The Dynamic Relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban Green Space in Diverse Communities: Opportunities and Challenges to Public Health.

Social cohesion is a key factor within social determinants of health and well-being. Urban green spaces can provide environments that potentially facilitate meaningful and positive social interactions that promote social cohesion, equity, human health, and well-being. However, the lack of integration of existing research on social cohesion, urban green spaces, and public health in diverse (e.g., racially and ethnically) communities limits culturally relevant strategies to address health disparities. In this manuscript, we synthesize research on the potential of urban green spaces to promote social cohesion and public health in historically excluded communities. Particularly, we explore the development of social cohesion as it relates to the social environment, built environment, leisure opportunities, green space maintenance, safety, and green gentrification. We highlight key factors and their application to meet opportunities and challenges to social and public health. A conceptual framework is presented to provide an overview and illustrate connections found in the literature.

The Community is the Cure: How African American Washington, DC Residents Informed Opioid Treatment Engagement.

BACKGROUND: Recent data indicate rising opioid overdose deaths among African American residents of Washington, DC. OBJECTIVES: We highlight a community-informed approach to assessing attitudes toward opioid use disorder treatment among DC residents (February 2019 to March 2020). METHODS: A listening tour with trusted community leaders led to the formation of a Community Advisory Board (CAB). When the COVID-19 pandemic commenced in March 2020, community dialogues became exclusively virtual. The CAB partnered with academic leaders to co-create project mission and values and center the community's concerns related to opioid use and its causes, treatment structure, and facilitators of effective engagement. RESULTS: Interview guides were created for the engagement of community members, using values highlighted by the CAB. The CAB underscored that in addition to opioid problems, effective engagement must address community experience, collective strengths/resilience, and the role of indigenous leadership. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging community prior to project implementation and maintaining alignment with community values facilitated opioid use disorder assessments. Community-informed assessments may be critical to building community trust.

A Pooled Case-only Analysis of Reproductive Risk Factors and Breast Cancer Subtype Among Black Women in the Southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the association between reproductive risk factors and breast cancer subtype in Black women. On the basis of the previous literature, we hypothesized that the relative prevalence of specific breast cancer subtypes might differ according to reproductive factors. METHODS: We conducted a pooled analysis of 2,188 (591 premenopausal, 1,597 postmenopausal) Black women with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer from four studies in the southeastern United States. Breast cancers were classified by clinical subtype. Case-only polytomous logistic regression models were used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) status in relation to estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2- status (referent) for reproductive risk factors. RESULTS: Relative to women who had ER+/HER2- tumors, women who were age 19-24 years at first birth (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.22-2.59) were more likely to have TNBC. Parous women were less likely to be diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer and more likely to be diagnosed with TNBC relative to ER+/HER2- breast cancer. Postmenopausal parous women who breastfed were less likely to have TNBC [OR, 0.65 (95% CI, 0.43-0.99)]. CONCLUSIONS: This large pooled study of Black women with breast cancer revealed etiologic heterogeneity among breast cancer subtypes. IMPACT: Black parous women who do not breastfeed are more likely to be diagnosed with TNBC, which has a worse prognosis, than with ER+/HER2- breast cancer.

Later life swimming performance and persistent heart damage following subteratogenic PAH mixture exposure in the Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus).

High-level, acute exposures to individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and complex PAH mixtures result in cardiac abnormalities in developing fish embryos. Whereas acute PAH exposures can be developmentally lethal, little is known about the later life consequences of early life, lower level PAH exposures in survivors. A population of PAH-adapted Fundulus heteroclitus from the PAH-contaminated Superfund site, Atlantic Wood Industries, Elizabeth River, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, is highly resistant to acute PAH cardiac teratogenicity. We sought to determine and characterize long-term swimming performance and cardiac histological alterations of a subteratogenic PAH mixture exposure in both reference killifish and PAH-adapted Atlantic Wood killifish embryos. Killifish from a relatively uncontaminated reference site, King's Creek, Virginia, United States, and Atlantic Wood killifish were treated with dilutions of Elizabeth River sediment extract at 24 h post fertilization (hpf). Two proven subteratogenic dilutions, 0.1 and 1.0% Elizabeth River sediment extract (total PAH 5.04 and 50.4 µg/L, respectively), were used for embryo exposures. Then, at 5-mo post hatching, killifish were subjected to a swim performance test. A separate subset of these individuals was processed for cardiac histological analysis. Unexposed King's Creek killifish significantly outperformed the unexposed Atlantic Wood killifish in swimming performance as measured by Ucrit (i.e., critical swimming speed). However, King's Creek killifish exposed to Elizabeth River sediment extract (both 0.1 and 1.0%) showed significant declines in Ucrit. Histological analysis revealed the presence of blood in the pericardium of King's Creek killifish. Although Atlantic Wood killifish showed baseline performance deficits relative to King's Creek killifish, their pericardial cavities were nearly free of blood and atrial and ventricular alterations. These findings may explain, in part, the diminished swimming performance of King's Creek fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3246-3253. © 2017 SETAC.