Association of Mediterranean diet adherence with disease progression, quality of life and physical activity, sociodemographic and anthropometric parameters, and serum biomarkers in community-dwelling older adults with multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) constitutes a chronic inflammatory and degenerative demyelinating disease, which can progressively lead to a broad range of sensorimotor, cognitive, visual, and autonomic function symptoms, independently of patient' age. However, the clinical studies that examine the role of dietary patterns against disease progression and symptomatology remain extremely scarce, especially concerning Mediterranean diet (MD) in the subgroup age of older adults with MS. AIMS: The present study aimed to investigate the potential impact of MD compliance in disease progression and symptoms severity as well as quality of life and physical activity of community-dwelling older adults with MS. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional conducted on 227 older adults with no history of other severe disease. Relevant questionnaires were applied to collect sociodemographic and anthropometric factors by face-to face interviews between patients and qualified personnel. Serum biomarkers were retrieved by patients' medical records. RESULTS: Higher MD compliance was independently associated with younger patients' age, lower risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity, decreased disease progression and higher muscle mass, as well as greater physical activity, better quality of life, and adequate serum ferritin and albumin levels CONCLUSIONS: MD may exert beneficial effects in older adults with MS. Future strategies and policies are highly recommended to inform both the general population and the older patients with MS for the beneficial effects of MD in preventing MS and in improving or even slowing down the disease progression and symptoms severity of MS.

Association of Higher Mediterranean Diet Adherence With Lower Prevalence of Disability and Symptom Severity, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Sleep Quality, Cognitive Impairment, and Physical Inactivity in Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis.

A good nutritional status and healthy diets may decelerate disease disability and symptom severity and quality of life of peoples with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mediterranean diet (MD) can prevent several chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disease. This is an observational, cross-sectional study on 279 older adults with MS, aiming to investigate the effects of MD against several aspects of mental health. Qualified questionnaires were used to assess disability and symptom severity, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, cognitive status, physical activity, and MD adherence. Multivariate analysis showed that enhanced MD adherence was independently associated with lower prevalence of disability and symptom severity (P = .0019), depression (P = .0201), anxiety (P = .0287), perceived stress (P = .0021), inadequate sleep quality (P = .0033), cognitive impairment (P = .0018) and physical inactivity (P = .0028). Adopting MD may ameliorate mental health disturbances in older adults with MS. Future public health policies should inform older adults with MS for the favorable impacts of MD in improving the mental health MS comorbidities.

Old-age mental telehealth services at primary healthcare centers in low- resource areas in Greece: design, iterative development and single-site pilot study findings.

BACKGROUND: Even though communities in low-resource areas across the globe are aging, older adult mental and cognitive health services remain mainly embedded in tertiary- or secondary hospital settings, and thus not easily accessible by older adults living in such communities. Here, the iterative development of INTegRated InterveNtion of pSychogerIatric Care (INTRINSIC) services addressing the mental and cognitive healthcare needs of older adults residing in low-resource areas of Greece is depicted. METHODS: INTRINSIC was developed and piloted in three iterative phases: (i) INTRINSIC initial version conceptualization; (ii) A 5-year field testing in Andros island; and (iii) Extending the services. The INTRINSIC initial version relied on a digital platform enabling videoconferencing, a flexible battery of diagnostic tools, pharmacological treatment and psychosocial support and the active involvement of local communities in service shaping. RESULTS: Ιn 61% of the 119 participants of the pilot study, new diagnoses of mental and/or neurocognitive disorders were established. INTRINSIC resulted in a significant reduction in the distance travelled and time spent to visit mental and cognitive healthcare services. Participation was prematurely terminated due to dissatisfaction, lack of interest or insight in 13 cases (11%). Based on feedback and gained experiences, a new digital platform, facilitating e-training of healthcare professionals and public awareness raising, and a risk factor surveillance system were created, while INTRINSIC services were extended to incorporate a standardized sensory assessment and the modified problem adaptation therapy. CONCLUSION: The INTRINSIC model may be a pragmatic strategy to improve access of older adults with mental and cognitive disorders living in low-resource areas to healthcare services.

