific
CTLs, and VH3 B cells) do indeed constitute an immune modulation
complex which non-specifically modulates immune responses, they should
vary quantitatively according to the state of the immune response.
Theoretically, individual detection of the above effectors may be
dependent on the chronology of the immune state. By the use of  a mixed
lymphocyte response, with cells from HIV negative subjects, humoral
responses of this modulation complex could probably be detected with
recombinant CD4 and gp-120 molecules. The cellular components of the
MLR should be detectable using Grant's and Hoffenbach's techniques.

This etiology for the progression of HIV infection to AIDS
(modification of a naturally occurring immune modulation complex by
HIV) has not been evaluated and the evidence suggests it should be.

J.R. Kennedy

The following is from a study by Dr. Terry L. Pulse of 29 AIDS
patients.  The
study was published in the <b>Journal  of Advancement in Medicine</b>,
Winter 1990,
Volume 3, No. 4
<p>
Basically, the patients took 1200 mg of the active ingredient in Aloe
vera
juice daily as well as nutrient supplements. We quote directly from Dr.
Pulse's report of the results, which are fantastic:
<p>
"No adverse effects attributable to the essential fatty acid capsules
were
observed nor any side effects of the nutritional supplementation powder
nor
of the Aloe vera juice.  Most patients who were symptomatic reported
that
within three to five days their energy levels improved, fever
disappeared,
night sweats stopped, cough decreased or stopped altogether, shortness
of
breath decreased, lymph nodes decreased in size, diarrhea stopped,
strength
improved and the only measurable side effect of this particular study
was
weight gain, which is a desirable effect.  There were no biochemical
abnormalities noted on SMAC in this particular study.  AZT induced
anemia
improved on this particular regimen. Chest x-rays remained normal
through out
the study.  No changes in EKG from baseline were observed.  There was
great
improvement in all patients to hypersensitivity skin testing at the end
of 90
days... Not only did the patients improve clinically and functionally,
but
their Karnofsky scores improved in 93.1% of the patients at 90 days and
in
100% at 180 days.  51.7% of the patient's T4 helper lymphocytes
increased at
90 days and 32.2% at 180 days, with 25% reactive HIV P24 core antigen
converted to negative at 90 days and 180 days."
<p>
In essence, a substantial number of patient's physical condition
improved.
 Energy levels improved, fever disappeared, night sweats stopped, cough
decreased or stopped, shortness of breath decreased, lymph nodes
decreased in
size, diarrhea stopped, weakness improved.  Hypersensitivity skin
testing
improved.  In 96.4% of the test patients, their Modified Walter Reed
Scores
had improved at 180 days. Karnofsky scores improved in 93.1%. T4
lymphocytes
increased in some patients and, in some, their reactive HIV P24 antigen
converted to negative. Terry L Pulse, M. D., Elizabeth Uhig, RIE, "A
Significant Improvement In A Clinical Pilot Study Utilizing Nutritional
Supplements, Essential Fatty Acids and Stabilized Aloe vera Juice."
Journal
of Advancement In Medicine, Winter 1990, Vol. 3, No. 4.
<p>
Another study looked at the effects of a carbohydrate compound purified
from
Aloe vera used with AZT and ACY on AIDS patients. The study concluded
that
the Aloe vera substance appears to help AZT and ACY block the pathology
associated with HIV and herpes simplex virus. Texas A&M University.
AIDS
Weekly, August 5, 1991, p.2.
<p>
A third study is currently being conducted by Carrington Laboratories
to
indicate what effect acemannan, derived from Aloe vera, has on boosting
the
immune system of AIDS patients.  The study is noteworthy in that it is
being
conducted with the Federal Drug Administration's approval. The results
of the
study should be watched closely.
<p>
And finally, A preliminary study suggests that the Aloe vera drug may
mimic
AZT without toxicity. A substance in Aloe vera show signs of boosting
the
immune systems of AIDS patients and blocking the human
immune-deficiency
virus spread without the toxic side effects. H. Reginald McDaniel, M.
D.,
Medical World News, December 1993.
<p>
<h3>More Facts on AIDS</h3>

