Cognitive Recovery by Decade in Healthy 40- to 80-Year-Old Volunteers After Anesthesia Without Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction are the most common complications for older surgical patients. General anesthesia may contribute to the development of these conditions, but there are little data on the association of age with cognitive recovery from anesthesia in the absence of surgery or underlying medical condition. METHODS: We performed a single-center cohort study of healthy adult volunteers 40 to 80 years old (N = 71, mean age 58.5 years, and 44% women) with no underlying cognitive dysfunction. Volunteers underwent cognitive testing before and at multiple time points after 2 hours of general anesthesia consisting of propofol induction and sevoflurane maintenance, akin to a general anesthetic for a surgical procedure, although no procedure was performed. The primary outcome was time to recovery to cognitive baseline on the Postoperative Quality of Recovery Scale (PQRS) within 30 days of anesthesia. Secondary cognitive outcomes were time to recovery on in-depth neuropsychological batteries, including the National Institutes of Health Toolbox and well-validated paper-and-pencil tests. The primary hypothesis is that time to recovery of cognitive function after general anesthesia increases across decades from 40 to 80 years of age. We examined this with discrete-time logit regression (for the primary outcome) and linear mixed models for interactions of age decade with time postanesthesia (for secondary outcomes). RESULTS: There was no association between age group and recovery to baseline on the PQRS; 36 of 69 (52%) recovered within 60-minute postanesthesia and 63 of 69 (91%) by day 1. Hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for each decade compared to 40- to 49-year olds were: 50 to 59 years, 1.41 (0.50-4.03); 60 to 69 years, 1.03 (0.35-3.00); and 70 to 80 years, 0.69 (0.25-1.88). There were no significant differences between older decades relative to the 40- to 49-year reference decade in recovery to baseline on secondary cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery of cognitive function to baseline was rapid and did not differ between age decades of participants, although the number in each decade was small. These results suggest that anesthesia alone may not be associated with cognitive recovery in healthy adults of any age decade.

DSM-5 eating disorder prevalence, gender differences, and mental health associations in United States military veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about prevalence estimates of new and revised DSM-5 eating disorders diagnoses in general, and especially among high-risk, underserved and diverse eating disorder populations. The aim of the current study was to determine prevalence, gender differences and correlates of DSM-5 eating disorders in veterans. METHOD: Iraq and Afghanistan war era veterans (N = 1,121, 51.2% women) completed the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale-5 and validated measures of eating pathology and mental health between July 2014 and September 2019. RESULTS: Overall more women than men (32.8% vs. 18.8%, p < .001) reported symptoms consistent with a DSM-5 eating disorder. Prevalence estimates (women vs. men) for the specific diagnoses were: Anorexia Nervosa (AN; 0.0% vs. 0.0%), Bulimia Nervosa (BN; 6.1% vs. 3.5%), Binge-Eating Disorder (BED; 4.4% vs. 2.9%), Atypical AN (AAN; 13.6% vs. 4.9%), Subclinical BN (0.0% vs. 0.2%), Subclinical BED (1.4% vs. 0.6%), Purging Disorder (2.1% vs. 0.7%), and Night Eating Syndrome (NES; 5.2% vs. 6.0%). Women were more likely to have BN or AAN, and there was no difference for BED or NES among genders. The eating disorder group had a higher mean BMI, and significantly greater eating pathology and mental health symptoms than the non-eating disorder group. DISCUSSION: Approximately one-third of women, and one-fifth of men, reported symptoms consistent with a DSM-5 eating disorder diagnosis. These high prevalence estimates across genders, and associated mental health concerns, suggest an urgent need to better understand and address eating disorders in military and veteran populations.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Risk for Stroke in Young and Middle-Aged Adults: A 13-Year Cohort Study.

