ViolHelp: results of a pilot study to identify potential warning signs and risk factors for self- and hetero-directed violence in the calls received by the Helplines of the Italian National Institute of Health.

Background: Self- and hetero-directed violence (SHDV) is a serious public health problem and a complex phenomenon, influenced by individual and environmental factors. SHDV may occur particularly in moments of personal, economic and/or social crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISS-Helplines operators have perceived an increase in psychological distress and self-isolation among callers.

Reducing the risk of prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD through social services: promising results from the FAR SEAS pilot project.

Introduction: Within FAR SEAS, a multi-component evidence-based community intervention was implemented and evaluated in Mazovia (Poland), with the aim of preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies, and therefore preventing FASD.

Methods: Multi-disciplinary professionals from different services (social, addiction, and psychology), recruited women of child-bearing age (pregnant and not pregnant) in local communities, screened them for alcohol risk, and allocated participants ( = 441) to groups for low- (70%), moderate- (23%), or high-risk (7%) of alcohol exposed pregnancy, to provide interventions tailored to their needs. The non-parametric sign test, testing differences between pairs of observations before and after intervention was used to evaluate the outcomes.

Associations of a biopsychosocial frailty phenotype with all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other dementias: the Italian PRoject on the Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA).

Frailty is a critical intermediate status of the aging process including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains/phenotypes. We operationalized a new biopsychosocial frailty construct, estimating its impact on the odds of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and other dementias in 2838 older individuals from the population-based Italian PRoject on the Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA). Biopsychosocial frailty operationalization was based on the results of a previous comprehensive geriatric assessment and the presence of physical frailty.

Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Diagnostic Criteria Changes and Innovations in ICD-11: An Overview.

Background: The new revision of the ICD came into effect on January 1st, 2022, and significant changes have been introduced in the section related to substance use disorders.

Method: In the present work we describe the new ICD-11 section "Disorders due to Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors" and outline the innovations in classification and diagnosis introduced, with a view to addressing the most important issues in terms of new opportunities for identifying and caring for people in need of treatment.

Results: The main innovations introduced in the ICD-11 chapter of interest are the expanded classes of psychoactive substances, the introduction of single episodes of substance use, the introduction of harmful patterns of substance use and severity qualifiers for substance intoxication.

Biopsychosocial frailty and mild cognitive impairment subtypes: Findings from the Italian project on the epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA).

Introduction: Frailty is a critical intermediate status of the aging process including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial phenotypes. We operationalized a biopsychosocial frailty construct, estimating its association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its subtypes.

Methods: In 1980, older individuals from the population-based Italian PRoject on the Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA), we investigated cross-sectional associations among biopsychosocial frailty, MCI, and its subtypes.

Alcohol consumption and COVID-19 in Europe: how the pandemic hit the weak.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic came along with several health and social unprecedented emergencies, among which handling people with substance use disorder issues.

Methods: In this work, data from a cross-sectional online survey conducted among more than 40,000 adults in 21 European countries during the spring of 2020 are analyzed. The survey recorded participants drinking habits during the year preceding the survey and the changes in alcohol consumption during lockdown.

Alcohol, youth and sport: recommendation and good practice examples from the FYFA European project.

Focus on Youth Football and Alcohol (FYFA) is a European project (EC, 3 Health Program, HP-PJ-2016) involving research institutions from Belgium, Finland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the UK. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), was the project leader of Work Package 5: "Review of national policies and practice in six Member States related to alcohol, young people, sport, marketing and football." The aim of WP5 was to determine the status quo of the policies and practices to reduce heavy episodic drinking related to young people, alcohol and sport at national level.

Trends and patterns in homicides in Italy: A 34-year descriptive study.

Aims: We aimed at analyzing homicide trends and patterns in Italy over the period 1980-2014.

Methods: We collected data from the Italian Mortality Database (Italian National Institute of Statistics), for the study period. Temporal trends were analyzed using joinpoint regression analysis, with estimated annual percentage change computed for each detected trend.

Quality of Sexual Life in Women with Primary Sjögren Syndrome.

Objective: To assess the quality of sexual life of women with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) and to identify its correlations with disease activity and damage, quality of life, and mood disorders.

Methods: The quality of sexual life of 24 women with pSS was assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Twenty-four healthy women, matched by age and hormonal status, were enrolled as controls.

Cost-effectiveness of a programme of screening and brief interventions for alcohol in primary care in Italy.

Background: As alcohol-related health problems continue to rise, the attention of policy-makers is increasingly turning to Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) programmes. The effectiveness of such programmes in primary healthcare is well evidenced, but very few cost-effectiveness analyses have been conducted and none which specifically consider the Italian context.

Methods: The Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model has been used to model the cost-effectiveness of government pricing and public health policies in several countries including England.

Public health indicators for the EU: the joint action for ECHIM (European Community Health Indicators & Monitoring).

Background: Public health policies aim to improve and maintain the health of citizens. Relevant data and indicators are needed for a health policy that is based on factual information. After 14 years of work (1998-2012), the multi-phase action on European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) has created a health monitoring and reporting system.

Renal impairment and moderate alcohol consumption in the elderly. Results from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA).

Objective: The influence of moderate alcohol consumption on renal function is not clear in elderly people. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and renal function, expressed as serum creatinine levels and glomerular filtration rates (GFR), in an elderly population.

Design: Perspective cohort study.

Prevalence of aging-associated cognitive decline in an Italian elderly population: results from cross-sectional phase of Italian PRoject on Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA).

Background And Aims: The prevalence of the preclinical phase of dementia varies greatly, according to the diagnostic criteria and assessment procedures applied. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment according to the Aging-Associated Cognitive Decline (AACD) diagnostic criteria in an Italian elderly population.

Methods: In a multicenter community-based prospective study, 4785 Italian subjects aged 65-84 years, randomly selected from the registries of 12 Italian municipalities, were assessed by personal and informant interviews, physical and neurological examinations and an extensive neuropsychological battery.

Marital and cohabitation status as predictors of mortality: a 10-year follow-up of an Italian elderly cohort.

The relationship between mortality and marital status has long been recognized, but only a small number of investigations consider also the association with cohabitation status. Moreover, age and gender differences have not been sufficiently clarified. In addition, little is known on this matter about the Italian elderly population.