Background: The unexpected changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic related to the fear of developing the disease, and the need for social distancing and isolation have had an effect on people’s mental health. These drastic changes can result in the development of anxiety, depressive symptoms and sense of loneliness. Elderly and chronically ill individuals are at a particularly high risk of developing COVID-19, suffering severe illness and dying as a result of it. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety, depressive symptoms, irritability and loneliness in the elderly aged 60 years and older as a group exposed to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to analyze the relationships between loneliness and mental health of the respondents and sociodemographic variables and chronic diseases. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Poland among 221 individuals aged 60+. The study material was collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M) and a revised University of California Los Angeles loneliness scale (R-UCLA). Women accounted for 47.51% and men for 52.49% of study participants; the mean age was 65.18 (SD = 4.06). Results: In total, according to HADS-M, depressive symptoms were present in 19.15% of the participants and borderline states in 14.18% of them. Based on R-UCLA, moderate and moderately high sense of loneliness was present in 58.83% of the participants. Sense of loneliness was significantly correlated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, one in five participants experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms. Two out of three participants experienced a moderate sense of loneliness. Individuals who displayed a higher level of loneliness also had a higher severity of anxiety level depressive symptoms and irritability. Elderly individuals should be under special care due to their high risk of experiencing physical and mental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are numerous studies supporting the contribution of oxidative stress to the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Prolonged oxidative stress is associated with the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette transporters, which results in antiepileptic drugs resistance. During our studies, three 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione derivatives were evaluated for the antioxidant activity and anticonvulsant effect in the 6 Hz model of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The investigated compounds exhibited 2-3 times more potent anticonvulsant activity than valproic acid in 6 Hz test in mice, which is well-established preclinical model of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The antioxidant/ROS scavenging activity was confirmed in both single-electron transfer-based methods (DPPH and CUPRAC) and during flow cytometric analysis of total ROS activity in U-87 MG cells. Based on the enzymatic studies on human carbonic anhydrases (CAs), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), one can assume that the herein investigated drug candidates will not impair the cognitive processes mediated by CAs and will have minimal off-target cholinergic effects.

Introduction: Having impaired relations and limited interpersonal contact is associated with a sense of loneliness, and can result in a number of mental disorders, including the development of depression. Approximately one in five adolescents in the world suffers from depression, and first episodes of such are occurring at increasingly young ages. Due to a lack of appropriate support from parents, teachers and the healthcare system, the young person feels alone when dealing with their problem. Aims: The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, aggression and sense of loneliness among high school students, and to analyze a correlation between loneliness and depression. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 300 high school students in Poland. The study material was collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M) and De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). Results: A feeling of loneliness correlated significantly with depressive disorders (p < 0.005), with the strongest effect between the total HADS-M score and the total loneliness scale score (r = 0.61). The overall presence of disorders as per HADS-M was found to be 23%, and borderline conditions were found in 19.3%. In 24% of the students, disorders were revealed on the anxiety subscale and in 46.3% on the aggression subscale. On DJGLS, a very severe sense of loneliness was observed in 6.67% of the subjects, and in 42.3% of them, a moderate feeling of loneliness was indicated. On the social loneliness subscale, a severe sense of loneliness was found in 22.7%, while on the emotional loneliness subscale, it was found in 16.7% of the subjects. Conclusions: In this study, a quarter of the student participants experienced anxiety and depression disorders. Students showing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and aggression also showed enhanced loneliness. Girls showed higher levels of anxiety, depression and aggression, as well as emotional loneliness.

The diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) may be delayed due to non-specific clinical symptoms. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical manifestation and diagnostic process of CD in Polish children and adults. Methods: The members of the Polish Coeliac Society (n = 2500) were asked to complete a questionnaire on socio-demographic factors, clinical and diagnostic aspects of CD. The analysis was based on 796 responses from patients with confirmed CD diagnosis, and included 224 (28.1%) children and 572 (71.9%) adults. Results: The mean duration of symptoms prior to CD diagnosis in children was significantly shorter than in adults (p < 0.001), and amounted to 3.1 and 9 years respectively. The most frequent symptoms before CD diagnosis were abdominal pain and bloating in children (70.4%), and chronic fatigue in adults (74.5%). Although almost all CD patients claimed to strictly avoid gluten after CD diagnosis, symptoms were still present in the majority of these respondents. No comorbid diseases were reported by 29.8% of children and by 11.7% of adults (p < 0.001). Conclusions: the results indicate that CD diagnosis is delayed in Poland, especially in adults, and clinicians should be aware of the diversity in CD presentation.

A code of professional conduct is a collection of norms appropriate for the nursing profession and should be the point of reference for all decisions made during the care process. Codes of ethics for nurses are formulated by members of national nurses’ organizations. These codes can be considered to specify general norms that function in the relevant society, adjusting them to the character of the profession and enriching them with rules signifying the essence of nursing professionalism. The aim of this article is to present a comparative analysis of codes of ethics for nurses: the ICN’s Code of ethics for nurses, the UK’s Code of professional conduct, the Irish Code of professional conduct for each nurse and midwife, and the Polish Code of professional ethics for nurses and midwives. This analysis allows the identification of common elements in the professional ethics of nurses in these countries.

Occupational burnout is particularly common among nurses due to their work being associated with stress, showing understanding, compassion, and commitment, along with the simultaneous need to maintain the necessary emotional distance. The aim of this review was to assess the occurrence and characterization of burnout among nurses working within neurology, geriatric care, intensive care units and with patients infected with the novel COVID-19 virus. PRISMA guidelines were used to conduct the review. The search for literature was limited to articles meeting the inclusion criteria and published from 2017 to 2022 in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Wiley. A total of 768 articles from this category have been found. Ultimately, after in-depth analysis, 20 articles were included in the study. The group of respondents ranged from 49 to 3100 participants. According to the data, the percentages of nurses suffering from burnout in the presented research ranged from 14.3% to 84.7%, with the highest value of burnout among nurses who worked in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are certain factors among nurses that significantly affect the occurrence of burnout. These include, among others, working time, age, exposure to infection and contact with infected patients, lack of training on COVID-19 prevention, providing care to an increased number of COVID-19 patients per shift, lack of personal protective equipment, lack of support of administration, lack of pay satisfaction, intrinsic motivation and turnover intention.