Newsbriefs ----------------------------------------------------------------- Weight loss before AIDS onset threatens survival HIV-positive men who lose more than 10 percent of their body weight three to nine months before developing AIDS are up to 50 percent more likely to die sooner than those who maintain their weight. The School of Public Health study, described in the November issue of the Journal of AIDS, also shows that the effect of weight loss on survival time occurs even if these men regain some of their lost weight. Increased risk of death due to wasting--the loss of enough weight to cause illness--is caused in part by an increase in the body's metabolic rate. AIDS-related health problems, such as infections, are not the only factor, said Neil Graham, associate professor of epidemiology and the paper's senior author. Metabolic rate is the speed with which the body burns up food. Severe diarrhea and opportunistic infections that strike AIDS patients whose immune systems are crippled can overwhelm the person's ability to maintain their weight, Graham said. John Palenicek, a doctoral student and the paper's lead author, said, "This is the first study of its kind to show that moderate weight loss before a diagnosis of AIDS is, by itself, associated with a reduced survival time after the onset of AIDS." ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Final 1995 Red Cross Blood Drive scheduled The final Red Cross Blood Drive collection for 1995 will be held on the Homewood campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the Glass Pavilion in Levering Hall. Donors will be entered in a raffle for two gift certificates for Butterball turkeys. To sign up for a donation time, call Peggy Jones at (410) 516-8039. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- SNARK sponsors sneak preview at Shriver Hall The student-run SNARK film series will screen a sneak preview of the soon-to-be-released Michael Douglas-Annette Bening film, American President, in the newly refurbished Shriver Hall Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The auditorium, which seats 1,100, was recently outfitted with a new screen, 35-mm projectors and soon-to-be-installed Dolby sound system in part to accommodate student organizations, which promised to bring to Homewood sneak previews of major Hollywood films. SNARK director Chris Aldrich says the free tickets are available at the Levering Hall Student Union desk beginning at noon. -----------------------------------------------------------------