Indicators of smartphone addiction and stress score in university students.

Smartphone addiction is one of the most common non-drug addictions, accompanied by negative effects, such as depression, anxiety, self-disclosure, impaired academic performance, family life and human relationships. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of a predisposition to smartphone use disorder in university students and to investigate the associations between the intensity of mobile phone use and several variables. A total of 150 students, from 2 universities from Timisoara, were included in the study. Students were requested to answer two questionnaires: Mobile Phone Dependence Questionnaire (MPDQ) and International Stress Management Association Questionnaire (ISMA). The study revealed a relative high number of students with a predisposition to smartphone use disorder, with significant correlations between indicators of smartphone addiction and stress scores. Also, significant correlations were obtained between MPDQ scores and students age, period of mobile phone use and ISMA.

Effect of isometric effort upon mitral regurgitation severity--echo Doppler study.

Isometric effort increases the severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) by augmenting the afterload and the regurgitant fraction. The worsening of MR may be different in various patients and can explain the differences in effort capacity of patients with identical rest mitral regurgitation. We studied 25 patients with MR of various etiologies, submitted to handgrip (maximal voluntary contraction), the severity of MR being evaluated by the determination of regurgitant area (colour Doppler). There was a 42% increase of the regurgitant area from 3.26 to 4.66 cm2 (p < 0.05). The increase was greater for ischemic MR (59%) than for MR in dilated cardiomyopathy (26%), the last value not being explained by a lower EF because rest EF was similar in patients with and without an increase of MR severity during maximal voluntary contraction. The individual analysis of the results showed an increase of the MR severity in 1/2 of the patients, in whom the left atrial dimension was greater, though the effort capacity was the same in the two subsets of patients. It is concluded that colour Doppler is a simple and valuable method for studying the influence of isometric exercise upon MR severity, this being increased in 1/2 of the patients, with a positive correlation with ischemic etiology of the disease, left atrial dimension, but not with the patients' effort capacity.

The effect of handgrip upon Doppler data in mitral stenosis.

UNLABELLED: The usefulness of physical rehabilitation in patients with valvular heart disease is now well established. But, mainly in mitral stenosis, the isometric exercises are under question, because of the risk of sudden rise in capillary pulmonary pressure. In order to clarify this aspect we have studied the effect of isometric exercise upon Doppler data in mitral stenosis. METHODS: in 25 patients with mitral stenosis the Doppler indices of severity-mitral valve area (MVA), pressure half time (PHT), maximal velocity (MxV), mean pressure gradient (MPG)-were determined before and after 3-4 minutes of handgrip performed with a dynamometer at 30% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). There are no significant differences of Doppler parameters before and during handgrip: MVA (1.56 +/- 0.30/1.49 +/- 0.53 cm2), PHT (171 +/- 72/150 +/- 58 ms) MPG (7.07 +/- 2.61/7.21 +/- 1.8 mmHg), MxV (2.186 +/- 0.79/2.276 +/- 0.73 m/s). The results suggest that mild isometric exercise does not alter hemodynamic parameters in mitral stenosis. Consequently isometric exercise can be included in physical programmes of rehabilitation for this category of patients.

Comparative value of arm and leg exercise testing.

Arm exercise test (AET) is described as an alternative to the classical leg exercise test (LET). The value of these two types of exercise was studied in a group of 32 patients aged 34 to 65 years. The patients performed LET for several reasons and, after 24 hrs, AET under the same conditions. The effort level reached under LET was always greater than that achieved under AET and the calculated functional aerobic impairment (FAI) was 50% greater during AET thus supporting the idea that AET cannot be used instead of LET in determining the functional capacity (NYHA) of cardiac patients. However, AET remains useful for the determination of the occupational working capacity in certain occupational categories. The double product (DP) (or index tension time (ITT) calculated after AET represented 85% of the calculated value after LET. The results proved that MVO2 is similar for both LET and AET, but in the latter at lower levels of exercise (VO2). The LET-DP was greater than the AET-DP in 66.5% of our cases, thus suggesting that AET should be reserved for situations in which LET cannot be performed. This is also supported by the presence of ST depression during AET in only 66% of the 18 subjects with ST depression during LET and in five of the six patients without ST depression, DP-AET was lower than DP-LET.

Transesophageal determination of SNRT and SACT in paroxysmal supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.

The paper tested the hypothesis that supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVT) could represent the first clinical manifestation of the sick sinus syndrome (SSS). Absolute sinus node recovery time (SNRT) and sinoatrial conduction time (SACT) were determined through transesophageal approach in 16 patients with paroxysmal SVT, but without bradycardic episodes between crises. The values considered normal were: SNRTa less than or equal to less than or equal to 1500 ms; SNRTc less than or equal to 525 ms; SACT less than or equal to 150 ms. SNRTa, SNRTc and SACT were normal in all subjects (SNRTa: 1077 ms; SNRTc: 400 ms; SACT: 111 ms) and suggest the absence of a notable sinusal disfunction in these patients. We concluded that SVT unassociated with bradycardia do not usually represent a manifestation of SSS. Consequently the administration of sinusal depressant drugs in such patients could be permitted without restrictions.

Modifications of the involuntary postcontraction in diseased people.

The involuntary postcontraction (IPC) was studied on people affected by 12 different diseases or by noxious influences, and compared with that in healthy persons. General and disease-specific modifications are described and discussed. The suggestion is made that IPC could be used as a fast and easy test of the general state of health of the organism.