IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that children’s exposure to potentially traumatic events and their trauma−related symptoms may not always be consistently identified. This study aims to examine differences in trauma exposure and related psychological outcomes between clinical and non−clinical Lithuanian children.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 10–17−year−old children and adolescents recruited from a clinical inpatient setting (Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos) and general−education schools in Vilnius and nearby districts. After parental consent and child assent, participants completed a secure mobile assessment covering exposure to potentially traumatic events (CATS), dissociation (A−DES), mood and feeling (SMFQ), post−traumatic cognitions (CPTCI), PTSD symptoms (CATS; PCL−5 for convergent validation), and perceived social support (CASSS). Data were collected in 2023–2024. Group differences were examined using Welch’s t−tests (with Mann–Whitney U as robustness checks), and associations were assessed using Pearson correlations.ResultsIn the clinical sample over 40% of children experienced physical violence, while in the non−clinical sample 82.9% children reported exposure to multiple traumatic events. The clinical sample showed significantly higher dissociation, negative mood, and PTSD symptoms compared to the non−clinical sample. However, among children exposed to more than one traumatic event, differences in dissociation, PTSD symptoms, and close−friend support were not significant. Across both samples, exposure to potentially traumatic events was strongly associated with PTSD symptoms, dissociation, and post−traumatic cognitions, and moderately associated with mood symptoms. In the non−clinical sample, parental support showed moderate negative associations with dissociation, mood symptoms, post−traumatic cognitions, and PTSD symptoms.DiscussionThis study identified between−sample differences in exposure to potentially traumatic events and trauma−related psychological outcomes among Lithuanian children in inpatient and community settings, highlighting the need for trauma−informed assessment and attention to social support within child mental health and welfare services.
A longitudinal inquiry into the vicious cycle of social media addiction and self-injury: the moderating role of resilience
BackgroundThe reciprocal relationship between social networking addiction (SNA) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) represents a critical, yet poorly understood, feedback loop in adolescent psychopathology. This study aimed to longitudinally test a “vicious cycle” model, examining the bidirectional effects between SNA and NSSI, and to investigate psychological resilience as a potential protective factor that could disrupt this harmful dynamic.MethodsA three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with a large cohort of 2,628 Chinese high school students (mean age = 16.1 years; 53.1% female) over a 12-month period. Participants completed measures of SNA, NSSI frequency, and psychological resilience at each wave. A cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was used to examine the reciprocal, prospective relationships between SNA and NSSI. A multi-group CLPM was then employed to test the moderating role of resilience.ResultsThe CLPM revealed significant, positive, and reciprocal cross-lagged effects. SNA at T1 and T2 prospectively predicted increases in NSSI at T2 and T3, respectively (βs = .19 and.17). Conversely, NSSI at T1 and T2 prospectively predicted increases in SNA at T2 and T3 (βs = .14 and.12), providing robust evidence for a vicious cycle. Furthermore, resilience significantly moderated the pathway from SNA to NSSI. For adolescents with low resilience, the effect was strong and significant (β = .25), whereas for those with high resilience, the effect was rendered non-significant (β = .07).ConclusionsSocial networking addiction and non-suicidal self-injury are not merely comorbid but are locked in a mutually reinforcing developmental spiral over time. However, this dangerous cycle is not deterministic. Psychological resilience acts as a powerful protective buffer, effectively uncoupling the link from addictive social media use to self-harm. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrated, dual-focus interventions that address both online and offline maladaptive behaviors, while championing resilience-building as a primary strategy for prevention.
Sex-specific impact of vitamin D and B9 concentrations on neuroticism: a polygenic score-based study
IntroductionNeuroticism is a personality domain with prognostic value for physical and mental health. To properly inform public health policy, it is crucial to uncover the mechanisms underlying high neuroticism. Many internal and external factors that affect brain development and functioning and therefore might contribute to the variability of neuroticism remain understudied. Among them, the impact of vitamin sufficiency is of great interest, as it is a modifiable factor. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of neuroticism with vitamin D (VD) and vitamin B9 (VB9) using polygenic scores (PGS) in a nonclinical cohort.MethodsWe analyzed data from 348 healthy unrelated individuals, including neuroticism scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory, VD-PGS, VB9-PGS and PGS for neuroticism-related traits.ResultsThe analysis controlling for demographic and genetic confounders revealed a negative association between VB9-PGS and neuroticism scores in women and a positive association between VD-PGS and neuroticism scores in men. The highest values of the VD-PGS were observed in men, who scored high on both neuroticism and extraversion. In men, unlike women, neuroticism scores were not correlated with PGS for neuroticism but were associated with PGS for bipolar disorder type 1 and alcohol use disorders.ConclusionThe results suggest that the effects on neuroticism of genetic propensity for suboptimal vitamin D and B9 concentrations might differ across the two sexes. The findings are consistent with the idea of the importance of vitamin B9 for emotional stability in women and indicate the involvement of genetic factors predisposing to higher vitamin D levels in excitability-related components of neuroticism in men.
