This study evaluates the relation of a Mediterranean dietary pattern and its individual components with the cardiovascular risk factors profile, plasma glucose and body mass index (BMI) in people with type 2 diabetes. We studied 2568 participants at 57 diabetes clinics. Diet was assessed with the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) questionnaire, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated with the relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED). A high compared to a low score was associated with a better quality of diet and a greater adherence to the nutritional recommendations for diabetes. However, even in the group achieving a high score, only a small proportion of participants met the recommendations for fiber and saturated fat (respectively 17% and 30%). Nonetheless, a high score was associated with lower values of plasma lipids, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, and BMI. The relationship of the single food items components of the rMED score with the achievement of treatment targets for plasma lipids, blood pressure, glucose, and BMI were also explored. The study findings support the Mediterranean dietary model as a suitable model for type 2 diabetes and the concept that the beneficial health effects of the Mediterranean diet lie primarily in its synergy among various nutrients and foods rather than on any individual component.

Containment measures adopted to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have produced a general perception of job insecurity. Dentists have been highly affected by such measures, as they represent an easy source of contagion. As perceived job insecurity is associated with psychological distress and Italian dentists have been highly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of potential financial loss and the risk of being infected, this study aimed at assessing whether the fear of COVID-19 moderated the effect of perceived job insecurity on depressive symptoms. This cross-sectional online study has included 735 Italian dentists recruited during the lockdown and ranging in age from 27 to 70 years old (495 men and 240 women). A quantile regression model with an inference based on the median and with an interaction term between the fear of COVID-19 and perceived job insecurity has been used to estimate the hypothesized associations. The results indicated that both perceived job insecurity and fear of COVID-19 were positively associated with depressive symptoms, and that the effect of perceived job insecurity on depressive symptoms was weaker among those with a low fear of COVID-19. The findings may inform public health policies for dentists in relation to reducing the risk of developing negative mental health outcomes.

Trust in governmental organizations is a crucial factor in terms of encouraging people to conform to public health regulations, such as those recommended to slow down the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, trust in governmental organizations tends to decline over time, reducing the compliance with public health regulations. This study aimed at exploring, first, the role of future anxiety and fatigue as serial mediators of the relationship between trust in governmental organizations and protective behaviors, and, secondly, the role of Covid-19 risk perception as a moderator between fatigue and protective behaviors. A total of 948 Italian participants (302 males and 646 females), ranged from 18 to 80 years (M = 27.20, SD = 11.01), answered an online survey during the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak. A moderated serial mediation model was performed using a structural equation modeling. The results indicate that: (1) a higher trust in Italian governmental organizations was associated with a greater compliance in terms of adopting protective behaviors; (2) a lower trust in Italian governmental organizations increased anxiety about the future which, in turn, raised levels of fatigue, leading, finally, to a reduction in the levels of protective behaviors; and (3) as the perceived risk related to Covid-19 increased, the effect of fatigue on protective behaviors decreased. The findings of the current study may provide indications for public health policy on how to increase compliance with the recommended behaviors to be adopted in order to decrease the spread of the SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Nutritional support is very important in the treatment of Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The role of the Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been understudied in children with IBD. The aims of this study were to assess the dietary intakes of IBD children in comparison with healthy controls (HCs), their adherence to MD; and the relationship between inflammation and dietary behaviors. Methods: Paediatric IBD patients in clinical remission and HCs were enrolled. The nutritional status and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was evaluated through a 3-day food diary and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for Children and Adolescents (KIDMED). Results: The analysis of food diaries showed a significantly higher kilocalorie intake in IBD patients compared to HCs (p = 0.012), an increase in carbohydrates (p = 0.015) and in protein intake (p = 0.024). Both IBD and HCs have an intermediate adherence to MD. The comparison between Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients showed significant difference in protein intake in CD patients (p = 0.047), as well as for vitamin D (p = 0.044) and iron intake (p = 0.023). Interestingly; in IBD patients we found a significant association between adherence to MD and a low level of fecal calprotectin (p = 0.027). Conclusion: Children with IBD in remission have a sub-optimal food intake compared to HCs. MD seems to correlate to decreased intestinal inflammation.

Dental anxiety is a crucial problem for dentistry because it may represent a significant risk to oral health. Different factors, whether non‐cognitive (e.g., traumatic dental events) or cognitive (e.g., the patient's subjective perceptions), may cause dental anxiety. However, previous studies have assessed these factors as independent predictors of dental anxiety, without providing any exploration of potential mediational pathways. The current study assessed the role of certain cognitive dimensions (i.e., the dentist's perceived professionalism and communicational attitudes, and the patient's perceived lack of control) as mediators between traumatic dental events and dental anxiety. The sample comprised 253 patients who had accessed a public university hospital dental surgery. The mediation analysis used a structural equation modeling. Traumatic dental events were positively associated with dental anxiety but, among the cognitive factors, only lack of control was. Furthermore, lack of control mediated the relationship between traumatic dental events and dental anxiety, although this mediation was only partial. This study sheds light on the mechanisms through which non‐cognitive and cognitive factors may affect dental anxiety. The clinical implications for dental practice, in terms of improving the psychological well‐being of patients, are discussed.