Relative risks of Internet-related addictions and mood disturbances among college students: a 7-country/region comparison.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relative risks of addiction to the Internet, online gaming and online social networking of college students in six Asian countries/regions (Singapore, Hong Kong [HK]/Macau, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan) compared with students in the United States (US). It also explored the relative risks of depression and anxiety symptoms among students with Internet-related addictions from these countries/regions. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A convenience sample of 8067 college students aged between 18 and 30 years was recruited from seven countries/regions. Students completed a survey about their use of the Internet, online gaming and online social networking as well as the presence of depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: For all students, the overall prevalence rates were 8.9% for Internet use addiction, 19.0% for online gaming addiction and 33.1% for online social networking addiction. Compared with the US students, Asian students showed higher risks of online social networking addiction but displayed lower risks of online gaming addiction (with the exception of students from HK/Macau). Chinese and Japanese students also showed higher risks of Internet addiction compared with the US students. In general, addicted Asian students were at higher risks of depression than the addicted US students, especially among Asian students who were addicted to online gaming. Addicted Asian students were at lower risks of anxiety than the addicted US students, especially among Asian students who were addicted to online social networking, and addicted students from HK/Macau and Japan were more likely to have higher relative risks of depression. CONCLUSIONS: There are country/regional differences in the risks of Internet-related addictions and psychiatric symptoms. It is suggested that country/region-specific health education programmes regarding Internet-related addictions are warranted to maximise the efficiency of prevention and intervention. These programmes should attempt to tackle not only problematic Internet-related behaviours but also mood disturbances among college students.

Cardiovascular dysautonomia in de novo Parkinson's disease without orthostatic hypotension.

BACKGROUND: Clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) include not only motor distress, but also autonomic dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of subclinical autonomic nervous dysfunction in de novo PD without orthostatic hypotension (OH). METHODS: Autonomic nervous function including cardiac sympathetic gain was evaluated on the basis of cardiac radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake, the response to the Valsalva maneuver, and spectral analyses of the RR interval and blood pressure in 20 patients with de novo PD without OH. RESULTS: Decreased cardiac MIBG uptake was found even in patients with PD without OH. Hemodynamic studies using the Valsalva maneuver revealed that patients with PD without OH had preserved baroreceptor reflex sensitivity in phase II and phase IV. Blood pressures normally responded in early and late phase II, but not in phase IV. Blood pressure recovery time was slightly reduced in patients with PD without OH when compared with the value in controls. The low frequency component of the RR interval and systolic blood pressure and the ratio of RR-LF to RR-HF in de novo PD without OH were significantly reduced when compared with the control values, whereas the high frequency component of the RR interval did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION: These results show that latent cardiac and vasomotor sympathetic dysfunction but not parasympathetic dysfunction is already present in early stage de novo PD, even without orthostatic hypotension.

[Outbreak of konzo disease in health region No. 2 of the Central African Republic]. / Résurgence de la maladie de konzo dans la région sanitaire n(o) 2 en République centrafricaine.

INTRODUCTION: Konzo is a neuromyelopathy characterized by permanent spastic paraparesis, linked to a subacute poisoning by cyanide found in cassava. The purpose of the study is to describe the epidemiological aspects of konzo in health region No. 2 in the Central African Republic. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients collected during a one-month period (July 16 to August 16, 2007) of active surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis. RESULTS: Eighty-one cases of konzo were identified during the study period, representing a prevalence of 10 per 100,000. Mean age of patients was 10.7+/-7.7 years. Children and women were most affected. The main warning signs were fatigability (97.6%), tremor (88.9%), walking difficulty (100.0%), dysarthria (67.9%) and a loss of visual acuity (65.4%). The predominant neurological signs were lower limb paresis (90.0%) and hyperesthesia (66.7%). CONCLUSION: Konzo is a serious public health problem in this region of the Central African Republic. A prevention program should be set-up.

A study of physiological response during emotional imaging.

