The Public Health section is dedicated to providing information on the political and social aspects of healthcare and medicine. The best part? Everything is simple, concise, and easy to read!
The Water Crisis and Impacts on HealthTiffany Chen, Jan 6 2021
Inaccessibility to safe drinking water and sanitation has been an ongoing global issue with nearly two-thirds of the population experiencing long periods of water scarcity annually. In the United States, the population without access to safe drinking water and sanitation is expected to jump from less than 1% to 35% within the next two years. A recent study in Detroit, Michigan has reported that this water insecurity not only negatively impacts physical health, but also mental health and overall well-being.
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How Extreme Heat will Impact CaliforniansKyra Benowitz, Jan 6 2021
Many Californians are cognizant of the hazards posed by a longer and more destructive fire season and rising sea-levels on the coast. A looming threat that must be mitigated to prevent the loss of life is the increasing number of extreme heat events. California utilizes an index, CalEnviroScreen (CES), to identify communities that receive funding for adaptations to address the impacts of climate change and pollution. However, the because the CES primarily focuses on air and water pollution, its ability to accurately assess heat vulnerability is questionable.
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A New Approach to Antibiotic PrescriptionsMaria Bajenov, Jan 6 2021
In 2014, over 250 million antibiotics were prescribed to patients not admitted to a hospital, and at least 30% of those were unnecessary. The CDC outlines policies and guidelines in an effort of antibiotic stewardship, which works to measure and improve antibiotic prescriptions. However, the issue of overprescription remains and needs to be addressed. A recent study investigated whether combining the individual prescription recommendations of multiple professionals resulted in improved adherence to international guidelines.
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Improving Patient-Centered Care in Planning End-Of-Life TreatmentMenna Sun, Jan 6 2021
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a specialized department of the hospital that cares for patients with life-threatening conditions. Treatment for the critically ill, however, is often complicated by a dilemma between reducing suffering and saving lives. Many such patients, especially the elderly, express interest in palliative or hospice care, prioritizing their quality of life over recovery. Currently, this need can be fulfilled in part by using the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form, a nationally developed system for patients to communicate their goals and expectations of treatment to doctors as medical orders.
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Racial Disparities in Maternal Morbidity Melody Zaki, Jan 6 2021
Black women in the United States are two to three times more likely than white women to experience maternal morbidity, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of the pregnancy’s termination. Although socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and geographical location do contribute to this difference in morbidity, social determinants are not the sole pioneers of this disparity. Systematic racism plays the biggest role in this discrepancy. Today, black women are two to three times more likely to die from childbirth and other pregnancy-related complications as compared to white women according to the CDC.
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The Burden of Weight Bias on Reproductive Healthcare Nika Gladkov, Jan 6 2021
Weight stigma is a pervasive issue in the healthcare industry. This stigma refers to the adverse treatment of people who do not meet societal standards of weight. Many physicians subscribe to the common-sense beliefs regarding obesity: weight can be controlled by following proper health practices, and people who are overweight have difficulty finding the means to do those practices. In this model of obesity, presenting the risks and encouraging weight loss is the most straightforward way to combat it. Although rooted in concern, this approach often evolves into fat-shaming, and ultimately results in anxiety, disordered eating, and weight gain.
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Masked Exercise in the Age of COVID-19Lekha Yaramada, Jan 6 2021
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and masking efforts, many people have significantly reduced their daily amount of outdoor physical activity. The closure of gyms and other indoor fitness facilities means that it is even more important for people to find alternate ways to workout. Decreased physical activity can have long-term implications on health, especially since social distancing efforts won’t be reduced anytime soon. Lack of exercise has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, liver disease, and heart disease. Now that many schools and jobs are remote, it is especially important to find a way to remain active.
