Effect of Human Disturbance on Bird Telomere Length: An Experimental Approach

Human recreational activities increase worldwide in space and frequency leading to higher rates of encounter between humans and wild animals. Because wildlife often perceive humans as predators, this increase in human disturbance may have negative consequences for the individuals and also for the viability of populations. Up to now, experiments on the effects of human disturbance on wildlife have mainly focused on individual behavioral and stress-physiological reactions, on breeding success, and on survival. However, the effects on other physiological parameters and trans-generational effects remain poorly understood. We used a low-intensity experimental disturbance in the field to explore the impacts of human disturbance on telomere length in great tit (Parus major) populations and found a clear effect of disturbance on telomere length. Adult males, but not females, in disturbed plots showed shorter telomere lengths when compared to control plot. Moreover, variation in telomere length of adult great tits was reflected in the next generation, as we found a positive correlation between telomere length of the chicks and of their fathers. Given that telomere length has been linked to animal lifespan, our study highlights that activities considered to be of little concern (i.e., low levels of disturbance) can have a long-lasting impact on the physiology and survival of wild animals and their next generation.

Examining the influence of adversity, family contexts, and a family-based intervention on parent and child telomere length

Background: Exposure to adversity, trauma, and negative family environments can prematurely shorten telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. Conversely, some evidence indicates that positive environments and psychosocial interventions can buffer the shortening of telomere length (TL). However, most work has examined individual aspects of the family environment as predictive of TL with little work investigating multiple risk and protective factors. Further, most research has not examined parent TL relative to child TL despite its heritability. Objective: In the current study, we examined interparental conflict, positive parenting, alcohol use, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and a family-based intervention as predictive of parent TL. We also examined interparental conflict, positive parenting, ACEs, and a family-based intervention as predictive of child TL. Method: Parents and adolescents from a sample of divorced families participated in either a 10-session family-based intervention, the New Beginnings Programme (NBP), or a 2-week active control condition. Approximately six years after the intervention, a subsample of parents (n = 45) and adolescents (n = 41) were assessed for TL. Parents reported on interparental conflict, ACEs, and alcohol use. Children reported on interparental conflict, positive parenting, and ACEs. In separate models, these constructs and the NBP intervention condition were examined as predictors of parent TL and child TL. Results: Findings indicated that the family-based intervention was associated with longer TL in parents. Also, positive parenting was associated with longer TL in children. Conclusions: These findings have important implications for the role of the family and family-based preventive interventions in buffering parent and child biological stress.

HIGHLIGHTS

Across multiple indices of psychosocial functioning, we found a family-based intervention associated with longer telomere length in parents and positive parenting associated with longer telomere length in children.

Sustained effects of left-behind experience during childhood on mental health in Chinese university undergraduates

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in China have resulted in labor migrants leaving children behind. For left-behind children (LBC), disrupted parental attachment may increase the risk of psychiatric morbidity in adulthood. To investigate psychopathological consequences for university students who were LBC and to estimate the effects of one or both parents being migrants, the duration of left-behind experience, and parental absence during critical periods of growth on psychiatric morbidity. We conducted an annual survey of all freshmen at a Chinese university from 2014 to 2018. The questionnaire collected information on left-behind experiences and psychiatric morbidity using standardized self-report instruments. Regression coefficients derived from logistic regression were used to measure the associations among total time left behind, absence of one parent or both parents, age when left behind and psychopathological consequences. A total of 42,505 students were included. Students who were LBC had more psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, somatoform disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, self-reported suicide attempts and deliberate self-harm, than those who were not. Students for whom one or both parents were migrants showed a greater risk of psychiatric morbidity. The risk of psychiatric morbidity increased with the length of parental absence. Left-behind experience during childhood represents sustained impacts for university students into early adulthood. The higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in young adults who experienced the absence of one or both of their parents, especially in their early childhood, suggests that other factors besides attachment, such as protection from other risks, are important and that further research is necessary.

Shorter telomeres among individuals with physical disability: The moderating role of perceived stress

OBJECTIVES

Evidence suggests that individuals with physical disability may suffer from psychological distress and accelerated cellular aging, manifested by shortened telomere length (TL), compared with healthy individuals. Studies indicate that high levels of perceived stress and depression may increase the physiological susceptibility and thus, may contribute to a short TL. However, the moderating role of perceived stress and depression within the relationship between physical disability and TL remains unknown.

