Video slot machine use in adolescence: the role of self-efficacy beliefs, current and expected personal fulfillment at the social and educational level.

Introduction: Video slot machines (VSMs), which are available on electronic gaming machines and online platforms, are widely recognized for their high potential to trigger harmful gambling behaviors. Yet, the psychological factors associated with VSM use among adolescents remain poorly investigated.

Methods: We estimated adjusted odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of current regular (at least monthly) VSM use according to self-efficacy beliefs regarding everyday problem-solving ability, along with current and expected personal fulfillment at the social, and educational level among 7,959 Italian high school students aged 15-17.

P.A.V.I.A. Study: Pervasiveness and Associated Factors of Video Slot Machine Use in a Large Sample of Italian Adolescents.

Video slot machines (VSM) are considered a particularly harmful gambling format; however, scant data is available on their use among underage Italian individuals. Two surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2022 involving 7,959 underage high school students (57.8% female) in Pavia, Northern Italy.

Cancer mortality predictions for 2024 in selected Asian countries and Australia with focus on stomach cancer.

Introduction: We estimated cancer mortality figures in five major Asian countries and Australia for 2024, focusing on stomach cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Eastern Asia.

Methods: We computed country- and sex-specific annual age-standardized rates (ASRs) for total cancers and the 10 most common cancer sites, using WHO and the United Nations Population Division databases from 1970 to 2021 or the latest available year. We predicted figures for 2024 and estimated the number of avoided cancer deaths in 1994-2024.

"Leo&Giulia standing for public health": an animated series to promote the values of public health among school-aged children. Best practices and field-trial protocol.

Background: The "Leo&Giulia standing for public health" project is an innovative digital health education model targeting primary school children. The project, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to educate primary school-aged children about public health issues through an animated cartoon series. It highlights the importance of early-life health promotion and the potential role of educational settings in shaping health behaviours.

European trends in ovarian cancer mortality, 1990-2020 and predictions to 2025.

Introduction: Over the last decades, ovarian cancer mortality in Europe has been decreasing, but disparities in trends were observed. In this paper, we analysed ovarian cancer mortality trends in Europe over the period 1990-2020 and predicted the number of deaths and rates by 2025.

Methods: We extracted population and death certification data from ovarian cancer in women for 31 European countries, between 1990 and 2020 from the World Health Organization database.

Can youtube be trusted as a source of quality and reliable information on COVID-19 vaccination in Italy?

Unlabelled: Background and aim: Social media platforms are common sources of information, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. YouTube is the second most popular social media platform both in Italy and globally. Following criticisms regarding quality control during the pandemic, banners that would direct viewers to official health information sources were incorporated into Youtube videos related to COVID-19.

Health and social home services among community-dwelling older people during COVID-19: Results from the cross-sectional LOST in Lombardia project.

Background: Few studies have focused on changes in health and social services access due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to describe changes in the use of selected health and social home services due to the pandemic and to investigate potential associated factors, including socio-demographic characteristics, number of chronic diseases and mental health indicators, among older Italian individuals.

Methods: We analysed data from the LOST in Lombardia cross-sectional study conducted in November 2020 on a large representative sample of 4400 individuals aged ⩾65 years.

Grandparenting during pandemic times: pros and cons for mental health.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures posed an unprecedented challenge to the crucial role of grandparenting in family-oriented cultures, such as Italy. Reduced contact with grandchildren during this period potentially threatened grandparents' mental health and well-being.

Methods: We analysed data from the LOckdown and lifeSTyles in Lombardia cross-sectional study conducted in November 2020.

Prebiotics and the Risk of Upper Digestive Tract and Stomach Cancers: The PrebiotiCa Study.

Background: Fiber intake may lower digestive tract cancer risk, possibly by modulating the composition of gut microbiota. However, no data are available about the role of specific fiber fractions with prebiotic activity (e.g.

The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality in Pavia, Northern Italy: Updated Estimates for the Year 2021.

Excess mortality estimates are considered relevant indicators of direct and indirect pandemic effects on the population. Scant data have been published on cause-specific excess mortality. Using individual-level administrative data covering the Pavia province of Italian northern Lombardy region, we provided all-cause and cause-specific raw (RMR) and age-standardized (ASMR) mortality rates in 2021 and 2015-2019, the rate ratio, and 95% confidence intervals, overall and by sex.

