Written by: Chaerim Kang ‘24 Edited by: Alyssa Steinbaum ‘23 On October 12th, 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that they were pausing Phase 3 of the COVID-19 vaccine trials due to an unexplained illness in a participant. This was concerning to many, as trials from other pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly had been put on hold in the past month for similar reasons [2]. While the public anxiously waits for the development of additional reliable vaccines for this novel disease, it is important to understand how the vaccine testing process works and what the trial halts may tell us.
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Written by: Alexander Pralea '24 Edited by: Ishaani Khatri '21 Infants with Pompe disease–also known as glycogen storage disease type II–look like all other infants at birth, yet after several months the onset of the disease occurs [1]. Infants soon present with reduced muscle tone; when most babies their age are learning to crawl and stand up, babies with Pompe disease struggle to move at all. They then develop cardiomegaly, or heart expansion. If left untreated, infants typically die by the end of their first year due to respiratory failure, exacerbated by repeated lung infections
Written by: Kaitlyn Mundy '23 Edited by: Iris Cheng '23 In the age of social media, online banking, and cryptocurrency, the concept of cybersecurity and debate over the vulnerability of cyber services is by no means a new point of discussion. Recently, the question of foreign data collection has become a hot topic in the media and public forum. Is TikTok a national security threat? Does the banning of WeChat actually impact the amount of data that is available for collection? These are important questions to consider in regard to national security and protecting citizens from foreign entities.
But through all of this discourse, there is one particular question that remains under-analyzed: what guidelines regulate data collection and protection among domestic entities? Written by: Catherine Kawaja ‘24 Edited by: Max Ulibarri ‘23 Source: Pollak, S. All Passengers From Denmark to Restrict Movements Amid Concern Over COVID-19 Mink Strain. The Irish Times [Internet]. November 7, 2020 [December 22, 2020]. Available from: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/all-passengers-from-denmark-to-restrict-movements-amid-concern-over-covid-19-mink-strain-1.4403493 On November 4th, the Denmark government made the horrifying proclamation that all farmed mink in the country will be killed to prevent further spread of new coronavirus strains that have appeared on Danish mink farms. Since June, mink with newly emerged coronavirus strains have infected more than 200 people. Many of the mink-related variants of the virus include a new, possibly dangerous mutation called “Cluster 5,” which has the potential to interfere with the efficacy of vaccines currently being developed because it changes the physical characteristics of the virus. Although the decision to slaughter millions of mink might seem drastic, the potential outcomes of a mink-related outbreak are threatening to the management of this pandemic.
Written by: Catherine Kawaja ‘24 Edited by: Max Ulibarri ‘23 The technological advances of the last thirty years have increased the demand for and opened up the possibility of shortcuts in all areas of life. Now that tasks like grocery shopping and ordering transportation have been replaced by a click of a button, people have little patience for long wait times or unnecessary errands. The many problems of the COVID-19 pandemic are no different. People want to see accessible treatments, efficient dissemination of a vaccine, effective contact tracing, and arguably most importantly, quick and simple testing.
Written by: Kaitlyn Mundy '23 Edited by: Kathleen Meininger '24 In the age of social media, online banking, and cryptocurrency, the concept of cybersecurity and debate over the vulnerability of cyber services is by no means a new point of discussion. Recently, the question of foreign data collection has become a hot topic in the media and public forums. Is TikTok a national security threat? Does the banning of WeChat actually impact the amount of data that is available for collection? These are important questions to consider in regard to national security and protecting citizens from foreign entities.
Written by: Will Borges '24 Edited by: Melinda Li '22 When Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De Leon fantasized about finding the fountain of youth in the 16th century, he probably never pictured that the mystical source of eternal youth would be closer to Count Dracula than any ornate fountain. In the centuries that followed, scientists and physicians instructed patients to sleep with young virgins, bathe in blood, and drink blood to maintain a youthful glow [1]. Although rudimentary, approaches of the past may have had some ultimate merit, as we will soon come to realize. Fast forward to the 21st century and we encounter a new emerging medical technology referred to as heterochronic parabiosis, also known as the vampire cure.
Written by: Justin Perry '23 Edited by: Nina Mehta '22 Given that the federal government and the California state government do not have enough funds to prevent forest fires, are they perhaps failing to grasp the full scope of the impact of wildfires? Indeed, the one area that has been conspicuously absent in the debate about climate change and wildfires is the impact of wildfires on human health, which could perhaps be more costly, in both money and in lives, than addressing the fires themselves. According to a groundbreaking review of healthcare costs from 2005-2015, the inhalation of PM2.5, or extremely fine, smoke particles from fires in the Western United States costs, on average, $165 million annually. Temporarily, the various fires have led to the worst air quality in the world in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco. This will likely contribute to serious health costs and health consequences for those suffering from respiratory distress. Given that the wildfire smoke reached the East Coast, these consequences could be much more widespread than in prior years.(1) Considering that the impact of wildfires in the Western U.S. has markedly increased as previously discussed, one can only expect such costs to increase.
Written by: Chris Shin '24 Edited by: Elaine Wang '24 Just decades ago, being able to change the genes that determine an organism’s identity was a pipe dream only seen in science fiction novels, but today, gene therapy might be the cornerstone of a treatment for the Coronavirus, responsible for infecting millions of people all over the world. On October 7, 2020, it was announced that Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of a method for genome editing” [1]. Though it was an incredible feat to for the pair of scientists to receive the greatest honor in the field of science, it came as no surprise; after all, they had developed a technique that allows scientists to become the master administrator of the genomes of organisms ranging from microscopic C. elegans, E. coli, and soon, humans.
Written by: Courtney Lysiak ‘23 Edited by: Ziwen Zhou ‘23 Medical litigation and poor patient outcomes are serious issues in healthcare. While it’s reasonable to expect varied outcomes to different treatments, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) is disproportionately affected by these issues. This field is particularly prone to poor patient outcomes due to several challenges, including an incomplete understanding of fetal physiology and the molecular biology of gynecological cancers. Artificial intelligence (AI) may be the key to overcoming many of these issues, leading to better outcomes and fewer malpractice lawsuits.
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