Case report: hikikomori syndrome in Italy and its link with autistic traits and internet gaming disorder.

During the last few decades, a growing field of literature is focusing on hikikomori, a phenomenon described as a form of pathological social withdrawal or social isolation that lasts for more than 6 months leading to significant functional impairment and/or distress. Despite initially considered a culture-bound syndrome, hikikomori syndrome later gained a wider recognition in different countries, ranging from an attempt to take refuge in an idealistic world, when society success' standards are not reached, to a maladaptive coping strategy complicating several psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety disorders, major depression, internet addiction, internet gaming disorder (IGD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this framework, difficulties in social interaction, in problem solving strategies and socio-emotional reciprocity, may lead to social withdrawal and hikikomori-like behaviors. In this work, we described two cases of patients where the presence of underlying autism spectrum may have represented a sign of vulnerability towards the development of a possible full-blown case of hikikomori with IGD.

Main Biological Models of Resilience.

Objective: Resilience is a complex process of adaptation to new conditions that would permit a positive outcome after adversities, traumas or other sources of stress. However, despite the growing interest in this topic, there is no universally accepted definition and no comprehensive bio-behavioural model. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the main biological models that have been theorized to date, with a focus on new alternative theories to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development and strengthening of resilience, with potential implications for the prevention of some psychopathological disorders. Method: This review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and includes 185 studies published in English in PubMed and Embase up to December 2023. Results: Most studies use the stress-related model, which conceptualizes resilience as the absence of symptoms after the stressful event and mainly deal with the differences between stress-prone and resilient phenotypes in animals exposed to stress. However, the results of this search seem to suggest that resilience might be an independent construct with biological bases rooted in the stress system and the social brain, and widely sculptured by individual and environmental factors, especially early life events and affiliation. Conclusions: This work contributes to ongoing efforts to understand the intricate mechanisms of resilience, while highlighting the potential of improving social relationships since our birth to promote coping strategies towards stress and traumas, and even a peaceful world.

Early experience with the new DORA daridorexant in patients with insomnia disorder and comorbid mental disturbances: Results of a naturalistic study with 3 months follow-up.

Insomnia disorder may affect mental health, increasing suicidal risk. Targeting insomnia is crucial in the clinical practice. Sixty-six consecutive patients with insomnia disorder according with the DSM-5-TR criteria were treated with the dual orexin receptor antagonist, daridorexant 50 mg. Baseline (T0), 1 month (T1) and 3 month (T2) evaluations were performed. Insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index), mood, anxiety symptoms and suicidal risk (Beck Depression Inventory-II, Young Mania Rating Scale, Self-Reported Anxiety Scale, Suicidal Ideation Scale), dysfunctional insomnia-cognitive factors and pre-sleep arousal (Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale) were evaluated. The final sample included 66 patients (n = 36, 54% females, mean age 60 ± 13.6 years). Most of them, 64%, suffered from insomnia disorder comorbid with unipolar/bipolar depression, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. Repeated ANOVA analyses showed that Insomnia Severity Index, Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep and Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale total score decreased across time (F = 68.818, p < 0.001; F = 47.561, p < 0.001; F = 28.142, p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Self-Reported Anxiety Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Suicidal Ideation Scale significantly decreased over time (p < 0.001). Predictors of insomnia remission (Insomnia Severity Index < 8) at T1 were improvement of Insomnia Severity Index at T1 (F = 60.205, p < 0.001), and improvement of Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep at T1 (F = 4.432, p = 0.041). Insomnia remission at T2 was best predicted by improvement of Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep at T2 (F = 3.993, p = 0.023). Multiple-regression models showed that clinical improvement of Beck Depression Inventory-II was best predicted by improvement in Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep at T1 and T2, manic symptoms by Insomnia Severity Index at T2, anxiety symptoms by Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, Insomnia Severity Index and somatic Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale at T1 and T2. With the caution of a naturalistic design, early experience with daridorexant showed that by targeting insomnia it may be possible to improve not only insomnia symptoms but also comorbid symptoms.

Cytological Quantification of Nodal Mast Cells in Dogs Affected by Non-Neoplastic Condition and Mast Cell Tumor Using Different Sample Preparation Techniques: An Explorative Study.

