Investigation of Internalized Weight-Related Stigma: Progression to Dietary Addiction and the Role of Stress.

INTRODUCTION: Internalizing weight stigma can lead to the development of dietary addiction, as individuals seek food as a coping mechanism for the emotional distress caused by stigma. The influence of stress exacerbates this dynamic, encouraging the reliance on food as a stress-coping strategy. METHODS: Electronic questionnaires were completed in a special electronic form through an online platform. The Two-Factor Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS-2F), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Life Orientation Test (LOT), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were used at this study to examine the prevalence of Internal Weight Stigma (IWS) among adults in Greece, evaluate the degrees of stress/anxiety, food addiction, mental resilience, emotions, and positive life perspectives within this group, and explore the correlations between stress/anxiety, mental resilience, optimistic life attitudes, and both IWS and food addiction. RESULTS: 376 participants completed the questionnaire. The average BMI of the participants was 26.3 kg/m2 (SD = 5.9 kg/m2). Almost half of the participants (46.8%) fell within the normal weight range (18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24.9), while 28.2% were classified as overweight and 21.0% as obese. Interestingly, a significant majority (63.1%) perceived themselves as heavier than the normal weight range suggests. Most participants demonstrated typical levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, with percentages of 67.3%, 64.9%, and 71.3%, respectively. Resilience exhibited positive associations with optimism and positive emotions while displaying negative connections with depression, anxiety, stress, and negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with greater optimism reported fewer symptoms of despair, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSION: The research highlights the intricate dimensions of mental well-being, emphasizing the need for a holistic comprehension encompassing demographic, psychological, and societal factors. The results indicate potential strategies for intervention to boost resilience, and optimism, and tackle issues such as food addiction, underscoring the significance of fostering a positive body image and self-esteem.

Investigation of Nurses' Wellbeing towards Errors in Clinical Practice-The Role of Resilience.

Background and Objectives: The fatigue, stress, and burnout of nurses lead to them frequently making mistakes, which have a negative impact not only on the safety of the patients but also on their psychology. The ability to bounce back from mistakes is crucial for nurses. Nursing staff members' physical and mental health, particularly their depression, is far from ideal, and this ill health is directly correlated with the frequency of self-reported medical errors. The nurses' mental and physical health are also positively correlated with their perception of wellness support at work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the status of nurses' mental and physical health regarding clinical errors and the impact of resilience on coping with these situations. Materials and Methods: A total of 364 healthcare professionals participated in this research; 87.5% of them were females and 12.5% of them were males. Most of the participants were 22-35 years old. The median number of years of employment was nine. Clinical nurses anonymously and voluntarily completed a special structured questionnaire that included questions from different validated tools in order to assess their state of physical and mental wellbeing after events of stress and errors made during their practice. Results: In total, 49.4% of the nurses had made an error on their own, and 73.2% had witnessed an error that someone else had made. At the time of the error, 29.9% of the participants were in charge of more than 20 patients, while 28.9% were responsible for a maximum of three patients. Participants who were 36-45 years old had more resilience (p = 0.049) and experienced fewer negative emotions than participants who were 22-35 years old. The participants who mentioned more positive feelings according to their mental state had greater resilience (p > 0.001). Conclusions: Errors were likely to happen during clinical practice due to nurses' negative experiences. The level of resilience among the nursing population was found to play a very important role not only in making mistakes but also in coping with errors during their daily routine. Wellness and prevention must be given top priority in all healthcare systems across the country in order to promote nurses' optimal health and wellbeing, raise the standard of care, and reduce the likelihood of expensive, avoidable medical errors. Healthcare administrations should promote prevention programs for stress occurrence in order to support nurses' wellbeing maintenance.