METHODS

The participants consisted of 119 male subjects (mean age 54.36 years, range 35-70). Of them, 30 were able-bodied and 86 had a physical disability: 34 were due to Poliomyelitis (polio) and 55 were due to spinal cord injury (SCI). Blood samples for TL analysis were collected; the participants completed questionnaires and underwent disability evaluation.

RESULTS

Participants with disability had a shorter TL as well as elevated levels of perceived stress and depression compared with able-bodied controls. Both the perceived stress and depression were correlated with a shorter TL. Nonetheless, perceived stress, rather than depression, moderated the relationship between disability and TL; among participants with higher perceived stress levels, in particular, individuals with physical disability had a shorter TL than the able-bodied controls.

DISCUSSION

The present findings suggest that individuals with physical disability and who exhibit high levels of perceived stress may be particularly vulnerable for accelerated cellular aging, suggesting that perceived stress can be used as a valuable target for intervention.

The pediatric buccal epigenetic clock identifies significant ageing acceleration in children with internalizing disorder and maltreatment exposure

Background

Studies reporting accelerated ageing in children with affective disorders or maltreatment exposure have relied on algorithms for estimating epigenetic age derived from adult samples. These algorithms have limited validity for epigenetic age estimation during early development. We here use a pediatric buccal epigenetic (PedBE) clock to predict DNA methylation-based ageing deviation in children with and without internalizing disorder and assess the moderating effect of maltreatment exposure. We further conduct a gene set enrichment analysis to assess the contribution of glucocorticoid signaling to PedBE clock-based results.

Method

DNA was isolated from saliva of 158 children [73 girls, 85 boys; mean age (SD) = 4.25 (0.8) years] including children with internalizing disorder and maltreatment exposure. Epigenetic age was estimated based on DNA methylation across 94 CpGs of the PedBE clock. Residuals of epigenetic age regressed against chronological age were contrasted between children with and without internalizing disorder. Maltreatment was coded in 3 severity levels and entered in a moderation model. Genome-wide dexamethasone-responsive CpGs were derived from an independent sample and enrichment of these CpGs within the PedBE clock was identified.

Results

Children with internalizing disorder exhibited significant acceleration of epigenetic ageing as compared to children without internalizing disorder (F_1,147 = 6.67, p = .011). This association was significantly moderated by maltreatment severity (b = 0.49, 95% CI [0.073, 0.909], t = 2.322, p = .022). Children with internalizing disorder who had experienced maltreatment exhibited ageing acceleration relative to children with no internalizing disorder (1–2 categories: b = 0.50, 95% CI [0.170, 0.821], t = 3.008, p = .003; 3 or more categories: b = 0.99, 95% CI [0.380, 1.593], t = 3.215, p = .002). Children with internalizing disorder who were not exposed to maltreatment did not show epigenetic ageing acceleration. There was significant enrichment of dexamethasone-responsive CpGs within the PedBE clock (OR = 4.36, p = 1.65*10–6). Among the 94 CpGs of the PedBE clock, 18 (19%) were responsive to dexamethasone.

Conclusion

Using the novel PedBE clock, we show that internalizing disorder is associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing in early childhood. This association is moderated by maltreatment severity and may, in part, be driven by glucocorticoids. Identifying developmental drivers of accelerated epigenetic ageing after maltreatment will be critical to devise early targeted interventions.

Applying a Life Course Biological Age Framework to Improving the Care of Individuals With Adult Cancers: Review and Research Recommendations

Importance

The practice of oncology will increasingly involve the care of a growing population of individuals with midlife and late-life cancers. Managing cancer in these individuals is complex, based on differences in biological age at diagnosis. Biological age is a measure of accumulated life course damage to biological systems, loss of reserve, and vulnerability to functional deterioration and death. Biological age is important because it affects the ability to manage the rigors of cancer therapy, survivors' function, and cancer progression. However, biological age is not always clinically apparent. This review presents a conceptual framework of life course biological aging, summarizes candidate measures, and describes a research agenda to facilitate clinical translation to oncology practice.

