Prevalence and factors associated with active cybersexuality among teenagers between 15 and 17 years old: a cross sectional study in Normandy, France.

OBJECTIVE: Teenagers use the Internet to obtain and exchange information in multiple fields, including about taboo subjects such as sexuality. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence and vulnerability factors related to active cybersexuality among teenagers aged between 15 and 17 years in western Normandy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study integrated into sexual education classes for teenagers between 15 and 17 years old. An anonymous questionnaire, designed for the study, was given at the beginning of each session. RESULTS: The study had a 4-month duration and involved 1,208 teenagers. The results revealed that 66% of them engaged in cybersex, with sexting being the most widespread practice: 21% sent such sexts, 60% received such sexts, and 12% of boys shared such texts with others. Other practices, such as dedipix, dating websites, and skin parties, were more marginal, but 12% of teenagers had met someone in real life after meeting them first online. A history of experiencing violence, a lack of parental control, female gender, poor self-esteem, and consuming toxic drugs were associated with a higher risk of cybersexuality with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.63, 1.95, 2.07, 2.27, and 2.66, respectively. Number of friends on social networks >300 and daily viewing of pornography were also strongly associated with cybersexuality with an OR of 2.83 and 6.18, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that cybersex is practiced by two thirds of teens. Vulnerability factors most strongly associated with cybersexuality were female gender, poor self-esteem, consuming toxic drugs, number of friends on social networks >300, and daily viewing of pornography. Cybersexuality involves risks (social exclusion, bullying, dropout, poor self-esteem, breakdown) that are possible to prevent by highlighting this theme during sexual education classes.

[Epidemiology of childhood asthma in the department of Calvados]. / Epidémiologie de l'asthme infantile dans le département du Calvados.

A survey was conducted in 1707 sixth grade school children in the Calvados department of France. A self-administered questionnaire was filled out by the children in the presence of a school nurse. The cumulative prevalence of asthma was 14.9%. There was no significant difference between children living in urban or rural areas. There was however a significant difference by sex: 18% of the boys had asthma and 11% of the girls. The cumulative prevalence of wheezing was 25.4% (current prevalence 12.9%). The current prevalence of dry nocturnal cough, respiratory infections excluded, was 33.3%; that of exercise-induced asthma, 27%. Severity was evaluated on the basis of the number of wheezing episodes since the beginning of the school year (> 3 episodes: 4.5%), the number of awakenings at night per week (several per week: 2.2%), and aggravations severe enough to bother speech (4.3%). The rate of missed school days was 18.5% and that of asthma-related hospitalization 1.8%. One asthmatic child out of 4 had undergone pulmonary function tests and 1 out of 2 had a specific treatment for asthma. The high prevalence of childhood asthma in Calvados, with high morbidity, a significant number of missed school days, the exceptional nature of satisfactory pulmonary function testing, and the inconsistency of specific treatments, emphasizes the need for educational programs for parents and their family and improved physician training.

Evolution of the prematurity before the 32nd week from 1980 to 1985 in a tertiary perinatal center in Lille, France.

127 infants were born alive before the 32nd week of gestation in the H. Salengro obstetrical unit from the University Hospital of Lille from January 1980 to December 1985. During this period the annual number of deliveries was constant, 2700. Two periods were considered, 1980-1982 and 1983-1985. The number of such premature infants increased slightly: from 56 to 71. The most striking feature was the dramatic increase in infants born after induction of delivery for fetal reasons. Another finding is the statistically significant lowering of gestational age and birthweight of the spontaneously born infants. These trends counterweight the efficacy of the policy of prevention. When considering the morbidity and the mortality, hyaline membrane disease still plays a preeminent role in this population.

[Contribution to the definition of high-risk groups of low birth weight infants]. / Contribution à la définition des groupes à haut risque d'enfants de faible poids de naissance.

Follow-up studies of low birth weight infants concern usually infants selected on the basis of either the birthweight--inferior or equal to 1500 g--or the gestational age: the upper limit is 31 or 32 weeks. To determine the most pertinent criterium, mortality and neurodevelopmental outcome at two years were compared in 3 groups, selected on the above criteria from a cohort of 369 infants with a birthweight below 2,000 grams admitted in 1983 in the neonatal unit of the University hospital of Lille. Under 1501 grams the rate of small for gestational age infants is high: it could be a part of the explanation for the high rate of minor sequelae. When cohorts are selected on the basis of gestational age, it appears that mortality is low at 32 weeks but the rate of major and moderate sequelae is still high: that fact must be considered when premature induced delivery comes in discussion. Because these criteria select different high risk populations, mortality and neurodevelopmental follow-up studies should include all infants with gestational age inferior or equal to 32 weeks and/or birthweight inferior or equal to 1,500 grams.

[Obstetric outcome of the malformed uterus. Study of 155 pregnancies]. / L'avenir obstétrical des utérus malformés. Etude de 155 grossesses.

Gynecological and obstetrical pathologies are considered in 155 pregnancies involving uterine deformity. Evaluation of their relative importance shows that maintenance of pregnancy is more important than pregnancy per se. Certain rules are proposed for treatment and obstetrical management of such pregnancies.

[Cardiovascular complications due to naftidrofuryl]. / Les accidents cardiovasculaires dus au naftidrofuryl.

The authors report the case of a serious cardiovascular complication due to naftidrofuryl overdosage following its intravenous administration. Other similar complications have already been reported in the literature and in experimental animal studies (particularly involving the conduction system of the heart). Since naftidrofuryl belongs to the class of local anesthetics and is pharmacologically related to procainamide, certain precautions must be closely followed if it is administered intravenously: avoidance of rapid injection directly into the vein, limiting the infusion to 200 to 400 mg given over a 3 hour period using preferably a constant infusion syringe pump or an infusion pump, and using caution when associated with other medications, particularly antiarrhythmic agents which could affect atrioventricular or intraventricular conduction.

Continuous twenty-four hour recording of the fetal cardiac rhythm during normal pregnancies.

Recording the fetal cardiac rhythm (FCR) is currently the technique most widely used to assess the well being of the fetus. In view of the importance of the decisions taken on the modifications of the FCR, the authors have recorded and analysed over 24 consecutive hours 10 resting women manifesting a strictly normal pregnancy. They observed no modification in the basal cardiac frequency, very few declarations and above all, never any signs of a flat or sinusoidal rhythm. Flattening of the FCR is invariably pathological. It must not be interpreted as "fetal sleep" period, but it should intensify the surveillance.