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Background: Varied prevalence of internet, gaming & smartphone addiction have been estimated across different regions. Though gaming & internet addiction have already been recognized, the emerging trend of binge-watching also demands attention. There was a need to estimate their prevalence using a uniform scale, compare addiction scores and also assess its association with content consumed and screen use behavior. Objective: To find the prevalence of screen addiction and its association with screen use behaviour & type of content consumed. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 252 participants who were recruited using stratified random sampling and were interviewed using Digital Addiction Scale & a self-designed questionnaire (CVR>0.65). Results: The prevalence of screen addiction was found to be 13% and found to be associated with age(p<0.01), sex(p<0.01), type of content consumed(p<0.05), device used(p<0.01), self-reported causes(p<0.01), withdrawal(p<0.01) & screen use specific psychological phenomenon(p<0.01). Addiction scores of gamers, social media users & binge watchers were comparable(p>0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of screen addiction is substantially high, particularly in the younger population. This study also highlights the strong association of screen use behavior & type of content consumed and apps used with addictive screen use. The similarity in addiction scores and associated factors also support the use of umbrella term Screen Addiction to group all kinds of addictive screen usage.

IntroductionAge estimation has been an area of special interest in the medicolegal context because of its necessity in various criminal and civil cases like assaults, murders, rapes, inheritance, insurance claims, etc. While legal documents are useful in daily activities that require age identity, they cannot be relied on for criminal and civil proceedings because of being falsifiable and inaccessible to some people. Scientific methods of age determination like physical, dental, and radiological examinations are used for reliable age estimation due to their universal and non-falsifiable nature. The skeletal examination is of great importance here because the human skeleton provides many sites for age estimation in different age groups. The xiphisternal joint between the xiphoid process and the body of the sternum provides one such opportunity in participants of 35-50 years of age. The ossification in this joint proceeds gradually in approximately the third to fifth decade of life; this natural variation in the morphology of the joint can be leveraged for age estimation. Previous studies showed that the mean age of fusion varied with the ethnicity of individuals and environmental factors. Thus, it is critical to have statistical information for the concerned population to avoid errors. Also, the relation of gender with the mean age of complete fusion remained ambiguous with the previous studies. The xiphisternal joint can be studied by radiological techniques like computed tomography (CT) and plain radiographs. Radiological methods have the benefit that they can be used on both living and dead participants and are non-invasive. The present study aims at gathering data relevant for use in India (Maharashtra) and to find out the reference age group in which there is complete ossification of the xiphisternal joint in males and females. Methods and materialsThis was a cross-sectional observational study in a tertiary care setup over a period of one year. Highresolution computed tomography (HRCT) was used for assessing joint fusion due to its high spatial resolution. The participants were included in the study if they were referred for HRCT chest by a physician for some pathology, did not have any trauma or lesion of the sternum and consented to the use of their information for the purpose of this study. ResultsThe study included a total of 384 participants, out of whom 195 (50.8%) were males and 189 (49.2%) were females. The mean age of participants was 42.87 years. The mean age of complete xiphisternal joint fusion was observed to be 46.31 years (95% CI: 45.61 to 47.00) in males and 45.57 years (95% CI: 44.73 to 46.42) in females. Similarly, the mean age of participants with an unfused xiphisternal joint was observed to be 38.42 years (95% CI: 37.47 to 39.39) in males and 37.85 years (95% CI: 37.14 to 38.57) in females. There was no statistically significant difference in the age above which males and females show complete ossification of the xiphisternal joint. ConclusionThe xiphisternal joint fusion can be used to ...

Increasing amount of discretionary (non-homework) screen time (DST) has raised significant concerns over the addictive potential of screen-based media and psychiatric dimension children’s health. This study was undertaken to find the prevalence of addictive screen use behaviour in children under the age of 13 years, and its association with the type of content consumed. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) in which 154 parents from 4 schools were interviewed using a pre-validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS v26.0, chi-square test and unpaired t test were used at significance level of p<0.05. 18% of the children were found of have addictive screen use behaviour and it was found to be significantly associated with playing shooting and fighting games (p<0.05). Prevalence of addictive screen use behaviour is alarming among under 13 children. Interventions to tackle this concern must be urgently undertaken.

No single event so far has stumped the world more significantly than the present COVID-19 pandemic. However, every adversity brings with it an opportunity and as medical community, we must evolve in order to survive this unique challenge. This essay throws light on the various opportunities we can seize or have done so in the pandemic. We explore the opportunities in medical education and training, health research, clinical practices and frontline work, public health and awareness, and revenue generation and allocation of resources. Thus, through this article we understand that, “In every adversity lies an opportunity”, an age-old adage has never been truer than in the scenario of the current COVID-19 pandemic.