Traditional intimate partner violence and cyber dating abuse among gay, lesbian, and heterosexual individuals. The role of minority stress, alcohol use and jealousy

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and predictors of traditional intimate partner violence (IPV) and cyber dating abuse (CDA) among gay and lesbian (GL) individuals and heterosexual individuals in Romania. A sample of N = 315 participants (62.5% women, 37.5% men) aged 18 to 58 (M = 27.24, SD = 9.13) was recruited online via LGBT specific groups (for GL individuals) and from general social groups (for heterosexual sexual orientation individuals), mostly from Romania’s large cities (Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi). The study aimed to explore the association between minority stress, alcohol use and jealousy with IPV and CDA. Binary logistic regression results indicate that behavioral (for gay men and heterosexual women) and cognitive jealousy (for lesbian women and heterosexual men) are significant predictors of CDA. However, no significant association emerged between minority stress, alcohol consumption, and jealousy on IPV and CDA perpetration. These findings enhance understanding of specific behaviors that adversely affect the well-being of GL individuals within romantic contexts. The study underscore the need for profesional interventions that focus on emotional regulation and healty online behavior, particularly for GL individuals who may face some diferent stresors in a post-comunist society like Romania. Practitioners should focus on strenghtening coping strategy, comunity support and psychological flexibility of GL client to help them reduce the effect of social and contextual factors on their well-being. These findings higlight the need for improve public education and awarness campaigns regarding sexual minority issues

Gene therapy device-based delivery of progranulin, prosaposin, and GDNF as a combined precision and neurorestorative therapy in the rat 6-OHDA model of parkinsonism

: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex, multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, leading to significant motor impairments frequently associated with cognitive dysfunction and comorbidities in the elderly. Current treatments of PD are primarily symptomatic, highlighting the urgent need for disease-modifying therapies. An increasing body of evidence supports the pivotal role of lysosomal dysfunction in PD pathogenesis, providing new targets for therapeutic approaches. Particularly, recent studies suggest that among the genes implicated in PD are GRN and PSAP, encoding for progranulin (PGRN) and prosaposin (PSAP), respectively. We proved that conditioned media from a Gene Therapy Device-based delivery system (GTD)-PGRN, -PSAP, and -PGRN+PSAP were internalized by primary cortical neurons, leading to enhanced glucocerebrosidase (GCase) activity. Furthermore, we developed a GTD-delivered therapy to target lysosomal dysfunction and support the dopaminergic system, combining the lysosomal factors PGRN and PSAP with the neurorestorative glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Interestingly, each factor provided neuroprotection to dopaminergic neurons and preserved motor function in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neurotoxicity model. Furthermore, eight-month treatments with GTD-PSAP and PSAP+GDNF resulted in significant neurorecovery effects on dopaminergic neurons and motor deficits following 6-OHDA injection

Aldosterone synthase inhibitors across the translational spectrum: Mechanistic foundations and emerging clinical applications

Excess aldosterone is a key driver of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic injury, promoting hypertension, myocardial fibrosis, proteinuria, and progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Conventional therapies, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists attenuate downstream receptor signaling but do not suppress aldosterone biosynthesis, allowing residual hormonal activity that perpetuates tissue damage. The long-term efficacy, endocrine selectivity, and clinical significance of directly inhibiting aldosterone synthesis, however, remain only partly defined, particularly with respect to sustained aldosterone suppression, preservation of cortisol production, and applicability across diverse cardiorenal disorders. This review provides a comprehensive and mechanistically focused synthesis of preclinical and clinical evidence on aldosterone synthase inhibitors (ASIs), examining their pharmacologic specificity, hormonal effects, and emerging therapeutic potential in primary aldosteronism (PA), resistant hypertension, and CKD. Next-generation ASIs-including baxdrostat, lorundrostat, dexfadrostat phosphate, and vicadrostat-demonstrate >100-fold selectivity for CYP11B2 over CYP11B1, enabling potent and reversible aldosterone suppression while maintaining cortisol biosynthesis. Across early-phase trials, these agents consistently reduce aldosterone concentrations, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, decrease albuminuria, and normalize potassium balance in PA, with favorable safety and minimal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis disturbance. Collectively, these findings position ASIs as a selective and mechanistically coherent therapeutic strategy that addresses residual aldosterone activity beyond conventional RAAS blockade. Although current evidence relies largely on surrogate endpoints, ongoing phase III outcome trials will determine whether ASIs can translate mechanistic promise into durable cardiovascular and renal protection, potentially redefining the therapeutic landscape of aldosterone-mediated diseases

