Panel Session Introduction

HIV/AIDS has killed at least 28 million people since 1982 (USAID, 2006). The number of HIV/AIDS infected now surpasses 50 million. In the 25 years since the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS in 1981, the disease has become a global pandemic. Unfortunately, the epidemic’s history is a story of largely unfulfilled hopes for various treatments.

However, new nanotechology treatments are offering solutions. In 2005, silver nanoparticles were demonstrated in vitro to attach and inhibit HIV-1 from binding to host cells through size-dependent interaction (see, Elechiguerra, et al., Interaction of silver nanoparticles with HIV-1, J. Nanobiotechnology. 2005, 3, 6.).  In 2006, U.S. physicians demonstrated remarkable results in follow-up human pilot programs in Texas.

Social marketing will be a key tactic for informing both policy makers—and the public—of these successes, because social marketing can operate in the maelstrom of cultural, political, economic and social concerns.

Part I: Brief History of Hiv/Aids Treatments

Presenter: James Adams

International Institute of Integrative Medicine

The history of drug treatment regimens for HIV/AIDS is complex.  It is complicated by problems with toxicity, compliance, side effects and cost. In 1987, AZT (zidovudine) was the first drug approved for treatment of AIDS. By the mid-1990s, a number of new drugs were being developed, such as Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). HAART treatment involves a combination of three classes of drugs: protease inhibitors, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, all of which interfere with the enzymes the virus uses to replicate itself. A viral load below 50—the level at which the virus is no longer detectable in blood—is the goal of therapy, but is seldom achieved.

Newer research shows, however, that the most effective drug therapies fail to prevent replication of the virus. This unfortunate result makes eliminating HIV with antiretroviral therapy unrealistic. Also, the virus often develops resistance during therapy, resulting in a steady  viral load  increase. Additionally, co-infections are on the rise. These co-infections include both fungal and bacterial infections, as well as common viral infections such as CMV (cytomegalovirus, which affects vision) and viral pneumonia.

Fortunately, nanotechnological solutions to HIV/AIDS hold great promise. The interaction of nano- and sub-nanoparticles with biomolecules and microorganisms is an expanding field of research (see, e.g., Elechiguerra, et al., Interaction of silver nanoparticles with HIV-1, J. Nanobiotechnology. 2005, 3, 6.).

Medical literature shows a variety of viruses have been successfully treated with silver-based drugs (Rentz, Viral pathogens and severe acute respiratory syndrome: Oligodynamic Ag+ for direct immune intervention, J. Nutritional & Environmental Medicine. 2003, Jun; 13(2): 109-18).

Emerging medical studies confirm the stellar, broad-spectrum virotoxic efficacy of oligodynamic noble metals both in vitro and in vivo (Gordon & Holtorf, A Promising Cure for URTI Pandemics, Including H5N1 and SARS: Has the Final Solution to the Coming Plagues Been Discovered? [Part II]. Townsend Letter, Feb/Mar 2006. This includes some of the most formidable viral organisms like HIV (including co-infections) (Id.; see also; Dean, et al., Reduction of viral load in AIDS patients with intravenous mild-silver protein—Three case reports, Clincial Practice of Alternative Medicine, Spring 2001; Oka, et al., 1994; Hussain, et al., Cystine protects Na, K-ATPase and isolated human lymphocytes from silver toxicity, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 1992, 189.1444-1449; Aiken, In vitro MIC Test Against HIV-1, published account via email, AA-90 Results. Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Dec. 16, 1997; et al., 2005; Zhong-Yin, et al., Zinc inhibition of rennin and the protease from Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, Biochemistry, 1991 Sept 10.30(36): 8717-21).

This portion of the panel and supporting paper will briefly discuss the 25-year history of HIV/AIDS treatments, as well as present a synopsis of current nanotechnology treatments.

Part II: U.S. Case Studies (2006)

Lead Presenter: Susan Kern

Family Health Group in Houston, Texas

Co-Presenter: James Adams

International Institute of Integrative Medicine

In 2006, U.S. physicians operating under Investigational Review Board (IRB) authority demonstrated highly encouraging results using silver nanoparticles to treat HIV/AIDS patients during a pilot program in Texas. This pilot program followed up a University of Texas (Austin)—University of Mexico (Monterrey) study published in 2005, which demonstrated silver nanoparticles in vitro attached to and inhibited HIV-1 from binding to host cells through size-dependent interaction (see, Elechiguerra, et al., Interaction of silver nanoparticles with HIV-1, J. Nanobiotechnology. 2005, 3, 6.).

Under this IRB program, patients received oral-only administration of tiny silver particles set in water.  HIV-infected patients, after examination and blood test, orally ingested a nanoparticle-sized solution for 30 days, then retested for improved CD4 counts and viral load. The program consisted of an initial physician examination, two blood tests (one at 15 days, the last at 30 days) to measure CD4 and viral loads, then a final analysis of results.

Patients in this pilot program were on both conventional therapy and non-conventional therapy. The best results were obtained with patients who were not on conventional therapy. One HIV-positive patient showed a remarkable drop of over 68% viral load in only 15 days.

This portion of the panel and supporting paper are based upon three case studies from the pilot program.

Part III: Getting the Word Out: Promoting Cures Through Social Marketing

Presenter: Ruth Massingill

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

For more than three decades, social marketing has been widely used to motivate low-income and high-risk audiences. Where successful treatments exist, social marketing should now be used to inform governmental policy makers and the public of their existence. This appears especially true with new nanotechnological treatments now in the process of being made available.