Cytological evaluation of lymph nodes (LN) in canine cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCT) has a key role in MCT staging. However, cytological discrimination between metastatic and reactive LNs is debated and diagnostic criteria inconsistent. The aim of this study was to retrospectively quantify nodal mast cells (MCs) in non-oncological (NOD) and MCT-bearing dogs (MCTBD), using different sample preparation techniques, to evaluate the significance of the MCT number. Cytological specimens from NOD-LNs (10 fine-needle aspirates-FNAs) and MCTBD-LNs (10 FNAs, 10 scrapings, 10 touch imprints) were evaluated. MCTBD-LNs were grouped in: non-metastatic, possibly-metastatic, and metastatic based on current literature criteria. MCs were counted in 4, 8, and 20 high-power-fields, and over 500, 1000, and 2000 total cells. MCs were significantly more numerous in MCTBD-LNs than in NOD-LNs and in "metastatic" samples than in "non-metastatic". There was no significant difference between "metastatic" and "possibly metastatic" samples. Sample preparation techniques did not influence these results. A negative correlation between MCs number and sample cellularity was observed. Results were confirmed regardless of the counting method applied. MCs counting per se cannot distinguish possibly metastatic and metastatic cytological samples. Sample preparation technique and the counting method applied seem to have no influence on cytological quantification of nodal MCs in MCTBDs.

A Lethal Case of Disseminated Cladosporium allicinum Infection in a Captive African Bullfrog.

Cladosporium infections have a poor prognosis in animals, most likely due to a lack of knowledge about diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we described a case of a lethal Cladosporium allicinum infection in a captive bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) in Europe. One adult male bullfrog was referred with clinical signs of lethargy and a cutaneous nodule. Fungal infection was suspected on cytology and confirmed by histology and cultural isolation. The mold was identified by molecular methods using partial sequencing of the TEF1α gene and the ITS region of rDNA. Climbazole antifungal treatment was started but the frog died after 30 days, and necropsy was done. Pigmented hyphae and structures consistent with muriform bodies were found on a background of diffuse granulomatous inflammation at cytological and histopathological examinations. Fungal culture revealed the presence of pigmented fungi identified as Cladosporium allicinum only by partial sequencing of the TEF1α gene. A focally extensive granuloma with intralesional hyphae and muriform bodies effacing the architecture of head, liver, kidneys, lungs, and large intestine were retrieved after necropsy. This study is the first Italian report of the occurrence of lethal C. allicinum infection in a frog and highlights the role of this Cladosporium sp. in chromoblastomycosis.

Performance of lymph node cytopathology in diagnosis and characterization of lymphoma in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Cytopathology is a minimally invasive and convenient diagnostic procedure, often used as a substitute for histopathology to diagnose and characterize lymphoma in dogs. OBJECTIVES: Assess the diagnostic performance of cytopathology in diagnosing lymphoma and its histopathological subtypes in dogs. ANIMALS: One-hundred and sixty-one lymph node samples from 139 dogs with enlarged peripheral lymph nodes. METHODS: Based only on cytopathology, 6 examiners independently provided the following interpretations on each sample: (a) lymphoma vs nonlymphoma; (b) grade and phenotype; and (c) World Health Organization (WHO) histopathological subtype. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) findings were used as reference standards to evaluate diagnostic performance of cytopathology. Clinical, clinicopathologic, and imaging data also were considered in the definitive diagnosis. RESULTS: Classification accuracy for lymphoma consistently was >80% for all examiners, whereas it was >60% for low grade T-cell lymphomas, >30% for high grade B-cell lymphomas, >20% for high grade T-cell lymphomas, and <40% for low grade B-cell lymphomas. Interobserver agreement evaluated by kappa scores was 0.55 and 0.32 for identification of lymphoma cases, and of grade plus immunophenotype, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cytopathology may result in accurate diagnosis of lymphoma, but accuracy decreases when further characterization is needed. Cytopathology represents a fundamental aid in identifying lymphoma and can be used as a screening test to predict grade and phenotype. However, these results must be confirmed using other ancillary techniques, including flow cytometry, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

A retrospective study on prophylactic regional lymphadenectomy versus nodal observation only in the management of dogs with stage I, completely resected, low-grade cutaneous mast cell tumors.

BACKGROUND: While lymphadenectomy of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) has been associated with improved outcome, the clinical utility of prophylactic lymphadenectomy in dogs with stage I cutaneous mast cell tumors (cMCTs) remains a controversial topic. To assess the therapeutic role of lymphadenectomy of uninvolved regional LNs, the long-term outcome of cMCT-bearing dogs with cytologically negative and surgically unresected regional LNs (observation only, OO) was compared with that of dogs with surgically resected and histologically negative regional LNs (prophylactic regional lymphadenectomy, PRL). RESULTS: A retrospective analysis of 64 dogs with a low-grade, completely resected stage I cMCT was performed: 35 (54.7%) dogs were subjected to OO and 29 (45.3%) underwent PRL. Dogs were monitored for a median of 813 and 763 days in the OO group and PRL group, respectively. The number of dogs undergoing MCT progression was significantly higher in the OO group (P = 0.028) and curve comparison revealed a tendency to a better time to progression in the PRL group (P = 0.058). No significant difference in survival time (P = 0.294) was observed between dogs in the OO and PRL groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that lack of immediate lymphadenectomy was associated with a higher risk for tumor progression. This preliminary judgement, reinforced by the findings that lymphadenectomy was well tolerated in all cases, and that histopathology provides the definitive assessment of the nodal pathological status, may suggest that prophylactic lymphadenectomy is indicated in the management of stage I MCTs. Larger prospective studies are warranted for generating clinical evidence of this latter hypothesis.

Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors Resembling Human Atypical Neurofibroma in Goldfish (Carassius auratus, Linnaeus, 1758).

Skin spindle cell tumors (SSTs) frequently occur in fishes, with peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) being the most commonly reported neoplasms in goldfish. However, distinguishing PNSTs from other SCTs is not always possible when relying exclusively on routine cytological and histopathological findings. Therefore, the aim of this study is to characterize six skin nodules, resembling atypical neurofibromas in humans, found in six cohabiting goldfish (Carassius auratus), and to determine a minimal subset of special stains required to correctly identify PNSTs in this species. Routine cytology and histopathology were indicative of an SCT with nuclear atypia in all cases, with randomly distributed areas of hypercellularity and loss of neurofibroma architecture. Muscular and fibroblastic tumors were excluded using Azan trichrome staining. Alcian blue and Gomori's reticulin stains revealed the presence of intratumoral areas of glycosaminoglycans or mucins and basement membrane fragments, respectively. PAS and PAS-diastase stains confirmed the latter finding and revealed intra- and extracellular glycogen granules. Immunohistochemistry displayed multifocal, randomly distributed aggregates of neoplastic cells positive for S100 protein and CNPase, intermingled with phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated neurofilament-positive axons. Collectively, these findings are consistent with a PNST resembling atypical neurofibroma in humans, an entity not previously reported in goldfish, and suggest that Azan trichrome staining, reticulin staining, and immunohistochemistry for S100 protein and CNPase represent a useful set of special stains to identify and characterize PNSTs in this species.

Intratumoral Canine Distemper Virus Infection Inhibits Tumor Growth by Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment in a Murine Xenograft Model of Canine Histiocytic Sarcoma.

Histiocytic sarcomas refer to highly aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis that respond poorly to conventional treatment approaches. Oncolytic viruses, which have gained significant traction as a cancer therapy in recent decades, represent a promising option for treating histiocytic sarcomas through their replication and/or by modulating the tumor microenvironment. The live attenuated canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccine strain Onderstepoort represents an attractive candidate for oncolytic viral therapy. In the present study, oncolytic virotherapy with CDV was used to investigate the impact of this virus infection on tumor cell growth through direct oncolytic effects or by virus-mediated modulation of the tumor microenvironment with special emphasis on angiogenesis, expression of selected MMPs and TIMP-1 and tumor-associated macrophages in a murine xenograft model of canine histiocytic sarcoma. Treatment of mice with xenotransplanted canine histiocytic sarcomas using CDV induced overt retardation in tumor progression accompanied by necrosis of neoplastic cells, increased numbers of intratumoral macrophages, reduced angiogenesis and modulation of the expression of MMPs and TIMP-1. The present data suggest that CDV inhibits tumor growth in a multifactorial way, including direct cell lysis and reduction of angiogenesis and modulation of MMPs and their inhibitor TIMP-1, providing further support for the concept of its role in oncolytic therapies.

Cytology of Feline Nodal Lymphoma: Low Interobserver Agreement and Variable Accuracy in Immunophenotype Prediction.

Nodal lymphomas are less common in cats than in dogs and, consequently, no specific studies have been published. Cytology is the first step in the diagnosis of nodal lymphoma but is highly subjective. Morphological features have been introduced for the cytological classification of canine lymphomas but not for cats. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate interobserver agreement on various cytological features of feline nodal lymphomas and to investigate the accuracy in predicting B or T immunophenotypes. Four veterinary cytologists examined 25 feline nodal and mediastinal lymphoma cytological samples by adapting the criteria used for the evaluation of canine lymphomas and setting histopathology and immunohistochemistry as the gold standard. High interobserver variability was found in the evaluation of most features except for the presence or absence of cytoplasmic vacuoles, which were more common in B-cell lymphomas. Cytology training centre was the major factor influencing the extent of agreement among evaluators. Diagnostic accuracy in predicting lymphoma immunophenotype varied from 35% to 75% and did not appear to be correlated with the experience of the evaluators. We conclude that cytological criteria, commonly used to describe canine lymphomas, are not adaptable to the counterpart feline neoplasms. Cytology-based immunophenotyping of feline lymphomas from different laboratories, and different cytologists within the same laboratory, differ substantially and should not be considered reliable. Specific cytological criteria are needed to describe feline lymphoma.