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus works slowly over a period of between
7 and
14 years.  Based upon statistical patterns, the whole continent of
Africa
where HIV is the most prevalent could be wiped out within a short
number of
years. A slower but similar pattern could occur in the United States,
in fact
throughout the entire world.
<p>
There are many things that we do not know about AIDS. We do not really
know
how it is transmitted. We do not completely understand how its
retrovirus
activity destroys T4 and other disease fighting cells in our immune
system.
We do not even know where it originated. The most common theory is that
it is
a cross-over virus, that is, it jumped from another species to man.
African
Green Monkeys are the most suggested origin. Another French study
indicates
that a similarity exists between the sequence of genetic material found
in a
virus in a chimpanzee in Gabon, Africa, and the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus.
 A theory propounded by Robert B. Strecker, M. D., a practicing
internist and
gastroenterologist who also holds a PhD in pharmacology, presently has
our
attention and appears to us to be the most plausible.
<p>
Doctor Strecker indicates that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
resembles the
Bovine Leukemia Virus found in cattle and the Visna Virus found in
sheep.
 The molecular weight of the viruses is the same.  He theorizes that
the
initial source of the cross-species infection originated with smallpox
vaccine batches.  Doctor Strecker is not alone in this idea.  While it
received very limited press coverage in North America, the theory
received
much wider  publication in Europe.  Doctor Strecker states that dating
backward from the time of the identification of AIDS in Africa to the
approximate time of infection, there is a period of time which
corresponds
with the period when the World Health Organization performed widespread
smallpox vaccinations in the exact location in Africa where AIDS later
first
broke out.
<p>
The smallpox virus from which the vaccine is processed is obtained by
scraping infected scabs from cattle and then collecting the drippings.
 Doctor Strecker indicates a strong probability that Bovine Leukemia
Virus
was present in the batches and not destroyed in the vaccine processing.
 On
whether its presence was intentional or unintentional, he does not
comment.
<p>
The widespread infection in the Haitian population is attributed by Dr.
Strecker to the presence of 10,000 Haitian workers who received the
questionable vaccine while in Africa and subsequently returned to
Haiti.  As
to the outbreak of HIV infection among homosexuals in centers such as
San
Francisco and New York, the doctor does not yet have an answer but
indicates
there may be a similar cause from some government program such as a
pilot
hepatitis immunization program.
<p>
No one has found a cure for AIDS.  The problem is complicated because
the
virus appears to mutate in each infected individual.  Every Human
Immunodeficiency Virus that is isolated appears to be different.  The
differences may prohibit the development of a vaccine.
<p>
AZT is the principle drug approved by the Federal Drug Administration
for the
treatment of HIV positive patients.  The studies that gave rise to its
quick
approval are very questionable and not totally accurate in our opinion.
 The
drug AZT may in fact kill the patient as it does damage to kidneys, the
liver
and the neurological system and develops anemia in patients.  It is so
toxic
that over 50% of AIDS patients cannot tolerate the drug.  Whether AZT
prolongs or shortens life is questionable.
<p>
Aloe vera has no toxicity. It damages no organisms. We have never heard
of
anyone not being able to tolerate taking Aloe.  The Pulse study
unquestionably indicates that advanced stages, as reflected by the
Walter
Reed scores, were reversed by patients who took Aloe vera.  Which
really
prolongs life, AZT or Aloe vera?

Garey

--------------------------

Gallo's "Dream Team"

By Garey Lambert

        With Romanesque gravity, Governor Parris Glendening announced that
the new Institute of Human Virology had chosen the University of Maryland
over all other competitors and that Dr. Robert Gallo himself, the
co-discoverer of the virus that causes AIDS, was coming to the University
of Maryland at Baltimore. Accompanying Dr. Gallo will be Dr. William
Blattner of the National Cancer Institute and Dr. Robert Redfield of the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The governor said this was "the
dream team in AIDS research." He added that Baltimore has been "catapulted
to a worldwide leadership position."

        Mayor Schmoke called the occasion "an historic moment for the
city, the state, and the nation." He waxed prophetic and predicted that "a
cure... will probably come out of this city."

        Even the press was rhapsodic. The Sun and several television
stories were almost gleeful.

        "Dr. Robert Gallo. Imagine, right here in Baltimore," giggled one
TV anchor.

        There are reasons for such grandiloquence. First, there is Dr.
Gallo's potent reputation. He discovered HTLV-1, the virus that causes a
form of leukemia. That discovery laid the foundation for the discovery of
HIV, an honor he shares with Dr. Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute
in France. And, there's the money it took to get him here. The governor
has pledged $9 million in state money, and Mayor Schmoke $3 million in
city money to lure Gallo to Maryland. That's a lot of public money.

