Affective Regulation and Trait Anger Personalities: The Buffering Effect of the Companion Animal Bond.

Emotional dysregulation involving anger can have severe consequences on the individual's psychosocial and emotional functioning. This study aimed to investigate the role that the companion animal bond and the personality dimension of trait anger play in explaining affective dysregulation. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 365 participants.

Attitudes and knowledge of mental health practitioners towards LGBTQ+ patients: A mixed-method systematic review.

LGBTQ+ patients exhibit higher rates of mental disorder relative to the general population. This is particularly concerning since deficiencies in mental health practitioners' skills and knowledge, along with negative attitudes and behaviors, are associated with a decreased likelihood of LGBTQ+ patients seeking mental healthcare services and an increased likelihood of reporting unmet mental healthcare needs. To address these concerns, a mixed-method systematic review was conducted to evaluate mental health practitioners' attitudes towards and knowledge of LGBTQ+ patients and the impact of these factors on service utilization.

Minority Stress, Self-Awareness, and Coping Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Italian Transgender Young Adults.

Background: The security measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 emergency have caused complex consequences. The aim of the present study is to examine the repercussions of the pandemic on individuals belonging to gender identity minority groups, who have experienced heightened levels of stress in comparison to the general population.

Methods: Online interviews with 12 transgender participants who resided in Italy during the pandemic were conducted and subsequently analyzed following the thematic analysis methodology.

Emotion dysregulation and psychopathological symptoms in non-clinical adolescents: The mediating role of boredom and social media use.

Background: Emotion dysregulation, boredom, and problematic social media use are well-known vulnerability factors for psychopathology during adolescence; nevertheless, the interplay between these factors remains underinvestigated in the literature. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study aimed to explore the mediating role of boredom and problematic social media use in the relations between emotion dysregulation and both internalizing and externalizing problems in a non-clinical group of Italian adolescents.

Method: 721 students (64.

Minority stress and mental health in European transgender and gender diverse people: A systematic review of quantitative studies.

The current study aimed at systematically reviewing evidence on the relationships between gender minority stress and mental health outcomes among European transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. A systematic search was conducted in PsycINFO, PubMED, Scopus, and Google Scholar. It was based on Boolean operators to combine terms related to minority stress, TGD identities, and mental health.

Unmet Needs of Pediatricians in Transgender-Specific Care: Results of a Short-Term Training.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate (i) the knowledge about different dimensions of sexual identity in a group of family pediatricians and (ii) the efficacy of a training program to improve knowledge and reduce genderism and heteronormativity.

Methods: A pre-post-follow-up study was conducted with 96 Italian pediatricians (48 men and 48 women) who participated in a 6-h training program and divided into 2 sections. The first section was theoretical and focused on the conceptual foundations of sexual identity, the depathologizing approach to gender diversity, and the role of pediatricians as the first contacts of children's or adolescents' family.

Perinatal depression during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in a single prenatal clinic in Southern Italy: The role of loneliness, anxiety, and maternal support.

Background: The current study aimed at assessing the levels of perinatal depression (i.e., both antenatal and postnatal) during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in a group of Italian women, as well as to evaluate the role of loneliness, anxiety, and lack of maternal support in cumulatively predicting perinatal depression.

The Role of Gender Pharmacogenetics in the Personalization of Drug Treatment.

The use of pharmacogenetic guidelines in personalizing treatments has shown the potential to reduce interindividual variability in drug response by enabling genotype-matched dosing and drug selection. However, other important factors, such as patient gender, may interact strongly with pharmacogenetics in determining the individual profile of toxicity and efficacy but are still rarely considered when planning pharmacological treatment. The literature indicates that males and females respond differently to drugs, with women being at higher risk for toxicity and having different plasma exposure to drugs at standard doses.

TRAUMA AND THE DISRUPTION OF TEMPORAL EXPERIENCE: A PSYCHOANALYTICAL AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE.