Differential interference of body- and non-body-related representational conflicts on error and performance monitoring in flanker tasks

The performance monitoring system handles representational conflicts with the goal of reducing errors. What remains unclear is whether and how the representational nature of a stimulus modulates conflict resolution. To deal with this issue, we performed five experiments to measure the degree of cognitive interference occurring in Flanker tasks and tested whether effects induced by body- and non-body-related stimuli may change as a function of task requirements and affect conflict processing. In Experiment1, conflicts elicited by hands/letters were used to activate typical competing responses. In Experiment2, stimuli were perceptually matched for low-level features (e.g., target/flanker contrast). In Experiment3, no-go trials were added to increase conflict load and reveal content-driven effects in inhibitory control. In Experiment 4, the onset of target/flanker competition was set at two different delays to investigate conflict persistence during target processing. Finally, in Experiment5, body- vs non-body-related stimuli were combined to measure content-driven effects underlying conflict resolution. A multi-analysis approach to data was employed, combining linear and Bayesian drift-diffusion models. Results show that body-related representations reduced cognitive interference, a robust effect that was observed across all experiments. These findings suggest that representations related to the body selectively engage the performance monitoring system during conflict processin

Hotspot mutant p53-R273H enhances mitochondrial biogenesis and cell migration in primary colorectal cancer in response to oxaliplatin

Oxaliplatin is commonly known as a successful chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer, improving patient survival and eradicating micro-metastases, but its use in early stages remains controversial. Mitochondria fuel energy-intensive programs such as cell migration, yet how oxaliplatin regulates the mitochondrial network in CRC - and how TP53 context shapes this - remains unclear. We investigated a matched pair of CRC cell lines from the same patient - SW480 (primary) and SW620 (lymph-node metastasis) - both harboring TP53-R273H mutation, to define differential responses in mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics and respiration and the mechanisms underlying them. The results indicate that primary-derived colorectal cancer cell line increased cell migration, mitochondrial biogenesis, and mitochondrial respiration capacity in response to oxaliplatin through a new and firstly described gain-of-function (GOF) of p53-R273H. Additionally, in the primary-derived CRC line, oxaliplatin elicited fate heterogeneity - coexisting apoptotic and senescent fractions alongside an R273H-driven, bioenergetically primed migratory subpopulation - together with increased mitochondrial biogenesis and respiratory capacity; by contrast, the metastatic-derived line was more sensitive and displayed structural mitochondrial injury with reduced maximal respiration. More broadly, this work underscores the importance of p53 gain-of-function mutations in CRC: the same GOF (TP53-R273H) amplifies cell migration by coupling an enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis/OXPHOS program to motility. Oxaliplatin further accentuates this energetically primed, pre-metastatic state, arguing for mitochondrial-targeted combination strategies in early-stage CRC

Personality, psychological profile and motor-cognitive performance in patients with fibromyalgia: a pilot study

Background: Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, disturbances in cognitive and emotional functioning. Cognitive impairment (so-called "fibrofog") is increasingly recognized as a central feature of fibromyalgia. However, its relationship with psychological traits and personality dimensions remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive performance, emotional states, and personality traits in individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Methods: This descriptive pilot study involved 10 female outpatients diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment including neuropsychological, psychological, personality, and motor evaluations. Instruments used included the Young Schema Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Brief COPE questionnaire, and a battery of cognitive and motor tests. Statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results: The most frequently observed maladaptive personality schemas were self-sacrifice (80%) and unrelenting standards (70%). Trait anxiety was present in 80% of participants, and depressive symptoms were reported by 90%. While short-term and long-term memory were generally preserved, 80% of participants showed deficits in divided attention, and 40% demonstrated impaired mobility under dual-task conditions. Significant correlations were found between anxiety and cognitive flexibility, as well as between coping strategies and working memory performance. Conclusions: Patients with fibromyalgia exhibit a complex cognitive-emotional profile characterized by attentional deficits, maladaptive personality traits, and elevated psychological distress. These findings emphasize the importance of multidimensional assessment and suggest that interventions targeting personality schemas and coping mechanisms may improve cognitive and functional outcomes in this population