Background and Purpose- In older populations, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke have been linked to psychological factors, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whether PTSD also increases risk for early incident stroke in young adults is unknown. Methods- We prospectively assessed the incidence of TIA and ischemic stroke in a cohort of 987 855 young and middle-aged Veterans (mean age of 30.29±9.19 years; 87.8% men, 64.4% white) who first accessed care through the Veterans Health Administration from October 2001 to November 2014 and were free of TIA and ischemic stroke at baseline. For each outcome, time-varying multivariate Cox models were constructed to examine the effect of PTSD on incident stroke. We also assessed for effect modification by sex. Additional sensitivity analyses controlled for healthcare utilization. Results- Over a 13-year period, TIA and ischemic stroke were diagnosed in 766 and 1877 patients, respectively. PTSD was diagnosed in 28.6% of the sample during follow-up. In unadjusted analyses, PTSD was significantly associated with new-onset TIA (hazard ratio [HR], 2.02; 95% CI, 1.62-2.52) and ischemic stroke (HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.47-1.79). In fully adjusted models, the association between PTSD and incident TIA (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.27-2.04) and ischemic stroke (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.22-1.52) remained significant. The effect of PTSD on ischemic stroke risk was stronger in men than in women (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.47-0.86; P=0.003), but no effect of sex was found for TIA. Conclusions- PTSD is associated with a significant increase in risk of early incident TIA and ischemic stroke independent of established stroke risk factors, coexisting psychiatric disorders, and healthcare utilization. Sex moderated the relationship for adults with ischemic stroke but not TIA. These findings suggest that psychological factors, including PTSD, may be important targets for future age-specific prevention strategies for young adults.

Impact of Experience Corps® Participation on Children's Academic Achievement and School Behavior.

This article reports on the impact of the Experience Corps® (EC) Baltimore program, an intergenerational, school-based program aimed at improving academic achievement and reducing disruptive school behavior in urban, elementary school students in Kindergarten through third grade (K-3). Teams of adult volunteers aged 60 and older were placed in public schools, serving 15 h or more per week, to perform meaningful and important roles to improve the educational outcomes of children and the health and well-being of volunteers. Findings indicate no significant impact of the EC program on standardized reading or mathematical achievement test scores among children in grades 1-3 exposed to the program. K-1st grade students in EC schools had fewer principal office referrals compared to K-1st grade students in matched control schools during their second year in the EC program; second graders in EC schools had fewer suspensions and expulsions than second graders in non-EC schools during their first year in the EC program. In general, both boys and girls appeared to benefit from the EC program in school behavior. The results suggest that a volunteer engagement program for older adults can be modestly effective for improving selective aspects of classroom behavior among elementary school students in under-resourced, urban schools, but there were no significant improvements in academic achievement. More work is needed to identify individual- and school-level factors that may help account for these results.

Longitudinal associations between different dementia diagnoses and medication use jointly accounting for dropout.

ABSTRACTBackground:Longitudinal studies of older adults are characterized by high dropout rates, multimorbid conditions, and multiple medication use, especially proximal to death. We studied the association between multiple medication use and incident dementia diagnoses including Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD), and Lewy-body dementia (LBD), simultaneously accounting for dropout. METHODS: Using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data with three years of follow-up, a set of covariate-adjusted models that ignore dropout was fit to complete-case data, and to the whole-cohort data. Additionally, covariate-adjusted joint models with shared random effects accounting for dropout were fit to the whole-cohort data. Multiple medication use was defined as polypharmacy (⩾ five medications), hyperpolypharmacy (⩾ ten medications), and total number of medications. RESULTS: Incident diagnoses were 2,032 for AD, 135 for VD, and 139 for LBD. Percentages of dropout at the end of follow-up were as follows: 71.8% for AD, 81.5% for VD, and 77.7% for LBD. The odds ratio (OR) estimate for hyperpolypharmacy among those with LBD versus AD was 2.19 (0.78, 6.15) when estimated using complete-case data and 3.00 (1.66, 5.40) using whole-cohort data. The OR reduced to 1.41 (0.76, 2.64) when estimated from the joint model accounting for dropout. The OR for polypharmacy using complete-case data differed from the estimates using whole-cohort data. The OR for dementia diagnoses on total number of medications was similar, but non-significant when estimated using complete-case data. CONCLUSION: Reasons for dropout should be investigated and appropriate statistical methods should be applied to reduce bias in longitudinal studies among high-risk dementia cohorts.