A deep understanding of the subjective experience of time in traumatized individuals may require a comprehensive framework that takes into account both psychoanalytic and phenomenological contributions. Referring to the retroactive interpretation of past experiences, the concept of Nachträglichkeit is critical to analyze how trauma can be signified in the form of the après-coup, in which the original traces of traumatic experiences are signified only at a later time. Trauma alters the temporal sequence of past, present, and future, thus leaving the psyche in a time-shifted dimension, where the shadow of the past extends over the present, and the unbearable present hinders growth and development.

Predictive and Prognostic Value of Oncogene Mutations and Microsatellite Instability in Locally-Advanced Rectal Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Radiation-Based Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Markers of pathological complete response (pCR) to preoperative radiation-based therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) are strongly needed. This meta-analysis aimed at elucidating the predictive/prognostic role of tumor markers in LARC. We systematically reviewed the impact of , , , and mutations and MSI status on response (pCR, downstaging) and prognosis (risk of recurrence, survival) in LARC according to PRISMA guidelines and the PICO model.

Gender Felt Pressure, Affective Domains, and Mental Health Outcomes among Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review with Developmental and Clinical Implications.

Although capable of mobilizing significant resilience factors to face stigma and discrimination, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents tend to suffer from more adverse mental health outcomes compared to their cisgender counterparts. The minority stressors that this population faces are mainly due to the gender-based pressure to conform to their assigned gender. This systematic review was aimed at assessing the potential mental health issues that affect the TGD population.

Olfactory-related quality of life impacts psychological distress in people with COVID-19: The affective implications of olfactory dysfunctions.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often causes chemosensory impairment, and olfactory dysfunctions may have negative consequences on psychological distress. This study aimed at assessing which dimension of perceived olfactory disfunctions (i.e.

Rare genetic variant burden in DPYD predicts severe fluoropyrimidine-related toxicity risk.

Preemptive targeted pharmacogenetic testing of candidate variations in DPYD is currently being used to limit toxicity associated with fluoropyrimidines. The use of innovative next generation sequencing (NGS) approaches could unveil additional rare (minor allele frequency <1%) genetic risk variants. However, their predictive value and management in clinical practice are still controversial, at least partly due to the challenges associated with functional analyses of rare variants.

The Effectiveness of Neroli Essential Oil in Relieving Anxiety and Perceived Pain in Women during Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Childbirth is a stressful and physically painful event in a woman's life and aromatherapy is one of the most used non-pharmacological methods that is effective in reducing anxiety and perceived pain. This randomized controlled study aimed at determining the effect of neroli oil aromatherapy on anxiety and pain intensity perception in 88 women during labor, randomly assigned to either an intervention group ( = 44) or control group ( = 44). Anxiety and perceived pain were assessed through the visual analogue scale during the latent, early, and late active phases of labor.

SMAD3 Host and Tumor Profiling to Identify Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients at High Risk of Poor Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy.

Identifying patients at risk of poor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is an emerging clinical need in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). SMAD3 is a key player in the chemoradio-resistance phenotype and its expression is both constitutive and locally induced. The aim was to investigate both host (genetic polymorphisms) and tumor SMAD3 profiling to predict response to nCRT.

The effects of sex on pharmacogenetically guided drug treatment.

Tweetable abstract Sex-related pharmacogenetics is emerging area of research to better explain sex discrepancies in drug response. Sex pharmacogenetics should be considered an essential step for personalized medicine.

Gender Identity Milestones, Minority Stress and Mental Health in Three Generational Cohorts of Italian Binary and Nonbinary Transgender People.

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people experience high rates of minority stress and associated risk for negative health outcomes. However, during the last years, significant positive socio-cultural changes have happened, and younger cohorts of TGNC individuals are having diverse experiences compared to older cohorts. By integrating the minority stress theory and the life course perspective, this cross-sectional, web-based study aimed to explore in 197 Italian TGNC people aged 18 to 54 years ( = 29.

