Rethinking students' mental health assessment through GHQ-12: evidence from the IRT approach.

BACKGROUND: The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) is a widely used screening tool for mental health assessment however its traditional scoring methods and cutoffs may not adequately capture the mental health complexities of younger populations. METHODS: This study explores GHQ-12 responses from a sample of university students. Possible differences in means scores considering gender, age, academic field and degree course were assessed through t-test or one-way ANOVA as appropriate. To deeper understanding different levels of severity and individual item impact on general distress measurement, we applied Item-Response-Theory (IRT) techniques (two-parameters logistic model). We compared students' population with a population of workers who underwent a similar psychological evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 3834 university students participated in the study. Results showed that a significant proportion (79%) of students reported psychological distress. Females and younger students obtained significantly higher average scores compared to others. IRT analysis found item-specific variations in mental distress levels, with more indicative items for short-term fluctuations and potential severe mental health concerns. Latent class analysis identified three distinct subgroups among students (including 20%, 37%, 43% of the participants respectively) with different levels of psychological distress severity. Comparison with a population of adults showed that students reported significantly higher scores with differences in the scale behavior. CONCLUSION: Our results highlighted the unique mental health challenges faced by students, suggesting a reevaluation of GHQ-12 applicability and cutoff scores for younger populations, emphasizing the need for accurate instruments in mental health evaluation.

Pleural mesothelioma in situ: a comprehensive review.

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the pleura. In recent years, there has been increasing interest and attention in detecting and diagnosing early-stage or precancerous forms of mesothelioma because of its severe prognosis and short life expectancy at the time of diagnosis. Mesothelioma in situ represents a clear opportunity to improve and innovate the diagnostic approach and the multimodality treatment of mesothelioma: the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma at the 'in-situ phase' means early disease detection and thus paves the way to new possible curable strategies. Since 2021, when mesothelioma in situ was finally identified and described as a new histological entity, its diagnosis and management became a challenge and the subject of ongoing research; several aspects remain open and still outstanding as regards diagnostic techniques, time and probability of progression, need for and methods of follow up, aggressive and early surgery. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mesothelioma in situ covering its definition, risk factors, diagnostic criteria, and tricky aspects of early detection. It also highlights its clinical significance, new perspectives, and potential future indications in the context of pleural mesothelioma multidisciplinary management.

The Evaluation of the Balance Test and MuscleLab Test for the Early Detection of Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a common source of hip pain affecting a wide range of subjects. In this work, we assessed two tests, namely the balance test and the MuscleLab test, in comparison with the flexion-abduction-external rotation (FABER) and flexion-adduction-internal rotation (FADIR) tests, in order to evaluate the functionality of the neural-musculoskeletal system of the subjects affected by FAI based on the measurement of biomechanical parameters. Our goal was to investigate the early detection of an altered hip joint and to monitor pathology progression over time. A total of 52 subjects, 29 females and 23 males, with an average age of 42 ± 13 years presenting hip impingement diagnosed using X-ray, were enrolled. Twenty-eight patients without signs of hip impingements were used as the control group. The balance test, which evaluates the capacity of a person to keep the orthostatic position against terrestrial gravity, and the MuscleLab test, which measures the force and power generated by active muscles during a movement, as well as FABER and FADIR tests, were performed in each subject. The balance and MuscleLab tests presented 100% sensitivity and higher sensitivity in FAI diagnosis, with 72.9% and 70.4%, respectively, in comparison with those obtained using FABER and FADIR tests, with 59.6% and 67.3%, respectively. The evaluation of the neural-musculoskeletal system using the balance and MuscleLab tests can help in the early detection of the severity of hip impingements and the assessment of non-operative treatments used over time.

Animal magnetism in Italy during the nineteenth century: the conflicting relationship with the Catholic Church.

This article explores the relationship between the Catholic Church and animal magnetism. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Catholic Church had first tried to stem the rise of animal magnetism in a vague manner, but after a few decades, it eventually put a genuine veto in place. This measure was founded upon the dangers to morality and faith arising from the progressive polarization of the original doctrine in forms related to esotericism. Among the causes of the condemnation by the Congregation of the Holy Office, the primary ones were the naturalist interpretation of the miracles described in the Gospels and in the New Testament, and the possibility of falling under the control of a demonic spirit.

