Strength, speed, and anthropometric predictors of in-game batting performance in baseball.

A key focus of sports science research is the identification of quantitative assessments that can predict players' on-field performance and developmental potential. Despite efforts to establish predictive models, there are few validated measures that show reliable associations and large gaps in understanding. Here, we test a multidimensional battery of assessments developed through the USA Baseball, Prospect Development Pipeline that capture strength and functional movement abilities, and anthropometric characteristics, in a two-year cohort of collegiate baseball players from the Appalachian League. Swing propensity metrics for Zone Contact Percentage (ZCP: proportion pitches in strike zone swung at and hit) and Hard-Hit Percentage (HHP: proportion in-play balls with exit velocity ≥ 95 mph) were calculated on 189 players. Models testing hierarchical combinations of anthropometric and anthropometric plus assessment data were implemented using nested cross-validation with random forest and elastic net regression. Results indicate that anthropometric features account for 29% of variance in ZCP and 50-55% of HHP, while the addition of assessment contributed an additional 1-3% to ZCP and 5-12% to HHP, with top predictors coming from PDP strength and power assessments. These findings delineate contributions of andromorphic and physical abilities to in-game baseball performance using a validated assessment battery and advanced game statistics.

Perceived discrimination and nativity status: risk of cognitive impairment among Latin American older adults.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between perceived discrimination and the risk of cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) while considering the potential effects of nativity status. DESIGN: A prospective analysis of discrimination and nativity status with dementia and cognitive impairment was conducted among Latinx adults aged 51 years and older who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. SETTING: A national representative sample. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 1,175 Latinx adults aged 51 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: Demographics, cognitive functioning, perceived discrimination, and nativity status (US-born vs. non-US born) were assessed. Traditional survival analysis methods (Fine and gray models) were used to account for the semi-competing risk of death with up to 10 years of follow-up. RESULTS: According to our results, neither everyday discrimination nor nativity status on their own had a statistically significant association with CIND/ADRD; however, non-US-born Latinx adults who reported no discrimination had a 42% lower risk of CIND/ADRD (SHR = 0.58 [0.41, 0.83], p = .003) than US-born adults. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the need for healthcare providers to assess for discrimination and provide support and resources for those experiencing discrimination. It also highlights the need for better policies that address discrimination and reduce health disparities.

Tai Chi versus health education as a frailty intervention for community-dwelling older adults with hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with poor outcomes among older adults with hypertension and complicates its pharmacological management. Here, we assessed whether 12-weeks of instructor-guided, group Tai Chi (TC) practice improved frailty relative to Healthy Aging Practice-centered Education (HAP-E) classes in older adults with hypertension. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in San Diego County, USA, of 167 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 60 yrs (70% female; 72.1 ± 7.5 yrs), defined as non-frail (66%) or frail (34%) based on 53-item deficit accumulation frailty index (FI). Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess pre-to-post intervention differences in FI and logistic regression to explore differential odds of clinically meaningful FI change. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one participants completed post-intervention assessments. Frailty decreased pre-to-post intervention in the TC (ΔFI = - 0.016, d = - 0.39, - 0.75 to - 0.03), but not the HAP-E arm (ΔFI = - 0.009, d = - 0.13, - 0.52-0.27), despite no significant group differences between the TC and HAP-E arms (d = - 0.11, - 0.46-0.23). Furthermore, greater odds of improved FI were observed for frail participants in the TC (OR = 3.84, 1.14-14.9), but not the HAP-E (OR = 1.34, 0.39-4.56) arm. Subgroup analysis indicated treatment effects in TC were attributed to frail participants (frail: ΔFI = - 0.035, d = - 0.68, -1.26 to - 0.08; non-frail: ΔFI = - 0.005, d = - 0.19, - 0.59-0.22), which was not the case in the HAP-E arm (frail: ΔFI = - 0.017, d = - 0.23, - 0.81-0.35; non-frail: ΔFI = - 0.003, d = - 0.07, - 0.47-0.33). Frail participants were no more likely to drop-out of the study than non-frail (71% vs. 69% retained). CONCLUSIONS: Twelve weeks of twice-weekly guided TC practice was well-tolerated, associated with decreases in frailty, and increased odds of clinically meaningful FI improvement at post-intervention.

