Duration of screen time and its effect on reaction time in 1st year MBBS students in a medical college of Southern Odisha

Background: Smartphones, PC, tablets, and TV have become integral parts of our lives. The smartphone in particular is the lifeline of everyone, regardless of their age group. Overuse of smartphones is increasing, resulting in a great deal of physical and psychological effects. It is found to negatively impact health and increase the risk of stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition to this, sleep disorders, restlessness, and fatigue are also being reported which can lead to cognitive impairment. The reaction time (RT) is the interval between the application of a stimulus and the response. It is an indication of neural processing between a stimulus and the response which is expressed in milliseconds. Aims and Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to estimate screen time, auditory and visual RTs, and the association between screen time and RT (visual reaction time [VRT] and auditory reaction time [ART]). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 232 1st year MBBS students in the age group of 18–23 years. Average screen time was noted from their respective gadgets. RT for the targeted stimulus, yellow light for the VRT and beep sound for the ART, was determined using the Biochart application system by Biostar Health care (Computer software) on the laptop. The task was to press the space bar as soon as the stimulus was presented. Average RT for both the stimuli (ART and VRT) were calculated using ten readings for each. Data obtained were analyzed. Results: Our study shows that ART is faster than VRT for both males and females. Screen time with VRT has a moderate positive significant relationship (P < 0.001), while for the ART, it has a weak positive relation. Conclusion: Based on our findings, it can be concluded that there is a positive correlation between screen time and RT. Screen time alone has a 21% effect on the RT as per our study. It also suggests that ART is faster than VRT. The females have a higher RT than the males in a similar age group.

Linguistic and cultural adaptation of physical activity readiness questionnaire in Odia language

Background: Regular exercise and proper exercise are two important measures that can control obesity reduce the chances of metabolic disease and promote a healthy life. Many a time, exercise may not be suitable for some individuals. For screening, a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) is used. However, it is not available in Odia, a language spoken in Odisha, India. Aim and Objective: This study aimed to adapt the PAR-Q linguistically in Odia according to guidelines laid by the World Health Organization. Materials and Methods: The English questionnaire was forward translated from English to Odia by three bilingual experts and a consensus was reached to make a final Odia version. Then, the Odia version was back-translated to English by three language experts and a consensus was reached to form a final back-translated version. Then, the conceptual equivalence was checked between the two versions for finalizing the Odia version. Then, the questionnaire was pre-tested and cognitive interview was conducted. Results: We have successfully forward translated and back-translated the PAR-Q. The Odia version and back-translated English version showed an acceptable level of equivalence by two individual raters with an acceptable level of agreement. The Odia PAR-Q was successfully pre-tested. Conclusion: We have linguistically translated the PAR-Q in Odia. This questionnaire can be used for screening individuals for their fitness for enrolling and engaging in exercise. This questionnaire would help sports authorities as well as paramedical staff in screening Odia speaking subjects who are not comfortable with English.

A cross-sectional study on the relationship between obesity and lifestyle factors among doctors working in a tertiary health-care center in Southern Odisha, India

Background: Non-communicable diseases are affecting millions of people worldwide. These diseases are linked to the lifestyle of the population. Hence, lifestyle modification may help reduce the disease burden. Due to work-life misbalance, many doctors are vulnerable to lifestyle-related disorders. Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to find the obesity parameters and lifestyle pattern and to find if any correlation exists between the obesity parameters and lifestyle score. Materials and Methods: We conducted this study in a tertiary care teaching hospital situated in Southern Odisha, India. The doctors attached to the teaching hospital were taken as a convenience sample. The anthropometric parameters were measured in the departmental research laboratory and the lifestyle score was obtained by the FANTASTIC lifestyle assessment instrument. The correlation between the FANTASTIC score and body fatness variables was tested. Results: A total of 152 doctors with a mean of 40.09 ± 9.92 years of age participated in this study. We found a significant negative correlation coefficient of FANTASTIC score with body mass index (BMI) (r = ?0.36, P < 0.0001), body fat % (r = ?0.25, P = 0.002), and visceral fat % (r = ?0.28, P < 0.0001). The age, waist circumference, and fat-free mass did not show any significant correlation. Conclusion: Some of the obesity parameters such as BMI, body fat, and visceral fat are negatively correlated with lifestyle scores. Hence, doctors with the lower lifestyle scores may tend to show a higher tendency toward obesity and vice versa. The doctors and the stakeholders should take care of healthy lifestyle promotion.