Observations

Midlife and late-life cancers are chronic diseases that may arise from cumulative patterns of biological aging occurring over the life course. Before diagnosis, each new patient was on a distinct course of biological aging related to past exposures, life experiences, genetics, and noncancer chronic disease. Cancer and its treatments may also be associated with biological aging. Several measures of biological age, including p16INK4a, epigenetic age, telomere length, and inflammatory and body composition markers, have been used in oncology research. One or more of these measures may be useful in cancer care, either alone or in combination with clinical history and geriatric assessments. However, further research will be needed before biological age assessment can be recommended in routine practice, including determination of situations in which knowledge about biological age would change treatment, ascertaining whether treatment effects on biological aging are short-lived or persistent, and testing interventions to modify biological age, decrease treatment toxic effects, and maintain functional abilities.

Conclusions and Relevance

Understanding differences in biological aging could ultimately allow clinicians to better personalize treatment and supportive care, develop tailored survivorship care plans, and prescribe preventive or ameliorative therapies and behaviors informed by aging mechanisms.

Family socioeconomic status and child telomere length among the Samburu of Kenya

Previous research in high-income countries suggests that children from families with lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have shorter telomere length - a biomarker of stress and cell aging - than children from families with greater social and economic resources. However, little is known about predictors of child telomere length in low-income settings. Data for the current study are from a sample of 214 Samburu children aged 1-9 years. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who live in the Rift Valley of north-central Kenya. Samburu livelihood is based primarily on livestock, and polygynous marriage is common. Drawing on prior ethnographic research, we measured 14 culturally relevant indicators of family SES, including mother's education, head of household's education, whether the child is currently attending school, household spending, mother's employment history, head of household's employment history, mother's perceived wealth, whether the child lives in a modern house, livestock holdings (total, cows, sheep/goats, and camels), mother's wife number, and whether the child lives in a polygynous household. Telomere length was measured in salivary DNA by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. Using latent class analysis, we identified four groups of children that are similar based on the 14 indicators of family SES: Lower SES; Middle SES, Traditional; Middle SES, Modern; and Higher SES. SES classes were not significantly associated with child telomere length. In models examining individual indicators of SES, we found that telomere length was 0.57 standard deviations greater for children who lived in families in the lowest quartile of total livestock holdings compared to those in the highest quartile (b = 0.57, p = 0.03). While additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms underlying this counterintuitive finding, the current study highlights the importance of cultural context in shaping the social gradient in health.

Significant improvement of stress and aging biomarkers using a novel stress management program with the cognitive restructuring method "Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention" in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy adults

Stress accelerates aging by affecting relevant cellular pathways including, among others, leucocyte telomere length (LTL) and proteasome levels. Their impaired function underlies several age-related and non-communicable conditions, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to investigate, for the first time, the dynamics of stress-related aging factors in the frame of a novel stress-management technique, the Pythagorean Self Awareness Intervention (PSAI), in healthy volunteers and adults with type 2 diabetes. To this end a cohort of 311 healthy volunteers was initially studied and LTL and proteasome levels were analysed in a subgroup of healthy volunteers and adults with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled in the PSAI, with regards to specific physio- and psychometric characteristics of the participants (baseline and post-intervention). We have found a significant improvement of aging biomarkers and of psycho-/bio-factors in all participants. More specifically, post-intervention, both healthy adults and patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrated improved LTL and proteasome levels. Significant improvements were also observed in psychometric, anthropometric and key metabolic features as well as in hair cortisol. In conclusion our results highlighted potential key targets of such interventions and prognostic tools for the assessment of aging pace in clinical practice.

Interdisciplinary approaches are fundamental to decode the biology of adversity

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted structural inequalities and racism promoting health disparities among communities of color. Taking cardiovascular disease as an example, we provide a framework for multidisciplinary efforts leveraging translational and epidemiologic approaches to decode the biological impacts of inequalities and racism and develop targeted interventions that promote health equity.

Maternal neglect results in reduced telomerase activity and increased oxidative load in rats

A growing number of studies in humans have linked chronic stress, particularly during early life, to telomere shortening and increased oxidative stress. The effect of stress on telomerase activity, however, is understudied. Given the importance of telomere attrition in a wide range of diseases and immunosenescence, further research to elucidate the mechanisms by which stress alters telomere dynamics is required. However, animal studies are lacking, and it is not clear whether widely used stress models reliably mimic the accelerated telomere shortening observed humans. To this end, we evaluated the effect of maternal separation with early weaning (MSEW) on telomere length, telomerase activity, and oxidative load in rats. A total of 45 animals were used, (17 control: 3 males and 11 females and 28 MSEW: 11 males, 17 females), which were then sacrificed one year after birth. Importantly, we determined that telomerase activity measured in plasma was significantly decreased in the MSEW group, along with a non-significant reduction in telomere length from whole blood cells. We also examined the levels of three oxidative markers: plasma malondialdehyde, glutathione in erythrocytes, and plasma catalase activity. Malondialdehyde was found to be elevated in the plasma, indicating increased lipid peroxidation. Interestingly, while the antioxidant glutathione was upregulated, catalase activity remained unchanged. Our findings indicate that the rat MSEW model induces chronic changes to telomere dynamics and oxidative load and can capitulate long term aspects of human childhood stress.

