HIV vaccine

HIV vaccine

There is nothing I would like better than to wake up and learn of a new and effective HIV vaccine (except maybe a malaria vaccine), so I was excited to hear of a successful vaccine trial this morning. Multiple news agencies reported that a vaccine reduced the risk of HIV infection by 30%. While the media loves a big story, these results were underwhelming. Although they were "statistically significant," it is way too early to declare success. A simple look at the numbers is more sobering: after vaccinating 16,000 people, there were 23 fewer new infections in patients receiving the vaccine (51 cases versus 74 cases). If one additional patient who received the vaccine became infected (52 instead of 51) the results would no longer be "statistically significant."

A misunderstanding of statistics and study design often leads to premature optimism as well as fear, when new studies come out. Today we learned that a combining multiple injections of two vaccines that proved unsuccessful in the past may reduce the chance of new infections. I remain hopeful but VERY skeptical, given the modest differences and lack of biological evidence (there was no difference in viral loads between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients who acquired HIV). While I am encouraged by the efforts and work being done to develop a vaccine, we have yet to find a silver bullet.

We currently spend a lot of money on abstinence education programs, which have proven unsuccessful and often highlight the failures of condoms. Encouraging abstinence and faithfulness are noble goals, but they should not divert money from strategies with a stronger track record of success. While we continue to wait for more promising results of vaccine trials, we should not wait to deliver more condoms, sex education, clean needles and drugs to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV.

Mackenzie Phillips on Oprah

Mackenzie Phillips on Oprah

Mackenzie Phillips on 'Oprah': I had abortion after incest; stepmom Michelle calls her liar In the wake of Mackenzie Phillips' bombshell allegation that she had an incestuous relationship with her father, her stepmother, Michelle, is accusing her of lying, according to the Hollywood Reporter. More details of Mackenzie's story came to light as her full interview with Oprah Winfrey aired Wednesday, including that she became pregnant and had an abortion. She was uncertain whether the baby was by her father or her husband, who had no idea she was having an incestuous affair.

While her father, John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, raped her the first time they had sex, the relationship later became consensual, she said, and went on for nearly a decade. Michelle Phillips, John's ex-wife and Mackenzie's stepmother, denied the story in an exclusive interview with Roger Friedman for the Hollywood Reporter's Showbiz 411 blog. She told Friedman that in 1997, Mackenzie told everyone in their extended family that she and John Phillips had a sexual relationship, including Michelle.

"She told me, then she called me back and said, 'You know I'm joking,' " Michelle said. She continued, "I said it wasn't funny. Mackenzie said, 'I guess we have different senses of humor.' " Mackenzie is John's child from his marriage to heiress Susan Adams. He wed Michelle Phillips in 1962. Mackenzie's sister, Chynna, had the opposite reaction to Mackenzie's revelation. "Somebody could have dropped a piano on my head and I probably wouldn't have felt it," she told Us Weekly of her reaction to a phone call from her sister, also in 1997. "But I knew it was true. I mean, who in their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn't true?" In that instance, Mackenzie did not say her story was a joke.

Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas is a well known American actor and disc jockey. Thomas is perhaps best known for his recurring roles. The first on the sitcom Mork and Mindy, on which he played Remo DaVinci, the Italian deli-owner, from 1979 until 1981. He then played the hockey-player-turned-travelling-ice show-skater second husband, Eddie LeBec, of Carla on Cheers (1987-1989). Thomas also starred in the short-lived 1990 show Married People. Thomas played Russell Myers, a writer who worked at home who was married to a high powered lawyer (played by Bess Armstrong). When his wife had a baby, Thomas' character became a househusband.

Thomas was born Jon Thomas Terrell in Kermit, Texas, the son of Katharine "Kathy" (née Guzzino) and T. Harry Terrell, Sr.[1] He was raised in New Orleans, where he attended Jesuit High School. He and his wife Sally live in Southern California and are parents to two sons, Samuel and Jacob. Jay fathered a son years earlier with another woman and gave the child up for adoption. Jay and his son John Harding have spoken about their reunion on the Dr. Phil show. John Harding is the lead singer of the band JTX.

Thomas is perhaps best known for his recurring roles. The first on the sitcom Mork and Mindy, on which he played Remo DaVinci, the Italian deli-owner, from 1979 until 1981. He then played the hockey-player-turned-travelling-ice show-skater second husband, Eddie LeBec, of Carla on Cheers (1987-1989). He also appeared on Murphy Brown as a tabloid talk show host, Jerry Gold, who was also one of Murphy's love interests (1989-1998). Thomas won Emmy Awards in 1990 and 1991 for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" for his portrayal of Jerry Gold on Murphy Brown.