ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the associations among emotional neglect (EN), stress-is-enhancing mindset (SIEM), stress-is-debilitating mindset (SIDM), and positive mental health (PMH).MethodsThe cross-sectional survey was employed in this study. A sample of 2150 college students (826 males) completed the emotional neglect subscale of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, the Stress Mindset Measure and the Positive Mental Health Scale. The PROCESS macro version 4.2 for SPSS was used to examine the moderated mediation model.ResultsEN negatively predicted PMH (p < 0.001). SIEM mediated the association between EN and PMH. Moreover, SIDM (β = 0.04, p < 0.001) not merely moderated the relationship between EN and PMH, but also moderated the link between EN and SIEM (β = 0.04, p < 0.001).ConclusionEN has a direct negative link to PMH and an indirect negative link to PMH through SIEM. Importantly, high SIDM mitigates the direct negative relation between EN and PMH. Moreover, the indirect negative effects of EN on PMH via SIEM diminish as SIDM increases, and the mediation pathway of SIEM is neutralized under high SIDM. These findings preliminary reveal the interplay between SIEM and SIDM in post-traumatic cognitive processing, offering new insights into the non-linear processes of psychological adaptation following early adversity.
Cross-national comparisons of adolescent mental health and suicidality in the Middle East: a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the global school-based student health survey
BackgroundAdolescent mental health and suicidality represent growing global public health concerns, yet comparative evidence from the Middle East remains limited. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress and suicidal behaviors among adolescents across Middle Eastern countries using the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS).MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative GSHS datasets from 12 Middle Eastern countries collected between 2004 and 2017. The pooled sample included 90,573 school-attending adolescents aged 11–18 years. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between psychosocial factors and suicidal behaviors while adjusting for age, sex, and country.ResultsSubstantial cross-country variation in mental health indicators and suicidality was observed. Loneliness ranged from 11.5% in Bahrain to over 50.0% among female adolescents in Tunisia and Morocco. Suicidal ideation affected 16.3% of adolescents overall, while suicide planning was reported by 13.4%. Suicide attempts were reported by 9.1% of adolescents at least once. Female adolescents consistently reported higher levels of loneliness and anxiety, whereas males showed slightly higher adjusted odds of suicidal ideation and attempts (OR = 1.2). Lack of parental support, low school connectedness, and fewer friendships were significantly associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts. Emotional symptoms such as loneliness (OR = 1.7) and anxiety (OR = 1.8) were also strongly associated with suicide attempts.ConclusionsPsychological distress and suicidality are prevalent among adolescents across the Middle East, with notable gender and cross-country differences. Strengthening family support, peer relationships, and school connectedness should be central to regional adolescent mental health and suicide prevention strategies.
From emotion regulation to suicide-specific coping: a qualitative study of self-regulatory processes in suicidal crises
IntroductionNegative affect is strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Accordingly, the ability to regulate intense negative affective states may be central to understanding the emergence and maintenance of STBs. However, very little is known about how individuals with lived experience regulate negative affect and cope with suicidal thoughts and urges. This study aimed to explore emotion-regulation strategies (ERS) and suicide-specific coping strategies (SCS) used during suicidal crises, their perceived effectiveness, and the situational and contextual factors influencing their selection.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 individuals admitted to a psychiatric hospital due to an acute suicidal crisis. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsBefore and during suicidal crises, participants predominantly used avoidance-oriented ERS that contributed to the maintenance of negative affect. With increasing distress, suicidal thoughts emerged as an additional ERS, providing short-term relief while contributing to the intensification of the suicidal crisis over time. A broad range of SCS was identified, differing in their motivational orientation toward suicidal behavior. Suicide-approach strategies (e.g., suppression, substance use, preparatory behaviors) often facilitated the escalation of the suicidal crisis, whereas suicide-avoidant strategies (e.g., seeking support, safety strategies) were context-dependent and not consistently effective. Strategy selection and effectiveness were shaped by situational and contextual factors.ConclusionSuicidal crises can be understood as dynamic, context-dependent self-regulatory processes characterized by escalating emotional distress, changes in strategy use, and dynamic regulatory resources. Interventions should focus on strengthening flexible coping repertoires and preserving self-regulatory capacity. Future research should further investigate these processes to improve prevention and intervention efforts.