Is early life adversity a trigger towards inflammageing?

There are many 'faces' of early life adversity (ELA), such as childhood trauma, institutionalisation, abuse or exposure to environmental toxins. These have been implicated in the onset and severity of a wide range of chronic non-communicable diseases later in life. The later-life disease risk has a well-established immunological component. This raises the question as to whether accelerated immune-ageing mechanistically links early-life adversity to the lifelong health trajectory resulting in either 'poor' or 'healthy' ageing. Here we examine observational and mechanistic studies of ELA and inflammageing, highlighting common and distinct features in these two life stages. Many biological processes appear in common including reduction in telomere length, increased immunosenescence, metabolic distortions and chronic (viral) infections. We propose that ELA shapes the developing immune, endocrine and nervous system in a non-reversible way, creating a distinct phenotype with accelerated immunosenescence and systemic inflammation. We conclude that ELA might act as an accelerator for inflammageing and age-related diseases. Furthermore, we now have the tools and cohorts to be able to dissect the interaction between ELA and later life phenotype. This should, in the near future, allow us to identify the ecological and mechanistic processes that are involved in 'healthy' or accelerated immune-ageing.

Deficit Accumulation Frailty Trajectories of Older Breast Cancer Survivors and Non-Cancer Controls: The Thinking and Living With Cancer Study

BACKGROUND

We evaluated deficit accumulation and how deficits affected cognition and physical activity among breast cancer survivors and non-cancer controls.

METHODS

Newly diagnosed nonmetastatic survivors (n = 353) and matched non-cancer controls (n = 355) ages 60-98 years without neurological impairments were assessed presystemic therapy (or at enrollment for controls) from August 2010 to December 2016 and followed for 36 months. Scores on a 42-item index were analyzed in growth-mixture models to determine deficit accumulation trajectories separately and combined for survivors and controls. Multilevel models tested associations between trajectory and cognition (FACT-Cog and neuropsychological tests) and physical activity (IPAQ-SF) for survivors and controls.

RESULTS

Deficit accumulation scores were in the robust range, but survivors had higher scores (95% confidence intervals [CI]) than controls at 36 months (0.18, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.19, vs 0.16, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.17; P = .001), and averages included diverse deficit trajectories. Survivors who were robust but became frailer (8.8%) had similar baseline characteristics to those remaining robust (76.2%) but experienced a 9.6-point decline self-reported cognition (decline of 9.6 vs 3.2 points; P = .04) and a 769 MET minutes per week decline in physical activity (P < .001). Survivors who started and remained prefrail (15.0%) had self-reported and objective cognitive problems. At baseline, frail controls (9.5%) differed from robust controls (83.7%) on deficits and self-reported cognition (P < .001). Within combined trajectories, frail survivors had more sleep disturbances than frail controls (48.6% [SD = 17.4%] vs 25.0% [SD = 8.2%]; P = .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Most survivors and controls remained robust, and there were similar proportions on a frail trajectory. However, there were differences in deficit patterns between survivors and controls. Survivor deficit accumulation trajectory was associated with patient-reported outcomes. Additional research is needed to understand how breast cancer and its treatments affect deficit accumulation.

Association between elder abuse and telomere shortening in older adults: A 2-year prospective study

BACKGROUNDS

Elder abuse is a public health issue associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Its impact on victims' health at the cellular level, however, remains unknown. This study assessed the association between abuse exposure and shortening of telomere length (TL), a promising molecular marker for biological aging, in older victims.

SETTING

The geriatric departments of three Grade-A hospitals in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

PARTICIPANTS

Six hundred Chinese older adults, including 300 abused victims and 300 non-abused controls were randomly drawn respectively from a larger sample of 467 abused and 518 non-abused older adults recruited at baseline. Participants were assessed for physical and psychological abuse exposure at baseline between September 2015 and February 2016 and assessed for TL 2 years after the abuse assessment.

