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Volunteer medical assignment quickly becomes learning experience
Carmen Cooper-Oguz Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the fall of 2015, I was selected for an international volunteer assignment in St. Lucia, an island in the Caribbean. I was approved for the assignment due to my dual credentials as a physical therapist and a wound care specialist. As part of this assignment, I collaborated with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), a volunteer organization in which I have been a member for almost 10 years. For the past 28 years, HVO has been dedicated to improving the availability and quality of healthcare through the education, training and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries.
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Depression and diabetes: Improving outcomes with telehealth
Christina Thielst Medical & Allied HealthcareAlmost 10 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes, and it is one of healthcare's greatest challenges due to the financial and personal costs associated with complications and hospital care. According to the American Diabetes Association, the average medical expenditure among people diagnosed with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than those who don't have the diagnosis.
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Can happiness break your heart?
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareHeart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. The relationship between stress, heart disease and sudden death has been recognized since antiquity. More research is needed to determine exactly how stress contributes to heart disease.
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First nurse hackathon provides opportunity for innovation
Joan Spitrey Healthcare AdministrationNursing is a hands-on profession. Highly trained and educated, nurses are the true caregivers to patients in hospitals, homes and communities. They are in the trenches of healthcare, trying to make it all work for their patients.
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Thinking small could yield big results
Mark Huber Medical & Allied HealthcareIf you attended the Heli-Expo show earlier this month in Louisville, you got to see snow as well as some interesting things on the show floor — including a mock-up of a Bell 505 light single with a United Rotorcraft EMS interior. Generally, you wouldn't think a helicopter this small would be suitable for the HEMS mission, but its flat floor and big doors get if just over the goal line.
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Gene study findings could one day prevent gray hair
Cait Harrison Medical & Allied HealthcareSpotted a few gray hairs lately? It turns out there could be more to blame than stress or aging. A large international study has uncovered the first gene identified for causing gray hair, which confirms graying is not based solely on environmental factors. The study, published this month in the journal Nature Communications, looked at more than 6,000 Latin Americans and identified a total of 10 genes affecting with hair shape, graying, monobrow, eyebrow and beard thickness.
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Mini-stomachs created from reprogrammed cells can produce insulin
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareIn a study published this month in Cell, researchers used stomach cells to create "mini-organs" that produce insulin after transplantation into mice. Results from the study show that antral stomach cells demonstrate the ability to convert into functional insulin-secreting cells.
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Ketamine is safe, effective for difficult‑to‑sedate ED patients
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareA small segment of patients presenting to emergency departments with acute behavioral disturbances do not respond to traditional sedation. A new Australian study suggests ketamine is safe and effective sedation for these patients.
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Protecting your crew at an accident or emergency scene
Frank R. Myers Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityA substantial number of fire department alarms involve accident scenes. These emergencies can involve vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, utilities or any other type of occurrence that disrupts the normal flow of daily life. As emergency responders, we need to protect ourselves from the external hazards while operating in these environments.
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CDC: 2016 flu vaccine 59 percent effective
Katina Hernandez Medical & Allied HealthcareNo one likes coming down with flu. And at the recent Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices conference in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released some promising data regarding this year's flu shot. Although flu season is not yet over, the shot has proven to be 59 percent effective, a marked improvement over the 20 percent effectiveness rate of last year's vaccine.
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