Big Five personality profiles, self-reported distress, and resilience resources among adults in Italy after the acute COVID-19 emergency: a cross-sectional cluster-analytic study
IntroductionPsychological recovery after the acute COVID-19 emergency has been uneven, and brief non-diagnostic markers that stratify vulnerability may support public mental health monitoring. We examined whether person-centered Big Five profiles differentiated self-reported distress and resilience resources among adults living in Italy after the end of the World Health Organization-declared COVID-19 public health emergency.MethodsThis cross-sectional anonymous online survey included 2,169 adults assessed between 22 May 2023 and 23 December 2024. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), and Resilience Scale for Adults-11 (RSA-11). Standardized Big Five scores were clustered using k-means, and the number of profiles was evaluated using elbow, silhouette, and hierarchical-clustering methods.ResultsA two-profile solution was retained, although separation was modest (average silhouette width = 0.185). Compared with the resourceful trait profile (n = 1,113), the vulnerable trait profile (n = 1,056), characterized especially by lower emotional stability and conscientiousness, reported higher anxiety symptoms (g = 0.74), depressive symptoms (g = 0.76), and perceived stress (g = 0.86), and lower resilience resources (g = −1.02; all p < 0.001).DiscussionBrief person-centered Big Five profiling differentiated adults with greater self-reported symptom burden and fewer resilience resources in a prolonged post-emergency context. These findings are non-diagnostic and do not establish COVID-specific causal mechanisms, but may inform vulnerability stratification during future prolonged crises.
NeuroCon-AutismNet: a privacy-preserving multimodal framework toward autism screening via diffusion-regularized EEG biomarkers and empathy-aware multilingual dialogue
IntroductionAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening requires multimodal biomarkers to capture the heterogeneous neurological and behavioral phenotypes. Current screening approaches remain siloed across EEG analysis and conversational assessment, limiting integrated diagnostic architecture. Privacy-preserving machine learning frameworks for mental health screening are underdeveloped, particularly for multilingual deployment contexts. This paper presents NeuroCon-AutismNet, a candidate multimodal architecture integrating diffusion-regularized EEG synthesis, multilingual conversational screening, and formal differential privacy as architectural proof-of-concept. No diagnostic discrimination capability is claimed; all validation is scoped to synthetic evaluation.MethodsNeuroCon-AutismNet comprises four modules: (1) Temporal Diffusion Biomarker Generator (TDBG), a latent diffusion model over VAE-encoded 19-channel EEG; (2) Multilingual Affective Dialogue Screening Network (MADSN), a fine-tuned GPT-2-small module deployed in English, Spanish, and Hindi; (3) Neuro-Linguistic Fusion Transformer (NLFT), enforcing positional alignment as a design prior rather than learned cross-modal association; and (4) Adaptive Mixture-of-Experts Layer (AMEL-X) for entropy-regularized multimodal fusion. Formal (ε, δ)-differential privacy (ε = 1.0, δ = 1e-5) is verified via DP-SGD RDP composition (σ = 1.2, q = 0.0914, T = 550 steps, verified ε = 0.97). Privacy verification establishes architectural readiness for future real-data deployment; no real patient records are present in the training set.Results and DiscussionWithin closed synthetic evaluation, held-out diagnostic AUC is 0.503 (95% CI: 0.487–0.519, DeLong p = 0.67), statistically indistinguishable from chance and the central limitation of this study. Two partial external benchmarks are provided. Spectral comparison against three independently published real ASD EEG studies yields Pearson r = 0.87 across five frequency bands; delta and alpha directions are reproduced, but theta and gamma reproduce poorly with large amplitude errors (delta MAE 14.79%, alpha MAE 11.57%). Expert evaluation of MADSN outputs by 50 annotators under single-blind protocol yields 90% empathy satisfaction and Cohen’s κ = 0.82, reflecting text quality rather than clinical screening validity. The null diagnostic AUC and synthetic-only evaluation prevent any current screening or clinical-utility claims. Real-data EEG validation, clinician-caregiver interaction studies for MADSN, and DP-protected training on real patient records are prerequisites for future clinical deployment.
Prospective validation of imaging and serum diagnostic biomarkers of steatohepatitis and fibrosis in MASLD: the LITMUS Imaging Study
Nature Medicine, Published online: 24 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04496-2
In the LITMUS study, serum biomarkers outperformed imaging for identifying patients at risk of MASH, whereas elastography was superior for staging advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Drug Candidate Combats Age-Related Muscle Loss
Researchers in Japan have identified a compound that could help muscles stay strong as we age. Preclinical results published today in Scientific Reports uncover a promising new approach to treat conditions causing muscle loss and may help people preserve independence and quality of life in their later years.
