When manifested in a dysfunctional manner, anxiety constitutes a mental health concern. This study assessed the effects of incorporating 3 different interventions into parts of physical education classes on anxiety symptoms (AS) in high school students. In addition, secondary analyses were conducted based on the intervention volume and participants' age group.

A parallel, 4-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted involving technical high school students from 2 campuses of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology from Brazil. The intervention protocols were administered over 12 weeks and included diaphragmatic breathing exercises (IG-1), aerobic and resistance exercises (IG-2), and cooperative sports activities (IG-3), along with a control group. One campus held 2 sessions per week (totaling 24), and the other held 3 sessions per week (totaling 36). Generalized Estimating Equations adjusted for gender on an intention-to-treat basis were used to analyze the intervention effects on AS.

The study involved 326 students (IG-1 = 94, IG-2 = 56, IG-3 = 91, control group = 85), 46.9% female, and aged 17.1 (2.0) years. No overall significant group effects were found (IG-1: n = mean difference (d¯) = -0.03; SE = 0.37; IG-2: d¯ = -0.98; SE = 0.52; IG-3: d¯ = -0.31; SE = 0.46; control group: d¯ = -0.33; SE = 0.34). For age-group analysis, participants aged 18-20 in IG-2 showed improvement (P = .008) on AS (d¯ = -2.20; SE = 0.83; effect size = 0.41).

A 12-week intervention incorporating aerobic and resistance exercises into physical education classes can reduce ASs in students in late adolescence and early adulthood.

The concordance between physiological and subjective experiences of emotion is viewed as a core aspect of emotion and an important factor underlying psychopathology and well-being. However, there is a lack of research investigating concordance in ecologically valid contexts. Additionally, trait-level risk factors that may moderate concordance have yet to be thoroughly examined. The current study aimed (1) to determine whether concordance for naturally occurring affect is present at the within-person level and (2) to evaluate emotional clarity as a moderator of concordance in ecologically valid settings. The current study used ambulatory measures of autonomic physiological arousal and ecological momentary assessment over a four-week period to examine within-person concordance in everyday life within an adolescent clinical sample. The current study also examined whether between-person differences in trait-level emotional clarity moderate concordance. Significant concordance was found for momentary subjective anxiety and calmness, respectively, in relation to autonomic physiological arousal. In moderator analyses, individuals with greater emotional clarity exhibited greater concordance between physiological arousal and overall negative affect than did individuals with lower emotional clarity. These results extend findings from lab-based, experimental-induction paradigms to concordance in daily life and within clinically acute youth. Our results suggest that targeted interventions to strengthen concordance by improving emotional clarity may be an avenue for enhancing mental health and well-being.

Cognitive impairments are common among individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) and can significantly affect treatment outcomes, including retention and abstinence rates. Traditional neuropsychological assessments are often impractical for routine clinical use due to time and resource limitations, underscoring the need for brief, reliable cognitive screening tools. This study aims to evaluate two such tools, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Brief Cognitive Status Examination (BCSE), in comparison to the Neuropsychological Battery of Fundació ACE (NBACE), considered the gold standard. A total of 258 SUD patients aged 45 and older were recruited from 12 outpatient centers across Catalonia, Spain. The findings revealed that 41.5% of participants exhibited impairments in more than three of six cognitive domains. The MoCA, using a cutoff score of 23, demonstrated a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 71%. In contrast, the BCSE showed a higher specificity (86%) and a slightly lower sensitivity (72%), resulting in fewer false positives. Additionally, the BCSE achieved a higher positive predictive value (PPV) than the MoCA (79% vs. 66%). Given its ease of administration, time efficiency, and superior accuracy, the BCSE emerges as a promising tool for routine cognitive screening in older adults with SUD. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating cognitive assessments into standard clinical practice to better identify cognitive deficits and guide personalized treatment strategies.

Individuals with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) may exhibit impairments in social cognition (SC), but few interventions are known to improve it. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of E-Motional Training (ET®), an online self-training program for SC, in a sample of individuals with SUD.

This randomized controlled trial included 47 outpatients diagnosed with SUD (22 in the control group and 25 in the experimental group). The experimental group underwent 12 sessions of ET® over 3 months, while the control group received treatment as usual. Outcome measures assessed two of the most studied SC domains: emotion recognition and Theory of Mind.

Mixed ANOVAs showed significant group ×  time interactions (pre- vs post-treatment) for total emotion recognition [F(1,46) = 4.568, p = .038] with a moderate effect size (d = 0.495), and for recognition of the basic emotion fear [F(1,46) = 4.186, p = .047] with a small effect size (d = 0.341). Post hoc analyses revealed between-group differences after treatment in these same variables (total emotion recognition: [F(1,46) = 5.114, p = .029]; fear recognition: [F(1,46) = 4.283, p = .044]), as well as pre-post differences within the experimental group for total emotion recognition [F(1,46) = 4.707, p = .035].

The results of this pilot study suggest that the ET® intervention improves emotion recognition in individuals with SUD.

Clinical Trial NCT06514937.

To evaluate and compare the predictive value of eight dementia risk scores for late-life cognitive function and cognitive decline; ANU-ADRI, CAIDE, CogDrisk, LIBRA, LIBRA2, UKBDRS(-APOE), and a Lancet commission-based risk score.

Using Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) data, we calculated risk scores from lifestyle and health data of 7221 dementia-free participants (mean age: 76.8 years, 54.1% female) collected in HUNT3 (2006-2008). Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA) 11 years later in HUNT4 70+, and reassessed in 4716 participants 4 years thereafter. Associations between continuous risk scores or risk score tertiles, cognition and cognitive decline were examined using linear mixed-effects models. Logistic regression models were used to test associations between risk scores and a ≥ 3-point decline in MoCA scores.

