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.

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).

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.

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.

Guideline-based tobacco treatment is infrequently offered. Electronic health record-enabled patient-generated health data (PGHD) has the potential to increase patient treatment engagement and satisfaction.

We evaluated outcomes of a strategy to enable PGHD in a medical oncology clinic from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. Among 12,777 patients, 82.1% received a tobacco screener about use and interest in treatment as part of eCheck-in via the patient portal.

We attained a broad reach (82.1%) and moderate response rate (30.9%) for this low-burden PGHD strategy. Patients reporting current smoking (n = 240) expressed interest in smoking cessation medication (47.9%) and counseling (35.8%). As a result of patient requests via PGHD, most tobacco treatment requests by patients were addressed by their providers (40.6–80.3%). Among patients with active smoking, those who received/answered the screener (n = 309 ) were more likely to receive tobacco treatment compared with usual care patients who did not have the patient portal (n = 323) (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.93–3.82, P < 0.0001) using propensity scores to adjust for the effect of age, sex, race, insurance, and comorbidity. Patients who received yet ignored the screener (n = 1024) compared with usual care were also more likely to receive tobacco treatment, but to a lesser extent (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.68–2.86, P < 0.0001). We mapped observed and potential benefits to the Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM).

PGHD via patient portal appears to be a feasible, acceptable, scalable, and cost-effective approach to promote patient-centered care and tobacco treatment in cancer patients. Importantly, the PGHD approach serves as a real world example of cancer prevention leveraging the TSBM.

Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by repeated recurrent depressive episodes even with maintenance treatment. It is unclear what clinical and cognitive phenotypic characteristics present during remission predict future recurrence.

Participants (135 with remitted LLD and 69 comparison subjects across three institutions) completed baseline phenotyping, including psychiatric, medical, and social history, psychiatric symptom and personality trait assessment, and neuropsychological testing. Participants were clinically assessed every two months for two years while receiving standard antidepressant treatment. Analyses examined group differences in phenotypic measure using general linear models. Concurrent associations between phenotypic measures and diagnostic groups were examined using LASSO logistic regression.

Sixty (44%) LLD participants experienced a relapse over the two-year period. Numerous phenotypic measures across all domains differed between remitted LLD and comparison participants. Only residual depressive symptom severity, rumination, medical comorbidity, and executive dysfunction significantly predicted LLD classification. Fewer measures differed between relapsing and sustained remission LLD subgroups, with the relapsing group exhibiting greater antidepressant treatment intensity, greater fatigue, rumination, and disability, higher systolic blood pressure, greater life stress and lower instrumental social support. Relapsing group classification was informed by antidepressant treatment intensity, lower instrumental social support, and greater life stress.

A wide range of phenotypic factors differed between remitted LLD and comparison groups. Fewer measures differed between relapsing and sustained remission LLD subgroups, with less social support and greater stress informing vulnerability to subsequent relapse. This research suggests potential targets for relapse prevention and emphasizes the need for clinically translatable relapse biomarkers to inform care.

To assess whether measurement and feedback of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) skin concentrations can improve CHG bathing practice across multiple intensive care units (ICUs).

A before-and-after quality improvement study measuring patient CHG skin concentrations during 6 point-prevalence surveys (3 surveys each during baseline and intervention periods).

The study was conducted across 7 geographically diverse ICUs with routine CHG bathing.

Adult patients in the medical ICU.

CHG skin concentrations were measured at the neck, axilla, and inguinal region using a semiquantitative colorimetric assay. Aggregate unit-level CHG skin concentration measurements from the baseline period and each intervention period survey were reported back to ICU leadership, which then used routine education and quality improvement activities to improve CHG bathing practice. We used multilevel linear models to assess the impact of intervention on CHG skin concentrations.

We enrolled 681 (93%) of 736 eligible patients; 92% received a CHG bath prior to survey. At baseline, CHG skin concentrations were lowest on the neck, compared to axillary or inguinal regions (P < .001). CHG was not detected on 33% of necks, 19% of axillae, and 18% of inguinal regions (P < .001 for differences in body sites). During the intervention period, ICUs that used CHG-impregnated cloths had a 3-fold increase in patient CHG skin concentrations as compared to baseline (P < .001).

Routine CHG bathing performance in the ICU varied across multiple hospitals. Measurement and feedback of CHG skin concentrations can be an important tool to improve CHG bathing practice.