Transition to retirement impact on smoking habit: results from a longitudinal analysis within the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project.

Background: In an ageing society, retirement impacts on behavioural risk factors and health outcomes should be carefully assessed. Scant evidence exists from longitudinal studies on the short- and long-term consequences of the transition to retirement on smoking habit.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data from 27 European countries plus Israel collected in 2004-2020.

The impact of early therapies for COVID-19 on death, hospitalization and persisting symptoms: a retrospective study.

Purpose: Oral antivirals (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir), intravenous short treatment of remdesivir and anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been used for early COVID-19 treatments in high risk of disease progression patients. The term long COVID has been used to refer to a range of new, returning, or ongoing symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Little is known about the impact of such therapies on long COVID.

Violence against Women and Stress-Related Disorders: Seeking for Associated Epigenetic Signatures, a Pilot Study.

Background: Violence against women is a relevant health and social problem with negative consequences on women's health. The interaction between genome and environmental factors, such as violence, represents one of the major challenges in molecular medicine. The Epigenetics for WomEn (EpiWE) project is a multidisciplinary pilot study that intends to investigate the epigenetic signatures associated with intimate partner and sexual violence-induced stress-related disorders.

Digital Information Approach through Social Media among Gen Z and Millennials: The Global Scenario during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

An infodemic represents a concern for public health, influencing the general population's perceptions of key health issues. Misinformation is rapidly spread by social media, particularly among young generations. We used data from the WHO "Social Media and COVID-19" study, which was conducted in 24 countries worldwide on over 23,000 subjects aged 18-40 years, to explore Generation Z and Millennials' models for health-information-seeking behaviors on social media.

Mortality patterns of soft-tissue sarcomas worldwide up to 2018, with predictions for 2025.

Objective: The epidemiological evidence on soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) mortality is inconsistent in geographic and time coverage. This study provides mortality trends for STSs in selected countries worldwide over the last 2 decades, together with predicted figures for 2025.

Methods: We extracted official numbers of certified deaths coded as C47 (i.

Intake of prebiotic fibers and the risk of laryngeal cancer: the PrebiotiCa study.

Purpose: To evaluate whether the intake of specific fibers with prebiotic activity, e.g., inulin-type fructans (ITFs), fructo-oligosaccharides (FOSs), and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOSs), is associated with laryngeal cancer risk.

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer: A systematic review of the impact of COVID-19 on patient care.

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare services, including cervical cancer management, and an increased burden for this condition is expected. This systematic review synthetizes the available evidence on the impact of the pandemic on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. Searches were performed on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for relevant studies on these topics with the purpose of comparing service access and care delivery before and during COVID-19 pandemic.

Older Adults' Access to Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the LOckdown and LifeSTyles (LOST) in Lombardia Project.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionally affected older people in terms of clinical outcomes and care provision. We aimed to investigate older adults' changes in access to care during the pandemic and their determinants. We used data from a cross-sectional study (LOST in Lombardia) conducted in autumn 2020 on a representative sample of 4400 older adults from the most populated region in Italy.

COVID-19 pandemic impact on people with diabetes: results from a large representative sample of Italian older adults.

Aims: Restrictions imposed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission should be weighed against consequences on vulnerable groups' health. Lifestyles and disease management of older people with diabetes might have been differentially impacted compared to non-chronic individuals.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (LOST in Lombardia) was conducted on a representative full sample of 4 400 older adults (17-30 November 2020), collecting data on lifestyles, mental health and access to care before and during the pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Pavia, Northern Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an unfavorable impact on overall mortality in Italy, with the strongest consequences in northern Italy. Scant data are available on cause-specific mortality. This study aims at investigating the impact of the pandemic on the overall and cause-specific mortality in one province in northern Italy, Pavia.

The mediating role of combined lifestyle factors on the relationship between education and gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project.

Background: The causal pathway between high education and reduced risk of gastric cancer (GC) has not been explained. The study aimed at evaluating the mediating role of lifestyle factors on the relationship between education and GC METHODS: Ten studies with complete data on education and five lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol drinking, fruit and vegetable intake, processed meat intake and salt consumption) were selected from a consortium of studies on GC including 4349 GC cases and 8441 controls. We created an a priori score based on the five lifestyle factors, and we carried out a counterfactual-based mediation analysis to decompose the total effect of education on GC into natural direct effect and natural indirect effect mediated by the combined lifestyle factors.