Keepingitreal

Vitamin 'may blunt cancer drugs'

Vitamin C supplements may substantially reduce the benefit from a wide range of anti-cancer drugs, research suggests.Thirty to 70% less cancer cells in a lab were killed by a range of drugs, after pretreatment with vitamin C. Follow-up chemotherapy tests found tumours grew more rapidly in mice given cancer pretreated with vitamin C.Cancer Research reports the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center findings. The US researchers say the same mechanism may affect patient outcomes.Some studies have suggested that because vitamin C is an antioxidant it could be beneficial to cancer patients. The US team tested the impact of a form of vitamin C on the effectiveness of a range of anti-cancer drugs in tests on cancer cells in the lab. They found that every drug they tested did not work as well if cells were pretreated with vitamin C as they did on untreated cancer cells.Between 30% and 70% less cancer cells treated with vitamin C were killed, depending on the drug tested. Follow-up tests on mice showed that while chemotherapy kept untreated cancer in check, tumours grew more rapidly in mice that were given cancer pretreated with vitamin C.Some classes of cancer drugs produce molecules known as oxygen free radicals which can react with other molecules in the cancer cell, forcing its death.In theory, vitamin C could mop up the free radicals, keeping the cancer cell alive despite chemotherapy treatment. Boiler room -- However, the researchers found the key was not that the nutrient was neutralising free radicals.Instead, vitamin C appeared to protect tiny structures inside the cancer cells called mitochondria from damage.Mitochondria effectively form the energy-creating boiler room of a cell, and if damaged can lead to its death.Lead researcher Dr Mark Heaney said: "Vitamin C appears to protect the mitochondria from extensive damage, thus saving the cell."And whether directly or not, all anti-cancer drugs work to disrupt the mitochondria to push cell death."Previous research by the same team has shown that vitamin C seems to accumulate within cancer cells more than in normal cells.SOURCE:BBCNEWS

Sharp rise in HIV in Australia

Rates of HIV infection in Australia have increased by almost 50% in the past eight years, according to a report. The latest figures show that Australia now has about 10,000 cases of Aids, while more than 27,000 people are infected with HIV. Researchers say the rise has been fuelled by Australia's mining boom. They say wealthy miners and businessmen taking holidays overseas contract the virus through unprotected sex.Upward trend? Although HIV/Aids figures in Australia are relatively low by international standards, researchers are worried that this is part of a disturbing upward trend. Don Baxter, from the Australian Federation of Aids Organisations, says that although homosexual men account for most new cases, a growing number of heterosexuals have tested positive for HIV. "It appears to be chiefly men who are holidaying in South East Asia and Papua New Guinea, and having unprotected sex with women who must have been positive," he said. "The risk of a major outbreak in the population is probably not high. But again, we'll have to monitor this situation very closely over the coming years."Campaigners say that miners who have cashed in on the resources boom in Western Australia and Queensland have been responsible for a marked increase in the number of new HIV infections. Statistics have shown that even those in stable relationships can give in to temptation when they are away from their families in a foreign country with their workmates. A heady cocktail of exotic tropical locations, plentiful supplies of alcohol and money has often led to unprotected sex in brothels - and the catastrophic consequences that can follow. In Queensland, health officials in Cairns have said that a cluster of six middle-aged businessmen who had tested positive for HIV following trips to Papua New Guinea could be the beginning of a serious outbreak in the city.SOURCE:BBCNEWS

