Liver Lines - February 5, 2010

At the start of this new decade, liver disease continues to be major source of morbidity and mortality both at home and around the world. We expect a significant rise in the incidence of viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases following the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Hepatitis B is one of those conditions. During the last decade, our ability to recognize, understand and treat hepatitis B has improved exponentially. From the first approved therapies in the mid-1990s through today, we have seen several new potent agents become available to treat this potentially serious infection. Chronic hepatitis B affects an estimated 300 million to 400 million people worldwide and about 1 million to 2 million people Americans. It is more common in Asian-Americans and Native Americans than Caucasians and African-Americans. Chronic hepatitis B is characterized in the blood by a positive hepatitis B surface antigen and the presence of hepatitis B virus in the blood and it is usually asymptomatic. People suffering from this virus have an increased chance of developing cirrhosis, liver cancer and needing a liver transplantation due to liver failure. In the United States, sexual contact is the most common means of disease transmission, although this condition may be passed along via contact from any bodily fluid. It is for this reason that all close contacts of chronic hepatitis B patients need to be vaccinated against hepatitis B to prevent its spread.

Letter: Enjoy Your Retirement Barbara

On Jan. 21, Barbara Mattina will retire after 35 years of service to the village and Mineola will say goodbye to one of the best civil servants it has ever known.

Around the Town with Lou - January 29, 2010

Corpus Christi School closing after 87 years. This sad news hits so many. We can at least hope that the closing can help St. Aidan’s school and St. Joseph’s. A salute to the many nuns and lay teachers who taught there for so many years. The many students to graduate and went on to live very successful lives will always remember their first school.

Letter: Corpus Christi School Closing Sad for Community

It is with a heavy heart that I read the letter I received at home and the front page article of the Long Island Catholic about Corpus Christi School closing in June. After 85 plus years, for Corpus Christi School to close is not only devastating, it is nothing short of a tragedy.

Letter: NuHealth Website Offers Access to Haitian Relief Efforts

As the island nation of Haiti struggles to recover from the unimaginable destruction resulting from the recent earthquake, our thoughts and prayers are with not only with the victims, but with our many employees and patients of Haitian descent.

Better Immigration Enforcement Means Safer Communities

In late November, columnist Robert McMillan wrote a piece entitled “A Story About One Illegal Immigrant,” which questioned the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Immigration enforcement policies affect the safety of all Nassau County residents, but perhaps not in the way that McMillan might imagine.

From the Desk of Senator Craig Johnson - January 13, 2010

MTA Capital Plan Vetoed

Last week, the proposed 2010-2014 MTA Capital Plan was vetoed by the Executive Branch’s representative to the MTA Capital Program Review Board (CPRB.) This veto, the first vote cast, automatically sent the plan back to the MTA under CPRB rules.

Veterans News

Nominee

Dr. Robert Petzel  has been nominated by Pres. Barack Obama for VA undersecretary of health. “ I have a reputation for candor,” Petzel said, promising to speak up within the administration if he felt medical budgets were too low and also to be blunt with Congress about his personal assessment of funding.

What Every Long Islander Should Know

Getting Back Our Mojo

Back in the day, Long Island was a land of movers and shakers.

People came here with vision and purpose. They saw opportunity, and seized it.

From the Desk of Senator Craig Johnson - December 30, 2009

Landmark Senate Foreclosure Bill Signed Into Law

Landmark legislation that protects homeowners and communities from the ongoing foreclosure crisis has been signed into law, Senator Craig M. Johnson announced.

“This measure not only assists homeowners against unscrupulous lenders and uncooperative banks, but just as importantly, it helps protect their neighbors and neighborhoods from the ripple effects of a foreclosure crisis that they had no direct involvement with,” Senator Johnson said.