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Objectives Providing adequate access to mental health services is a global challenge. Smartphone apps offer a potentially cost-effective, available and accessible solution for monitoring, supporting and treating mental health conditions. This systematic review describes and evaluates the usage of smartphone apps across a wide range of mental health disorders in terms of clinical effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability.Design This is a systematic review of studies examining treatment, self-monitoring and multipurpose smartphone apps for mental health disorders.Data sources Studies were identified through a comprehensive search of the Ovid and PubMed databases. Articles published up to 14 January 2024 were included based on predefined criteria.Eligibility criteria We included randomised controlled trials that compared mental health apps (single- or multipurpose) with treatment-as-usual or no treatment for clinical populations with mental health disorders. Studies were excluded if they focused on web-based interventions, combined apps with non-TAU treatments or targeted physical health apps.Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers screened and selected studies, with a third reviewer resolving inconsistencies. Extracted data included study details, participant characteristics, app information and outcome measures related to effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability. A risk-of-bias assessment for each study was conducted.Results Out of 4153 non-duplicate articles screened, 31 studies met full-text eligibility criteria. These included 6 studies on treatment apps, 4 on self-monitoring apps and 21 on multipurpose apps for a range of mental health disorders. Fifteen were identified as having between some and high concern on the risk-of-bias assessment. While smartphone apps were generally effective and acceptable, their feasibility appeared to decline over time.Conclusions Smartphone apps are promising tools for mental healthcare, demonstrating effectiveness and acceptability. However, challenges such as reduced feasibility over time, potential biases and underrepresented demographics require further research. This review proposes five recommendations for improving clinical translation in future studies.

RESUMO Embora institucionalizadas no Sistema Único de Saúde, a dinâmica de implementação das Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (Pics) na Estratégia Saúde da Família, pela perspectiva da odontologia, representa um campo inédito de estudo. Assim, buscou-se compreender a percepção dos cirurgiões-dentistas atuantes nesse contexto, no município de Vitória, Espírito Santo, quanto à incorporação e à implementação dessas práticas. Realizaram-se entrevistas semiestruturadas com 40 cirurgiões-dentistas, gravadas, transcritas e submetidas à análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Dos dados, emergiram três categorias: o entendimento sobre Pics, a percepção sobre incorporação e implementação, e sobre as políticas de Pics. Observaram-se a compreensão, a aceitação e o interesse unânimes das práticas, evidenciando seu valor alinhado às diretrizes das políticas relacionadas, realçando o significativo potencial disponível no município. No entanto, desafios como lacunas de conhecimento das políticas e das regulamentações odontológicas específicas, bem como falhas no processo de educação permanente, destacam a importância de aprimoramento das estratégias de divulgação e capacitação dos profissionais. Conclui-se que, embora estejam incorporadas e haja um potencial considerável para expansão, é necessário ultrapassar as barreiras que se apresentam, a fim de alcançar uma implementação efetiva das Pics no município, incluindo em contextos específicos como a odontologia.

Freezing of gait is a frequent phenomenon and can be one of the most debilitating motor impairments in Parkinson’s disease, especially in the advanced stages. It is currently defined as a brief episodic absence or any marked reduction in the forward progression of the feet, despite the intention to walk. Greater severity of freezing of gait has been associated with more frequent falls, postural instability, and executive dysfunction. However, botulinum neurotoxin is one of the most widely administered therapies for motor and non-motor symptoms, including freezing of gait, in parkinsonism. To date, the literature has had conflicting results on the use of botulinum toxin in the treatment of freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease patients. In light of this, we reviewed the findings of past studies that specifically investigated the effects of botulinum toxin on freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease in order to better understand this issue.

MTs are prevalent in dogs, representing the most frequent oral malignancy, compared to cats, in which ocular melanomas predominate. This study investigates the canine and feline MT epidemiology (2005–2024) of cases submitted to the Veterinary Pathology Service (University of Perugia). Among the canine neoplasms, 845 (4%) were melanocytic: 329 (39%) melanocytomas; 512 (61%) melanomas. Of these, 485 (57%) were cutaneous (4% of canine cutaneous neoplasms), 193 (23%) were oral (50% of oral canine neoplasms), and 104 (12%) were mucocutaneous. The average age of affected dogs was 10 years. Older dogs were more likely to have melanomas compared to melanocytomas (p < 0.001). There were 60 (1%) feline MTs: 6 (10%) melanocytomas; 53 (88%) melanomas. Of these, 29 (48%) were cutaneous (1% of feline cutaneous tumors), 18 (30%) were ocular, and 9 (15%) were oral (22% of feline oral tumors). The average age of affected cats was 11 years. In dogs, mucocutaneous melanomas were more common compared to cutaneous ones (p < 0.05); oral melanomas were more common compared to all other sites (p < 0.001). In cats, ocular melanomas were more common compared to cutaneous ones (p < 0.05). Our study provides the MT prevalence in a selected canine and feline population, revealing MT epidemiological patterns, highlighting species-specific differences in the tumor prevalence, localization, and age distribution.

