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A good nutritional status and healthy diets may decelerate disease disability and symptom severity and quality of life of peoples with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mediterranean diet (MD) can prevent several chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disease. This is an observational, cross-sectional study on 279 older adults with MS, aiming to investigate the effects of MD against several aspects of mental health. Qualified questionnaires were used to assess disability and symptom severity, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, cognitive status, physical activity, and MD adherence. Multivariate analysis showed that enhanced MD adherence was independently associated with lower prevalence of disability and symptom severity (P =.0019), depression (P =.0201), anxiety (P =.0287), perceived stress (P =.0021), inadequate sleep quality (P =.0033), cognitive impairment (P =.0018) and physical inactivity (P =.0028). Adopting MD may ameliorate mental health disturbances in older adults with MS. Future public health policies should inform older adults with MS for the favorable impacts of MD in improving the mental health MS comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental disorders in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress are one of the major causes of burden globally. Over the last two decades, the use of plant-based substances in the treatment of mental disorders in combination or not with medication has increasingly attracted the interest of the scientific research community. However, even if there is a plethora of naturally occurring bioactive compounds, most of them have low bioavailability, rendering them unable to insert into the bloodstream to exert their biological activities. Methods: This is a comprehensive narrative review that critically summarizes and scrutinizes the new approaches to the treatment of mental disorders using curcumin, also highlighting its bioavailability properties. The most accurate were searched using effective and relevant keywords. Results: This narrative review reveals substantial evidence that curcumin can exert significant effects on several mental disorders. However, despite the low cost, the extensive and confirmed potency of curcumin and its involvement in signaling pathways and the scientifically confirmed data regarding its molecular mechanisms of action against mental disorders, this naturally occurring compound presents low oral bioavailability. Pharmaceutical technology has provided solutions to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. Combination with piperine, galactomannosides, liposomal formulation or nanoformulation overcomes the bioavailability and solubility disadvantages. Conclusions: Although curcumin demonstrates anti-anxiety, anti-depressive and anti-stress properties, studies on humans are limited and heterogeneous. Further research is highly recommended to determine the most functional formula, dose, duration, and possible side effects of curcumin on mental disorders in humans. Based on the current knowledge, the curcumin nanoformulation and Theracurmin, a form of colloidal submicroscopic particles, seem to be the most effective bioavailable formulations, which may be examined in future clinical human studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Mediterranean diet (MD) is well-known as a diet which may exert a protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, only a few clinical surveys have assessed the potential effects of the MD in patients with MS. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the potential effects of MD compliance on disease disability, quality of life, physical activity, depressive symptomatology, and blood biochemical parameters related to nutritional status in MS patients, considering several socio-demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle characteristics. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 558 adults with MS aged 18–64 years. Relevant questionnaires were utilized to evaluate socio-demographic and anthropometric parameters, disease disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS), multidimensional health-related quality (MS Quality of Life-54, MSQOL-54), physical activity levels (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ), depression (Beck Depression Inventory II, BDI-II), and MD adherence (MedDietScore), while several blood biochemical parameters were retrieved from the patients' medical records. Results: Enhanced MD compliance was independently associated with a decreased frequency of overweight/obesity, as well as abdominal obesity, in patients suffering from MS. Elevated MD compliance was also independently associated with a decreased incidence of advanced disease disability, a higher prevalence of elevated physical activity, an improved quality of life, and lower depressive symptoms, as well as higher levels of certain blood biochemical parameters, which are effective indicators of iron deficiency and malnutrition. Conclusions: The present study found that higher MD adherence may slow down disease disability, promoting a better quality of life and mental health in adults with MS. Future prospective surveys are required to obtain conclusive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impairment of neurocognitive functions occurs in all subtypes of multiple sclerosis, even from the earliest stages of the disease. Commonly reported manifestations of cognitive impairment include deficits in attention, conceptual reasoning, processing efficiency, information processing speed, memory (episodic and working), verbal fluency (language), and executive functions. Multiple sclerosis patients also suffer from social cognition impairment, which affects their social functioning. The objective of the current paper is to assess the effect of neurocognitive impairment and its potential correlation with social cognition performance and impairment in multiple sclerosis patients. An overview of the available-to-date literature on neurocognitive impairment and social cognition performance in multiple sclerosis patients by disease subtype was performed. It is not clear if social cognition impairment occurs independently or secondarily to neurocognitive impairment. There are associations of variable strengths between neurocognitive and social cognition deficits and their neural basis is increasingly investigated. The prompt detection of neurocognitive predictors of social cognition impairment that may be applicable to all multiple sclerosis subtypes and intervention are crucial to prevent further neural and social cognition decline in multiple sclerosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this paper is to report on the Greek version of the Derogatis Psychiatric Rating Scale (DPRS) and its validity and reliability when administered to a Greek sample. The DPRS is a clinician-rated measure of psychiatric symptoms with nine basic and eight complementary symptom dimensions and a Global Pathology Index. Method: The DPRS was translated into Greek and administered to 161 psychiatric patients and healthy volunteers. Its validity was assessed against the Semistructured Clinical Interview (SCID) and the Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). The inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability were also evaluated for each symptom dimension. Results: All the symptom dimensions of the DPRS, except euphoria, have concurrent validity with the SCID on the relevant symptom dimensions diagnoses set by the interview. At the cut-off point 2/3 the DPRS has a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 74% in indicating active psychiatric patients. The symptom dimensions of the DPRS also have strong correlations with the relevant dimensions of SCL-90-R. The range for inter-rater reliability was from 0.48 to 0.88, the range for test-retest reliability was from 0.25 to 0.85, and the internal consistency was 0.90. Conclusion: The Greek version of the DPRS has acceptable psychometric properties, rendering it a useful screening instrument of global psychopathology as well as a multidimensional measure of some basic psychiatric symptoms.

