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Trauma and physical pain : an urban-rural comparison of sexually abused girls in Burundi
No full textBackground:
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant risk factor for physical and psychological difficulties, especially in (post-)war- and conflict affected regions. Survivors often suffer from both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical pain. Avoidance
may contribute to symptom chronification. Yet, in rural areas daily physical obligations may render physical activities unavoidable for survivors. Living conditions post-CSA may play a decisive role in symptom development and chronification.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to compare PTSD symptom severity and physical pain intensities post-CSA in rural and urban children/adolescents in Burundi. Additionally, the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and physical pain intensity was analysed.
Method:
The sample comprised 138 sexually abused female children/adolescents (M = 15.9, SD = 1.7), of whom 65 lived in urban and 73 lived in rural areas. Local psychologists assessed PTSD symptom severity and pain intensities using standardized questionnaires.
Results:
A Fisher’s Exact Test revealed significantly lower pain intensities in rural compared to urban children/adolescents. No significant group differences in PTSD symptom severity were found using a T-Test. PTSD symptom severity correlated positively with pain intensity in the total sample (τOverall = .16) and in the urban subgroup (τUrban = .16).
Conclusion:
The results indicate a relationship between physical pain intensity and living conditions, potentially through physical activity levels post-CSA. The findings also support a link between PTSD and physical pain, highlighting the importance of avoidance for the development and maintainance of both in young female CSA survivors.publishe
Transnational processes of memory, migration and identity in Central and South-Eastern Europe
No full textThis special issue examines the interplay of memory, identity, and migration in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southeast Europe (SEE) within broader transnational European and global contexts. It explores how memory processes influence identity and a sense of belonging in migration experiences and how historical narratives shape contemporary biases, solidarities, and social transformations. By addressing transnational memory practices, the issue provides a framework for understanding how past experiences and mobility patterns intersect to shape regional identities. The contributions collectively underscore the importance of memory-migration dynamics in the evolving socio-political landscape of CEE and SEE in a broader European and global perspective.publishe
Sustainable and Resilient Agrifood Systems (SARAS) : a Leibniz Position
No full textCurrent agrifood systems fail to provide healthy, affordable food for all while also damaging the environment, contributing to climate change, reducing biodiversity, and increasing inequality. Given these compounding crises, it is crucial to transition towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems (SARAS). This paper synthesizes perspectives from multiple disciplines on SARAS, incorporating consensus statements, current research positions, and actionable measures comprising ecological, economic, social, and political dimensions. Achieving a balance between global and local solutions is paramount to address the complexities inherent in agrifood systems. Moving forward, diversifying consumption patterns, production systems, and value chains depending on local conditions can support the realization of SARAS. Adopting a holistic system approach that covers both global and local dimensions of agrifood systems minimizes trade‐offs, leverages synergies, integrates international agreements, and mitigates unintended impacts on other countries and vulnerable groups. Nevertheless, several unsolved issues persist, including matters of scaling, applicability of effective policy instruments, and securing funding for this transformation.publishe
Singular stochastic delay equations driven by fractional Brownian motion : Dynamics, longtime behaviour, and pathwise stability
No full textpublishe
Social surrogacy : Market design and implications for fertility
No full textWe investigate theoretically the introduction of a market for commercial surrogacy for social motives. Agents have heterogeneous incomes and preferences for parenthood, and face pregnancy-related income reductions. In equilibrium, low-income agents provide surrogacy for high-income agents who seek “insurance” against income loss and would not become parents without surrogacy. Surrogacy has an ambiguous effect on fertility: it increases fertility only if the latter is low without surrogacy. Otherwise, its impact on fertility is negative.publishe
Falscher Schulzweig? Wahrgenommene Bildungsungerechtigkeit bei Jugendlichen mit Migrationsgeschichte
No full textpublishe
Small-molecule dissolution of stress granules by redox modulation benefits ALS models