Depression is associated with worse health-related quality of life, lower physical activity levels, and inadequate sleep quality in a Greek elderly population.

The present study is a cross-sectional study that aimed to investigate the potential associations between depression status, health-related quality of life, physical activity levels and sleep quality in a representative Greek elderly population. Three thousand four hundred five (3405) men and women over 65 years old from 14 different Greek regions were enrolled. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to assess depression status, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) was evaluated using Short Form Health Survey, physical activity levels were assessed via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A high prevalence of depression and an increased incidence of poor quality of life, low physical activity levels and inadequate sleep quality among the elderly population were recorded. Depression status was independently associated with worse quality of life, poor physical activity, inadequate sleep quality, female gender, BMI and living alone after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Elderly age, low muscle mass, educational and financial status were also identified as indicators of depression; however, their impact on depression status was considerably attenuated after adjusting for confounding factors. In conclusion, depression was associated with worse health-related quality of life, poor physical activity and inadequate sleep quality in a Greek elderly population. Future randomized control trials should be performed to confirm the findings of this cross-sectional study.

Naming ability assessment in neurocognitive disorders: a clinician's perspective.

BACKGROUND: Detecting impaired naming capacity is valuable in diagnosing neurocognitive disorders (ND). A. clinical practice- oriented overview of naming tests validated in ND is not available yet. Here, features of naming tests with validated utility in ND which are open access or available for purchase are succinctly presented and compared. METHODS: Searches were carried out across Pubmed, Medline and Google Scholar. Additional studies were identified by searching reference lists. Only peer-reviewed journal articles were eligible. A narrative- and tabullar synthesis was used to summarize different aspects of the naming assessment instruments used in patients with ND such as stimuli type, administration time, assessment parameters and accessibility. Based on computational word frequency calculations, the tests were compared in terms of the average frequency of their linguistic content. RESULTS: Twelve naming tests, relying either on visual or auditory stimuli have been validated in ND. Their content and administration time vary between three and 60 items and one and 20 minutes, respectively. The average frequency of the words of each considered test was two or lower, pointing to low frequency of most items. In all but one test, scoring systems are exclusively based on correctly named items. Seven instruments are open access and four are available in more than one language. CONCLUSIONS: Gaining insights into naming tests' characteristics may catalyze the wide incorporation of those with short administration time but high diagnostic accuracy into the diagnostic workup of ND at primary healthcare and of extensive, visual or auditory ones into the diagnostic endeavors of memory clinics, as well as of secondary and tertiary brain healthcare settings.

Neurocognitive impairment and social cognition in multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE/AIM OF THE STUDY: The impairment of neurocognitive functions occurs in all subtypes of multiple sclerosis, even from the earliest stages of the disease. Commonly reported manifestations of cognitive impairment include deficits in attention, conceptual reasoning, processing efficiency, information processing speed, memory (episodic and working), verbal fluency (language), and executive functions. Multiple sclerosis patients also suffer from social cognition impairment, which affects their social functioning. The objective of the current paper is to assess the effect of neurocognitive impairment and its potential correlation with social cognition performance and impairment in multiple sclerosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An overview of the available-to-date literature on neurocognitive impairment and social cognition performance in multiple sclerosis patients by disease subtype was performed. RESULTS: It is not clear if social cognition impairment occurs independently or secondarily to neurocognitive impairment. There are associations of variable strengths between neurocognitive and social cognition deficits and their neural basis is increasingly investigated. CONCLUSIONS: The prompt detection of neurocognitive predictors of social cognition impairment that may be applicable to all multiple sclerosis subtypes and intervention are crucial to prevent further neural and social cognition decline in multiple sclerosis patients.

Hearing and vision health for people with dementia in residential long term care: Knowledge, attitudes and practice in England, South Korea, India, Greece, Indonesia and Australia.

