Internet Addiction and Social Media Addiction in Medical Faculty Students: Prevalence, Related Factors, and Association with Life Satisfaction.

Internet addiction is a growing behavioral health problem in modern societies. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) and social media addiction (SMA) and their relationship with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle habits, and internet usage patterns among medical students. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 medical students in a medical faculty, in Istanbul. Self-report questionnaires comprised sociodemographic status, lifestyle habits, internet and social media usage behavior, the Young Internet Addiction Test-short form (s-IAT), and the Bergen Social media addiction scale. The total prevalence of IA was 16.1% (11.8-20.4%), 17.2% (12.8-21.7%) in males and 14.8% (10.7-19.0%) in females. The total prevalence of SMA was 6.1% (3.3-8.9%), 4.8% (2.3-7.3%) in males and 7.4% (4.3-10.5%) in females. No significant difference was found between the sexes in terms of IA and SMA. IA was higher in grade 3 students than in grade 6 students. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that reading books at least once per month, high life satisfaction, performing physical activity at least twice per week, and using the internet for communication purposes were independent preventive factors for IA. The current study shows that IA and SMA are common in medical school students. Moreover, IA is associated with socioeconomic characteristics and lifestyle habits such as reading books, life satisfaction, and physical activity. To protect medical school students from IA and develop healthy behaviors, it is necessary to develop prevention strategies and design and implement awareness and education programs.

Biological recovery of phosphorus from waste activated sludge via alkaline fermentation and struvite biomineralization by Brevibacterium antiquum.

Struvite biomineralization is a promising method for phosphorus recovery from wastewater treatment plant streams, and the growth of responsible microorganisms in mixed cultures is one of the most critical points for applying this process in pilot and full-scale. This study aimed to investigate the growth and bio-struvite production of Brevibacterium antiquum in mixed sludge culture. Alkaline fermentation was applied at different pH conditions to enhance the phosphorus content of sludge for an efficient recovery, and pH 8 was determined as the most feasible considering the phosphorus release and sludge characteristics. Growth optimization studies showed that NaCl's presence decreases the growth rate of Brevibacterium antiquum and bio-struvite production. At the same time, pH in the range of 6.8-8.2 did not alter the growth significantly. In addition, studies showed the ability of Brevibacterium antiquum in unsterilized fermented sludge centrate to grow and recover the phosphorus as struvite. Thus, our results indicated the potential of struvite biomineralization in full-scale wastewater treatment plants.