NYC Hunger Safety Net 2011-12: Serving Under Stress Post-Recession, the State of Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens Today

In Hurricane Sandy's wake, entire communities were left underwater, without heat or electricity, and residents were displaced from their homes. Throughout the five boroughs and across the nation, clothing and food drives were organized, donations started pouring in to relief organizations, and the city's disaster response mechanisms sprang into action. New York City's network of emergency food organizations -- the hundreds of food pantries and soup kitchens across the five boroughs -- quickly became a key component of this disaster response, putting their critical assets to work: facilities at which to prepare hot meals; a dedicated staff and volunteer base to handle incoming shipments of food, water and supplies; and mobile food pantries to venture into hard-hit communities and fill gaps in service. This network was in place prior to the storm, to meet the needs of an estimated 1.4 million New Yorkers who find themselves with no place else to turn for a meal, except a food pantry or soup kitchen in our network. The Great Recession thrust hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers into financial instability, raising poverty levels, sending unemployment rates skyrocketing, and forcing many to seek food assistance for the first time. Understanding that such financial upheaval would result in a swell of need, support from public and private sources increased as well. But these resources were soon exhausted, and as the economy transitioned from recession to a slow and stagnant recovery, support from public and private sources diminished. As a result of these opposing pressures, the strain on New York City food pantries and soup kitchens has grown. Nearly all food pantries and soup kitchens in Food Bank For New York City's emergency food network have had to contend with losses in key sources of emergency food and non-food resources in recent years, despite the fact that food poverty has increased. Yet, these agencies were an immediate and key component of the disaster response when Hurricane Sandy hit. They utilized all their assets, no matter how few, to provide food to New Yorkers in crisis. This report examines the state of food pantries and soup kitchens in the Food Bank's network now, nearly five years after the start of the Great Recession and more than three years after the start of the recovery. Survey results from the food pantries and soup kitchens in Food Bank For New York City paint a picture of a squeezed and shrunken safety net -- one that must be addressed to ensure that these crucial emergency food organizations can continue to provide much-needed food and services to the more than one million vulnerable New Yorkers who rely on them every day

Phenol Neurolysis in People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Descriptive Study

STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. OBJECTIVES: The study\u27s main objective was to describe the common targets of phenol neurolysis and review the safety and efficacy of the dose used for this spasticity management procedure in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: An acute rehabilitation hospital. METHODS: Data from people with SCI who underwent phenol neurolysis procedures for spasticity management between April 2017 and August 2018 were included in this study. We collected demographics and phenol neurolysis procedure-related information. RESULTS: A total of 66 people with SCI and spasticity underwent phenol neurolysis of 303 nerves over 102 encounters. During these encounters, 97% of procedures were performed using both electrical stimulation and ultrasound guidance. The median (IQR) total volume of 6% aqueous phenol used per encounter was 4.0 (2.0-6.0) ml with a median (IQR) of 1.5 (1.0-2.3) ml per nerve. The most frequent target was the obturator nerve (33%), followed by the pectoral nerves (23%). Immediate post-phenol neurolysis improvement or reduction in spasticity was reported for 92% of all documented encounters. There was no documentation of any post-procedure-related adverse events in this cohort during this specified time frame. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that phenol neurolysis can be safely used to manage spasticity in people with SCI under combined electrical stimulation and ultrasound guidance. Further research is required to assess the procedure\u27s safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness on patient-reported outcomes compared to other spasticity interventions

Exploring 5-Minute Heart Rate Variability in Spinal Cord Injury During Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation

UNLABELLED: To explore the use of 5-minute heart rate variability (HRV) during inpatient rehabilitation in the acute phase of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Longitudinal observational study. Acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR). 10 patients with acute traumatic SCI. 5-minute HRV supine recordings twice daily on three different days per patient. HRV values were evaluated (1) within a single day (Early versus Late); (2) across the inpatient admission (initial, mid, and discharge); (3) by SCI phenotypes and by clinical outcomes (ex. pressure injuries (PI)). Patients had an average age of 38 years, 80% male, and 40% with tetraplegia. There were no HRV differences between Early and Late recordings, across the inpatient admission, demographics, or SCI phenotype. However, improvement in neurologic exam was accompanied by increased parasympathetic tone (mean RR increased by 172 ms SD 61, P = .005). Patients with PI demonstrated lower sympathetic (SNS) activity (decreased LF by 472 ms CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary evidence suggests HRV in acute SCI is stable across time and day during inpatient rehabilitation and may be correlated to clinical sequalae of ANS dysfunction and neurologic recovery. Comparisons to published work suggest that HRV may measure the progression in the ANS from acute to chronic phase after SCI

Exploring 5-Minute Heart Rate Variability in Spinal Cord Injury During Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation

