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Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes and Economic Burdens Among Minorities in Southeastern Virginia
No full textBackground
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the United States, presenting significant public health challenges and financial burdens, particularly in Southeastern Virginia, where African American and Hispanic (AA&H) populations are disproportionately affected.
Methods
This retrospective observational study analyzed data from 30,855 hospital discharges of AA&H patients across Southeastern Virginia from 2016 to 2020, focusing on individuals aged 18 to 85 with cardiovascular diseases. Utilizing the Virginia Health Information database, we examined demographic information, clinical data, and healthcare utilization patterns through hypothesis tests and regression models to explore associations between these variables and the economic impacts of cardiovascular diseases.
Results
Heart failure and shock (47.2% of discharges) and cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disorders (12.3%) were the most prevalent cardiovascular conditions. Female patients incurred significantly higher charges than males across conditions (7.1% higher in heart failure, p \u3c 0.0001; 8.8% higher in chest pain, p \u3c 0.01). Younger patients (\u3c 65 years) faced 8.5% higher charges for cardiac arrhythmia with procedures (p \u3c 0.0001) and 5.2% higher charges for circulatory disorders (p \u3c 0.05). Year of discharge consistently predicted increasing costs (standardized coefficient 0.816 for acute myocardial infarction, p \u3c 0.0001). The presence of fluid and electrolyte disorders was associated with significantly higher charges across conditions (standardized coefficient 0.042 for heart failure, p \u3c 0.0001; 0.051 for acute myocardial infarction, p \u3c 0.0001).
Discussion
The findings highlight the complex interplay between demographic characteristics and healthcare costs among AA&H populations, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. The significant economic impact observed calls for culturally competent healthcare strategies that can mitigate high costs and improve health outcomes. However, the retrospective, administrative nature of the data limits establishing causality, with potential misclassification of some conditions.
Conclusion
This study provides crucial insights into cardiovascular disease management\u27s demographic and economic dimensions among AA&H populations in Southeastern Virginia. By identifying key factors contributing to healthcare disparities, the research supports the development of tailored interventions aimed at reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases, thereby improving overall health equity and reducing economic strains on the healthcare system
Pregnant Adults\u27 Interest in Physical and Mental Health Behavior Change Interventions Using Mobile Technology
No full textImproving the health and well-being of pregnant adults is an important public health priority in the USA, and mobile health (mHealth) interventions may provide a scalable strategy to disseminate behavior change programs to pregnant adults. This study assessed pregnant people’s use of mobile technology, interest in making health behavior changes during and after pregnancy, and their willingness to use mHealth interventions. Participants were 133 pregnant adults (Mage = 27.86; 81% White) living across the USA recruited from social media to complete an online survey. Measures assessed mobile technology use and beliefs about improving mental/physical health in pregnancy and postpartum and using mHealth technology to address such changes. Participants endorsed daily smartphone use, and most participants endorsed wanting to improve their physical and mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Key areas that emerged from their responses were to improve physical (healthy eating, physical activity, weight control, sleep, hydration) and mental (stress management, reducing depression/anxiety) health. Participants generally thought mobile technology could be a helpful and feasible tool for improving their health. Overall, findings support and extend past research among preconception adults suggesting mobile technology may be a helpful tool for implementing pre- and postnatal health behavior change programs. These findings may also be useful for developing community-informed health behavior interventions for pregnant adults that utilize mHealth approaches. Though these results show promise for the use of mHealth interventions during the perinatal period, feasibility and effectiveness studies are needed to better understand the role of mobile technology in perinatal health promotion
The Effect of Temperature and Salinity on \u3ci\u3eMargalefidinium polykrikoides\u3c/i\u3e Group III VA, USA Strain Growth
