Katherine Alaimo

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of two root media and three vermicompost amendments on the root zone bacterial communities and harvest mass of lettuce grown in a greenhouse container garden model system. Lettuce seeds were planted in seven root media/amendment conditions. Lettuce was later harvested, and root media DNA was extracted for 16S rRNA sequencing to determine the composition of, as well as the alpha and beta diversity of, the bacterial communities. Fresh weight, dry weight, and percentage dry weight of lettuce were calculated under each treatment. Results indicate that the peat-lite growth media without any additions had the lowest rhizosphere bacterial alpha diversity compared to the other six growth media. Bacterial communities from containers with peat-lite media were significantly different than those from containers with compost-based media as measured by beta diversity. Moreover, the compost-based medium with vermicompost condition tended to result in a higher percentage dry weight lettuce than lettuce grown under the peat-lite condition. The peat-lite treatment condition had the numerically lowest dry weight (%) and bacterial diversity. Addition of vermicompost amendments had varying impacts on bacterial diversity, bacterial community composition, and harvest mass. Overall, this experiment establishes a protocol which can be applied for further understanding of the impact of root media type and vermicompost amendments on rhizosphere bacterial diversity and harvest mass.

Background: Wernicke’s encephalopathy can occur in oncology patients independent of alcohol use, likely resulting from poor dietary thiamine intake. High metabolic demands, such as those in acute illnesses seen in the emergency department (ED), can exacerbate thiamine deficiency. In this study, our objective was to assess the incidence of thiamine deficiency in ED oncology patients, which could lead to Wernicke’s encephalopathy or other thiamine deficiency disorders if left untreated. Methods: This was a single-center prospective cohort study. We included patients with acute illness and a history of active cancer management in the ED of a large, urban hospital. We also included age and sex-matched control patients with no history of cancer who sought ED care. We excluded patients with a history of alcohol use or parenteral thiamine administration before enrollment. We recorded whole blood thiamine levels to measure total body thiamine stores and collected data on clinical variables, thiamine treatment, and adverse events. Results: In total, 87 oncology and 71 control patients were included in the study. The mean age was 62.1 ± 13.7 and 58.9 ± 12.6 years, respectively, and 48% of oncology vs. 55% of control participants were female. The most common cancers represented were colon (23%), lung (25%), prostate (10%), and breast (9%). Thiamine deficiency was significantly higher in ED oncology patients (25, 28.7%) compared to controls (6, 8.5%), odds ratio 4.4 (95% CI 1.7–11.4). None of the oncology patients with deficiency received thiamine treatment in the ED. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that thiamine deficiency is prevalent in acutely ill oncology patients, yet rarely treated in the ED.

While gardening has been shown to have wide-ranging benefits, very little research has focused on the experiences of new community gardeners. Our study emined the experiences of new community gardeners, as well as the perspectives of garden leaders, to determine how to best meet new com­munity gardeners’ needs. We conducted qualitative interviews with a subset of new community gar­deners (N = 34) participating in a randomized con­trolled trial (RCT) of community gardening, and garden leaders (N = 47). New community garden­ers learned to garden through classes, from other gardeners and leaders, from friends and family, and through teaching themselves. Garden leaders pro­vided varied support to new community gardeners, including hands-on assistance and orientations. The events and degree of social interactions with other gardeners in the gardens also varied, although most gardens had a culture of helping and reci­procity, and gardeners frequently brought family and friends with them to their gardens. Challenges reported by new community gardeners and leaders included lack of gardening knowledge and support; responsibility and time commitment of gardening; poor communication from garden leaders; water, weeds, and pests; plot abandonment; and theft, vandalism, and safety. New community gardeners desired and benefited from social interaction, guid­ance, and support in their gardens. However, because garden leaders already have substantial gar­den responsibilities, placing this responsibility solely on garden leaders is frequently not feasible. This study provides insight into new community gardeners’ experiences and can be used to inform programs that support gardeners.