Effect of estrogen on angiotensin converting enzyme in immature quail oviduct.

Effect of oestradiol was studied on the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)--a component of renin angiotensin system, in oviduct of immature quails of 15 days of age. ACE was studied in whole oviduct, magnum, shell gland and the glandular epithelium of magnum and shell gland. It was found that whole oviduct had a significantly higher level of ACE in control than those treated with exogenous estrogen at three dose levels (200, 400 or 600 micrograms). ACE contents of whole muscle and glandular epithelium did not differ but magnum had higher ACE level than the shell gland. Results are explained on the basis of functional role of oviductal parts.

Effects of cadmium salt on phosphomonoesterases activity and fertilizing ability of fowl spermatozoa.

Daily administration of cadmium salt for 25 days (2.5 mg per Kg body weight) in the male domestic fowl caused the end of treatment period. An increased incidences of concentration. Fertility dropped to zero at the end of the treatment period. Activity of acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterases were also drastically reduced by the end of treatment period. An increased incidences of morphological abnormalities of spermatozoa were noticed in the treated birds. After 46 days cessation of the treatment, full recovery of the above measures was found. These alterations suggest the reversible type of effect of cadmium chloride on the spermatozoa of male domestic fowl.

Ca2(+)-dependent glucose transport in chicken intestine.

Transport of glucose was measured in the intestine of white leghorn layers in vivo using ligated upper small intestinal segment in the presence of Ca2+ and other ions either singly or in combination. Transport of glucose across the intestine was very significantly increased with Ca2+ than Na+, K+ and Po4(3-) individually, but when Ca2+ was combined with Na+, K+ and PO4(3-), the glucose absorption increased significantly over that achieved by Na+ ions alone. These data revealed that Ca2+ ions might be exerting the major influence on glucose transport processes of the chicken intestine.

Effect of gonadotrophin releasing hormone in underfed immature rats.

An investigation on the effect of restricted feeding an GnRH treatment using immature rats of both sexes was made to see if the GnRH can produce its desired effect on the reproductive organs through the pituitary gonadal axis irrespective of the age and nutritional status of the animal. It was observed that immature male and female rats responded differently to the treatment of GnRH and responses are to a great extent age-dependent. Restricted feeding in these animals slowed down the growth of the reproductive organs.

Effects of hypothyroidism on pregnancy of rats.

Adult female rats of approximately same age and weight were grouped and thyroidectomized before pregnancy and at different stages of gestation. While studying their pregnancy performances, it was observed that there was a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in the length of gestation in thyroidectomized animals as compared to intact controls. This is possibly due to the smaller litter size. The litter size and foetal weights were significantly (P less than 0.01) lower than the controls and were inversely proportional to the duration of the hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Hypothyroidism did not affect the implantation. The mammary gland growth was significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced in all the experimental groups. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy hardly affected the adrenal weight but significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased the ovarian weight possibly due to the disturbance in hypophysialgonadal axis.

Effect of pregnancy and thyroidectomy on the rat spleen.

Pregnancy caused a significant increase (P less than 0.001) in the ascorbic acid and cholesterol concentrations in the spleen as compared to the controls, indicating a rise in its metabolic functions. When thyroid gland was removed either from the non-pregnant animals or at different stages of gestation from pregnant animals, there were significant (P less than 0.001) fall in the levels of these biochemical parameters as compared to the corresponding intact groups. These findings indicated that splenic functions undergo certain changes during pregnancy and the thyroid hormones significantly influence them.