Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students.

Introduction: Studies consistently link excessive smartphone use to poor sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress. This study specifically aimed to investigate these associations among medical students in Belgrade and Nis (Central Serbia). Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study included a sample of 761 students, who were selected from both the Faculties of Medicine at the University of Belgrade and the University of Nis. Questionnaires, including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF), Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 items (DASS-21), were completed by the participants. Statistical analysis techniques, such as the Chi-square test, student's t-test, and logistic regression, were employed to examine the relationship between smartphone addiction, physical activity, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The findings indicated a prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students at 21.7%, with rates of 22.9% among males and 21.1% among females. Females exhibited significantly higher scores on the SAS-SV scale compared to males (p = 0.032). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between smartphone addiction and spending over 4 h daily on smartphones (OR = 2.39; p < 0.001), poor sleep quality (OR = 1.65; p = 0,005), as well as elevated levels of stress (OR = 1.75; p = 0.003), anxiety (OR = 2.04; p < 0.001), and depression (OR = 2.29; p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis identified spending more than 4 h daily on smartphones (OR = 2.39; p < 0.001) and increased levels of depression (OR = 2.51; p < 0.001) as independent significant factors associated with smartphone addiction. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students, with spending excessive time on smartphones and higher levels of depression standing out as significant factors. Future research should delve into the underlying mechanisms and causal relationships between smartphone addiction and these psychosocial factors. Understanding these connections will aid in developing effective interventions and strategies to tackle this growing public health concern.

Risk factors for esophageal cancer in Serbia.

AIM: To establish the role of specified risk factors in the etiology of squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus in Serbia. METHODS: The hospital based case-control study included 102 newly diagnosed patients with squamous cell esophageal cancer and the same number of age and sex matched hospital controls. In the analysis of data conditional univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied. RESULTS: The factors significantly related to cancer of esophagus were: smoking (OR=2.0, 95%CI 1.0-4.2), daily consumption of hard liquor (OR=7.5, 95%CI 2.8-20.0), low educational level (OR=4.7, 95%CI 2.2-10.0), occupational exposure to chemicals (OR=3.7, 95%CI 1.6-9.0), malignant tumors in family history (OR=3.6, 95%CI 1.6-9.0), consumption of wine (OR=0.1, 95%CI 0.1-0.3,) and non-carbonated beverages (OR=0.3, 95%CI 0.2-0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Hard liquor and tobacco appear to be the important risk factors for development of squamous cell esophageal cancer in Serbia, whereas wine and non-carbonated beverages may play a protective role.

Lifestyle factors and multiple sclerosis: A case-control study in Belgrade.

The aim of this case-control study was to assess the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) associated with certain lifestyle factors (cigarette smoking and coffee and alcohol consumption). The study groups consisted of 210 cases with clinically proven and/or laboratory-confirmed MS (Poser's criteria) and an identical number of sex- and age-matched hospital controls. In the MS patients, cigarette smoking was significantly more frequent than in the controls (OR = 1.6, p = 0.021). A dose-response relationship between the risk of MS and both duration (years) of smoking (p = 0.027) and number of cigarettes smoked daily (p = 0.021) was observed. Coffee consumption was significantly more frequent in the MS group (OR = 1.7, p = 0.047), with dose-response relationships. The analysis of alcohol drinking showed a significant association between consumption of hard liquor per day and risk of MS (OR = 6.7, p = 0.026). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, smoking was detected to be a significant independent risk factor for MS (OR = 2.4, p = 0.004).

A case-control study of myelodysplastic syndromes in Belgrade (Serbia Montenegro).

