Internet addiction: a 21st century epidemic?

Internet addiction, while not yet officially codified within a psychopathological framework, is growing both in prevalence and within the public consciousness as a potentially problematic condition with many parallels to existing recognized disorders. The rapid and unfettered increase in the number of people accessing a relatively unrestricted internet substantially increases the possibility that those suffering with an underlying psychological comorbidity may be at serious risk of developing an addiction to the internet, lending further credence to this hitherto understudied condition. In this commentary, I outline my recommendations for improved diagnosis, study and prevention of internet addiction

Internet addiction, fatigue, and sleep problems among adolescent students: a large-scale study

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the association between Internet Addiction (IA), fatigue, and sleep problems among university students. Methods: A total of 3,000 Turkish students aged 18 to 25 years were approached and 2,350 students (78.3%) participated in this cross-sectional study from April 2017 to September 2017 in public and private universities in Istanbul. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire including socio-demographic details, lifestyle and dietary habits, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Fatigue Scale, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]. Descriptive statistics, multivariate and factorial analyses were performed. Results: The overall prevalence of IA among the studied population was 17.7%. There were significant differences between gender, family income, father’s occupation, school performance, frequency and duration of watching television, physical activity, internet use duration, and sleep duration (all p<0.001). Significant differences were also found between participants with IA and those without IA in having headaches, blurred vision, double vision, hurting eyes, hearing problems, and eating fast food frequently (all p<0.001). Using multivariate regression analysis, the duration of internet use, physical and mental symptoms, headache, hurting eyes, tired eyes, hearing problems and ESS scores were significantly associated with (and primary predictors of) IA. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that IA was associated with poor dietary habits, sleep problems, and fatigue symptoms

Working Towards an Appropriate Use of Ibuprofen in Children: An Evidence-Based Appraisal

Ibuprofen is the most widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for the treatment of inflammation, mild-to-moderate pain and fever in children, and is the only NSAID approved for use in children aged 653 months. Its efficacy and safety profile have led to its increasing use in paediatric care, even without medical prescription. However, an increase of suspected adverse reactions to ibuprofen has been noted in concomitance with the raised, often medically unsupervised, consumption of the drug. The purpose of this work was a critical review of the paediatric literature over the last 15 years on side effects and adverse events associated with ibuprofen, in order to highlight circumstances associated with higher risks and to promote safe and appropriate use of this drug. The literature from 2000 to date demonstrates that gastrointestinal events are rare, but (when they occur) include both upper and lower digestive tract lesions. Dehydration plays an important role in triggering renal damage, so ibuprofen should not be given to patients with diarrhoea and vomiting, with or without fever. Likewise, ibuprofen should never be administered to patients who are sensitive to it or to other NSAIDs. It is contraindicated in neonates and in children with wheezing and persistent asthma and/or during varicella. Most of the analysed studies reported adverse events when ibuprofen was being used for fever symptoms or flu-like syndrome. Ibuprofen should not be used as an antipyretic, except in rare cases. Ibuprofen remains the drug of first choice in the treatment of inflammatory pain in children