Awareness and Behaviors Regarding COVID-19 among Albanian Undergraduates

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the adoption of restriction measures that have had notable consequences on the health and wellbeing of individuals. This survey was carried out on a sample of 905 Albanian undergraduates to assess their knowledge about COVID-19 and their health-related behaviors and communication changes during lockdown. The students were invited to complete a pre-validated questionnaire during lessons. The results show that the majority of the surveyed students were able to answer correctly about the main epidemiological features of the disease. The level of knowledge was proven to be proportional to the students' education level (enrollment year and age). No considerable relationship emerged with respect to diet or smoking. On the other hand, a relevant portion of the sample (37.6%) declared decreased physical activity (PA). Finally, a notable increase in the intensity and frequency of communication with their peers and with their parents was declared by 34.7% and 50.8% of the sample, respectively. Lifestyle variables were found to be mutually related, as were communication outcomes. The participants showed a satisfactory awareness regarding the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the registered reduction in PA may represent a public health issue and should be addressed with adequate policies. The use of electronic media seems to have increased communication habits in this population group

Law, public debates and professionals' attitudes: a comparative study on the use of advance directives in England, France and Germany

Advance directives to refuse treatment (ADs) are legally binding in many Western European countries. Yet, in practice ADs are only rarely used. This chapter explores the influence of different socio-cultural and legal contexts on the implementation of ADs in three European countries: England, Germany and France. More precisely, this chapter focuses on physicians’ perspectives on the law and the reasons given by them for failing to implement it. It will show how physicians’ sense of duty to respect ADs depends on: (1) the definition of the legal status of ADs in a country; (2) the way the law addresses physicians’ concerns regarding the use of ADs (e.g. uncertainty about validity, respect for patient preferences); and (3) the way ADs are discussed in the public (or not). The findings presented are based on literature review and qualitative interviews

Neuroscience and End-of-Life Decisions: What Kind of Coexistence?

One of the most far-reaching challenges posed to the law by the development of neuroscience is the possibility to unveil some of the interior elements of human beings in the absence of external manifestations. The perception of pain, the presence of consciousness and the wishes of incompetent patients, once unfathomable because they could not be externalized, are nowadays accessible also from persons unable to express themselves (such as infants, people in comas, severely disabled people, etc.). These new frontiers raise an anthropological question and place heavy demands for lawyers embroiled in end-of-life matters, especially for constitutional lawyers. The present paper aims to highlight how the search for a balanced relationship between neuroscientific acquisitions and end-of-life decisions is weakened by at least two risks: the utmost deference towards science and scientific authority and the maximization of self-determination. In view of all this, the paper will provide, at the beginning, a framework of case law and end-of-life regulatory attempts with a specific focus on the recent law on informed consent and living will approved by the Italian Parliament; it will follow the analysis of the main challenges posed to law by advances in neuroscience. In the final part of this paper, we will offer food for thought on the role of neuroscience and\u2014in a broader perspective\u2014of science in law