The Official Summer Takeover 2008

Feds cancel test of experimental AIDS vaccine

Federal researchers today dropped plans for a large-scale test of an experimental AIDS vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health - the latest fallout from the failure last September of a similar candidate from drugmaker Merck & Co. that may have left some volunteers more vulnerable to HIV infection. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the decision to call off the proposed study was his alone, but followed months of meetings to debate the merits of proceeding with the experiment. After the Merck vaccine failed, Fauci first delayed and then scaled back the proposed $160 million test of the NIH vaccine. The trial was to be known as PAVE 100.Following months of discussions, backers of the scaled-back study hoped for the go ahead, but Fauci rejected the plan and asked study designers to propose a still "smaller, leaner, meaner" version of PAVE 100 that would cost less than $45 million.His decision took vaccine advocates by surprise. "We supported the scientific premise of the trial and believed that it was being designed in such a way that participants' safety would be protected to the fullest extent possible," said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition in New York. Until the failure of the Merck candidate last fall, the NIH was just months away from launching its own study with 8,500 volunteers. Both vaccines were designed not so much to prevent HIV infection, but to stir up an immune response that would keep any infection in check - mimicking natural control of the virus that small numbers of people appear to have. An early look at the results of the Merck trial in September showed its vaccine failed on all fronts. It didn't protect against infection, and those who were vaccinated and infected anyway had no better immune control over HIV than those who had been given a placebo. Hope remained that the newer vaccine would be different. It had succeeded in studies with laboratory monkeys, whereas the Merck vaccine failed in similar animal trials. Also, the NIH vaccine was made of bits of viral DNA designed to stir up an immune response, while the Merck vaccine relied on an older technology that injected bits of protein. DNA vaccines are thought to be potentially more powerful. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

The half-a-million condoms giveaway

Oakland -- Half a million condoms are here in Oakland for the taking. The Flowers Heritage Foundation acquired one million latex prophylactics for a vast giveaway program in April - distributing them to local agencies such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Haight Ashbury Free Clinics and the Black Coalition on AIDS. But when those programs collected all they needed, the "Condom Room" at Flowers headquarters was still stacked with 500 boxes, each containing 1,000 of the rubber devices.The foundation was created by pharmacist Syl Flowers, whose company distributes AIDS drugs for a state program."We want to give something back to the community," said Gregory Edwards, executive director of the foundation. With the local condom cabinets full, Edwards has been shipping the goods to other places in need - as far away as Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, organizations seeking any amount of donated condoms to promote HIV prevention can call the foundation at (510) 587-2662.

The Cause: ALICIA IN AFRICA JOURNEY TO THE MOTHERLAND

It starts and ends with the actions of people. We are witnessing the complete annihilation of entire communities of people. Human beings, like you and me, infected with the deadliest virus known to man: HIV/AIDS. The virus has led to the deaths of millions of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. The most affected are children. This devastating disease has created over 13 million orphans in Africa alone. In fact, before AIDS hit Africa the word ‘orphan’ did not even exist. Africa has been called the cradle of civilization, where all life began. It is where our roots are. You could call it “Mother Africa”. The tragic irony is what the continent needs most is ‘Mothers’ fighting to keep their children alive in a place where one child dies every minute. This has become a race against time, not just for Africa, but for the entire human race. AND YET THE VIRUS CAN BE STOPPED. Through the use of life-saving antiretroviral drugs easily available in the West, but badly needed in Africa. These drugs provide treatment that has transformed the lives of people with HIV / AIDS in the West, returning them from sickness to health. But in Africa, fewer than 5% of children with HIV / AIDS. have access to these life-saving drugs. And parents are dying mercilessly in front of their children.

The Documentary

"Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland" has been given to you free of in hopes that Alicia's message will reach millions around the globe. Now that you’ve gone on the journey, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those you just met. 100% of what you donate will support the beautiful brothers and sisters you have met along your journey. Join Alicia in caring for these children and families. Become a monthly donor and do your part to end the unnecessary dying. You can provide care for a child with no parents or save the life or a mother living with AIDS.

Join Alicia in caring for these children and families. Become a monthly donor and do your part to end the unnecessary dying. You can provide care for a child with no parents or save the life or a mother living with AIDS.

If you are financially unable to make a donation, you can support Keep a Child Alive in many ways:

• Host a screening at a local event or family gathering
• Send an e-vite to as many friends, classmates, family members & neighbors as possible.
• Upload your video response to the film
• Host a fundraiser http://www.keepachildalive.org/howYouCanHelp/
• Start a KCA College Chapter! http://www.kcacollege.com
• E-mail Alicia to let her know how you feel! [email protected]

      

Start a virus to end a virus.  Join the journey today

Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica

Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica brings together poetry, essays, documentaries, short video interviews, music, photography and the interactive website LiveHopeLove.com. This project builds on the travels of poet and writer Kwame Dawes who returned to the country of his youth to speak with Jamaicans about the impact HIV has had on them and their country.  It is by far the most unique blending of Pulitzer Center coverage of a pressing underreported international issue – this one on America’s doorstep – and diverse media to reach the American public.