Mesenchymal to epithelial transition driven by canine distemper virus infection of canine histiocytic sarcoma cells contributes to a reduced cell motility in vitro.

Sarcomas especially of histiocytic origin often possess a poor prognosis and response to conventional therapies. Interestingly, tumours undergoing mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) are often associated with a favourable clinical outcome. This process is characterized by an increased expression of epithelial markers leading to a decreased invasion and metastatic rate. Based on the failure of conventional therapies, viral oncolysis might represent a promising alternative with canine distemper virus (CDV) as a possible candidate. This study hypothesizes that a CDV infection of canine histiocytic sarcoma cells (DH82 cells) triggers the MET process leading to a decreased cellular motility. Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting were used to investigate the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers followed by scratch assay and an invasion assay as functional confirmation. Furthermore, microarray data were analysed for genes associated with the MET process, invasion and angiogenesis. CDV-infected cells exhibited an increased expression of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin and cytokeratin 8 compared to controls, indicating a MET process. This was accompanied by a reduced cell motility and invasiveness. Summarized, these results suggest that CDV infection of DH82 cells triggers the MET process by an increased expression of epithelial markers resulting in a decreased cell motility in vitro.

Oxidative Stress in Canine Histiocytic Sarcoma Cells Induced by an Infection with Canine Distemper Virus Led to a Dysregulation of HIF-1α Downstream Pathway Resulting in a Reduced Expression of VEGF-B in vitro.

Histiocytic sarcomas represent malignant tumors which require new treatment strategies. Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a promising candidate due to its oncolytic features reported in a canine histiocytic sarcoma cell line (DH82 cells). Interestingly, the underlying mechanism might include a dysregulation of angiogenesis. Based on these findings, the aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a persistent CDV-infection on oxidative stress mediated changes in the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and its angiogenic downstream pathway in DH82 cells in vitro. Microarray data analysis, immunofluorescence for 8-hydroxyguanosine, superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase, and flow cytometry for oxidative burst displayed an increased oxidative stress in persistently CDV-infected DH82 cells (DH82Ond pi) compared to controls. The HIF-1α expression in DH82Ond pi increased, as demonstrated by Western blot, and showed an unexpected, often sub-membranous distribution, as shown by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Furthermore, microarray data analysis and immunofluorescence confirmed a reduced expression of VEGF-B in DH82Ond pi compared to controls. In summary, these results suggest a reduced activation of the HIF-1α angiogenic downstream pathway in DH82Ond pi cells in vitro, most likely due to an excessive, unusually localized, and non-functional expression of HIF-1α triggered by a CDV-induced increased oxidative stress.

Evaluation of cytological diagnostic accuracy for canine splenic neoplasms: An investigation in 78 cases using STARD guidelines.

Cytology represents a useful diagnostic tool in the preliminary clinical approach to canine splenic lesions, and may prevent unnecessary splenectomy. However, few studies have evaluated diagnostic accuracy of cytology in the diagnosis of canine splenic neoplasms. The aim of this study was to determine overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (i.e. diagnostic accuracy indexes) of cytology for canine splenic neoplasms following Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD) guidelines. A consecutive series of canine splenic cytological samples was retrospectively retrieved from the database of the Diagnostic Pathology Service of the Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET-University of Milan). Histopathology was set as the diagnostic reference standard. Cytological cases were enrolled when slides were available for review and when the same lesion was submitted for histopathology. Seventy-eight (78) lesions were included in the study. By histopathology, 56 were neoplastic and 22 were non-neoplastic. Cytology had an overall accuracy of 73.08% (95% C.I. 61.84%-82.50%), sensitivity of 64.29% (95% C.I. 50.36%-76.64%), specificity of 95.45% (95% C.I. 77.16%-99.88%), and positive and negative predictive values of 97.3% (95% C.I. 84.01%-99.60%) and 51.22% (95% C.I. 42.21%-60.15%), respectively. Low sensitivity and negative predictive value were balanced by very high specificity and positive predictive value. When positive for neoplasia, cytology represents a useful diagnostic tool to rule in splenic neoplasia, prompting surgery independently from other diagnostic tests. Conversely, a negative cytological result requires additional investigations to confirm the dog to be disease free.