It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Social & structural factors influence racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality
Rutgers study finds counties with higher percentage of adults without a high school diploma and households without internet access were strong predictors of COVID-19 mortality
COVID-19 mortality racial disparities in the U.S. are associated with social factors like income, education and internet access, according to a Rutgers study.
The study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, highlights the need for public health policies that address structural racism.
The researchers investigated the association between COVID-19 cases and deaths in 2,026 U.S. counties from January to October 2020 and social determinants of health, which can raise the risk for infection and death.
They also looked at factors known or thought to impact COVID-19 outcomes, including the counties' population density, days since the first COVID-19 death and percent of residents who are over age 65, are smokers or who have chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or high blood pressure.
The study found that a 1 percentage point increase in a county's percent of Black residents, uninsured adults, low birthweight infants, adults without a high school diploma, incarceration rate and households without internet increased that county's COVID-19 death rates during the time period examined.
Counties that were the most deprived socioeconomically had a 67 percent increase in the COVID-19 death rate. Michelle DallaPiazza, lead author and an associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said the percent of households without internet, which provides updated knowledge of the pandemic and allows remote working and learning, and the percentage of adults without a high school diploma were the factors most associated with a county's COVID-19 death rate.
"The findings are consistent with historical health inequities in marginalized populations, particularly Black Americans," DallaPiazza said. "This adds to the extensive literature on racial health disparities that demonstrate that social and structural factors greatly influence health outcomes, and this is particularly true when it comes to COVID-19."
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Other authors include Ankur K. Dalsania, Matthew J. Fastiggi, Aaron Kahlam and Krishan Patel at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Rajvi Shah at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Stephanie Shiau and Slawa Rokicki at Rutgers School of Public Health.
Alternate type of surgery may prevent total knee replacement
An underused type of knee surgery in younger patients, called high tibial osteotomy, shows considerable success in reducing the need for total knee replacement, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
"High tibial osteotomy is a knee surgery aimed at younger patients in the earlier stages of knee osteoarthritis. One of its goals is to prevent or delay the need for knee replacement," says coauthor Dr. Trevor Birmingham, Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Bone and Joint Institute at Western University, London, Ontario. "In some ways, it's like performing a front-end alignment on your car to stop asymmetric wear on your tires and increase their longevity."
Knee osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and disability and puts tremendous burden on health care systems. Total knee replacement is frequently performed on older patients with end-stage disease and limited mobility.
In Canada, rates of total knee replacement are high and increasing, while rates of high tibial osteotomy are low and decreasing. One reason for this is the perception that high tibial osteotomy is not warranted if the joint is going to be replaced soon afterwards. The findings of this new study contradict this perception.
Of the patients in this study getting high tibial osteotomy in London, Ontario (643 knees in 556 patients), 95% did not need a total knee replacement within 5 years, and 79% did not get a total knee replacement within 10 years. Even in patients traditionally not considered ideal candidates for high tibial osteotomy (e.g., women and patients with later-stage disease), about 70% did not get a knee replacement within 10 years.
The procedure is particularly suitable for people who are younger, have less severe joint damage and who may be more physically active. "Those patients especially contribute to the burden of knee osteoarthritis," says Mr. Codie Primeau, lead author. "There is a treatment gap between exhausting nonoperative treatments and appropriateness for joint replacement, resulting in many years of pain, lost productivity and associated costs."
"Given these findings, high tibial osteotomy may be underused in Canada and could be performed more often to delay or prevent the need for total knee replacement," says coauthor Dr. Robert Giffin, professor of surgery at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Bone and Joint Institute.
"Total knee replacement after high tibial osteotomy: time-to-event analysis and predictors" is published February 1, 2021.
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Just add mushrooms: Making meals more nutritious
Understanding the nutritional impact of adding a serving of mushrooms on usual intakes and population nutrient adequacy using NHANES 2011-2016 data
IMAGE: NEW RESEARCH FINDS THAT ADDING A MUSHROOM SERVING TO THE DIET INCREASED THE INTAKE OF SEVERAL MICRONUTRIENTS, INCLUDING SHORTFALL NUTRIENTS SUCH AS VITAMIN D, WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN CALORIES, SODIUM... view more
CREDIT: MUSHROOM COUNCIL
February 1, 2021 - Researchers have identified another good reason to eat more mushrooms. New research , published in Food Science & Nutrition (January 2021) found that adding a mushroom serving to the diet increased the intake of several micronutrients, including shortfall nutrients such as vitamin D, without any increase in calories, sodium or fat.
Dr. Victor L. Fulgoni III and Dr. Sanjiv Agarwal modeled the addition of mushrooms to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016 dietary data looking at a composite of white, crimini and portabella mushrooms at a 1:1:1 ratio; one scenario including UV-light exposed mushrooms; and one scenario including oyster mushrooms for both 9-18 years and 19+ years of age based on an 84g or ½ cup equivalent serving.