Socio-Emotional Learning and Human Flourishing [Aprendizaje socioemocional y florecimiento humano]

The development of social and emotional competences is a crucial aspect of human flourishing. These competences, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, interpersonal skills and responsible decision-making, have been found to demonstrate effective improvements through social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. An analysis of the recent literature on emerging SEL approaches was conducted to provide an overview of current educational proposals, highlighting their strong and critical areas and outlining the lingering challenges, particularly in terms of the necessity to define the theoretical foundations of the programs with utmost clarity and conduct rigorous research on their effectiveness. In light of the aforementioned considerations, this article presents an innovative SEL program entitled The Nous Project that responds to the recommendations highlighted in the literature. Developed for primary school children, The Nous Project is based on a philosophically-grounded theory of socio-emotional education, which primarily focuses on the role of emotional self-understanding. Consequently, the primary objective of The Nous Project is to foster students’ knowledge of their own emotional dimensions and their ability to understand their own emotions. This is achieved by involving them in keeping a reflective diary, where they write down their emotions and analyse them on the basis of a metaphor. The effectiveness of this activity will be discussed starting from the presentation of the findings emerged from the qualitative analysis of the diaries collected during the pilot implementation of the program

Mai più costrette a dimettersi

Il 17 dicembre 2025, l’Assemblea regionale dell’Emilia-Romagna ha approvato un progetto di legge per il Parlamento nazionale ex art. 121 Cost. che propone misure dedicate al contrasto delle dimissioni motivate dalla difficoltà di conciliare vita e lavoro. Il progetto riapre la riflessione a livello nazionale sull’abbandono del lavoro da parte dei genitori proponendo regole ad hoc. I numeri delle dimissioni, più che raddoppiate negli ultimi dieci anni, confermano che è – ovviamente – un problema di madri, che porta con sé una certa idea di mercato del lavoro e un istituto, la convalida, da allineare all’idea di conciliazione vita e lavoro di cui la dir. 2019/1158 dell’Unione europea è l’espressione. Ricordando a chi fa ricerca giuridica gender sensitive l’importanza di ripensare gli istituti giuridici del passato per aggiornare la risposta del diritto alle attuali differenze di trattamento di natura discriminatoria tra donne e uomini nel lavoro e nel mercato

Higher post-prandial glucose excursions in youth with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease: Time to change the bolus?

Newer gluten-free products have been improved in terms of glyce- mic index and glycemic load; however, they may have a higher intake of saturated fat and a lower intake of fibre,6 which could influence postprandial glucose control. Therefore, we highlight the importance of an educational reinforcement on the size and timing of insulin bolus at each meal, in individuals on GFD. Slightly larger boluses (for the same carbohydrate content) when consuming GFD high-GI foods, along with a longer waiting time to reduce peak spikes, should be effective strate- gies for these youths who are monitored with FGM/CGM, as well as increasing fibre intake, which helps slow meal absorption. Other possi- bilities include splitting the bolus: part immediately, part over time (or have a square/dual wave over 1–2 h) to cover both the fast spike and slower tail; or to add a correction bolus after some time (e.g., 1–2 h post-meal) if bolus plus meal leads to earlier spike

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD): Practical recommendations for diagnosis and management

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a distinct antibody-mediated disease characterized by heterogeneous manifestations. Despite some overlap with other demyelinating CNS disorders, specific clinical-MRI features of MOGAD have been identified that facilitate early diagnosis. Paediatric and adult populations can be similarly affected but differ in the predominant clinical phenotypes, which include optic neuritis, myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, brainstem/cerebellar syndromes, and cerebral cortical encephalitis. Based on the recently international MOGAD panel proposed diagnostic criteria, a correct diagnosis of MOGAD relies on the detection of serum or CSF MOG antibodies (Abs) using cell-based assays in patients with compatible clinical-MRI phenotypes. Relapses occur in 40-80 % of cases with no single factor being able to reliably predict the disease course after onset, although monitoring antibody titers may offer some guidance. Intravenous steroids with subsequent tapering and rapid escalation to plasma exchange in case of incomplete recovery are usually administered in the acute stage, with intravenous immunoglobulins considered as a possible alternative. Chronic treatment should be administered in relapsing patients or in case of incomplete recovery from the presenting attack. In this review, we summarise the main features of MOGAD, with a focus on the clinical/imaging characteristics, diagnosis and treatment approach and propose practical recommendations for clinicians