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Santangelo OE, Gianfredi V, Provenzano S, Cedrone F. Digital epidemiology and infodemiology of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in Italy. Disease trend assessment via Google and Wikipedia. ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2023; 94:e2023107. [PMID: 37539609 PMCID: PMC10440772 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v94i4.14184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM The study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological trend of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Italy using data on Internet search volume. METHODS A cross-sectional study design was used. Data on Internet searches were obtained from Google Trends (GT) and Wikipedia. We used the following Italian search term: "Malattia mano-piede-bocca" (Hand-foot-mouth disease, in English). A monthly time-frame was extracted, partly overlapping, from July 2015 to December 2022. GT and Wikipedia were overlapped to perform a linear regression and correlation analyses. Statistical analyses were performed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rho). A linear regression analysis was performed considering Wikipedia and GT. RESULTS Search peaks for both Wikipedia and GT occurred in the months November-December during the autumn-winter season and in June during the spring-summer season, except for the period from June 2020 to June 2021, probably due to the restrictions of the COVID19 pandemic. A temporal correlation was observed between GT and Wikipedia search trends. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study in Italy that attempts to clarify the epidemiology of HFMD. Google search and Wikipedia can be valuable for public health surveillance; however, to date, digital epidemiology cannot replace the traditional surveillance system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Fabrizio Cedrone
- Hospital Management, Local Health Unit of Pescara, 65122 Pescara.
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Alibudbud R. Wikipedia page views for health research: a review. Front Big Data 2023; 6:1199060. [PMID: 37469441 PMCID: PMC10353851 DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2023.1199060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Wikipedia is an open-source online encyclopedia and one of the most-read sources of online health information. Likewise, Wikipedia page views have also been analyzed to inform public health services and policies. The present review analyzed 29 studies utilizing Wikipedia page views for health research. Most reviewed studies were published in recent years and emanated from high-income countries. Together with Wikipedia page views, most studies also used data from other internet sources, such as Google, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. The reviewed studies also explored various non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and health interventions to describe changes in the utilization of online health information from Wikipedia, to examine the effect of public events on public interest and information usage about health-related Wikipedia pages, to estimate and predict the incidence and prevalence of diseases, to predict data from other internet data sources, to evaluate the effectiveness of health education activities, and to explore the evolution of a health topic. Given some of the limitations in replicating some of the reviewed studies, future research can specify the specific Wikipedia page or pages analyzed, the language of the Wikipedia pages examined, dates of data collection, dates explored, type of data, and whether page views were limited to Internet users and whether web crawlers and redirects to the Wikipedia page were included. Future research can also explore public interest in other commonly read health topics available in Wikipedia, develop Wikipedia-based models that can be used to predict disease incidence and improve Wikipedia-based health education activities.
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Markoulli M, Ahmad S, Arcot J, Arita R, Benitez-Del-Castillo J, Caffery B, Downie LE, Edwards K, Flanagan J, Labetoulle M, Misra SL, Mrugacz M, Singh S, Sheppard J, Vehof J, Versura P, Willcox MDP, Ziemanski J, Wolffsohn JS. TFOS Lifestyle: Impact of nutrition on the ocular surface. Ocul Surf 2023; 29:226-271. [PMID: 37100346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Nutrients, required by human bodies to perform life-sustaining functions, are obtained from the diet. They are broadly classified into macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and water. All nutrients serve as a source of energy, provide structural support to the body and/or regulate the chemical processes of the body. Food and drinks also consist of non-nutrients that may be beneficial (e.g., antioxidants) or harmful (e.g., dyes or preservatives added to processed foods) to the body and the ocular surface. There is also a complex interplay between systemic disorders and an individual's nutritional status. Changes in the gut microbiome may lead to alterations at the ocular surface. Poor nutrition may exacerbate select systemic conditions. Similarly, certain systemic conditions may affect the uptake, processing and distribution of nutrients by the body. These disorders may lead to deficiencies in micro- and macro-nutrients that are important in maintaining ocular surface health. Medications used to treat these conditions may also cause ocular surface changes. The prevalence of nutrition-related chronic diseases is climbing worldwide. This report sought to review the evidence supporting the impact of nutrition on the ocular surface, either directly or as a consequence of the chronic diseases that result. To address a key question, a systematic review investigated the effects of intentional food restriction on ocular surface health; of the 25 included studies, most investigated Ramadan fasting (56%), followed by bariatric surgery (16%), anorexia nervosa (16%), but none were judged to be of high quality, with no randomized-controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Markoulli
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Sumayya Ahmad
- Icahn School of Medicine of Mt. Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jayashree Arcot
- Food and Health, School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Australia
| | - Reiko Arita
- Department of Ophthalmology, Itoh Clinic, Saitama, Japan
| | | | | | - Laura E Downie
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katie Edwards
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Judith Flanagan
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia; Vision CRC, USA
| | - Marc Labetoulle
- Ophthalmology Department, Hospital Bicêtre, APHP, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; IDMIT (CEA-Paris Saclay-Inserm U1184), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Stuti L Misra
- Department of Ophthalmology, New Zealand National Eye Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Sumeer Singh
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - John Sheppard
- Virginia Eye Consultants, Norfolk, VA, USA; Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Jelle Vehof
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Epidemiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Section of Ophthalmology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Ophthalmology, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway
| | - Piera Versura