Key findings include:
Adding an 84g serving of mushrooms increased several shortfall nutrients including potassium and fiber. This was true for the white, crimini and portabella 1:1:1 mix and the oyster mushrooms.
The addition of a serving (84 g) of mushrooms to the diet resulted in an increase in dietary fiber (5%-6%), copper (24%-32%), phosphorus (6%), potassium (12%-14%), selenium (13%-14%), zinc (5%-6%), riboflavin (13%-15%), niacin (13%-14%), and choline (5%-6%) in both adolescents and adults; but had no impact on calories, carbohydrate, fat or sodium.
When commonly consumed mushrooms are exposed to UV-light to provide 5 mcg vitamin D per serving, vitamin D intake could meet and slightly exceed the recommended daily value (98% - 104%) for both the 9 -18 year and 19+ year groups as well as decrease inadequacy of this shortfall nutrient in the population.
A serving of UV-light exposed commonly consumed mushrooms decreased population inadequacy for vitamin D from 95.3% to 52.8% for age group 9-18 years and from 94.9% to 63.6% for age group 19+ years.
"This research validated what we already knew that adding mushrooms to your plate is an effective way to reach the dietary goals identified by the DGA ," said Mary Jo Feeney, MS, RD, FADA and nutrition research coordinator to the Mushroom Council. "Data from surveys such as NHANES are used to assess nutritional status and its association with health promotion and disease prevention and assist with formulation of national standards and public health policy (CDC, 2020)."
Mushrooms are fungi - a member of the third food kingdom - biologically distinct from plant and animal-derived foods that comprise the USDA food patterns yet have a unique nutrient profile that provides nutrients common to both plant and animal foods. Although classified into food grouping systems by their use as a vegetable, mushrooms' increasing use in main entrees in plant-forward diets is growing, supporting consumers' efforts to follow food-based dietary guidance recommendations to lower intake of calories, saturated fatty acids, and sodium while increasing intake of under-consumed nutrients including fiber, potassium and vitamin D. Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutrient attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains.
According to the USDA's FoodData Central , 5 medium raw, white mushrooms (90g) contain 20 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein and are very low in sodium (0mg/<1% recommended daily value). Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and mushrooms are unique in that they are the only food in the produce aisle that contain vitamin D. Specifically, one serving of raw, UV-exposed, white (90g) and crimini (80g) mushrooms contains 23.6mcg (118% RDA) and 25.52mcg (128% RDA) of vitamin D, respectively.
Mushrooms are one of the best dietary sources of sulfur-containing antioxidant amino acid ergothioneine and tripeptide glutathione Ergothioneine and glutathione contents in mushrooms depends upon the mushroom varieties, and oyster mushrooms contain more amounts of these sulfur-containing antioxidants than commonly consumed mushrooms: white button, crimini, or portabella mushrooms. The addition of a serving of commonly consumed mushrooms and oyster mushrooms would be expected to add 2.24 and 24.0 mg ergothioneine, respectively, and 3.53 and 12.3 mg glutathione, respectively, to the NHANES 2011-2016 diets based on published literature values.
At this time, the USDA FoodData Central database does not include analytical data on ergothioneine. However, the Mushroom Council is currently supporting research to analyze mushrooms for bioactives/ergothioneine for possible inclusion in USDA FoodData Central database.
More Research from the Mushroom Council Still to Come
With mushrooms growing in awareness and consideration among consumers nationwide, in 2019, the Mushroom Council made a $1.5 million multi-year investment in research to help broaden understanding of the food's nutritional qualities and overall health benefits.
In addition to the analysis of mushrooms for bioactives/ergothioneine for inclusion in USDA FoodData Central database, additional research projects approved include:
Health promoting effects of including mushrooms as part of a healthy eating pattern.
Mushrooms' relationship with cognitive health in older adults.
Mushrooms' impact on brain health in an animal model.
Nutritional impact of adding a serving of mushrooms to USDA Food Patterns.
Since 2002, the Council has conducted research that supports greater mushroom demand by discovering nutrient and health benefits of mushrooms. Published results from these projects form the basis for communicating these benefits to consumers and health influencers.
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For more nutrition information, recipes and links to other Mushroom Council-funded studies, visit mushroomcouncil.org.
The intake data from NHANES are self-reported which rely on memory and are therefore subject to reporting bias. The results presented are based on modeling to evaluate the maximum effect of adding mushrooms and may not reflect actual individual dietary behavior; however, such modeling offers a technique to test potential nutritional impact of dietary guidance.
About the Mushroom Council
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.org.
