Digital eye strain and its associated factors in children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose:This study was undertaken to identify the prevalence of symptoms related to the use of display devices and contributing factors in children engaged in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:An online electronic survey form was prepared using Google Forms (Alphabet Co., Mountain View, CA) and sent to parents of children under the age of 18 years engaged in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The types of display devices children use, how often such devices are used, the symptoms of digital eye strain, and the severity and frequency of the symptoms were recorded, and the associations between the factors were analyzed.Results:A total of 692 participants were included. The mean age of the children was 9.72 ± 3.02 years. The most common display devices used were personal computers (n = 435, 61.7%) for online classes and smartphones (n = 400, 57.8%) for nonacademic purposes. The mean duration of display device use was 71.1 ± 36.02 min without a break and 7.02 ± 4.55 h per day. The most common reported symptom was headache (n = 361, 52.2%). Of the participants, 48.2% (n = 332) reported experiencing 3 or more symptoms. The multivariate analysis detected that being male (P = 0.005) and older age (P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for experiencing 3 or more symptoms.Conclusion:The increasing use of digital devices by children is exacerbating the problem of digital eye strain in children as a side effect of online learning. Public awareness should be improved.     

Sexual Dysfunctions are Predicted by Childhood Sexual Abuse in Women with Opioid Use Disorder

Background: Studies on sexual functioning of populations with substance use disorders (SUDs) are mostly conducted with male substance users. We have very limited information about the sexuality and related factors in women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences (CTEs) and sexual dysfunctions (SDs) of women with OUD and to compare it with a sample of women who do not have SUD. Methods: Participants included 51 outpatient women with OUD who were on opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) with Buprenorphine/Naloxone and 48 women without SUD. Participants were evaluated by a semi-structured sociodemographic form, the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: In women with OUD; CTQ-28, BDI, STAI, and GRISS scores were significantly higher. In the partial correlation analysis, sexual abuse was found to be significantly correlated with nonsensuality, avoidance and total GRISS score. In stepwise regression model, sexual abuse was found to predict SDs together with depression. Conclusions: CTE, SD, depression, and anxiety rates were higher in the women with OUD. Especially childhood sexual abuse was associated with SDs in this group. Sexual abuse was predicting SDs together with depression. Further investigation of different characteristics of women with SUD may give an opportunity to clinicians to have a better understanding for adaptable treatment strategies.     

Prostaglandins, capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves and neutrophil infiltration, but not nitric oxide, contribute to cold restraint stress-induced gastric adaptation in rats

The aim of the present study was to determine the role of prostaglandins (PG), nitric oxide (NO) and capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves in neutrophil infiltration in gastric adaptation to cold restraint stress in rats. Wistar rats were exposed to single or repeated cold restraint stress for 3.5 h every other day for up to 4 days. Prior to repeated stress, rats were pretreated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg/kg, s.c.), indomethacin (10 mg/kg, s.c.) or capsaicin (125 mg/kg, s.c.). The extent of gastric mucosal lesions was evaluated histologically and myeloproxidase (MPO) activity, PGE2, NO and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels were measured in gastric tissue. Cold restraint stress produced haemorrhagic lesions and reduced PGE2 and CGRP levels in the stomach, with an increase in MPO activity and NO levels. Repeated stress insults reduced stress-induced gastric damage, NO production and MPO activity, with an increase in PGE2 and CGRP levels compared with rats exposed to single cold restraint stress. Adaptation to cold restraint stress was prevented by indomethacin and capsaicin pretreatment, but not by L-NAME. We conclude that the stomach has the ability to adapt to repeated exposure to cold restraint stress and that the adaptation, via inhibition of neutrophil infiltration, is mediated, at least in part, by endogenous PG and CGRP.     

Multidetector computed tomography findings of the sternoclavicular joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

We evaluated the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of the sternoclavicular joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compare them with general population. Chest MDCT scans of RA patients were reviewed. The control group was formed from age and sex-matched individuals. The most common CT findings were cortical irregularity, joint space narrowing, and osteophytes in study group. There were no statistically significant differences in the MDCT findings between the two groups except that osteophytes were observed more often in the control group. It is difficult to distinguish between the involvement of RA and age-related degenerative changes at the sternoclavicular joint.     