MEASUREMENTS

TL was quantified using a quantitative PCR method and expressed as T/S ratio (the ratio of telomere repeat copy numbers to single-copy gene numbers). Physical and psychological abuse was measured using the Revised Conflicts Tactics Scale.

RESULTS

Adjusting for demographic, medical, and behavioral confounders, physical and psychological abuse exposure at baseline were independently associated with shorter TL at follow-up. The association was the most significant between multiple forms of abuse (physical and psychological) exposure and shorter TL.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the first evidence on the relationship between abuse and shortened TL in older victims, implying the potential effect of elder abuse on accelerated cellular aging. The findings suggest the importance of routinely assessing and intervening abuse in older adults by healthcare professionals, to promote and maintain physical health in older adults.

Marital Quality and Salivary Telomere Length Among Older Men and Women in the United States

Objective: The link between marital quality and cellular aging remains underexplored. This study examined how both positive and negative marital quality were associated with salivary telomere length among partnered adults in the United States over the age of 50°years. Methods: Data were from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (N = 3203). Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate the link between marital quality and telomere length. Results: While neither positive nor negative marital quality was significantly associated with telomere length among older women, positive and negative marital quality had an interacting effect on telomere length among men. Specifically, when negative marital quality was low, higher positive marital quality was associated with shorter telomere length, whereas when negative marital quality was high, higher positive marital quality was associated with longer telomere length. Discussion: The findings speak to the complex nature of intimate partnerships and the implications of these partnerships for cellular aging processes.

Prenatal maternal stress prospectively relates to shorter child buccal cell telomere length

Prenatal exposure to stress increases risk for suboptimal child and adult mental and physical health outcomes, hypothesized to occur via fetal exposure to maternal stress hormones that alter growth and development. One proposed pathway through which stress exposure in utero could affect the offspring is by accelerating cellular aging in the form of telomere attrition. We tested this hypothesis in a cohort of 111 mother-child dyads, where mothers were assessed over 6 or more years, beginning prior to conception, and later during pregnancy, postpartum, and when the children were 3-5 years old. Adjusting for child age and concurrent maternal stress, we found that higher maternal perceived stress in the 3rd trimesters of pregnancy was predictive of shorter child buccal telomere length (bTL) (β = -0.24, p < .05), while maternal preconception and postpartum maternal stress were not associated with bTL (all p's > 0.42). These findings suggest a vulnerable time period in pregnancy when maternal stress influences offspring telomere length, suggesting the early embedding of adult disease might occur through biological aging pathways.

Physical and sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence and leukocyte telomere length: A pooled analysis of the study on psychosocial stress, spirituality, and health

Introduction

We examined whether abuse in childhood and/or adolescence was associated with shorter telomere length in a pooled analysis of 3,232 participants from five diverse cohorts. We also assessed whether religion or spirituality (R/S) could buffer deleterious effects of abuse.

Methods

Physical and sexual abuse in childhood (age <12) and adolescence (age 12–18) was assessed using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale and questions from a 1995 Gallup survey. We measured relative leukocyte telomere lengths (RTL) using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. We used generalized estimating equations to assess associations of physical and sexual abuse with log-transformed RTL z-scores. Analyses were conducted in each cohort, overall, and stratified by extent of religiosity or spirituality and religious coping in adulthood. We pooled study‐specific estimates using random‐effects models and assessed between-study heterogeneity.

Results

Compared to no abuse, severe sexual abuse was associated with lower RTL z-scores, in childhood: -15.6%, 95% CI: -25.9, -4.9; p-trend = 0.04; p-heterogeneity = 0.58 and in adolescence: -16.5%, 95% CI: -28.1, -3.0; p-trend = 0.08; p-heterogeneity = 0.68. Sexual abuse experienced in both childhood and adolescence was associated with 11.3% lower RTL z-scores after adjustment for childhood and demographic covariates (95% CI: -20.5%, -2.0%; p-trend = 0.03; p-heterogeneity = 0.62). There was no evidence of effect modification by R/S. Physical abuse was not associated with telomere length.

Conclusions

Sexual abuse in childhood or adolescence was associated with a marker of accelerated biological aging, decreased telomere length. The lack of moderation by R/S may be due to inability to capture the appropriate time period for those beliefs and practices.