All risk scores were significantly associated with cognitive function and cognitive decline. Associations with cognitive function ranged from UKBDRS β _{per 1SD}=-1.61(95%CI:-1.72,-1.51) to CAIDE (β=-0.74;95%CI:-0.82,-0.67), and with yearly cognitive decline from Lancet (β=-0.23;95%CI:-0.27,-0.18) to CAIDE (β=-0.04;95%CI:-0.07,-0.02). High-low risk group differences in cognitive function were largest for CogDrisk (β=-3.04;95%CI:-3.27,-2.81), LIBRA (β=-3.04;95%CI:-3.27,-2.80) and lowest for CAIDE (β=-1.65;95%CI:-1.86,-1.44). High-risk groups showed the steepest decline for UKBDRS-APOE (β=-0.43;95%CI:-0.52,-0.34), Lancet (β=-0.39;95%CI:-0.48,-0.30), and LIBRA (β=-0.38;95%CI:-0.47,-0.28). All scores predicted ≥3-point decline modestly: AUCs were highest for UKBDRS (AUC=0.61;95%CI:0.60,0.63), UKBDRS-APOE (0.61;95%CI:0.60,0.63), CogDrisk (0.60;95%CI:0.58,0.62), and Lancet (0.60;95%CI:0.58,0.61), but none outperformed a model including age and education alone (0.61;95%CI:0.60,0.63).

Risk scores captured meaningful gradients in cognition and decline but offered limited discriminatory accuracy beyond demographics, supporting their use for prevention-oriented risk profiling rather than prediction.

To delineate the minimum signals required to activate and expand antigen-specific memory CD8+ T cells, we used immunotherapeutics termed Immuno-STAT (IST) that we designed to selectively engage and activate antigen-specific T-cell receptors alone or combined with a defined co-stimulatory signal to recapitulate the discrete activation signals delivered by antigen-presenting cells to human CD8+ T cells. Transcriptome analysis of highly purified CD8+ cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific memory T cells after delivering defined antigen-specific TCR signals alone or with co-stimulatory signals revealed that the combination of TCR signaling and CD28 or 4-1BB co-stimulatory signals significantly altered the transcriptome compared to activation by TCR signaling alone. Nevertheless, IST-delivered CMV-specific or HIV-specific TCR signaling alone in the presence of IL-2 was sufficient to induce robust recall activation and expansion of CMV (NLV)-specific or HIV (SL9)-specific memory CD8+ T cells, respectively. This response contrasts with naïve antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and TCR-engineered T cells, which required CD28 co-stimulation in addition to TCR stimulation for robust antigen-specific activation and expansion. These results have important implications by indicating that immunotherapeutics that deliver antigen-specific TCR signals alone in the presence of adequate environmental cytokine support should be sufficient for immune-based strategies designed to expand antigen-specific memory CD8+ T cells to eliminate cancerous or infected cells. In contrast, strategies that aim to optimally stimulate and expand virus or cancer-specific naïve or TCR-engineered T-cell responses would benefit from the codelivery of TCR and CD28 signals.

Gitelman syndrome (GS) is a rare, autosomal recessive salt-losing tubulopathy caused by mutations in the SLC12A3 gene. It involves dysfunction of the sodium-chloride cotransporter positioned on the apical membranes of the distal convoluted tubule cells, causing sodium shortage and mimicking the use of thiazide diuretics. Hyperaldosteronism secondary to sodium depletion and hypovolemia causes hypokalaemia and metabolic alkalosis. This is associated with inhibition of the Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel, Subfamily M, Member 6 -TRPM6 channel, which leads to urinary magnesium leakage and hypomagnesemia, subsequently stopping PTH secretion and resulting in hypocalcemia and hypocalciuria. Gitelman syndrome frequently presents later in life, as the symptoms are usually not very threatening. However, early identification, diagnosis, and urgent intervention are essential to improve patient prognosis and quality of life. Importantly, both hypomagnesemia and hypokalaemia can impair insulin secretion and sensitivity. Furthermore, hyperaldosteronism caused by the secondary activation of the R-A-A system can also lead to these disorders. Glucose metabolism problems have been shown to prevail amongst GS patients and manifest more frequently in comparison to the general population. When it comes to the treatment used to reduce hyperglycemia in GS-related T2DM, we consider which of the available drugs are the best for those patients. The article analyses the association of Gitelman syndrome with diabetes mellitus based on the available medical literature-as there are no clinical trials or meta-analyses available for this group, it is presented as a narrative review.

Jerusalem artichoke (JA) (Helianthus tuberosus), a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family, is well known for its high inulin content and diverse bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, sesquiterpenes, and amino acids. Extracts derived from different parts of JA, such as tubers, leaves, and flowers, have demonstrated a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, and antifungal effects. These properties highlight JA's potential in the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, obesity, and colorectal cancer. Recent studies also suggest that JA benefits skin health through anti-aging and barrier-protective mechanisms and enhances immune function by modulating the intestinal microbiota. Owing to its multifunctional physiological activities, JA is being explored as a valuable raw material for food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. However, most existing research has focused primarily on inulin, while comprehensive studies on other bioactive constituents and their clinical validation remain limited. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the bioactive compounds present in JA, elucidate their health-promoting functions, discuss their pharmacokinetics, and outline future perspectives on their potential as functional ingredients and biohealth materials.