Trends, heterogeneity, and correlates of mental health and psychosocial well-being in later-life: study of 590 community-dwelling adults aged 40-104 years.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine if mental health and psychosocial well-being differed between middle-aged (MA; 40-59 years), younger-old (YO; 60-79 years), and older-old (OO; 80+ years) adults with respect to their trends, heterogeneity, and correlates. METHODS: Eighteen mental health and psychosocial well-being instruments were administered to 590 adults over age 40. Cross-sectional data also included self-report-based measures of sociodemographics, cognitive functioning, physical health and activity, and body mass index. RESULTS: Age trends across instruments varied in magnitude and shape, but generally supported an inverted U-shaped trend in mental health and psychosocial well-being, with small increases from MA to YO age (d = 0.29) and smaller declines from YO to OO age (d = -0.17). A U-shaped association between age and mental health heterogeneity was also observed. The strongest correlates of mental health and psychosocial well-being differed by age (MA: perceived stress; YO: successful aging; OO: compassion toward others), as did the associations of a flourishing versus languishing mental health and well-being profile. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the "paradox of aging," whereby declines in physical and cognitive health co-occur with relatively preserved mental health and well-being. Our findings indicate that variance in mental and psychosocial health does not increase linearly with age and support careful consideration of heterogeneity in mental health and aging research. Our findings also suggest that mental health and psychosocial well-being decouple from stress-related dimensions in MA and become increasingly associated with positive, other-oriented emotions in OO, broadly supporting socioemotional theories of aging.

Tai chi or health education for older adults with hypertension: effects on mental health and psychological resilience to COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of 12 weeks of community-based, in-person, group Tai Chi (TC) and Health Education (HAP-E) in improving health and wellbeing in older adults with hypertension and in promoting psychological resilience during COVID-19. METHODS: A 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) in San Diego County, USA. Self-reported depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbances, gratitude, resilience, mental and physical health were assessed in-person pre- and post-intervention, and by long-term follow-up surveys during COVID-19. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess study arm differences over time and logistic regression to identify predictors of positive intervention response. RESULTS: Of 182 randomized participants (72.6 ± 7.9 yrs; 72% female), 131 completed the intervention. Modest improvements in health and wellbeing occurred post-intervention in both arms (Cohen's d: TC = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.25-0.51; HAP-E = 0.24, 0.11-0.37), though positive intervention responses were more than twice as likely in TC (OR = 2.29, 1.07-4.57). Younger age, higher anxiety, and poorer mental health at baseline predicted greater odds of response. Small declines in health and wellbeing were reported at the first COVID-19 follow-up, with smaller declines in the TC arm (Cohen's d: TC = -0.15, -0.31-0.00; HAP-E = -0.34, -0.49 to -0.19). Health and wellbeing stabilized at the second COVID-19 follow-up. Most participants (>70%) reported that the interventions benefitted their health and wellbeing during COVID-19. CONCLUSION: TC and HAP-E improved health and wellbeing, though TC conferred greater odds of an improved mental health response. Declines in health and wellbeing were observed at pandemic follow-up, with smaller declines in the TC arm, suggesting increased resilience.

Salivary bacterial signatures in depression-obesity comorbidity are associated with neurotransmitters and neuroactive dipeptides.

BACKGROUND: Depression and obesity are highly prevalent, often co-occurring conditions marked by inflammation. Microbiome perturbations are implicated in obesity-inflammation-depression interrelationships, but how the microbiome mechanistically contributes to pathology remains unclear. Metabolomic investigations into microbial neuroactive metabolites may offer mechanistic insights into host-microbe interactions. Using 16S sequencing and untargeted mass spectrometry of saliva, and blood monocyte inflammation regulation assays, we identified key microbes, metabolites and host inflammation in association with depressive symptomatology, obesity, and depressive symptomatology-obesity comorbidity. RESULTS: Gram-negative bacteria with inflammation potential were enriched relative to Gram-positive bacteria in comorbid obesity-depression, supporting the inflammation-oral microbiome link in obesity-depression interrelationships. Oral microbiome was more highly predictive of depressive symptomatology-obesity co-occurrences than of obesity or depressive symptomatology independently, suggesting specific microbial signatures associated with obesity-depression co-occurrences. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed significant changes in levels of signaling molecules of microbiota, microbial or dietary derived signaling peptides and aromatic amino acids among depressive symptomatology, obesity and comorbid obesity-depression. Furthermore, integration of the microbiome and metabolomics data revealed that key oral microbes, many previously shown to have neuroactive potential, co-occurred with potential neuropeptides and biosynthetic precursors of the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine and serotonin. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our findings offer novel insights into oral microbial-brain connection and potential neuroactive metabolites involved.