A Mobile App Leveraging Citizenship Engagement to Perform Anonymized Longitudinal Studies in the Context of COVID-19 Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring: Development and Usability Study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, studies have increasingly focused on the development of mobile apps as complementary tools to existing traditional pharmacovigilance surveillance systems for improving and facilitating adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting. OBJECTIVE: In this research, we evaluated the potentiality of a new mobile app (vaxEffect@UniMiB) to perform longitudinal studies, while preserving the anonymity of the respondents. We applied the app to monitor the ADRs during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in a sample of the Italian population. METHODS: We administered vaxEffect@UniMiB to a convenience sample of academic subjects vaccinated at the Milano-Bicocca University hub for COVID-19 during the Italian national vaccination campaign. vaxEffect@UniMiB was developed for both Android and iOS devices. The mobile app asks users to send their medical history and, upon every vaccine administration, their vaccination data and the ADRs that occurred within 7 days postvaccination, making it possible to follow the ADR dynamics for each respondent. The app sends data over the web to an application server. The server, along with receiving all user data, saves the data in a SQL database server and reminds patients to submit vaccine and ADR data by push notifications sent to the mobile app through Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). On initial startup of the app, a unique user identifier (UUID) was generated for each respondent, so its anonymity was completely ensured, while enabling longitudinal studies. RESULTS: A total of 3712 people were vaccinated during the first vaccination wave. A total of 2733 (73.6%) respondents between the ages of 19 and 80 years, coming from the University of Milano-Bicocca (UniMiB) and the Politecnico of Milan (PoliMi), participated in the survey. Overall, we collected information about vaccination and ADRs to the first vaccine dose for 2226 subjects (60.0% of the first dose vaccinated), to the second dose for 1610 subjects (43.4% of the second dose vaccinated), and, in a nonsponsored fashion, to the third dose for 169 individuals (4.6%). CONCLUSIONS: vaxEffect@UniMiB was revealed to be the first attempt in performing longitudinal studies to monitor the same subject over time in terms of the reported ADRs after each vaccine administration, while guaranteeing complete anonymity of the subject. A series of aspects contributed to the positive involvement from people in using this app to report their ADRs to vaccination: ease of use, availability from multiple platforms, anonymity of all survey participants and protection of the submitted data, and the health care workers' support.

Sleep disorders and night-shift work in nursing students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: University students are known to have higher sleep disorders prevalence than the general population. Among them, nursing students are even more susceptible to sleep disorders. This study evaluates sleep disorders' risk factors among nursing students and their potential association with symptoms and assesses whether night shifts affect sleep quality by increasing the prevalence of sleep disorders. METHODS: A total of 202 nursing students were included; a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic and academic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, height, weight, and year of nursing program) and risk factors for sleep disorders (e.g., smoking, lack of physical activity, and coffee intake late in the evening). The survey included the General Health Questionnaire to assess perceived stress, the Sleep and Daytime Habits Questionnaire, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to assess sleep disorders symptoms. RESULTS: A high level of perceived stress is associated with sleep disorders symptoms and with poor sleep quality. Daytime symptoms are also associated with smoking. Students who drink coffee late in the evening report fewer nighttime symptoms. Night shifts and their increasing number are not associated with sleep disorders symptoms. The perception of an unsatisfying academic performance is associated with daytime symptoms and poor sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: Although night shifts seem to not affect sleep quality among nursing students, sleep disorders represent a critical issue in this population since sleep disorders symptoms may result in errors, accidents, or low academic performance.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies induced by the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine is age-dependent and influenced by a previous natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: our study aimed to investigate the association between anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level after two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine and the previously infected/infection-naïve status, age, and gender in a population of health care workers (HCWs). METHODS: all the population of immunocompetent HCWs were vaccinated with two doses of BNT162b2 based on a technical data sheet. SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay was performed 25 to 32 days after the second dose. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level was used as a categorical variable, since 2080 BAU/ml was the median IgG value. The multivariate logistic regression model included the previously infected/infection-naïve status, age groups, and gender. RESULTS: All HCWs tested were seropositive. The odds ratio (OR) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG> 2080 BAU / ml between previously infected and infection-naïve HCWs was 2.05 [95% CI 1.1-3.8].  Older age groups had lower percentage of HCWs with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG> 2080 BAU / mL than younger groups. Finally, no association between gender and IgG level was found. CONCLUSIONS: our study showed an excellent antibody response to vaccination with BNT162b2 after two doses. A significant difference was observed between anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level with age and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status.

Adherence, Perception of, and Attitude toward Influenza and Flu Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study among a Population of Future Healthcare Workers.