Understanding how activities in natural settings, such as gardening, improve health and well‐being is important for designing nature‐based health interventions. Our study focused on a sociodemographic‐diverse group of new gardeners (n = 34) who had participated for one season in the community gardens as part of the Denver Urban Gardens initiative in Denver, CO USA. New gardeners participated in semi‐structured qualitative interviews to determine how and why gardening influenced their well‐being. Interview transcripts were analysed iteratively using grounded theory and comparative case study methodologies. Analysis revealed that new gardeners' previous gardening experience, social support systems and overcoming gardening challenges increased gardening engagement and improved outcomes. Within‐garden outcomes that were nearly universally experienced by new gardeners included food production, physical activity in the garden and a ‘gardening triad’: (1) caretaking, nurturance or love and sense of responsibility for garden plants; (2) feelings of accomplishment, success and pride and (3) connection to nature including appreciation, restoration and wonder. We found that the elements of the ‘gardening triad’ were meaningful to gardeners and connected to both continued engagement of participants and others in the garden, and social and emotional well‐being outcomes including new and/or strengthened social relationships; purpose and meaning; self‐learning, self‐worth and confidence; joy, immersion, restoration and respite; and management of mental health conditions. Gardening with others, including other gardeners, garden leaders, friends and family, amplified the well‐being effects of the ‘gardening triad.’ Identification of the ‘gardening triad’ expands understanding of the salient health‐promoting characteristics of gardening beyond simple exposure to nature, food production and physical activity. It embeds gardeners in relationship with their gardens as active participants eliciting universal emotional processes which, in turn, manifested as improved social and emotional well‐being. Gardening, as an avenue for improving well‐being, should be supported widely. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

To measure associations between gardening with different compost amendments and the human gut microbiota composition, gardeners (n = 25) were provided with one of three types of compost: chicken manure (CM), dairy manure and plant material (DMP), or plant-based (P). Stool samples were collected before gardening (T1), after compost amendment (T2), and at peak garden harvest (T3). Compost and soil samples were collected. DNA was extracted, 16S rRNA libraries were established, and libraries were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were processed using mothur, and data were analyzed in R software version 4.2.2. Fast expectation-maximization microbial source tracking analysis was used to determine stool bacteria sources. At T2/T3, the gut microbiotas of P participants had the lowest Shannon alpha diversity, which was also the trend at T1. In stool from T2, Ruminococcus 1 were less abundant in the microbiotas of those using P compost as compared to those using CM or DMP. At T2, Prevotella 9 had the highest abundance in the microbiotas of those using CM compost. In participants who used CM compost to amend their gardening plots, a larger proportion of the human stool bacteria were sourced from CM compared to soil. Soil exposure through gardening was associated with a small but detectable change in the gardeners’ gut microbiota composition. These results suggest that human interactions with soil through gardening could potentially impact health through alterations to the gut microbiota.

Gardening has the potential to improve health by providing access to nature, vegetables, and physical activity. However, scarce research exists on the health impacts of gardening on racial and ethnic minority urban populations in the United States. This study used qualitative interviews to examine the perceived physical and mental health effects of gardening in a primarily African American sample of 28 gardeners. Prominent physical health impacts attributed to gardening included providing an enjoyable source of activity, management of chronic diseases, and improved physical functioning. Participants also reported that gardening improved their mood, relieved stress, was an important part of their spirituality, contributed to their personal growth, and provided an opportunity for helping others. These findings suggest that gardening may improve physical and mental health among diverse groups.

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived dietary impacts of gardening among members of a gardener support program in Detroit, Michigan. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 28 racially diverse members of the program. Participants reported increasing their consumption of vegetables, trying new vegetables, and decreasing their processed food and meat consumption. Gardeners described factors that contributed to these dietary changes, including knowing that their produce was grown without synthetic chemicals, preferring the taste and freshness of the produce they grew and an emotional connection to their vegetables. Gardening was also associated with some aspects of food security, with most interviewees reporting savings on food due to gardening, and many preserving produce to last beyond the growing season. Gardeners demonstrated strong values towards food, including a distrust of the industrial food system and a desire to make food choices that were beneficial to humans and the environment. This study describes how and why gardening can contribute to dietary change.