School climate: perceptual differences between students, parents, and school staff.

Research suggests that school climate can have a great impact on student, teacher, and school outcomes. However, it is often assessed as a summary measure, without taking into account multiple perspectives (student, teacher, parent) or examining subdimensions within the broader construct. In this study, we assessed school climate from the perspective of students, staff, and parents within a large, urban school district using multilevel modeling techniques to examine within- and between-school variance. After adjusting for school-level demographic characteristics, students reported worse perceptions of safety and connectedness compared to both parent and staff ratings (all p < 0.05). Parents gave the lowest ratings of parental involvement, and staff gave the lowest ratings of academic emphasis (ps < 0.05). Findings demonstrate the importance of considering the type of informant when evaluating climate ratings within a school. Understanding how perceptions differ between informants can inform interventions to improve perceptions and prevent adverse outcomes.

Suicide in cancer patients within the first year of diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: A diagnosis of cancer is associated with an increased suicide risk, and this risk is the highest within the first year of diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to determine risk factors of suicide occurring within the first year of cancer diagnosis (early suicide). METHODS: The sampling pool consisted of 164,497 patients with cancer admitted to a general hospital in Seoul, South Korea, from 1996 to 2009. We conducted a 1:2 matched case-control study by matching 373 patients who died from suicide (cases) with 746 patients who did not die from suicide (controls) on age, sex, anatomic site, and at the time of cancer diagnosis. Data were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. RESULTS: Suicide within the first year after a cancer diagnosis occurred in 149 patients (40.0% of 373 total suicides). The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for early suicide was 1.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-1.94] and was significantly higher for biliary-pancreatic (SMR = 3.07; 95% CI = 2.02-4.46), lung (SMR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.19-3.30), and stomach (SMR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.16-2.42) cancers than for other cancers. Early and late suicide was significantly different in anatomic site (p = 0.01) and stage (p < 0.001), while not significant in other demographic factors. Advanced stage was more frequent among early suicide compared with late suicide (53.4 versus 18.7%; p < 0.001). Stage of cancer was independently associated with early suicide risk. CONCLUSIONS: Cancers with an advanced stage at diagnosis were associated with an increased risk of suicide within 1 year of diagnosis.

Impact of Experience Corps(®) participation on school climate.

We examined the impact of the Experience Corps(®) (EC) program on school climate within Baltimore City public elementary schools. In this program, teams of older adult volunteers were placed in high intensity (>15 h per week), meaningful roles in public elementary schools, to improve the educational outcomes of children as well as the health and well-being of volunteers. During the first year of EC participation, school climate was perceived more favorably among staff and students in EC schools as compared to those in comparison schools. However, with a few notable exceptions, perceived school climate did not differ for staff or students in intervention and comparison schools during the second year of exposure to the EC program. These findings suggest that perceptions of school climate may be altered by introducing a new program into elementary schools; however, research examining how perceptions of school climate are impacted over a longer period is warranted.

Comparison of cognitive functioning among individuals with treated restless legs syndrome (RLS), untreated RLS, and no RLS.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological sensory-motor condition. High prevalence of comorbid depression and anxiety has been reported, but the few available data on the impact of RLS on cognition have been conflicting. The authors compared 91 participants (No-RLS group: N=37; Untreated RLS group: N=23; Treated RLS group: N=31) on cognitive performance and depression ratings. There were minimal observed group differences in cognitive performance, but the untreated RLS group had significantly higher depressive symptoms than the treated RLS and the no-RLS groups. RLS does not appear to affect cognition, but there does appear to be a strong association between untreated RLS and depression.