Healthcare students (HCSs) represent a target category for seasonal flu vaccination. This study aimed to examine adherence to flu vaccination campaigns from 2016 to 2019 among HCSs and to investigate knowledge and perception of and attitude toward influenza and flu vaccination. This cross-sectional study was conducted among the HCSs of a northern Italian university. Data on adherence, knowledge, perception, and attitude were investigated through an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was filled out by 352 out of 392 third-year HCSs (response rate = 90%). The main reason for refusal was the perception of influenza as non-threatening (24.4%), while self-protection was the main reason for adherence (87.5%). A univariate logistic regression analysis revealed some statistically significant associations with the adherence to the 2018-2019 campaign: being a nursing/midwifery student (OR: 4.14; 95% CI: 1.77-9.71) and agreeing with (OR: 19.28; 95% CI: 2.47-146.85) or being undecided (OR: 10.81; 95% CI: 1.33-88.27) about the obligation of vaccination in health facilities. The associations were also evaluated with a multiple logistic regression model. Despite the low vaccine uptake, good knowledge of the risks for HCSs and patients related to flu has emerged. Improving promotion strategies will be necessary to increase the adhesion of future healthcare workers.

Attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine and reasons for adherence or not among nursing students.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread widely among healthcare workers. Recently, new effective vaccines against COVID-19 have begun to be administered to healthcare workers in several countries, including Italy. PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in a population of nursing students, identifying factors associated with the intentions. METHOD: We conducted an anonymous online survey among 728 nursing students. The questionnaire collected data on demographic and academic characteristics, health status, vaccine attitudes, and specific reasons regarding the intention to get or not get the COVID-19 vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 422 nursing students completed the survey. Almost 81% of participants wanted to take the vaccine against coronavirus. The intention to adhere to the vaccination program was associated with male gender, a previous flu vaccine uptake, and high school education. The main reason in favor of taking the vaccine was to protect family and friends. The main reason for opposition was the fear of adverse events. CONCLUSION: It is fundamental to consider vaccine hesitancy in healthcare students and face it properly, since these are the healthcare workers of the future who will have to provide recommendations to patients and promote adherence to vaccination programs.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Asymptomatic Infection: Effect of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine on the Incidence of COVID-19 and Duration of Sick Leave Among Healthcare Workers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of COVID-19 and the duration of sick leave among asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) after vaccination with BNT162b2. METHODS: From October 2020 to March 2021, we determined the incidence of COVID-19 in a cohort of 671 asymptomatic HCWs before and after the vaccination. We also analyzed the days required to obtain a negative RT-PCR result after infection. RESULTS: Prior to vaccination 105 (15.6%) HCWs were positive. Positive cases were reduced to 42 (7.5%) after the vaccination period (P < 0.0001). A negative RT-PCR was observed at the first control in 80% of vaccinated HCWs and only in 37% before vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Even in case of asymptomatic infection, vaccinated HCWs have a reduced incidence and a shorter period of sick leave than before vaccination, suggesting vaccination impacts on the sustainability of the health system and labor costs.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and reasons for or against adherence among dentists.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has spread widely among health care workers. Oral health care workers have an increased risk of being infected owing to dental practice characteristics. New, effective vaccines against COVID-19 have been approved for use. The authors aim was to evaluate intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in a population of dentists and identify factors associated with their intentions. METHODS: The authors conducted an anonymous online survey among 761 dentists enrolled at the Board of Physicians and Dentists of the District of Monza Brianza, Monza, Italy. The authors collected data on demographic characteristics, influenza vaccine uptake, COVID-19 history, vaccine attitudes, and specific reasons for their intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or not. RESULTS: Overall, 421 dentists completed the survey. More than 82% of the participants declared their intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The multivariate logistic regression model reported a positive association with receiving the influenza vaccine in the 2020-2021 influenza season (odds ratio, 5.15; 95% CI, 2.14 to 12.39) and a negative association with receiving a diagnosis of COVID-19 previously (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.66). The participants' main reason for supporting vaccination was to protect their family and friends (87%) and their main reason for opposing vaccination was the lack of information (39%). CONCLUSIONS: It is fundamental to consider vaccine hesitancy in health care workers and address it properly because they must provide recommendations to patients and promote adherence to vaccination programs. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The vaccination of dental practitioners should be prioritized owing to the high risk related to dental practice.

Healthcare students: should they be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination?

Not requested.