Social status alters chromatin accessibility and the gene regulatory response to glucocorticoid stimulation in rhesus macaques.

Low social status is an important predictor of disease susceptibility and mortality risk in humans and other social mammals. These effects are thought to stem in part from dysregulation of the glucocorticoid (GC)-mediated stress response. However, the molecular mechanisms that connect low social status and GC dysregulation to downstream health outcomes remain elusive. Here, we used an in vitro GC challenge to investigate the consequences of experimentally manipulated social status (i.e., dominance rank) for immune cell gene regulation in female rhesus macaques, using paired control and GC-treated peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples. We show that social status not only influences immune cell gene expression but also chromatin accessibility at hundreds of regions in the genome. Social status effects on gene expression were less pronounced following GC treatment than under control conditions. In contrast, social status effects on chromatin accessibility were stable across conditions, resulting in an attenuated relationship between social status, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression after GC exposure. Regions that were more accessible in high-status animals and regions that become more accessible following GC treatment were enriched for a highly concordant set of transcription factor binding motifs, including motifs for the GC receptor cofactor AP-1. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that social status alters the dynamics of GC-mediated gene regulation and identify chromatin accessibility as a mechanism involved in social stress-driven GC resistance. More broadly, they emphasize the context-dependent nature of social status effects on gene regulation and implicate epigenetic remodeling of chromatin accessibility as a contributing factor.

Are we facing a crashing wave of neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19? Neuropsychiatric symptoms and potential immunologic mechanisms.

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a significant psychological stressor in addition to its tremendous impact on every facet of individuals' lives and organizations in virtually all social and economic sectors worldwide. Fear of illness and uncertainty about the future precipitate anxiety- and stress-related disorders, and several groups have rightfully called for the creation and dissemination of robust mental health screening and treatment programs for the general public and front-line healthcare workers. However, in addition to pandemic-associated psychological distress, the direct effects of the virus itself (several acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2), and the subsequent host immunologic response, on the human central nervous system (CNS) and related outcomes are unknown. We discuss currently available evidence of COVID-19 related neuropsychiatric sequelae while drawing parallels to past viral pandemic-related outcomes. Past pandemics have demonstrated that diverse types of neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as encephalopathy, mood changes, psychosis, neuromuscular dysfunction, or demyelinating processes, may accompany acute viral infection, or may follow infection by weeks, months, or longer in recovered patients. The potential mechanisms are also discussed, including viral and immunological underpinnings. Therefore, prospective neuropsychiatric monitoring of individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 at various points in the life course, as well as their neuroimmune status, are needed to fully understand the long-term impact of COVID-19, and to establish a framework for integrating psychoneuroimmunology into epidemiologic studies of pandemics.

Self-reported sleep disturbances are associated with poorer cognitive performance in older adults with hypertension: a multi-parameter risk factor investigation.

OBJECTIVES: Given the evidence of multi-parameter risk factors in shaping cognitive outcomes in aging, including sleep, inflammation, cardiometabolism, and mood disorders, multidimensional investigations of their impact on cognition are warranted. We sought to determine the extent to which self-reported sleep disturbances, metabolic syndrome (MetS) factors, cellular inflammation, depressive symptomatology, and diminished physical mobility were associated with cognitive impairment and poorer cognitive performance. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants with elevated, well-controlled blood pressure were recruited from the local community for a Tai Chi and healthy-aging intervention study. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-five older adults (72.7 ± 7.9 years old; 66% female), 54 (37%) with evidence of cognitive impairment (CI) based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≤24, underwent medical, psychological, and mood assessments. MEASUREMENTS: CI and cognitive domain performance were assessed using the MoCA. Univariate correlations were computed to determine relationships between risk factors and cognitive outcomes. Bootstrapped logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of CI risk and linear regression to explore cognitive domains affected by risk factors. RESULTS: The CI group were slower on the mobility task, satisfied more MetS criteria, and reported poorer sleep than normocognitive individuals (all p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that sleep disturbances, but no other risk factors, predicted increased risk of evidence of CI (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.26-4.87, 99% CI: 1.08-7.48). Further examination of MoCA cognitive subdomains revealed that sleep disturbances predicted poorer executive function (ß = -0.26, 95% CI: -0.51 to -0.06, 99% CI: -0.61 to -0.02), with lesser effects on visuospatial performance (ß = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.35 to -0.02, 99% CI: -0.39 to 0.03), and memory (ß = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.01, 99% CI: -0.76 to 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the deleterious impact of self-reported sleep disturbances on cognitive performance was prominent over other risk factors and illustrate the importance of clinician evaluation of sleep in patients with or at risk of diminished cognitive performance. Future, longitudinal studies implementing a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and objective sleep measurement are warranted to further explore these associations.