No full textMargalefidinium polykrikoides is a cosmopolitan dinoflagellate that blooms in coastal waters. Despite genomic evidence that it belongs to Group III and so closely related to isolates from Puerto Rico, Malaysia, North America, and Central America, M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than in coastal ecosystems occupied by its closest relatives. In this study, the effect of temperature and salinity on the growth rate and total cell yield of an M. polykrikoides VA culture isolate were examined and compared with environmental observations made during M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay. M. polykrikoides group III VA strain grew at 18–32 ̊C and 15–30 salinity. M. polykrikoides group III VA strain grew better at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than other M. polykrikoides strains from related groups, but did not grow at 16 or 34 ̊C or at a salinity of 10. Low salinity and excessively warm temperatures interacted to inhibit M. polykrikoides group III VA strain growth at 32 ̊C and 15 salinity. Temperature and salinity likely interact in estuarine waters to inhibit or promote M. polykrikoides bloom initiation and development. The range of water temperatures observed during M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay was narrower than what was observed for most of the other dinoflagellate species that bloom there, but the range of salinity was the broadest. M. polykrikoides bloomed at warmer temperatures and higher salinities than most of the other bloom-forming dinoflagellate species in the Bay
Methodological Insights and Trends: Participatory Positioning of Children and Youth in Visual Art Education Research
No full textParticipatory research methods have a focus on facilitating research processes that engage with participants and, as such, aim to promote individual voice, facilitate richer reflection and dialogue, and enable the articulation of participants\u27 unique experiences. To explore the degree to which participatory practices are enacted in visual art education research, the present study critically examines the agentic positioning of children and youth in school‐based, visual arts experiences through a systematic, methodological literature review. Findings from this review serve to ground proposed recommendations for the inclusion of supportive research practices that carefully attend to the unique considerations that arise during participatory work with children and youth in formal educational environments. Such considerations include ethical concerns, individual agency limitations, and power inequities throughout all phases of the research process. In addition, findings reveal the need for increased researcher attention to students\u27 participatory access during critical decision‐making points in both the research process and the development of their creative work to ensure that students can shape and share their experiences through authentic engagement
Post Soviet Russia: Challenges to Transition and Modernization
No full textThe dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the beginning of a complex, often turbulent, period of transition and modernization for Russia. Unlike the anticipated linear path toward Western-style democracy and market economics, Russia’s post-Soviet experience has been defined by profound contradictions, reversals, and ongoing contestations over its political, economic, and social order (Minakov, 2016). The initial wave of reforms, particularly in the 1990s, brought about radical economic restructuring, privatization, and an attempted shift to a free-market system. Yet, these rapid changes led to significant economic dislocation, social inequality, and the rise of oligarchic power structures, which ultimately undermined both democratization and sustainable modernization (Nagirnyak & Banakh, 2019).
Scholars such as Minakov have argued that, rather than a straightforward modernization, post-Soviet Russia has witnessed waves of de-modernization, where the loss of social orientation and the reaction against the uncertainties of the new order produced a kind of ethical and political crisis. The social costs of transition have been immense: rising poverty, declining public health, and the erosion of social safety nets all contributed to a sense of instability and disillusionment among ordinary Russians (Round & Williams, 2010). As Abbott and Wallace point out, the economic collapse of the early transition years left deep scars on the social fabric, with many households forced into informal economies or relying on subsistence strategies.
Politically, the transition failed to establish robust democratic institutions. Instead, the 2000s saw the consolidation of power in the hands of a centralized executive, the curtailment of pluralism, and the reassertion of state control over key sectors of the economy (Ticktin, 2002). This “failed transition” has led some analysts to conclude that Russia’s post-Soviet trajectory defies classical models of capitalist development or democratization and instead reflects a hybrid system characterized by patronal politics, economic statism, and selective modernization (Smith, 2024).
Modernization in Russia after 1991 has thus been uneven and contested. While certain sectors, especially energy and defense, have undergone technological renewal and global integration, other areas remain mired in inefficiency and corruption (Kivinen & Maslovskiy, 2020). The environmental consequences of industrial restructuring, as well as the challenges of sustainable development, further complicate Russia’s modernization agenda (Oldfield, 2017).