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The Dangers behind the World’s Largest and Fastest Growing SportNeel Sharma, Jan 6 2021
Until recently, soccer often had a secondary status within the hierarchy of America’s favorite sports and pastimes. Yet the rise of exciting new homegrown talent making a mark around the world and the success of the US Women’s National Team has brought the sport to new heights in the United States. As the player base rapidly grows, it is imperative to examine the possible health concerns from the game. Despite common perception, soccer is not a low-risk sport. Sports-related concussions (SRC) and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are areas of concern--given the physicality of soccer and the frequency of heading, it is imperative to understand the risk of head injury in soccer.
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The Effects of Unregulated Advertising on Children's Dietary HabitsMahima Kunani, Jan 6 2021
YouTube, the second most visited site on the web, has become a major source of entertainment for children. The YouTube industry has grown to include incredibly niche content, but perhaps the most abundant area of content creation comes from kid influencers. Since these videos by kid influencers garner billions of views from other kids, these videos are especially attractive to advertisement companies. Food and beverage companies spend $1.8 billion dollars per year advertising their products to young children on YouTube. Because of this, researchers at New York University School of Global Public Health and New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine explored the effect of product placement in children’s content.
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Detecting SARS-CoV-2: Comparing Molecular and Antigen TestingAbi Hodgdon, Jan 6 2021
In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, it is critical to identify infected individuals as early as possible. This can only be done through diagnostic testing of the target population, which can show if someone is actively infected. Currently, there are two types of diagnostic tests used in the US to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. One type is the molecular test, which looks for SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in the body, and the other is the antigen test, which looks for the presence of viral proteins. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Virology, there are different benefits and potential risks associated with each test. Since reliable tests are vital to prevent the virus’s spread, this research is essential for establishing testing sites and identifying COVID-19 hotspots.
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What’s Stopping People From Getting STI Treatment, Even After Testing Positive?Pearl Doan, Jan 6 2021
Every day, nearly one million people contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI). As common as STIs are, there are several barriers to STI testing including stigma, high costs, and lack of accessibility. For those who do have access to testing, treatment of STIs follows shortly after to treat the infection. However, there is a disconnect. Sometimes, people who get tested fail to return to receive their STI results, which can take between a few hours to a week to generate. Thus, these individuals never receive treatment for their disease.
In a study conducted by the Fernand Widal Hospital in Paris, researchers wanted to find out which types of people failed to show up to their STI treatment appointments after receiving a positive result. |
The Unknown Long-Term Neurological Impact of COVID-19Diviya Khullar, Jan 6 2021
There have been two other coronavirus epidemics in the past, SARS-CoV in China in 2002 and MERS-CoV in the Middle East in 2012, and in both instances, there have been some cases of the disease in the central and peripheral nervous systems that followed. The most common of the conditions is encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain. However, because the SARS-COV-2 virus is under ongoing investigation, the long-term neurological effects of this virus are relatively unknown. Estimates from the American Academy of Neurology have shown that in some parts of the world, up to 57% of people with COVID-19 developed neurological symptoms, with the most common symptoms being headache and dizziness.
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A “Safe” Party Drug? The Effects of Ecstasy Drug Interactions Janet Nguyen, Jan 6 2021
Twenty percent of high school seniors attend raves, 7.7% on a monthly basis, and over 35% of those attendees have admitted to using drugs besides marijuana. Among rave drugs, MDMA (ecstasy) is the number one drug of choice. MDMA is a psychostimulant that causes feelings of euphoria, well-being, and empathy. Despite its reputation as a generally “safe” drug, the greater risks of MDMA are its usage in combination with other drugs. Because of MDMA’s widespread recreational use, as well as its emerging potential as a therapeutic drug for psychotherapy and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), examining the possible dangers of MDMA-DIs is extremely important.
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Exploring the Link Between Vitamin D and COVID-19Marissa Pennino, Jan 6 2021
Headlines are slammed daily about COVID-19: new dangers, breakthroughs, risks, long-term effects, and so on. A new development, however, has shown a link between vitamin D and the incidence of COVID-19 that proves to be hopeful for the future of this pandemic. Researchers have found that vitamin D potentially reduces the risk and severity of COVID-19 in various ways: it halts the virus through the production of antiviral antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), reduces proinflammatory cytokines in the immune system, and increases angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) activity that reduces the risk of developing acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS).