OBJECTIVES: Up to 90% of people with dementia in long term care (LTC) have hearing and/or vision impairment. Hearing/vision difficulties are frequently under-recognised or incompletely managed. The impacts of hearing/vision impairment include more rapid cognitive decline, behavioural disturbances, reduced quality of life, and greater care burden. This research investigated LTC staff knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding hearing/vision care needs for residents with dementia. METHODS: A survey of staff in LTC facilities in England, South Korea, India, Greece, Indonesia and Australia. Respondents used a five-point scale to indicate agreement or YES/NO response to questions regarding sensory-cognitive care knowledge (what is known); attitudes (what is thought); practice (what is done). RESULTS: Respondents reported high awareness of hearing/vision care needs, although awareness of how to identify hearing/vison difficulties or refer for assessment was low. Most felt that residents were not able to use hearing/vision devices effectively due to poor fit, being poorly tolerated or lost or broken devices. A substantial minority of respondents reported low confidence in supporting use of assistive hearing/vision devices, with lack of training the main reason. Most staff did not undertake routine checking of hearing/vision devices, and it was rare for facilities to have designated staff responsible for sensory needs. Variation among countries was not significant after accounting for staff experience and having received dementia training. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to improve sensory support for people with dementia in LTC facilities internationally. Practice guidelines and training to enhance sensory-cognitive knowledge, attitudes and practice in professional care teams is called for.

Validating Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) in a Greek sample.

This study aimed to validate the Greek version of the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). A sample of 340 psychiatric outpatients and controls was selected. Part of the sample went through a retest procedure after a two-week period. Due to the absence of equivalent tests, the Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI), the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-Dissociative Disorders Revised (SCID-D-R), and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale were used. Explanatory factor analysis was performed, resulting in a 28-item scale; the analysis revealed four factors, explaining 61% of total variation: Depersonalization, Amnesia, Absorption, and Miscellaneous. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the DES was 0.95. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the total score between the first and second interview was 0.84. Concurrent and convergent validity, as assessed by correlations with clinical assessment used as a "gold standard," (0.77), MDI (0.96), and Zung scale (0.75) were satisfactory to excellent. The total score on the DES was significantly higher in the clinical sample than in the controls (17.8 ± 16.2 vs. 5.8 ± 7.2, p < .001), indicating high discriminant validity. After the ROC analysis was run, the best compromise between sensitivity/specificity was achieved at the value of 20. The Greek version of the DES is a reliable and valid tool suitable to assess dissociation in clinical and healthy populations.

Genetic diversity of cytochrome P450 in patients receiving psychiatric care in Greece: a step towards clinical implementation.

Aim: We herein inferred the genetic diversity of CYP450 isoenzymes to predict the percentage of patients who need dose adjustment in drugs used in psychiatry. Materials & methods: Data of 784 Greek patients receiving psychiatric care who were genotyped for CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP1A2, CYP3A5 and CYP2C9 isoenzymes were inferred to gene-drug pairs according to the US FDA, Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium and Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group annotations and published literature. Results: Atypical metabolism was found for 36.8% of patients in CYP2D6, 49.2% in CYP2C19, 45% in CYP1A2, 16.7% in CYP3A5 and 41.8% in CYP2C9. Dosage adjustment need was estimated for 10.2% of venlafaxine, 10.0% of paroxetine, 6.4% of sertraline, 30.8% of citalopram, 52.1% of escitalopram, 18.2% of fluvoxamine, 54.1% of tricyclic antidepressants, 16.7% of zuclopenthixol, 10.6% of haloperidol and 13.3% of risperidone treated patients. Conclusion: Clinical psychiatric pharmacogenomic implementation holds promise to improve drug effectiveness and safety.

