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Bob Frascino, M.D.
Life, Love, Sex, HIV and Other Unscheduled Events
The Ultimate Unscheduled Event
October 19, 2011
This blog entry was written by Steven Natterstad, M.D. ("Dr. Steve"), Dr. Bob's husband and partner of 18 years.
HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up With That? Part Two
September 23, 2011
We learned of Dr. Bob's unexpected passing just days before this blog entry was scheduled to post: Gentle Readers, welcome to Part Two. Let's talk about detecting very recent HIV infections and emerging diagnostic guidelines. As we have learned more about the natural history of untreated HIV infection and the body's immune response to the virus, we've developed a better understanding of measurable events occurring during recent HIV infection. For instance, the HIV viral load spike that occurs shortly after acquiring the virus correlates in time with a corresponding spike in HIV p24 antigen level. As the body's immune response kicks into gear several weeks after infection, the immune system begins making specific anti-HIV antibodies. The first to appear is anti-p24 antibody. As that antibody increases, the p24 antigen and HIV viral load decline.
HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up With That? Part One
August 25, 2011 Among the most common questions cramming their way into my inbox at the HIV Prevention and Safer Sex Expert Forum are an impressively wide spectrum of concerns about HIV-diagnostic testing. Everything from the very basic -- "to test or not to test; that is the question" (a favorite of Shakespeare aficionados) -- to the ridiculous -- "Grandma farted getting out of the barcalounger. I think I smelled an HIV-charged fart. Should I get an AIDS test?" In between these extremes are HIV-diagnostic-testing conundrums, such as:
Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Three
July 27, 2011
The HIV/AIDS wave crested in the mid-nineties and the once underground disease had now become mainstream. Most Americans were talking about condoms and safer sex without embarrassment. Greg Louganis disclosed he had HIV/AIDS.
Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Two
June 30, 2011
On October 2, 1985, a bombshell dropped on Hollywood. Rock Hudson died of AIDS. Now the deadly disease had a face.
Three Decades of HIV/AIDS: Are You Ready to Dance?
June 1, 2011
The friendly folks at Body Central have asked if I would interrupt my regularly scheduled blog-o-rants to address the following "question-on-the-street" in preparation for an upcoming feature on this year's Gay Pride celebration. Question-on-the-Street: "What do you think generations of LGBT folks before or after yours need to understand about the way your generation has responded to HIV/AIDS?"
B-Tripla and a Bluey on Bondi Beach
April 7, 2011
Note to reader: Before proceeding, I should probably fill you in on what's going on here. I'm on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia with some friends (mates). I have just had a rather spectacular wipeout trying to surf. After being gobbled up by the wave and scraped helter-skelter across the ocean floor for a distance that seemed to me to be roughly the size of Manhattan Island, I was grabbed by a buffed smiling Aussie lifesaver (beach lifeguard). He then shouted, "Look out mate! There's a bluey over there. Let's get you outta here." As he cross-chest carried me across the rip, I saw something that looked like a giant blue condom with strings float by.
The Search for the Cure Heats Up! Part Three
March 1, 2011 As I mentioned in Part I of this three-part blog-a-thon, HIV is far more clever and cunning than any of us realized in the early days of the epidemic, when we all assumed that with the three Ts -- time, talent and treasure -- we could cure HIV in the not-too-distant future. Three decades later, despite billions of dollars and the best efforts of research scientists, HIV still has no cure and has prematurely snuffed out the lives of over 25,000,000 people.
The Search for the Cure Heats Up! Part Two
February 9, 2011 1. There is now very sound and growing evidence that we cannot "treat our way out of this epidemic," as philanthropist Bill Gates stated at last summer's International AIDS Conference in Vienna. Even with improved access to testing and treatment, for every individual who starts antiretroviral therapy (ART), two additional people become newly infected with the virus, according to the UNAIDS report.
The Search for the Cure Heats Up! Part One
January 29, 2011 Hey HIV. Yes, I'm talking to you HIV. You found me exactly 20 years ago today! Do you remember how when I was performing a procedure on Mr. X, a gentleman with advanced-stage AIDS, a myoclonic jerk of his leg caused a deep hollow-bore needle stick and nasty laceration in the palm of my hand? I certainly do. I also remember my first thought (expletives deleted), quickly cleaning the wound, and promptly popping an AZT (one of the only antiretrovirals available in 1991). |
BLOG:
Life, Love, Sex, HIV and Other Unscheduled Events Bob Frascino, M.D., was President and Founder of The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation. He had been an outspoken, popular expert in TheBody.com's "Ask the Experts" forums on safe sex and fatigue/anemia since 2000. Once a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Frascino served as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Immunology, Rheumatology, and Allergy, at Stanford University Medical Center from 1983 until 2001. He was a member of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and had also been a distinguished member of the executive boards of numerous state and regional associations. We're inexpressibly saddened to share the news that Dr. Frascino passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. Click here to read more and to share your thoughts. Subscribe to Dr. Bob's Blog:
Recent Posts:
October 19, 2011 - The Ultimate Unscheduled Event: A Blog Entry by Steven M. Natterstad, M.D.
September 23, 2011 - HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up with That? Part Two -- A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. August 25, 2011 - HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up With That? Part One: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. July 27, 2011 - Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Three: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. June 30, 2011 - Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Two: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. Interviews With Dr. Bob: Doctor Views: Dr. Bob Frascino Dr. Bob's "Ask the Experts" Forums on TheBody.com: A Brief Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by TheBody.com's bloggers are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheBody.com itself. |
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