Aging, Life History, and Human Evolution

Aging occurs in all sexually reproducing organisms. That is, physical degradation over time occurs from conception until death. While the life span of a species is often viewed as a benchmark of aging, the pace and intensity of physical degradation over time varies owing to environmental influences, genetics, allocation of energetic investment, and phylogenetic history. Significant variation in aging within mammals, primates, and great apes, including humans, is therefore common across species. The evolution of aging in the hominin lineage is poorly known; however, clues can be derived from the fossil record. Ongoing advances continue to shed light on the interactions between life-history variables such as reproductive effort and aging. This review presents our current understanding of the evolution of aging in humans, drawing on population variation, comparative research, trade-offs, and sex differences, as well as tissue-specific patterns of physical degradation. Implications for contemporary health challenges and the future of human evolutionary anthropology research are also discussed.

Health Disparities in COVID-19: Addressing the Role of Social Determinants of Health in Immune System Dysfunction to Turn the Tide

It is evident that health disparities exist during the COVID-19 pandemic, a pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Underlying reasons for COVID-19 health disparities are multi-factorial. However, social determinants, including those regarding socioeconomic status, social inequalities, health behaviors, and stress, may have implications on these disparities. Exposure to one or more of these social determinants is associated with heightened inflammatory responses, particularly increases in the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), as well as immune system dysfunction. Thus, an amplified effect during COVID-19 could occur, potentially resulting in vulnerable patients experiencing an intensified cytokine storm due to a hyperactive and dysfunctional immune response. Further understanding how social determinants play a mechanistic role in COVID-19 disparities could potentially help reduce health disparities overall and in future pandemics.

Association between cumulative exposure to adverse childhood experiences and childhood obesity

Background

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is associated with many childhood diseases and poor health outcomes in adulthood. However, the association with childhood obesity is inconsistent. We investigated the association between reported cumulative ACE score and body mass index (BMI) in a large sample of patients at a single institution.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included children aged 2–20 years that were screened in a general pediatrics clinic for ACEs utilizing the Center for Youth Wellness ACEs questionnaire between July 2017 and July 2018. Overall ACE score was categorized as ‘no exposure’ (score = 0), ‘low exposure’ (score = 1), and ‘high exposure’ (score≥ 2). BMI was categorized as overweight/obese (BMI percentile ≥ 85) or non-obese (BMI percentile < 85). The association between ACEs score and obesity was determined using univariate and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Of the 948 patients included in the study, 30% (n = 314) were overweight/obese and 53% (n = 504) had no ACE exposure, 19% (n = 179) had low ACE exposure, and 28% (n = 265) had high ACE exposure. High ACE exposure was associated with increased odds of obesity (OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.07–2.03, p = 0.026). However, after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and birth weight, the association attenuated and was null (OR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.70–1.46, p = 0.97).

Conclusion

The study findings may suggest an association between ACE and childhood obesity. However, the association attenuated after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and birth weight. Larger prospective studies are warranted to better understand the association.

Association of Early-Life Adversity With Measures of Accelerated Biological Aging Among Children in China

IMPORTANCE

A growing body of literature suggests that exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) is associated with accelerated biological aging, offering 1 mechanism through which ELA may be associated with an increased risk for age-related disease. These investigations, however, have been predominantly cross-sectional and focused on adults and females.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate associations of threat-related (ie, physical abuse) and deprivation-related (ie, emotional neglect) ELA exposure with cellular and reproductive strategy metrics of biological aging among boys and girls with specific genetic backgrounds around the period of pubertal onset.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this cohort study, 997 boys and girls in grade 1 to grade 3 from 3 large elementary schools were recruited from Bengbu, Anhui Province, China, and were followed up from March 21, 2016 (baseline; wave 1), for 4 consecutive years, through March 25, 2019.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The outcome was accelerated biological aging in both cellular and reproductive strategy metrics: telomere attrition and age at thelarche (for girls) and testicular maturation (for boys). Multi-informant assessment of exposure to threat-related and deprivation-related ELA was done at baseline (wave 1) and 1-year follow-up (wave 2). The polygenic risk score (PRS) was computed based on 17 single-nucleotide variations for early pubertal timing.