Depression, Insomnia, and Obesity Among Post-9/11 Veterans: Eating Pathology as a Distinct Health Risk Behavior.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the interrelationships between co-occurring chronic health conditions and health behaviors is critical to developing interventions to successfully change multiple health behaviors and related comorbidities. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of depression, insomnia, and their co-occurrence on risk of obesity and to examine the role of health risk behaviors as potential confounders of these relationships with an emphasis on eating pathologies. METHODS: Iraq and Afghanistan conflict era veterans (n = 1,094, 51.2% women) who participated in the Women Veterans Cohort Study between July 2014 and September 2019 were categorized as having depression, insomnia, both, or neither condition. Logistic regression models were used to examine group differences in the risk of obesity. Health risk behaviors (i.e., eating pathology, physical activity, smoking, and hazardous drinking) were then assessed as potential confounders of the effects of depression and insomnia on the likelihood of obesity. RESULTS: Obesity was most prevalent in individuals with co-occurring insomnia and depression (53.2%), followed by depression only (44.6%), insomnia only (38.5%), and neither condition (30.1%). Importantly, maladaptive eating behaviors confounded the depression-obesity association but not the insomnia-obesity association. There was no evidence that insufficient physical activity, smoking, or hazardous drinking confounded the effects of insomnia or depression on obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings exemplify the complex relationships between multiple health conditions and behaviors that contribute to obesity. Elucidating these associations can enhance the precision with which interventions are tailored to efficiently allocate resources and reduce the severe health impact of obesity among veterans.

Baseline platelet serotonin in a multi-site treatment study of depression in veterans administration patients: Distribution and effects of demographic variables and serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of the study were: (1) to examine the overall distribution of baseline platelet serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) values in patients seeking treatment for depression and to define subgroups based on the apparent presence or absence of drug exposure; (2) to assess the bioeffect of 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) at the platelet 5-HT transporter; and (3) to examine the relationships of demographic variables including population (ancestry), sex, age, and season of sampling to platelet 5-HT concentration. METHODS: Platelet 5-HT levels were measured in a cross-sectional study of 1433 Veterans Administration (VA) patients participating in a pragmatic multi-site pharmacogenomic treatment study of depression. Patients were characterized medically and demographically using VA health records and self-report. RESULTS: A clearly bimodal distribution was observed for platelet 5-HT levels with the lower mode associated with patients exposed to SRIs at baseline. Median transporter blockade bioeffects were similar across the various selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and 5-HT/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). In a subset of patients apparently not exposed to an SRI, significant effects of population and sex were observed with group mean platelet 5-HT levels being 25 % greater (p < 0.001) in African-American (AA) individuals compared to European-Americans (EAs). The female group mean was 14 % (p < 0.001) greater than male group mean. An effect of age was observed (r = -0.11, p < 0.001) and no effect of season or month of sampling was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is warranted to understand the bases and clinical implications of the population and sex differences. The apparent similarity in bioeffect at the 5-HT transporter across SSRIs and when comparing SSRIs and SNRIs informs discussions about initiating, dose adjustment and switching of 5-HT reuptake inhibitors.

Post-9/11 deployment history and the incidence of breast cancer among women veterans.

PURPOSE: To determine if women Veterans who deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) would show a greater likelihood of breast cancer (BC) than other women Veterans. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of women aged <60 years who received Veterans Affairs medical center primary care, 2001-2021. The exposure was OEF/OIF deployment and the outcome was a BC diagnosis after entering Veterans Affairs care. Poisson models evaluated the association between deployment and BC incidence, covarying demographics, lifestyle factors, and hormonal contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy use. Analyses were also stratified by age and race, and a sensitivity analysis adjusted for healthcare utilization over the initial 2 years. RESULTS: Of 576,601 women, 24.6% (n = 141,935) deployed during post-9/11 conflicts. Across follow-up [median: 8.2 years], 1.2% women were diagnosed with BC. Those who deployed in support of OEF/OIF were 23% less likely to be diagnosed with BC than women who did not deploy (95% CI: 0.73, 0.86). The association remained in stratified models and when including healthcare utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the exposures of OEF/OIF deployment, there was a significantly lower incidence of BC among women who deployed versus not, possibly due to a healthy soldier effect or to differences in screening.

