ABSTRACT
Smartphone use, particularly at night, has been shown to provoke various circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders such as insomnia and excessive daytime tiredness. This relationship has been mainly scrutinized among patient groups with higher rates of smartphone usage, particularly adolescents and children. However, it remains obscure how smartphone usage impacts sleep parameters in adults, especially undergraduate college students. This study sought to (1) investigate the association between smartphone use (actual screen time) and four sleep parameters: Pittsburgh sleep quality score (PSQI), self-reported screen time, bedtime, and rise time; (2) compare the seven PSQI components between good and poor sleep quality subjects. In total, 264 undergraduate medical students (aged 17 to 25 years) were recruited from the Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, India. All participants completed a sleep questionnaire, which was electronically shared via a WhatsApp invitation link. Hierarchical and multinomial regression analyses were performed in relation to (1) and (2). The average PSQI score was 5.03 ± 0.86, with approximately one in two respondents (48.3%) having a poor sleep index. Smartphone use significantly predicted respondents' PSQI score (ß = 0.142, p = 0.040, R2 = 0.027), perceived screen time (ß = 0.113, p = 0.043, R2 = 343), bedtime (ß = 0.106, p = 0.042, R2 = 045), and rise time (ß = 0.174, p = 0.015, R2 = 0.028). When comparing poor-quality sleep (PSQI ≥ 5) to good-quality sleep (PSQI < 5), with good-quality sleep as the reference, except sleep efficiency and sleep medications (p > 0.05), five PSQI components declined significantly: subjective sleep quality (ß = -0.096, p < 0.001); sleep latency (ß = -0.034, p < 0.001); sleep duration (ß = -0.038, p < 0.001); sleep disturbances (ß = 1.234, p < 0.001); and sleep dysfunction (ß = -0.077, p < 0.001). Consequently, public health policymakers should take this evidence into account when developing guidelines around smartphone use-i.e., the when, where, and how much smartphone use-to promote improved sleep behaviour and reduce the rate of sleep-wake rhythm disorders.
ABSTRACT
Ventricular arrhythmias, particularly ventricular tachycardia, are ubiquitously linked to 300,000 deaths annually. However, the current interventional procedure-the cardiac ablation-predict only short-term responses to treatment as the heart constantly remodels itself post-arrhythmia. To assist in the design of computational methods which focuses on long-term arrhythmia prediction, this review postulates three interdependent prospectives. The main objective is to propose computational methods for predicting long-term heart response to interventions in ventricular tachycardia Following a general discussion on the importance of devising simulations predicting long-term heart response to interventions, each of the following is discussed: (i) application of "metabolic sink theory" to elucidate the "re-entry" mechanism of ventricular tachycardia; (ii) application of "growth laws" to explain "mechanical load" translation in ventricular tachycardia; (iii) derivation of partial differential equations (PDE) to establish a pipeline to predict long-term clinical outcomes in ventricular tachycardia.
ABSTRACT
With humans, animals and the environment being as interconnected as they are, the science describing their interactions needs to cut across disciplinary boundaries. Systems research at the interface between the three goes by several names, such as 'Eco-Health' and 'Planetary Health', each with a varied focus, but the concept of 'One Health' (OH) has stood out as the most popular one. COVID-19 has reiterated the importance of OH in response to health challenges. This review aimed to assess the OH approach integration and implementation level in Kerala state, India, in the context of emerging zoonotic diseases. A systematic literature review was conducted by searching for relevant articles with specific keywords across six electronic databases. This involved screening the initial hits for titles and abstracts, then systematic sorting to identify the ones that met the criteria, followed by more thorough scrutiny to finally shortlist the six studies to be included in the review. We found that OH in Kerala has made good progress, as evident from a few recent examples, but has a long way to go with significant challenges. In line with the study's aim, identifying and analysing what is already done, what is missing and what needs to be done can have wider implications for future OH implementation. Relevant threats and opportunities were identified, with lessons for Kerala and India and broader applications.
Subject(s)
Zoonoses , Humans , Animals , Zoonoses/epidemiology , IndiaABSTRACT
The world has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of loss of lives, health, and its socioeconomic consequences; however, the true magnitude and extent of the damage from COVID-19 is still elusive till date. With the advent of many efficacious vaccines, one of the most effective ways to get to grips with the pandemic is mass vaccination. However, due to vaccine hesitancy (VH), it remains a colossal challenge globally thereby causing serious threat to the pandemic response efforts. This review intends to identify evaluated interventions and evidence to support recommendation of specific strategies to address VH from an Indian context. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize relevant literature around the evaluation of strategies to tackle VH for effectiveness or impact in India. Electronic databases were searched using specific keywords and predefined inclusion-exclusion criteria. A total of 133 articles were screened, 15 were assessed for eligibility, and two were included in the final review. There is a paucity of research on evaluation of vaccine hesitancy interventions in India. Evidence is not strong enough to recommend one specific strategy or intervention. Together, a permutation of multicomponent and tailored interventions has been found most effective in repressingVH in India.
