Description of Research

My dissertation is entitled "The Relationships Between Depressive Symptoms, Inflammatory Cytokines and Lower Extremity Function after Hip Fracture". Analyses are based on a sample drawn from the first 200 community-dwelling men and women enrolled in the 7th longitudinal cohort from the Baltimore Hip Studies Program. All patients are aged 65 and older and have undergone surgical repair for a new, non-pathological hip fracture in one of eight Baltimore-area hospitals. I am specifically interested in whether there are bi-directional associations between levels of depressive symptoms and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-(IL-) 1 receptor antagonist, IL-6, and the soluble tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor) over the 6 months following surgical repair. I am also investigating whether inflammatory cytokines mediate the association between depressive symptoms and functional recovery post-fracture and whether depressive symptoms mediate the association between inflammatory cytokines and functional recovery post-fracture.