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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with advanced epigenetic age cross-sectionally, but the association between these variables over time is unclear. This study conducted meta-analyses to test whether new-onset PTSD diagnosis and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time were associated with changes in two metrics of epigenetic aging over two time points.
Methods
We conducted meta-analyses of the association between change in PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity and change in epigenetic age acceleration/deceleration (age-adjusted DNA methylation age residuals as per the Horvath and GrimAge metrics) using data from 7 military and civilian cohorts participating in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup (total N = 1,367).
Results
Meta-analysis revealed that the interaction between Time 1 (T1) Horvath age residuals and new-onset PTSD over time was significantly associated with Horvath age residuals at T2 (meta β = 0.16, meta p = 0.02, p-adj = 0.03). The interaction between T1 Horvath age residuals and changes in PTSD symptom severity over time was significantly related to Horvath age residuals at T2 (meta β = 0.24, meta p = 0.05). No associations were observed for GrimAge residuals.
Conclusions
Results indicated that individuals who developed new-onset PTSD or showed increased PTSD symptom severity over time evidenced greater epigenetic age acceleration at follow-up than would be expected based on baseline age acceleration. This suggests that PTSD may accelerate biological aging over time and highlights the need for intervention studies to determine if PTSD treatment has a beneficial effect on the aging methylome.
Objectives/Goals: Early childhood obesity is a major concern for Latin American children in the U.S., with gut barrier dysfunction as a key risk factor. Diet plays a role in gut development, but few studies have focused on Latin American infants. Our objective is to identify culturally relevant introductory foods that promote in vitro gut barrier development and function. Methods/Study Population: Pooled human milk (2.5 mL) from 6-month postpartum Hispanic mothers was combined with fruit and vegetable baby food products (2.5 g) and subjected to a 3-phase in vitro digestion system that simulates oral, gastric, and intestinal digestion. Digesta products were then anaerobically fermented for 24-hours using human stool inoculum, centrifuged, and filter sterilized. Intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2, ATCC) were grown to confluence on 0.4 μm polystyrene transwell inserts using a DMEM + 10% FBS medium and allowed to differentiate for 21-days. Highly differentiated monolayers were treated with a 1:4 dilution of fermenta with medium in triplicate. The cell experiment was conducted twice. Cell layer integrity was measured using transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) 24- and 48-hours after treatment. Results/Anticipated Results: Dietary intake data from the What We Eat in America database indicated that the top 3 fruit and vegetable exposures for infants with Mexican or Hispanic ethnicity were banana, apple, and carrot. Commercial baby food purees of these fruits and vegetables, in addition to baby foods with blueberry and spinach (Natural for Baby, Gerber Products Company) were acquired for digestion and fermentation experiments. Caco-2 cell experiments with these foods are ongoing. We expect Caco-2 monolayer incubated with fermenta from human milk and fruit or vegetables will have greater TEER values due to increased integrity of the cell layer as compared to those with breast milk alone. We also expect that exposure to fruit and vegetable fermenta will increase gene expression of tight junctions compared to exposure to media and human milk. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Using an in vitro digestion and fermentation system coupled with cell culture studies, we are identifying cellular mechanisms that link individual fruits and vegetables to gut barrier function. This will support translational work focused on mitigating obesity development in vulnerable populations.
The recommended first-line treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi), but access is limited. Telehealth- or internet-delivered CBTi are alternative ways to increase access. To date, these intervention modalities have never been compared within a single study. Further, few studies have examined (a) predictors of response to the different modalities, (b) whether successfully treating insomnia can result in improvement of health-related biomarkers, and (c) mechanisms of change in CBTi. This protocol was designed to compare the three CBTi modalities to each other and a waitlist control for adults aged 50–65 years (N = 100). Participants are randomly assigned to one of four study arms: in-person- (n = 30), telehealth- (n = 30) internet-delivered (n = 30) CBTi, or 12-week waitlist control (n = 10). Outcomes include self-reported insomnia symptom severity, polysomnography, circadian rhythms of activity and core body temperature, blood- and sweat-based biomarkers, cognitive functioning and magnetic resonance imaging.
