Profiling and assessing the risks of image- and performance-enhancing drugs use during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: Image and Performance-Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) can enhance mental and physical capabilities and impact one's overall health. Initially confined in sport environments, IPEDs use has become increasingly widespread in a high-performing society. The present study was aimed at profiling IPEDs use during the COVID-19 lockdown among an international sample of young adults.

Communicating Risks and Food Procedures through a Visual Poster for Caregivers of Patients with Dysphagia in Inpatient Care: Usability and Impact.

Food-related procedures are a part of rehabilitation interventions for dysphagia. However, studies show that professional-caregiver communication is often lacking in dysphagia, risking caregivers' knowledge, understanding, and practice of those procedures, with negative consequences for patient safety and rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to evaluate caregivers' perspectives about the utility of a poster designed to communicate dysphagia-related risks and food procedures for caregivers of patients in inpatient care.

The Pharmacy of the Future: Pharmacy Professionals' Perceptions and Contributions Regarding New Services in Community Pharmacies.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has revolutionized the provision of health services, often referred to as eHealth, benefiting community pharmacies that can offer new services in innovative formats, namely through telepharmacy. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of pharmacy professionals (i.e.

Knowledge and Beliefs about Herb/Supplement Consumption and Herb/Supplement-Drug Interactions among the General Population, including Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists: A Systematic Review and Guidelines for a Smart Decision System.

The increased consumption of a variety of herbs/supplements has been raising serious health concerns. Owing to an inadequate understanding of herb/supplement-drug interactions, the simultaneous consumption of these products may result in deleterious effects and, in extreme cases, even fatal outcomes. This systematic review is aimed at understanding the knowledge and beliefs about the consumption of herbs/supplements and herb/drug-supplement interactions (HDIs).

The Influence of Patient-Centered Communication on Children's Anxiety and Use of Anesthesia for MR.

Background: The aim of this study was to inspect the influence of patient-centered communication (PCC) with 4- to 10-year-old children on the use of anesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging exams (MRs). Methods: A total of thirty children received the PCC and pre-simulated the exam with an MR toy. Another 30 children received routine information about the MR and pre-simulated the exam with the toy.

Association between Elevated Iodine Intake and IQ among School Children in Portugal.

The goal of this work was to examine whether elevated iodine intake was associated with adverse effects on IQ among school-age children in Portugal. In a representative sample of children from the north of the country, IQ percentiles by age (assessed with Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices) were dichotomized to <50 (“below-average” IQs) and ≥50. Morning urine iodine concentrations, corrected for creatinine, were dichotomized to <250 µg/g and ≥250 µg/g, according to the European Commission/Scientific Committee on Food’s tolerable upper level of daily iodine intake for young children.

Online Behaviours during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Associations with Psychological Factors: An International Exploratory Study.

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore specific online behaviours and their association with a range of underlying psychological and other behavioural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Japan, Hungary, and Brazil) participated in an international investigation involving 2223 participants ( = 33 years old; = 11), 70% of whom were females. Participants were surveyed for specific type of Internet use severity, appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and image and use of performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs).

At-distance neurocognitive rehabilitation during COVID-19 pandemic: A first glance of patients' perspectives about the process and an online platform.

Despite the use of digital communication technologies in neurocognitive rehabilitation has been widely used in face-to-face interventions, the difficulties of using ICT-based tools to provide rehabilitation services and the unfamiliarity of the neuropsychologists with internet interventions limited the use of these kinds of interventions in their clinical practices. The lockdown and mitigating measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, forced the use of at-distance and online interventions as a means to mitigate the impact of those measures on the mental health and rehabilitation processes of people with neurological disorders. Overall, little is known about the perspectives of patients with acquired neurological conditions about rehabilitation services delivered at distance.

Clinical Communication in Rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation can be a challenging process for both patients and health care professionals [...

An international cross-sectional investigation on social media, fitspiration content exposure, and related risks during the COVID-19 self-isolation period.

With the global COVID-19 pandemic, governments from many countries in the world implemented various restrictions to prevent the SARS-Cov-2 virus's spread, including social distancing measures, quarantine, in-home lockdown, and the closure of services and public spaces. This led to an in-creased use of social media platforms to make people feel more connected, but also to maintain physical activity while self-isolating. Concerns about physical appearance and the desire to keep or reach a muscular and toned ideal body, might have further reinforced the engagement in fitness-related social media activities, like sharing progresses in training achievements or following more fitness contents on popular profiles.

Exploring the Relationship Between Mental Well-Being, Exercise Routines, and the Intake of Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Comparison Across Sport Disciplines.

Physical distancing under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on lifestyles, including exercise routines. In this study, we examined the relationship between mental health and addictive behaviors, such as excessive exercise and the use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) across 12 sport disciplines. A large cross-sectional sample of the adult population ( = 2,295) was surveyed.

Empathy and Coping in Allied Health Sciences: Gender Patterns.

This study aimed to examine the patterns of associations between empathy and coping among undergraduate men and women studying at Allied Health Sciences. This cross-sectional study is part of a larger longitudinal study conducted in an Allied Health Sciences School. Participants were 183 undergraduate students from 12 training programs (e.

