Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8), the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma, may be transmitted by kissing between men. In a report published in the Nov. 9 New England Journal of Medicine, John Pauk, clinical instructor in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, found that HHV-8 was more prevalent in the mouth than in genital secretions.

The virus was detected through DNA analysis in the laboratory of Meei-Li Huang, research scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Further research by Scott Brodie, research assistant professor in laboratory medicine and director of the molecular virology laboratories, showed that HHV-8 replicates in the cells lining the mouth.

The UW Department of Family Medicine's WWAMI Rural Health Research Center has received a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to develop a sustainable, appropriate continuing clinical education program for the Pacific Island jurisdictions associated with the United States. (Full story)

Health-care providers should not assume patients understand their options and basic rights regarding end-of-life care. (Full story)