Psychological characteristics of Italian gender dysphoric adolescents: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: Gender dysphoria (GD) is associated with clinically significant distress and impairment in social, scholastic, and other important areas of functioning, especially when early onset is reported. The aim of the present study is to assess the psychopathological features associated with GD in adolescence, comparing a group of gender dysphoric adolescents (GDs) with a group of non-referred adolescents (NRs), in terms of body uneasiness, suicide risk, psychological functioning, and intensity of GD. METHODS: A sample of 46 adolescents with GD and 46 age-matched NRs was evaluated (mean ± SD age = 16.00 ± 1.49 and 16.59 ± 1.11 respectively, p > 0.05). Subjects were asked to complete the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) to explore body uneasiness, the Youth Self Report (YSR) to measure psychological functioning, the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) for suicide risk, and the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adolescents and Adults (GIDYQ-AA) for GD assessment. RESULTS: Adolescents with GD reported significantly higher levels of body uneasiness (BUT-GSI, F = 380.13, p < 0.0001), as well as a worse psychological functioning (YSR, F = 13.06 and p < 0.0001 for "total problem scale" and F = 12.53, p = 0.001 for "internalizing" scale) as compared to NRs. When YSR subscales were considered, GDs showed significantly higher scores in the "withdrawal/depression", "anxiety/depression", and "social problems" (all p < 0.0001). In addition, GDs showed significantly higher levels in the "attraction to death" and "repulsion by life" scales and lower scores in the "attraction to life" scale (all p < 0.0001). Finally, GIDYQ-AA score was significantly lower (meaning a higher level of gender dysphoria symptoms) in GDs vs. NRs (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: GD adolescents reported significantly higher body dissatisfaction and suicidal risk compared to NRs. In addition, results confirmed a significant impairment in social psychological functioning in adolescents with GD.

cDNA-microarray analysis as a new tool to predict lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microarray gene expression analysis can be used to predict lymph node status in gastric cancer. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients undergoing gastrectomy for cancer were enrolled and subdivided according to the pathologic nodal involvement of their disease (N+ vs. N0). Molecular profiling was performed by cDNA microarray on tumor tissue and healthy mucosa. Data were processed to identify differently expressed genes. Selected genes were categorized with gene ontology. RESULTS: Compared to healthy gastric mucosa, 52 genes were differently expressed in N+ patients, and 50 genes in N0 patients. Forty-five genes were similarly regulated in N+ and N0 patients, whereas 12 genes were differently expressed between N+ and N0 patients. Seven genes were exclusively expressed in N+ patients: Egr-1 was upregulated; Claudin-18, AKR1C2, Cathepsin E, CA II, TFF 1, and progastricsin were downregulated. Five genes were exclusively expressed in N0 patients: Complement C5 receptor 1, PLA2/VII, and MMP- 9 were upregulated; MAO-A and ID-4 were downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: Microarray analysis could be a valuable tool to identify genes associated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. This technique could improve the selection of patients with locally advanced disease who are candidates for extended lymph node dissection, multimodal treatment options, or alternative therapeutic strategies.