Psychosocial distress in people with overweight and obesity: the role of weight stigma and social support.

We aimed to assess the role of weight stigma and social support in depression, anxiety, and loneliness controlling for sociodemographic and clinical variables. A total of 189 adults with overweight/obesity were included. Participants were recruited from outpatient clinics by general practitioners which covered all regions of Slovakia.

Care providers' view of the barriers in providing care for adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems.

Objectives: Emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) during adolescence are a major public health issue due to its high prevalence and long-lasting consequences. The knowledge of the barriers in providing psychosocial care can be a starting point for subsequent efficiency improvement. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess which barriers do care providers experience while providing psychosocial care for adolescents with EBP.

The experience sampling methodology as a digital clinical tool for more person-centered mental health care: an implementation research agenda.

This position paper by the international IMMERSE consortium reviews the evidence of a digital mental health solution based on Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) for advancing person-centered mental health care and outlines a research agenda for implementing innovative digital mental health tools into routine clinical practice. ESM is a structured diary technique recording real-time self-report data about the current mental state using a mobile application. We will review how ESM may contribute to (1) service user engagement and empowerment, (2) self-management and recovery, (3) goal direction in clinical assessment and management of care, and (4) shared decision-making.

Facilitators and barriers to behavior change in overweight and obesity management using the COM-B model.

Introduction: Increasing overweight and obesity rates represent one of the global public health challenges. COM-B is a theoretical model used to identify areas to target to achieve behavior change. It identifies three factors that are needed for any behavior to occur: capability, opportunity, and motivation.

A comparison of social prescribing approaches across twelve high-income countries.

Background: Social prescribing connects patients with community resources to improve their health and well-being. It is gaining momentum globally due to its potential for addressing non-medical causes of illness while building on existing resources and enhancing overall health at a relatively low cost. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the need for policy interventions to address health-related social issues such as loneliness and isolation.

Social support, positive caregiving experience, and caregiver burden in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia.

Introduction: Dementia is currently one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older adults worldwide. Cognitive dysfunction, neuropsychiatric symptoms, somatic complaints, and functional impairment fundamentally affect not only a person living with dementia (PLwD), but also his/her informal caregiver(s), often resulting in a high caregiver burden. A number of variables, including the caregiver's sociodemographic characteristics, the clinical characteristics of PLwD, social support, and the caregiver's personal resources determine the caregiver's burden.

IgG4-Related Sclerosing Cholangitis: Rarely Diagnosed, but not a Rare Disease.

IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis, a biliary manifestation of an IgG4-related disease, belongs to the spectrum of sclerosing cholangiopathies which result in biliary stenosis. It presents with signs of cholestasis and during differential diagnosis it should be distinguished from cholangiocarcinoma or from other forms of sclerosing cholangitis (primary and secondary sclerosing cholangitis). Despite increasing information and recently established diagnostic criteria, IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis remains underdiagnosed in routine clinical practice.

The Epidemiology of Primary Biliary Cholangitis in European Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic liver disease with wide ranges of reported incidence and prevalence.

Aim: To map the incidence and prevalence of PBC in European countries from 2000 through 2020.

Methods: Following PRISMA recommendations, we searched the Medline and Scopus databases for studies with information on either the incidence or prevalence of PBC.

Prognostic Factors in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Retrospective Study of Joint Slovak and Croatian Cohort of 249 Patients.

Objective: To identify pretreatment laboratory parameters associated with treatment response and to describe the relationship between treatment response and liver decompensation in patients with primary biliary cholangitis treated with ursodeoxycholic acid.

Methods: We defined treatment response as both ALP ≤ 1.67 × ULN and total bilirubin ≤ 2 × ULN.

Spirituality but not Religiosity Is Associated with Better Health and Higher Life Satisfaction among Adolescents.

Careful conceptualization and differentiation of both spirituality and religiosity is a necessary precondition for understanding the potential role they play in health, whether physical or mental. The aim of this study was to explore the associations of spirituality with self-rated health, health complaints, and life satisfaction of adolescents with the moderating role of religiosity. Data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2014 in Slovakia were used.

What role do family composition and functioning play in emotional and behavioural problems among adolescent boys and girls?

Objectives: The aim was to explore the associations of family composition, family support and communication with emotional and behavioural problems among adolescents as well as a possible moderating effect of gender on these associations.

Methods: Data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2014 in Slovakia were used. The final sample consisted of 2908 students (mean age 14.

