Prevalence and Factors Related to Nomophobia: Arising Issues among Young Adults.

Nomophobia is characterized as apprehension of being apart from smartphone, which causes the user to seek proximity with the device. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence and factors associated to nomophobia among young adults in Athens, the capital city of Greece. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 1408 young adults aged 18-25 years. The questionnaire was anonymous, including the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, the smartphone uses, and the nomophobia questions. Statistical analyses were done by simple univariable techniques or modeling the data through generalized linear models. Almost all participants (99.9%) exhibited any level of nomophobia, with the moderate level prevailing (57.0%). Women and non-working participants were more likely to exhibit severe nomophobia (adj PR = 1.57) and any level of nomophobia was 30% higher among the participants whose father had no academic degree (p = 0.029). In addition, 59% of those with severe nomophobia had very frequent phone checking (p < 0.001) while 45.8% with any level of nomophobia reported a negative influence on their academic performance. Attention should be paid to early prevention through the development of integrated health promotion programs.

Tea consumption and gastric cancer: a pooled analysis from the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project consortium.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from epidemiological studies on the role of tea drinking in gastric cancer risk remains inconsistent. We aimed to investigate and quantify the relationship between tea consumption and gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project consortium. METHODS: A total of 9438 cases and 20,451 controls from 22 studies worldwide were included. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of gastric cancer for regular versus non-regular tea drinkers were estimated by one and two-stage modelling analyses, including terms for sex, age and the main recognised risk factors for gastric cancer. RESULTS: Compared to non-regular drinkers, the estimated adjusted pooled OR for regular tea drinkers was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.97). When the amount of tea consumed was considered, the OR for consumption of 1-2 cups/day was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.94-1.09) and for >3 cups/day was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.80-1.03). Stronger inverse associations emerged among regular drinkers in China and Japan (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.49-0.91) where green tea is consumed, in subjects with H. pylori infection (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.58-0.80), and for gastric cardia cancer (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.49-0.84). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a weak inverse association between tea consumption and gastric cancer.

Allium vegetables intake and the risk of gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project.

BACKGROUND: The role of allium vegetables on gastric cancer (GC) risk remains unclear. METHODS: We evaluated whether higher intakes of allium vegetables reduce GC risk using individual participant data from 17 studies participating in the "Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project", including 6097 GC cases and 13,017 controls. Study-specific odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using a two-stage modelling approach. RESULTS: Total allium vegetables intake was inversely associated with GC risk. The pooled OR for the highest versus the lowest study-specific tertile of consumption was 0.71 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.56-0.90), with substantial heterogeneity across studies (I2 > 50%). Pooled ORs for high versus low consumption were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.55-0.86) for onions and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.75-0.93) for garlic. The inverse association with allium vegetables was evident in Asian (OR 0.50, 95% CI, 0.29-0.86) but not European (OR 0.96, 95% CI, 0.81-1.13) and American (OR 0.66, 95% CI, 0.39-1.11) studies. Results were consistent across all other strata. CONCLUSIONS: In a worldwide consortium of epidemiological studies, we found an inverse association between allium vegetables and GC, with a stronger association seen in Asian studies. The heterogeneity of results across geographic regions and possible residual confounding suggest caution in results interpretation.

Coffee consumption and gastric cancer: a pooled analysis from the Stomach cancer Pooling Project consortium.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate and quantify the relationship between coffee and gastric cancer using a uniquely large dataset from an international consortium of observational studies on gastric cancer, including data from 18 studies, for a total of 8198 cases and 21 419 controls. METHODS: A two-stage approach was used to obtain the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for coffee drinkers versus never or rare drinkers. A one-stage logistic mixed-effects model with a random intercept for each study was used to estimate the dose-response relationship. Estimates were adjusted for sex, age and the main recognized risk factors for gastric cancer. RESULTS: Compared to never or rare coffee drinkers, the estimated pooled OR for coffee drinkers was 1.03 (95% CI, 0.94-1.13). When the amount of coffee intake was considered, the pooled ORs were 0.91 (95% CI, 0.81-1.03) for drinkers of 1-2 cups per day, 0.95 (95% CI, 0.82-1.10) for 3-4 cups, and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.79-1.15) for five or more cups. An OR of 1.20 (95% CI, 0.91-1.58) was found for heavy coffee drinkers (seven or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day). A positive association emerged for high coffee intake (five or more cups per day) for gastric cardia cancer only. CONCLUSIONS: These findings better quantify the previously available evidence of the absence of a relevant association between coffee consumption and gastric cancer.

Chemoprevention of cancer: current evidence and future prospects.

Cancer chemoprevention refers to the use of agents for the inhibition, delay, or reversal of carcinogenesis before invasion. In the present review, agents examined in the context of cancer chemoprevention are classified in four major categories-hormonal, medications, diet-related agents, and vaccines-and the main representatives of each category are presented. Although there are serious constraints in the documentation of effectiveness of chemopreventive agents, mainly stemming from the long latency of the condition they are addressing and the frequent lack of intermediate biomarkers, there is little disagreement about the role of aspirin, whereas a diet rich in vegetables and fruits appears to convey more protection than individual micronutrients. Among categories of cancer chemopreventive agents, hormonal ones and vaccines might hold more promise for the future. Also, the identification of individuals who would benefit most from chemopreventive interventions on the basis of their genetic profiles could open new prospects for cancer chemoprevention.

Medication usage among young adult women: a comparison between Sweden, the USA, and Greece.

This study evaluated whether or not medication usage among young adult women differed across three countries. An additional aim was to evaluate the association between medication use and sociodemographic factors and exercise habits. A sample of 1098 young adult women were selected in Sweden, the USA, and Greece. Consistent medication usage by young adult women in the three countries related to oral contraceptives and vitamins; nevertheless, there were differences. The main differences were found in the use of laxatives, iron supplements, analgesics, antidepressants, and antacid medication. The most outstanding differences were the frequent use of laxatives in Sweden and vitamins in the USA. Different association patterns were found between medication use and culture, sociodemographic factors, and exercise. The assessment of medication use among young adult women can be performed very easily and provides an immediate indication of their well-being and needs for preventative care.

Micronutrient intake during pregnancy in relation to birth size.

BACKGROUND: There exists very little information on possible effects on birth size of micronutrient intakes at levels that are usually encountered among pregnant women in developed countries. AIM OF THE STUDY: To examine the relation of the intake of 20 micronutrients with birth weight, placental weight, birth length and head circumference of the offspring. METHODS: In a cohort of 222 Caucasian women with singleton pregnancies in Boston, USA, diet during pregnancy was ascertained at the 27th gestational week through a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, covering also intake of dietary supplements. Micronutrient intakes were correlated with birth size parameters after adjustment for confounding variables, including total energy intake. RESULTS: Pantothenic acid, sodium and vitamin E were positively associated with all four birth size parameters. For pantothenic acid the association was statistically significant with respect to birth length, whereas for sodium with respect to head circumference and for vitamin E with respect to birth weight. In contrast, zinc was inversely associated with all four birth size parameters and the association was statistically significant with respect to head circumference. CONCLUSIONS: In a moderately sized prospective study, we found evidence that pregnancy intake of pantothenic acid, vitamin E and sodium may be positively related with at least one of the studied birth size parameters, whereas an inverse association was found with respect to zinc intake. For the remaining 16 micronutrients, our findings indicate that they are not associated with birth size, at least within the range of intake encountered in this investigation. The results of this exploratory analysis need to be confirmed before pathophysiologic interpretations and generalizations are attempted.