Increased urinary albumin excretion rates can be a marker of coexisting coronary artery disease in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Coexisting coronary artery disease (CAD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Clinical evaluation and noninvasive tests have some important limitations for the detection of CAD in patients with PAD. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was a sign of atherosclerotic involvement of coronary arteries in patients with PAD. Our study consisted of 65 consecutive patients (56 men, 9 women, mean age; 59.7+/-7.9 years) with PAD who underwent coronary angiography. Urinary albumin excretion was measured in 24-hour urine samples by immunoprecipitation technique. PAD was defined as the presence of > or =50% stenotic lesions in at least 1 of the iliac, femoral, popliteal, tibialis anterior, tibialis posterior, or peroneal arteries. CAD was defined as > or =25% diameter stenosis in at least 1 coronary artery. Patients without any coronary lesions were accepted as having normal coronaries. Age, sex, distributions of coronary risk factors, and UAE rates were compared between patients with and without CAD. Mean UAE was 17.9+/-15.6 mg/day in the total population. Thirty-seven percent of patients had CAD, and 63% had no coronary lesion. UAE rates were 22.33+/-18.74 and 15.32+/-13.01 mg/day in patients with CAD and those with normal coronary arteries, respectively (p = 0.021). Microalbuminuria was detected in 25% in patients with CAD and 12% in those without coronary artery lesions (p = 0.184). The difference was not statistically significant. The distributions of other risk factors and sex were not different between the 2 groups. These data suggest that in patients with PAD, urinary albumin excretion rates may be used to determine those with a high probability of CAD. Further studies are required to decide whether this noninvasive testing is appropriate in detecting high-risk patients.     

Correlation of the measurements of optical coherence tomography and diffuse tension imaging of optic pathways in amblyopia

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a correlation exists between optical coherence tomography (OCT) of retina and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the optic pathway measurements. All subjects underwent OCT measurements of optic nerve head, retinal nerve fiber layer, and macula. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of optic pathways were analyzed using DTI. Prechiasmatic FA values were significantly decreased in unilateral amblyopic group in both affected and sound fellow eyes (p = 0.019 and 0.013), but not in bilateral amblyopic group (p = 0.221) when compared with the control group. ADC values were significantly greater in sound eye in unilateral amblyopic group in prechiasmatic and postchiasmatic regions (p = 0.001 and 0.049). ADC values were also significantly greater in bilateral amblyopic group in postchiasmatic region (p = 0.037). There were no significant differences between the affected eye and sound eye side DTI measurements. There was no significant correlation between prechiasmatic DTI and OCT measurements in affected and sound eyes of unilateral amblyopia group. DTI results demonstrated that there is a functional underdevelopment of the anterior and posterior visual pathways in both affected and sound eye of unilateral amblyopic patients. Significantly reduced FA values in prechiasmatic region where OCT values of retina were normal can be explained by possible micro-structural changes.     

The relation between coronary flow rate, plasma endothelin-1 concentrations, and clinical characteristics in patients with normal coronary arteries

BACKGROUND: Coronary slow flow (CSF) is characterized by delayed opacification of epicardial arteries in the absence of occlusive disease. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relation between coronary flow rate, plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentrations, and clinical characteristics in patients with normal coronary arteries. METHODS: The study population included 77 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries who underwent coronary angiography on suspicion of ischemic heart disease due to typical chest pain or ischemic findings on treadmill exercise test or myocardial scintigraphy. Based on the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction frame count (TFC), patients were grouped into those with normal coronary flow and those with slow coronary flow. RESULTS: Forty-eight (61.5%) patients were found to have CSF. Plasma ET-1 concentrations were significantly higher with the presence of CSF (P=.03). There were significant differences between plasma ET-1 concentrations, and mean TFC, TFC for left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), TFC for left circumflex coronary artery (CX), and TFC for right coronary artery separately in patients with and without CSF (P=.033, P<.001, P<.001, P<.001, and P<.001, respectively). Mean TFC, TFC for LAD, and TFC for CX, and ET-1 concentrations were significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers (P<.001, P<.001, P=.004, and P=.033, respectively). However, logistic regression analysis suggested that ET-1 concentration was not an independent determinant of CSF. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is a significant relation between ET-1 concentrations and coronary flow rate, ET-1 concentrations are not sufficient to determine the presence of CSF. Smoking is strongly associated with CSF, TFC, and increased ET-1 concentrations.