Step into a world of love, loyalty, and husky charm with Trinity, this week’s featured Shelter Pet available for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. This extraordinary young lady is ready to fill your life with joy, adventure, and unconditional affection.
Trinity is a stunning female Husky, estimated to be just under a year old. With her shimmering white coat delicately outlined in black, she looks as if she stepped straight out of a snow-covered fairytale. Found wandering as a stray, Trinity was brought to the shelter in the hope that her family would come forward—but no one ever did. Now, this beautiful spirit is patiently waiting for a new chapter to begin.
Beneath Trinity’s striking appearance is a heart as warm as sunshine. She adores every person she meets, greeting everyone with a wagging tail and bright, expressive eyes. Her sweet, affectionate nature and gentle demeanor make her instantly beloved by staff and visitors alike. One moment with Trinity, and you’ll understand why she’s impossible to forget.
Like any young Husky, Trinity is smart, energetic, and playful—a pup with a zest for life and an endless supply of curiosity. She thrives on interaction and would flourish in a home that offers an active lifestyle and plenty of mental stimulation. Whether it’s a family hike, a playful romp in the backyard, or a cuddle on the couch, Trinity is ready for it all.
Trinity is showing promising signs of compatibility with other dogs, cats, and children, making her a wonderful fit for many types of households. She’s healthy, vibrant, and brimming with potential—just waiting for the right family to help her shine.
Shelter staff and volunteers agree; Trinity is the kind of dog that leaves paw prints on your heart… She’s affectionate, lively, and endlessly loving. Any family would be lucky to have her.
If you think your home might be the fairytale ending Trinity deserves, we invite you to fill out an application and schedule a Meet & Greet. Spend time with her in the shelter’s cozy domestic spaces, the dog runs, or take a stroll on their Dog Walk Trail—you’ll fall in love before you reach the halfway point.
The Town of Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.
You don’t have to wait until July of 2026 to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. There were a lot of activities going on that led to what became the great experiment in democracy. One such activity is the famous ride of Paul Revere that occurred on the overnight of April 18 to 19. Many of us will remember that we had to memorize it in school. “Listen, my children, and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere/…/Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch/Of the North Church tower, as a signal light/One, if by land, and two, if by sea.”
So this year join the Sound Beach Civic Association in remembering and celebrating what we all studied as the American Revolution. Don’t just read about it — This year live it. Of course, we don’t have to ride, or drive, from Boston to Lexington, a ride that many consider the opening of the American Revolution. There’s another way: An organization, Two Lights for Tomorrow, is asking us to commemorate that famous ride and use the imagery of that shining light “Of the North Church tower” as a uniting call to action to celebrate and serve.
The celebration begins on April 18, when we are asked to put two lights in our windows commemorating that famous ride. Then, on April 19, we can go and fight our own war – the war against hunger and homelessness. The SBCA continues the celebration of the beginning of our democracy with a day of service. Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. SBCA members as well as Girl Scout Troop 2019 will meet at the Adopt-A-Spot on New York Avenue in Sound Beach to begin their yearly spring cleanup.
Additionally, the SBCA will be collecting nonperishable food items, personal care items, diapers and cleaning supplies to benefit Long Island Lending a Helping Hand in Rocky Point. The SBCA encourages everyone to join this celebration by putting two lights in their windows on April 18, then stop by the Adopt A-Spot on April 19 to help with the cleanup or donate to help those less fortunate in our communities. There are many different types of revolutions, and we can celebrate the revolution that gave us our democracy by paying it forward to our fellow Americans.
In the typical process of developing cures for medical problems or diseases, researchers explore the processes and causes and then spend years searching for remedies.
Ke Jian Liu. Photo by Jeanne Neville, Stony Brook Medicine
Sometimes, however, the time frame for finding a solution is cut much shorter, particularly when the Food and Drug Administration has already approved a drug treatment for another problem.
This could be the case for hemorrhagic stroke. Caused by a burst blood vessel that leads to bleeding in the brain, hemorrhagic stroke represents 13 percent of stroke cases, but accounts for 50 percent of stroke fatalities.
That’s because no current treatment exists to stop a process that can lead to cognitive dysfunction or death.