Sex-specific roles of cellular inflammation and cardiometabolism in obesity-associated depressive symptomatology.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and depression are complex conditions with stronger comorbid relationships among women than men. Inflammation and cardiometabolic dysfunction are likely mechanistic candidates for increased depression risk, and their prevalence differs by sex. Whether these relationships extend to depressive symptoms is poorly understood. Therefore, we analyzed sex in associations between inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria on depressive symptomatology. Specifically, we examined whether sex positively moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and inflammation among women, and whether MetS has parallel effects among men. METHODS: Depressive symptoms, MetS, and inflammation were assessed in 129 otherwise healthy adults. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-Ia). Monocyte inflammation regulation (BARIC) was quantified using flow cytometry measurement of TNF-α suppression by ß-agonist. Moderation effects of sex on associations between BARIC, MetS criteria, and BDI were estimated using two-way ANOVA and linear regression, adjusting for BMI, and by sex subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Obese individuals reported more depressive symptoms. Sex did not formally moderate this relationship, though BDI scores tended to differ by BMI among women, but not men, in subgroup analysis. Poorer inflammation control and higher MetS criteria were correlated with somatic depressive symptoms. Sex moderated associations between MetS criteria and somatic symptoms; among men, MetS criteria predicted somatic symptoms, not among women. Subgroup analysis further indicated that poorer inflammation control tended to be associated with higher somatic symptoms in women. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that obesity-related inflammation and MetS factors have sex-specific effects on depressive symptoms in a non-clinical population. Although pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences remain to be elucidated, our findings suggest that distinct vulnerabilities to depressive symptoms exist between women and men, and highlight the need to consider sex as a key biological variable in obesity-depression relationships. Future clinical studies on comorbid obesity and depression should account for sex, which may optimize therapeutic strategies.

Social affiliation predicts mitochondrial DNA copy number in female rhesus macaques.

In many social mammals, social adversity predicts compromised health and reduced fitness. These effects are thought to be driven in part by chronic social stress, but their molecular underpinnings are not well understood. Recent work suggests that chronic stress can affect mitochondrial copy number, heteroplasmy rates and function. Here, we tested the first two possibilities for the first time in non-human primates. We manipulated dominance rank in captive female rhesus macaques ( n = 45), where low rank induces chronic social stress, and measured mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and heteroplasmy in five peripheral blood mononuclear cell types from each study subject. We found no effect of dominance rank on either mtDNA copy number or heteroplasmy rates. However, grooming rate, a measure of affiliative social behaviour predicted by high social status, was positively associated with mtDNA copy number in B cells, cytotoxic T cells and monocytes. Our results suggest that social interactions can influence mtDNA regulation in immune cells. Further, they indicate the importance of considering both affiliative and competitive interactions in investigating this relationship.

Aberrant firing of replication origins potentially explains intragenic nonrecurrent rearrangements within genes, including the human DMD gene.

Non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR), non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), and microhomology-mediated replication-dependent recombination (MMRDR) have all been put forward as mechanisms to explain DNA rearrangements associated with genomic disorders. However, many nonrecurrent rearrangements in humans remain unexplained. To further investigate the mutation mechanisms of these copy number variations (CNVs), we performed breakpoint mapping analysis for 62 clinical cases with intragenic deletions in the human DMD gene (50 cases) and other known disease-causing genes (one PCCB, one IVD, one DBT, three PAH, one STK11, one HEXB, three DBT, one HRPT1, and one EMD cases). While repetitive elements were found in only four individual cases, three involving DMD and one HEXB gene, microhomologies (2-10 bp) were observed at breakpoint junctions in 56% and insertions ranging from 1 to 48 bp were seen in 16 of the total 62 cases. Among these insertions, we observed evidence for tandem repetitions of short segments (5-20 bp) of reference sequence proximal to the breakpoints in six individual DMD cases (six repeats in one, four repeats in three, two repeats in one, and one repeat in one case), strongly indicating attempts by the replication machinery to surpass the stalled replication fork. We provide evidence of a novel template slippage event during replication rescue. With a deeper insight into the complex process of replication and its rescue during origin failure, brought forward by recent studies, we propose a hypothesis based on aberrant firing of replication origins to explain intragenic nonrecurrent rearrangements within genes, including the DMD gene.