UNLABELLED: To explore the use of 5-minute heart rate variability (HRV) during inpatient rehabilitation in the acute phase of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Longitudinal observational study. Acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR). 10 patients with acute traumatic SCI. 5-minute HRV supine recordings twice daily on three different days per patient. HRV values were evaluated (1) within a single day (Early versus Late); (2) across the inpatient admission (initial, mid, and discharge); (3) by SCI phenotypes and by clinical outcomes (ex. pressure injuries (PI)). Patients had an average age of 38 years, 80% male, and 40% with tetraplegia. There were no HRV differences between Early and Late recordings, across the inpatient admission, demographics, or SCI phenotype. However, improvement in neurologic exam was accompanied by increased parasympathetic tone (mean RR increased by 172 ms SD 61, P = .005). Patients with PI demonstrated lower sympathetic (SNS) activity (decreased LF by 472 ms CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary evidence suggests HRV in acute SCI is stable across time and day during inpatient rehabilitation and may be correlated to clinical sequalae of ANS dysfunction and neurologic recovery. Comparisons to published work suggest that HRV may measure the progression in the ANS from acute to chronic phase after SCI

Factors Associated With Ventilator Weaning Success and Failure in People With Spinal Cord Injury in an Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate baseline characteristics, describe pulmonary outcomes, and identify weaning predictors for people with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) who are dependent on mechanical ventilation at admission to acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR). METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at an AIR facility in the United States. It included 91 adults with acute traumatic SCI from 2015 to 2019 who were dependent on mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: People who successfully weaned (85%) had fewer days from time of SCI to AIR admission (22 vs. 30, CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, there was an increased risk of pneumonia in people with SCI who failed weaning at discharge from AIR. Vital capacity was a better predictor of weaning from mechanical ventilation compared to the neurological level of injury, with a cutoff of 5.8 mL/kg PBW predictive of weaning success. Further research is needed on this critical topic

Evaluating the Impact of Using a Wound-Specific Oral Nutritional Supplement to Support Wound Healing in a Rehabilitation Setting

Chronic wounds adversely affect patient quality of life, increase the risk of mortality, and impose high costs on healthcare systems. Since protein-energy malnutrition or specific nutrient deficiencies can delay wound healing, nutritionally focused care is a key strategy to help prevent or treat the occurrence of non-healing wounds. The objective of our study of inpatients in a rehabilitation hospital was to quantify the effect of daily wound-specific oral nutritional supplementation (WS-ONS) on healing chronic wounds. Using electronic medical records, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with chronic wounds. We identified records for (a) a treatment group who received standard wound care + usual hospital diet + daily WS-ONS for ≥14 days, and (b) a control group who received standard wound care + a usual hospital diet. We collected data for demographics, nutritional status, and wound-relevant health characteristics. We examined weekly measurements of wound number and sizes (surface area for superficial wounds or volume for non-superficial wounds). There were 341 patients identified, 114 with 322 wounds in the treatment group and 227 patients with 420 wounds in the control group. We found that rehabilitation inpatients who were given nutritional support had larger wounds and lower functional independence on admission. At discharge, wound area reduction (percent) was nearly two-fold better in patients who were given daily WS-ONS + usual hospital diet compared to those who consumed usual diet only (61.1% vs 34.5%). Overall, weekly wound improvement (lowered wound area or wound volume) was more likely in the WS-ONS group than in the Control group, particularly from the start of care to week 2. Inpatients with largest wounds and lowest functional independence on admission were most likely to be given WS-ONS, an indication that caregivers recognised the need for supplementation. Week-to-week improvement in wound size was more likely in patients who received WS-ONS than in those who did not. Specifically, wound areas and wound volumes were significantly lower at discharge among patients who were given specialised nutritional support. More research in this field is needed to improve care and reduce healthcare costs

Alterations in Localized Electrical Impedance Myography of Biceps Brachii Muscles Paralyzed by Spinal Cord Injury

This study assessed electrical impedance myography (EIM) changes after spinal cord injury (SCI) with a localized multifrequency technology. The EIM measurement was performed on the biceps brachii muscle at rest condition of 17 cervical SCI subjects, and 23 neurologically intact subjects as control group. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in muscle reactance (X) and phase angle (θ) at selected frequencies (i.e., 50 and 100 kHz) in SCI compared to control. There was no significant difference in muscle resistance (R) between the two groups. The anisotropy examination revealed that SCI group had a decreased anisotropy ratio in resistance. In addition, the multifrequency spectrum analysis showed a decreased slope of the log(freq)-resistance regression in SCI group when compared to healthy control. Findings of the EIM changes are related to inherit muscle changes after the injury. Since EIM requires no patient effort and is quick and convenient to conduct, it may provide a useful tool for examination of paralyzed muscle changes after SCI

