Maria Carla Gerra

Abstract : Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) refer to a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous pathologies characterized by defective mitochondrial function and energy production. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for most MDs, and current therapeutic management is limited to relieving symptoms.

4.3 Study limitations This exploratory study is limited by the small sample size and future studies should investigate bigger cohorts in order to validate the alteration of highlighted miRNAs. Variable expression by genetic factors within subjects of the same group could be pointed out as a limitation, although the high variance of personal expression of miRNAs in humans depends on many confounding factors (Wu et al., 2018).

1. Introduction Chronic social stress is perceived as one of the most intense forms of stress encountered by people in daily life ( Almeida, 2005 Resilience and vulnerability to daily stressors assessed via diary methods. ) and has been linked to greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (e.g., ; Osborne et al., 2020 Osborne M.T. Shin L.M. Mehta N.N. Pitman R.K. Fayad Z.A. Tawakol A. Disentangling the links between psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease. ).