Objectives: a) To validate the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL)-college version in a Greek population sample and b) To test the hypothesis that students scoring high on the ISEL present stronger resistance to stressful experiences and fewer psychological or physical problems. Design: Rating scale assessment and analytical cross-sectional study. Method: The ISEL was translated into Greek and then back-translated into English. A random sample of 145 students of the Faculty of Medicine completed: a) the translated version of the ISEL, b) the Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL90-R), c) the Scale of Stressful Life Events (SSLE) and d) a questionnaire about physical health problems. Comparisons were conducted between the scores on the ISEL and the scores on the other measures. Correlations were also calculated between the scores on the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R and SSLE, separately for students with high, fair and low social support, in order to assess the protective role of social support. The test-retest reliability and the internal consistency of the ISEL were also investigated. Results: The students with a lower score in social support reported more psychological and somatic symptoms. The students with a higher score in social support were protected against the harmful effect of stressful events. The ISEL presents good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.452-0.752) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC): 0.631-0.847). Conclusions: The ISEL is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring social support among Greek students. A higher score on the ISEL is correlated with a significant stress-buffering effect.

Background: Mental healthcare service delivery in rural and remote areas in Greece is challenging due to socioeconomic and geographical reasons, and distant facilities. To address the needs of the underserved areas, the Greek state has launched a number of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs). Aim: The objective of the present study was to explore the differences among two MMHUs, one being run by a university general hospital (MMHU UHA) and the other being run by a nongovernmental organization (MMHU I-T). Methods: The two MMHUs deliver services in rural areas of northeast and northwest Greece, respectively. Both MMHUs use the infrastructures of the primary healthcare system and have the potential for domiciliary visits. Results: Medical and nursing staff is much more in the MMHU UHA, whereas MMHU I-T has more psychologists, social workers and health visitors. Patients attended the MMHU I-T were significantly older than the patients attended the MMHU UHA (mean age 64.5 vs. 55.3 years) and the percentage of the elderly patients in treatment with the MMHU I-T (56.5%) is significantly higher than the corresponding percentage of the MMHU UHA (20%). The proportion of patients that received home-based care by the two MMHUs was almost identical. The percentage of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders that attended the MMHU UHA was significantly higher. Patients with affective disorders, anxiety disorders and organic brain disorders that attended the MMHU I-T were significantly more. Conclusions: Despite the similarities among the MMHUs in rural Greece, this study recorded some important differences. The differences in staffing may be accounted for by the availability of resources. The differences in the patients' population may be explained by the fact that the MMHU UHA was designed from its beginning to treat patients with severe mental illnesses, mainly psychoses, and it accepts loss of referrals within the general hospital's network of psychiatric services. The MMHU I-T is an independent, locally based service that may be better perceived as an expansion of the primary care system. The results of the study could inform service practice and mental health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is of paramount importance as it opens the road to early intervention, which is associated with better prognosis. However, early diagnosis is often delayed until preschool or school age. The purpose of the current retrospective study was to explore the age of recognition of first alarming symptoms in boys and girls as well as the age at diagnosis of different subtypes of ASD in a small sample. A total of 128 parents' of children with ASDs were participated in the survey by completing a self-report questionnaire about early signs and symptoms that raised their concern. Parents of children with autism voiced concerns earlier and obtained diagnosis significantly earlier compared to parents of children with Asperger syndrome (p value <0.000). No significant difference (p value<0.05) has been detected between males and females in early manifestation of first signs and symptoms of ASD. The mean age at diagnosis was 3.8 years for autistic disorder, 6.2 years for children with Asperger syndrome and 6.4 years for other, e.g., PDD-NOS. The most commonly reported symptoms were speech and language problems (p value = 0.001) for children who were later diagnosed with autism, while behavior problems (p value = 0.046) as well as difficulties in education at school (p value = 0.013) for children with Asperger syndrome. The gap between early identification and diagnosis pinpoints the urgent need for national systematic early screening, the development of reliable and sensitive diagnostic instruments for infants and toddlers and heightened awareness of early signs of ASD among parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals and providers as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]