Amanda Gorman Will Be The First Poet To Ever Perform During A Super Bowl
The 22-year-old, who spoke at the presidential inauguration, will honor three people who have served their communities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Patrick Semansky / Patrick Semansky/picture-alliance/dpa / AP Images
Amanda Gorman, the young poet who grabbed the national spotlight at President Joe Biden's inauguration with her inspirational and powerful reading, will recite more of her work at Super Bowl LV.
According to an NFL list of past performances during Super Bowl half-time and pre-game shows, she will be the first poet ever to perform at the event, which is one of the most watched broadcasts in television.
At 22, Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet, and her poem "The Hill We Climb" confronted head-on the nation's violent division as it challenged Americans to work for unity and hope.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced the Los Angeles poet will recite a new poem before the official coin toss to recognize an educator, a nurse, and a veteran for helping their communities during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 425,000 people in the US so far.
The poem will be broadcast to a national audience on CBS, the NFL announced.
The new poem will honor Trimaine Davis, an educator who worked to secure electronic equipment for students, Suzie Dorner, an ICU nurse manager in Tampa, and James Martin, a Marine veteran who has worked to support fellow vets and high school athletes.
Davis, Dorner, and Martin will serve as the big game's honorary captains and take part in the coin toss ceremony in the middle of the field.
Gorman and her work skyrocketed to national acclaim after the Jan. 20 inauguration. Since then, she's appeared on national TV shows like Ellen, and her books shot into the top two slots on Amazon a day after her appearance in DC.
Poet Amanda Gorman tells CNN's @AndersonCooper that the Capitol riot inspired her to write a "message of hope, ingenuity and healing" https://t.co/sxWP52ZnPW
As she was working on "The Hill We Climb," Gorman told CNN's Anderson Cooper she had been studying the works of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, master orators during times of great division in the US. But it was the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 that cemented the ultimate message of the work, she said.
"What it did is it energized me even more, to believe that much more firmly in a message of hope and unity and healing," she told Cooper. "I felt that was the type of poem I needed to write, and it was the type of poem that the country and the world needed to hear."
Salvador Hernandez is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.
Over decades, Tyson became a legend by turning down stereotypical roles for Black women and instead forging a path with nuanced characters that led to household name status.
Krystie Lee Yandoli BuzzFeed News Reporter Last updated on January 28, 2021 Jordan Strauss / AP Inductee Cicely Tyson poses for a portrait at the 25th Television Academy Hall of Fame at the Saban Media Center on Jan. 28, 2020, in North Hollywood.
Cicely Tyson, the Hollywood legend who won Emmy and Tony awards during a 70-year career that spanned television, film, and theater, died Thursday. She was 96.
“I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” Tyson’s manager, Larry Thompson, said in a statement. “Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.”
Over decades, she became a legend by turning down stereotypical roles for Black women and instead forging a path with nuanced characters that led to household name status with 1974’s The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, for which she won two Emmys.
Associated Press Cicely Tyson poses in 1974 with her Emmy awards.
After first pursuing a career as a fashion model, Tyson took up acting in 1951 on the NBC show Frontiers of Faith. When she appeared on the TV series East Side/West Side as Jane Foster from 1963–1964, she became the first Black woman to land a main role in a television drama. She also acted on the soap opera The Guiding Light.
Tyson won her first Emmy Award in 1974 for Best Lead Actress in a Drama and Actress of theYear for playing the role of Jane Pittman in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. In 1994, her acting in Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All won her another Emmy in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special category. Throughout her career, Tyson was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards, including for her guest role in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.
In 2013, Tyson also earned a Tony Award in the category of Best Actress in a Play for the character Miss Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful, becoming the oldest recipient of the honor in that category.
An accomplished actor, Tyson also received an Oscar nomination in 1973 in the Best Actress category for Sounder, as well as an Honorary Oscar in 2018. Among her other notable awards, Tyson was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-president Barack Obama in 2016 as well as the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.
Tyson's acting career didn't slow down when she got older. She played supporting roles in 2011's The Help, House of Cards in 2016, and Madam Secretary in 2019. She also appeared in many Tyler Perry films, such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2005, Madea’s Family Reunion in 2006, and Why Did I Get Married Too? in 2010. In 1942, when the actor was 18, she married Kenneth Franklin, but the marriage ended 14 years later. In the 1960s, Tyson started dating famed jazz musician Miles Davis and the two married in 1981. She later filed for divorce in 1988.
On Jan. 26, two days before her death was announced, Tyson published a memoir titled Just as I Am, which detailed her career and personal life, including her marriage to Davis, who she said was unfaithful, physically abusive, and was addicted to drugs.
