Predonation assessment of fear of blood draws may help to identify donors who are most likely to benefit from brief interventions designed to enhance donor coping, reduce risk of presyncopal reactions, and increase donor retention.

Web-based donor preparation materials may provide a cost-effective way to enhance donation intentions and encourage donation behavior.

Hypertension is a highly prevalent health condition that puts individuals at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Early detection and prevention are important elements in avoiding future health complications. Although hypertension is typically viewed as a "silent killer" due to the absence of subjective symptoms, there is significant evidence that hypertensives as well as normotensives at increased risk for hypertension exhibit hypoalgesia (i.e., increased pain threshold and tolerance levels). Although the underlying mechanism for this hypoalgesia remains unclear, most of the existing research has focused on central rather than peripheral nervous system explanations. In contrast, a recent study (Edwards, Ring, McIntyre, Winer, & Martin, 2008) demonstrated that patients with essential hypertension show impairment in median nerve function as indexed by reduced sensory action potentials. These findings present the possibility that impairments in peripheral nerve function may help explain hypoalgesic responses in those with hypertension, and possibly among those at increased risk for high blood pressure. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine median nerve function and pain threshold/tolerance levels in individuals with and without a parental history of hypertension to determine if expected differences in

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