The objective of the study was to investigate factors related to the occurrence of myelodysplatic syndromes (MDS) in the population of Belgrade (Serbia Montenegro). The case-control study was conducted during the period 2000-2003. The study group consisted of 80 newly diagnosed MDS patients and 160 sex- and age-matched hospital controls with nonmalignant and noninfectious diseases. The disease categories in the control group were circulatory (51 patients, 32%), gastrointestinal (53 patients, 33%), and ophthalmological (56 patients, 35%) disorders. Conditional univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied. Multivariate analysis showed the following factors to be significantly related to MDS: exposure to chemicals (OR = 10.8, 95%CI 3.2-36.2, p = 0.0001), viral upper respiratory tract infections (twice a year or more, OR = 5.8, 95%CI 2.5-13.6, p = 0.0001), exposure to insecticides, pesticides and herbicides (OR = 5.2, 95%CI 1.8-15.1, p = 0.003), coffee (OR = 5.1, 95%CI 1.9-13.7, p = 0.001), and alcohol consumption (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.1-4.6, p = 0.033). The findings support the hypotheses that exposure to chemical agents, pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides, certain lifestyle factors (alcohol and coffee consumption), and frequent viral infections may be involved in the etiology of MDS, but these results should be confirmed by further investigations.

[Epidemiological characteristics of gastric cancer].

INTRODUCTION: Gastric cancer was the third most common cancer worldwide in 2000, accounting for approximately 876 000 new cases or 9% of the global cancer burden. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS: As a result of changes in diet, the incidence of gastric cancer has decreased in most countries. Nowdays, consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits is increasing in regard to canned food. In addition to unhealthy diet, the main risk factors for gastric cancer are H. pylori infection, alcohol consumption, smoking, gastritis, stomach ulcer, gastrectomy, stomach polyposis, positive family history for gastric cancer, pernicious anemia and blood type A. Diet rich in vegetables and fruits, and reduced salt intake can prevent 65-75% of gastric cancer cases among nonsmokers. Prevention of Helicobacter pylori infection can also reduce the incidence of this malignant disease.

[Mortality from endometrial cancer in female population of Belgrade]. / Mortalitet od raka endometrijuma u zenskoj populaciji Beograda.

Data about mortality from malignant tumors of endometrium were analyzed in the Belgrade area during the period 1975-2000. The obtained results showed that the average percentage of endometrial cancer in mortality structure from all the cancers of female population was 2.65%. During the observed 26-years period, malignant tumors of endometrium constituted 17.38% of all the tumors of gynecological localization. The standardized mortality rate in 1975 (population worldwide used as a standard) 7.06/100,000 population, while in 2000 it was 1.78/100,000 population, respectively, which showed almost fourfold mortality decline during the observed period (y=4.72-0.16x). A trend of declining risk of dying from endometrial cancer was present in all the age groups. The obtained results indicated that in the observed period the average mortality rates ranged from 0.14/100,000 population in females aged up to 34 years (y=0.30-0.01x), and reached the highest value in females aged 65-74 years (14.57/100,000; y=23.43-0.66x), and 75 years of age and over (19.62/100,000; y=31.17-0.85x).

[Mortality in primary malignant brain tumors in the population of Belgrade]. / Mortalitet kod primarnih malignih tumora mozga u populaciji Beograda.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this investigation was the analysis of primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT)-related mortality in the Belgrade population during the period 1983-2000. METHODS: Mortality data (based on death records) for the period observed, as well as population data, were obtained from the unpublished material of the Municipal Institute of Statistics, Belgrade. The data analysis was adjusted to specific and standardized mortality rates and linear trend, using the world population as a standard. Regression coefficient was determined by Fisher's test. RESULTS: During the period 1983-2000, in the Belgrade population standardized mortality rates from PMBT were 6.29/100,000 (95% CI-confidence interval 5.33-7.24) for males, 4.50/100,000 (95% CI 3.84-5.17) for females, and 5.91/100,000 (95% CI 5.20-6.63) for total population. The age-specific mortality rates increased with age up to the age group 65-74, with the highest value of 21.21/100,000 (95% CI 16.03-26.39), and decreased in persons of 75 and more years of age. CONCLUSION: Mortality rates from PMBT in Belgrade had slightly increasing tendency in male (5.725 + 0.0592x, p = 0.545), and decreasing tendency in female population (y = 4.703-0.0213x, p = 0.756), while statistically significant increasing mortality rate was registered only in the age group 65-74 (y = 435 + 1.7707x, p = 0.0001).