Depression rates in older people worldwide vary from 10% to 15% of community-dwelling older persons. There are two others problems related to depression in old age, namely the high incidence of falls and the so-called fear of falling (FOF), with a prevalence ranging from 20% to 85%; it was initially considered a post-fall syndrome, which later as a fall-independent event. Study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to bridge the existing gap in literature about the association between depressive symptomatology, FOF, use of antidepressant therapy and falls, also identifying a possible effect of the study quality on the outcome. The selection of studies was carried out between May 20, 2020, and July 27, 2020 and only observational clinical trials, written in English, with participants aged more or equal to 60 years affected by diagnosis of depression or treatment for depression mentioned both as a clinical diagnosis in older patient, and as a predictor/consequence of falls were included. The systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and the protocol was recorded in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The screening process ultimately led to the inclusion of 18 articles. Many of the included studies showed that depressive symptoms caused the subsequent increase in the number of falls. Results from the meta-analysis had no highlighted association between depression and falls, in contrast to other review and meta-analysis works: our work includes a substantial number of studies, with a relatively recent publication date, including patients diagnosed with depression, clearly evaluating the association between depression and falls. Results all seem to confirm the hypothesis of an interdependent association between the presence of FOF and the risk of fall, despite the high percentage of cross-sectional studies prevents inferring on the direction of the association. Therapeutic interventions aimed at decrease rate of falls reducing depressive symptoms and FOF.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of psychotherapy with music intervention (PMI) on anxiety, depression, redox status, and inflammation in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). This monocentric randomized clinical trial recruited 60 patients who had a breast cancer operation and were undergoing postoperative RT. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1) in two groups: the control group (CG) received treatment as usual (n = 30), i.e., RT alone; the intervention group (PMI) received RT and psychotherapy with music intervention (n = 30), which was delivered in a group setting. Five patients were excluded after randomization. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0), at the end of RT (T1), and three months after the end of RT (T2). The main objectives of the study were the assessment of anxiety/depression, plasma glutathione (GSH), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the two arms of the study. Our findings revealed a positive effect of PMI on anxiety, depression, resilience, and quality of life. Furthermore, a positive effect of PMI on redox status was found for the first time. Thus, in the PMI group, we found a significant increase of GSH (mean change 2.2 95%, CI 0.7 to 3.7) and a significant reduction of TBARS (mean change −1.1 95%, CI −1.8 to −0.3) at T2 vs. T0.

(1) Background: This study evaluates, one year later, the levels of burnout, anxious–depressive, and post-traumatic symptoms and the general health status in the Health Workers (HWs) involved in the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic in the Novara area. (2) Methods: The survey was sent via a link in an email to doctors, nurses, and other operators during the period between June and August 2021. The survey collected socio-demographic data and contained some self-administered questionnaires. (3) Results: A total of 688 HWs completed the survey, 53% were aged 30–49 years, 68% were female, 76% were cohabiting, 55% had children, 86% reported family habit changes, and 20% had non-COVID related health problems. Only a few of the respondents had a follow-up by a specialist (12%), of which there were even less in recent times (6%). It was observed that the respondents had undergone burnout; a poor state of general mental health (62%); depressive symptoms (70%); post-traumatic symptoms (29%); and less frequently, anxious symptoms (16%). The data of this study are in line with other studies in the literature. (4) Conclusions: The data indicate that psychological-based suffering was no longer markedly concentrated in some specific bands of HWs. In conclusion, it would be essential to enhance HW support strategies.

Introduction. The clinical course of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly heterogenous, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal forms. The identification of clinical and laboratory predictors of poor prognosis may assist clinicians in monitoring strategies and therapeutic decisions. Materials and Methods. In this study, we retrospectively assessed the prognostic value of a simple tool, the complete blood count, on a cohort of 664 patients ( 260; 39%, median age 70 (56-81) years) hospitalized for COVID-19 in Northern Italy. We collected demographic data along with complete blood cell count; moreover, the outcome of the hospital in-stay was recorded. Results. At data cut-off, 221/664 patients (33.3%) had died and 453/664 (66.7%) had been discharged. Red cell distribution width (RDW) ( 10.4; ), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NL) ratio ( 7.6; ), and platelet count ( 5.39; ), along with age ( 87.6; ) and gender ( 17.3; ), accurately predicted in-hospital mortality. Hemoglobin levels were not associated with mortality. We also identified the best cut-off for mortality prediction: a was characterized by an odds ratio for in-hospital (2.40-4.82), while the OR for a