In sum, the challenges of transition and modernization in post-Soviet Russia are best understood as dynamic and ongoing struggles over the direction of society, the distribution of power and resources, and the meaning of “modernity” itself. Rather than a completed process, Russia’s post-Soviet transformation remains a deeply unfinished project, shaped by global pressures, internal contradictions, and the legacies of its Soviet past
Exploring Leisure Activity Interest, Participation, and Satisfaction in Visually Impaired Adults
No full textIntroduction
Physical activity levels are low among Visually Impaired (VI) adults (Ackley et al., 2009; Haegele & Zhu,2022). Identifying the factors that influence PA engagement is essential to improving overall health and quality of life outcomes for this population. While several works examine barriers to PA participation for VI individuals, fewer works explore leisure interests and satisfaction, both factors which influence recurring participation and overall quality of life (Dattilo, 2015; Kim et al.2020). This cross-sectional study seeks to explore the relationships between leisure activity interests, participation, and satisfaction among VI adults in the U.S.
Methodology
VI adults were recruited to complete an online questionnaire which consisted of 51 items across three sections: the Leisure Interest Measure (Ragheb & Beard 1992), Leisure Frequency and Enjoyment, and demographic information.
Results
Analysis is ongoing. Respondents (n=232) were largely white and male, with an average age of 36.5. 35.8% categorized their visual impairment as a B2 on the U.S.A.B.A classification system(n=232). Mean leisure interest scores were highest for the social domain(M=3.72) and lowest for the physical and mechanical domains(M=3.41, M=3.25) 58.1% of participants (n=133) reported engaging in physical leisure activities less than once a week. Data will be further analyzed using inferential statistics to explore relationships between factors.
Conclusions
Preliminary results suggest low interest and participation in recreational PA. Full analysis may provide insight into potential areas of need which can be utilized by recreation professionals to improve the quality of services for VI individuals
Body Normativity and Inclusion in Physical Education: A Critical Reflection Through Bell Hooks\u27 Lens
No full textIntroduction Inclusive education is politically designed to challenge the oppression faced by disabled students worldwide. We propose an act of transgression that questions established norms in PE for disabled students, through the intersection of bell hooks\u27 reflections and disability studies. This approach explores the similarities between forms of oppression and their legitimized manifestations across marginalized groups.
Methodology Using a post-structuralist approach, we conducted interviews with nine Brazilian teachers to examine the fundamental knowledge and practices of PE in the context of disabled students. The participants\u27 narratives were analyzed interpretively by the lead author, using the theoretical framework of disability studies intersecting with bell hooks\u27 feminist studies.
Results Teachers\u27 discourses highlighted the beliefs and practices that legitimize normative PE, centered around the non-disabled body. Normative PE is socially structured to fit the design and functionality of non-disabled students\u27 bodies, with inclusion often translating into the adaptation of disabled students to the oppressive system that surrounds them.
Conclusions Through bell hooks\u27 lens, the similarities between oppressive mechanisms reveal how the positioning of the non-disabled body as normative in PE shapes discourse and practices that uphold power relations between non-disabled and disabled individuals, reinforcing ableism. In doing so, inclusion in PE has challenged segregation but not ableism. It’s time to question whether inclusion in PE has disrupted the hegemony of the normative body, or if it has adapted the disabled student to an oppressive system that marginalizes them, soothing our conscience while silencing their voices
Defining Inclusion : Scholars\u27 Use and Operationalization in Major Physical Education Journals
No full textIntroduction: The word “inclusion” has been vaguely defined since its formulation, despite its ubiquity in physical education literature and practice (Imray & Colley, 2017). Without clear meaning, the term’s proliferation has created space for multiple understandings to the detriment of building capacity to meaningfully enhance the concept in social justice and educational contexts (Cobigo et al., 2012). To better understand its use, our purpose in this study was to analyze how “inclusion” is used in scholarship published in well-known physical education journals. This study advances ISAPA’s theme “Creating New Opportunities to Thrive,” by fostering awareness for stakeholders in education environments and improving inclusive strategies.
