Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Brain Behav Immun. 2024 Aug;120:545-553. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.07.001. Epub 2024 Jul 4.
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. Participants (N = 167, mean age = 72, range: 60-96 years) collected their own DBS (finger prick on filter paper) during three remote interviews over ∼ 6 months. Within 4-5 days on average of their last remote interview, a subset of 41 participants also attended an in-person lab visit that included a researcher-collected DBS sample, venous blood draw, and survey to assess participant preferences of DBS collection. DBS and venous blood were assayed for CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. Adherence: 98% of expected DBS samples (493 out of 501) were completed and mailed back to the lab. Yield: 97% of DBS samples were sufficient for all assays. Quality: On average, 0.80 fewer optimal spots (60uL of blood that filled the entire circle) were obtained remotely vs. in-person (p = 0.013), but the number of useable or better spots (at least 30-40uL of blood) did not differ (p = 0.89). Preference: A slight majority of participants (54%) preferred in-person DBS collection. Reliability: DBS test-retest reliabilities were good: CRP (ICC = 0.74), IL-6 (ICC = 0.76), and TNF-α (ICC = 0.70). Validity: Inflammatory levels from DBS correlated strongly with levels from venous blood (r = 0.60-0.99) and correlated as expected with sociodemographic and physical health and function variables. Older adults can remotely collect their own DBS to acquire reliable and valid inflammatory data. Remote DBS collection is highly feasible and may allow for inflammatory markers to be assessed in larger, more representative samples than are possible with lab- or clinic-based research designs.
干血斑 (DBS) 提供了一种微创方法来评估炎症标志物，可以在远程家庭或实验室中进行。然而，目前缺乏比较这些不同采集方法的方法学信息，并且在老年人中也缺乏相关信息。我们研究了远程采集的 DBS 炎症标志物在老年人中的可行性（包括依从性、产量、质量和参与者偏好）和测量特性（可靠性、有效性）。参与者（N=167，平均年龄 72 岁，范围：60-96 岁）在大约 6 个月的 3 次远程访谈中自行采集 DBS（在滤纸上用手指刺破）。在平均最后一次远程访谈后的 4-5 天内，41 名参与者中的一部分还参加了一次面对面的实验室访问，其中包括研究者采集的 DBS 样本、静脉血样采集和调查，以评估参与者对 DBS 采集的偏好。DBS 和静脉血被检测 CRP、IL-6 和 TNF-α。依从性：完成并寄回实验室的预期 DBS 样本中，98%（501 个中的 493 个）符合要求。产量：97%的 DBS 样本足以满足所有检测。质量：平均而言，与面对面采集相比，远程采集时获得的最佳斑点（填满整个圆圈的 60μL 血液）少 0.80 个（p=0.013），但可用或更好斑点（至少 30-40μL 血液）的数量没有差异（p=0.89）。偏好：略多于一半的参与者（54%）更喜欢面对面的 DBS 采集。可靠性：DBS 测试-重测信度良好：CRP（ICC=0.74）、IL-6（ICC=0.76）和 TNF-α（ICC=0.70）。有效性：DBS 中的炎症水平与静脉血中的水平高度相关（r=0.60-0.99），并且与社会人口学和身体健康和功能变量的相关性与预期一致。老年人可以远程采集自己的 DBS 来获取可靠和有效的炎症数据。远程 DBS 采集具有高度可行性，并且可以评估比实验室或诊所为基础的研究设计中更大、更具代表性的样本中的炎症标志物。