A researcher with a background in cancer and stroke, Ke Jian “Jim” Liu, Professor of Pathology and Associate Director or Basic Science at the Stony Brook Cancer Center who joined Stony Brook University in 2022, has found a mechanism that could make a hemorrhagic stroke so damaging.
When a blood vessel in the brain bursts, protoporphyrin, a compound that attaches to iron to form the oxygen carrying heme in the blood, partners up with zinc, a similar metal that’s in the brain and is released from neurons during a stroke. This combination, appropriately called zinc protoporphyrin, or ZnPP, doesn’t do much under normal conditions, but could be “highly toxic” in hypoxic, or low-oxygen conditions.
“We have done some preliminary studies using cellular and animal stroke models,” said Liu. “We have demonstrated on a small scale” that their hypothesis about the impact of ZnPP and the potential use of an inhibitor for the enzyme that creates it ‘is true.’”
These scientists recently received a $2.6 million grant over five years from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which is a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
Focusing on a key enzyme
After Liu and his colleagues hypothesized that the ZnPP was toxic in a low-oxygen environment, they honed in on ways to reduce its production. Specifically, they targeted ferrochelatase, the enzyme that typically brings iron and protoporphyrin together.
Iron isn’t as available in this compromised condition because it has a positive charge of three, instead of the usual plus two.
Liu discovered the role of zinc in research he published several years ago.
When a hemorrhagic stroke occurs, it creates a “perfect storm,” as the enzyme favors creating a toxic chemical instead of its usual oxygen carrying heme, Liu said. He is still exploring what makes ZnPP toxic.
The group, which includes former colleagues of Liu’s from the University of New Mexico, will continue to explore whether ZnPP and the enzyme ferrochelatase becomes an effective treatment target.
Liu was particularly pleased that currently approved treatments for cancer could be repurposed to protect brain cells during a hemorrhagic stroke. Indeed, with over 80 approved protein kinase inhibitors, which could work to stop the formation of ZnPP during a stroke, Liu and his colleagues have plenty of potential treatment options.
“We’re in a unique position that a clinically available drug that’s FDA approved for cancer treatment” could become a therapeutic solution for a potentially fatal stroke, Liu said.
To be sure, Liu and his colleagues plan to continue to conduct research to confirm that this process works as they suggest and that this possible therapy is also effective.
As with other scientific studies of medical conditions, promising results with animal models or in a lab require further studies and validation before a doctor can offer it to patients.
“This is an animal model, based on a few observations,” said Liu. “Everything needs to be done statistically.”
At this point, Liu is encouraged by these preliminary studies as the subjects that received an inhibitor are “running around,” he said. “You can see the difference with your own eyes. We’re excited to see that.”
Earlier hypotheses for what caused damage during hemorrhagic stroke focused on the release of iron. In research studies, however, using a chelator to bind to iron ions has produced some benefits, but they are small compared to the damage from the stroke. The chelator is “not really making any major difference,” said Liu.
The Stony Brook researcher did an experiment where he compared ZnPP with the damage from other metabolic products.
“ZnPP is several times more toxic than all the other things combined,” which is what makes them believe that ZnPP might be responsible for the damage, he said.
Proof of principle
For the purpose of the grant, Liu said the scientists were focusing on gathering more concrete evidence to support their theory. The researchers are also testing a few of the protein kinase inhibitors to demonstrate that they work.
In their preliminary studies, they chose several inhibitors based on whether the drug penetrates the blood brain barrier and that have a relatively high affinity for ferrochelatase.
“This opens the door for a new phase of the study,” Liu said. “Can we find the best drug that provides the best outcomes? We are not there yet.”
Removing zinc is not an option, as it is a part of 2 percent of the proteome, Liu said. Taking it out would “screw up the entire biological, physiological system,” he added.
Liu speculates that any future drug treatment would involve a relatively small dose at a specific time, although he recognized that any drug could have side effects.
In an uncertain funding climate in which the government is freezing some grants, Liu hopes that the financial support will continue through the duration of the grant.
“Our hope is that at the end of this grant, we can demonstrate” the mechanism of action for ZnPP and can find a reliable inhibitor, he said. “The next step would be to go to a clinical trial with an FDA-approved drug, and that would be fantastic.”
Holiday hams and deviled eggs may take center stage at Easter gatherings, but edible crafts offer a reminder of the magic of the season that’s found in moments spent together.