Methodology: We present findings from an archival content analysis (Krippendorf, 2018), analysing how “inclusion” was defined and used in four reputable journals in the field of physical education. Each article must have contained the word “inclusion” or a derivative (e.g., inclusive) and have a disability scope.
Results: Out of 68 articles systematically coded, 19 defined the word “inclusion.” Forty-nine articles did not define inclusion, rather, operationalized the word through inclusion strategies, policy, or perceptions of inclusion within school settings. Articles were further analysed through cross-comparison of article type, author country, and disability context.
Conclusions: Confusion around the meaning and use of “inclusion” may have trickle down effects on the practitioners who consume this scholarship when it comes to valuing and implementing strategies of inclusion in school settings. These findings represent a challenge to scholars in defining and openly discussing their operationalization of “inclusion” in their work
Treatment of Myocardial Infiltration of Hodgkins Lymphoma: A Catch-22
No full textBackground: Cardiac sequelae in Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) can manifest as involvement of the heart and pericardium. Direct cardiac involvement is rare, and myocardial infiltration is distinctly unusual.¹ When it does occur, it is often a late manifestation of lymphoma, with a median onset of 20 months after initial diagnosis, and it is usually associated with advanced-stage disease.²
Case: A 34-year-old male was diagnosed with classic HL by lymph node biopsy. During his hospitalization, the patient remained in sinus tachycardia with heart rate up to 150 with no dysrhythmias. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed a reduced ejection fraction (EF) of 36% concerning for nonischemic cardiomyopathy, thus the patient was started on guideline-directed medical therapy. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was remarkable for global left ventricular hypokinesis and a nonischemic linear mid-myocardial scar in the basal through mid-interventricular septum, raising concerns for HL myocardial infiltration. Given the known cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin, this therapeutic was omitted from the initial chemotherapy regimen for the HL; cycle 1 and 2 consisted of only brentuximab, vinblastine, and dacarbazine with plan to repeat TTE after each cycle.
Decision-making: In patients with HL, doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy is rarely seen in patients who receive a total dose less than 400 mg/m²,³. Patients who are treated with 6 cycles of doxorubicin, brentuximab, vinblastine and dacarbazine receive a total doxorubicin dose of 300 mg/m²; however, long-term cardiac toxicity, arrhythmias, an heart failure remain risks.³ Despite the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin, it is still described as the only effective therapy for cardiac infiltrative lymphomas.⁴,⁵
Conclusion: This patient and his care team later agreed to aggressively treat the HL by including doxorubicin in cycle 3 of chemotherapy. Upon repeat TTE, EF improved to 47%, supporting the suspicion that myocardial infiltration of the HL was contributory to the cardiomyopathy and that treatment with doxorubicin would ultimately improve his heart function
Fabrication of Palladium Decorated Zinc Oxide Nanostructures for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensing
No full textThe growing global burden of diabetes necessitates the development of glucose sensors that are not only reliable and sensitive but also cost-effective and amenable to point-of-care use. In this work, we report a non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on laser-induced graphene (LIG), functionalized with zinc oxide (ZnO) and palladium (Pd) nanostructures. The ZnO nanostructures were systematically optimized on the LIG surface by varying electrochemical deposition parameters, including applied potential, temperature, and deposition time, to enhance the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium. Subsequent modification with Pd nanostructures further improved the electrocatalytic activity and sensitivity of the sensor. The performance of the LIG/ZnO/Pd sensor was investigated using chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric analysis in 0.1 M NaOH at an applied potential of 0.65 V. The sensor exhibited a wide dynamic range (2–10 mM; 10–24 mM) with a limit of detection of 130 μM, capturing hypo- and hyperglycemia conditions. Moreover, a sensitivity of 25.63 µA·mM−1·cm−2 was observed. Additionally, the sensor showcased selective response towards glucose in the presence of common interferents. These findings highlight the potential of the LIG/ZnO/Pd platform for integration into next-generation, non-enzymatic glucose monitoring systems for clinical and point-of-care applications