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COVID-19 and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know Ayushi Banerjee, Jan 6 2021
Nearly 18.7 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 330,000 people have died due to complications from the virus. Pregnant individuals make up nearly 3% of the population in the US and are considered a high-risk group for becoming severely ill if infected with the novel virus. With over 49,000 cases of pregnant persons with COVID-19 in America, it is essential to better understand the symptoms of becoming infected during pregnancy. This article will review some key findings from the last months of research.
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How Telemedicine can Support HIV PreventionKyra Benowitz, July 14 2020
The state of HIV prevention has changed drastically in the last decade, particularly due to the FDA’s 2012 approval of Truvada for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a way to prevent HIV infection before it occurs and has been particularly effective in the United States, where HIV incidence has decreased from 13.2 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 11.8 in 2017. This decrease in diagnosis, however, has not been equitable across all populations. Young Black and Latino men who have sex with men have been largely isolated from the benefits of PrEP, despite being disproprotionately represented by new HIV cases. Telemedicine, the use of electronic information and communication to support long-distance clinical care, has been used in an attempt to combat these disparities.
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Intersecting Realities: The Impact of Social Distancing on Mental HealthLucy Xu, July 14 2020
“Social distancing” is a public health practice that has been implemented nationally to slow the spread of COVID-19. While necessary to reduce the burden on the healthcare system and maximize public safety, stay-at-home orders have drastically disrupted the way in which people function on a daily basis. Distancing radically defies the universal norm of prosocial behavior, which is a driving force of good mental health. Though the pandemic has affected us in unique ways, prolonged social isolation may have enhanced consequences for individuals who suffer from mental health conditions. According to one publication from the International Journal of Mental Health, social isolation can cause individuals with mental illness to experience worsened feelings of anxiety and anger.
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An Imperfect Condition: The State of COVID-19 TestingMaria Bajenov, July 14 2020
Global headlines have now been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic since December, and what was likely a distant threat has now reached our own communities. In response, governments and public health institutions have ordered people into quarantine while scrambling to implement testing procedures. With rapidly evolving information released by both these organizations and the media, it is necessary for the public to understand how testing plays a role in disease control and the difficulties it presents—inaccurate testing and lack of access enable the spread of COVID-19. Since testing allows for isolation and contact tracing, many view it to be a key component in slowing the virus’s spread. However, concerns exist about the possibility of individuals becoming infected more than once or receiving inaccurate test results.
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Polypharmacy: An Unnecessary Treatment For Chronic DiseasesAyushi Banerjee, July 14 2020
Polypharmacy, simultaneously using different medications, has become a common trend for many individuals suffering from multiple chronic diseases. Although polypharmacy is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern medicine, it greatly augments the risk of hospitalization from detrimental reactions between incompatible drugs. This risk is especially exacerbated in older adults as their bodies are weaker, making it significantly harder for them to mediate such damaging interactions. Adverse drug reactions are serious—they are the seventh leading cause of death in American adults over the age of 65. A recent study conducted in Denmark sought to uncover new ways to decrease the incidence of polypharmacy reactions in older adults.
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Loss of Smell and Taste Are Identified as COVID-19 SymptomsKate Santoso, July 14 2020
One important strategy for containing the COVID-19 pandemic is to detect infections by understanding and testing for symptoms of the deadly virus. To this end, the COVID RADAR Symptom Tracker app-based community survey in the United Kingdom (UK) recorded daily changes to symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients. This identified anosmia, or loss of smell, and loss of taste as novel predictors for COVID-19 infection. As a result, this study strongly recommends the World Health Organization to include loss of smell and taste in their COVID-19 symptoms list.