We inspected Lang's bio-informational theory and furthered the research. 24 subjects were divided into two groups, a stimulus group (S-group) and a response group (R-group) for scripts with Joy, Anger, and Neutral emotions. In the training session, the S-group was instructed to image the scripts as vividly as possible, while the R-group was instructed to concentrate on physiological and physical responses in addition to what was asked of the S-group. On the test day, subjects imaged two Neutral scripts, two standard emotional scripts, and two personally relevant emotional scripts. Indices were physiological response (blood pressure) and subjects' ratings for imaging. We confirmed that emotional scripts increased physiological responses more than nonemotional scripts did. The results suggested that the differences in the scripts' content affected blood pressure and subjects' ratings of imaging.

[Clinical study of the anti-calculus effect of a dentifrice containing sodium polyphosphate].

A double-blind clinical study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a tartar-control dentifrice containing 1% sodium polyphosphate as tartar control agent compared with dentifrice A containing 5% sodium pyrophosphate and a placebo dentifrice. One hundred forty-eights who continued to have a degree of calculus formation after using a regular dentifrice containing no tartar control agent for 1 month in the pretest, were stratified randomly on the basis of pretest, calculus score, age and sex into 3 homogeneous groups. All subjects who received initial prophylaxis were provided the assigned dentifrice and toothbrush. No instructions regarding frequency or method of toothbrushing were allowed. Assessment of supragingival calculus was made at 4 and 12 weeks using the calculus scoring procedure proposed by Volpe et al. Side effects such as oral irritation, ablation of oral mucosa and discoloration of teeth caused by dentifrices were also diagnosed after 12 weeks of use. The following results were obtained in this study. 1. The test dentifrice had reduced (P less than 0.01) supra-gingival calculus significantly more than dentifrice A and the placebo at 12 weeks. 2. A significant reduction (P less than 0.01) was observed when dentifrice A was compared with the placebo dentifrice. 30.1% reduction was obtained using the test dentifrice and 9.0% reduction using dentifrice A when assessed in subjects who had a pretest VMI score of more than 6.0. 3. No side effects caused by the dentifrice which contained sodium polyphosphate were observed.

Reaction of 2'5'-dichloro-2'5'-dideoxyuridine with nucleophiles.

Reaction of 2',5'-dichlorouridine (1) with amines and thiols afforded 2-N-substituted 2',5'-anhydroisocytidine derivatives (2) and 2,2'-anhydro-5'-thiouridine derivatives (5), respectively. When 2,2'-anhydro-5'-acetylthiouridine (5a) was treated with NaOMe, 3',5'-S-cyclouridine (6) was obtained.

[Amoxicillin preparation with prolonged activity (author's transl)].

This study was performed to develop a prolonged acting preparation on the bases of our in vitro study of AMPC that the bacterial effects of AMPC were not proportional to the concentration of and above MIC but to the exposing time. A desirable serum level was obtained in the AMPC preparation containing 30% of non-coated granules and 70% of enteric-coated granules dissolvable on and above pH 6. The duration time of the serum concentration on and above 2.5 micrograms/ml in the administration of this preparation (500 mg (Potency)) was 5.3 hours and it was 2.4 times that of the conventional capsule (250 mg (Potency)). The prolonged activity of this preparation was also observed in the urinary concentration. These results suggest that this prolonged action granules of AMPC could reduce the administration frequency and also might be more useful in increasing therapeutic effects than conventional capsule.

[Studies on in vitro antibacterial effects of amoxicillin against Proteus mirabilis IID-994 and Escherichia coli NIHJ JC-2 (author's transl)].

Amoxicillin (AMPC), a synthetic penicillin for oral use, was studied in the aspect of in vitro antibacterial efficiencies brought about by different schedules of AMPC-treatment. Using Proteus mirabilis IID-994 and Escherichia coli NIHJ JC-2 as test strains. The results were obtained as follows. 1. The antibacterial effects of AMPC against P. mirabilis IID-994 and E. coli NIHJ JC-2 were shown to be bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic and the numbers of viable cells were decreased in proportion to the length of exposing time to AMPC. 2. The decrease of viable cells was independent on the drug at which level concentration we tested, namely, it was not much changed by the level of AMPC at least among 1 to 4 times of minimal inhibitory concentration. 3. The length of time retaining growth-inhibitory ability was longer in the case of treating continuously for 4 hours than that of contacting twice for 2 hours at intervals of 6 hours, although the levels of viable cells after 12 hours incubation were almost same in both cases. 4. The level of bactericidal effect and the length of growth-inhibitory time were proportional to the length of exposing time to AMPC.