Dott. Pasquale Giangaspero

10/10/2026

Women exhibit a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders, and autoimmune conditions compared to men, yet the biological mechanisms underlying this s*x difference remain incompletely understood. Growing evidence identifies neuroinflammation as a central mediator of psychiatr...

12/09/2026

25/08/2026

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder affecting 5–10% of people worldwide, and has a substantial impact on quality of life.

A new Review discusses the current understanding of IBS in terms of peripheral, central, and integrated mechanisms ▶️ http://spkl.io/61837KW5H

👇 Figure: Central mechanisms contributing to IBS.

02/08/2026

A scientist is helping uncover the role of the immune system in endometriosis—while managing the disease herself.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4vaJSys

02/08/2026

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

HBV causes more than a million deaths annually worldwide every year.

Chronic HBV infection globally, occurs in 70% to 90% of infants born to mothers who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive.

About 94% of perinatal infections HBV could be prevented by vaccination and administration of hepatitis B immune globulin within 12 to 24 hours of birth. Also, high HBV DNA antiviral therapy in pregnant women reduces transmission to less than 1%.

Untreated chronic HBV progresses to cirrhosis (5-year risk of 8% to 15%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a 3% to 5% annual incidence of liver cancer once cirrhosis is established.

Antiviral therapies—pegylated interferon alfa and nucleos(t)ide analogues (entecavir or tenofovir)—suppress HBV DNA replication and reduce the risk of HCC by approximately 50%.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2848693
https://sciencemission.com/Hepatitis-B

14/07/2026

🧠 Menopause-Associated Depression: Impact of Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation on the Central Nervous System—A Review
by Liang, G., et al. (2024). Biomedicines, 12(1), 184.

📖 Read the full text: https://brnw.ch/21x44Ln

💡 Key highlights:
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms underlying perimenopausal depression, with a focus on the interplay between hormonal fluctuations, neurotransmitters, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress. It highlights how fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone may promote neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, contributing to neuronal damage and increasing the risk of depression during menopause, while emphasizing the need for more effective therapeutic targets.

10/07/2026

I keep coming back to this idea: depression might not start where we think it does.

I've been reading through recent research on the gut-brain connection, and it lays out three ways your gut bacteria can shape mood and honestly, it reframes how I think about mental health as a clinician.

1. Your gut "talks" to your brain directly.
Certain gut bacteria produce serotonin and GABA. Yes, the same neurotransmitters your brain uses. These signals travel up the vagus nerve straight into the central nervous system.

2. Stress hormones get involved.
Byproducts from gut bacteria can activate your stress response (the HPA axis), triggering cortisol release. Over time, this drives inflammation and can impair areas like the hippocampus, a region critical for memory and mood regulation.

3. A leaky gut means a "leaky" immune system.
When the intestinal barrier weakens, bacterial fragments and inflammatory molecules can enter the bloodstream. This activates immune cells in the brain (microglia) and throws off the delicate Th17/Treg balance, both in the gut and the brain.

What strikes me most is that these three pathways don't operate in isolation. They loop into each other, which may explain why depression can feel so multifactorial and hard to treat with a single approach.

I'm curious, has anyone else noticed a link between gut issues and mood changes, personally or in patients/clients you work with? Let's discuss.

📚 Reference: Zhu et al. (2025)

09/06/2026

🦠 The Impact of Microbiota–Immunity–Hormone Interactions on Autoimmune Diseases and Infection
by Martinelli, S., et al. (2024). Biomedicines, 12(3), 616.

📖 Read the full text: https://brnw.ch/21x3bMS

🔬 Key highlights
This review summarizes the complex interactions among microbiota, immunity, hormones, and infections in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases. The authors discuss how dysbiosis, infections, and hormonal regulation—particularly by estrogens—can influence immune responses and contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.