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

IntroductionStudies 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 methodsThe 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionThis 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

Chemometric approach in the development of the colorimetric method for the estimation of food colorants in meat products

The aim of this research was to develop a novel colorimetric method based on mathematical models, by multiple linear regression (MLR), from the CIE L*a*b* measurements and data of the HPLC determination of food colorants. Calibration set of 10 production batches of finely grinded cooked sausage with food colorants added was manufactured in industrial conditions as follows: one control batch and 9 products with various quantities of added food colorants: E120 (3.4, 7.5 and 12.5 mg/kg), E 124 (5.0, 15.0, 25.0 mg/kg) and E 129 (5.0, 15.0, 25.0 mg/kg). The estimation of the added food colorants was assessed by measuring L*, a*, b* parameters of cross-section. The quantification of food colorants was achieved by HPLC-PDA. Food colorants were extracted from meat products using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE). Quantification of food colorants was achieved in the range from 1 to 100 mg / kg, and recovery values were from 76.15% to 107.04%, for E 120, from 97.61% to 101.03%, for E 124 and from 99.91% to 101.67%, for E 129. Correlation of the results obtained using HPLC and colorimetric measuring data was assessed by Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). The results from colorimetric and chromatographic determinations in four experimental batches (three batches with different quantities of food colorants and one control batch) were used for calibration. Coefficients of determination (R2) for linear models in experimental batches were 0.954, for E 124, 0.987, for E 120 and 0.993, for E 129. Correlation functions of food colorant quantities and corresponding L*a*b* values were established. The obtained mathematical models were tested for the estimation of the content of dyes in 21 samples of finely grinded cooked sausages purchased in retail stores. Food colorants were confirmed in 20 samples (95.24 %), and one sample (4.76 %) did not contain any of these compounds. Out of the positive samples, sixteen samples (80.00 %) contained E 120, while four samples (20.00 %) contained E 129. Food colorant E124 was not established in any of the analyzed samples. Colorimetric CIE L*a*b* method might be used during sensory evaluation of meat products for the assessment of the added food colorants.Cilj ovog rada je bio da se, merenjem vrednosti parametara boje preseka proizvoda od mesa u CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, Međunarodna komisija za osvetljenje) L*a*b* prostoru (L* – svetloća, a* – udeo crvene boje i b* – udeo žute boje) ispita mogućnost procene sadržaja dodate prehrambene boje u proizvodima od mesa. Količina prehrambene boje u uzorcima od mesa određena je metodom visokoefikasne tečne hromatografije sa detekcijom na fotodiodnom sloju (HPLC-PDA), a međusobna zavisnost dobijenih vrednosti i kolorimetrijskih parametara ispitana je višestrukom linearnom regresijom (MLR). Kalibracioni set od 10 proizvodnih partija fino usitnjene barene kobasice, sa tri dodate boje, izrađen je u industrijskim uslovima, i to: kontrolni proizvod bez boje i 9 proizvoda sa različitim količinama dodatih boja E 120 (3,4; 7,5 i 12,5 mg/kg), E 124 (5, 15 i 25 mg/kg) i E 129 (5, 15 i 25 mg/kg). Postavljene su jednačine funkcije zavisnosti količine boje od L*, a* i b* vrednosti. Dobijeni matematički modeli su provereni i primenjeni za procenjivanje sadržaja boje u 21 uzorku fino usitnjenih barenih kobasica sa tržišta. Utvrđeno je da se kolorimetrijskom CIE L*a*b* metodom mogu, u toku senzorskog ocenjivanja boje proizvoda, proceniti količine dodatih boja u proizvodima od mesa i da se ova metoda može primeniti kao komplementarna HPLC-PDA

Antimycobacterial and anticancer activity of newly designed cinnamic acid hydrazides with favorable toxicity profile

A series of twelve novel hybrids of cinnamic acid and thiocarbohydrazones were designed, synthesized in high yield using a simple coupling strategy via acid chlorides, and evaluated for their impact against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and cancer cells survival. Among them, compound 3 demonstrated strong anti-Mtb activity by reducing bacilli survival for>90 % in all three treated Mtb isolates, whereas isoniazid and rifampicin did not. Moreover, compound 3 didn't affect vitality of HepG-2 cells, implying on advantageous hepatotoxicity profile compared to current therapeutic options for tuberculosis. Compounds 2a and 3b displayed as strong inducers of apoptosis in A549 cells, both activating intrinsic caspase pathway and cell cycle arrest at the G0/ G1 phase. Subsequent analyses disclosed differences in their activities, where 3b has ability to induce production of mitochondrial superoxide anions, while 2a significantly inhibited cellular mobility. More importantly, 3b considerably affected viability of HepG-2 and HaCaT cells, whereas 2a had moderate impact only on the later. Molecular modeling studies indicated high permeability and good absorption through the human intestine, and moderate aqueous solubility with poor blood-brain barrier permeability. In summary, our results reveal that novel compounds 3 and 2a represent promising agents for tuberculosis and cancer treatment, respectively, indicating that fur-ther investigation needs to be performed to clarify the mechanisms of their anti-Mtb and anticancer activity. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)