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A Tale of Two Viruses: Comparing COVID-19 to the Swine FluMelody Zaki, July 14 2020
People everywhere are currently living through a global pandemic of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus, which originated in China and has since spread throughout the world, has infected 1.67 million and killed over 124,000 individuals in the United States alone (as of June 23, 2020). As societies try to understand the strict regulations imposed by the U.S government, including orders to stay inside and practice social distancing, many have begun looking at the last major pandemic for answers: the 2009 H1N1 “Swine Flu” pandemic.
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Probiotics: Are They Just a Dietary Supplement?Maria Bajenov, April 8 2020
Probiotics have become more and more mainstream. Headlines often discuss how these beneficial bacteria are found in fermented foods and pills. Store shelves are stocked with kombucha and pills that advertise more than 50 billion live cultures. More people are buying probiotic pills and discussing how it can benefit and support digestive and reproductive health. However, as research on the gut continues, specifically on what bacteria is essential and what role probiotics can play in medicine, there are important considerations to take into account when deciding to take probiotics.
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Why Does Medicine Keep Becoming More Expensive?Kyle Wu, April 8 2020
Healthcare is a controversial and important topic of discussion in the US. According to a Hill-HarisX poll, 15% of registered voters cited health care as their most important issue, topping all other categories including the economy and environment. One aspect of public concern is that crucial treatments, such as disease-modifying therapies (DMT’s), have drastically increased in price. DMTs are crucial to prevent diseases like multiple sclerosis from causing permanent damage to the nervous system, but from 2010 to 2017, their cost more than doubled.
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Eat Healthy to Go Green Olivia Zhou, April 8 2020
Poor dietary choices is the risk factor most responsible for global deaths due to chronic, non-communicable illnesses like cardiovascular disease. Additionally, it is a major factor contributing to environmental harm. As a study from the University of Minnesota and Oxford University shows, our dietary choices are crucial to both personal and environmental well-being.
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Fending off the Flu: N95 vs Surgical MasksAngela Wang, April 8 2020
Surgical masks, the iconic pastel-colored facewear ubiquitous in healthcare settings, are often employed as a first-line barrier against respiratory droplets carrying illnesses such as the flu. While these are often the form of medical facewear seen in news and film alike, another type of mask is starting to gain attention. Round and fitted closely to the face, the N95 respirator mask provides better air filtration than looser-fitting surgical masks. In general, these masks serve different purposes.
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How Vitamin E in Vaping Products May Be Causing Lung InjuryKyra Benowitz, April 8 2020
Starting in August of 2019, an outbreak of lung injuries related to vaping use has spurred new-found alarm in the potential health issues caused by or related to vaping. Unlike previously held concerns about the unknown impacts of prolonged regular vape use, these new injuries are acute, or immediate, in presentation. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has activated a multifaceted response to the outbreak of injuries, from closely monitoring new cases in order to better understand the risk factors of electronic cigarette / vaping associated lung injuries (EVALI).
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A Possibly Unnecessary Aspect of Gynecologist Appointments: Cervical CancerPearl Doan, April 8 2020
While these medical tests are indeed important, many medical organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Cancer Society, do not recommend these screenings for women who are younger than 21 years old. Since cervical cancer usually affects women older than the age of 35, women under the age of 21 would not likely need these tests. Testing would be required if the patient was exhibiting symptoms of cervical cancer, such as light bleeding between periods or unexplained pelvic pain.
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Obese Children Can Be Metabolically HealthyAyushi Banerjee, April 8 2020
Obesity is known for having many endocrine, metabolic, and cardiovascular comorbidities and even premature death. For example, those that are obese typically have insulin resistance, abnormal blood pressure and glucose regulation, increased lipids and liver enzymes, and an abnormal hormonal, inflammation, and immune profile — this is called being metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). However, there is a new type of obesity that has been discovered for children: metabolically healthy obesity, or MHO. An adolescent with MHO does not have the additional health issues that obesity normally causes.
