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Blogs Comment On Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings, Health Reform, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Judge Sotomayor Provides Important Testimony on the Constitutional Right to Privacy and Its Application to Reproductive Rights," Marcia Greenberger, Womenstake: "One major line of questions, asked repeatedly throughout the hearings" for President Obama"s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her "views on the constitutional right to privacy," Greenberger writes, adding, "Given that this right is central to women"s lives, protecting" such "decisions involving whether to bear children ... and having consensual adult sexual relations, it is important to analyze Judge Sotomayor"s answers carefully." According to Greenberger, because Sotomayor "had not ruled directly on the right to privacy as a federal judge, her testimony in this area warrants particular attention." Following questions from senators such as Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sotomayor portrayed a "clear agreement with the right to privacy and strong description of the court"s current precedents regarding Roe and women"s health," which "lend[s] further support to the view from her legal record that she would not undermine Roe v. Wade if confirmed to the Supreme Court" (Greenberger, Womenstake, 7/16). ~ "Major Steps Forward for Health Care Reform," Thao Nguyen, Womenstake: Nguyen, outreach manager for the National Women"s Law Center, reports that the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "particularly important for women because of the critical headway it makes towards women"s ability to secure access to quality, affordable health care throughout their lives." The bill "works towards confronting many of the particular obstacles faced by women in our current health care system," such as banning the "discriminatory" practice of basing insurance premiums on gender, even when maternity benefits are excluded, Nguyen writes. The bill also bans insurance companies from rejecting patients based on medical history, which has prevented many domestic violence survivors and women who have had caesarean sections from obtaining coverage. Nguyen concludes that "the momentum for health care reform could not have come at a more needed time" because women and their families "need quality, affordable and comprehensive health more than ever" (Nguyen, Womenstake, 7/15).~ "Democrats for Life of America Ousts Member Who Supports Contraception," Feministing: Feministing reports that Democrats for Life of America removed Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) from its advisory board because he supports efforts to improve access to contraception. According to Ryan, he was dismissed from the board after four years after attempting to persuade the group to support contraceptive use as a way to avoid unintended pregnancies. According to the blog, "This is why we call anti-choicers "anti-choice": because they"re not just about making abortion illegal." It adds, "They don"t want women to have access to contraception either -- something that 98% of American women will use at some point in their lives" (Feministing, 7/15). ~ "Umpires, Perspective and the Supreme Court," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": "During his opening remarks for his own confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice [John] Roberts made" an analogy between judges and umpires "that has gotten a lot of play in the media and has already been used quite a few times during" Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, Wallis writes. He adds that "nothing in the world would frustrate me more than an umpire who would call the game differently based upon the color of the jersey that" players were wearing. "But I haven"t seen that happen," Wallis writes, adding, "In fact, the biggest problem we face isn"t an umpire that has favored one team over the other, but umpires who make mistakes in their rulings and judgment because of their lack of perspective." He adds that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and "others w

Mri Data Showing Tysabri® Promoted Remyelination Presented At The 61st Annual Meeting Of The American Academy Of Neurology
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) announced results of a study demonstrating that TYSABRI® (natalizumab) promoted regeneration and stabilization of damage done to the myelin sheath, as measured by advanced MRI technology. Damage to the myelin sheath causes the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Additional posters will also be presented during the Congress highlighting the ability of TYSABRI, in some patients, to improve physical function and patient reported outcomes on cognition, quality of life, and fatigue. TYSABRI is the first approved MS therapy with reported data suggesting that some of the signs of disease progression can be stopped. The strong efficacy profile demonstrated in clinical trials is enhanced further from these data and may help redefine success in MS.
News of the day
BSI-201 Enters Phase III In Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and its wholly owned subsidiary, BiPar Sciences, announced the initiation of the pivotal Phase III trial for BSI-201 in combination with chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), defined by tumors lacking expression of estrogen, progesterone receptors and without over-expression of HER2. BSI-201 is a novel investigational targeted therapy which inhibits poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP1), an enzyme involved in DNA damage repair.
Oncology

American Physical Therapy Association Endorses The Ness L300™ Foot Drop System

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) announced its official product endorsement of the NESS L300 Foot Drop System, manufactured by Bioness Inc. of Valencia, CA, the first functional electrical stimulation (FES) foot drop system to be endorsed by APTA. "APTA"s endorsement began with an extensive product review by physical therapists, the Board Committee to Review Product Endorsements (BCRPE), and staff," said APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD. "The NESS L300 was reviewed to ensure that it met APTA"s standards of quality and we found that it clearly may assist physical therapists in helping patients regain mobility." The NESS L300 is a prescription device used by nearly 400 rehabilitation facilities and select orthotic and prosthetic patient-care facilities across the United States to treat foot drop, a partial leg paralysis that prevents the foot from lifting, causing instability and making walking difficult. Foot drop often occurs in persons who have conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, incomplete spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy. "Physical therapists have played a critical role as clinical specialists to educate and train patients using the NESS L300 as an adjunct to therapy and in the community. PTs are the trusted advisors of many patients who have mobility issues whose quality of life may be improved by the NESS L300," said Yitzhak Zilberman, president and CEO of Bioness Inc. "This endorsement by the prestigious American Physical Therapy Association further validates the benefits of our product to the physical therapists who are helping patients every day." Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility -- in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of prescription medications. APTA represents more than 72,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Its purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals through the advancement of physical therapist practice, education, and research. In most states, patients can make an appointment directly with a physical therapist, without a physician referral. Learn more about conditions physical therapists can treat and find a physical therapist in your area at http://www.moveforwardpt.com. American Physical Therapy Association


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