Latest Articles and News - Jul 30, 2025

Patients with Benzodiazepine Intoxication Require Neurological and Psychiatric Examination in Order to Guide and Monitor Withdrawal.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40734787/

Author Response: Patients with Benzodiazepine Intoxication Require Neurological and Psychiatric Examination in Order to Guide and Monitor Withdrawal.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40734780/

Long-term outcomes of deliberate self-poisoning in adolescents and factors associated with repeated self-poisoning and self-injury: a Sri Lankan perspective.

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of deliberate self-poisoning in adolescents and identify associated factors for repeated self-poisoning and self-injury among adolescents in Sri Lanka. A total of 400 adolescents were analysed. The primary outcome-recurrence of self-harm behaviours-was reported by 63 participants (15.8%), with 30 (7.5%) experiencing at least one repeated episode of deliberate self-poisoning. Independently associated factors for repeated self-poisoning included suicidal ideation at some point in life (p < 0.001, OR; 41.48, CI; 22.76-58.27), a personal history of psychiatric illness (p = 0.002, OR; 20.86.12, CI; 14.97-32.56), being on medication for depression (p < 0.001, OR; 44.37, CI; 27.38-61.24), and a subjective perception of poor health (p = 0.001, OR; 21.92, CI; 15.06-29.72). Secondary outcomes showed that the mean perceived likelihood of future self-poisoning was 2.6 on a 9-point Likert scale. Regarding current functioning, 71 participants (17.7%) reported difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships, 46 (11.5%) reported persistent psychological distress, and 38 (9.5%) reported reduced academic or occupational performance. Although 354 participants (88.5%) had received psychological support after the initial event, this was not significantly associated with reduced recurrence of self-harm (p > 0.05).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40731294/

Autocrine interferon poisoning mediates ADAR1-dependent synthetic lethality in BRCA1/2-mutant cancers.

ADAR1 is an RNA editing enzyme which prevents autoimmunity by blocking interferon responses triggered by cytosolic RNA sensors, and is a potential target in immuno-oncology. However, predictive biomarkers for ADAR1 inhibition are lacking. Using multiple in vitro and in vivo systems, we show that BRCA1/2 and ADAR1 are synthetically lethal, and that ADAR1 activity is upregulated in BRCA1/2-mutant cancers. ADAR1 depletion in BRCA1-mutant cells causes an increase in R-loops and consequently, an upregulation of cytosolic nucleic acid sensing pattern recognition receptors (PRR), events which are associated with a tumor cell-autonomous type I interferon and integrated stress response. This ultimately causes autocrine interferon poisoning. Consistent with a key role of R-loops in this process, exogenous RNase H1 expression reverses the synthetic lethality. Pharmacological suppression of cell-autonomous interferon responses or transcriptional silencing of cytosolic nucleic acid sensing PRR are also sufficient to abrogate ADAR1 dependency in BRCA1-mutant cells, in line with autocrine interferon poisoning playing a central part in this synthetic lethality. Our findings provide a preclinical rationale for assessing ADAR1-targeting agents in BRCA1/2-mutant cancers, and introduces a conceptually novel approach to synthetic lethal treatments, which exploits tumor cell-intrinsic cytosolic immunity as a targetable vulnerability of cancer cells.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40730818/