Skeletal muscle is essential for movement, accounting for approximately 40% of an adult’s total body weight. Yet it is also one of the first tissues to decline with age, progressively leading to weakness, scarring, fat accumulation, and loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
The study focused on hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a molecule that plays a crucial role in activating the repair of muscle fibers. In healthy muscle, this molecule is present in the tissue surrounding muscle fibers. When the muscle is injured or stimulated through exercise, HGF is released and binds to c-met receptors on stem cells within the skeletal muscle, known as satellite cells. This activates the satellite cells and enables them to proliferate and differentiate to repair muscle fibers.
Aging can interfere with this process, making it a key driver of age-related muscle wasting. In an earlier study, the same team found that aging causes HGF to undergo nitration, a chemical modification that prevents it from binding to c-met receptors.
“HGF is not necessarily missing as we age,” said Ryuichi Tatsumi, PhD, professor at Kyushu University. “Rather, it can be chemically altered after it is made. That led us to wonder whether a compound with strong antioxidant capacity might protect HGF, either by preventing nitration or by compensating for the functional loss it causes.”
Tatsumi’s team then identified two compounds with strong antioxidant activity that could potentially interfere with HGF nitration: glutathione trisulfide (GSSSG) and lipoic acid trisulfide (LASSS). Both belong to a drug class known as trisulfides that has been gaining attention in preclinical research for their protective and anti-inflammatory properties across a wide range of indications.
While both drugs were able to suppress HGF nitration, only LASSS restored its ability to bind to c-met receptors. In fact, the drug candidate more than doubled HGF’s binding affinity while simultaneously preventing nitration.
“This exceeded our expectations,” said Tatsumi. “We knew trisulfides had diverse biological functions, but we never expected that simply mixing HGF with LASSS would produce such a striking effect. What this tells us is that LASSS does more than simply neutralize reactive molecules. It may interact directly with HGF and induce a subtle structural change, creating an enhanced ‘Super HGF’ form that binds c-met more strongly and resists nitration.”
The researchers then tested these effects in a mouse model of muscle atrophy. Compared to untreated animals, mice receiving LASSS showed a significant reduction in HGF nitration. Although further preclinical studies are needed before this approach can be tested in humans, these early findings point toward a promising strategy to preserve the muscle’s natural regenerative capacity and support healthy aging.
The post Drug Candidate Combats Age-Related Muscle Loss appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
STAT+: White House offers its science blueprint: More AI, less life sciences
For 18 months, the Trump administration has been accused by science advocates of shredding a social contract between academic researchers and the federal government that made the United States the world’s most powerful engine of discovery. Now it’s proposing a way to rebuild American science.
Taking inspiration from “Science — The Endless Frontier,” a 1945 manifesto that became the blueprint for the rise of American research universities, Trump’s science adviser, Michael Kratsios, this week put forth his version of such a report. Called “Science: A New Golden Age” and drafted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, it calls for shifting hundreds of billions of research dollars from universities to industry, primarily tech and artificial intelligence companies.
The report acknowledges problems scientists have long attempted to grapple with, but advocates and scientists expressed concern that the report’s espoused goal of improving science is being undermined by other administration actions, chiefly the grievances expressed by President Trump and his aides against immigration, universities, and programs that they deem as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
RCT of Mantram Repetition Versus Health Education for Veterans With PTSD and Chronic Pain
Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Pain, Chronic
Interventions: Behavioral: Mantram Repetition Program for PTSD + Pain; Behavioral: Health Education while Living with Pain
Sponsors: VA Office of Research and Development
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Behavioral: Mantram Repetition Program for PTSD + Pain; Behavioral: Health Education while Living with Pain
Sponsors: VA Office of Research and Development
Not yet recruiting
3-Dimensional Optical Scanning to Assess and Monitor Malnutrition in Eating Disorders (3D-ED) Study
Conditions: Anorexia in Adolescence; Anorexia Nervosa; Anorexia Nervosa, Atypical; Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating/Purging Type; Anorexia Nervosa Restricting Type; Anorexia Nervosa With Significantly Low Body Weight; Body Composition Changes; Growth & Development; Malnutrition Severe; Malnutrition, Calorie
Sponsors: University of California, San Francisco; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); Denver Health and Hospital Authority; University of Hawaii
Not yet recruiting
Sponsors: University of California, San Francisco; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); Denver Health and Hospital Authority; University of Hawaii
Not yet recruiting