Heart Rate Variability: A Novel Modality for Diagnosing Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), the physiological variance in the heart's R-R interval length, can be analyzed to produce various parameters reflective of one's autonomic balance. HRV analysis may be used to capture those autonomic aberrations associated with chronic neuropathic pain (NP) in spinal cord injury (SCI). This study assesses the capacity of HRV parameters to diagnose NP in an SCI cohort.Methods: An electrocardiogram (ECG) was collected at rest from able bodied participants (AB, n = 15), participants with SCI only (SCI-NP, n = 11), and those with SCI and NP (SCI+NP, n = 20). HRV parameters were analyzed using conventional time and frequency analysis.Results: At rest, there were no heart rate differences amongst groups. However, SCI+NP participants demonstrated lower overall HRV, as determined by the SDNN time domain parameter, compared to either AB (p < 0.01) or SCI-NP (p < 0.05) groups. Moreover, AB and SCI-NP participants were statistically comparable for all HRV time and frequency domain parameters. Additional analyses demonstrated no differences in HRV parameters between T4, above vs. T5, below SCI groups (for all parameters: p > 0.15) or between C8, above vs. T1, below SCI groups (p > 0.30).Conclusions: Participants with SCI and NP exhibit a lower overall HRV, which can be determined by HRV time domain parameter SDNN. HRV analysis is an innovative modality with the capacity for objective quantification of chronic NP in participants with SCI

Bladder Neuromodulation in Acute Spinal Cord Injury via Transcutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation: Cystometrogram and Autonomic Nervous System Evidence From a Randomized Control Pilot Trial

Aim: Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation is used to decrease incontinence in chronic neurogenic bladder. We report the findings from a subset of patients in a randomized control trial of transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) for bladder neuromodulation in acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in whom heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded before and after cystometrogram (CMG). The aim was to correlate autonomic nervous system (ANS) changes associated with the CMG changes after the trial using HRV analyses.Methods: The study was a double-blinded sham-controlled 2-week trial with consecutive acute SCI patients admitted for inpatient rehabilitation, randomized to TTNS vs. control sham stimulation. Pre- and Post- trial CMG were performed with concurrent 5-min HRV recordings with empty bladder and during filling. Primary outcomes were changes with CMG between/within groups and associations to the HRV findings.Results: There were 10 subjects in the TTNS group and 6 in the control group. Pre-trial baseline subject characteristics, blood pressures (BPs), and CMG were similar between groups. In both groups, the pre-trial systolic BP increased during filling CMG. After the trial, the control group had significantly increased detrusor pressure and counts of detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia on CMG, not seen in the TTNS group. Also, the control group did not maintain rising BP post-trial, which was observed pre-trial and remained in the TTNS group post-trial. HRV was able to detect a difference in the ANS response to bladder filling between groups. Post-trial HRV was significant for markers of overall increased parasympathetic nervous system activity during filling in the controls, not seen in the TTNS group.Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that TTNS in acute SCI is able to achieve bladder neuromodulation via modulation of ANS functions.Clinical Trial Registration:clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02573402

Fighting for Recovery on Multiple Fronts: The Past, Present, and Future of Clinical Trials for Spinal Cord Injury

Through many decades of preclinical research, great progress has been achieved in understanding the complex nature of spinal cord injury (SCI). Preclinical research efforts have guided and shaped clinical trials, which are growing in number by the year. Currently, 1,149 clinical trials focused on improving outcomes after SCI are registered in the U.S. National Library of Medicine at ClinicalTrials.gov. We conducted a systematic analysis of these SCI clinical trials, using publicly accessible data downloaded from ClinicalTrials.gov. After extracting all available data for these trials, we categorized each trial according to the types of interventions being tested and the types of outcomes assessed. We then evaluated clinical trial characteristics, both globally and by year, in order to understand the areas of growth and change over time. With regard to clinical trial attributes, we found that most trials have low enrollment, only test single interventions, and have limited numbers of primary outcomes. Some gaps in reporting are apparent; for instance, over 75% of clinical trials with Completed status do not have results posted, and the Phase of some trials is incorrectly classified as Not applicable despite testing a drug or biological compound. When analyzing trials based on types of interventions assessed, we identified the largest representation in trials testing rehab/training/exercise, neuromodulation, and behavioral modifications. Most highly represented primary outcomes include motor function of the upper and lower extremities, safety, and pain. The most highly represented secondary outcomes include quality of life and pain. Over the past 15 years, we identified increased representation of neuromodulation and rehabilitation trials, and decreased representation of drug trials. Overall, the number of new clinical trials initiated each year continues to grow, signifying a hopeful future for the clinical treatment of SCI. Together, our work provides a comprehensive glimpse into the past, present, and future of SCI clinical trials, and suggests areas for improvement in clinical trial reporting