What is this summary about? Pharmacogenomic dosing guidelines exist for several antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs. However, psychiatric pharmacogenomics is not yet broadly applied in clinical practice. We herein examined the genetics of enzymes involved in the metabolism of psychiatric drugs to predict the percentage of patients who need dose adjustment. Gene­drug pairs were examined according to the US FDA, Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium and Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group annotations for CYP2D6 and CYP2C19, and according to existing literature for the other CYP450 isoenzymes.What were the results? In the total population consisting of 784 patients receiving psychiatric care, 36.8% of patients had atypical metabolism in CYP2D6, 49.2% in CYP2C19, 45% in CYP1A2, 16.7% in CYP3A5 and 41.8% in CYP2C9. Within cases that experienced adverse events, 35% had reduced metabolism in CYP2D6, 16.7% in CYP2C19, and 25% in CYP2C9. In cases showing lack of response, 5.8% were CYP2D6 ultra rapid metabolizers (UMs), 39.3% CYP2C19 UMs, 44.1% CYP1A2 fast metabolizers and 14.2% CYP3A5 expressors. Dosage adjustment need was estimated for 10.2% of venlafaxine, 10.0% of paroxetine, 6.4% of sertraline, 30.8% of citalopram, 52.1% of escitalopram, 18.2% of fluvoxamine, 54.1% of tricyclic antidepressants, 16.7% of zuclopenthixol, 10.6% of haloperidol and 13.3% of risperidone treated patients.What do the results mean? CYP450 genotyping can predict interindividual differences in drug response in the field of psychiatry. Clinical psychiatric pharmacogenomic implementation holds promise to improve drug effectiveness and safety.

Nutritional interventional studies in patients with multiple sclerosis: a scoping review of the current clinical evidence.

A good nutritional status appears to slow down disease progression and ameliorate symptoms' intensity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Up to date, there are several interventional studies, which have explored the potential beneficial effects of specific dietary patterns as well as specific bioactive nutrients against disease progression and symptomatology of MS patients. This is a thorough, scoping review, which aims to critically summarize and scrutinize the currently available clinical evidence of the potential beneficial effects of nutritional interventional studies against MS progression and symptomatology. This review was conducted to systematically map the research done in this area, as well as to identify gaps in knowledge. For this purpose, we thoroughly explored the most accurate scientific web databases, e.g., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to achieve the most relevant clinical human studies applying effective and characteristic keywords. There are currently several dietary patterns and specific bioactive nutrients that show promising results by slowing down disease progression and by improving MS symptoms. However, there are also certain conflicting results, while most of the existing studies enrolled a small number of MS patients. Nutritional interventions may exert substantial protective effects against MS progression and symptomatology. However, large, long-term, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials with a prospective design are strongly recommended to delineate whether such nutritional intervention may attenuate disease progression, and improve symptomatology in MS patients.

Evaluating the sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle parameters, depression, quality of life, cognitive status, physical activity, and Mediterranean diet adherence of older adults in pre- and post-Covid-19 periods: a comparative cross-sectional study.

Ojective: Covid-19 pandemic has exerted deleterious effects on several aspect of mental health worldwide. The detrimental medical complications, the increased prevalence of morbidity and the rapid international spread of Covid-19 have resulted in urgent public health concerns and political measures across the world. This comparative, cross-sectional study aims to assess the changes that were established in sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle parameters and several aspects of mental health of older adults due to Covid-19 pandemic by comparing the pre-Covid period with the post-Covid period. Methods: Qualified questionnaires were applied for assessing the prevalence of depression, quality of life, cognitive status, and Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence, as well as sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle parameters in 3388 older adults in the pre- and post-Covid period. Results: Covid-19 pandemic independently affected type of residence, smoking habits, BMI and WHR status, risk of depression, quality of life, cognitive status, physical activity levels, and MD adherence. Conclusions: Covid -19 pandemic has exerted persistent detrimental effects on daily quality of life and mental health of older adults in the post-Covid period. Future strategies and public policies should develop healthcare programs to provide psychological and nutritional counseling and support to older adults to minimize the detrimental effects of Covid pandemic.

