Characteristics of the use of information technologies by young people and their impact on health

Introduction. In the 21st century, the world is very passionate about information technology: social networks, computers and television have become a part of our lives. An increasing number of people use these means for hours at work or to relax. But many do not realize the negative effects that information technology can have on them. They have a negative effect on vision, bone and nervous system. As the development of technologies is unstoppable, the primary task of the population is to know the negative effects of the use of information technologies. Aim of study. Recent research has shown that viewing the small screen is detrimental to the development and functioning of the human brain. Watching is an important factor in generating passive behavior. In proportion to the time spent watching, there may be a decrease in general alertness. There is a noticeable decrease in perseverance and willingness to actively pursue a problem. 60 million people suffer from eye diseases caused by the long time spent in front of the computer. The first symptoms of computer overuse are stinging eye pain and blurred vision. Computer users may experience tremors, itching, stinging in the fingers. At the age of adolescence, the bone system also changes. There are few studies in the Republic of Moldova on this issue. Methods and materials. The research is a literature review on the impact of information technology on human health. We evaluated 24 bibliographic references published in the last 10 years, in the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, USA, etc. The qualitative study was by applying a questionnaire developed by the author. The questionnaire consisted of the following sections: general data, characteristics of use, influence on health, addiction, knowledge about the activity with Information Technologies, containing 31 questions. The sample included 71 randomly selected young people aged 16-29. The survey was confidential and was researched with the consent of each respondent. Results. The study showed that a large part of the respondents suffer from addiction to information technology (63.4%), surfing the Internet for more than 5 hours (66.2%). The consequences of addiction are the following: eye pain (93%), dry eyes (73.2%), back pain (87.3%), headache (73.2%) and sleep disturbance (64.8%). In young people there is a decrease in concentration and attention (73.2%), they have become more anxious and irritated (33.8%). Conclusion. A large number of young people in the 21st century are addicted to the internet, which is an alarm for doctors and parents. The time spent on the internet must be well controlled so that no negative effects appear in the future. Research conducted in recent years does not doubt that information technology, in addition to the many positive effects, harms the development and functioning of the brain, affects the eyes, bone and muscle system. The most vulnerable in this case are the young people, so we must act as soon as possible

The impact of technology on the human body

Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Republic of MoldovaIntroduction. In 2020, the world faced the new type of Coronavirus, which led to a quarantine period that is still persisting today. In the Republic of Moldova, many institutions have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and started the online mode. Teachers and students had to double the time spent at the computer. Thus, the negative impact of information technology on the body has become more pronounced. It is highly important to educate the public on the correct use of technologies to prevent diseases. Material and methods. The present study is based on the analysis of major aspects on the impact of information technologies on humans. The analysis was conducted on 21 researches from different universities around the world (Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, USA, etc.), published over the last 5 years. Results. The data study proved that computer activity has a negative impact on brain development and functioning. This is due to the fact that the left brain hemisphere, which is suppressed when looking at the screen, does not develop normally, thus, resulting in deficiency of logical and analytical thinking, speech, sentence formation, writing and reading skills amongst the young people. As a consequence, the prefrontal cortex that distinguishes the human brain from that of an animal one might be impaired and lead to low level of concentration, weak motivation and risky behaviors like bulimia, aggression and sexual urges. The visual and auditory stimuli occurring on the screen are so aggressive and following one another so fast, that they exceed the brain's ability to control them. The inevitable effects will result in the inhibition of important mental processes. Screen viewing is a critical factor in generating passive behavior. A decrease in overall alertness is proportional to the time spent viewing. There is an obvious decrease in perseverance, readiness and desire to actively solve the problem. Neurologically, the researchers refer this phenomenon to the brain activity or alpha rhythms, the cortical activity to which people get used during thousands of hours spent on screen viewing. The first symptoms of excessive computer overuse are the stinging pains and blurred vision. Ophthalmologists say that people with myopia and farsightedness develop an earlier and a more pronounced fatigue. Computer users may experience signs like tremor, itching, and finger tingling. Often these symptoms occur a few hours after the work is completed. The underlying cause of this syndrome is long duration of uniform hand movements, including fingers. In adolescence, the skeletal system also changes. The bone growth in children and adolescents might be affected due to a bad computer posture thus resulting in poor posture and scoliosis. Conclusions. Information technology is essential in everyday life, thus, despite its multiple benefits, improper long-term use can lead to negative health consequences. Negative effects can be prevented, so users should be properly educated on both the effects causing health disorders, as well as the preventive means, appropriate workplace arrangement, break-period compliance and time of use