Stress and burnout among Greek critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occupational stress and burnout of health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially of the nursing population in intensive care units (ICUs), were quite frequent along with negative effects and a direct correlation with the manifestation of many physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms. For the purposes of this research, a quantitative survey was carried out, in which 153 ICU nurses of secondary and tertiary public hospitals in Greece participated. Nurses completed anonymously and voluntarily a special electronic questionnaire about stress, burnout, personal concerns about the pandemic, the consequences of the outbreak and their resilience toward COVID-19 patients' care. Specific validated scales were used in this study. Female nurses felt, to a greater extent than males, work-related burnout, especially patient-related burnout and total burnout. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between the existence of a psychological support group within a hospital and personal burnout. Participants who had experience in caring for SARS-CoV-2 patients had higher mental resilience than those without experience. As the consequences experienced by the health professionals of the reference COVID-19 hospitals were increased, so did mental resilience and stress coping strategies during the pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak and the conditions configurated in the health system had negative effects on the psycho-emotional state of ICU nurses. The manifestation of anxiety, stress and burnout had a direct correlation with both the work and personal functionality of the nurses and the whole of the healthcare services provided. The early recognition of symptoms and their individualized management are imperative for the protection of the psycho-emotional well-being of nurses.

Anxiety, Stress and the Resilience of University Students during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on everyone's daily lives with short-term or long-term consequences. Among the affected population, university students were studied by researchers specifically due to the total change to their educational way of learning and the courses they attended. The present study aimed to assess the psychological difficulties experienced by the university students of Greece during the first wave of the outbreak. Methods: 288 university nursing students completed an electronic questionnaire after consent. The sample included students from all years of study. The questionnaire included demographic data and questions about mental health status, resilience level, coping strategies, positive and negative emotions and an optimism assessment. Results: Depression (44.8%), anxiety (36.8%) and stress (40.3%) were experienced by the students. Females had significantly greater anxiety and stress signs compared to males (p < 0.001). The resilience score was significantly greater in males, as it was for the Positive Affect Score. Students in the fourth year of study used significantly more active/positive coping strategies than students in the first (p = 0.016) or second year of study (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Several students experienced serious mental disorders during the first period of the COVID-19 outbreak. Variables such as gender, year of study, age, positive and negative affect score, life orientation test score and coping strategies were identified as factors contributing to this situation. Special attention must be paid to female students as they mentioned negative emotions more frequently than males. Further research on the academic population could be beneficial to university administrators.

Association of University Students' COVID-19 Vaccination Intention with Behaviors toward Protection and Perceptions Regarding the Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. Vaccination is suggested to be one of the most efficacious precautionary measures, in combination with other protective behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the association of students' intention to get vaccinated about COVID-19 with protection behaviors and perceptions about the pandemic. Material and Methods: The study sample included 1920 university students who electronically completed two validated questionnaires anonymously and voluntarily from December 2020 to January 2021. Results: Results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that as the perceived general risk was getting lower, the number of protective behaviors significantly diminished (p < 0.001). Additionally, respondents who believed that they had minor or no personal risk had undertaken significantly fewer preventing behaviors in comparison with participants who thought they had major personal risk (p = 0.006). However, the experience of respondents with people having COVID-19 had statistically significant association with undertaking more preventing behaviors (p = 0.004). Lower general perception of risk had statistically significant association with lower determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Personally knowing someone who had the coronavirus and undertaking more behavioral changes due to the coronavirus situation were significantly related to greater determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study can provide universities with the appropriate information about the improvement of COVID-19 vaccination strategies.

Perceptions, Knowledge and Attitudes among Young Adults about Prevention of HPV Infection and Immunization.

