Stressful life events across the lifespan and inflammation: An integrative data analysis.

Experiencing more stressful life events has been linked to higher levels of inflammation, but this association may depend on when in the lifespan the stressors occur. To address this knowledge gap, we tested two lifespan theories, the accumulation of risks and sensitive period models, by assessing the association between the total number of stressful events and their life stage occurrence on later-life C-reactive protein (CRP). We harmonized data across two cohort studies, maximizing variation in stressors reported across the lifespan.

Remote dried blood spot collection for inflammatory markers in older adults is feasible, reliable, and valid.

Dried blood spots (DBS) provide a minimally invasive method to assess inflammatory markers and can be collected remotely at-home or in-person in the lab. However, there is a lack of methodological information comparing these different collection methods and in older adults. We investigated the feasibility (including adherence, yield, quality, and participant preferences) and measurement properties (reliability, validity) of remotely collected DBS inflammatory markers in older adults.

Lifespan Socioeconomic Context Is Associated With Cytomegalovirus and Late-Differentiated CD8 + T and Natural Killer Cells: Initial Results in Older Adults.

Objective: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) can accelerate immune aging; however, it is unknown whether and how lifespan socioeconomic context (SEC)-the relative wealth and quality of the communities an individual lives in across their lifespan-impacts immune aging. We examined the effects of childhood and adulthood SEC on late-differentiated immune cells and investigated the mediating and moderating role of cytomegalovirus (CMV), a key driver of immune aging.

Methods: Adults 60 years and older ( N = 109) reported their addresses from birth to age 60 years, which were coded for county-level employment, education, and income to construct a latent SEC variable, averaged across ages 0 to 18 years (childhood SEC) and 19 to 60 years (adulthood SEC).

Positive social factors prospectively predict younger epigenetic age: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.

Objectives: Positive social factors may slow biological aging, but this has yet to be rigorously tested. This study investigated whether baseline levels or changes over time in social support and contact frequency prospectively predicted epigenetic age.

Method: Health and Retirement Study participants (N = 1912, 46.