Search Results (11)

Background: This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a teaching kitchen intervention that synergistically provided nutrition education, culinary skills/techniques, mindfulness, physical activity, and behavior change strategies. Methods: Non-randomized pilot study of 16 weekly 2 h hands-on virtual culinary sessions. Curbside grocery pickup assured food access/consistency. Qualitative interviews and pre/post-anthropometrics (BMI, waist circumference), labs (fasting glucose, insulin, lipids, HbA1c, ALT), and health habits surveys assessed program impact. Results: The program was successfully implemented from January to May of 2022. Of 56 participants screened, 13 (23%) enrolled, and 12 (92%) completed the program (mean age 51 years; 92% female; 92% white) with an average of 15.4 of 16 (96%) sessions attended and 100% completing assessments. Satisfaction with the program and with virtual cooking was high (100% and 92% satisfied-very satisfied). Days/week main meal was prepared from scratch increased from 3.8 to 5.9 (p < 0.05). Sense of well-being and three core mindfulness items (satiety, snacking, and food appreciation) improved (p ≤ 0.05). Confidence in 13 culinary skills/techniques improved (p < 0.05), as did diet recall and daily exercise, with variable significance. Labs improved LDL significantly (p < 0.05); anthropometrics did not. Conclusions: This teaching kitchen program was feasible, very well accepted, and suggested potential efficacy in improving health habits and metrics. Larger studies with randomization are needed. Full article

Background/Objectives: This protocol describes a study to investigate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a novel Teaching Kitchen Multisite Trial (TK-MT) for adults with cardiometabolic abnormalities. The TK-MT protocol describes a hybrid lifestyle intervention combining in-person and virtual instruction in culinary skills, nutrition education, movement, and mindfulness with community support and behavior change strategies. This 18-month-long randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a 12-month, 24 class program, assess preliminary study efficacy, and identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. Methods: The intervention program includes 16 weeks of intensive hands-on culinary and lifestyle education classes followed by eight monthly virtual classes. Psychometric assessments and biometric data will be collected at baseline, 4, 12, and 18 months. Semi-structured interviews and open-ended surveys will be conducted during the 12-month follow-up assessment. Results: Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment, attendance, and fidelity data. Secondary outcomes will analyze changes in health behaviors, biometric data, and anthropometric measures using mixed-effects regression models. Qualitative data will undergo thematic analysis. Conclusions: As envisioned and described in detail in this manuscript, this study will inform the development and implementation of reproducible, scalable teaching kitchen interventions. The protocol described here is intended to set the stage for future investigations to evaluate evidence for the impact of teaching kitchen interventions on dietary habits, physical activity, and overall health and well-being. Full article

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is an endogenous transmitter with the potential to regulate aqueous humor dynamics and protect retinal neurons from degeneration. The aim of the present study was two-fold: (a) to evaluate the release of H₂S from two polysulfides, diallyl disulfide (DADS), and diallyl trisulfide (DATS); and (b) to investigate their ocular hypotensive actions in normotensive male and female rabbits in the presence and absence of GSH. Materials and Methods: H₂S was quantified hourly for up to 6 h using a H₂S-Biosensor (World Precision Instruments, Sarasota, Fl). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was assessed in normotensive New Zealand Albino rabbits using a pneumotonometer (model 30 classic; Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, Depew, NY, USA). Results: In the presence of GSH, there was an increase in the in vitro release of H₂S produced by DADS and DATS. Both DADS and DATS also caused a dose-dependent reduction in IOP in male and female rabbits, in both treated and untreated eyes. For instance, in male animals, the presence of GSH (3% and 5%) significantly (p < 0.05, n = 5) enhanced the ocular hypotensive action of DADS (2%) and DATS (2%) from 14.02 ± 2.89% to 18.67 ± 5.6% and from 16.22 ± 3.48 to 23.62 ± 5.79%, respectively. Conclusions: GSH enhanced both H₂S release and ocular hypotensive action of the polysulfides in a manner that was dependent on the number of sulfur atoms present in each polysulfide. Furthermore, female animals were less sensitive to the IOP-lowering action of the polysulfides, when compared to their male counterparts. Full article

Poetry and philosophy have had a close but uneasy relationship in the western tradition. Both share an eschewal of the discovery of novel facts, but are somewhat opposed in that discovery is a central aim of poetry, but not at all the aim of philosophy. Through a close reading of W.H. Auden’s ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ and a versification of part of G.E. Moore’s ‘A Defence of Common Sense’, I argue that what poetry shows corresponds, in a broadly symbolist sense, to Wittgenstein’s understanding of the miraculous nature of the world. In this regard, poetry can offer philosophy clarity, in the form of its tonal architecture, value, and ethics, and may also constitute a perspicuous representation. Poetry remains in a perpetual mode of potential, as well as being possessed of a vatic autonomy. Full article

There is a need to identify innovative strategies whereby individuals, families, and communities can learn to access and prepare affordable and nutritious foods, in combination with evidence-based guidance about diet and lifestyle. These approaches also need to address issues of equity and sustainability. Teaching Kitchens (TKs) are being created as educational classrooms and translational research laboratories to advance such strategies. Moreover, TKs can be used as revenue-generating research sites in universities and hospitals performing sponsored research, and, potentially, as instruments of cost containment when placed in accountable care settings and self-insured companies. Thus, TKs can be considered for inclusion in future health professional training programs, and the recently published Biden–Harris Administration Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health echoes this directive. Recent innovations in the ability to provide TK classes virtually suggest that their impact may be greater than originally envisioned. Although the impact of TK curricula on behaviors, outcomes and costs of health care is preliminary, it warrants the continued attention of medical and public health thought leaders involved with Food Is Medicine initiatives. Full article