INTRODUCTION: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and is widely known as the main causative agent for cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions, knowledge and attitudes of young Greek adults concerning prevention of HPV infection and HPV immunization. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This constitutes a cross-sectional online survey. A convenience sample of young Greek adults (n = 883) residing in Greece, aged 17 to more than 35 years was surveyed from December 2020 to March 2021. Two validated questionnaires were used to collect data. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated moderate knowledge about HPV infection and vaccination, with a mean knowledge score of 53.26 (SD ± 20.65) and 38.92 (SD ± 17.58), respectively. Cronbach's alpha value was 0.77 and 0.80. Female participants were better informed than males. Approximately 52.3% of respondents had been vaccinated and 65.5% were willing to get vaccinated in the future. Vaccination rate was significantly associated with gender (OR = 11.99; 99% CI = 6.59-21.84), knowledge about the HPV vaccine (OR = 1.04; 99% CI = 1.03-1.04) and age (OR = 0.07; 99% CI = 0.03-0.15). Reasons for vaccine refusal were insufficient information (36.8%) and fear of side effects (19%). Correlates of positive vaccination intention were knowledge about HPV (OR = 1.02; 99% CI = 1.01-1.02). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the Greek government's continuing HPV promotion efforts and education on the risks of HPV infection among young people are likely to increase vaccination acceptance among this group.

Investigation of Mental and Physical Health of Nurses Associated with Errors in Clinical Practice.

Background: Errors are common among all healthcare settings. The safety of patients is linked directly with nursing errors because nurses stand by them more often than any other healthcare professional. The role of mental and physical health of nurses is of great interest for a good and efficient job performance, but also for maintaining good patient care delivery. This study aimed to investigate the association between nurses' general health and making errors during clinical practice. Methods: A total of 364 nurses completed a specially designed questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily. The sample consisted of nurses with all educational degrees. The questionnaire included demographic data and questions about general health issues, resilience status and nurses' possible experience with errors within a hospital. Results: 65,8% of the participants stated that at least one error had happened at their workplace, and 49,4% of them reported that the error was caused by them. Somatic symptoms were found to have a positive correlation with making errors (p < 0.001). However, the other aspects of general health, which were anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression, had no statistical significance with adverse events. The most common type of error reported (65,5%) was a medication adverse event. Resilience level was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001) when correlated with all aspects of general health (anxiety/insomnia, severe depression, somatic symptoms), but not with social dysfunction. Conclusion: Nurses are affected by their somatic symptoms in their daily clinical practice, making them vulnerable to making errors that compromise patient safety. A high resilience level could help them cope with unfavorable situations and prevent them from doing harm to a patient or themselves.

COVID-19 Vaccination Intention Associated with Behaviors towards Protection and Perceptions Regarding the Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The impressively rapid availability of different types of COVID-19 vaccines and, on the other hand, the degree of their effectiveness as opposed to the likelihood of serious or non-serious side effects place a fairly large percentage of the population at a crossroads regarding the choice to get vaccinated or not, hence threatening achievement of total immunization coverage and full immunity. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccination intention in Greece regarding protection behaviors and perceptions of the pandemic. METHODS: A total of 3753 participants completed a specially designed electronic questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily. The study population consisted of healthcare workers, students, members of professional societies, teachers, and professors. The questionnaire was composed of four parts pertaining to demographic data and possible changes in hygiene attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: In total, 43.3% of the participants stated that SARS-CoV-2 poses a significant risk. The most widespread protection practice was avoiding crowded places (90.1%), followed by reducing the use of public transport (86.1%) and washing their hands with soap and water more often than usual (84.2%). Women undertook significantly more behavioral changes than men and participants of other nationalities. About half of the participants (44%) implemented seven behavioral changes. Lower personal and general perceived risk due to COVID-19 was significantly associated with lower intention to get vaccinated. CONCLUSION: Strong hesitancy was observed towards COVID-19 vaccination. There is a need for further studies to be conducted to investigate the benefits and safety of vaccines for the purpose of better informing the public. Healthcare personnel can and should play a key role in this process.