Exercise and Use of Enhancement Drugs at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicultural Study on Coping Strategies During Self-Isolation and Related Risks.

Little is known about the impact of restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on self-image and engagement in exercise and other coping strategies alongside the use of image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) to boost performance and appearance. To assess the role of anxiety about appearance and self-compassion on the practice of physical exercise and use of IPEDs during lockdown. An international online questionnaire was carried out using the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI), the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) in addition to questions on the use of IPEDs.

Genetic testing for pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: SDHx carriers' experiences.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are frequently hereditary tumors commonly associated with succinate dehydrogenase (SDHx) pathogenic variants (PV). Genetic testing is recommended to relatives of patients carrying SDHx PV. This study aims to explore the experiences associated with genetic testing for this hereditary condition.

The Use of New Digital Information and Communication Technologies in Psychological Counseling during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has enabled many professionals to continue to provide their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the adoption of ICTs by psychologists and the impact of such technologies on their practice. This study aimed to explore psychologists' practices related with the use of ICTs before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, to identify the main changes that the pandemic has brought and the impact that such changes have had on their practice with clients, and also identify the factors that potentially have affected such changes.

Recognizing Emotions through Facial Expressions: A Largescale Experimental Study.

Experimental research examining emotional processes is typically based on the observation of images with affective content, including facial expressions. Future studies will benefit from databases with emotion-inducing stimuli in which characteristics of the stimuli potentially influencing results can be controlled. This study presents Portuguese normative data for the identification of seven facial expressions of emotions (plus a neutral face), on the Radboud Faces Database (RaFD).

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma genetic testing: Psychological impact.

Objective: Genetic testing is recommended for all pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma tumor-affected patients and, if positive, for their relatives, who are at risk of developing tumors. This study aims to assess the previously unexamined psychological impact of genetic testing and identify factors associated with this impact.

Method: A nationwide sample of 103 individuals carrying succinate dehydrogenase mutations answered the Multidimensional Impact of Cancer Risk Assessment (MICRA) questionnaire plus two measures of general well-being (the SF-36 Health Survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale).

Neurophysiological Correlates of the Near-Miss Effect in Gambling.

The near-miss effect in gambling refers to a losing situation that is (or perceived to be) close to a win by the gambler. This effect is one of the many cognitive distortions that can occur during gambling games. The main objective of the present study was to analyze the electrophysiological correlates of the near-miss effect via an event-related potential (ERP) study examining four distinct gambling outcomes: win, full miss, near-miss before the payline, and near-miss after the payline.

Psychometric Properties of the MICRA Questionnaire in Portuguese Individuals Carrying SDHx Mutations.

This study aims to present the translation and cultural adaptation, as well as the psychometric characteristics of the Portuguese version of the Multidimensional Impact of Cancer Risk Assessment (MICRA) questionnaire in individuals with SDHx mutations. The questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted in accordance with the process recommended by the World Health Organization. As per suggestion of the authors of the original instrument, a joint, universal European and Brazilian Portuguese version of the MICRA was created.

The Influence of Professionals' Empathy on Parents' Anxiety in Cases of Juvenile Criminology.

In situations of juvenile delinquency, abuse, or neglect, determination of child custody relies on interviews with parents. This study aims to examine the effects of the interviewer's empathy on parents' anxiety, and to explore how parents experience these situations. A measure of anxiety was applied to 41 parents under evaluation for child custody before and after the assessment interview.

Patients with schizophrenia assessing psychiatrists' communication skills.

Communication plays a central role in mental health care. Yet, studies fail to address the adequacy of psychiatrists' communication according to patients' needs. We examined how patients with schizophrenia assess their psychiatrists' communication skills, inspecting the importance that these aspects have for patients.

An fMRI paradigm based on Williams inhibition test to study the neural substrates of attention and inhibitory control.

The purpose of this study is to present an fMRI paradigm, based on the Williams inhibition test (WIT), to study attentional and inhibitory control and their neuroanatomical substrates. We present an index of the validity of the proposed paradigm and test whether the experimental task discriminates the behavioral performances of healthy participants from those of individuals with acquired brain injury. Stroop and Simon tests present similarities with WIT, but this latter is more demanding.

Physicians Experiencing Intense Emotions While Seeing Their Patients: What Happens?

Objectives: Physicians often deal with emotions arising from both patients and themselves; however, management of intense emotions when they arise in the presence of patients is overlooked in research. The aim of this study is to inspect physicians' intense emotions in this context, how these emotions are displayed, coping strategies used, adjustment behaviors, and the impact of the emotional reactions on the physician-patient relationship.

Methods: A total of 127 physicians completed a self-report survey, built from a literature review.

Preoperative anxiety in ambulatory surgery: The impact of an empathic patient-centered approach on psychological and clinical outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the influence of an empathic patient-centered approach on preoperative anxiety and surgical outcomes in ambulatory surgery patients.

Methods: A sample of 104 patients undergoing general ambulatory surgery was randomly assigned to the intervention (IG) and the control (CG) groups. Before surgery, the IG received personalized information through an empathic patient-centered interview.