The discipline of apologetics has always been somewhat controversial in Christian theology. In the early church, the Greek-speaking apologists were often opposed for their attempts to express the gospel in the terms of Greek thought. In more recent times, the critiques of Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth, that it is an attempt to appeal to foundations that have nothing to do with the gospel, have cast a shadow over the discipline in recent years. This paper seeks to take those critiques seriously, yet argues that the discipline of apologetics is vital for the ongoing witness of the Church. It offers a new vision of apologetics based on the theological Apocalyptic genre. Rather than attempt to prove the existence of God or the truth of the Christian faith by rational means, Apologetics can be reconceived as an essentially narrative or descriptive discipline. The Apocalyptic genre thinks of the gospel as the result and announcement of the good news as a radical incursion of God into human life and history in the Incarnation and Resurrection. Apocalyptic Apologetics thus becomes an attempt to describe the world of history, politics, relationships and art (in fact, everything created) as lit up by the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It becomes a wide-ranging and imaginative venture to redescribe the world in the light of the gospel. This approach re-establishes Apologetics as a crucial part of the Church’s witness while avoiding the critique that it smuggles in assumptions and foundations from outside the gospel itself. Full article

Bariatric surgery is associated with weight loss attributed to reduced caloric intake, mechanical changes, and alterations in gut hormones. However, some studies have suggested a heightened incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been associated with bariatric surgery, emphasizing the importance of identifying mechanisms of risk. The objective of this study was to determine if bariatric surgery is associated with decreases in fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), a group of bacterial metabolites of fiber. Fecal samples (n = 22) were collected pre- (~6 weeks) and post-bariatric surgery (~4 months) in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. SCFA levels were quantified using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Dietary intake was quantified using 24-h dietary recalls. Using an aggregate variable, straight SCFAs significantly decreased by 27% from pre- to post-surgery, specifically acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate. Pre-surgery weight was inversely associated with butyrate, with no association remaining post-surgery. Multiple food groups were positively (sugars, milk, and red and orange vegetables) and inversely (animal protein) associated with SCFA levels. Our results suggest a potential mechanism linking dietary intake and SCFA levels with CRC risk post-bariatric surgery with implications for interventions to increase SCFA levels. Full article

China’s competitive education system has produced notably high learning outcomes, but they may be costly. One potential cost is high levels of anxiety. China has launched several initiatives aimed at improving student mental health. However, little is known about how effective these programs and policies are. The goal of this paper was to examine anxiety levels among children and adolescents in rural China, and to identify which subpopulations were particularly vulnerable to anxiety. Data were aggregated from 10 different school-level surveys conducted in rural areas of five provinces between 2008 and 2015. In total, 50,361 students were evaluated using the 100-item, nine-subcategory Mental Health Test (a variation of the Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale). Seven percent of students were at risk for overall anxiety. However, over half of students were at risk for at least one subcategory of anxiety. Students at higher risk for anxiety included students from poorer counties and families, female students, secondary school students, and students with lower levels of academic performance. Many students in rural China are at risk for anxiety, and certain student subpopulations are particularly vulnerable. We suggest that China’s government review and update student mental health programs and policies. Full article

Large and increasing numbers of rural-to-urban migrants provided new challenges for tuberculosis control in large cities in China and increased the need for high quality tuberculosis care delivered by clinics in urban migrant communities. Based on a household survey in migrant communities, we selected and separated clinics into those that mainly serve migrants and those that mainly serve local residents. Using standardized patients, this study provided an objective comparison of the quality of tuberculosis care delivered by both types of clinics and examined factors related to quality care. Only 27% (95% confidence interval (CI) 14–46) of cases were correctly managed in migrant clinics, which is significantly worse than it in local clinics (50%, 95% CI 28–72). Clinicians with a base salary were 41 percentage points more likely to demonstrate better case management. Furthermore, clinicians with upper secondary or higher education level charged 20 RMB lower out of pocket fees than less-educated clinicians. In conclusion, the quality of tuberculosis care accessed by migrants was very poor and policies to improve the quality should be prioritized in current health reforms. Providing a base salary was a possible way to improve quality of care and increasing the education attainment of urban community clinicians might reduce the heavy barrier of medical expenses for migrants Full article

China’s rapid urbanization in the past several decades have been accompanied by rural labor migration. An important question that has emerged is whether rural labor migration has a positive or negative impact on the depressive symptoms of children left behind in the countryside by their migrating parents. This paper uses a nationally representative panel dataset to investigate whether parental migration impacts the prevalence of depressive symptoms among left-behind children in China. Using DID and PSM-DID methods, our results show that parental migration significantly increases the depression scores of 10 and 11-year-old children by 2 points using the CES-D depression scale. Furthermore, we also find that the negative effect of decreased parental care is stronger than the positive effect of increased income in terms of determining the depressive symptoms status of children in rural China. Full article

Through close readings of the work of two major poets of the twentieth century—W.B. Yeats and Fernando Pessoa—this paper identifies and attempts to make sense of an important shift in European modernism away from a broadly Romantic aesthetic toward what might be called “post-Romanticism.” Taking its cue from W.H. Auden’s “In Memory of W.B. Yeats,” where having stated that “poetry makes nothing happen” he asserts that it survives as “a way of happening,” and drawing on the philosophy of Heidegger and Jean-Luc Nancy, this paper argues that this shift from Romanticism to post-Romanticism hinges on a deep metaphysical reconceptualization of poetry understood as poiesis. In light of this reassessment of the aesthetics and philosophical affinities of poetic modernism, it is argued that post-Romanticism should be understood as offering a modest, salutary, phenomenological re-acquaintance with our involvement with the everyday world, in sharp contrast to the transcendental ambitions of the Romantic aesthetic that preceded it. Full article