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Objective: To determine the incidence of AIDS-defining opportunistic infections and malignancies over a 5-year period from 1992 to 1996., Study Population: Subcohort of 1003 homosexual men with HIV infection and CD4 count less than 200 x 10(6) cells/l from the Frankfurt AIDS Cohort Study., Methods: Data including the earliest date that a CD4 T-lymphocyte count < 200 x 10(6)/l was reached and the dates of AIDS-defining events were compiled from medical records. Incidence analyses for AIDS-defining events and death during the subsequent 5 years (1992-1996) were performed using rates per 100 person-years of exposure., Results: During the observation period, the number of patients per year with CD4 T-lymphocyte counts < 200 x 10(6)/l varied between 402 and 511. In 1992, 56.7% of patients experienced at least one AIDS-defining illness, and 20.7% in 1996. The annual number of AIDS-defining events per 100 patient-years of observation declined from 143.5 in 1992 to 38.3 in 1996, and the number of AIDS-related deaths fell from 25.7 to 12.9. Analysis of the number of events confirmed this trend for malignancies and single opportunistic infections, with the exception of mycobacterial diseases., Conclusions: The incidence of AIDS-defining events in patients with advanced HIV infection at Frankfurt University Hospital has declined by more than 70% from 1992 to 1996.

With the advent of the Internet, college health professionals have available to them a new setting in which to network. The Internet provides opportunities for immediate communication with a large and diverse community of colleagues. Through both the Student Health Service (SHS) Discussion Group and numerous health-related databases, the Internet serves as a powerful research tool for program development and improvement. Answers to queries about practice options, solutions for local problems, and support of innovative policies can be received almost instantaneously from college health professionals from across the United States and Canada. In this article, the authors summarize the history and current use of the SHS Discussion Group, provide a brief overview of Internet basics, and identify more advanced uses of the Internet by college health professionals.