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Democratic Senators Rally Support For Sotomayor; Hearing Witness List Released
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) held a press conference on Thursday to rally support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee begins Monday, Roll Call reports. Boxer said that there is no need for abortion-rights groups and other women"s advocacy groups to publicly express their support for Sotomayor because the confirmation process has been progressing well. She said, "Things are going well. There"s no need to get involved." However, Boxer added that "foul play" by Republicans to delay the confirmation would prompt women"s organizations to more publicly advocate for Sotomayor (Brady, Roll Call, 7/9).Hearing Witness List Released The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday released witness lists for Sotomayor"s confirmation hearings, the New York Times reports. The Republicans" list includes Charmaine Yoest, president of the antiabortion-rights group Americans United for Life. Among Democrats" list is JoAnne Epps, dean of the Beasley School of Law at Temple University, on behalf of the National Association of Women Lawyers (Phillips, New York Times, 7/10).
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Organizations Partner For HIV Testing Initiative In Staten Island, N.Y.
As part of an effort to encourage Staten Island, N.Y., residents to be tested for HIV, the CARE Network, the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and the City Council"s Communities of Color Faith Initiative, have partnered to launch the "Staten Island HIV Status Check Campaign," the Staten Island Advance reports. "Status Check" postcards that include information on free local HIV testing locations, HIV educational literature and condoms will be distributed by local organizations and businesses as part of the initiative. The goal is to reach the 56 percent of local residents who have never been tested for HIV, Karina Ryan, CARE Network coordinator, said (Slepian, Staten Island Advance, 6/18).
News of the day
Health Savings Account Enrollment Reaches Eight Million
Eight million Americans are covered by Health Savings Account (HSA)-eligible insurance plans, an increase of more than 31 percent since last year, a new census released today by America"s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) finds. Health Savings Accounts were authorized starting in January 2004. Since then, AHIP has conducted a periodic census of its members participating in the HSA/high-deductible health plan (HDHP) market.
Cardiovascular

Chronic Kidney Disease Profoundly Impacts Quality Of Life

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can significantly lessen patients" quality of life, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Certain types of patients women, diabetics, and those with a history of heart complications are most affected. These findings indicate that medical care for CKD patients should include strategies to lessen the negative impact of CKD on quality of life. Quality of life for CKD patients is a frequently overlooked yet critical consideration when evaluating patients" overall health. Quality of life includes measures such as physical function, social activity, cognition, emotion, energy, sleep patterns, health perception, and general life satisfaction, and is linked to risks of hospitalization and premature death for CKD patients. Given the high mortality and hospitalization rates in CKD patients, it is important to gain a better understanding of CKD patients health-related quality of life. To explore this issue, Salim Mujais, MD (Astellas Pharma Global Development), and Frederic Finkelstein, MD (Hospital of St. Raphael), and their colleagues administered questionnaires on health-related quality of life to 1,186 CKD patients at six month intervals. They found that health-related quality of life scores declined progressively with more advanced stages of CKD. Female gender, the presence of diabetes, and a history of heart problems (such as congestive heart failure or heart attack) were also associated with reduced health-related quality of life. The presence of anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells) and the use of heart medications called beta blockers were also associated with lower scores. "Kidney diseases affect the quality of life of individuals, and some individuals in particular such as women are more vulnerable to having their quality of life negatively impacted by these diseases and their progression," said Dr. Mujais. The researchers noted that certain interventions may help lessen the impact of CKD on health-related quality of life. For example, the questionnaires revealed that CKD has a significant effect on sleep, and there are a number of treatment options that address sleep disturbances. The authors report no financial disclosures. Study co-authors include Ken Story, PhD, Catherine Franek (Baxter Healthcare Corporation); John Brouillette, MD (Nephrology Associates); Tomoko Takano, MD (McGill University, Canada); Steven Soroka, MD (Dalhousie University, Canada); and David Mendelssohn, MD (Humber River Regional Hospital, Canada). American Society of Nephrology (ASN)


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