Curcumin as a Multifunctional Spice Ingredient against Mental Disorders in Humans: Current Clinical Studies and Bioavailability Concerns.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress are one of the major causes of burden globally. Over the last two decades, the use of plant-based substances in the treatment of mental disorders in combination or not with medication has increasingly attracted the interest of the scientific research community. However, even if there is a plethora of naturally occurring bioactive compounds, most of them have low bioavailability, rendering them unable to insert into the bloodstream to exert their biological activities. METHODS: This is a comprehensive narrative review that critically summarizes and scrutinizes the new approaches to the treatment of mental disorders using curcumin, also highlighting its bioavailability properties. The most accurate were searched using effective and relevant keywords. RESULTS: This narrative review reveals substantial evidence that curcumin can exert significant effects on several mental disorders. However, despite the low cost, the extensive and confirmed potency of curcumin and its involvement in signaling pathways and the scientifically confirmed data regarding its molecular mechanisms of action against mental disorders, this naturally occurring compound presents low oral bioavailability. Pharmaceutical technology has provided solutions to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. Combination with piperine, galactomannosides, liposomal formulation or nanoformulation overcomes the bioavailability and solubility disadvantages. CONCLUSIONS: Although curcumin demonstrates anti-anxiety, anti-depressive and anti-stress properties, studies on humans are limited and heterogeneous. Further research is highly recommended to determine the most functional formula, dose, duration, and possible side effects of curcumin on mental disorders in humans. Based on the current knowledge, the curcumin nanoformulation and Theracurmin, a form of colloidal submicroscopic particles, seem to be the most effective bioavailable formulations, which may be examined in future clinical human studies.

Associations between Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Quality of Life, and Mental Health in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet (MD) is well-known as a diet which may exert a protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, only a few clinical surveys have assessed the potential effects of the MD in patients with MS. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the potential effects of MD compliance on disease disability, quality of life, physical activity, depressive symptomatology, and blood biochemical parameters related to nutritional status in MS patients, considering several socio-demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle characteristics. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 558 adults with MS aged 18-64 years. Relevant questionnaires were utilized to evaluate socio-demographic and anthropometric parameters, disease disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS), multidimensional health-related quality (MS Quality of Life-54, MSQOL-54), physical activity levels (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ), depression (Beck Depression Inventory II, BDI-II), and MD adherence (MedDietScore), while several blood biochemical parameters were retrieved from the patients' medical records. RESULTS: Enhanced MD compliance was independently associated with a decreased frequency of overweight/obesity, as well as abdominal obesity, in patients suffering from MS. Elevated MD compliance was also independently associated with a decreased incidence of advanced disease disability, a higher prevalence of elevated physical activity, an improved quality of life, and lower depressive symptoms, as well as higher levels of certain blood biochemical parameters, which are effective indicators of iron deficiency and malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: The present study found that higher MD adherence may slow down disease disability, promoting a better quality of life and mental health in adults with MS. Future prospective surveys are required to obtain conclusive results.

Association of Pregnant Women's Perinatal Depression with Sociodemographic, Anthropometric and Lifestyle Factors and Perinatal and Postnatal Outcomes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In recent decades, the incidence of depression has gradually increased in the general population globally. Depression is also common during gestation and could result in detrimental gestational complications for both the mother and the fetus. The survey presented aimed to evaluate whether pregnant women's perinatal depression could be associated with socio-demographic, anthropometry and lifestyle factors, and perinatal and postnatal outcomes. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 5314 pregnant women. Socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were recorded by relevant questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. Anthropometric parameters were measured by qualified personnel. Perinatal depressive symptomatology status was evaluated by Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II) questionnaire. Results: Depressive symptoms throughout gestation were found in 35.1% of the enrolled women. Perinatal depression was significantly associated with lower educational and economic level, pre-pregnancy regular smoking and reduced levels of Mediterranean diet adherence levels, a higher prevalence of gestational diabetes and preterm birth, as well as a higher incidence of delivering by caesarean section and abnormal childbirth weight. Perinatal depression was also significantly associated with a higher prevalence of maternal postpartum depression and lower prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practices, as well as with a higher incidence of childhood asthma. Conclusions: Pregnant women's perinatal depression appears to be associated with various socio-demographic, anthropometry, and lifestyle characteristics and with a higher frequency of several adverse pregnancy complications. The present findings emphasize the importance of pregnant women's perinatal mental health, highlighting the need to develop and apply public strategies and policies for psychological counseling and support of future mothers to minimize probable risk factors that may trigger perinatal depression. Novel well-organized, follow-up surveys of enhanced validity are highly recommended to establish more definitive conclusions.