Associations between perceived social and physical environmental variables and physical activity and screen time among adolescents in four European countries.

Objectives: Associations between the perceived social and physical environment and self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time (ST) were examined among adolescents in four European countries.

Methods: Representative samples were surveyed with standardised methodologies. Associations between environmental variables and meeting MVPA recommendations and tertiles of ST were tested in gender-specific logistic regression models.

Psychological distress in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: The role of hostility and coping self-efficacy.

We aimed to assess whether hostility and coping self-efficacy are associated with psychological distress in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. Furthermore, we examined whether coping self-efficacy mediates the association between hostility and psychological distress. We included 150 obstructive sleep apnoea patients (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index ⩾5; 68% male; mean age: 48.

Social support, mastery, sleep-related problems and their association with functional status in untreated obstructive sleep apnoea patients.

Background: Social support and mastery are important aspects in the treatment of chronic diseases, however their role in connection with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) remains unclear.

Objectives: The study examined the associations between social support, mastery, sleep-related problems and functional status in untreated OSA patients.

Methods: All patients in this cross-sectional study completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Pearlin Mastery Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire.

Are disease severity, sleep-related problems, and anxiety associated with work functioning in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea?

To examine whether Obstructive Sleep Apnoea severity, sleep-related problems, and anxiety are associated with work functioning in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients, when controlled for age, gender and type of occupation. To investigate whether anxiety moderates the associations between sleep-related problems and work functioning. We included 105 Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients (70% male; mean age 46.

European University Students' Experiences and Attitudes toward Campus Alcohol Policy: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Many studies indicate that a substantial part of the student population drinks excessively, yet most European universities do not have an alcohol policy. In the absence of an alcohol guideline at universities and the easy access to alcohol sold at the student cafeteria, for instance, this has the potential to place students at risk of overconsumption, which has adverse health consequences.

Objectives: Therefore, our study objectives were to explore and compare university students' experiences and attitudes toward alcohol policy on their campus using a qualitative approach.

Assessing light-independent effects of hypericin on cell viability, ultrastructure and metabolism in human glioma and endothelial cells.

Cell exposure to light-independent effects of photosensitizers (PS) used in PDT is clinically relevant when PS affect the pro-apoptotic cascade. In many malignant cells, Hypericin (Hyp) has PS displayed light-dependent anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects with no cytotoxicity in the dark. Recent studies have shown that Hyp also exhibited light-independent cytotoxic effects in a wide range of concentrations.

Hypericin in the Dark: Foe or Ally in Photodynamic Therapy?

Photosensitizers (PSs) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) are, in most cases, administered systemically with preferential accumulation in malignant tissues; however, exposure of non-malignant tissues to PS may also be clinically relevant, when PS molecules affect the pro-apoptotic cascade without illumination. Hypericin (Hyp) as PS and its derivatives have long been studied, regarding their photodynamic and photocytotoxic characteristics. Hyp and its derivatives have displayed light-activated antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects in many tumor cell lines without cytotoxicity in the dark.

Normative Perceptions of Cannabis Use Among European University Students: Associations of Perceived Peer Use and Peer Attitudes With Personal Use and Attitudes.

Objective: Perceptions of peer behavior and attitudes exert considerable social pressure on young adults to use substances. This study investigated whether European students perceive their peers' cannabis use and approval of cannabis use to be higher than their own personal behaviors and attitudes, and whether estimations of peer use and attitudes are associated with personal use and attitudes.

Method: University students (n = 4,131) from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom completed an online survey as part of the Social Norms Intervention for Polysubstance usE in students (SNIPE) Project, a feasibility study of a web-based normative feedback intervention for substance use.

Personal and Perceived Peer Use of and Attitudes Toward Alcohol Among University and College Students in Seven EU Countries: Project SNIPE.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of peer substance use and related attitudes among European students. Challenging perceptions about peer substance use has become the basis of a form of prevention and intervention known as the social norms approach, which can be delivered using personalized online feedback. This article reports baseline alcohol use and attitudes data for university students across Europe collected as part of the Social Norms Intervention for the prevention of Polydrug usE project (Project SNIPE).

The Association of Education, Employment and Living with a Partner with the Treatment among Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to explore possible associations between social and socioeconomic status and ongoing treatment among patients with head and neck cancer.

Material And Methods: Data from 159 examined patients treated with head and neck cancer during the period from 2011 to 2012 were explored. A logistic regression analysis was used to assess association of social status (living with somebody vs.