NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Cancer Drug Tested as HIV Inhibitor

Test-tube experiments at a National Institutes of Health laboratory show evidence that a drug called hydroxyurea may block or slow the replication of the AIDS virus, researchers report. In a study published in the journal Science, researchers at the National Cancer Institute report that HIV, which causes AIDS, is unable to reproduce in cells exposed to hydroxyurea, a cancer drug that has been used for 30 years. Scientists cautioned that tests that show promise in the lab have sometimes proven disappointing in human patients but they were still excited about the potential in this case.