Nutritional Status Is Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life, Physical Activity, and Sleep Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study in an Elderly Greek Population.

This study aims to explore the associations between nutritional status and health-related quality of life, physical activity, and sleep quality in older exclusively Caucasian adults from Greec who were free of any severe disease. This is a cross-sectional study. Mini Nutritional Assessment was used to assess nutritional status, health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form Healthy Survey questionnaire, sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and physical activity levels were assessed via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. 3405 community-dwelling men and women, over 65 years old from14 different Greek regions were enrolled. Ten-point four percent (10.4%) of the participants were classified as malnourished, while 35.6% were "at risk of malnutrition". A better nutritional status was significantly and independently associated with higher physical activity levels (p = 0.0011) and better quality of life (p = 0.0135), as well as better sleep quality (p = 0.0202). In conclusion, our study highlights the interrelationships between a good nutritional status, a high-quality sleep, active lifestyle, and good quality of life. Further interventional studies are needed to clarify the associations, and test the feasibility of improving the nutritional status, physical activity levels and sleep quality of the elderly, and the impact of these changes on quality of life, and healthy ageing in races beyond Caucasian populations. Public health strategies and policies should be recommended to inform older adults for the necessity to improve their nutritional status and lifestyle habits to improve their health status and to obtain better life expectancy.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence Is Associated with Favorable Health-Related Quality of Life, Physical Activity, and Sleep Quality in a Community-Dwelling Greek Older Population.

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a beneficial dietary pattern with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can promote mental and physical human health. This study aims to assess the impact of MD adherence on health-related quality of life, physical activity levels, and sleep quality in a representative Greek elderly population. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 3254 persons ≥65 years from 14 different Greek regions, urban, rural and islands participated in this study, of which 48.4% were female and 51.6% were male. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) was evaluated utilizing a short form healthy survey, physical activity was determined by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), sleep quality was assessed utilizing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and MD adherence was assessed via the Mediterranean Diet Score (MedDietScore). RESULTS: Moderate adherence to the MD and an increased prevalence of poor quality of life, low physical activity levels and inadequate sleep quality among the elderly population were recorded. High MD adherence was independently associated with better quality of life (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 2.06-2.68, p = 0.0008), higher physical activity (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.47-2.35, p = 0.0141) and adequate sleep quality (OR: 2.11, 95%: 1.79-2.44, p = 0.0018), female sex (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.02-1.68, p = 0.0032) and living with others (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.81-1.76, p = 0.0375), after adjustment for potential confounding factors. In unadjusted analysis, participants' age (p < 0.0001), anthropometric characteristics (p < 0.005), educational (p = 0.0026) and financial status (p = 0.0005) and smoking habits (p = 0.0031) were also identified as indicators of MD adherence; however, their impact on MD adherence was considerably attenuated after adjusting for confounding factors (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: High MD adherence was correlated with favorable quality of life, higher levels of physical activity, and a more adequate sleep quality score. Strategies and public health policies that facilitate MD adherence and physical activity in older adults may improve sleep and quality of life, impacting overall wellbeing in this age group.

Postpartum Depression Is Associated with Maternal Sociodemographic and Anthropometric Characteristics, Perinatal Outcomes, Breastfeeding Practices, and Mediterranean Diet Adherence.