Assessment of oncology patients' satisfaction from intravenous chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To assess patient satisfaction from chemotherapy and investigate the effect of demographic factors, disease symptoms and treatment on satisfaction. METHODS: A non-randomized cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 100 patients undergoing chemotherapy at "Metaxa" Cancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece for 6 months. A demographic data questionnaire, a Cancer Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ) and visual analog scales were used to evaluate pain, anxiety, fatigue, and nausea while presence or absence of vomit were also assessed. RESULTS: The majority of the patients in the sample were men (51%), with a mean age of 58.5 ± 10.82 years. The mean value of expectations from treatment was 60.55, from treatment's satisfaction was 75.86 and from feelings about treatment's side effects was 44.56. The most serious symptoms were fatigue and anxiety (7.2 ± 1.95 and 6.71 ± 2.5, respectively). Statistical tests have shown that sub-dimensions of CTSQ are associated with pain, anxiety, fatigue, and nausea. CONCLUSIONS: Generally, chemotherapy meets patients' expectations with cancer. Symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, pain, and nausea affect their satisfaction. Treatment's satisfaction can be improved by evaluating symptoms, which will lead to appropriate interventions.

Pre- and Post-Operative Nutrition Assessment in Patients with Colon Cancer Undergoing Ileostomy.

INTRODUCTION: Patients undergoing ileostomy surgery often experience electrolyte disturbances and dehydration, especially during the first post-operative period. Recently, research has also begun on how the newly constructed ileostomy affects the patient's nutritional status. AIM: The aim of the present pilot study was to assess the nutritional status of patients before and after the construction of the ileostomy as well as nutrition-related factors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was a pilot study. The sample consisted of 13 adult patients diagnosed with colorectal or colon cancer who underwent scheduled ileostomy surgery. The evaluation tool used was "Original Full Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)". Patients underwent nutritional assessment before the surgery (time 0), on the 7th post-operative day (time 1), and on the 20th post-operative day (time 2). The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: All patients had a drop in MNA score on the 7th and 20th post-operative days. Factors associated with MNA were weight loss, mobility, body mass index (BMI), number of full meals consumed per day, portions of fruits and vegetables consumed per day, and mid-arm circumference, p < 0.05, respectively. Pre-operatively, 38.5%, of patients had severe weight loss (>3 kg), 23% moderate weight loss and 38.5% minimal weight loss. Pre-operatively, 92.3% of participants were able to move on their own and 69.2% on the 20th post-operatively day. Furthermore, BMI >23 kg/m2 had 84.6% of participants pre-operatively and 30.8% on the 20th post-operative day. In terms of portions of fruits and vegetables consumed per day, 30.8% of patients consumed at least 2 times, pre-operatively and no one (0%) on the 20th post-operative day. Moreover, pre-operatively all participants (100%) had arm circumference >22 cm while on the 20th post-operative day, only 38.5% of participants had arm circumference >22 cm. CONCLUSIONS: In the first 20 days after the construction of an ileostomy, the nutritional status of the patients is significantly affected. Decreased patient nutrition in both quantity and ingredients and reduced fluid intake appear to adversely affect the patient's nutritional status.

The incidence of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients in Greek clinical practice: A longitudinal study.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess nausea and vomiting in cancer patients during two cycles of chemotherapy, and the impact on their quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted in an oncology department of a large general public hospital in Northern Greece. The sample consisted of 200 cancer patients. Data were collected with the MASCC-Antiemesis Tool and FACT-G questionnaire and specific demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: In cycle 2, acute vomiting was experienced by 16% of the patients and delayed vomiting by 14%; acute nausea was experienced by 27.5% and delayed nausea by 38%. In cycle 3, acute and delayed vomiting were experienced by 17.5% and 15% of the patients, respectively, acute nausea by 29.5%, and delayed nausea by 36.5%. The comparison of severity in acute vomiting between cycle 2 and cycle 3 yielded a statistically significant (p = 0.003) difference; similar results were obtained in the comparison of severity of acute nausea (p < 0.001). The correlation of severity of acute nausea with physical, emotional, and functional well-being as well as the total score of quality of life in two measurement points was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Multiple forward linear regression analysis showed that the total score of quality of life was significantly associated with age, gender, educational status, occupational status, type of cancer, family status, and diet. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that nausea and vomiting are significant clinical problems that influence quality of life. Further research is needed to evaluate the predictors of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.

Prevalence, Wellbeing, and Symptoms of Dysmenorrhea among University Nursing Students in Greece.

