Attitude and concerns of healthy individuals regarding post-mortem brain donation. A qualitative study on a nation-wide sample in Italy.

Background: Collecting post-mortem brain tissue is essential, especially from healthy "control" individuals, to advance knowledge on increasingly common neurological and mental disorders. Yet, healthy individuals, on which this study is focused, are still understudied. The aim of the study was to explore, among healthy potential brain donors and/or donors' relatives, attitude, concerns and opinion about post-mortem brain donation (PMBD).

Stability and change in genetic and environmental influences on depressive symptoms in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The rapid spread of the new Coronavirus and the consequent restrictions to contain transmission generated an unprecedented psychological impact on the general population. The Italian Twin Registry performed a longitudinal study to investigate to what extent genetic and environmental influences contributed to changes in depressive symptoms.

Methods: Data from adult twins were collected.

A Twin Study of the Relationships between Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome and Anxiety Phenotypes in Childhood and Adolescence.

Data on the etiological factors underlying the co-occurrence of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) with anxiety symptoms are very limited. The present study investigated the nature of latent shared etiological elements in 400 Italian twin pairs aged 8-18, explaining the covariation between CDS and anxiety symptoms. Preliminary analysis demonstrated significant correlations between Child Behaviour Checklist/6-18 Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale and two (Somatic Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety) out of five Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders anxiety subscales.

Age-Related Variations of Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Covariation of Fear, Distress and Externalizing Symptoms: A Twin Study in Childhood and Adolescence.

The frequency with which Internalizing and Externalizing symptoms co-occur suggests that, behind both domains, there may be a common susceptibility represented by a general psychopathology factor. However, it's still unclear whether this common susceptibility is affected by age-related variations. Internalizing (i.

An Italian Twin Study of Non-Cancer Chronic Pain as a Wide Phenotype and Its Intensity.

: Non-cancer chronic pain (CP) results from the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Twin studies help to estimate genetic and environmental contributions to complex traits such as CP. To date, twin studies on the heritability of pain phenotypes have relied almost exclusively on specific diagnoses, neglecting pain intensity.

Development and Validation of the Italian "Brief Five-Item Chronic Pain Questionnaire" for Epidemiological Studies.

Background: Chronic pain (CP) prevalence estimates addressing a wide phenotype are still quite fragmented and may vary widely due to the lack of standardized tools of investigation. There is an urgent need to update general population CP estimates.

Methods: For this purpose, the Brief Five-item Chronic Pain Questionnaire was developed through experts' consultations for design and content validity assessment; literature analysis of measures used to investigate CP for general population surveys; understandability evaluation through a survey on a convenience sample of affected and non-affected individuals; reliability assessment by means of two double-wave online surveys carried out by the Italian Twin Registry; criterion and construct validity assessment through the third wave of the 2019 European Health Interview Survey (Ehis).

Genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathological symptoms stability and change across the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several longitudinal studies investigated changes in mental health related to the pandemic event. However, little research has focused on the mediating role of environmental and genetic factors. The current prospective study aimed to evaluate the genetic and environmental contributions to the stability of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 crisis.

Prenatal exposure to PM and changes in DNA methylation and telomere length in cord blood.

Background: Air pollution exposure in pregnancy can cause molecular level alterations that might influence later disease susceptibility.

Objectives: We investigated DNA methylation (DNAm) and telomere length (TL) in the cord blood in relation to gestational PM exposure and explored potential gestational windows of susceptibility.

Methods: Cord blood epigenome-wide DNAm (N = 384) and TL (N = 500) were measured in children of the Italian birth cohort Piccolipiù, using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip and qPCR, respectively.

Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Five Factor Model and Super-Factors: An Italian Twin Study.

No previous research explored the genetic and environmental structure of Big Five dimensions of personality and higher-order factors in a single twin study, except, in part, for just one study. We used the twin design to estimate the effects of genes and environment on both Five Factor model and related second- and third-order factors (i.e.

DNA Methylation Signature in Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Psoriatic Disease.

Psoriatic disease is a multifactorial inflammatory condition spanning from skin and nail psoriasis (Pso) to spine and joint involvement characterizing psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Monozygotic twins provide a model to investigate genetic, early life environmental exposure and stochastic influences to complex diseases, mainly mediated by epigenetics. We performed a genome-wide DNA methylation study on whole blood of monozygotic twins from 7 pairs discordant for Pso/PsA using the Infinium Methylation EPIC array (Illumina).

The COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Depressive symptoms immediately before and after the first lockdown.

Background: Italy was one of the first countries to be heavily hit by the spread of the new Coronavirus. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the real effect of COVID-19 on adult mental health. The Italian Twin Registry carried out a study to investigate, over time, the course of depressive symptoms in the general population.

[The covid-19 pandemic in Italy: the impact on social life and mental health].

Introduction: Italy, one of the first countries to be heavily hit by the spread of the new Coronavirus, has activated precautionary measures aimed at limiting its spread. This emergency situation may be cause of psychological distress in the general population. Therefore, the Italian Twins Registry has decided to carry out an epidemiological study to investigate the social and mental health impact of the covid-19 pandemic on Italian adults.

