Browse our Medical Journals - AKJournals
Among all scientific traditions alive, medical publishing has a good chance to be the oldest. The first fully peer reviewed academic journal, “Medical Essays and Observations” was launched in 1731 by the Royal Society in Edinburgh. Since then, hundreds of medical journals have been published worldwide. Medical publication in Hungary started in 1857 when the famous physician, Markusovszky founded “Orvosi Hetilap”, which has been published since then every week (with short breaks during the world wars). It is now a most prestigious piece in AKJournals’ portfolio, listed in Journal Citation Reports, with a remarkable impact factor.
Medical and Health Sciences
Abstract
Background and Aims
To analyze the bidirectional associations between smartphone multitasking and anxiety symptoms among college students.
Methods
A prospective cohort study was conducted from October 2021 to May 2022. Smartphone multitasking and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Assessment of Smartphone Multitasking for Adolescents and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items, respectively. Linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between smartphone multitasking and anxiety symptoms among college students. Autoregressive cross⁃lagged models (ARCLM) were used to analyze the bidirectional associations between smartphone multitasking and anxiety symptoms among college students.
Results
A total of 953 college students were included in this study, 323 (33.9%) of whom were males. The mean age of participants at baseline was 18.89 ± 1.33 years. The rates of depressive symptoms among college students were 28.1% at baseline and 29.0% at 6-month follow-up, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between all zero-level variables (p < 0.01). Linear regression analyses showed that after adjusting for demographic characteristics and health risk behaviors, smartphone multitasking was still positively correlated to anxiety symptoms at baseline (β = 1.30, 95%CI: 0.54–2.05) and 6-month follow-up (β = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.32–1.37). The results of ARCLM showed that smartphone multitasking at baseline was positively correlated with anxiety symptoms after 6-month (β = 0.03, p < 0.01), but anxiety symptoms at baseline did not significantly correlate to smartphone multitasking after 6-month among college students (β = 0.04, p = 0.51).
Discussion and Conclusions
Smartphone multitasking is associated with higher anxiety symptoms at baseline and follow-up, but no bidirectional relationship exists. Reducing smartphone use may improve mental wellbeing.
Abstract
Background
Short versions of problematic internet use (PIU) questionnaires may provide a convenient and effective way of assessing internet-related problems in various contexts, ranging from research to clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate whether single yes/no question (Q-single) regarding “functional impairment due to PIU” could serve as a screening tool to indicate the potential absence of PIU, given the lack of functional impairment.
Methods
Data from two online studies (N = 524 and N = 272) assessing internet-related behaviors among students were used for the analyses. Participants completed questionnaires (the nine-item Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire [PIUQ-9], the Compulsive Internet Use Scale [CIUS], the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire, depression module [PHQ-9], the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7]), questions about their internet use time, besides answering the Q-Single question. Block-wise multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the predictive effect of the Q-Single on PIU (as measured with the PIUQ-9 and the CIUS) and its association with depression and anxiety symptom scores (as measured with the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7).
Results
The Q-Single demonstrated a high negative predictive value in screening the absence of PIU, however positive predictive value was low to moderate. Q-Single proved to be a good predictor of PIU (β = 0.484, p < 0.001 [PIUQ-9] and β = 0.481, p < 0.001 [CIUS]) when controlling for age, gender, and internet use time. Adjusting for the same controlling variables, the Q-Single had a moderate association with depression symptoms (β = 0.385, p < 0.001 [PHQ-9]) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.252, p < 0.001) [GAD-7]) supporting the validity of the single-question instrument.
Conclusions
The finding that a single question could predict absence of PIU in students, implies that functional impairment is an important indicator of PIU.
Abstract
Background and Objectives
As problematic internet use (PIU) becomes increasingly prevalent among university students, effective preventive measures remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate how the allocation of daily activity time influences PIU and PIU risk (PIU/PIUR) and to identify specific activities that serve as risk and protective factors along with their effect strength.
Methods
Data from 2,433 university students in 33 Chinese provinces were analyzed using compositional analysis, isotemporal substitution, and instrumental variable methods to determine causal relationships between activity allocation and PIU/PIUR and to calculate the specific effects of substituting one activity for another.
Results
After compositional adjustment, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and classroom learning statistically significantly reduced PIU/PIUR (ps < 0.001, except PIUR for classroom learning: p = 0.002), whereas short videos and gaming increased PIU/PIUR (ps < 0.001). Sleep (PIU: p = 0.023, PIUR: p = 0.009) and autonomous learning (PIU: p = 0.013, PIUR: p = 0.003) were negatively correlated with PIU/PIUR but had no significant causal effect. Light physical activity was not statistically significantly correlated with PIU/PIUR (PIU: p = 0.141, PIUR: p = 0.585). Substituting 30 min of short video time with MVPA reduced PIUR by 22.9%. Conversely, replacing MVPA with short video watching increased PIUR by 68.3%.