Most people with mental illness in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) do not receive biomedical treatment, though many seek care from traditional healers and faith healers. We conducted a qualitative study in Buyende District, Uganda, using framework analysis. Data collection included interviews with 24 traditional healers, 20 faith healers, and 23 biomedical providers, plus 4 focus group discussions. Interviews explored treatment approaches, provider relationships, and collaboration potential until theoretical saturation was reached. Three main themes emerged: (1) Biomedical providers’ perspectives on traditional and faith healers; (2) Traditional and faith healers’ views on biomedical providers; and (3) Collaboration opportunities and barriers. Biomedical providers viewed faith healers positively but traditional healers as potentially harmful. Traditional and faith healers valued biomedical approaches while feeling variably accepted. Interest in collaboration existed across groups but was complicated by power dynamics, economic concerns, and differing mental illness conceptualizations. Traditional healers and faith healers routinely referred patients to biomedical providers, though reciprocal referrals were rare. The study reveals distinct dynamics among providers in rural Uganda, with historical colonial influences continuing to shape relationships and highlighting the need for integrated, contextually appropriate mental healthcare systems.
We present the Sydney Radio Star Catalogue, a new catalogue of stars detected at megahertz to gigahertz radio frequencies. It consists of 839 unique stars with 3 405 radio detections, more than doubling the previously known number of radio stars. We have included stars from large area searches for radio stars found using circular polarisation searches, cross-matching, variability searches, and proper motion searches as well as presenting hundreds of newly detected stars from our search of Australian SKA Pathfinder observations. The focus of this first version of the catalogue is on objects detected in surveys using SKA precursor and pathfinder instruments; however, we will expand this scope in future versions. The 839 objects in the Sydney Radio Star Catalogue are distributed across the whole sky and range from ultracool dwarfs to Wolf-Rayet stars. We demonstrate that the radio luminosities of cool dwarfs are lower than the radio luminosities of more evolved sub-giant and giant stars. We use X-ray detections of 530 radio stars by the eROSITA soft X-ray instrument onboard the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma spacecraft to show that almost all of the radio stars in the catalogue are over-luminous in the radio, indicating that the majority of stars at these radio frequencies are coherent radio emitters. The Sydney Radio Star Catalogue can be found in Vizier or at https://radiostars.org.
Background: Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) do not distinguish between colonization and Clostridioides difficile (C.diff) associated diarrhea. On April 5th 2023 our laboratory introduced a new C. diff testing methodology. Previously, if a C. diff screen result was negative for toxin and positive for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), a second confirmatory test was conducted with NAAT. This confirmatory test was removed from our testing algorithm. NAAT testing may be ordered ad hoc when clinically relevant diarrhea persists, and alternative etiologies have been excluded. We wanted to evaluate the impact of change with testing methods. Method: Retrospective review of all inpatient hospital-acquired C.diff infections reported to NHSN database from Ascension Michigan Market which comprises 14 acute care hospitals from June 2019 to August 2023. Data for C diff was analyzed every quarter. The risk adjustments used to calculate the Standardized Infection Ratios (SIRs) for C. diff infections was set at 0.48 based on CDC mean SIR established for acute care hospitals in 2022. Results: A total of 14 acute care hospitals were included from which 866 C.diff cases were reported during this period. Overall, the SIR dropped from 0.59 from June-August 2019 to 0.32 reported from March-May 2023; 45.7 % decrease. The maximum reduction in SIR was seen post intervention at 0.21 from June-August 2023 which was 78.3% below the benchmark of 0.48. (Figure) Conclusions: Strategies to optimize current laboratory tests are critical to differentiate C. diff infection from colonization. The current strategy by changing the testing method led to substantial reduction in C-diff. Diagnostic stewardship studies should ideally include outcome measures targeted to post-intervention patients to determine clinical relevance and patient safety. Optimizing test utilization remains a critical component of quality healthcare delivery. Future NHSN updated surveillance definition will require incorporating clinical decision-making into the metric; that is including a combination of any positive C-diff test plus initiation of antibiotic therapy for C-diff.
Epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) has focused on transmission in acute care hospital or long-term care facility (LTCF) settings. Few investigations have examined community-associated (CA)-CRO, with no consensus about common exposures. To explore possible exposures, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene investigated suspected CA-CRO cases through routine surveillance among NYC residents with specimens collected during December 2020-May 2023. CA-CRO cases were defined as urine or skin specimens with bacterial cultures exhibiting carbapenem resistance, among individuals aged ≤70 years with no international travel, hospitalization, or LTCF stays within 12 months before specimen collection. Inclusion was determined by reviewing data from health information exchanges, when available electronic medical records, and telephone screening for those not excluded through record review. We identified 426 suspected cases for review, those not meeting the case definition were excluded; 44 individuals were not reached for screening. A preliminary questionnaire was fielded with 12 individuals and then refined to capture additional potential exposures. Analyses were completed with 23 individuals interviewed with the refined questionnaire. Of the 23, 70% were female; 39% were Hispanic, 17% Black, and 17% White; their median age was 60 years (range: 26-70 years). Further, 83% reported an outpatient appointment, 48% reported an outpatient procedure/surgery, and 9% reported having a hospitalized household member, all within 12 months before specimen collection; 26% had a urinary catheter or indwelling device within 2 days of specimen collection. Additionally, 30% reported taking antibiotics within 3 months of specimen collection, 52% denied taking antibiotics, 9% were unsure about antibiotic use, and 9% did not answer the question. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 14 available isolates from CA-CRO cases by the NYC Public Health Laboratory or Wadsworth Center (WC), of which only 7 could be compared with isolates previously sequenced at WC (2017-2023). Six isolates were separated by >50 mutation events, suggesting no close genomic relationship. One isolate from 2021 was 11 mutation events from a 2018 isolate from the same individual, consistent with the expected evolutionary rate. While infrequent, CA-CRO cases occur in NYC. Outpatient healthcare, antibiotic use, and urinary catheters or indwelling devices were common self-reported exposures. Analyses were limited by screening non-response. Increased specimen availability for WGS could enhance investigation of CA-CRO exposure patterns. Health information exchange data were often incomplete and future surveillance could benefit from healthcare and public health partnerships and better documentation for more complete electronic medical histories.
Following an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in Wales in July 2021 associated with sheep meat and offal, further genetically related cases were detected across the UK. Cases were UK residents with laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Typhimurium in the same 5-single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) single-linkage cluster with specimen date between 01/08/2021–2031/12/2022. We described cases using routine (UK) and enhanced (Wales only) surveillance data. Exposures in cases in Wales were compared with non-Typhimurium Salmonella case–controls. Environmental Health Practitioners and the Food Standards Agency investigated supply chains of food premises reported by ≥2 cases. Animal, carcass, and environmental samples taken for diagnostic or monitoring purposes for gastrointestinal pathogens were included in microbiological investigations. We identified 142 cases: 75% in England, 23% in Wales and 3% in Scotland. Median age was 32 years, and 59% were male. Direct contact with sheep was associated with becoming a case (aOR: 14, 95%CI: 1.4–145) but reported by few (6/32 cases). No single food item, premises, or supplier linked all cases. Multi-agency collaboration enabled the identification of isolates in the same 5-SNP single-linkage cluster from a sheep carcass at an English abattoir and in ruminant, wildlife, poultry, and environmental samples, suggesting multiple vehicles and pathways of infection.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an evidenced based treatment for adults with treatment resistant depression (TRD). The standard clinical protocol for TMS is to stimulate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Although the DLPFC is a defining region in the cognitive control network of the brain and implicated in executive functions such as attention and working memory, we lack knowledge about whether TMS improves cognitive function independent of depression symptoms. This exploratory analysis sought to address this gap in knowledge by assessing changes in attention before and after completion of a standard treatment with TMS in Veterans with TRD.
Participants and Methods:
Participants consisted of 7 Veterans (14.3% female; age M = 46.14, SD = 7.15; years education M = 16.86, SD = 3.02) who completed a full 30-session course of TMS treatment and had significant depressive symptoms at baseline (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9 score >5). Participants were given neurocognitive assessments measuring aspects of attention [Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4th Edition (WAIS-IV) subtests: Digits Forward, Digits Backward, and Number Sequencing) at baseline and again after completion of TMS treatment. The relationship between pre and post scores were examined using paired-samples t-test for continuous variables and a linear regression to covary for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is often comorbid with depression in Veteran populations.
Results:
There was a significant improvement in Digit Span Forward (p=.01, d=-.53), but not Digit Span Backward (p=.06) and Number Sequencing (p=.54) post-TMS treatment. Depression severity was not a significant predictor of performance on Digit Span Forward (f(1,5)=.29, p=.61) after TMS treatment. PTSD severity was also not a significant predictor of performance on Digit Span Forward (f(1,5)=1.31, p=.32).
Conclusions:
Findings suggested that a standard course of TMS improves less demanding measures of working memory after a full course of TMS, but possibly not the more demanding aspects of working memory. This improvement in cognitive function was independent of improvements in depression and PTSD symptoms. Further investigation in a larger sample and with direct neuroimaging measures of cognitive function is warranted.
