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Newly Discovered Neural Mechanism of Social Isolation
By Nicole Xu Social isolation is by no means a new phenomenon, but the issue is currently being highlighted as lockdown and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have severely dwindled person-to-person interaction. People of all ages struggle with social isolation, but it can have especially detrimental and long lasting effects in developing children.…
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New wave sanitation
By Nicole Xu In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most commonly proposed safety precautions is to wash your hands thoroughly. This is true for many other diseases as well. The CDC states that proper hand hygiene can prevent 1 out of 3 children who get diarrheal diseases and 1 out…
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The unique journey of finding a cure for HIV
By Nicole Xu HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a tedious, lifelong disease. It spreads through bodily fluids and attacks the immune system, specifically the T cells, so that the body can no longer protect itself from other infections. There is no official cure for HIV, but treatment usually involves a continuous prescription of…
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The inflammatory response in overdrive
by Nicole Xu The immune system is often referred to as the body’s defense system, but what happens when the defense system itself turns lethal? Swelling around a simple cut, a sore throat, and arthritis can all be linked back to one root cause: inflammation. Originally evolved as a short-term defense response to abnormal…