Simple recipes that call for a dose of creativity are perfect ways to bring the kids to the kitchen, made even easier when all that work leads to sweet treats.
Remember, these delicious crafts don’t have to be perfect — having fun and making memories that last a lifetime are what make Easter truly special.
Mini Easter Bundts
Recipe courtesy of Cookin’ Savvy
Mini Bundt Cakes
YIELD: Makes 24 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 box confetti cake mix
1 stick butter melted
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Chocolate Toppers:
1 cup each color melting chips of desired colors
silicone Easter candy molds of desired shapes
1 pouch ready-made green icing
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 F.
Mix cake mix, butter, eggs and milk. Pour into greased mini bundt pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool and remove from pan.
To make chocolate toppers: In bowl for each color, melt melting chips in 1-minute intervals in microwave until thoroughly melted. Pour into baggies and snip corner. Pipe melted chips into molds and freeze 15-20 minutes. Pipe green icing onto mini bundt cakes for “grass” then place chocolate mold pieces on top.
Substitution: Save time on toppers by replacing with store-bought chocolate bunnies, eggs, crosses or marshmallow bunnies.
Easter Sugar Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Cookin’ Savvy
INGREDIENTS:
Icing:
1/3 cup meringue powder
1/2 cup warm water plus additional for thinning (optional), divided
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 bag 2 pounds powdered sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
assorted food coloring
Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 dash salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
To make icing: Mix meringue powder, 1/2 cup warm water, vanilla, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Separate into bowls and add food coloring; mix with water, as needed, to thin for piping.
To make cookies: Heat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time to form dough. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2-inch thickness. Cut into shapes, place on baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes. Bake 8-12 minutes. Cool completely before icing. Place icing in zip-top or piping bags and cut off tips. Put cookies on parchment paper. Trace outline first then fill in middle. Use toothpicks to smooth out. Let dry 6 hours and finish decorating with different icing colors or edible markers
Easter Cake Pops
Recipe courtesy of Cookin’ Savvy
Easter Cake Pops
INGREDIENTS:
1 box cake mix
1 can frosting
1 bunny chocolate mold
1 cakesicle mold
ice pop sticks
1 bag white chocolate chips or melting chips
cake pop sticks
1 bag orange melting chips
2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil divided
1 bag green melting chips
pastel sprinkles
1 piece hard foam optional
edible markers
DIRECTIONS:
Bake cake according to package instructions and let cool completely. Crumble cake and mix with 1/2 can frosting until dough forms. Add more frosting, if needed. Using small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and set aside. Place dough in bunny molds then pop out and set aside with balls. Place dough in cakesicle mold, insert ice pop stick in each slot and freeze 5-10 minutes. Melt handful of white melting chips. Stick tip of each cake pop stick in chocolate then insert into every cake ball and bunny until each has one stick. Set aside to dry. Remove cakesicles from freezer and pop out of molds. In bowl, melt orange melts then mix in 1 tablespoon oil and transfer to cup. Dip cakesicles and scrape off excess using rim of cup. Place on parchment paper to dry.
In bowl, melt green melts then place in zip-top or piping bag. Cut tip off bag, pipe carrot leaves onto piece of parchment paper and let dry. Melt remaining white melts and mix in remaining oil. Transfer to cup and dip ball-shaped cake pops and bunnies then tap stick on edge of cup to remove excess.
Over separate bowl, sprinkle ball-shaped pops with pastel sprinkles. To keep ball shape, let dry by sticking in piece of hard foam. Bunnies can dry face side up on parchment paper. After bunnies are dry, use edible markers to make face and color in ears. When carrots and leaves are dry, remelt orange melts and place in piping or zip-top bag. Cut off tip and drizzle orange over carrots. Add small line of orange on each ice pop stick and place leaves on each stick. Let dry.
People don’t generally get married at 9 a.m, with an active, energetic and all-out party that follows immediately after the magical ceremony and that lasts until 3 pm.
No, big events like weddings, birthday parties and even smaller gatherings, like, oh, I don’t know, a pickleball tournament, sometimes start late in the evening and end some time after midnight.
Those are, as we all know, the typically festive party hours, when we welcome, as loudly as we can, the married couple for the first time to the dance floor, when we yell into each other’s ears standing feet from the trumpet and trombone players and when we cheer for the heartfelt sentiments of friends and family who share moving anecdotes about the people at the center of attention.
