Correlation between the victim personality type and specificity of the impact of bullying

From the psychological-social perspective, the problem of bullying is relevant and significant. The article provides the opinions of different authors on the problem of bullying, its types, and peculiarities of manifestation. Special attention is given to the attitudes of the parties to bullying - aggressor and victim – viewed in their close interrelation . Special emphasis is placed on position of a victim. Based on victimological approach, a hypothesis is put forward on the significance of the victim personality in a situation of bullying, depending on personality type, susceptibility or resistance  of an individual to the effects of bullying. The object of this research is the impact of bullying factors upon victim personality. The subject the correlation between victim personality type and specificity of the impact of bullying. The research employs MMPI typological survey, as well as based on the classification of the impact of bullying forms a questionnaire that includes most relevant for the respondents bullying factors. The use of correlation analysis allowed establishing both positive and negative correlations between the personality type and specificity of the impact of bullying (bullying factor). Such research indicate the specific susceptibility/resistance to certain manifestations of bullying, characteristic to a number of personality types (hysteroid, excitable, epileptoid, psychasthenic, schizoid). The acquired results contribute to the organization of targeted psychological that would help a person to overcome difficulties in a situation of bullying.

Specific Susceptibility to COVID-19 in Adults with Down Syndrome

The current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, which causes COVID-19, is particularly devastating for individuals with chronic medical conditions, in particular those with Down Syndrome (DS) who often exhibit a higher prevalence of respiratory tract infections, immune dysregulation and potential complications. The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is much higher in DS than in the general population, possibly increasing further the risk of COVID-19 infection and its complications. Here we provide a biological overview with regard to specific susceptibility of individuals with DS to SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as data from a recent survey on the prevalence of COVID-19 among them. We see an urgent need to protect people with DS, especially those with AD, from COVID-19 and future pandemics and focus on developing protective measures, which also include interventions by health systems worldwide for reducing the negative social effects of long-term isolation and increased periods of hospitalization.

Adolescents’ Social Media Experiences and Their Self-Esteem: A Person-Specific Susceptibility Perspective

The aim of this preregistered study was to compare and explain the effects of (a) time spent on social media (SM), and (b) the valence (positivity or negativity) of SM experiences on adolescents’ self-esteem. We conducted a three-week experience sampling study among 300 adolescents (13-16 years; 126 assessments per adolescent; 21,970 assessments in total). Using an N=1 method of analysis (Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling), we found that the within-person effects of time spent with SM on self-esteem ranged from strongly negative ( = –.31) to moderately positive ( = +.27). Across all ESM observations of the valence of adolescents’ SM experiences, 55% of these experiences were positive, 18% negative, and 27% neutral. Finally, 78% of adolescents experienced a positive within-person effect of the valence of SM experiences on self-esteem ( ≥ +.05), 19% no to very small effects (–.05 < < +.05), and 3% a negative effect ( ≤ –.05). These sizeable differences in person-specific effects could be explained by adolescents’ trait self-esteem level, trait self-esteem instability, and their tendency to base their self-esteem on peer approval.

IRF8 Is an AML-Specific Susceptibility Factor That Regulates Signaling Pathways and Proliferation of AML Cells

Personalized treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that target individual aberrations strongly improved the survival of AML patients. However, AML is still one of the most lethal cancer diseases of the 21st century, demonstrating the need to find novel drug targets and to explore alternative treatment strategies. Upon investigation of public perturbation data, we identified the transcription factor IRF8 as a novel AML-specific susceptibility gene in humans. IRF8 is upregulated in a subset of AML cells and its deletion leads to impaired proliferation in those cells. Consistently, high IRF8 expression is associated with poorer patients’ prognoses. Combining gene expression changes upon IRF8 deletion and the genome-wide localization of IRF8 in the AML cell line MV4-11, we demonstrate that IRF8 directly regulates key signaling molecules, such as the kinases SRC and FAK, the transcription factors RUNX1 and IRF5, and the cell cycle regulator Cyclin D1. IRF8 loss impairs AML-driving signaling pathways, including the WNT, Chemokine, and VEGF signaling pathways. Additionally, many members of the focal adhesion pathway showed reduced expression, providing a putative link between high IRF8 expression and poor prognosis. Thus, this study suggests that IRF8 could serve as a biomarker and potential molecular target in a subset of human AMLs.

Effects of Constitutive and Acute Connexin 36 Deficiency on Brain-Wide Susceptibility to PTZ-Induced Neuronal Hyperactivity

Connexins are transmembrane proteins that form hemichannels allowing the exchange of molecules between the extracellular space and the cell interior. Two hemichannels from adjacent cells dock and form a continuous gap junction pore, thereby permitting direct intercellular communication. Connexin 36 (Cx36), expressed primarily in neurons, is involved in the synchronous activity of neurons and may play a role in aberrant synchronous firing, as seen in seizures. To understand the reciprocal interactions between Cx36 and seizure-like neural activity, we examined three questions: (a) does Cx36 deficiency affect seizure susceptibility, (b) does seizure-like activity affect Cx36 expression patterns, and (c) does acute blockade of Cx36 conductance increase seizure susceptibility. We utilize the zebrafish pentylenetetrazol [PTZ; a GABA(A) receptor antagonist] induced seizure model, taking advantage of the compact size and optical translucency of the larval zebrafish brain to assess how PTZ affects brain-wide neuronal activity and Cx36 protein expression. We exposed wild-type and genetic Cx36-deficient (cx35.5-/-) zebrafish larvae to PTZ and subsequently mapped neuronal activity across the whole brain, using phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (pERK) as a proxy for neuronal activity. We found that cx35.5-/- fish exhibited region-specific susceptibility and resistance to PTZ-induced hyperactivity compared to wild-type controls, suggesting that genetic Cx36 deficiency may affect seizure susceptibility in a region-specific manner. Regions that showed increased PTZ sensitivity include the dorsal telencephalon, which is implicated in human epilepsy, and the lateral hypothalamus, which has been underexplored. We also found that PTZ-induced neuronal hyperactivity resulted in a rapid reduction of Cx36 protein levels within 30 min. This Cx36 reduction persists after 1-h of recovery but recovered after 3–6 h. This acute downregulation of Cx36 by PTZ is likely maladaptive, as acute pharmacological blockade of Cx36 by mefloquine results in increased susceptibility to PTZ-induced neuronal hyperactivity. Together, these results demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between Cx36 and seizure-associated neuronal hyperactivity: Cx36 deficiency contributes region-specific susceptibility to neuronal hyperactivity, while neuronal hyperactivity-induced downregulation of Cx36 may increase the risk of future epileptic events.