Predictors of batting and pitching performance in the USA baseball prospect development pipeline.

This study examined the relationship between psychomotor abilities and baseball performance by analysing data from 379 athletes who participated in the USA Baseball, Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP). Hit and pitch metrics were generated during practice sessions using the RapsodoTM System. Data were compared through exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression. Factor analysis grouped batter's PDP evaluations into four latent variables accounting for 63% of variance. Pitcher performance grouped into three factors accounting for 51% of variance. Regression on batter data revealed a significant demographic/anthropometric base model with height, weight, and age that accounted for 58% of the batted ball speed (R2 = 0.581). Player position explained 2% of the variance (R2 = 0.604), and PDP evaluation scores contributed an additional 3% (R2 = 0.631). Regression of pitcher data showed a significant base demographic/anthropometric model accounting for 36% of fastball pitch speeds (R2 = 0.363), with the PDP evaluation scores adding 6% additional variance (R2 = 0.424). Uniformly, assessments of lower body strength added the greatest predictive information. Hand grip strength did not correlate with pitch metrics. While demographics/anthropometrics are major contributors to batted and pitched ball speed, position and psychomotor variables add statistically significant contributions and may be of practical value for player selection.

Predictors of depression in breast cancer patients treated with radiation: role of prior chemotherapy and nuclear factor kappa B.

BACKGROUND: Depression is common during and after breast cancer treatment. However, the role of specific therapeutic modalities and related biologic mechanisms remains unclear. Radiation is an essential component of breast-conserving therapy and may contribute to depression in patients with breast cancer through the activation of inflammatory pathways. METHODS: Depressive symptoms and inflammatory mediators, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), were assessed at baseline (before radiation), during radiation, and 6 weeks after radiation in 64 women who had stage 0 through IIIA breast cancer. RESULTS: No significant increases in depressive symptoms occurred during or after radiation, although a number of patients exhibited moderate-to-severe depression throughout the study. Multivariate analyses of baseline factors predictive of depression revealed that educational status, perceived stress, prior chemotherapy, and peripheral blood NF-κB DNA binding all were independent predictors of persistent depressive symptoms after radiation (all P < .05). Of these factors, only prior chemotherapy was associated with inflammatory mediators, including NF-κB DNA binding, soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor 2, and interleukin-6, which, in univariate analyses predicted depressive symptoms after radiation (all P < .05). Chemotherapy-treated patients also exhibited an over-representation of gene transcripts regulated by NF-κB. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation was not associated with increased depressive symptoms in the current study, but of disease and treatment-related factors, prior chemotherapy predicted significant depression after radiation. Longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate the relationship among prior chemotherapy, inflammation, and persistent depression after breast cancer treatment.

Ancestral founder mutations in calpain-3 in the Indian Agarwal community: historical, clinical, and molecular perspective.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical heterogeneity of limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs, 24 known subtypes), which includes overlapping phenotypes and varying ages of onset and morbidity, adds complexity to clinical and molecular diagnoses. METHODS: To diagnose LGMD subtype, protein analysis, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunoblotting, was followed by gene sequencing through a panel approach (simultaneous sequencing of known LGMD genes) in 9 patients from unrelated families of the Indian Agarwal community. Haplotype studies were performed by targeted SNP genotyping to establish mutation segregation. RESULTS: We identified 2 founder mutations in CAPN3, a missense (c.2338G>C; p.D780H) and a splice-site (c.2099-1G>T) mutation, on 2 different haplotype backgrounds. The patients were either heterozygous for both or homozygous for either of these mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Founder mutations have immediate clinical application, at least in selected population groups. Clinically available gene panels may provide a definitive molecular diagnosis for heterogeneous disorders such as LGMD.

