The factorial structure and validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in Polish adolescents

Aim. The present study aimed to explore the factorial structure, validity and stability of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in chronically ill and healthy Polish adolescents. Methods. 146 chronically ill (girls: 57.6%) and 309 healthy (girls: 45.9%) adolescents aged between 12 and 16 years (M = 14.03; SD = 1.3) filled in an adapted version of HADS (HADS-Teen) in hospital or school settings. The one-week test-retest reliability and construct validity was analyzed in two sub-samples of healthy adolescents. Results. HADS-Teen showed a two-factor structure in the chronically ill sample and a three-factor structure in the healthy sample. The Anxiety scale had high internal reliability and stability and adequate correlation with another measure for generalized anxiety. Still, the Depression scale had good stability, but poor internal reliability in both samples. In the healthy sample, the Depression items split into two factors: depressed mood together with psychomotor retardation/agitation and anhedonia. Conclusions. The issues concerned with the factorial structure of HADS are replicated in Polish adolescents as well. HADS-Teen shows different structures in chronically ill versus healthy adolescents. Results indicate that a special attention must be paid when assessing depression symptoms in healthy adolescents using this instrument

Effect Of Chronic Disease On Romantic Partner Choice

Background: Interpersonal attraction is influenced by many factors like physical attraction, similarity or proximity. The impact of chronic illnesses on romantic relationships hasn’t been studied very deeply. Method. An experimental study was completed in order to analyze how the chronic disease influences the choice of a romantic partner and the compensatory role of partner’s personality traits on relationship assessment. Five hundred and forty undergraduate students (270 men and 270 women from 18 to 31 years old) participated in this experiment. Results. The effect of chronic disease upon romantic partner’s choice proved to depend on the type of partner’s personality traits. The positive personality traits compensated the physical chronic disease and the chronic diseases compensated the negative traits of personality. This study is one of the few done in this field and brought valuable information’s about ill person’s assessment as a partner in a romantic relationship

Diversity of Thelazia spp. in domestic cattle from Romania: epidemiology and molecular diagnosis by a novel multiplex PCR

Abstract Background Thelaziosis is a neglected vector-borne disease caused by parasitic nematode worms of the genus Thelazia which affects various hosts. Limited attention has been given to ungulate-associated Thelazia species. Current diagnosis of thelaziosis and the identification/differentiation of species heavily relies on morphological features. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological study in Romanian cattle, with the aim to obtain morphological and molecular data that can be used for species identification. Methods The eyes of 705 slaughtered cattle were sampled and subjected to morphological identification, morphometric analysis, and molecular characterization. PCR amplification and sequence analysis were performed based on the cytochromec oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. Statistical tests assessed the correlations between infection parameters and ecological or biogeographical factors. A novel PCR method was developed based on the consensus sequence from each species. Specific forward primers were designed for each of the three species, and a reverse primer (COIintR) was used for all reactions. A consensus thermal profile was established by gradient PCR amplification of each species separately. Results Of the sampled cattle, 19.3% were infected with Thelazia spp. Prevalence varied significantly with ecogeographical factors. A total of 585 Thelazia nematodes were recovered, with T. rhodesi being the most abundant, followed by T. skrjabini and T. gulosa. Morphometric and molecular analyses supported the morphological identification, yielding unique sequences for each species. From the 59 T. rhodesi specimens sequenced, 29 unique sequences were obtained, with a 99.1–99.85% nucleotide identity to the only other COI sequence present in GenBank®. All nine T. gulosa isolates were unique (99.37–100% nucleotide identity to other sequences), while T. skrjabini specimens displayed 98.47–100% nucleotide identity to the sole available sequence. Conclusions Bovine thelaziosis is prevalent in Romania, raising concerns for animal welfare and potential economic impacts. Infected cattle grazing alongside vulnerable wild ruminants, such as the European bison, may affect conservation efforts. Our newly developed multiplex PCR shows promise as a valuable surveillance tool, enabling the detection of occult infections in apparently healthy animals through lachrymal secretion testing. Graphical Abstrac

The Presence of <em>Dirofilaria immitis</em> in Domestic Dogs on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos

This study's concept was outlined around the principle of conservation medicine in a biodiversity hotspot from the Neotropical realm: the Galapagos Islands. The wildlife balance has been modified by multi-host parasites introduced with some domestic animals (dogs and cats). The endemic and endangered species, the Galapagos sea lion (GSL, Zalophus wollebaeki), has been exposed to pathogens of canine and feline origin that could become a significant conservation problem for this species. One of these potential cases is the filarial heartworm infection, Dirofilaria immitis, which has been reported on other pinnipeds, with fatalities and clinical symptoms. Therefore, this study evaluated the presence of the microfilaria of D. immitis in dogs from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal Island, where the largest rookery of GSLs lives and where the proximity to domestic dogs is the most intimate compared to other rookeries of the archipelago. Between July and September 2021, 587 blood samples were collected from owned dogs of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Overall, 10 dogs (1.7%) were positive for the presence of the microfilaria of D. immitis with a confidence interval of 0.7–2.8%. No other filarial species were identified. Significant differences in prevalence between different dog categories were observed only for the age (p = 0.001). This study represents the first report of D. immitis, the agent of canine heartworm disease, in dogs from San Cristobal Island. Hence, the presence of the microfilaria of D. immitis in the blood of dogs could increase the risk of infection to which the GSL is exposed in the region