Adolescent pain, anxiety, and depressive problems: a twin study of their co-occurrence and the relationship to substance use.

Data on the etiological factors underlying the co-occurrence of common adolescent pain with anxiety and depression symptoms are very limited. Opioid prescriptions for adolescent pain problems are on the rise in North America and constitute a risk factor for diversion, misuse, and substance use. In this study, we aimed to investigate the phenotypic and etiological association among pain, depression, and anxiety and to test their link to substance use in adolescents.

Specific features of the oldest old from the Longevity Blue Zones in Ikaria and Sardinia.

Human longevity may be found in single individuals as well as in the population as a whole ("population longevity"). Longevity Blue Zones (LBZs), which are areas with an unusually high number of oldest old, have been identified in Sardinia and the Greek island of Ikaria. We compared the lifestyle, health status and some genetic markers of the LBZ populations with those of reference populations from Italy and Greece; the data were extracted from the GEHA database.

Attitude of potential biobank donors screened for depression towards disclosure of individual health results.

Background: Research based on biological material with linked health and clinical data may produce new strategies for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. A survey was conducted among individuals previously screened for major depressive disorder (MDD) to explore participants' attitude towards research biobanking.

Methods: The survey used self-report questionnaires about donation for research biobanks, self-perceived health and life satisfaction.

Exposure to ambient air pollution in the first 1000 days of life and alterations in the DNA methylome and telomere length in children: A systematic review.

Background: Exposure to air pollution during the first 1000 days of life (from conception to the 2nd year of life) might be of particular relevance for long-term child health. Changes in molecular markers such as DNA methylation and telomere length could underlie the association between air pollution exposure and pollution-related diseases as well as serve as biomarkers for past exposure. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the association between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and the first two years of life and changes in DNA methylation or telomere length in children.

Association between personality profile and subclinical atherosclerosis: The role of genes and environment.

Background: The mechanism underlying the association between personality profile and subclinical atherosclerosis is poorly understood. This study explores the association between personality, carotid atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness, and the contribution of genes and environment to this association.

Methods: Early atherosclerotic traits, including carotid intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and heart rate, were assessed in 318 adult twins, who also completed a Big Five personality questionnaire.

The role of genetic and environmental factors in covariation between anxiety and anger in childhood.

Higher levels of anger expression, as well as lower levels of anger control, have been reported for adults with anxiety disorders compared to individuals without anxiety disorders. Different to the research on adults, very few studies examined the relationship between anxiety and anger in childhood. In our study, we investigated 398 Italian twin pairs (74 MZ male, 70 MZ female, 134 same-sex dizygotic-53 male, 81 female-, and 120 unlike-sex dizygotic twin pairs), aged 8-17 (mean 13.

The nature and nurture of ADHD and its comorbidities: A narrative review on twin studies.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children worldwide, and also the recognition of its persistence into adulthood is increasing. While ADHD in childhood is highly heritable and mostly driven by familial factors, during adulthood it appears to show a lower heritability, even if there is not total agreement on this yet. This disorder often co-occurs with many other conditions, which also vary across the different stages of development, and several studies have used the twin design to investigate these comorbidities, giving valuable insights into the origins of the observed co-occurrence.

Influence of residential land cover on childhood allergic and respiratory symptoms and diseases: Evidence from 9 European cohorts.

Introduction: Recent research focused on the interaction between land cover and the development of allergic and respiratory disease has provided conflicting results and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In particular, green space, which confers an overall positive impact on general health, may be significantly contributing to adverse respiratory health outcomes. This study evaluates associations between surrounding residential land cover (green, grey, agricultural and blue space), including type of forest cover (deciduous, coniferous and mixed), and childhood allergic and respiratory diseases.

Lifelong exposure to multiple stressors through different environmental pathways for European populations.

Traditional exposure studies provide valuable insights for epidemiology, toxicology, and risk assessment. Throughout their lives, individuals are exposed to thousands of stressors in the environment which are not static, but influenced by environmental, temporal, spatial, and even socio-demographic factors. Existing exposure studies have usually focused on specific stressors for a constrained period of time.

The Italian Twin Registry: An Update at 18 Years From Its Inception.

The Italian Twin Registry (ITR), established in 2001, is a population-based registry of voluntary twins. To date, it consists of approximately 29,000 twins who gave their consent to participate in the studies proposed by the ITR research group. The database comprises 11,500 monozygotic and 16,700 dizygotic twins resident throughout the country and belonging to a wide age range (from 0 to 95 years, mean 36.

Adolescents self-reported sleep quality and emotional regulation: a discordant twin study.

Aim: This study explores the association between sleep quality and emotional regulation, and investigates the genetic and environmental bases of this association.

Methods: Three-hundred-eighty-two adolescent twins, from the Italian Twin Registry, and their parents filled the Youth Self-Report and Child Behavior Checklist questionnaires, from which the construct of Effortful Control (EC) was derived as a measure of emotional regulation. Twins were identified as "good" or "non-good" sleepers based on answers to the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire.