What We're Reading: Fees for e-Cigarette Industry; Printing Skin; Medieval Diseases on the Rise

Trump Proposes $100 Million in Fees for e-Cigarette Industry

The e-cigarette industry would face $100 million in annual user fees resulting from the Trump administration’s new budget proposal, The Washington Post reported. Accrued funds would be used to pay for regulatory oversight by the FDA. The measure must first be approved by Congress. Fees would be imposed upon manufacturers and importers of e-cigarette devices and e-liquids. Advocates for the industry have criticized the proposal, calling it a tax, as they continue to market e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional smoking.

Scientists Unveil Technology for Printing Skin

A new bioprinter that uses an individual’s own skin cells to produce new layers of skin has been created by scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical News Today reported. The new skin would be used to treat wounds without requiring donor skin grafts. The procedure collects major skin cells, expands them, and mixes them into a hydrogel which is placed into a bioprinter. The technique aspires to replicate the natural function of skin and speed up the healing process.

Medieval Diseases Appear in California Among Homeless Population

Infectious diseases that were prevalent in the medieval era have reappeared within homeless populations in California and other unsanitary locations nationwide, Kaiser Health News reported. These dangerous diseases including typhus, hepatitis A, and shigellosis have spread widely and quickly in contaminated areas. Risk of contagion is not limited to the homeless population, creating the possibility for a public health crisis.