Discussion and Conclusions
Findings demonstrate the significant impact of 24-hour activity allocation on PIU/PIUR and suggest that time allocation strategies, particularly increasing MVPA while reducing short videos time, effectively reduce PIUR. These insights identify potential prevention for managing PIU via reallocation of daily activities.
Abstract
Background and aims
A mental health professional's background regarding psychedelics, including their attitudes, is important to the therapeutic effects of these drugs; however, no study has examined this in Asian populations. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of psychiatric professionals in Korea regarding the use of psychedelics in clinical practice.
Methods
An anonymous survey consisting of 15 questions was distributed to 200 participants at three academic psychiatric conferences in Korea. The survey assessed participants' knowledge of the history, mechanisms, and therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs, as well as their attitudes towards their legalization and usage for psychiatric treatment.
Results
The survey had a 96.5% response rate (193/200), with 44% (85/193) of respondents being psychiatry residents. Disparities in prior knowledge of psychedelics, especially in their mechanisms of action, were found between residents and psychiatrists. Despite this, for all participants, there was a notable interest in the potential therapeutic applications of psychedelics, particularly for conditions that are difficult to treat, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, positive attitudes toward psychedelics were lower among women, with most respondents expressing a cautious optimism about the future integration of psychedelics into psychiatric practice, contingent upon further research and regulatory approval.
Conclusions
The study underscores the need for enhanced education and training on psychedelic drugs within the Korean psychiatric community. Increasing awareness and understanding of these substances could help align Korean psychiatric practices with global trends in fields of psychedelics and potentially improve treatment outcomes for patients with severe and refractory psychiatric conditions.
Abstract
Background and aims
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent acute and marked deviations from normal waking consciousness. Investigations into ASC are significant to problems in medicine, science, and philosophy, including the structure of conscious experience. Here, we conducted a preliminary investigation into the structure of ASC while addressing the role of psychedelics, which purportedly manifest features of mind.
Methods
We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of 300 narrative reports across 12 ASC induction methods: meditation, float tank, psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-N,N-DMT (5-MeO-DMT), ketamine, salvia, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis, datura, and diphenhydramine (DPH). We hypothesized that reports from the psychedelics (serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists) would contain similar content with non-pharmacological induction methods, alongside greater positive sentiment and reported authenticity relative to reports from other substances.
Results
In quantitative analysis, most psychedelics, except LSD, as well as salvia and ketamine, shared similar content with non-pharmacological methods. In qualitative analysis, most psychedelics, except LSD, were deemed both positive and authentic, with authenticity predicting positive sentiment across the 12 ASC induction methods (R = 0.68; p = 0.015). We uncovered latent themes charting a trajectory of ASC from baseline to metaphysical experience, incorporating text-to-image generative artificial intelligence to illustrate underlying phenomenological structure.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that reproducible structural observations may be externally validated across methods to support a “mind-manifesting” characterization for some ASC induction methods, such as salvia, ketamine, or 5-MeO-DMT, but not for others, such as LSD, datura, or DPH, together informing future studies of psychedelics, ASC, and structuralism.
A hasi aorta aneurysma szűrés létjogosultságának kérdése a hazai alapellátásban
Addressing the feasibility of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in Hungarian primary care
In Hungary, there is currently no institutionalised, organised, invitation-based screening programme for the detection of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In contrast, an increasing number of countries are developing and launching their own pilot abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programmes, as was recently the case in the Czech Republic on the first of January 2025. In Hungary, a validation pilot study was initiated in the autumn of 2023, in which a subset of general practitioners – who previously participated in point-of-care ultrasound training and demonstrated proficiency in the abdominal aortic aneurysm examination technique – are screening patients belonging to the target population in their own practices, under radiological validation, to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms. The aim of our ongoing study is to determine whether ultrasound-based abdominal aortic aneurysm screening is justified in Hungarian primary care. During the study, a positive screening result requiring vascular surgical intervention was obtained within a short timeframe by one of the participating general practitioners, despite the relatively low number of patients screened at the time of detection. The purpose of our case report is to highlight that, after a simple and brief training period, general practitioners can perform accurate, radiologically evaluable, and standardised examinations, enabling the timely detection of this potentially life-threatening condition through a screening process that takes only a few minutes. By doing so, the elective surgical treatment of mostly asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms can be life-saving, preventing rupture of the aortic wall. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(20): 788–794.