Daily steps and depressive symptoms: A longitudinal evaluation of patients with major depressive disorder in the precision medicine in mental health care study.

BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of exercise on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are well established, longitudinal studies of objectively measured activity in clinical populations are needed to establish specific guidelines for exercise by persons with moderate-to-severe depression. This study examines the association between objectively assessed daily step count and depressive symptoms over a 24-week follow- up period in outpatients receiving treatment for moderate-to-severe depression. METHODS: Participants were US Veterans with MDD enrolled in the Precision Medicine in Mental Health Care study (PRIME Care), a pragmatic, multi-site, randomized, controlled trial that examines the utility of genetic testing in the context of pharmacotherapy for MDD. Participants were a subset (N = 66) enrolled in actigraphy (using GT9X ActiGraph) monitoring component of the trial. Daily steps were examined as a predictor of depressive symptoms over 4-, 8-, 12-, 18-, and 24-weeks. RESULTS: On average, participants took 3,460 (±1,768) steps per day. In generalized linear mixed models, an increase in 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 0.6-point decrease in depressive symptom severity at the subsequent follow-up assessment. LIMITATIONS: Activity monitoring was observational and causal inferences cannot be made between daily steps and subsequent depressive symptom severity. Results may not generalize to non-treatment-seeking populations. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings provide an initial metric for persons with clinically significant MDD, of whom most do not get sufficient daily activity. The findings can inform future trials aimed at determining how much daily activity is needed to improve symptoms in individuals with MDD.

Identifying and characterizing longitudinal patterns of insomnia across the deployment cycle in active duty Army soldiers.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The present study characterized a sample of 4,667 Army soldiers based on their patterns of insomnia before, during, and after deployment, and explored pre-deployment factors predictive of these patterns. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members (STARRS)-Pre/Post Deployment Study (PPDS), using surveys that captured data approximately 1-2 months pre-deployment, and 3- and 9-month post-deployment from soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. Patterns of insomnia across time were examined. Theoretically derived variables linked to sleep disturbance were examined as predictors of the insomnia patterns. RESULTS: Five longitudinal patterns of insomnia characterized the majority of the sample: "No Insomnia" (no insomnia symptoms at any timepoint; 31%), "Deployment-related Insomnia" (no pre-deployment insomnia, developed insomnia symptoms during deployment and recovered; 40%), "Incident Insomnia" (development insomnia during or shortly after deployment that did not remit; 14%), "Chronic Insomnia" (insomnia both pre- and post-deployment; 11%), and "Other Insomnia" (reported insomnia at ≥1 timepoint, but no clear pattern across the deployment cycle; 4%). Several pre-deployment factors were predictive of insomnia trajectories, including lifetime major depressive episodes, traumatic brain injury history, posttraumatic stress disorder, and past year personal life stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct longitudinal patterns of insomnia were identified, with more than half of the sample reporting insomnia at some point in the deployment cycle. Identifying mental health conditions that are associated with different insomnia patterns prior to deployment can inform targeted interventions to reduce long-term sleep difficulty.

Atypical Anorexia Nervosa, not so atypical after all: Prevalence, correlates, and clinical severity among United States military Veterans.

