A clinical trial was conducted on 39 adult HCV-positive subjects to determine the safety and long-term effect
of the probiotic FK-23 (heat-treated Enterococcus faecalis strain FK-23). Asymptomatic
anti-HCV positive adults who fulfilled the selection criteria and gave voluntary consent were recruited from
attendees of the Hepatitis Carrier Clinic, Department of Medical Research (Lower Myanmar). Each subject was
given 2,700 mg of FK-23 per day by oral route. Blood samples were taken at enrollment and every 3 months and
tested for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). Viral load, urea, total protein,
hemoglobin and platelet count were determined every 6 months. Among the subjects, 23 completed 36 months, 31
completed 24 months, 35 completed 12 months and 37 completed 6 months of probiotic therapy. Significant
decreases in mean ALT levels were observed at 3 months (34. 9 ± 15.1 IU/l) as compared with the initial level
(64.8 ± 17.5 IU/l) and persisted up to 36 months (43.7 ± 25.2 IU/l). Decrease of AST was detected after 9
months (46.2 ± 21.7 IU/l) of probiotic therapy as compared with the initial level (64.3 ± 28.7 IU/l). FK-23
was safe based on the stable levels of biochemical and hematological parameters and the absence of untoward
side effects. The FK-23 preparation was well tolerated and accepted by the subjects.
Background: Internet is relatively new technology that can provide up to date knowledge in education. Even though the significant advantages, abuse of internet results in addiction disorder especially younger age. The aim of this study was to determine the internet utilization and internet addiction (IA) of third year medical students in medical universities of Myanmar.Methods: This was cross-sectional descriptive study in which the questionnaire mainly based on a questionnaire, IA test score. Total 412 medical students from medical universities were enrolled in the study.Results: This study shows 80.83% of students used internet more than five hours and 99.51% used internet every day. Common activities were social media 93.93%, entertainment 94.17%, watching movies 90.78%, communication 87.86% respectively. Among the reasons of use, education (p=0.003), shopping (0.002) and due to free wi-fi (p=0.006) were found to be significantly associated with IA. The majority (47.33%) was moderately addicted, (45.39%) was mildly addicted and 1.7 % was severely addicted. There was significant relationship between IA and time for more than five hours per day. Higher level of prevalence of IA was using online for watching movies, blogging, study information. Among the reasons of internet use, education, shopping and due to wi-fi were significantly associated with IA (p<0.05).Conclusions: IA is growing problem and medical students are vulnerable for IA and so necessary preventive measures are vital to provide safe usage of internet.
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