Predictive Biomarkers of Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent, debilitating disorder with a high rate of treatment resistance. One strategy to improve treatment outcomes is to identify patient-specific, pre-intervention factors that can predict treatment success. Neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the brain's electrical activity from sensors on the scalp, offer one promising approach for predicting treatment response for psychiatric illnesses, including MDD. In this study, a secondary data analysis was conducted on the publicly available Two Decades Brainclinics Research Archive for Insights in Neurophysiology (TDBRAIN) database. Logistic regression modeling was used to predict treatment response, defined as at least a 50% improvement on the Beck's Depression Inventory, in 119 MDD patients receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The results show that both age and baseline symptom severity were significant predictors of rTMS treatment response, with older individuals and more severe depression scores associated with decreased odds of a positive treatment response. EEG measures contributed predictive power to these models; however, these improvements in outcome predictability only trended towards statistical significance. These findings provide confirmation of previous demographic and clinical predictors, while pointing to EEG metrics that may provide predictive information in future studies.

Differences in Social Determinants of Health Underlie Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Psychological Health and Well-Being: Study of 11,143 Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the impact of selected social determinants of health (SDoH) on psychological health and well-being (defined as depression, cognition, and self-rated health) among Black and Hispanic/Latinx adults relative to White adults 51-89 years of age. METHODS: Disparities in depressive symptomatology, cognition, and self-rated health were measured among 2,306 non-Hispanic/Latinx Black, 1,593 Hispanic/Latinx, and 7,244 non-Hispanic/Latinx White adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study (N=11,143). Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to examine whether differences in selected SDoH explained a larger share of the disparities than age, sex, measures of health, health behaviors, and health care utilization. Selected SDoH included education, parental education, number of years worked, marital status, veteran status, geographic residence, nativity status, income, and insurance coverage. RESULTS: Black and Hispanic/Latinx adults reported worse depressive symptomatology, cognition, and self-rated health than White adults. Selected SDoH were associated with a larger proportion of the Black-White disparities in depressive symptomatology (51%), cognition (39%), and self-rated health (37%) than were age, sex, measures of health, health behaviors, and health care utilization. SDoH were associated with a larger proportion of the Hispanic/Latinx-White disparity in cognition (76%) and self-rated health (75%), but age and physical health correlated with the disparity in depressive symptomatology (28%). Education, parental education, years worked, income, and insurance parity were SDoH associated with these disparities. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in SDoH underlie racial/ethnic disparities in depression, cognition, and self-rated health among older adults. Education, income, number of years worked, and insurance parity are key SDoH.

Association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with C-reactive protein in diverse Latinos: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

BACKGROUND: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a marker of systemic inflammation that has been associated with persistent depressive symptoms. Depression and anxiety are frequently associated with a chronic inflammatory state, yet the nature of this relationship has not been rigorously examined in diverse Hispanic/Latino populations. We aimed to study the association of anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as comorbid presentations, with circulating high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in a large Latino cohort of diverse heritages. We hypothesized a significant positive associations of both anxiety and depressive symptoms and hsCRP levels and potential variations among the heritage groups. METHODS: Depressive symptoms and anxiety were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), respectively. Serum hsCRP (hsCRP) levels of 15,448 participants (age 18 to 75 years; 52.3% women) from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) were measured and categorized based on the established cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reference values (< 1mg/L, low; 1-<3 mg/L, intermediate; ≥ 3mg/L, high). RESULTS: Mean CES-D, STAI scores, and hsCRP levels were 7.0 (SD = 5.9), 17.0 (SD = 5.7), and 3.84 (SD = 7.85), respectively. Generalized linear modeling, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics revealed significant associations between depression (exp(ß) = 1.12; p<0.01) and anxiety symptoms (exp(ß) = 1.10; p<0.05) with continuous hsCRP levels. For categorical values of hsCRP, one SD increase in CES-D and STAI scores was associated with a 10% and 8% increase in the RRRs of high vs. low hsCRP, respectively. However, these relationships between CES-D or STAI and hsCRP were no longer statistically significant after adjustment for CVD risk factors and medications. CONCLUSION: We found modest associations between anxiety and depressive symptoms and systemic inflammation measured by hsCRP among diverse Hispanics/Latinos that did not appreciably differ between heritage groups.