But what if, like me, you’re a morning person? What if, as the night goes on and everyone else becomes increasingly giddy, the inner child in you begs to go to bed because you know, no matter how hard you try to block out the morning light or to sleep in as late as possible, you will arise early the next morning?
For the past few incredible weekends, in which I visited my son in college where we played in a late night pickleball contest that ended around 1 a.m. and then traveled to celebrate a family wedding for a beloved cousin whom I’ve known since she was four, I have desperately tried to force my mind and body to push through the fatigue.
I recognize, of course, that people can’t and don’t sleep when their bodies and minds demand, such as when they are working several shifts or jobs to pay the bills, when they are taking care of someone late at night, or when an illness keeps them from getting the rest they need. These are clearly much harder and more real challenges than playing in a sporting event or celebrating with family.
I also realize that the academic and working world is geared towards morning people. Important tests and meetings can start as early as 8 a.m., when night owls would otherwise prefer to cruise into the final few hours of a restful sleep. Standardized tests also never started at 10 p.m. Someday, maybe some circadian scientist will offer to give tests at different blocks of time and see if scores improve for those who self select into their hourly wheelhouse.
I recall my first experiences with activities that extended well past midnight. Decades ago, I attended an all night dance to raise money for a worthy cause. I wasn’t sure how I’d do at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., when my body demanded time to recharge and shut down.
Fortunately, my high school friends and I took cat naps and, once the sun appeared, my system came back to life.
High school ski trips also typically left the school parking lot some time around 2 or 3 a.m., which was tough on those who drove us to school, especially if they had early morning activities the next day. After greeting everyone at the bus, I slept against the window, waiting until the sun flicked my “on” switch back into position.
During the recent late night pickleball games and wedding, I did my best to rally beyond my daily routine.
The first few games of pickleball went well, as the excitement of competition and of spending time with my son more than compensated for my fatigue.
The toughest words that night were “let’s run it back,” which my son and his friends said after each game. That meant one more game which turned into at least five more. By the end of the night, I felt like I was playing on four flat tires and I was swatting helplessly at the ball. I definitely cost us the final game, which my son accepted with remarkably good nature.
Fatigue didn’t interfere noticeably at the wedding, particularly because I threw myself around the floor to some of the final songs, including Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”
The after party at the hotel, however, pushed my limit. When someone nearby lit up a cigar, the scent of which overwhelmed my system, I couldn’t continue to stay awake and ignore the smell.
While I didn’t hang out and chat in the lobby until the last moment of the post party gathering, I made it past 2 a.m., which is as late as I can get before closing my eyes for “just a second” turns into a few hours of much needed rest.
The cover of the first issue of The Village Times in 1976 by Pat Windrow
By Leah S. Dunaief
Leah Dunaief, Publisher
Two happy milestones have marked this week. My oldest grandson turned 30, which we celebrated in style, and The Village Times, the flagship of Times Beacon Record News Media, was started exactly 49 years ago.
First the details of the birthday bash.
It happened Sunday afternoon at the ballpark, Citi Field, the home of the Mets, or what we Old Timers used to call Shea Stadium. Now if you knew my grandson at all, you would know he is a fierce and utterly loyal fan of the Mets since his earliest years. You could gather from that bit of information, that he is mighty stubborn about his loyalties. After all, there have been many incentives to switch support to other, more winning teams, right? And who could blame him? But that is not his style. His loyalty is boundless. And of course, the Mets have gradually rewarded him for his patience.
Thus, it was no surprise that he wanted to share his special day with the Mets, and in his honor, they won the game. But I get ahead of myself.
It’s worth relating how beautiful Citi Field is, especially so for me, a die hard Yankee fan who spent many afternoons during my teens in concrete-riven Yankee Stadium.
Now admittedly, we did have a luxurious situation. The cost of a box at the park was shared. We entered from a designated parking lot, after waiting on a short line, and were guidedpast giant pictures of Met greats like Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver, to a manned elevator that took us swiftly to the fourth floor.
We stepped out into a spacious hallway of patterned marble floors, paneled walls, high ceilings with recessed lighting and multiple wooden doors that led to individual suites. Overstuffed armchairs lined the walls. And you should see the bathrooms.
