Using Online Respondent Driven Sampling for Vietnamese Youths' Alcohol Use and Associated Risk Factors / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: The average alcohol consumption per capita among Vietnamese adults has consistently increased. Although alcohol-related disorders have been extensively studied, there is a paucity of research shedding light on this issue among Internet users. The study aimed to examine the severity of alcohol-related disorders and other associated factors that might predispose individuals towards alcohol usage in a sample of youths recruited online. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,080 Vietnamese youths. A standardized questionnaire was used. Respondent-driven sampling was applied to recruit participants. Multivariate logistic and Tobit regressions were utilized to identify the associated factors. RESULTS: About 59.5% of the males and 12.7% of the total youths declared that they were actively using alcohol. From the total sample, a cumulative total of 32.3% of the participants were drinking alcohol, with 21.8% and 25.0% of the participants being classified as drinking hazardously and binge drinkers, respectively. The majority of the participants (60.7%) were in the pre-contemplative stage. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of hazardous drinking was recognized among online Vietnamese youths. In addition, we found relationships between alcohol use disorder and other addictive disorders, such as tobacco smoking and water-pipe usage. Our results highlighted that the majority of the individuals are not receptive to the idea of changing their alcohol habits, and this would imply that there ought to be more government effort towards the implementation of effective alcohol control policies.

Post-operative sore throat and hoarseness as a result of endotracheal tube positioning in thyroidectomy

Introduction: During a thyroidectomy, the neck is hyperextended. This position may inverse the tracheal axis to the endotracheal tube (ET), can cause damage to the vocal cords and tracheal wall. We propose a simple turn of the ET corresponding with the laryngo-tracheal axis to reduce of post-operative sore throat (PST) and hoarseness (H) in thyroidectomy patients. Methods: 122 patients undergoing general anesthesia were prospectively randomized divided into 4 groups. Gp1 (n=31): normal ET tube placement. Gp2 (n=30): normal ET tube rotated 180o following insertion. Gp3 (n=30): armoured tube. Gp4 (control, n=31): Normal ET tube in operations other than thyroidectomy, that require hyperextension. Cuff pressure (CP) and inspiratory peak pressure (IPP) were monitored during anesthesia. PST and H were evaluated by a VAS (0-10mm). Results: The 4 groups were similar in age, gender and intubation duration. IPP remained stable in all 4 groups. However, CP increased significantly in Gp1 and Gp4 after hyperextension. GP1 had the most PST and H (p<0.05). Tube rotation achieved the same results as the Armoured tube. Discussion: Rotating ET tube 180o reduced PST and H as much as intubation with a armoured tube. This rotation did not interfere with ventilation during anesthesia.