D. S. Karthika Devi

Introduction: Screen exposure is on the rise and has been virtually unavoidable in the post-Covid era. Screen exposure during the critical period of brain development results in delayed language, learning and behaviour problems and subsequent sedentary lifestyle results in non-communicable disease later in life.Objectives: To assess the burden of digital screen exposure and parental perceptions of its effects in children.Method: This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 1-13 years in a tertiary healthcare centre in Puducherry, India, from April 2022 to June 2022. Data were collected using the Digital Screen Exposure Questionnaire (DSEQ), administered by trained Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) after pilot testing.Results: Our study shows that the prevalence of excessive screen exposure (>1 hour) was 25% during weekdays and 44.9% during weekends. The most common media used was television (TV) in 92.8%, closely followed by smart phones in 90%. Most frequently watched content (>5 times/ week) was random things for enjoyment in 57.8% followed by rhymes in 25.7%; 57.1% had no outside play during weekdays. Mother’s education was the main predictor which influenced the duration of screen exposure in study participants.Conclusions: Our study shows that the prevalence of excessive screen exposure (>1 hour) was 25% during weekdays and 44.9% during weekends. Common media used were TV in 92.8% and smart phones in 90%. Except for mother’s education, no other socio-demographic factor influenced the duration of screen exposure in study participants. There was excessive screen exposure in children despite parental perception of its harmful effects

Aims: The purpose of this systematic review is to determine how various innovative non-suture silk and silk-containing products are being used in clinical practice, and compare patient outcomes following their use. Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane was completed. A qualitative synthesis of all included studies was then performed. Results: Our electronic search identified 868 silk-related publications, which yielded 32 studies for full-text review. After exclusion, nine studies from 2011 to 2018 were included for qualitative analysis. A total of 346 patients were included which consisted of 37 males and 309 females. The mean age range was between 18–79 years old. The follow-up among studies ranged between one to twenty-nine months. Three studies addressed the application of silk in wound dressings, one on the topical application of silk-derived products, one on silk-derived scaffold in breast reconstruction, and three on silk underwear as adjunct for the treatment of gynecological conditions. All studies showed good outcomes alone or in comparison to controls. Conclusion: This systematic review concludes that silk products’ structural, immune, and wound-healing modulating properties are advantageous clinical assets. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to strengthen and establish the benefit of those products.