The investigators propose to evaluate the potential utility of stress-related biomarkers obtained via dried blood spots (DBS) and retinal scans by collecting new data from mothers and children within the New Haven MOMS Partnership, a well-established community-partnered research setting. The proposed research could greatly advance the application of stress-related biomarkers within community-based research by increasing our understanding of how stress, trauma, and depression influence biology in childhood and adulthood, as measured using minimally-invasive approaches.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
20
Anthropomorphic biomarkers including height, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure will be taken for each participating mother and child by a research assistant trained to accurately perform these procedures. Blood spots will be collected in finger stick proficiency, using trigger activated lancets to administer finger sticks. Each participating mothers and child will provide a saliva sample using Oragene DNA saliva collection kits
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Number of Mother-Child Dyads Who Complete Assessments & Biological Samples
Feasibility outcome
Time frame: End of study (approximately 5 years)
Telomere Length
Telomere length will be measured using an adapted method of the Cawthon Telomere Assay
Time frame: At baseline-After 90 minutes
Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)
AGEs or (advanced glycation endproducts) will be measured using a painless non- invasive retinal scanning device that measures autofluorescence of the crystalline lens of the eye
Time frame: At baseline-After 90 minutes
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