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Understanding Barriers to Fresh Produce Consumption in Detroit
Get PDFTitle: Understanding Barriers to Fresh Produce Consumption in Detroit
Abstract:
Background Information:
Detroit has barriers to fresh produce consumption and poor health outcomes related to diet, which necessitate further study. We aim to investigate these barriers by understanding current consumption practices of fresh produce, and provide evidence for future solutions to combat these barriers.
Methods:
Surveys were distributed at two urban garden locations (Wayne State University School of Medicine Medical Student Garden and Wayne Pediatrics Garden) in Midtown, Detroit, to patrons (n=34) receiving fresh produce between March-October 2024. Surveys screened for demographics, transportation, what produce patrons took, if they used the produce, how the patron used the produce, etc.
Results:
Key findings showed that 55.9% of patrons used a personal vehicle to arrive at a survey location. Concurrently, 44% of patrons arrived at a survey location other than via a personal vehicle. 100% of patrons who filled out the survey knew how to eat/use the produce given. Additionally, 100% of patrons who filled out the survey and had taken fresh produce, used the produce.
Conclusions:
This study found the desire and knowledge of fresh produce is not a significant barrier, and challenges with access are more likely due to systemic obstacles. Further research will survey a) exact amounts of produce utilized, b) which produce was preferred and why, c) frequency of consuming produce at home, d) other barriers residents of Detroit may face when trying to get fresh produce (ex: distance, expenses, weather, etc.
Evaluating Value of Trigger Finger Release: Ambulatory Surgical Center vs. Procedure Room
Get PDFIntroduction:
As healthcare costs rise, improving cost-efficiency is essential. This study evaluates the value of trigger finger release (TFR) surgery in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and procedure rooms (PRs), hypothesizing that PRs offer higher value due to lower overhead costs.
Methods:
The cost of TFR was assessed according to Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) methodology. Expenses were categorized into four categories:
Direct Labor: Personnel utilization costs
Direct Fixed: Building and utility fees
Direct Supply: Equipment costs
Indirect: Maintenance, administration, and marketing
Changes in pre-operative and 3-month post-operative PROMIS Pain Interference (PI) and Upper Extremity (UE) scores were multiplied by average life-years remaining to calculate PROMIS-adjusted life-years (PALYs). Average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACERs) were calculated by dividing costs by PALYs. Differences in costs and outcomes were assessed using two-tailed t-tests.
Results:
Cost data was collected from 11 ASC patients and 25 PR patients. The average cost for ASC was significantly lower (2,232.55, p= 0.00001122). The average PALYPI was insignificantly higher for ASC than PR (0.75 vs. 0.38, p= 0.062420651). The average PALYUE was similarly insignificantly higher for ASC than PR (0.75 vs. 0.60, p= 0.658738428). ASC ACERPI (5,976.46/PALYPI). ASC ACERUE (3,731.56/ PALYUE).
Conclusion:
Similar outcomes suggest cost drives TFR value, with PR as the least costly site. ACER values show PR is most valuable for UE but least for PI. Implementing cost-effective strategies, such as selecting more valuable surgical sites, is key to managing rising healthcare costs
Intranasal Delivery of Human Olfactory Stem Cells in SCI Treatment
Get PDFBackground:
Olfactory stem cells hold great promise as a treatment for neural injury and disease. Two types of stem cells are known to be present in the olfactory mucosa – basal epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells in the lamina propria. Basal epithelial cells, under stimulation of mesenchymal cells, are known to differentiate into neurons1,2. Among other immunomodulatory functions3, mesenchymal cells are also observed to differentiate into neurons. Improvement with olfactory stem cells is observed in various animal models, including head injury4, nerve repair5,6, and Alzheimer’s disease7. The purpose of this research is to explore the degree to which human olfactory stem cell treatment following spinal cord injury facilitates functional improvement.
Methods:
Human olfactory stem cellls were obtained using a Covid testing brush and expanded in culture. The cells are sent out for pathogen testing before use. A laminectomy is performed on under isoflurane anesthesia on male adult Sprague Dawley rats. After a left T11 hemisection, the rats received stem cells or vehicle solution intranasally immediately after injury and 10 days after injury. Function is evaluated using Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. BBB is a 21-point scale that assigns a score bases on the degree of movement in the hip, knee and ankle joint and foot position. Rats are also tested using an inclined plane to determine the highest angle that rats can maintain their position.
Results:
Results of functional tests are still pending. It is expected that results will be collected and ready at the time of presentation.
Conclusion:
Following the completion of functional testing, improvement in mobility and range of motion over time in stem cell recipient rats will be compared to vehicle solution recipients to assess the benefit of the treatment. Clinical translation will be facilitated in that stem cells can obtained and delivered in minimally invasive manner
Determining Immune Activation in a Drosophila Model of ALS
Get PDFDetermining Immune Activation in a Drosophila Model of ALS
Abrielle Fretz and Ryan Insolera
Background:
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness and death. While most cases of ALS are sporadic, around 10% of cases are inherited. Of these inherited cases, one gene found to be involved is optineurin (OPTN). Mutated OPTN induces a cycle of cellular stress and death through NF-kB, a gene regulating immune activation and cell death. This dysregulation is thought to be a contributing factor to the disease processes of ALS.