OBJECTIVE: DSM-5 Atypical Anorexia Nervosa (AAN), a new eating disorder diagnosis, presents similarly to Anorexia Nervosa (AN) in the absence of severe underweight. The prevalence of AAN and other DSM-5 eating disorders was estimated in a sample of Veterans. Sociodemographic, mental health, and eating behavior correlates were examined. METHOD: Iraq and Afghanistan war era Veterans (N = 1137, 51.6% female) completed the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale-5 for probable AAN diagnosis, and validated measures of eating pathology and mental health, between February 2016 and October 2019. Multivariate analyses compared Veterans with AAN to those with and without any DSM-5 eating disorder. RESULTS: Among completers, 13.6% of women and 4.9% of men in the sample met criteria for probable AAN and 19.2% of women and 13.9% of men for another eating disorder. Mean age was 41 years, and on average BMIs were classified as overweight (BMI = 28.8, SD = 5.6) despite being at least 10% lower than their lifetime highest weight. Two-thirds reported dietary restraint on more than half the days in the past month. On measures of mental health, the AAN group had worse functioning than the no eating disorder group, similar functioning to Veterans with Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and better functioning than Veterans with Bulimia Nervosa (BN). DISCUSSION: Results support AAN as a highly prevalent and clinically significant diagnosis. Findings highlight the need to identify and address eating disorders, particularly other specified eating disorders not meeting criteria for AN, BN, or BED, in active military and Veteran, and other high-risk and underserved, populations.

Military sexual trauma and suicidal ideation in VHA-care-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans without mental health diagnosis or treatment.

Sexual trauma is a suicide risk factor. While military sexual trauma (MST) is frequently associated with suicidal ideation (SI) in women and men veterans who served in recent conflicts, less is known about MST's relationship to SI in veterans who have no documented mental health concerns. Of the 1.1 million post-9/11 veterans enrolled in the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) we examined 41,658 (12.3% women, 87.7% men) without evidence of mental health diagnosis or treatment and who were screened for MST and SI using the standard VHA clinical reminders between 2008 and 2013. Relative risk estimates were generated using separate models for women and men. MST was reported by 27.9% of women and 2.9% of men; SI by 14.7% and 16.5%, respectively. The adjusted relative risk of MST on SI was 1.65 (95% CI 1.35, 2.00) in women, and 1.49 (95% CI 1.26, 1.75) in men. In this sample of veterans without evidence of mental health diagnosis or treatment, MST was associated with a high risk of SI in both genders. Positive MST screening should prompt SI screening and risk management if indicated, and further study of barriers to mental healthcare among MST survivors at risk for suicide is warranted.

Prevalence of predicted gene-drug interactions for antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder in the Precision Medicine in Mental Health Care Study.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing is a potentially important, but understudied approach to precision medicine that could improve prescribing practices for antidepressants (ADs) in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Thus, it is important to understand the scope of its potential impact and to identify patients who may benefit most from PGx-guided care. METHODS: Participants were treatment-seeking US veterans (N=1149) with MDD enrolled in the Precision Medicine in Mental Health Care study, a pragmatic multi-site, randomized, controlled trial that examines the utility of PGx testing in the context of pharmacotherapy for MDD. We report the prevalence of ADs with predicted moderate and clinically significant gene-drug interaction potential based on next-intended treatment. We also examined demographic and treatment history characteristics as predictors of the gene-drug interaction potential of participants' next-intended treatment. RESULTS: Prevalence of the next-intended AD with moderate or clinically significant gene-drug interaction was 45.1% and19.3%. Previous treatment with an AD in the past two years was associated with a 1.59 increased likelihood of having a next-intended AD treatment with predicted clinically significant gene-drug interaction (95% CI: 1.08-2.35). LIMITATIONS: The gene-drug interaction potential of ADs is specific to the PGx test panel used in this study and may not generalize to other PGx test panels. CONCLUSIONS: PGx testing could benefit one in five patients prescribed ADs with clinically significant gene-drug interaction potential. Patients with prior AD treatment are more likely to have an AD with significant gene-drug interaction potential as their next-intended treatment and therefore may benefit most from PGx testing.

