Fruit and Vegetable intake and Home Nutrition Environment among Low-income Minority Households With Elementary-Aged Children

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences were shown to have an influence on child fruit and vegetable intake. This study examined the associations between parent and child fruit and vegetable intake and the home nutrition environment among Hispanic/Latino and African American families. Through a cross-sectional study design, self-reported surveys

Tunable cytotoxicity of rhodamine 6G via anion variations

Chemotherapeutic agents with low toxicity to normal tissues are a major goal in cancer research. In this regard, the therapeutic activities of cationic dyes, such as rhodamine 6G, toward cancer cells have been studied for decades with observed toxicities toward normal and cancer cells. Herein, we report rhodamine 6G-based organic salts with varying counteranions that are stable under physiological conditions, display excellent fluorescence photostability, and more importantly have tunable chemotherapeutic properties. Our in vitro studies indicate that the hydrophobic compounds of this series allow production of nanoparticles which are nontoxic to normal cells and toxic to cancer cells. Furthermore, the anions, in combination with cations such as sodium, were observed to be nontoxic to both normal and cancer cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that both the cation and anion play an extremely important and cooperative role in the antitumor properties of these compounds. © 2013 American Chemical Society

Using a Rapid Assessment Methodology to Identify and Address Immediate Needs Among Low-income Households with Children during COVID-19

Objective: Brighter Bites is a school-based health promotion program that delivers fresh produce and nutrition education to low-income children and families. Due to COVID-19-related school closures, states were under shelter in place orders, and Brighter Bites administered a rapid assessment survey to identify social needs among their families. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the methodology used to identify those with greatest social needs during this time ( high risk ), and to describe the response of Brighter Bites to these high risk families. Methods: The rapid assessment survey was collected in April 2020 across Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, and Southwest Florida. The survey consisted of items on disruption of employment status, financial hardship, food insecurity, perceived health status and sociodemographics. The open-ended question Please share your greatest concern at this time, or any other thoughts you would like to share with us. was asked at the end of each survey to triage high risk families. Responses were then used to articulate a response to meet the needs of these high risk families. Results: A total of 1048 families completed the COVID-19 rapid response survey, of which 71 families were triaged and classified as high risk (6.8% of survey respondents). During this time, 100% of the high risk participants reported being food insecure, 85% were concerned about their financial stability, 82% concerned about the availability of food, and 65% concerned about the affordability of food. A qualitative analysis of the high-risk group revealed four major themes: fear of contracting COVID19, disruption of employment status, financial hardship, and exacerbated food insecurity. In response, Brighter Bites pivoted, created, and deployed a framework to immediately address a variety of social needs among those in the high risk category. Administering a rapid response survey to identify the immediate needs of their families can help social service providers tailor their services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable

Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Home Nutrition Environment among Low-Income Minority Households with Elementary-Aged Children

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences were shown to have an influence on child fruit and vegetable intake. This study examined the associations between parent and child fruit and vegetable intake and the home nutrition environment among Hispanic/Latino and African American families. Through a cross-sectional study design, self-reported surveys (n = 6074) were obtained from adult–child dyad participants enrolled in Brighter Bites, an evidence-based health promotion program, in the fall of 2018. For every once/day increase in frequency of parent FV intake, there was an increase in child FV intake by 0.701 times/day (CI: 0.650, 0.751, p p p p = 0.018), parent–child communication about healthy eating and nutrition at least sometimes during the past 6 months (p p p p = 0.017) and African American (p = 0.007) groups. The relationship between home nutrition environment and child FV intake varied by race and ethnicity. Future programs should consider designing culturally tailored interventions to address racial/ethnic-specific influences that match the child’s race, culture, and ethnicity

Tunable Cytotoxicity of Rhodamine 6G via Anion Variations

Chemotherapeutic agents with low toxicity to normal tissues are a major goal in cancer research. In this regard, the therapeutic activities of cationic dyes, such as rhodamine 6G, toward cancer cells have been studied for decades with observed toxicities toward normal and cancer cells. Herein, we report rhodamine 6G-based organic salts with varying counteranions that are stable under physiological conditions, display excellent fluorescence photostability, and more importantly have tunable chemotherapeutic properties. Our <i>in vitro</i> studies indicate that the hydrophobic compounds of this series allow production of nanoparticles which are nontoxic to normal cells and toxic to cancer cells. Furthermore, the anions, in combination with cations such as sodium, were observed to be nontoxic to both normal and cancer cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that both the cation and anion play an extremely important and cooperative role in the antitumor properties of these compounds