Social marketing has been a key tactic in combating HIV/AIDS, both in developing and industrialized countries, for the past 20 years. Social marketing campaigns have previously focused on prevention and treatment messages; yet, these campaigns have also addressed the cultural concerns and stigma related to the disease.

In Mexico, where the increase in new HIV cases has been continuous since 1981, social marketing is the tool of choice for promoting positive change, both for individuals (downstream audiences) and for broader social policy (upstream audiences), with the goal of preventing this “underground epidemic” from becoming generalized to the population at large (HIV Infection, 2003; USAID, 2005). Numerous campaigns address this challenge, including USAID initiatives, whose infectious disease objectives in Mexico target stigma and discrimination. The principal contractor for the USAID campaign, Population Services International [PSI], was the first organization to use social marketing to combat the AIDS epidemic. In addition to procuring and distributing pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter drugs and condoms, PSI trains government officials in marketing and communication techniques.

Mexico is a highly competitive market for products such as condoms, according to the Washington-based charitable organization DKT International. After realizing sales in Mexico of 19 million condoms in 2004, DKT noted “dynamic social marketing” was essential (DKT, 2005). Likewise, PSI, in conjunction with CENSIDA [The National Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS] and CONASIDA [The National Council for Prevention and Control of AIDS], is using extensive condom social marketing in high-risk areas of southern Mexico (PSI, 2006).

Since HIV/AIDS is also a significant problem along the U.S.-Mexico border, programs such as the SPNS (Special Projects of National Significance) Border Health Initiative rely heavily on social marketing campaigns, using Spanish language media to blanket the transient communities with “bold” HIV messages (Innovative, 2005). Innovative media strategies also characterize Project Hombres, Project Diversity and Project Mujeres, which were developed by a partnership of Latin American NGOs to combat Mexico’s cultural, gender and lifestyle barriers (World, 2006).            

As HIV/AIDS social marketing establishes a track record in Mexico, organizations using this technique can begin to analyze results. For example, PANCEA, a three-year NIH-funded research project in Mexico and four other countries, is studying the effectiveness of the eight prevention modalities commonly used to respond to the HIV epidemic (PANCEA, 2005).

Building on these self-evaluations, this portion of the panel and supporting paper use the essential elements of social marketing to compare Mexico HIV/AIDS campaigns, identifying commonalities as well as unique characteristics in purpose, targeted audience, content/focus and strategic approach. The result is a practical overview of how social marketing can successfully operate in the maelstrom of cultural, political, economic and social concerns while bringing about voluntary behavioral changes among both downstream and upstream audiences.

About the Panel Speakers and the Moderator

James Adams

James Adams, J.D., N.M.D., Ph.D (cand.), is Research Director of the International Institute of Integrative Medicine.  He is a 2006 Research Collaborateur with INSERM, the French National Institute of Health.  Adams has directed international medical clinics and worked as a trial lawyer.  He is an adjunct faculty member for UCLA.

Adams is the author of 40 professional volumes, and has edited over 90 reference volumes in law and medicine.  He has presented international papers and abstracts on HIV/AIDS research at UNESCO (Paris Conference, 2005), ICASA Conference (Abuja, Nigeria, 2005), and other venues. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in biomolecular nanotechnology.

Susan Kern

Susan Kern, M.D., is a senior physician at the Family Health Group in Houston, Texas.  She has practiced medicine for over 20 years. Kern graduated from the University of Texas Medical School and the University of Houston.  She has served as a clinical medical director and spent several years working as a RN prior to graduating from medical school.

Kern has also trained and worked overseas with advanced international modalities and technologies. She is presently Principal Investigating Physician for a nanotechnology pilot program treating HIV/AIDS patients in the U.S. 

Ruth Massingill

Ruth Massingill, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (cand.) has more than 20 years experience in public relations, advertising and publications. She has served as a university administrator and is presently a tenured faculty member at Sam Houston State University. Recent awards include Outstanding Educator (American Advertising Federation, 2002) and Outstanding Faculty (University of Phoenix-Houston, 2003). Ms. Massingill is lead author for a book on communication issues (Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2007).

She founded the The Massingill Agency, a public relations firm specializing in social marketing and media relations for alternative health care organizations. She regularly presents papers dealing with communications topics at national and international conferences (e.g., ICA/ACA, Peru, 2006; UNESCO, Paris Conference 2005). Currently, she is earning her Ph.D. in social marketing from the University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, England.

Session moderator: Charles Wallace

Charles Wallace, M.D., currently practices medicine in the U.S.  Dr. Wallace earned his B.A. in chemistry/biology from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1973. He received his medical degree from Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., in 1978.  In 1994, he received a fellowship from the National Cancer Institute to study pediatric HIV disease and oncology. He is an Associate Investigating Physician for a nanotechnology pilot program treating HIV/AIDS patients in the U.S.

His post-graduate medical training included a surgical internship and a urologic residency at Howard University Hospital and affiliated hospitals, including Walter Reed Army Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and D.C. General Hospital. He was a chief resident at D.C. General Hospital in his final year as a resident.

Wallace has practiced urologic medicine and integrative medicine for 22 years.  He is a Fellow with the International College of Surgeons. Wallace has testified on health care issues before the U.S. Senate.  He presently is affiliated with the Methodist Hospital/University of Tennessee. Wallace is a member of the Academy for the Advancement of Medicine. Dr. Wallace has received the distinguished Physician Recognition Award from the American Medical Association.

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