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are often associated with mutations in stress granule proteins. Aberrant stress granule condensate formation is associated with disease, making it a potential target for pharmacological intervention. Here, we identified lipoamide, a small molecule that specifically prevents cytoplasmic condensation of stress granule proteins. Thermal proteome profiling showed that lipoamide stabilizes intrinsically disordered domain-containing proteins, including SRSF1 and SFPQ, which are stress granule proteins necessary for lipoamide activity. SFPQ has redox-state-specific condensate dissolving behavior, which is modulated by the redox-active lipoamide dithiolane ring. In animals, lipoamide ameliorates aging-associated aggregation of a stress granule reporter protein, improves neuronal morphology and recovers motor defects caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated FUS and TDP-43 mutants. Thus, lipoamide is a well-tolerated small-molecule modulator of stress granule condensation, and dissection of its molecular mechanism identified a cellular pathway for redox regulation of stress granule formation.publishe
Heat Stress Drives Rapid Viral and Antiviral Innate Immunity Activation in Hexacorallia
No full textThe class Hexacorallia, encompassing stony corals and sea anemones, plays a critical role in marine ecosystems. Coral bleaching, the disruption of the symbiosis between stony corals and zooxanthellate algae, is driven by seawater warming and further exacerbated by pathogenic microbes. However, how pathogens, especially viruses, contribute to accelerated bleaching remains poorly understood. Here the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is used to explore these dynamics by creating a transgenic line with a reporter gene regulated by sequences from two RIG-I-like receptor genes involved in antiviral responses. Under heat stress, the reporter genes showed significant upregulation. Further, transcriptomes from N. vectensis, Exaiptasia diaphana and the stony coral Stylophora pistillata were analysed to reveal stress-induced activation of a set of bona fide immune-related genes conserved between the three species. Population-specific differences in stress-induced transcriptional responses of immune-related genes were evident in both Nematostella and Stylophora, depending on geographic origin. In Exaiptasia, the presence of zooxanthellae also influenced stress-induced immune gene expression. To test whether the viruses themselves contribute to this immune response under stress, we subjected N. vectensis to heat stress and measured the transcription dynamics of resident viruses as well as selected antiviral genes. While the antiviral genes responded within hours of heat stress, viral gene expression was already upregulated within 30 min, suggesting that their increase might be contributing to the elevated immune response under stress, and consequentially, the further demise of organismal homeostasis. These findings highlight the interplay between environmental stress, viruses, immune responses and symbiotic states in Hexacorallia.publishe
Genome-scale metabolic modelling in antimicrobial pharmacology : Present and future
No full textThe persistent surge in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has propelled the search for innovative strategies in antimicrobial use. Genome-scale metabolic modelling (GSMM) has emerged as a transformative tool in this quest, offering a comprehensive understanding of host and microbial metabolism and their interactions with antimicrobial agents. This review emphasises current advancements in the application of GSMM to antimicrobial pharmacology, highlighting its role in deciphering complex microbial and host responses to drug exposure, identifying novel therapeutic targets and optimising therapeutic options. We discuss how GSMM has elucidated mechanisms of drug action, resistance pathways, and off-target effects, providing a systems-level perspective that challenges the traditional “one drug, one target” approach. The integration of GSMM with high-throughput omics technologies and machine learning showcases its potential to refine predictions of drug efficacy, optimise dosing strategies, and minimise toxicity. We also address the challenges and future directions of GSMM, including its expansion to host-pathogen-drug interactions and personalised medicine. Ultimately, GSMM stands as a cornerstone of modern antimicrobial research, with the potential to revolutionise the development of effective treatments against MDR pathogens.publishe
Programmed seasonal brain shrinkage in the common shrew via water loss without cell death
No full textBrain plasticity, the brain’s inherent ability to adapt its structure and function, is crucial for responding to environmental challenges but is usually not linked to a significant change in size. A striking exception to this is Dehnel’s phenomenon, where seasonal reversible brain-size reduction occurs in some small mammals to decrease metabolic demands during resource-scarce winter months. Despite these volumetric changes being well documented, the specific microstructural alterations that facilitate this adaptation remain poorly understood. Our study employed diffusion microstructure imaging (DMI) to explore these changes in common shrews, revealing significant alterations in water diffusion properties such as increased mean diffusivity and decreased fractional anisotropy, leading to decreased water content inside brain cells during winter. These findings confirm that brain-size reduction correlates with a decrease in cell size, as our data indicate no reduction in cell numbers, showcasing a reorganization of brain tissue that supports survival without compromising brain function. These findings extend our understanding of neuronal resilience and may inform future research on regenerative mechanisms, particularly during the spring regrowth phase, offering potential strategies relevant to neurodegenerative disease.publishe