Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Externalizing Behavior and Intergenerational Transmission: The EXIT Project

The EXIT Project will use multiple cohorts from American and Europe with genomic and family structure data to explore: (1) how effect of a recently developed polygenic index for externalizing (Linner & Mallard et al., in press) on expressions of externalizing behavior may be partitioned into direct (i.e., unbiased) and indirect genetic effects; (2) how the ratio of direct/indirect genetic effects changes across development and adulthood; and (3) how intergenerational factors (e.g., parental externalizing/socioeconomic position) contribute to these associations

Identifying Psychological Pathways to Polyvictimization::Evidence from a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Twins from the United Kingdom

OBJECTIVES: Examine the extent to which cognitive/psychological characteristics predict later polyvictimization. We employ a twin-based design that allows us to test the social neurocriminology hypothesis that environmental factors influence brain-based characteristics and influence behaviors like victimization. METHODS: Using data from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study (N = 1986), we capitalize on the natural experiment embedded in a discordant-twin design that allows for the adjustment of family environments and genetic factors. RESULTS: The findings indicate that self-control, as well as symptoms of conduct disorder and anxiety, are related to polyvictimization even after adjusting for family environments and partially adjusting for genetic influences. After fully adjusting for genetic factors, only self-control was a statistically significant predictor of polyvictimization. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest polyvictimization is influenced by cognitive/psychological characteristics that individuals carry with them across contexts. Policies aimed at reducing victimization risks should consider interventions that address cognitive functioning and mental health

Multivariate GWAS of externalizing behaviors in ~3M individuals of European and African ancestries (the Externalizing Consortium)

We will conduct a multivariate genome-wide analysis of externalizing (EXT) behaviors across European and African ancestries. This analysis represents an update to the 2021 EXT GWAS published in Nature Neuroscience (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-021-00908-3). Specifically, we will include updated summary statistics for smoking initiation (Saunders et al., 2023), ADHD (Demontis et al., 2023), and problematic alcohol use (Zhou et al., medrxiv 2023), bringing our new estimated sample size to ~3M. Additionally, we will expand our analysis to more diverse populations by conducting a parallel analysis using summary statistics based on African ancestries and conducting a multi-ancestry meta-analysis to boost discovery and prediction

Associations of neighborhood and school racial contexts with child and adolescent DNA-methylation profiles and their mental health and academic adjustment

We examine whether neighborhood and school racial contexts are associated with child and adolescent DNA-methylation profiles, mental health (i.e., internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors), and academic adjustment (i.e., cognitive and academic achievement assessments)

Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort

Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that individuals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N = 1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among individuals following the LCP trajectory (β, 0.22, 95%CI, 0.14, 0.28, p ≤ 0.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25–45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory individuals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, −0.14, 95%CI, −0.21, −0.08, p ≤ 0.001), balance (β, −0.13, 95%CI, −0.18, −0.06, p ≤ 0.001), gait speed (β, −0.18, 95%CI, −0.24, −0.10, p ≤ 0.001), and cognitive functioning (β, −0.25, 95%CI, −0.31, −0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling individually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on healthcare systems and improve their wellbeing

Children growing up in socioeconomically disadvantaged families and from marginalized racial/ethnic groups tend to have epigenetic profiles associated with a faster pace of biological aging

To better understand how social inequalities become embedded in the body and impact the mind across the lifespan, researchers can study a child’s epigenetic profile – a score based on markers on the DNA that turn genes “on” or “off.” In this brief, former Population Research Center Postdoctoral Fellow Laurel Raffington, along with CAPS Faculty Affiliates Elliot Tucker-Drob and Bridget Goosby and colleagues, took DNA-methylation samples from the saliva of young people participating in the Texas Twin Project to create epigenetic profiles. They found that the epigenetic profiles of children from disadvantaged backgrounds looked worse than those of other children, including a faster pace of biological aging, higher chronic inflammation, and lower cognitive functioning. The authors argue that, to decrease disparities in the cognitive and physical health of adults, interventions to reduce educational, nutritional, and environmental disparities need to start in childhood.Population Research Cente