Personality disorders and traits as predictors of incident cardiovascular disease: findings from the 23-year follow-up of the Baltimore ECA study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past several decades, the relationship between personality traits and heart disease has interested clinicians and researchers alike. OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated personality disorders (PDs) and PD dimensional traits as prospective risk factors for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) follow-up study. METHOD: In 1981, 244 community residents were examined for DSM-III PDs, and PD dimensional traits and were followed for incident CVD by 2004. RESULTS: Logistic-regression models with or without adjustment for potential confounders revealed that Cluster B PD and PD dimensional traits at baseline were consistently associated with increased risk of incident CVD by 2004. Post-hoc analysis also revealed that Cluster B PD and traits also predict CVD mortality. CONCLUSION: Cluster B PDs and dimensional traits may be independent risk factors for incident CVD in the community.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Risk for Early Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Cohort Study of 1.1 Million Young Adults.

Background Acute psychological stress and negative emotions are known risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether exposure to chronic stress syndromes, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), also increases susceptibility to AF is unknown. Methods and Results We prospectively assessed the incidence of AF over a 13-year period among 988 090 young and middle-aged veterans (mean age, 30.29±9.19 years; 87.8% men, 64.5% white) who first accessed care through the Veterans Health Administration from October 2001 to November 2014 and were free of AF, atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia at baseline. Time-varying, multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the independent contribution of PTSD to new AF. We also tested for effect modification by sex and controlled for healthcare use. During a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, 2491 patients were diagnosed with AF. Patients with PTSD had a higher overall incidence of AF (P<0.0001) and were more likely to develop AF at a younger age than those without PTSD (P=0.004). PTSD was significantly associated with incident AF in unadjusted models (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.19-1.43) and models that adjusted for demographics, lifestyle factors, cardiovascular risk factors, and depression (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02-1.24). The interaction with sex was nonsignificant (P=0.93). Conclusions PTSD was associated increased risk for early incident AF after adjustment for established AF risk factors and depression in this cohort of young and middle-aged veterans. Findings from this study require validation in more diverse populations to determine their generalizability.

Functional Outcomes After Hip Fracture in Independent Community-Dwelling Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine predictors of new activities of daily living (ADLs) disability and worsened mobility disability and secondarily increased daily care hours received, in previously independent hip fracture patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic hospital with ambulatory follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults 65 years or older independent in ADLs undergoing hip fracture surgery in 2015 (n = 184). MEASUREMENTS: Baseline, 3- and 6-month ADLs, mobility, and daily care hours received were ascertained by telephone survey and chart review. Comorbidities, medications, and characteristics of hospitalization were extracted from patient charts. Models for each outcome used logistic regression with a backward elimination strategy, adjusting a priori for age, sex, and race. RESULTS: Predictors of new ADL disability at 3 months were dementia (odds ratio [OR] = 11.81; P = .001) and in-hospital delirium (OR = 4.20; P = .002), and at 6 months were age (OR = 1.04; P = .014), dementia (OR = 9.91; P = .001), in-hospital delirium (OR = 3.00; P = .031) and preadmission opiates (OR = 7.72; P = .003). Predictors of worsened mobility at 3 months were in-hospital delirium (OR = 4.48; P = .001) and number of medications (OR = 1.13; P = .003), and at 6 months were age (OR = 1.06; P = .001), preadmission opiates (OR = 7.23; P = .005), in-hospital delirium (OR = 3.10; P = .019), and number of medications (OR = 1.13; P = .013). Predictors of increased daily care hours received at 3 and 6 months were age (3 months: OR = 1.07; P = .014; 6 months: OR = 1.06; P = .017) and number of medications (3 months: OR = 1.13; P = .004; 6 months: OR = 1.22; P = .013). The proportion of patients with ADL disability and care hours received did not change from 3 to 6 months, yet there were significant improvements in mobility. CONCLUSION: Age, dementia, in-hospital delirium, number of medications, and preadmission opiate use were predictors of poor outcomes in independent older adults following hip fracture. Further investigation is needed to identify factors associated with improved mobility measures from 3 to 6 months to ultimately optimize recovery.