Study: AIDS Drug Lifts Heart Attack Risk

A commonly used AIDS drug appears to nearly double the risk of a heart attack, researchers said Tuesday. In a study published online by the medical journal Lancet, the researchers also said another less frequently used AIDS drug increased the chances of a heart attack by 50 percent. Experts said doctors should be aware of the increased risks, but they did not recommend that patients abandon the two drugs, Ziagen and Videx. AIDS drugs "are wonderful and lifesaving, but they do have toxicity problems," said Dr. Charlie Gilks, an AIDS treatment expert at the World Health Organization. "It may be that we can continue to use them, but we need to be aware of their long-term problems." AIDS drugs are used in combinations, so they could be swapped with others if necessary. Experts have suspected that AIDS drugs could cause heart problems, but no definitive evidence has been available. The drugs come with many side effects, including liver and kidney failure, chronic fatigue syndrome, hepatitis and jaundice. Jens D. Lundgren of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues analyzed data from more than 33,000 people infected with the AIDS virus in Europe, the United States and Australia to study the long-term effects of five AIDS drugs. The patients were followed for up to five years to see who had heart problems.In the 754 patients who had heart attacks, 192 had recently taken Ziagen, also known as abacavir, and 124 had recently taken Videx, also known as didanosine.Those who took Ziagen, included in many AIDS regimens worldwide, had twice the chances of a heart attack compared to patients on other AIDS drugs, the researchers reported. Those on Videx had a 50 percent higher chance. But the risk disappeared six months after patients stopped taking the drugs.Lundgren said patients already susceptible to heart problems were most at risk. For men over 40 who smoked and were overweight, the risk of a heart attack were as high as 20 percent. Taking Ziagen increased that risk to nearly 40 percent. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Statewide meth campaign launched

A state ad campaign targeted at men who have sex with men is under way. The ads feature a diverse group of gay and bisexual men talking about how methamphetamine use has affected their lives. Posters and billboards started appearing earlier this month, and a cable TV ad premiered Monday, March 17. The ads, which direct people to the Web site www.menotmeth.org, are part of a state-sponsored effort to prevent methamphetamine use and encourage current users to stop and seek help. The campaign cost about $11.6 million. The 30-second TV ad features tired-looking men appearing separately in a dark room, speaking to the camera as if it were a Web cam. One says, "I lost my job, I lost my man ...," and another tells viewers, "I lost my common sense and got HIV."The Web site invites users to submit their own stories, do a self-assessment, and find places to get help.The TV ad was directed by Joel Schumacher, who's also responsible for movies such as Batman Forever and St. Elmo's Fire . The ad is expected to air through September.Renee Zito, director of California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, expects the campaign to be effective."The whole campaign is about loss ... and the grief over the loss of your looks, your family, your friends, your career and then, finally, yourself," said Zito, who noted the campaign features real people. "It is depressing, and it was meant to be, because what research showed is in the gay community, what would be most effective would be to listen to a real person talk about the losses they've experienced in their life." SOURCE OF THIS STORY

And then there were two.

