Connecting with the community: Perceptions of a community tour.

Introduction: This study explores the transformative effects of the Community Plunge, an educational program at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSOM), on healthcare delivery, community engagement, and trainee perspectives. It addresses the broader context of health outcomes, where clinical care only accounts for 20%, emphasizing the critical role of social determinants of health (SDOH) and individual behaviors in the remaining 80%.

Methods: WFUSOM's Community Plunge, established in 2002, involves a guided tour of the community, discussions with residents, and debriefing sessions.

Synergistic induction of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 by thrombin and epidermal growth factor requires vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2.

Objective: To determine the molecular mechanism underlying the synergistic response of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), which is induced by thrombin and epidermal growth factor (EGF).

Methods And Results: MKP-1 induction by thrombin (approximately 6-fold) was synergistically increased (approximately 18-fold) by cotreatment with EGF in cultured endothelial cells. EGF alone did not induce MKP-1 substantially (<2-fold).