In Drosophila, mutation of OPTN’s homologous gene, Kenny, was found to be involved in NF-kB-regulated immune system activation. Our lab has found that, similar to previous work on mammalian OPTN, the equivalent mutation to E478G in OPTN in the Kenny protein causes the protein to aggregate in fly neurons.
Methods:
Using the Gal4 system, we ubiquitously expressed E283G Kenny and extracted RNA from whole bodies of flies to assess systemic immune activation. We then compared the relative expression of anti-microbial peptides (AMPs), which represent the final downstream products of the fly immune system, between our wildtype, control, and mutant flies.
Results:
When looking at the AMPs Attacin C (attC), Diptericin B (diptB), and cecropin A1 (cecA1), we saw no significant change in mRNA expression between conditions. The lack of increase in AMP expression leads us to conclude that mutant Kenny expression does not activate the innate immune system as we previously hypothesized.
Conclusion:
These data may suggest that the pathogenic immune-activating effect of E238G Kenny may be tissue-specific, and therefore require a more focused investigation to fully understand the ALS disease process and cellular impact
Assessing the Value of Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparative Study of Costs and Clinical Outcomes Across Surgical Settings
Get PDFIntroduction Since the 1980s, U.S. healthcare costs have been among the highest in developed nations, prompting efforts focused on improving value. This study compares the value of conventional total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) and ambulatory surgical centers (ASC). Methods Costs were calculated using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC), activity-based supply costing (ABC), and claims-based facility costs. Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) values pre- and 6 months post-op were adjusted for life-years to calculate KOOS-adjusted life-years (KALY). Costs were divided by KALYs to determine average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACER). Results Seven patients in the ASC and twenty-three in the HOPD underwent conventional TKA. Average direct variable costs were 1,180.23 in the HOPD. Total costs were significantly lower in the ASC (32,371.50; p\u3c0.001). Outcomes were similar, with slightly higher KOOS-JR scores and KALYs in the HOPD (17.37 vs. 16.89, p=0.94 and 1.82 vs. 1.77, p=0.94). The HOPD\u27s ACER was higher (11,839.73/KALY), indicating greater value in the ASC. Significance/Relevance These findings suggest that care models can be optimized by selecting surgical sites based on value. With no significant difference in KOOS scores and KALYs, the cost reduction in the ASC highlights the potential to shift elective procedures to lower-cost settings without sacrificing care
From Personal to Collective: Asian American Counter-Narratives in the COVID-19 Era
No full textThis essay examines how Asian Americans have confronted anti-Asian racism during and after COVID-19. Using autoethnographic methods and analysis of online discourse, it argues that the pandemic experiences enabled many Asian individuals to redefine their sense of being Asian from an individual racial category to a political identity. The heightened anti-Asian sentiment reinforced stereotypes of Asians as “perpetual foreigners” and “multicultural others.” Ironically, this atmosphere fostered stronger coalitions within pan-Asian communities. The study highlights the creation of counter-narratives within Asian communities that advocate for racial justice and how shared experiences of discrimination on online platforms foster unity within marginalized communities
Critique and Metafiction in John Edgar Wideman\u27s Fanon: A Novel
No full textThis article redresses what it sees as the narrow focus of current postcritical discourses on what are largely white postmodern and poststructuralist literary and critical practices. Such discourses, it argues, have much to learn from African American literary and theoretical practices. Not only do the latter postulate perspectives on debates on literature, reading, and critique that have largely been neglected within the field of “postcritique,” they also provide productive ways of deploying the self-reflexivity that is now frequently in question. The article reads John Edgar Wideman’s novel Fanon: A Novel (2008) to show how metafiction, typically seen as associated with the complex and convoluted modes of reading and writing that we now need to move beyond, constitutes a powerful critical tool that, rather than signaling the “usedupness” of literature and critique, serves to address key phenomenological dimensions of historical and political oppression. Apart from illuminating the critical potential of Wideman’s novel, this reading contributes to the broadening of the postcritical discourses today
Kosher Entertainment Online: Hasidic Yiddish Screen Production in the Digital Age
No full textAfter years of internet prohibitions, the 2020 coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new age of digital Hasidic Yiddish screen production. In addition to existing listservs, Hasidic Yiddish speakers have increasingly employed new media platforms to produce and disseminate screen production, including comedy sketches and shorts; behind-the scenes for feature films; music videos; and videocasts. Intended for Hasidic audiences, these express and promote the social and religious mores of their communities. By the same token, today’s professionalized production is widely accessible to both Hasidic and broader audiences via video sharing, streaming, and social media. This article examines Yiddish-language screen production among emerging and established Hasidic content creators as a dramatic shift in Haredi cultural production across production, content, language, and distribution. In doing so, it considers what “kosher entertainment” entails in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic