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Report on Research on Displaced Children with Cancer in Lebanon
By Andrew Wu One of the greatest current humanitarian catastrophes is the worsening refugee crisis caused by the conflict in Syria, which has many unfortunate implications in public health, especially pediatric care. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are around […]
Little Creatures, Big Improvements: The Success Story of a Decreasing Newborn Mortality Rate
By MaryAnn Placheril According to a recent UNICEF report, the newborn mortality rate in Bangladesh has significantly decreased. Back in 1990, when the mortality rate was 64.2 for every 1,000 newborns, births were assisted by family members without medical training. In these conditions, asphyxia was […]
Weighing in on Gain-of-Function Research
By Sharon Washio Viruses are the ultimate parasites—they use the host’s cell processes to carry out their infectious cycles, from replication to dissemination. As barriers between species are crossed and favorable mutations are aptly selected, viruses evolve to propagate among the population, at times, leading […]
Review: Effects of Climate Change on Infectious Diseases
By Andrew Wu Climate change has many implications for public health, particularly on the transmission of infectious diseases. Changes in humidity can lead to an increased risk of illnesses that spread through bodily fluids. Vectors such as mosquitoes can become more abundant and affect larger […]
UV Light: A New Tool for Disease Prevention
By Devorah Saffern Ultraviolet (UV) light kills cells by causing thymine bases in the cell’s DNA to interact and form dimers, which are then removed by the DNA’s own correction mechanisms. Increased exposure to UV light increases the chances of these mechanisms incorrectly replacing the […]
Activation of the Hedgehog protein pathway: A potential solution to obesity?
By Nicholas Persaud The United States has faced many epidemics in which diseases and illnesses have had adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of Americans. When we think of epidemics we typically think of Ebola, malaria, the flu, or anything that is infectious. However, […]
Health Care Reform: Learning From Other Major Health Care Systems
By Mimi Chung With the United States Senate recently dismissing modified plans for health care in the US, different health care systems in other countries have gained considerable public interest. Health care in the United States can vary dramatically depending on an individual’s personal circumstances. […]