        There are also good reasons to be cautious, even doubtful, about
this investment of public funds. Dr. Gallo's discovery of HIV, his last
significant scientific achievement, took place more than 10 years ago and
is still heatedly controversial. The French claim that they alone
discovered HIV is credible enough that Gallo has been forced to share
credit and royalties with Montagnier. Also, Gallo's subsequent work with
HIV and Kaposi's sarcoma, a malignancy associated with AIDS, has not been
impressive and has been eclipsed by others.

        Dr. Gallo's 30 year career at the National Cancer Institute ends
coincidentally with the departure of Dr. Samuel Broder as Director of the
NCI. Broder has been a staunch supporter of Gallo. Since it is well known
that Gallo is not held in high regard by National Institutes of Health
Director Dr. Harold Varmus, he may have found it an auspicious time for a
discreet departure, announcing his availability to academia.

        The academic community did not respond with great enthusiasm. In
the end, the University of Maryland's competitors were Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond and the Medical University of South
Carolina. These are good schools, well regarded in academic medicine. But
the most important institutions chose not to compete. Notably absent
bidders were universities like Stanford, Harvard and Johns Hopkins.

        Indeed, the silence from Hopkins was deafening. Back in the 1980s,
Hopkins tried to recruit Gallo. Under then-President Stephen Mueller,
Hopkins reportedly offered even stronger inducements than Maryland's, but
to no avail. Gallo stayed at the NIH, and this time around Hopkins wasn't
interested.

        For the state's and the city's considerable investment, Dr.
Gallo's tainted credibility may be cause for more concern. In order to
create the jobs and further the biotechnology investment that Glendening
and Schmoke crave, Gallo must generate about $25 million every year. That
will be no mean feat. Despite the state's considerable stake in the
development of a biotechnology industry, Baltimore is no Silicon Valley.
Neither the Hopkins Bayview campus nor the University of Maryland
biotechnology program have attracted the interest expected. For Gallo's
part, he has spent 30 years under the protective canopy of the NIH,
insulated from the storms of fundraising his colleagues in academic
medicine endure to survive. Worse, the NIH is expected to suffer severe
budget cuts, further restricting research funding.

        This is not to belittle the potential benefits of Dr. Gallo's move
here, but the decision raises questions about the process by which Gallo
was recruited and the extent to which our political leaders are naive to
the realities of scientific research. Unlike the extensive community
contact by the Glendening administration on the appointment of Liza
Solomon as Director of the State AIDS Administration, few, if any,
consultations with either the scientific or AIDS community took place on
Gallo. Perhaps that is why both the mayor's and governor's exaltations
sounded naive, if not disingenuous.

        For example, the governor's statement that Gallo will catapult
Baltimore to a worldwide leadership position in AIDS research ignores the
fact that Baltimore is already a world leader. Johns Hopkins has been at
the forefront of AIDS research since 1984, and Baltimore TRIALS has been
conducting a broad program of clinical research for several years.

        The mayor's sudden financial commitment to AIDS is welcome, but it
comes as a shock to many. For the first decade of the epidemic there was
no city money for AIDS, not a dime. Only within the last year has the city
paid for an AIDS program--the highly successful needle exchange program.
At that, the city committed only $160,000. As early as 1990, the mayor's
own AIDS Coordinating Council prepared a comprehensive prevention plan for
Baltimore. The full plan languished because there was no city money
available. So where'd the $3 million come from, the Housing Department?

        If $3 million is now available, is this commitment its most
appropriate use? Ryan White Title I funding is about $3.7 million, and
everything in Baltimore from clinical care to housing for People With AIDS
is paid for by Title I and charity. What will happen if Ryan White is cut
by Congress? How many lives would have been saved if the city had
committed $3 million to prevention back in 1990?

        Still and all, Dr. Gallo brings impressive if controversial
credentials and his lab is an important addition to Baltimore research.
With any luck it will perform to expectations, attracting biomedical
companies and perhaps even curing AIDS. But from here it looks
suspiciously like our emperors are sporting some new clothes.

WORD COUNT: 994

   And what is all this doing on misc.health.aids anyway?  I don't even
know of a whiff of evidence that magnesium is useful for people with
HIV or AIDS.  Do you have some?

Subject:      Magnesium!!!
Date:         30 Sep 1995 23:11:09 GMT
From:         Bill Patterson <bph...@primenet.com>
Organization: PRIMENET
Newsgroups:   misc.health.aids

Ladies and Gentlemen I found this on MISC.HEALTH.ALTERNATIVE, and if you
don't go to the FTP and download the LARGE file you will be missing a big
part of your education.

          ftp.execpc.com/pub/magnesium/mgresrch.asc