- Cornea and Ocular Surface Analysis - Translation Research Laboratory, Ophthalmology Unit, DIMEC Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Italy; IRCCS AOU di Bologna Policlinico di Sant'Orsola, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mark D P Willcox
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jillian Ziemanski
- School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James S Wolffsohn
- College of Health & Life Sciences, School of Optometry, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
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Gianfredi V, Nucci D, Nardi M, Santangelo OE, Provenzano S. Using Google Trends and Wikipedia to Investigate the Global Public's Interest in the Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis of a Celebrity. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2106. [PMID: 36767473 PMCID: PMC9915341 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was designed to assess the impact of a celebrity's announcement of having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on the volume of cancer-related research on the Internet. Global searches were carried out on Google Trends (GT) for the period from 1 January 2004 to 20 November 2022 (since data prior to 2004 were not available) using the search words Tumore del Pancreas (pancreatic cancer), Tumore neuroendocrino (neuroendocrine tumor), and Fedez (the name of a popular Italian rapper). The frequency of specific page views for Fedez, Tumore del pancreas, and Tumore neuroendocrino was collected via Wikipedia Trends data. Statistical analyses were carried out using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). The GT data revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.83) while the Wikipedia Trends data indicated a moderate correlation (r = 0.37) for Tumore neuroendocrino and Tumore del pancreas. The search peaks for the GT and Wikipedia pages occur during the same time period. An association was found between the celebrity's announcement of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis and the volume of pancreatic-cancer-related online searches. Our findings demonstrate that media events and media coverage of health-related news can raise people's curiosity and desire for health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Gianfredi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Pascal, 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Nucci
- Nutritional Support Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64, 35128 Padua, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Nardi
- Nutritional Support Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64, 35128 Padua, Italy
| | - Omar Enzo Santangelo
- Regional Health Care and Social Agency of Lodi, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale di Lodi (ASST Lodi), Piazza Ospitale 10, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Maugeri A, Barchitta M, Perticone V, Agodi A. How COVID-19 Pandemic Has Influenced Public Interest in Foods: A Google Trends Analysis of Italian Data. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1976. [PMID: 36767342 PMCID: PMC9915381 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Controversy exists about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dietary habits, with studies demonstrating both benefits and drawbacks of this period. We analyzed Google Trends data on specific terms and arguments related to different foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, milk, red meat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages) in order to evaluate the interest of Italian people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joinpoint regression models were applied to identify the possible time points at which public interest in foods changed (i.e., joinpoints). Interestingly, public interest in specific food categories underwent substantial changes during the period under examination. While some changes did not seem to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., legumes and red meat), public interest in fruit, vegetables, milk, and whole grains increased significantly, especially during the first lockdown. It should be noted, however, that the interest in food-related issues returned to prepandemic levels after the first lockdown period. Thus, more efforts and ad hoc designed studies should be encouraged to evaluate the duration and direction of the COVID-19 pandemic's influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Maugeri
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Martina Barchitta
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Vanessa Perticone
- Department of Economics and Business, University of Catania, 95129 Catania, Italy
| | - Antonella Agodi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
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Infodemiology of RSV in Italy (2017-2022): An Alternative Option for the Surveillance of Incident Cases in Pediatric Age? CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9121984. [PMID: 36553427 PMCID: PMC9777371 DOI: 10.3390/children9121984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not online queries for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) retrieved by means of Google Trends™ and the Italian Wikipedia analysis program mirror the occurrence of influenza-like illnesses (ILI), as reported by the Italian Influenza Surveillance network (InfluNet). Estimated rates for ILI in the general population and in the age groups 0−4 years and 5−14 years were obtained for the influenza seasons 2017−2018 to 2020−2021. Similarly, a weekly fraction of online searches was retrieved for a series of terms associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Next, trends for daily visualization of Italian Wikipedia Pages for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Pneumonia, Bronchiolitis, Influenza, and Respiratory Failure were similarly retrieved. The correlation of all search terms with ILI was analyzed by means of Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Among search terms associated with the clinical diagnosis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus infections, the occurrence of ILI was highly correlated only with Bronchiolitis in the age group 0−4 years (β 0.210, p = 0.028), while more generic search terms, such as Bronchitis, fever, influenza, and Pneumonia, were identified as effective predictors of ILI, in general and by age groups. In a regression analysis modeled with ILIs as the outcome variable, daily visualizations for the Wikipedia pages on Bronchiolitis were identified as negative predictors for ILI in general (β = −0.152, p = 0.032), ILI in age group 0−4 years (β = −0.264, p = 0.001) and 5−14 years (β = −0.202, p = 0.006), while Influenza was characterized as a positive effector for ILIs in the age group 5−14 years (β = 0.245, p = 0.001). Interestingly, not only were the search terms extensively correlated with one another, but all of them were also characterized by autocorrelation through a Durbin-Watson test (all estimates DW < 2.0) In summary, our study identified a complicated pattern of data visualization as no clear association between rates of ILI in pediatric age group 0−4 and 5 to 14 years was actually found. Finally, our data stress that the infodemiology option may be quite problematic for assessing the time trend of RSV infections in Italy until more appropriate reporting will be made available, by sharing estimates of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections, and through a more accurate characterization of younger age groups.