Novel approaches to the controlled release of Quaternary ammoniun-based biocides

The major economic and environmental consequences of unfettered growth of marine organisms (fouling) on any substrate immersed in the marine environment have a global reach. Currently biocidal antifouling coatings are the most widely employed method to control this growth on vessels. These coatings are under increasing legislative scrutiny because they release primarily metal-based biologically active agents (biocides) to deter the fouling, and hence have the potential to persist in some form in the environment. This thesis explores the potential use of organic salt-based biocides, quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), as new marine biocides which are considered to be environmentally benign due to their short environmental half-lives. Detailed are methodologies to control the release of the quats as well as a new liquid chromatography (LC) mass spectroscopy (MS) analytical method to quantify the quats in seawater. The primary focus of the controlled release research has been the development of novel quat-polymer systems, which hydrolyze in the presence of seawater to generate biocidal quats in-situ. The quat-polymers are synthesised via a free radical polymerisation from different monomers, which are a blend of commercial available film forming monomers and a novel quat-monomer. The preparation of the quat-monomer is also detailed within this thesis. The quat-polymers have been shown to be stable in a prototype antifouling paint formulation and several coatings have been developed which exhibit significantly better antifouling performance than a current commercial product, Intersmooth 460, even after over 1 year with the testing continuing. The developed LC-MS method utilizes a sample pre-treatment solid phase extraction (SPE) process and is capable of quantifying quats to low parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels in seawater. The method is exceptionally flexible and able to detect a range of commercially available quats simultaneously. The application of this method to the determination of the release rates of the quats from antifouling coatings under standard laboratory conditions is also outlined

Finding Our Way to Food Democracy: Lessons from US Food Policy Council Governance

Food policy councils (FPCs) are an embodiment of food democracy, providing a space for community members, professionals, and government to learn together, deliberate, and collectively devise place-based strategies to address complex food systems issues. These collaborative governance networks can be considered a transitional stage in the democratic process, an intermediary institution that coordinates interests not typically present in food policymaking. In practice, FPCs are complex and varied. Due to this variety, it is not entirely clear how the structure, membership, and relationship to government of an FPC influence its policy priorities. This article will examine the relationship between an FPC’s organizational structure, relationship to government, and membership and its policy priorities. Using data from a 2018 survey of FPCs in the United States by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future paired with illustrative cases, we find that an FPC’s relationship to government and membership have more bearing on its policy priorities than the organizational structure. Further, the cases illustrate how membership is determined and deliberation occurs, highlighting the difficulty of including underrepresented voices in the process

Strategies for the Assessment of Protein Aggregates in Pharmaceutical Biotech Product Development

Within the European Immunogenicity Platform (EIP) (http://www.e-i-p.eu), the Protein Characterization Subcommittee (EIP-PCS) has been established to discuss and exchange experience of protein characterization in relation to unwanted immunogenicity. In this commentary, we, as representatives of EIP-PCS, review the current state of methods for analysis of protein aggregates. Moreover, we elaborate on why these methods should be used during product development and make recommendations to the biotech community with regard to strategies for their application during the development of protein therapeutics

The Phrenic Component of Acute Schizophrenia – A Name and Its Physiological Reality

Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) was shown for unmedicated patients with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives, implying genetic associations. This is known to be an important risk factor for increased cardiac mortality in other diseases. The interaction of cardio-respiratory function and respiratory physiology has never been investigated in the disease although it might be closely related to the pattern of autonomic dysfunction. We hypothesized that increased breathing rates and reduced cardio-respiratory coupling in patients with acute schizophrenia would be associated with low vagal function. We assessed variability of breathing rates and depth, HRV and cardio-respiratory coupling in patients, their first-degree relatives and controls at rest. Control subjects were investigated a second time by means of a stress task to identify stress-related changes of cardio-respiratory function. A total of 73 subjects were investigated, consisting of 23 unmedicated patients, 20 healthy, first-degree relatives and 30 control subjects matched for age, gender, smoking and physical fitness. The LifeShirt®, a multi-function ambulatory device, was used for data recording (30 minutes). Patients breathe significantly faster (p<.001) and shallower (p<.001) than controls most pronouncedly during exhalation. Patients' breathing is characterized by a significantly increased amount of middle- (p<.001), high- (p<.001), and very high frequency fluctuations (p<.001). These measures correlated positively with positive symptoms as assessed by the PANSS scale (e.g., middle frequency: r = 521; p<.01). Cardio-respiratory coupling was reduced in patients only, while HRV was decreased in patients and healthy relatives in comparison to controls. Respiratory alterations might reflect arousal in acutely ill patients, which is supported by comparable physiological changes in healthy subjects during stress. Future research needs to further investigate these findings with respect to their physiological consequences for patients. These results are invaluable for researchers studying changes of biological signals prone to the influence of breathing rate and rhythm (e.g., functional imaging)