After a year of campaigning, the Democratic Party is about to make history by nominating either the first woman or the first African American as their standard bearer for the President of the United States. This week's presidential debate at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on CNN was a proud moment for America. Watching Senator Obama and Senator Clinton discuss the important issues of our day sent chills up my spine. It made me proud to be an American, something that has been difficult for many Americans over the last few years with torture, Katrina, and an Attorney General who believed political loyalty was more important than defending the constitution.The two candidates demonstrated a robust understanding on issues from Immigration and healthcare to national security and the war in Iraq. But for me, what wasn't talked about in their "conversation" rang louder than what was discussed. Through 17 debates in every corner of this country, AIDS has barely been mentioned. And it was not mentioned at all during the final debate between the remaining two Democratic contenders prior to super Tuesday. Here's why this is important to Black people. According to a November 26, 2007 report assessing the status of HIV/AIDS in Washington DC by the District's HIV/AIDS administration, our nation ' s capital has the worse AIDS epidemic of any capital city in the world,where 1 in every 50 people is known to be infected and 80% of the new cases identified between 2001 and 2006 in Washington D.C. were Black.During his final State of the Union address, President Bush said, "AIDS can be prevented. Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for many years. ...seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many." He went on to say, "We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own country."The President asked Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean . But he did not ask for one additional penny to fight AIDS in Black America where according to the June 2007 CDC surveillance report, every hour of every day a Black person dies from AIDS and over two Black people get diagnosed with the disease.During their final debate, the Democratic contenders contrasted the President they would be with the President George W. Bush has been. On her Web site, Senator Clinton claims she will be ready to "Step in on Day one". On his website Senator Obama asks us to believe. "Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington D.C....I'm asking you to believe in yours."A discussion about AIDS is not just a discussion about some peripheral issue. HIV/AIDS is the preeminent health issue in Black America. It is a civil rights issue. It is a social justice issue. It is an Urban renewal issue. HIV/AIDS undermines Black America's ability to manifest the change the candidates are talking about. To not talk about AIDS is to fundamentally demonstrate that you either don't understand what is going on in our communities or as Kanye West said about one President, you don't care about Black people. Either one must be unacceptable to Black voters. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Common Launches “A Minute” Lyrical Content

Common launched a new HIV/AIDS awareness campaign yesterday on MTV’s TRL. He is hosting a contest that will give one lucky winner the chance for Common to spit their rhyme in a Public Service Announcement. This will be done for National HIV Testing Day, which is June 27th. “It’s important to know your status by getting tested because HIV/AIDS is taking a lot of lives in our community and around the world,” Common said. “I had an uncle succumb to HIV, so I’ve personally felt the impact of the disease. Your lyrics can really have an affect on people’s lives and I’ve seen it happen.”So if you think you have the skills then write your best rhyme and submit it to the contest. The one-minute PSA will air on MTV2 and mtvU, MTV’s college network. To Enter visit: www.aminutecontest.com  or www.itsyoursexlife.com.

PROTECT YOURSELF GET TESTED TODAY

Constant struggle to conquer bacteria

Dr. Ian Friedland was sitting at his Mountain View office on a rainy October afternoon when the telephone rang with some long-awaited news: The Food and Drug Administration had just approved doripenem, the powerful antibiotic he had labored over since 2004."Shortly after the drug was approved," the 50-year-old Johnson & Johnson researcher said, "we began to hear stories about it being used successfully in patients." It was the kind of outcome that pharmaceutical scientists spend their lives trying to attain. It is also the kind of story that has become frighteningly rare. Since the early 1990s, drug companies that had built their businesses on early antibiotic research have been leaving the field. As a consequence, there has been a steady decline in the number of new antibiotics approved. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Cali Now Has Marijuana Vending Machines

HIV Rises Dramatically in Teens, Twentysomethings

Some sobering, terrifying news. I'm sadly reminded that history is forever repeating.  Are young gay men doomed to repeat the terrors of their forefathers?

Statistics gathered by New York City health officials show that new diagnoses of H.I.V. infection — the virus that causes AIDS — in gay men under age 30 rose 32 percent between 2001 and 2006. Among black and Hispanic men, the figure was 34 percent. Most troubling, the number of new diagnoses among the youngest men in the study, those between ages 13 and 19, doubled. [NYT]

I can't begin to tell you how much this saddens me. I'm of an age where I can remember dozens of dead friends, and have close loved ones still fighting the disease...including one friend diagnosed in 1989! (Yeah, wow!) I'm also lucky enough to count some marvelous young gay men among my friends and colleagues...and have been saddened to learn they have no understanding of AIDS as a life-threatening force. Many engage in anonymous or online-hookup sex, and few insist upon safe-sex practices. Some of them don't even know how to protect themselves.  (Hint: barebacking isn't safe, even if you're really in love with the guy.) SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Black Health: Drug Research to Focus on African Americans