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Santangelo OE, Gianfredi V, Provenzano S. Wikipedia searches and the epidemiology of infectious diseases: A systematic review. DATA KNOWL ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.datak.2022.102093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Ciechanowski K, Banasik-Jemielniak N, Jemielniak D. What's hot and what's not in lay psychology: Wikipedia's most-viewed articles. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022:1-13. [PMID: 36248218 PMCID: PMC9553632 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03826-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We studied views of articles about psychology on 10 language editions of Wikipedia from July 1, 2015, to January 6, 2021. We were most interested in what psychology topics Wikipedia users wanted to read, and how the frequency of views changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Our results show that the topics of interest to people seeking psychological knowledge changed during the pandemic. In addition, the interests differ noticeably among the languages. We made two important observations. The first was that during the pandemic, people in most countries looked for new ways to manage their stress without resorting to external help. This is understandable, given the increased stress of lockdown and the limited amount of professional help available. We also found that academic topics, typically covered in university classes, experienced a substantial drop in traffic, which could be indicative of issues with remote teaching. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03826-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaśmir Ciechanowski
- MINDS (Management in Networked and Digital Societies) Department, Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Dariusz Jemielniak
- MINDS (Management in Networked and Digital Societies) Department, Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland
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Ramadhani ID, Latifah L, Prasetyo A, Khairunnisa M, Wardhani YF, Yunitawati D, Fahlevi M. Infodemiology on diet and weight loss behavior before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Implication for public health promotion. Front Nutr 2022; 9:981204. [PMID: 36245536 PMCID: PMC9555344 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.981204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective This study set out to explore public interest through information search trends on diet and weight loss before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Methods The Google Trends database was evaluated for the relative internet search popularity on diet-related search terms, including top and rising diet-related terms. The search range was before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2018 to January 2022) in the Indonesia region. We analyzed the Relative Search Volume (RSV) data using line charts, correlation, and comparison tests. Results Search queries of “lose weight” was higher during the pandemic (58.34 ± 9.70 vs. 68.69 ± 7.72; p<0.05). No difference was found in diet-related searches before and after the pandemic. Public interest in the diet was higher after Eid al-Fitr (Muslims break fasting celebration day) and after the new year. Many fad diet (FD) terms were found on the top and rising terms. Conclusion After Eid al-Fitr and the new year were susceptible times for promoting a healthy diet in Indonesia. Potential need found before those times for education in inserting healthy food among fatty and sugary menus related to holidays and celebrations. Higher interest in “lose weight” was relevant to heightened obesity risk during the social restriction and heightened COVID-19 morbidity and mortality due to obesity. The high interest for rapid weight loss through FD needs to be resolved by promoting healthy diets with a more captivating message and messenger, like consistently using top terms in the keywords of the official healthy diet guidance. Future research could explore the relationship between diet and other behavior or with non-communicable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leny Latifah
- Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Andjar Prasetyo
- Regional Development Planning Agency, Magelang, Indonesia
- *Correspondence: Andjar Prasetyo
| | - Marizka Khairunnisa
- Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Yurika Fauzia Wardhani
- Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Diah Yunitawati
- Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Mochammad Fahlevi
- Department of Management, BINUS Online Learning, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Nucci D, Santangelo OE, Provenzano S, Nardi M, Firenze A, Gianfredi V. Altered Food Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191610299. [PMID: 36011935 PMCID: PMC9407804 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence of an association between cancer and certain types of altered eating behaviors, including orthorexia, food cravings, and food addiction. Given the growing interest in the topic throughout the scientific community we conducted a systematic review to summarize current evidence on the development of altered food behavior, including food addiction and cancer. The Cochrane Collaboration and the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were followed to perform this systematic review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to report the process and results. The structured literature search was conducted on 19 April 2022, on PubMed/Medline and Scopus, combining free-text terms and medical subject headings. A total of seven articles were included once the selection process was completed. Food craving has been associated with different types of cancer in adults and young patients, as well as with orthorexia; conversely, compulsive eating has only been explored in patients with prolactinoma treated with dopamine agonists. This systematic review explored a new area of research that warrants further investigation. More research is required to better understand the relationship between cancer and food behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Nucci
- Nutritional Support Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64, 35128 Padua, Italy
| | - Omar Enzo Santangelo
- Regional Health Care and Social Agency of Lodi, ASST Lodi, Piazza Ospitale, 10, 26900 Lodi, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Mariateresa Nardi
- Nutritional Support Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata, 64, 35128 Padua, Italy
| | - Alberto Firenze
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (ProMISE) “G. D’Alessandro”, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenza Gianfredi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Pascal, 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
- CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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