Postpartum depression, with a prevalence ranging between 14% and 25% worldwide, has been considered an urgent health concern that negatively affects both mothers' and their infants' health. Postpartum depression may negatively affect maternal sociodemographic and anthropometric parameters and lifestyle factors. Nutrition has recently been identified as a crucial factor for the management and co-treatment of postpartum depression. This survey aims to determine the possible association of postpartum depression with mothers' socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, perinatal outcomes, breastfeeding practices, and Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey, which was performed on 3941 women during the postpartum period. Postpartum depression was assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Anthropometric parameters and perinatal outcomes were retrieved from mothers' medical records. Sociodemographic data and breastfeeding practices were recorded by face-to-face interviews between enrolled mothers and trained personnel. Mediterranean diet adherence was assessed by MedDietScore. Both univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were applied for analyzing our data. RESULTS: Postpartum depression was significantly associated with lower educational level, Greek nationality, higher prevalence of multiparity and overweight/obesity postpartum, higher incidence of caesarean section and not breastfeeding, and lower levels of MD adherence. In multivariate analysis, postpartum depression was independently associated with mothers' educational level, postpartum BMI status, type of delivery, breastfeeding practices, and MD adherence after adjusting for multiple confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided evidence that elevated MD compliance was related to a decreased risk of postpartum depression. Additionally, postpartum depression was associated with multiple sociodemographic and anthropometric parameters, perinatal outcomes, and breastfeeding practices. Future well-designed, prospective studies with high-quality methodology should be performed to obtain conclusive results.

Association of Mediterranean Diet Adherence with Sociodemographic, Anthropometric, and Lifestyle Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greece.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected several aspects of people's lifestyle worldwide. Healthy dietary patterns and their bioactive components may improve or even co-treat the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in several aspects of people's lifestyle and mental health in daily life. The aim of this survey is to evaluate the potential effect of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence against COVID-19-induced complications. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey performed on 3721 adults aged between 18 and 65 years old, which aims to evaluate the potential association of MD adherence with multiple sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors during the COVID-19 pandemic period. RESULTS: This study has supported evidence that elevated MD compliance was independently related to female gender, better economic status, no smoking, increased risk of abdominal obesity, higher physical activity levels, greater prevalence of adequate sleep quality, better quality of life, and reduced probability of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic by adjusting for multiple confounders. CONCLUSIONS: MD compliance may improve or even co-treat the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in several aspect of people's lifestyle in daily life. Further research is strongly recommended exploring the possible beneficial effects of the MD against COVID-19 lifestyle complications in daily life.

Association of COVID-19 Infection with Sociodemographic, Anthropometric and Lifestyle Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in an Older Adults' Population Aged over 65 Years Old.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unfavorable disruptions to daily living routines by exerting deleterious effects on several aspects of human mental and physical health and quality of life worldwide. The purpose of the current survey is to explore the potential association of COVID-19 infection with multiple sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors of community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey including 5197 older adults aged over 65 years old from 10 geographically diverse regions of Greece. Relevant questionnaires were used to record study the population sociodemographic factor, while anthropometric parameters were also measured. Validated questionnaires were also applied to assess several lifestyle factors such as depression, anxiety, stress, cognitive status, sleep quality, health-related quality of life, physical activity levels, and Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence. RESULTS: In multivariate regression analysis, COVID-19 infection was significantly, independently related with urban residence (p = 0.0107), regular smoking (p = 0.0218), overweight status and obesity (p = 0.0036), as well as abdominal obesity (p = 0.0008), higher risk of depression (p = 0.0027), anxiety (p = 0.0045), stress (p = 0.0038), inadequate sleep quality (p = 0.0108), lower physical activity levels (p = 0.0012), reduced MD compliance (p = 0.0009), and poor health-related quality of life (p = 0.0002). In univariate analysis, older adults' age (p = 0.0001), male gender (p = 0.0015), living alone (p = 0.0023), lower educational and economic level (p = 0.0175 and p = 0.0294, respectively), and cognition decline (p = 0.0032) were also related with the presence of COVID-19 infection; however, these associations were considerably attenuated at a non-significant level by adjustment for several confounders in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the few available studies supporting evidence that COVID-19 infection may be associated with diverse sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors in an older adults' population in Greece. This study highlights the strong demand to provide psychological and nutritional counselling and support to older adults diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in order to ameliorate disease symptoms and severity, emphasizing the adaptation of healthy dietary and lifestyle habits as preventing and supplementary therapeutic factors against COVID-19.