Dysmenorrhea (pain during menstruation) is one of the most common medical conditions among women of reproductive age. Dysmenorrhea has been studied around the world but not yet in Greece. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of dysmenorrhea on the wellbeing (exercising, and social and academic functioning) among nursing students in Greece. A cross-sectional study of 637 nursing students was conducted by administering a questionnaire at a university in Athens. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 89.2% and the rate of severe intensity was 52.5%. Factors that were associated with severe dysmenorrhea were family history (p = 0.02), early menarche (p = 0.05) and menstruation duration (p = 0.05). Women with moderate and severe pain reported using pain relievers (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), paracetamol etc., p < 0.0005). Finally, activities affected by severe pain were class attendance (p = 0.01), personal studying (p < 0.0005), exercising (p < 0.0005), and socializing (p < 0.0005). Exam attendance (p = 0.27) and clinical placement attendance (p = 0.48) were not affected by severe dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea has a high prevalence among nursing students and seems to affect important aspects of wellbeing and academic performance when the pain intensity is severe. The present findings lay the foundation for further investigation of dysmenorrhea both in the Greek population and cross-culturally.

Application of Theranostics in Oncology.

In recent years, due to the development of nanotechnology new horizons in treatment and diagnosis of cancer open up. Development of nano-systems for simultaneous transfer of active substances and imaging of tumor regions gathers an important amount of scientific interest. This new category of nano-systems is called Theranostics. Theranostics methods can provide multiple benefits by inserting nanoparticles into the patient and using photodynamic therapy and pave the way for personalized medicine. The objective of this paper is to study the use and application of Theranostics in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, in order to achieve personalized anticancer treatment. For this purpose, investigation of existing literature has been conducted using electronic databases, PubMed, Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore. In addition, there was a secondary research phase, using paper citations found during the first research phase. It has to be pointed out that nanoparticles are the basis of Theranostics, since, due to their properties, they provide the ability to display accurate imaging and provide diagnosis along with simultaneous treatment of diseases. Theranostics methods may be applied in treatment of esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, in treatment of actinic keratosis, actinic cheilitis and Bowen's disease and in treatment of basal cell epithelioma and macular degeneration. As a result, application of Theranostics can provide multiple benefits by inserting nanoparticles into the patient. This method is currently encountering many challenges, but continuation of research on the field is necessary not only for the improvement of the medical field and the healthcare techniques, but also for the creation of new treatment methods for patients with diseases that are incurable until now.

Applications for Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) and Electrical Properties of the Human Body.

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a promising application that displays changes in conductivity within a body. The basic principle of the method is the repeated measurement of surface voltages of a body, which are a result of rolling injection of known and small-volume sinusoidal AC current to the body through the electrodes attached to its surface. This method finds application in biomedicine, biology and geology. The objective of this paper is to present the applications of Electrical Impedance Tomography, along with the method's capabilities and limitations due to the electrical properties of the human body. For this purpose, investigation of existing literature has been conducted, using electronic databases, PubMed, Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore. In addition, there was a secondary research phase, using paper citations found during the first research phase. It should be noted that Electrical Impedance Tomography finds use in a plethora of medical applications, as the different tissues of the body have different conductivities and dielectric constants. Main applications of EIT include imaging of lung function, diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, detection of tumors in the chest area and diagnosis and distinction of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. EIT advantages include portability, low cost and safety, which the method provide, since it is a noninvasive imaging method that does not cause damage to the body. The main disadvantage of the method, which blocks its wider spread, appears in the image composition from the voltage measurements, which are conducted by electrodes placed on the periphery of the body, because the injected currents are affected nonlinearly by the general distribution of the electrical properties of the body. Furthermore, the complex impedance of the skin-electrode interface can be modelled by using a capacitor and two resistor, as a result of skin properties. In conclusion, Electrical Impedance Tomography is a promising method for the development of noninvasive diagnostic medicine, since it is able to provide imaging of the interior of the human body in real time without causing harm or putting the human body in risk.