Sex Disparities in Efficacy in COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Sex differences in adaptive and innate immune responses have been shown to occur and anecdotal reports suggest that vaccine efficacy and safety may be sex-dependent. We investigated the influence of sex on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials on COVID-19 vaccines. The safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines was also investigated.

A Panel of Tumor Biomarkers to Predict Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer patients is related to a favorable prognosis. The identification of early biomarkers predictive of pathological complete response would help optimize the multimodality management of the patients. A panel of 11 tumor-related proteins was investigated by immunohistochemistry in the pretreatment biopsy of a group of locally advanced rectal cancer patients to identify early biomarkers of pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

New insights into the pharmacological, immunological, and CAR-T-cell approaches in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib continues to be the anchor drug in the treatment of advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Other TKIs as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have also been approved, however the response rates remain poor and heterogeneous among HCC patients, largely due to antitumor drug resistance. Studies aimed at identifying novel biomarkers and developing new strategies to improve the response to current treatment and to overcome drug resistance, are urgently needed.

Circulating-Free DNA Analysis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Promising Strategy to Improve Patients' Management and Therapy Outcomes.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, representing the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. HCC genetic characterization at the tumor level has been recently completed, highlighting how a number of genes are frequently mutated in this pathology. Actionable somatic mutations found in a HCC tumor may represent targets for innovative drugs as well as prognostic/predictive markers.

FARMAPRICE: A Pharmacogenetic Clinical Decision Support System for Precise and Cost-Effective Therapy.

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) guidelines for the precise dosing and selection of drugs remain poorly implemented in current clinical practice. Among the barriers to the implementation process is the lack of clinical decision support system (CDSS) tools to aid health providers in managing PGx information in the clinical context. The present study aimed to describe the first Italian endeavor to develop a PGx CDSS, called FARMAPRICE.

A large number of T lymphocytes recognize Moloney-murine leukemia virus-induced antigens, but a few mediate long-lasting tumor immunosurveillance.

The CD8(+) T cell response to Moloney-murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV)-induced Ags is almost entirely dominated by the exclusive expansion of lymphocytes that use preferential TCRVbeta chain rearrangements. In mice lacking T cells expressing these TCRVbeta, we demonstrate that alternative TCRVbeta can substitute for the lack of the dominant TCRVbeta in the H-2-restricted M-MuLV Ag recognition. We show that, at least for the H-2(b)-restricted response, the shift of TCR usage is not related to a variation of the immunodominant M-MuLV epitope recognition.

The MBP-reactive repertoire is shaped by recognition of minor histocompatibility antigens.

While it is known that the degeneracy of T-cell antigen recognition is involved in many aspects of T cell-immunology, its importance in the selection of the T cell repertoire remains an aspect to be better investigated. Here we examined if an intrathymic degenerate T cell recognition mechanism shapes the myelin basic protein (MBP)-reactive repertoire inducing resistance to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in some MHC and/or minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAs) heterozygous F1 mice bearing the H-2(s) susceptibility allele. We found a considerable degree of cross-reactivity between MBP and MiHAs encoded in various EAE resistant mouse strains: (1) MBP-specific T cells can be re-stimulated in vitro by cells expressing these MiHAs and maintain their encephalitogenic activity, and (2) lymphoid cells from parental strains that generate EAE resistant F1 hybrids can induce disease relapse when injected into EAE-susceptible hosts.

Selective lysis of activated cells in oncorna virus infection.

The authors devised a cytotoxic assay based on cytofluorometric analysis of target surface markers in order to compare lysis exerted in vitro by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) on different cell subsets in the context of a single lymphoid target cell population. Using this assay, the authors evaluated when oncorna virus-infected lymphocytes become a suitable target for virus-specific T cell effectors. A lymphocyte population from Moloney-murine leukaemia virus (M-MuLV)-infected (carrier) mice, in which the proliferation of selective V beta T-cell receptor (TCR) families was induced in response to Mlsa encoded antigens, was utilized as a target.