Oral melanomas are the most common oral malignancies in dogs and are characterized by an aggressive nature, invasiveness, and poor prognosis. With biological and genetic similarities to human oral melanomas, they serve as a valuable spontaneous comparative model. Primary cell cultures are widely used in human medicine and, more recently, in veterinary medicine to study tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and innovative therapeutic approaches. This study aims to establish two- and three-dimensional primary cell lines from oral canine melanomas using fine-needle aspiration as a minimally invasive sampling method. For this study, samples were collected from six dogs, represented by four primary oral melanomas and five lymph nodal metastases. The cells were digested to obtain single-cell suspensions, seeded in flasks, or processed with Matrigel® to form organoids. The cell cultures were characterized through flow cytometry using antibodies against Melan-A, PNL2, and Sox-10. This technique offers a minimally invasive means to obtain cell samples, particularly beneficial for patients that are ineligible for surgical procedures, and enables the establishment of in vitro models crucial for comparative studies in mucosal melanoma oncology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work establishing neoplastic primary cell cultures via fine-needle aspiration in dogs.

Accumulating evidence links the microbial communities inhabiting the gut to the pathophysiological processes underlying multiple sclerosis (MS). However, most studies on the microbiome in MS are correlative in nature, thus being at risk of confounding and reverse causality. Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses allow the estimation of the causal relationship between a risk factor and an outcome of interest using genetic variants as proxies for environmental exposures. Here, we performed a two-sample MR to assess the causality between the gut microbiome and MS. We extracted genetic instruments from summary statistics from three large genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on the gut microbiome (18,340, 8959, and 7738 subjects). The exposure data were derived from the latest GWAS on MS susceptibility (47,429 patients and 68,374 controls). We pinpointed several microbial strains whose abundance is linked with enhanced MS risk (Actinobacteria class, Bifidobacteriaceae family, Lactobacillus genus) or protection (Prevotella spp., Lachnospiranaceae genus, Negativibacillus genus). The largest risk effect was seen for Ruminococcus Torques (OR, 2.89, 95% C.I. 1.67–5, p = 1.51 × 10−4), while Akkermansia municiphila emerged as strongly protective (OR, 0.43, 95% C.I. 0.32–0.57, p = 1.37 × 10−8). Our findings support a causal relationship between the gut microbiome and MS susceptibility, reinforcing the relevance of the microbiome–gut–brain axis in disease etiology, opening wider perspectives on host–environmental interactions for MS prevention.

Abstract Although the discovery of the critical role of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is now twenty-five years old, it still represents a milestone in PD research. Abnormal forms of α-syn trigger selective and progressive neuronal death through mitochondrial impairment, lysosomal dysfunction, and alteration of calcium homeostasis not only in PD but also in other α-syn-related neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure, and REM sleep behavior disorder. Furthermore, α-syn-dependent early synaptic and plastic alterations and the underlying mechanisms preceding overt neurodegeneration have attracted great interest. In particular, the presence of early inflammation in experimental models and PD patients, occurring before deposition and spreading of α-syn, suggests a mechanistic link between inflammation and synaptic dysfunction. The knowledge of these early mechanisms is of seminal importance to support the research on reliable biomarkers to precociously identify the disease and possible disease-modifying therapies targeting α-syn. In this review, we will discuss these critical issues, providing a state of the art of the role of this protein in early PD and other synucleinopathies.

In the present article, optimal control problems for linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) with time-dependent coefficient functions are considered. One of the common approach in literature is to derive the first-order sufficient optimality system and to apply a finite element (FE) discretization. This leads to a specific linear but high-dimensional time variant (LTV) dynamical system. To reduce the size of the LTV system, we apply a tailored reduced order modeling technique based on empirical gramians and derived directly from the first-order optimality system. For testing purpose, we focus on two specific examples: a multiobjective optimization and a closed-loop optimal control problem. Our proposed methodology results to be better performing than a standard proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) approach for the above mentioned examples.

Previous exposure to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is strongly associated with the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). By contrast, past cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may have no association, or be negatively associated with MS. This study aimed to investigate the associations of herpesvirus infections with MS in an Italian population. Serum samples (n = 200) from Italian people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) classified as the relapsing-and-remitting clinical phenotype and (n = 137) healthy controls (HCs) were obtained from the CRESM Biobank, Orbassano, Italy. Both PwMS and HCs samples were selected according to age group (20–39 years, and 40 or more years) and sex. EBV virus capsid antigen (VCA) IgG, EBV nucleic acid-1 antigen (EBNA-1) IgG, CMV IgG, herpes simplex virus (HSV) IgG, and varicella zoster virus (VZV) IgG testing was undertaken using commercial ELISAs. EBV VCA IgG and EBNA-1 IgG seroprevalences were 100% in PwMS and 93.4% and 92.4%, respectively, in HCs. EBV VCA IgG and EBNA-1 IgG levels were higher (p < 0.001) in PwMS compared with HCs. For PwMS, the EBNA-1 IgG levels decreased with age, particularly in females. The CMV IgG seroprevalence was 58.7% in PwMS and 62.9% in HCs. CMV IgG seroprevalence increased with age. The HSV IgG seroprevalence was 71.2% in PwMS and 70.8% in HCs. HSV IgG levels were lower (p = 0.0005) in PwMS compared with HCs. VZV IgG seroprevalence was 97.5% in PwMS and 98.5% in HCs. In the population studied, several herpesvirus infections markers may have been influenced by the age and sex of the groups studied. The lack of a negative association of MS with CMV infection, and the observation of lower levels of HSV IgG in PwMS compared with HCs are findings worthy of further investigation.

Background: Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with multiple comorbidities and is characterized by an auto-aggressive inflammatory state leading to massive collateral damage. To identify preventive and therapeutic strategies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is important to ascertain the molecular interactions between virus and host, and how they translate into disease pathophysiology. Methods: We matched virus-human protein interactions of human coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses with lists of genes associated with autoimmune diseases and comorbidities associated to worse COVID-19 course. We then selected the genes included in the statistically significant intersection between SARS-CoV-2 network and disease associated gene sets, identifying a meta-interactome. We analyzed the meta-interactome genes expression in samples derived from lungs of infected humans, and their regulation by IFN-β. Finally, we performed a drug repurposing screening to target the network's most critical nodes. Results: We found a significant enrichment of SARS-CoV-2 interactors in immunological pathways and a strong association with autoimmunity and three prognostically relevant conditions (type 2 diabetes, coronary artery diseases, asthma), that present more independent physiopathological subnetworks. We observed a reduced expression of meta-interactome genes in human lungs after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a regulatory potential of type I interferons. We also underscored multiple repurposable drugs to tailor the therapeutic strategies. Conclusions: Our data underscored a plausible genetic background that may contribute to the distinct observed pathophysiologies of severe COVID-19. Also, these results may help identify the most promising therapeutic targets and treatments for this condition.

Abstract The mental health benefits of everyday encounters with birdlife for mental health are poorly understood. Previous studies have typically relied on retrospective questionnaires or artificial set-ups with little ecological validity. In the present study, we used the Urban Mind smartphone application to examine the impact of seeing or hearing birds on self-reported mental wellbeing in real-life contexts. A sample of 1292 participants completed a total of 26,856 ecological momentary assessments between April 2018 and October 2021. Everyday encounters with birdlife were associated with time-lasting improvements in mental wellbeing. These improvements were evident not only in healthy people but also in those with a diagnosis of depression, the most common mental illness across the world. These findings have potential implications for both environmental and wildlife protection and mental healthcare policies. Specific measures, aimed at preserving and increasing everyday encounters with birdlife in urban areas, should be implemented.

Abstract A clinically actionable understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology goes through GWAS interpretation, prompting research on new gene regulatory models. Our previous investigations suggested heterogeneity in etiology components and stochasticity in the interaction between genetic and non-genetic factors. To find a unifying model for this evidence, we focused on the recently mapped transient transcriptome (TT), that is mostly coded by intergenic and intronic regions, with half-life of minutes. Through a colocalization analysis, here we demonstrate that genomic regions coding for the TT are significantly enriched for MS-associated GWAS variants and DNA binding sites for molecular transducers mediating putative, non-genetic, determinants of MS (vitamin D deficiency, Epstein Barr virus latent infection, B cell dysfunction), indicating TT-coding regions as MS etiopathogenetic hotspots. Future research comparing cell-specific transient and stable transcriptomes may clarify the interplay between genetic variability and non-genetic factors causing MS. To this purpose, our colocalization analysis provides a freely available data resource at www.mscoloc.com .

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a tendência da mortalidade por suicídio no estado do Espírito Santo e em sua Região Serrana no período de 1996 a 2020. Métodos Estudo descritivo e analítico de série temporal com dados consolidados dos óbitos por suicídio na população acima de 15 anos de idade obtidos no Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade. As unidades de análise foram o estado do Espírito Santo e sua Região Serrana. A análise da tendência foi verificada pela regressão de Prais-Winsten e pelo cálculo da variação percentual anual. Resultados Foram notificados 3.922 óbitos por suicídio no Espírito Santo e, destes, 525 na Região Serrana. A tendência da mortalidade por suicídio no estado foi crescente na população geral acima de 15 anos (APC= 5,1; IC95%= 0,28-9,92; p=0,039). A tendência da mortalidade se manteve crescente entre a população feminina, tanto em relação ao estado (APC= 6;5; IC95%= 1,55-14,46; p=0,012) como na região serrana (APC= 15,2; IC95%= 1,21-29,20; p=0,035). A mortalidade foi crescente na faixa etária de 30 a 59 anos no estado (APC= 3,4; IC95%= 0,62-6,10; p=0,018) e na Região Serrana (APC= 2,9; IC95%= 2,02-3,86; p

Abstract Clinical, histological and immunohistochemical examination of a 13‐year‐old male client‐owned Pekingese dog revealed an uncommon presentation of apocrine cutaneous cystomatosis. This is a rare non‐neoplastic condition of uncertain cause, characterised by multiple cystically dilated apocrine sweat glands. We aimed to describe the features of this unusual case of generalised cutaneous apocrine cystomatosis in the dog, which can be useful to distinguish it from multifocal benign cystic apocrine tumours.