Background Three versions of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14, PSS-10, and PSS-4) are among the most widely used measures of stress. The aim of current study was to validate this instrument in a sample of non-demented elderly adults to facilitate studies of the impact of stress on health. Methods 768 nondemented adults over the age of 70 years completed the PSS-14 questionnaire and other neuropsychological tests. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to determine the underlying factor structure of all PSS versions and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to test the construct validity of factors. The internal consistency reliability of the scales was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and concurrent validity was evaluated by examining PSS relation with age, gender, depression, anxiety, and Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results A two-factor model was the optimal fit for the 14- and 10-item versions of PSS. For the PSS-14, all items’ loadings exceeded 0.4 for one of the two factors except item 12. Therefore, we studied a 13-item version of PSS as well as 10- and 4-item subsets representing PSS-10 and PSS-4. Internal consistency coefficients were satisfactory for the full scale of PSS-13 and PSS-10, but not for PSS-4. Women reported higher levels of stress than men. Higher levels of total PSS scores showed association with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and negative affect, and lower level of positive affect. Conclusions The 13- and 10-item versions of PSS may be used to understand the experience of stress among older adults.

Objectives To determine the prevalence of bodily pain measures (pain intensity and pain interference) in elderly people and their relationship with perceived stress scale (PSS) scores. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Community. Participants A representative community sample of 578 subjects aged 70 and older. Measurements The prevalence of pain intensity and pain interference and their relationship with perceived stress scale scores, demographic factors, past medical history, and neuropsychological testing scores were examined. Pain intensity and pain interference were measured by the SF-36 bodily pain questions. Results The study sample of 578 participants has a mean age of 78.8 years and is 63% female. Bivariate analysis for pain measures showed that higher scores on the perceived stress scale, lower neuropsychological test scores, and medical histories were associated with both pain intensity and interference. Logistic regression showed that higher scores on the perceived stress scale were significantly associated with increased odds of having moderate/severe pain intensity and moderate/severe pain interference (with and without the inclusion of for pain intensity in the models). Conclusion Higher PSS scores are associated with higher levels of pain intensity and pain interference. In this cross-sectional analysis, directionality cannot be determined. As both perceived stress and pain are potentially modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and other poor health outcomes, future research should address temporality and the benefits of treatment.

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The incidence of PP after implantation of new generation tubular stents in patients with diabetes remains high. Drug-eluting stent implantation was not associated with increased risk of PP. Plaque prolapse was not associated with stent thrombosis or increased neointimal proliferation.

Background The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is made up of two subscales but is typically used as a single summary measure. However, research has shown that the two subscales may have differential properties in older adults. Objective To evaluate the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and the concurrent and predictive validity for development of aMCI of the positively-worded (PSS-PW) and negatively-worded (PSS-NW) subscale scores of the PSS in older adults. Methods We recruited community residing older adults free of dementia from the Einstein Aging Study. Reliability of the PSS-PW and PSS-NW was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency and intraclass correlation for one year test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was evaluated by examining the relationship between the PSS subscales and depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and positive and negative affect. Predictive validity was assessed using multivariate Cox regression analyses to examine the relationship between baseline PSS-PW and PSS-NW score and subsequent onset of aMCI. Results Both PSS-PW and PSS-NW showed adequate internal consistency and retest reliabilities. Both the PSS-PW and PSS-NW were associated with depression, neuroticism, and negative affect. The PSS-NW was uniquely associated with anxiety while the PSS-PW was uniquely associated with positive affect. Only the PSS-PW was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of incident aMCI (HR=1.27; 95% CI: 1.06–1.51 for every 5 point increase in PSS-PW). Conclusions Evaluating the separate effects of the two PSS subscales may reveal more information than simply using a single summation score. Future research should investigate the PSS-PW and PSS-NW as separate subscales.

Background: Among older adults, pain intensity and pain interference are more common in women than men and associated with obesity and inflammatory markers. Objective: We examined whether the obesity and pain relationship is mediated by the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a nonspecific marker of systemic inflammation, and whether this relationship differs by sex. Methods: Items from Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 were used to measure pain intensity and pain interference in daily life. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the cross-sectional association among body mass index (BMI), hsCRP levels, pain intensity and pain interference using gender-stratified models adjusted for demographic variables. Results: Participants included 667 community-residing adults over the age of 70 years, free of dementia, enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study (EAS). In women (n = 410), pain intensity was associated with obesity [BMI ≥30 vs. normal, odds ratio (OR) = 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-3.68] and higher hsCRP (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.08-1.51). In a model with obesity and hsCRP, both remained significant, but the association between hsCRP and pain intensity was somewhat attenuated. Obesity (OR = 3.04, 95% CI 1.81-5.11) and higher hsCRP levels (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.08-1.56) were also independently associated with greater pain interference in women. After adjustment for pain intensity and BMI, hsCRP was no longer associated with pain interference in women. Greater pain intensity and being overweight or obese continued to be significantly associated with pain interference in women. In men (n = 257), obesity and hsCRP were not associated with pain intensity or pain interference. Conclusions: In women, the relationship between obesity and higher levels of pain intensity or interference may be accounted for by factors related to hsCRP.

Our results demonstrate a high degree of heterogeneity in composition and morphological features within individual atherosclerotic plaques in human coronary arteries. Intraplaque heterogeneity represents a challenge for imaging protocols correlating plaque features with cardiovascular events and for the development of future therapeutic options.

ObjectivesTo examine the cross-sectional associations of the separate subscales of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and tests measuring cognitive domains in older adultsMethods897 adults over the age of 70 free of amnestic mild cognitive impairment and dementia and enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study made up the study sample. The PSS-14 was used to measure stress. Three cognitive domains (language, episodic memory, and frontal-executive) had previously been found using principle component analysis. Linear regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between the PSS subscales and cognitive domain function.ResultsThe study sample had a mean age of 79.1 years and 62.8% were female. Bivariate correlations show that the PSS-14 positively worded subscale of the PSS (PSS-PW) was significantly associated with all three cognitive domains (language: r = −0.15, p < 0.001; episodic memory: r = −0.16, p < 0.001; frontal-executive: r = −0.21, p <0.001) while the negatively worded subscale of the PSS (PSS-NW) was not significantly associated with any cognitive domain. In linear regression analyses adjusted for age, white race, gender, years of education, and depressive symptoms, the PSS-PW remained significantly associated with each of the cognitive domains. The PSS-NW was not associated with any cognitive domains in any model. The PSS-14 was significantly associated with language and episodic memory, but not the frontal-executive domain.ConclusionWorse PSS-PW scores are associated with reduced cognitive function in the executive, memory, and language domains in nondemented older adults. The PSS-PW subscale correlated better with cognitive function than the overall PSS-14. Future research should evaluate the temporality of the association and if stress reduction therapies improve cognitive performance.