Staff greeted us all along the way and led us to our room, where more overstuffed seating, fruit and salad awaited us. At the far end was a sliding glass door leading out to cushioned balcony seats that accommodated most of the 18 of us as we watched the game.
Happily both suite and balcony had heaters, although the weather, while chilly, behaved nicely. The early morning rain had stopped. More ballpark food arrived throughout the afternoon, but it was hard to tear ourselves away from the balcony as the Mets won what turned out to be a pitchers’ duel, 2-1. I can hardly wait to see how we will celebrate his 40th.
As for our newspaper anniversary this past Tuesday, it came and went quietly as we enter our 50th year. We were busy putting out this week’s papers. But we will certainly whoop it up at various community events throughout the year until we reach half a century.
It’s easy to fall back on the well-used cliche, “time flies,” but it is astonishing to me and to those who were involved in the start-up, like our general manager, that we have reached almost five decades of publishing hometown news. So much has happened, so much has changed, but not the mission of the newspaper.
Our goals have always been steadfast. We strive each week to bring vetted news, information and even some fun to our readers, originally with newsprint, and now with the additional platforms of the 24/7 website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and the weekly podcast, The Pressroom Afterhour,which is also on Spotify.
We promise our staffers that, if and when they leave, it will be with more skills than when they arrived because we invest in our people. And the third and last part of our mission is to support and give back to our readers and advertisers in whatever ways we can, starting with working to create a sense of community.
Frankly, we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have survived almost 50 years, as we see hometown papers fall around us. Last week, while I was attending the New York Press Association Convention in Saratoga Springs, two more papers closed down, leaving their neighborhoods unprotected.
Alex R., who was demonstrating in support of President Donald Trump, talking to an anti-DOGE protestor. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Words matter, as we might tell a first grader in our home or a high school student struggling to share a thought without cursing.
The same holds true for adults, especially those who disagree.
Whatever any of us might think of the policy to make English the official language of the United States, having a way to express ourselves clearly and to be heard by people on the other side of any issue is critical.
We live in a deeply divided country, where one “side” delights not only in its successes but in the failures and the struggles of the other.
This isn’t a plea for everyone to sit around chanting together or to urge us all just to get along, much as that might increase the peace and lower stress and fear.
We don’t just need English: we need a common language. We need to hear each other and to understand what the other side suggests, proposes or believes.
In a country that celebrates rugged individualism, we should be able to listen to an idea, whatever it is and wherever it comes from, and consider its merits.
It seems like spectacular hubris on the part of either side to imagine that the best policies only stem from those with whom we agree.
Take efficiency. The benefits of being more efficient in everything we do is that we can use resources better. People invested in stocks, for example, want their companies to be efficient because executives use that money to build profits.
During protests, people make competing signs that emphasize a point. Many of those messages, however, rarely acknowledge the other side or reach beyond slogans.
We need to listen to each other, to search for common ground and to make persuasive arguments that everyone can evaluate.
We need to study and learn the foreign language of those on the other side of an issue and work to adjust those words, and the ideas behind them.
Language, reflects culture and ideology and, at its root, can help us improve our lives and the lives of our children, who move together from preschool to adulthood.
Living with a verbal impasse that demonizes the other side hurts others as much as it does ourselves.
Together, our society of individuals can become more successful, efficient and peaceful if we speak the same language and build from a common foundation. Making labels and hurling insults might feel good in the moment, but it doesn’t bring out the best in us.
Words, like technology, are not necessarily good or bad. The way they are used determines their impact. Most of the people we acknowledge in the community seem friendly enough and don’t deserve belittling labels. If we start with words designed to help coalesce, we might find ways to improve our lives while feeling proud of the way we communicate in front of our children.
Exercises that involve balance, strength, movement, flexibility and endurance all play significant roles in fall prevention. METRO photo
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Taking a tumble can cause broken bones and torn ligaments. While these might not be life-altering in younger folks, they can have serious consequences for older patients, including a decrease in functional ability and a decline in physical and social activities, which can lead to a loss of independence (1)(2). One recent study found that older adults who had suffered a fall had poorer health and well-being two years later when compared to those who had not fallen (3).
What increases your fall risk?
Obviously, environmental factors, like slippery or uneven surfaces, can increase your risk of falling. Age and medication use are also contributing factors. Some medications, like those used to treat high blood pressure or those targeting anxiety, depression and insomnia, are of particular concern. Chronic diseases may also contribute.