It has long been a complaint in the black community that little medical research is done to address diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans. That trend may be changing. According to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, 691 new medicines are being developed to treat major diseases affecting blacks. According to Dr. Ian Smith, medical and diet expert on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and creator and founder of The 50 Million Pound Challenge, the research is long overdue. "Research like this has been a long time coming and its emergence is due to several factors including market demand, the understanding of unique patient response to the same medications, and a realization that genetic differences between ethnic groups demand research that addresses these differences," says Smith. Among the medicines in development are 229 drugs for the treatment of cancers that disproportionately affect African Americans; 114 medicines for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (African Americans have the highest prevalence of high blood pressure in the world, according to the American Heart Association); 95 drugs to treat diabetes; 77 medicines to treat respiratory disorders (according to the American Lung Association, blacks have the highest asthma rate of any other ethnic group and are three times more likely to die from asthma than whites); and 67 medicines for the treatment of HIV (African Americans accounted for 49% of HIV cases diagnosed in 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). SOURCE OF THIS STORY

What If ... Your Lover Had HIV? Three Choices

What if your significant other told you that they were infected with HIV or AIDS? What would you do? Would you stay in the relationship or would you leave? That is the question I've asked myself many times since learning that my best friend was infected by her fiancé. She chose to stay for many reasons but the main reason she chose to stay was out of fear of loneliness. While I realize that many people remain in relationships for the wrong reasons, at some point you have to wonder if it's really worth it. I want to share three stories with you about choices: The choice to stay; the choice to leave; and the choice not to reveal status. Tia's Story: The choice to stay  Back in 1993 there wasn't enough information about HIV and AIDS for Tia to make an educated decision. At the request of her fiancé, she got tested. She tested positive but chose to stay even after she found out that they were in different stages of the virus. She battled with feelings of shame, fear, embarrassment and hopelessness. What would people say about her if they knew that she was infected? How would they treat her? Would they think she was promiscuous? Would people become insensitive and talk behind her back? Would they think she was gay?  How would the family treat her???? Years later, I found out that these were all questions that went through her mind. The shame and embarrassment it would cause her parents; the agony of being treated like a plague; and every other feeling of hopelessness. It was safer to stay and live a lie; put on a happy face-a mask than to face the disease. It was less stressful to go on day to day like nothing happened than to worry about taking 25 pills a day. It was more interesting to sit back and watch other women flirt with her fiancée in front of her and not know that he was infected...if only they knew. That was then, this is now... I often wonder that with all that we know about HIV/AIDS today, would she choose to stay?

Jamie's Story: The Choice to Leave
In April 2004, Jamie*, an old Tia's Foundation volunteer told me that her brother, James*, was infected-full blown AIDS. She felt compelled to call one of his girlfriends, Sondra, and encourage her to get tested. Three weeks after that conversation, Sondra* found out that she was HIV positive. Confused, hurt and devastated, she confided in me and Jamie. She kept asking, "How could your brother do this to me?" As we listened to her curse him, scream and cry, I felt compelled to share my story of being affected. I thought that it would help her understand that she wasn't alone. Sondra explained that she was confused; she didn't know whether to stay or to leave. I suggested professional counseling for her first, then eventually for her sons. Like Tia, she was filled with fear, shame, embarrassment and hopelessness. When we spoke weeks later, she decided to leave and get help. I felt so proud of her.
Believe it or not, James is still in denial. He has since moved on and is living with a young woman and her two young children. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Millions of young abusing cough medicine