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Ketamine: Potential Clinical Applications of a Recreational DrugLinda Tajalli, April 8 2020
Ketamine, notorious for its use as a recreational drug, in recent years has come to the attention of researchers due to its potential clinical applications. These applications have ranged from investigating ketamine’s efficacy in treating psychiatric disorders from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD, known colloquially as clinical depression), and more recently on Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD).
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Analyzing the Relationship between Cannabis Use and HealthShannon Huang, April 8 2020
Cannabis, commonly referred to as marijuana, is the world’s most commonly used recreational drug. With over 181 million users around the world, the widespread popularity of the drug, especially among adolescents, can be attributed to its legalization and regulation in 34 states in the U.S.
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The Youth Epidemic: A New Wave of Lung InjuriesMelody Zaki , Jan 5 2020
With the Trump administration considering a variety of bans on vaping products, many questions have been raised about the long-term health complications of vaping. These new regulations are designed to minimize cases of vaping respiratory-related illnesses by limiting the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products.
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Stem Cells: The Cure or Not the Cure?Arina Nisanova, Jan 5 2020
The topic of stem cells has received substantial attention in recent news articles, TV programs, and radio shows. They have been deemed a cure for anything from spinal cord injuries to Alzheimer’s Disease. To discern the truth from falsehood, it is crucial to understand what stem cells are and what the health community really knows about them.
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The Fight to End Pregnancy-Related DeathsMaria Bajenov, Jan 5 2020
Recent years have seen significant advances in preventing deaths from pregnancy-related complications. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report estimated 1,459 deaths due to pregnancy-related complications in the US from 1987–1990, and identified women over 35 years old, people of black descent, and those without prenatal care as three groups with disproportionately increased risk.
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New Insights into Vaping-Related InjuriesAyushi Banerjee, Jan 5 2020
Recent usage of e-cigarettes has increased tremendously, especially among young adults. In 2017, 11.7% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes whereas 20.8% reported use in 2018. Additionally, e-cigarettes use battery-operated heaters to break a liquid down into toxic compounds. These devices most commonly include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and butane hash oil, referred to as “dabs”. Although these substances are already dangerous in isolation, heating them produces manganese and zinc that are toxic when inhaled.
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The Health Implications of California Wildfires: Causes and PreventionDaisy Yan, Jan 5 2020
In the past couple of months, Los Angeles County has been plagued with a multitude of wildfires. With the onset of global warming, the rise in temperatures has corresponded to an increase in the number of wildfires that occur each year. This is an even greater issue in the state of California due to its naturally warm and dry climate as well as its abundance of shrubby terrain. However, with the rise in wildfires comes public health concerns.
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Addressing Mental Health in Those Diagnosed with CancerLinda Tajalli, Jan 5 2020
In the context of cancer research, cancer patients have been found to be 2-3 times more susceptible to developing depression and anxiety compared to the general population. Although factors such as socioeconomic status and quality of social support have been found to impact how patients fare in the light of a cancer diagnosis, research has found a link between mindsets and psychological outcomes in those with cancer.
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Seasonal Allergies on the Rise: Could Climate Change Be Responsible?Kyra Benowitz, July 21 2019
Although allergic rhinitis may seem like a minor health hindrance, severe seasonal allergies can actually keep those who are especially vulnerable indoors. Additionally, more than 25 million Americans are impacted, and allergic rhinitis costs an estimated $11.2 billion per year to the U.S. economy alone. It is important to analyze the factors that influence seasonal allergies in order to help reduce this cost and recognize how global ecological changes can impact individual lives.
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Steps Toward Outsmarting Staph InfectionsEmily Zheng, July 21 2019
Ever since the discovery of disease-causing bacteria, scientists have been trying to find ways to fight and prevent infections. Through using antibiotic treatments and promoting healthy habits like regular hand washing, the health community has successfully lowered infection rates. Despite the success, an aggressive infection that healthcare is still battling is Staphylococcus (staph) infections.
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