If you have upper and lower body strength weakness, decreased vision, a hearing disorder or psychological issues, such as anxiety and depression, these conditions predispose you to falling (4).
How can you reduce your fall risk?
Most importantly, exercise. Exercises that involve balance, strength, movement, flexibility and endurance all play significant roles in fall prevention (5). The good news is that many of these can be done inside with no equipment or with items found around the home. We will look more closely at the research.
Nonslip shoes are a big help. Look for slippers and shoes with non-skid soles. During the winter, choose footwear that prevents sliding on ice, such as boots with cleats or slip-on ice cleats that fit over your shoes.
In the home, secure area rugs, remove tripping hazards, install grab-bars in your bathroom showers and tubs, and add motion-activated nightlights.
And, of course, always pay attention when you’re walking. Don’t text, read or video chat while you’re moving around. A recently published study of young, healthy adults found that texting while walking affected their gait stability and postural balance when they were exposed to a slip hazard (6).
How do medications increase risk?
Several medications heighten fall risk, including psychotropic drugs and high blood pressure medications.
A well-designed study showed that those taking moderate doses of blood pressure medication had the greatest risk of serious injuries from falls, a 40 percent increase (7).
Because these medications can reduce cardiovascular risks, physicians must consider the risk-benefit ratio in older patients before prescribing or stopping a medication. We also should consider whether lifestyle modifications can reverse your need for medication or your dosage (8).
Using exercise to reduce fall risk
A meta-analysis showed that regular exercise significantly reduced the risk of a fall (9). It led to a 37 percent reduction in falls that resulted in injury and a 30 percent reduction in falls that required medical attention. Even more impressive was a 61 percent reduction in fracture risk. The author summarized that exercise not only helps to prevent falls but also fall injuries.
Unfortunately, those who have fallen before often develop a fear that leads them to limit their activities. This leads to a dangerous cycle of reduced balance and increased gait disorders, ultimately resulting in an increased fall risk (10).
Any consistent exercise program that focuses on flexibility and muscle tone and includes core strengthening can help improve your balance. Among those that have been studied, tai chi, yoga and aquatic exercise have all been shown to reduce falls and injuries from falls.
A randomized controlled trial showed that those who did an aquatic exercise program had a significant improvement in the risk of falls (11). The goal of the aquatic exercise was to improve balance, strength and mobility. Results showed a reduction in the overall number of falls and a 44 percent decline in the number of exercising patients who fell during the six-month trial, with no change in the control group.
Tai chi, which requires no equipment, was also shown to reduce both fall risk and fear of falling in older adults (12).
Another pilot study used modified chair yoga classes with a small, over-65 assisted-living population where participants had experienced a recent fall and had a resulting fear of falling (13). While the intention was to assess exercise safety, researchers found that participants had less reliance on assistive devices and three of the 16 participants were able to eliminate their use of mobility assistance devices.
Our best defense against fall risk is prevention with exercise and managing our environments to reduce fall opportunities. In addition, if you are 65 and older, or if you have arthritis and are over 45, it may mean reviewing your medication list with your doctor. Before you consider changing your blood pressure medications, review your risk-to-benefit ratio with your physician.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.
This bar graph shows the various forms of violence victimization over a 24-hour period as reported in more than 12,000 mobile phone surveys of almost 500 adolescent boys. Credit: Rachel Kidman
By Daniel Dunaief
Rachel Kidman
Researchers have long connected exposure to violence, particularly at a younger age, to expressions of violence as people age.
In a recent study of boys between the ages of 15 and 19 years old published in the journal PLOS One, lead author Rachel Kidman, Core Faculty in the Program in Public Health and Associate Professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, however, has made a connection between various types of violence adolescent boys witnessed or were subjected to and violence within 24 hours towards intimate partners.
“Those boys who experience violence that day are much more likely to act out and engage in intimate partner violence against their girlfriend or boyfriend,” said Kidman.
Adolescent boys are getting “trapped in a cycle” in which they experience and then perpetuate violence, Kidman said.
In parts of Africa, in particular, intimate partner violence could be particularly dangerous as the rate of HIV infection — the virus that causes AIDS — is higher.