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12-25 have used cough and cold medicine to get high, the government reported Wednesday. The number of young people who abused over-the-counter cold medicines is comparable to use of LSD and much greater than that for methamphetamine among the age group, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.The agency's 2006 survey on drug abuse and health found that more than 5% of teenagers and young adults had misused cough and cold medicines and indicated that these people also had experimented frequently with illicit drugs. Nearly 82% also had used marijuana. Slightly less than half also used inhalants or hallucinogens, such as LSD or Ecstasy, the agency said.The cough suppressant DXM is found in more than 140 cough and cold medications available without a prescription. When taken in large amounts, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Medical students march in S.F. to call for more AIDS funding

Treating AIDS doesn't stop with a diagnosis and a prescription pad. It extends beyond the exam room to national political battles, field work in Africa and a push for health care reform globally, a group of medical students said Saturday. "Anybody who's active in the health care profession has to be political because the problems, particularly HIV, have become so huge," said Michael Ehlert, president of the American Medical Student Association, at a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to commemorate the 19th World AIDS Day. About 150 medical students marched from Japantown, where they were holding a conference, to City Hall to draw attention to the global fight against AIDS. They want to see a $20 billion increase in AIDS funding in the United States, $8 billion spent on training and retaining health care workers overseas, and the elimination of programs advocating abstinence. But probably the most urgent issue is the "brain drain" of talented health care workers abroad, Ehlert said. Because of a health care worker shortage in the United States, medical students from around the world move here to study and practice, leaving their own countries bereft of medical professionals. "There are more Ethiopian doctors working in Chicago than there are in Ethiopia," said Vishal Patel, the association's global AIDS fellow.He solution is to create more medical schools in the United States and to improve working conditions in hospitals and clinics abroad, Patel said. Some hospitals, especially in Africa, are so short-staffed and underfunded that doctors and nurses routinely contract the diseases they're treating. Basim Khan, a medical student at UCLA, just returned from a 45-day stint at a hospital in South Africa, where he said HIV has "taken out an entire generation." "The medicine is there and it's free, but there aren't enough health care workers to reach all the patients that need it," he said. "And there's no political will to change that."Khan said he'll return to South Africa once he finishes school. Meanwhile, he's fighting to expand training and protection of health care workers here and overseas. Michelle Smith, a second-year medical student at UC Davis, said public education about AIDS is the most important way to fight the disease. SOURCE OF THIS STORY 

BET Rolls Out a Weekend of Award-Winning, HIV-Themed Programming Commemorating World AIDS Day

Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - BET Networks today announced that it will air a lineup of special HIV-themed programming to coincide with World AIDS Day this Saturday, December 1. This HIV-focused programming rounds out a successful year for BET's pro-social initiative Rap-It-Up, which recently won the Emmy® Award for "Outstanding National Community Service Campaign" and a 2007 Cable Positive Award for "Outstanding Special Programming." The Rap-It-Up campaign also includes dedicated grassroots efforts and a comprehensive educational program, all to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among the African-American community. On Friday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT, BET's popular music countdown show 106 & PARK will air a LIVE 90-minute telecast hosted by veejay duo Terrence and Rocsi. The music special will tackle the issue of HIV/AIDS and the risky behaviors associated with contracting the disease, and will also feature celebrity guests Magic Johnson, Juelz Santana and Jim Jones to discuss healthy life choices and provide important information about HIV testing and prevention methods to BET viewers. An encore presentation of the provocative HIV/AIDS special WHAT U KNOW BOUT THAT? RAP-IT-UP SEX QUIZ will air on Saturday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. The one-hour BET News special addresses a host of HIV/AIDS-related issues faced by BET's audience, including stigma and homophobia, HIV testing, substance abuse, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on personal relationships and family life. BET News personality Jina Johnson hosts the show and is joined by fellow BET personalities Lamorne Morris, Sharon Carpenter, and Samson Styles, along with BET News producer Antonio Neves, who visited the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami to talk with young adults and test them on how much they really know about safe sexual health, behavior and practices, and discuss their own personal experiences. Special guest stars Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Common, Romeo and Lyfe Jennings also make appearances to ask various questions, and sexual health expert Dr. Rani Whitfield (also known as the "Hip-Hop Doc") is on hand to provide pertinent health information and facts to assist young adults who may be dealing with these issues. SOURCE OF THIS STORY