As news broke about Tyson's death, fans, members of Hollywood, and other public figures took to Twitter to mourn and celebrate the life of the iconic actor. US Rep. Maxine Waters wrote that Tyson was "one of the most profound, talented, & celebrated actors in the industry. She was a serious actor, beautiful & spiritual woman who had unlocked the key to longevity in the way she lived her life. Forever all my love & respect."Shonda Rhimes, who worked with Tyson on How to Get Away With Murder, wrote, "She was an extraordinary person. And this is an extraordinary loss. She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn. I am grateful for every moment. Her power and grace will be with us forever."
Earlier this month, the New York Times published an interview with Tyson while she was promoting her new memoir. When asked about whether she was afraid of death, the actor replied, “I’m not scared of death. I don’t know what it is. How could I be afraid of something I don’t know anything about?”
“[People] just think they know death because other people say it is something to be scared of, but they don’t know that it is a frightening thing. Do you?” Tyson added. “People say it is this and it is that. But they don’t know. They’ve not been there. I’ve not been there. I’m not in a hurry to go either! I take it a day at a time, David, and I’m grateful for every day that God gives me.”
Krystie Lee Yandoli is an entertainment reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Celebrities Are Remembering How Cicely Tyson Paved The Way For Black Women In Hollywood
"You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls," Viola Davis wrote on Twitter.
Cicely Tyson's career was an inspiration on and off the screen, so after the 96-year-old Hollywood icon died Thursday, the tributes to her came pouring in.
"I really need this not to be true," Shonda Rhimes, prolific producer and screenwriter, wrote on Twitter. Tyson had a memorable recurring role on Rhimes' show How to Get Away With Murder.
Rhimes then followed with a tribute to Tyson, the legendary actor who forged a path for Black women in the industry with nuanced characters throughout a 70-year career that earned her Emmy and Tony awards.
"She was an extraordinary person," Rhimes wrote. "She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn."
Actor Zendaya also mourned the loss of the acting icon.
She was an extraordinary person. And this is an extraordinary loss. She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn. I am grateful for every moment. Her power and grace will be with us forever. #cicelytyson https://t.co/RNYkGiooPD
I have no words. Just thank you, Madame Cicely Tyson. We are, because YOU paved the way for us. A queen and a trailblazer indeed. Rest now... #RIPCicelyTyson. https://t.co/rjhtE38NgL
"You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls," Viola Davis wrote. "You gave me permission to dream."
I'm devastated. My heart is just broken. I loved you so much!! You were everything to me! You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls. You gave me permission to dream... https://t.co/7V7AFZtFLa
She was a consummate pro and all class and I was so fortunate to have worked with her on "Sweet Justice." But my best memory was traveling with her through Russia for a film festival, as she told us wonderful stories. Hollywood truly lost an icon today. RIP Cicely Tyson 😢🤟
It was an honor to have worked with Ms. Tyson on this video. We were worried she wouldn’t be able to read it off the prompter. But she took one look and said, “I’m ready.” She did it in one take. Rest peacefully, Queen 🥺🙏🏾
I’m so sad to hear the news that trailblazing artist and cultural icon Cicely Tyson has passed away today. While she may be gone, her work and life will continue to inspire millions for years to come. God Bless.
Just two days before her death, Tyson's memoir Just as I Am was published. In an interview with CBS This Morning's Gayle King, Tyson discussed her life and legacy as she promoted the book.
On Thursday, King posted a portion of the interview and thanked the trailblazing actor.
Others noted the barriers that were broken down by Tyson's work, especially for Black women. Her portrayals of nuanced characters and elegant presence on screen were both an inspiration and a force for change.
"I want to be recalled as one who squared my shoulders in the service of Black women, as one who made us walk taller and envision greater for ourselves." Thank you for all that you did for Black women. You will inspire Black women and girls for generations to come. #CicelyTyson
Indeed. That is precisely why we loved you so. Rest in peace, Queen. Thank you for leaving a legacy of cinematic art behind, for using your gifts to tell Black stories & to convey our full humanity. And thank you for doing it all with style, flair & grace inimitable.
So saddened to hear my friend #CicelyTyson has passed-one of the most profound, talented, & celebrated actors in the industry. She was a serious actor, beautiful & spiritual woman who had unlocked the key to longevity in the way she lived her life. Forever all my love & respect.
Cicely Tyson was light-filled and generous with it, full of grace and gravitas, dignity and warmth and she was also very beautiful and glamorous and clearly knew it, and God, I love seeing black women bold with their beauty
An icon, in its truest sense, is someone who wakes you up and, by the sheer beauty of their transcendent existence, doesn’t make you want to Beloit *them.* They make you want to be more of *yourself.* And that is Ms. Cicely Tyson. You can rest now. You gave us every gift.❤️
