Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for the proper development of infants. Iron deficiency, a common cause of anemia—affects nearly half children under four years of age in developing countries. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of an intensive nutritional education program on the iron status of infants. Material and methods: The parents of 115 infants were randomly assigned to two groups: the study group, which received intensive nutritional education up to 12 months of age, and the control group, which received basic infant nutrition guidelines. Serum concentrations of iron metabolism parameters—among others hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, ferroportin, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)—were assessed at both the beginning and end of the study. Additionally, at the final time point, dietary intake of iron and components influencing its absorption (e.g., vitamin C, fiber, etc.) was evaluated based on food diaries completed by the parents. Results: At the end of the study, the study group showed a significantly higher level of hemoglobin (p = 0.0499), ferritin (p = 0.0067) and lower levels of TIBC (p = 0.0478) and ferroportin (p = 0.0410) compared to the control group. Moreover, infants in the study group demonstrated significantly higher intake of both iron (p = 0.0252) and vitamin C (p = 0.0458). Conclusions: Parental nutritional education contributes to improvements in iron metabolism indicators in infants.

Background and Objectives: Recovering from COVID-19 does not always imply a full return to health and may lead to the development of post-COVID-19 syndrome. Post-COVID-19 manifestations include, among others, symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders and to identify their exogenous and endogenous predictors in individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Materials and Methods: The study included 200 participants (116 women and 84 men, aged 18–80) diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Participants completed psychological assessments, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Comorbidities were also evaluated. Results: Based on the HADS, anxiety was identified in 41.5% of respondents and depression in 39.5%. Generalized anxiety disorder was screened positive for 36.5% of respondents (GAD-7), while mild depression was observed in 37.0% (BDI). Among participants with post-COVID-19 syndrome and diabetes, the risk of developing depression was three times higher than in individuals without comorbidities. In smoking women with post-COVID-19 syndrome and diabetes, the risk of developing depressive disorders was estimated to exceed 90%. Conclusions: The risk of developing anxiety and depressive disorders in individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome and multimorbidity is very high, highlighting the need for preventive psychological care, including targeted screening programs, for those at greatest risk.

Background: Recovering from COVID-19 does not always lead to complete recovery, and many patients report symptoms of anxiety and depression. One potential mechanism behind these disorders is dysbiosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of psychobiotic therapy on the effectiveness of treating anxiety and depressive symptoms in individuals who had previously experienced COVID-19. Methods: This study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 62 participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: a psychobiotic group (PG; 23 women, 9 men) receiving 3 × 10⁹ CFU Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum, or a control group (CG; 21 women, 9 men) receiving a placebo, for 6 weeks. Fifty-six participants finalized the study and were included in the analysis (28 per group). The severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms at baseline and after the intervention was assessed using validated self-assessment tools: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-90). Additionally, the profile of selected short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the stool was assessed. Results: Following the supplementation period, the PG showed significantly lower median levels of depression and anxiety compared to the CG, corresponding to a 57.2% reduction in anxiety severity (GAD-7) and a 50.9% reduction in depressive symptoms (BDI) (HADS—Depression and Anxiety, and GAD-7: p = 0.0001; BDI: p = 0.0003). Additionally, the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms significantly decreased in the PG compared to the CG based on the HADS-A (p = 0.0044), GAD-7 (p = 0.0219), and BDI (p = 0.0011) scores. Among the measured SCFAs, only the butyric acid concentration in PG increased significantly during supplementation (baseline vs. follow-up—p = 0.0338) and was higher in PG than in CG at the study’s end (p = 0.0248). However, in the PG, changes in the concentrations of all analyzed acids correlated with a reduction in the severity of anxiety symptoms measured using the HADS-A. Conclusions: Psychobiotic supplementation in individuals recovering from COVID-19 who exhibit anxiety and/or depressive symptoms led to mood improvement and a reduction in symptom severity, and it may serve as a supportive treatment.

Modern oncological diagnostics increasingly integrates conventional imaging and histopathological techniques with molecular analyses, liquid biopsy, multi-omics technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI). This scoping review aimed to synthesise current knowledge on modern cancer diagnostic approaches and their role in the development of precision oncology. A literature search conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar up to 16 August 2026 identified 143 sources of evidence that met the eligibility criteria and were included in this scoping review. Unlike reviews focused on individual diagnostic technologies, this review integrates imaging diagnostics, liquid biopsy, molecular biomarkers, AI, multi-omics approaches, and patient phenotyping within a precision oncology framework. The literature indicates that cancer diagnostics is evolving from the assessment of isolated parameters towards the integration of clinical, imaging, histopathological, and molecular data. Liquid biopsy, particularly circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) analysis, has emerged as a promising tool for disease monitoring, identifying mechanisms of treatment resistance, and detecting minimal residual disease. Genomic and multi-omics technologies provide deeper insight into tumour biology, while AI, radiomics, and digital pathology facilitate the analysis of complex diagnostic data. Nutritional status and body composition assessment also contribute valuable prognostic and predictive information. The integration of these approaches may improve risk stratification, support earlier cancer detection, enhance treatment monitoring, and facilitate personalised therapeutic decision-making. However, broader clinical implementation requires further standardisation, biomarker validation, assessment of reproducibility, and confirmation of clinical utility.

Background: Fatty acid oxidation disorders (FAOD) are rare inborn errors of metabolism that impair mitochondrial β-oxidation and energy production. Management includes fasting avoidance for all FAOD types. Patients with long-chain FAOD are advised to restrict long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) to 10% of total energy intake and supplement medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). The impact of such dietary modification on fat-soluble vitamin status has not yet been studied. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, serum concentrations of vitamins A, 25(OH)D, E, and β-carotene were measured in 36 FAOD patients and 36 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Vitamins A, E, and β-carotene were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography and vitamin 25(OH)D through an immunoassay. FAOD patients were further divided into fat-modified (LCT-restricted) and standard-fat diet subgroups based on dietary management. Results: FAOD patients had significantly higher vitamin A concentrations than controls (p < 0.05), while there was no difference in vitamins 25(OH)D, E, and β-carotene. Within the FAOD cohort, the fat-modified group had higher levels of vitamins A and 25(OH)D but lower levels of vitamin E and β-carotene than the standard-fat group (all p < 0.05). Vitamin 25(OH)D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was more frequent in the standard-fat group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Fat-modified diets influence fat-soluble vitamin status in FAOD, emphasising the importance of ongoing monitoring and tailored supplementation. Future work should focus on optimising nutritional management, including modifications to formula composition, and on addressing the currently limited evidence on nutritional status and vitamin deficiencies in patients with FAOD.