This study examined potential predictors of persistent depressive symptoms in a cohort of seriously ill older adults (aged 65+ years) receiving home care services.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study using secondary data collected from the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care for all assessments completed between 2001 and 2020. The cohort included seriously ill individuals with depressive symptoms at baseline and who continued to have depressive symptoms on reassessment within 12 months (n = 8,304). Serious illness was defined as having severe health instability, a prognosis of less than 6 months, or a goal of care related to palliative care (PC) on admission to the home care program.
Results
The mean age of the sample was 80.8 years (standard deviation [SD] = 7.7), 61.1% were female, and 82.1% spoke English as their primary language. The average length of time between assessments was 4.9 months (SD = 3.3). During that time, 64% of clients had persistent symptoms of depression. A multivariate logistic regression model found that language, pain, caregiver burden, and cognitive impairment were the most significant predictors of experiencing persistent depressive symptoms.
Significance of results
Persistent depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in this population and, left untreated, could contribute to the person experiencing a “bad death.” Some of the risk factors for this outcome are amenable to change, making it important to continually assess and flag these factors so interventions can be implemented to optimize the person’s quality of life for as long as possible.
This chapter presents a comprehensive review of the interaction between circum-Caribbean indigenous peoples and nonhuman primates before and at early European contact. It fills significant gaps in contemporary scholarly literature by providing an updated archaeological history of the social and symbolic roles of monkeys in this region. We begin by describing the zooarchaeological record of primates in the insular and coastal circum-Caribbean Ceramic period archaeological sites. Drawing from the latest archaeological investigations that use novel methods and techniques, we also review other biological evidence of the presence of monkeys. In addition, we compile a list of indigenously crafted portable material imagery and review rock art that allegedly depicts primates in the Caribbean. Our investigation is supplemented by the inclusion of written documentary sources, specifically, ethnoprimatological information derived from early ethnohistorical sources on the multifarious interactions between humans and monkeys in early colonial societies. Finally, we illustrate certain patterns that may have characterized interactions between humans and monkeys in past societies of the circum-Caribbean region (300–1500 CE), opening avenues for future investigations of this topic.
Keywords:
Archaeoprimatology, Ceramic period, Greater and Lesser Antilles, Island and coastal archaeology, Saladoid, Taíno, Trinidad, Venezuela
Using 14 proxy human population time series from around the North Pacific (Alaska, Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands), we evaluate the possibility that the North Pacific climate and marine ecosystem includes a millennial-scale regime shift cycle affecting subsistence and migration. We develop both visual and statistical methods for addressing questions about relative population growth and movement in the past. We introduce and explore the use of a Time Iterative Moran I (TIMI) spatial autocorrelation method to compare time series trends quantitatively – a method that could prove useful in other paleoecological analyses. Results reveal considerable population dynamism around the North Pacific in the last 5000 years and strengthen a previously reported inverse correlation between Northeast and Northwest Pacific proxy population indices. Visual and TIMI analyses suggest multiple, overlapping explanations for the variability, including the potential that oscillating ecological regime shifts affect the North Pacific basin. These results provide an opening for coordinated research to unpack the interrelated social, cultural and environmental dynamics around the subarctic and arctic North Pacific at different spatial and temporal scales by international teams of archaeologists, historians, paleoecologists, paleoceanographers, paleoclimatologists, modelers and data management specialists.
We present the case of a 4-month-old, former 23-week premature baby who underwent patent ductus arteriosus device closure in the cardiac catheterisation lab with an Amplatzer Piccolo™ device at 12 weeks of life. This was complicated by late migration of the device into the aorta resulting in severe obstruction and requiring surgical intervention.
Dementia assessment includes cognitive and behavioral testing with informant verification. Conventional testing is resource-intensive, with uneven access. Online unsupervised assessments could reduce barriers to risk assessment. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between informant-rated behavioral changes and participant-completed neuropsychological test performance in older adults, both measured remotely via an online unsupervised platform, the Brain Health Registry (BHR).
Design:
Observational cohort study.
Setting:
Community-dwelling older adults participating in the online BHR. Informant reports were obtained using the BHR Study Partner Portal.
Participants:
The final sample included 499 participant–informant dyads.
Measurements:
Participants completed online unsupervised neuropsychological assessment including Forward Memory Span, Reverse Memory Span, Trail Making B, and Go/No-Go tests. Informants completed the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C) via the BHR Study Partner portal. Cognitive performance was evaluated in MBI+/− individuals, as was the association between cognitive scores and MBI symptom severity.