A metabolikus eredetű zsírmájbetegség kapcsolata a diabetes mellitus szövődményeivel
Relation of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease to the complications of diabetes mellitus
Fatty liver has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. During its progression, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma may develop. Fatty liver disease of metabolic origin occurs in nearly 30% of adults, it affects people with diabetes mellitus to a greater extent. Its incidence is 70% in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 30–40% in type 1 diabetes mellitus. The global health burden of fatty liver disease of metabolic origin means an increased risk not only of hepatic (e.g., cirrhosis, liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma) but also of extrahepatic (e.g., cardiovascular, and neoplastic diseases) complications. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients with fatty liver disease have a higher mortality rate. These patient groups are exposed to an increased risk not only of cardiovascular diseases, but also of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy, compared to diabetics not associated with fatty liver disease. In our summary, we review how the coexistence of fatty liver and type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus affects the frequency of diabetic macro- and microvascular complications. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(20): 759–767.
A szervi áttéttel és más daganatos betegséggel nem rendelkező, korai stádiumú, rosszindulatú béldaganatos betegek körében végzett diagnosztikai vizsgálatok gyakorlata 2012 és 2020 között a hazai közfinanszírozott ellátásban
Diagnostic testing practices of patients with early stage bowel cancer – without organ metastasis and synchronous cancer – between 2012 and 2020 within the publicly funded Hungarian healthcare
Introduction: Early detection and investigation of bowel cancers is crucial in order to increase the patients’ chances of survival, as failure and delay in diagnostic steps worsen survival results. Objective: To understand and characterize the diagnostic process of patients with early malignant bowel cancers, those having no organ metastasis and synchronous cancer, based on the analysis of patient visit data. Method: For our research, we used data of the outpatient care and hospital utilization provided by the National Health Insurance Fund for the period 2010–2021, of the demographics of the population with a social security identification number, and of the CT/MR examinations. Among the patients with ICD C17–C19 coded small, large bowel and ICD C20 coded rectal cancer, we assessed the examinations required to establish the diagnosis in the six months prior to the first therapeutic intervention: 1. faecal blood test; 2. ultrasound and/or X-ray; 3. biopsy, histology; 4. CT and/or PET/CT; 5. MR. In our analysis, we included patients with early-stage bowel cancer aged 30–89 years who were treated between 2012 and 2020. In addition to the demographic characteristics of the patients, descriptive statistical methods were used to measure the rate of examinations, the time elapsed between the first and last examination, the time between the last examination and the start of the first treatment, and the change over time. Results: Between 2012 and 2019, the proportion of patients without organ metastases and synchronous cancer improved from 63.2% to 68.4% in the C17–C19 group, and from 59.6% to 65.6% in the C20 group. In the small intestine-colon group, CT increased from 64.6% to 72.3%, and among rectal cancer patients, the proportion of those receiving MR examination increased from 9% to 33.5%. During the period, the proportion of patients receiving treatment within 14 days of the last diagnostic examination decreased moderately, by 8 percentage points. 6% of the treated patients had no previous documented diagnostic tests. Discussion: During the analysis period, we observed further improvements in imaging practice in line with international guidelines. Although more than half of the patients received care within 14 days of the last diagnostic step, the patient care pathway, which mostly consists of 2–4 steps, can be further shortened with appropriate support and coordination. Conclusion: Clinically relevant results can be generated from the patient visit data, which can be used by those involved in the field as well as in health policy and care management. The improvement of coding practices, the creation of domestic clinical guidelines, and the investigation and management of delays in the diagnostic steps are recommended. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(20): 768–782.
Abstract
The mechanical efficiency of the quadriceps femoris muscle-tendon unit likely depends on its structural and mechanical properties. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the mechanical efficiency in vivo under various stretch-shortening cycle conditions and to investigate how the morphological and mechanical properties of the quadriceps femoris influence mechanical efficiency.
We used MRI to measure quadriceps femoris muscle and tendon morphological properties in young females (n = 9), and we determined mechanical efficiency during stretch-shortening cycle contractions using computer-controlled dynamometer. Testing protocol included contractions with moderate and maximal pretension level and stretching loads of 20 and 100J.
Greater mechanical efficiency was associated with larger knee flexion angles and increased positive work under moderate pretension levels with both 20 J (r = 0.67, P = 0.045; r = 0.82, P = 0.007) and 100 J stretch loads (r = 0.87, P = 0.006; r = 0.82, P = 0.007).
These findings suggest that lower stretching loads enhance muscle-tendon interaction efficiency by favoring tendon elongation during muscle-tendon unit lengthening, resulting in higher mechanical efficiency. No morphological or mechanical parameter of the muscle-tendon unit were linked to mechanical efficiency, suggesting that efficiency may depend more on muscle activation patterns than on structure.
