RACE IS NOT PATHOLOGICAL BUT RACISM IS

Objectives: To provide a brief history of the race variable, to discuss the misuse of race as a biological rather than a social construction and its implications for the practice of nursing and to suggest racism as a primary determinant of health among people of African descent. Method: Critical reflection on the concept of race and racism. Results: Racism has not changed over the years, but its unit of measurement: race has evolved. Conclusion: It is important to explore the history of the race to understand that African descent has little to do with the physical and mental health profile of black people. The inconsistencies in the classification of people of the same species across countries do not remove the social implications of racism, because the notion of inequality is implicit in racial groups. Thus, disparities in social determinants of health tend to continue and worsen for people of African descent.Descriptors: Race. Racism. Nursing. Health

RASTREAMENTO DA HIPERSENSIBILIDADE METÁLICA PELOS PROFISSIONAIS E ESTUDANTES DE SAÚDE NA PRÁTICA CLÍNICO-CIRÚRGICA

Objetivo: investigar o rastreamento da hipersensibilidade metálica realizada pelos profissionais e estudantes de saúde durante a prática clínico-cirúrgico. Método: estudo exploratório-descritivo realizado com 228 profissionais e estudantes da área da saúde, por meio de questionário eletrônico semiestruturado, aplicado durante abril e maio de 2021, analisado por meio da estatística descritiva e da frequência de palavras. Resultados: 11,0% dos participantes realizaram a investigação sobre a hipersensibilidade metálica. 67,1% declararam que muito provavelmente poderiam incluir essa temática durante a triagem em seus atendimentos. Falta de conhecimento sobre alergia a metais e causas multifatoriais durante a prática clínico-cirúrgica foram citadas como barreiras para a implementação do rastreamento da hipersensibilidade metálica. Conclusão: pouco se evidencia o rastreamento da hipersensibilidade metálica em pacientes durante a prática clínico-cirúrgica dos profissionais e estudantes de saúde. Descritores: Metais. Hipersensibilidade. Alergia. Reação Alérgica. Evento Adverso

Biomaterial-Based Implantable Devices for Cancer Therapy

This review article focuses on the current local therapies mediated by implanted macroscaled biomaterials available or proposed for fighting cancer and also highlights the upcoming research in this field. Several authoritative review articles have collected and discussed the state-of-the-art as well as the advancements in using biomaterial-based micro- and nano-particle systems for drug delivery in cancer therapy. On the other hand, implantable biomaterial devices are emerging as highly versatile therapeutic platforms, which deserve an increased attention by the healthcare scientific community, as they are able to offer innovative, more effective and creative strategies against tumors. This review summarizes the current approaches which exploit biomaterial-based devices as implantable tools for locally administrating drugs and describes their specific medical applications, which mainly target resected brain tumors or brain metastases for the inaccessibility of conventional chemotherapies. Moreover, a special focus in this review is given to innovative approaches, such as combined delivery therapies, as well as to alternative approaches, such as scaffolds for gene therapy, cancer immunotherapy and metastatic cell capture, the later as promising future trends in implantable biomaterials for cancer applications