This study, which was conducted with 498 adolescents living in Soweto, South Africa who responded to cell phone surveys from November of 2020 to June of 2022, expands the understanding of the development of abuse and violence.
Amy Hammock, Associate Professor in the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University, who has collaborated on research with Kidman but was not a part of this paper, lauded the work for its “strong design” which relies on surveys that measure violence within 24 hours. The surveys allow for “more accuracy in reporting” than a typical question about violence within the last year.
“Many of the boys in the sample experienced significant violence, both at the community level and the interpersonal level,” Hammock explained.
Previous evidence indicates that men who experienced or witnessed childhood trauma or domestic violence between their parents perpetrate intimate partner violence at higher rates.
“We don’t have a lot of evidence of what happens during the teenage years,” said Kidman. “This could be setting the course for relationships in the future.”
Adolescents could be responding to triggers and may not know how to cope with their own emotions, which leads to their own violent actions.
Working with boys
Public health programs typically focus on ways to protect people in relationships, often women, against violence, by encouraging them to take self-defense classes and to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship. Many of these approaches place the onus on the victim, which seems too narrow, Kidman said. As a next step, “we can work with boys, acknowledge the trauma.”
By exploring the link between physical, verbal and sexual violence perpetrated against adolescent boys, researchers are taking a first step towards developing methods that might help boys cope with their own emotions without lashing out at their partners.
“We need to learn more to design the right intervention,” Kidman explained.
Breaking the cycle
The real-time mobile phone surveys revealed a sharp increase in the odds of intimate partner violence (IPV) when teenage boys were victims of violence within 24 hours, particularly sexual violence. Credit: Rachel Kidman
Kidman chose to work with adolescents in this area of South Africa in part because she had forged connections with researchers in the area in previous studies and in part because of the high levels of HIV and violence for an underserved population.
She feels it’s important to understand the epidemics of violence in low and middle income countries.
“The area we work in has a history of apartheid and racial and economic segregation and a long history of violence and a high rate of HIV,” Kidman said.
To be sure, ideally, these adolescents wouldn’t experience any violence. Many of the adolescents who participated in this study experienced intimate partner violence directed against them as well, which could be initiated by a girlfriend or be used by a girlfriend in self defense.
“Some of this may be in the context of bi-directional violence in the relationship,” said Kidman.
Participants in this study could ask to speak with a counselor. Kidman appreciates the adolescents who shared personal and painful details their lives.
“These are not easy topics to talk about and they get a lot of credit for being so open,” she said. “This gives us insights into how we can help.”
Meaningful semester abroad
The direction Kidman’s research has taken springs from research she did during her undergraduate training at Swarthmore College, particularly during a semester abroad in Zimbabwe. She was interested in the social dimensions of HIV. During her master’s degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, she studied the survival and education of orphaned children.
As she conducted that research, Kidman considered the many adversities affecting children, including violence, child abuse, neglect, and living with someone who has substance abuse problems, among others. The current project is exploring how these experiences during childhood and adolescence, including child abuse, verbal violence and bullying, affect youth and their behavior towards intimate partners.
Indeed, when youth with HIV experience violence, they sometimes don’t take their medications, which increases the health risks to themselves and their partners.
Role models
Born and raised in Portland, Maine, Kidman received considerable support for her broader interests in the world from her parents Joan and Bruce Kidman.
“When I announced that I was going to Zimbabwe for the semester, they were absolutely on board,” said Kidman.
Indeed, both of her parents, who met in college, worked together for the Peace Corps in Micronesia after they graduated. When she was in college, Kidman was eager to learn about a different culture.
Kidman and her husband Sean Clouston, Professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at SBU, live in Stony Brook with their 10 and 12-year old children Riley and Quinn.
As for her work, Kidman suggested numerous questions remain. She urged further studies that could assist with preventing violence and supporting those people who can be victims and perpetrators.
So this year join the Sound Beach Civic Association in remembering and celebrating what we all studied as the American Revolution. Don’t just read about it — This year live it. Of course, we don’t have to ride, or drive, from Boston to Lexington, a ride that many consider the opening of the American Revolution. There’s another way: An organization, Two Lights for Tomorrow, is asking us to commemorate that famous ride and use the imagery of that shining light “Of the North Church tower” as a uniting call to action to celebrate and serve.
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