RESULTS

Of the 997 participants (579 girls [58.1%]; mean [SD] age at baseline, 8.0 [0.8] years), 550 (55.2%) reported exposure to threat-related ELA and 443 (44.4%) reported exposure to deprivation-related ELA. Threat-related ELA was associated with onset of thelarche 2.6 months earlier and deprivation-related ELA with onset of thelarche 3.3 months earlier in exposed girls than in unexposed peers; these associations were observed only among girls with a low PRS. Among boys, a similar pattern was found. Threat-related ELA was associated with testicular volume of 4 mL or more 1.4 months earlier and deprivation-related ELA was associated with testicular volume of 4 mL or more 2.3 months earlier than in unexposed peers but only among those with a low PRS. Boys and girls with greater exposure to threats showed a significantly higher percentage of telomere length change during 1-year follow-up, but only among those with low PRS (boys: β = 1.50; 95% CI, 0.80-2.21; P < .001; girls: β = 2.40; 95% CI, 1.78-3.05; P < .001) and moderate PRS (boys: β = 1.09; 95% CI, 0.43-1.75; P = .001; and girls: β = 1.27; 95% CI, 0.77-1.77; P < .001). No associations of deprivation-related ELA with percentage of telomere length change were found.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study suggests that the accelerating association of ELA with biological aging might occur at an earlier age and in a genetic background-dependent and dimension-specific manner.

Relationship closeness buffers the effects of perceived stress on transcriptomic indicators of cellular stress and biological aging marker p16INK4a

Chronic stress can accelerate biological aging, offering one mechanism through which stress may increase age-related disease risk. Chronic activation of the sympathoadrenal system increases cellular energy production, resulting in cell stress that can initiate cellular senescence, a permanent state of cell growth arrest. Our previous research linked psychosocial stress with increased expression of senescence marker p16^INK4a; however, less is known about the role of protective psychosocial factors in biological aging. We examined relationship closeness (perceived interconnectedness with one's spouse) as a protective buffer of the effects of stress on expression of the p16^INK4a-encoding gene (CDKN2A) and transcription control pathways activated under cell stress. Seventy parents (M_age=43.2) completed interview-based and questionnaire measures of psychosocial stress and relationship closeness. Blood samples assessed CDKN2A expression and inferred activity of a priori-selected transcription factors Nrf2 and heat shock factors (HSFs) via genome-wide transcriptome profiling. Random intercept models adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity/race revealed that perceived stress was associated with elevated CDKN2A expression for parents with low but not high closeness. Secondary bioinformatics analyses linked the interaction of perceived stress and relationship closeness to Nrf2 and HSF-1 activity. Findings identify relationship closeness as a protective factor that may buffer the impact of stress on cellular stress and senescence pathways.

Glycosylated hemoglobin level, race/ethnicity, and cognition in midlife and early old age

Empirical evidence linking racial/ethnic differences in glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) to cognitive function in midlife and early old age is limited. We use biomarker data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, 2006-2014), on adults 50-64 years at baseline (57-73 years by 2014), and fit multinomial logistic regression models to assess the association between baseline HbA1c, cognitive function (using Langa-Weir classifications) and mortality across 8-years. Additionally, we test for modification effects by race/ethnicity. In age- and sex-adjusted models high HbA1c level was associated with lower baseline cognition and higher relative risk ratios (RRR; vs. normal cognition) for cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND; RRR= 2.3; 95%CI=[1.38;3.84]; p<0.01), and dementia (RRR= 4.00; 95%CI=[1.76;9.10]; p<0.01). Adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral risk factors, and other health conditions explained the higher RRR for CIND and attenuated the RRR for dementia by approximately 30%. HbA1c levels were not linked to the slope of cognitive decline, and we found no evidence of modification effects for HbA1c by race/ethnicity. Targeting interventions for glycemic control in the critical midlife period can protect baseline cognition and buffer against downstream development of cognitive impairment. This can yield important public health benefits and reductions in burdens associated with cognitive impairment, particularly among race/ethnic minorities who are at higher risk for metabolic diseases.

Demographic and developmental patterns in telomere length across adolescence

Telomere length is often used in studies of adults as a biomarker of cellular aging and an indicator of stress exposure. However, we know little about how telomeres change over time, particularly over the course of the important developmental period of adolescence. We use data on telomere length collected at two points in time spanning adolescence (Years 9 and 15) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine longitudinal patterns (n = 1,654) in telomere length. We find a quantitatively small but significant average lengthening in telomere length across adolescence and little evidence of associations between telomere length and pubertal development.