Impact of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields exposure on sleep quality and mental health in a Tunisian power plant: a cross-sectional study
IntroductionExtremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) are ubiquitous in our daily life. They may have an impact not only on physical health but also on mental health.ObjectivesTo assess the impact of occupational exposure to the ELF-EMFs on sleep quality, depression, anxiety and stress among workers at the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (TEGC).MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study. The study population included two groups: an exposed group (EG), consisting of power plant employees, and a non-exposed group (NEG), consisting of administrative workers. Exposure to ELF-EMFs was assessed via spot measurements using a magnetometer. Sleep quality, depression, anxiety and stress were assessed by the French versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21).ResultsSeventy-seven participants in the EG and 88 participants in the NEG were included in the study. The median value of the ELF-EMFs was 5.86 μT at the power plant [min 0.1, max 40.34 μT]. According to the PSQI global score, 64.9% of the EG had poor sleep quality versus 29.5% of the NEG. Depression was registered in 24.7% of EG and in 3.4% of NEG. Anxiety was noted in 23.4% of the EG and in none of the NEG. Stress was found in 46.8% of the EG and none of the NEG. After multivariate analysis, ELF-EMF exposure was significantly associated with poor sleep quality and depression.ConclusionThe present study revealed that ELF-EMFs can affect sleep and mental health. Further studies are needed to explain the mechanism involved.
Mental health in the time of polycrisis: geopolitical determinants and modern psychiatry
Psychiatry is increasingly being practised in environments affected by geopolitical instabilities, including economic fragmentation, democratic backsliding, and widening inequities. The confluence of these phenomena contributes to what has been described as a contemporary polycrisis, encompassing synchronous disruptions that reinforce one another and threaten collective wellbeing. Nevertheless, psychiatric research and clinical work have generally remained oriented towards immediate determinants and risk factors, overlooking the macro-level political and institutional dynamics that can condition stressor exposure and mental health disparities. Amidst, interconnected crises, this paper advances geopsychiatry as a framework for understanding how distal geopolitical determinants translate into psychiatric vulnerabilities across communities and societies. Focussing on armed conflicts, climate change, and forced migration as emblematic domains of polycrisis, it highlights how these compounding phenomena are generating direct mental health burdens and may amplify harms via secondary pathways. Moreover, it contends that the psychiatric consequences of polycrisis are unlikely to be ameliorated through patient-centred interventions alone, but also require innovative approaches responsive to structural inequalities and material forces that transcend borders. In this context, work from geopsychiatry can offer important implications for modern psychiatry, highlighting a need for a more globally representative evidence base, potential clinical adaptations, and policy engagement that better attends to the geopolitical determinants of mental health.
The value of patient-focused drug development
Nature Medicine, Published online: 24 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04364-z
The value of patient-focused drug development
Cross-reactive anti-prophage antibodies and bacterial heteroresistance implicated in phage therapeutic failure
Nature Medicine, Published online: 24 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04301-0
A 22-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis and chronic, drug-resistant Bordetella bronchialis infection received compassionate-use phage therapy. Serum samples revealed that pre-existing antiphage immunity existed before treatment, indicating that future studies must evaluate antiphage immunity across the entire treatment regimen.
Targeted therapies plus radiotherapy for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: the randomized phase 2 BIOMEDE trial
Nature Medicine, Published online: 24 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04354-1
In a biomarker-driven trial evaluating radiotherapy with erlotinib, everolimus or dasatinib in patients with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, the primary endpoint of overall survival was not met, but features associated with long-term survival were defined, and everolimus emerged as a potential candidate for further testing.
From the discovery of GLP-1 to today’s diabetes/obesity therapy and beyond
Glucagon-like peptide-1 was discovered as an insulinotropic peptide from the gut during a search for candidates for the incretin effect. It turned out to also inhibit glucagon secretion and is now considered an important regulator of glucose metabolism. In further investigations of its physiological effects, it also inhibited gastrointestinal secretion and motility and inhibited appetite and food intake. Because of these effects, it was eventually demonstrated to be able to improve glucose control and beta cell function in T2DM patients and was even associated with weight loss.
Transcriptomic and phenotypic convergence of neurodevelopmental disorder risk genes in vitro and in vivo
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 24 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02247-7
By studying 23 neurodevelopmental disorder genes across model systems and brain cell types, the authors uncovered shared downstream effects that converge on synaptic biology, epigenetic regulation and mitochondrial function.