Results:
Mean age of the 499 participants was 67, of which 308/499 were females (61%). MBI + status was associated with significantly lower memory and executive function test scores, measured using Forward and Reverse Memory Span, Trail Making Errors and Trail Making Speed. Further, significant associations were found between poorer objectively measured cognitive performance, in the domains of memory and executive function, and MBI symptom severity.
Conclusion:
These findings support the feasibility of remote, informant-reported behavioral assessment utilizing the MBI-C, supporting its validity by demonstrating a relationship to online unsupervised neuropsychological test performance, using a previously validated platform capable of assessing early dementia risk markers.
Vision and hearing impairments are highly prevalent in adults 65 years of age and older. There is a need to understand their association with multiple health-related outcomes. We analyzed data from the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC). Home care clients were followed for up to 5 years and categorized into seven unique cohorts based on whether or not they developed new vision and/or hearing impairments. An absolute standardized difference (stdiff) of at least 0.2 was considered statistically meaningful. Most clients (at least 60%) were female and 34.9 per cent developed a new sensory impairment. Those with a new concurrent vison and hearing impairment were more likely than those with no sensory impairments to experience a deterioration in receptive communication (stdiff = 0.68) and in cognitive performance (stdiff = 0.49). After multivariate adjustment, they had a twofold increased odds (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1,87, 2.35) of deterioration in cognitive performance. Changes in sensory functioning are common and have important effects on multiple health-related outcomes.
Human ability to adapt to shifting ecological regimes is tied to flexibility in our senses of place to engage and expand spatial and temporal scales. The challenge of regional conservation is to build intelligible senses of place from a mosaic of land uses that seemingly compete with one another and have difficulties scaling-up to characterise a regional geography. A regional place-making framework is developed that connects ecological relationships, structural forces of society and socio-cultural meanings in ways that negotiate tension between narratives of stability and change. Place-making asserts change as aspirational narratives of what should be, and inclusion of a temporal scale that recognises future states of conditions and relationships across communities. Place-making asserts stability due to concerns for restoring native ecosystems and production of socio-cultural heritage. Regional place-making is where global narratives meet local particularities in ways that integrate and prioritise narratives linked to stability and change.
Background: Research analyzing COVID-19 symptom screening has primarily focused on adult patients. In efforts to safely reopen schools, symptom screeners are being widely utilized. However, pediatric-specific outpatient data on which symptom combinations best identify children with COVID-19 are lacking. Such data could refine school symptom screening by improving screener sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we assessed the frequency of symptoms and symptom combinations in children tested for SARS-CoV-2 in outpatient settings. We aim to contribute to the optimization of pediatric COVID-19 screening questionnaires, to ultimately minimize both COVID-19 transmission in schools and missed school days. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of outpatient symptoms screens, SARS-CoV-2 test results, and demographics of children (≤18 years) tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 30 and November 30, 2020, at 3 UCSF-affiliated COVID-19 outpatient screening clinics in northern California. Those with incomplete symptom screens, >7 days between symptom documentation and test, and invalid test results were excluded. Results: Of 473 children tested at 1 site, 21 children had positive SARs-CoV-2 results and 452 children had negative results (4.4% positivity rate). Moreover, 85.7% of SARS-CoV-2–positive children had a known exposure to COVID-19 (Table 1). Of SARS-CoV-2–positive children, 61.9% had >1 symptom. Also, 52.4% of SARS-CoV-2–positive children had at least 1 symptom (fever, cough, or loss of taste or smell) versus 62.8% of SARS-CoV-2–negative children (Table 2). Runny nose or nasal congestion was the most frequently reported symptom in the SARS-CoV-2–positive group (47.6%) as well as the SARS-CoV-2–negative group (58.6%). Also, 14.3% of SARS-CoV-2–positive children had eye redness or discharge versus 3.1% of SARS-CoV-2–negative children. Isolated runny nose presented in 10.8% of SARS-CoV-2–negative versus 9.5% of SARS-CoV-2–positive children. All children with isolated diarrhea (n = 5), isolated headache (n = 3), and isolated rash (n = 2) tested negative. Preliminary symptom data based on 176 children from a second site showed that 9.9% of symptomatic children had a positive test result. Conclusions: Runny nose or nasal congestion was the most frequently reported symptom in all children tested for SARS-CoV-2. However, isolated runny nose or nasal congestion identified 2 cases of COVID-19 in our cohort. Eye redness or discharge may be an important symptom to screen for COVID-19 in children. Further research with a larger number of positive cases is needed to make conclusions about improving efficiency and efficacy of symptom screeners for COVID-19 in children.