News For Nurses - Weekly Roundup
We read the news so you don't have to. Here are the week's top stories for nurses.
New medical chip grows human cells on the body and heals illnesses in seconds
The tiny device known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT) "injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions," according to a release. It can restore any tissue or injury from broken bones to strokes. The technology will not require a hospital and can be used anywhere. It has healed all mice tested and will be tested on humans within the next year.
Read more here.
California nurse has been deported after 23 years in the US
Maria Mendoza-Sanchez an oncology and cardiology nurse in Oakland, CA has been deported with her husband back to Mexico. Maria came to the United States, obtained her nursing degree, paid taxes, purchased a home and raised her family here. Despite efforts to legalize their status for over 15 years including obtaining support from Senator Dianne Feinstein her request to remain in the United States was denied - she cannot return for 10 years.
Read more about the family's struggle here.
National emergency declared for opioid epidemic - nurses treated for fentanyl exposure.
Three nurses from Affinity Medical Center in Ohio were treated with Narcan for opioid exposure after cleaning a patient’s room last week. With over 100 Americans killed per day by opioid overdose Trump has declared it a national emergency. It is uncertain what this declaration will mean for access to care or long term health care funding related to the epidemic. In a briefing Trump did not address a strategy but discussed the need to prevent children from accessing opioids and plans to keep the drug out of the United States. Read more about the opioid crisis and first responders.
Learn how to protect yourself from secondary exposure here.
The plague has been found in Arizona
Navajo County, Arizona is asking residents to be aware of symptoms associated with the bubonic plague including, buboes, fever and muscle pain. Fleas in the area have tested positive for the plague and can transmit the disease to humans and pets through flea bites or animal contact. Though the disease is curable with antibiotics, it can be deadly if left untreated.
Read more here.
Alternative medicine increases rates of mortality for cancer patients - study proves
A Yale University study of 280 cancer patients showed that, after 5 years, only 54.7 percent of the people who relied on alternative therapies were still alive - while 78.3 percent of people who received medical treatment survived. When specific types of cancer were studied, death from lung cancer doubled and death from colorectal cancer quadrupled - for those who opted for homeopathic therapies.
Read more here.
DNA blood test successfully detects early-stage cancer
According to the Cancer Institute the test screens for cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) - pieces of DNA that are released into the bloodstream by dying tumor cells. It has detected early-stage cancer in people with the deadliest forms of cancer including: breast, colon, lung and ovarian cancer. For those already diagnosed with stage-1 cancer, the test found cancer in the blood of over half those tested. The blood test was more successful with detecting cancer in later-stage cancers. It is still in the research phase but, it is a move in the right direction for detecting early-stage cancer.
Read more here.
Meme of the Week
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