PMID: 

Andrology. 2014 Jul ;2(4):491-501. Epub 2014 Apr 3. PMID: 24700791

Abstract Title: 

Association between mobile phone use and semen quality: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: 

Possible hazardous health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiations emitted from mobile phone on the reproductive system have raised public concern in recent years. This systemic review and meta-analysis was prepared following standard procedures of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and checklist. Relevant studies published up to May 2013 were identified from five major international and Chinese literature databases: Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, the VIP database and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library. Eighteen studies with 3947 men and 186 rats were included in the systemic review, of which 12 studies (four human studies, four in vitro studies and four animal studies) with 1533 men and 97 rats were used in the meta-analyses. Systemic review showed that results of most of the human studies and in vitro laboratory studies indicated mobile phone use or radiofrequency exposure had negative effects on the various semen parameters studied. However, meta-analysis indicated that mobile phone use had no adverse effects on semen parameters in human studies. In the in vitro studies, meta-analysis indicated that radiofrequency radiation had detrimental effect on sperm motility and viability in vitro [pooled mean difference (MDs) (95% CI): -4.11 (-8.08, -0.13), -3.82 (-7.00, -0.65) for sperm motility and viability respectively]. As for animal studies, radiofrequency exposure had harmful effects on sperm concentration and motility [pooled MDs (95% CI): -8.75 (-17.37, -0.12), -17.72 (-32.79, -2.65) for sperm concentration and motility respectively]. Evidence from current studies suggests potential harmful effects of mobile phone use on semen parameters. A further multicentred and standardized study is needed to assess the risk of mobile phone use on the reproductive system.

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PMID: 

Occup Environ Med. 2014 Jul ;71(7):514-22. Epub 2014 May 9. PMID: 24816517

Abstract Title: 

Mobile phone use and brain tumours in the CERENAT case-control study.

Abstract: 

UNLABELLED: The carcinogenic effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in humans remains controversial. However, it has been suggested that they could be involved in the aetiology of some types of brain tumours.OBJECTIVES: The objective was to analyse the association between mobile phone exposure and primary central nervous system tumours (gliomas and meningiomas) in adults.METHODS: CERENAT is a multicenter case-control study carried out in four areas in France in 2004-2006. Data about mobile phone use were collected through a detailed questionnaire delivered in a face-to-face manner. Conditional logistic regression for matched sets was used to estimate adjusted ORs and 95% CIs.RESULTS: A total of 253 gliomas, 194 meningiomas and 892 matched controls selected from the local electoral rolls were analysed. No association with brain tumours was observed when comparing regular mobile phone users with non-users (OR=1.24; 95% CI 0.86 to 1.77 for gliomas, OR=0.90; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.34 for meningiomas). However, the positive association was statistically significant in the heaviest users when considering life-long cumulative duration (≥896 h, OR=2.89; 95% CI 1.41 to 5.93 for gliomas; OR=2.57; 95% CI 1.02 to 6.44 for meningiomas) and number of calls for gliomas (≥18,360 calls, OR=2.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 4.31). Risks were higher for gliomas, temporal tumours, occupational and urban mobile phone use.CONCLUSIONS: These additional data support previous findings concerning a possible association between heavy mobile phone use and brain tumours.

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PMID: 

J Formos Med Assoc. 2015 Jul ;114(7):598-604. Epub 2014 Aug 10. PMID: 25115529

Abstract Title: 

Mobile phone use and health symptoms in children.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To investigate the mobile phone (MP) use for talking in relation to health symptoms among 2042 children aged 11-15 years in Taiwan.METHODS: A nationwide, cross-sectional study, using the computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) technique, was conducted in 2009 to collect information on children's utilization of MPs and the perceived health symptoms reported by their parents.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MP use in the past month was estimated at 63.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 61.1-65.3%]. MP use was associated with a significantly increased adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for headaches and migraine (1.42, 95% CI = 1.12-1.81) and skin itches (1.84, 95% CI = 1.47-2.29). Children who regularly used MPs were also considered to have a health status worse than it was 1 yearago (β = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.17-0.37).CONCLUSION: Although the cross-sectional design precludes the causal inference for the observed association, our study tended to suggest a need for more cautious use of MPs in children, because children are expected to experience a longer lifetime exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from MPs.

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PMID: 

Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014 Jan-Mar;58(1):100-3. PMID: 25464686

Abstract Title: 

Mobile usage and sleep patterns among medical students.

Abstract: 

Exposure of humans to radio frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) both during receiving and transmitting the signals has amplified public and scientific debate about possible adverse effects on human health. The study was designed with the objective of assessing the extent of mobile phone use amongst medical students and finding correlation if any between the hours of usage of mobile to sleep pattern and quality. hundred medical students grouped as cases (n = 57) (>2 hours/day of mobile usage) and control (n = 43) (≤ 2 hours/day of mobile usage) were examined for their sleep quality&pattern by Pittsburg sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Differences between groups were examined with the Mann Whitney"U"test for proportions (Quantitative values) and with Student't' test for continuous variables. The association of variables was analyzed by Spearman Rank's correlation. Probability was set at2 hours/day may cause sleep deprivation and day sleepiness affecting cognitive and learning abilities of medical students.

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PMID: 

J Endocrinol Invest. 2013 Dec ;36(11):970-4. Epub 2013 May 30. PMID: 23722985

Abstract Title: 

The semen quality of the mobile phone users.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: The increased use of mobile phones, the media's attention for general health, and the increase of idiopathic male infertility suggest to investigate the possible consequences of an excessive use of mobile phones on semen quality.AIM: To evaluate the conventional and some of the main biofunctional sperm parameters in healthy men according to the different use of the mobile phone.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All the enrolled subjects in this study were divided into four groups according to their active cell phone use: group A= no use (no.=10 subjects); group B=4 h/day (no.=20). Among the subjects of the group D (>4 h/day), a further evaluation was made between the"trousers users"(no.=12) and"shirt users"(no.=8), and they underwent semen collection to evaluate conventional and biofunctional sperm parameters (density, total count, morphology, progressive motility, apoptosis, mithocondrial membrane potential, chromatin compaction, DNA fragmentation).RESULTS: None of the conventional sperm parameters examined were significantly altered. However, the group D and the trousers users showed a higher percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation compared to other groups.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the sperm DNA fragmentation could represent the only parameter significantly altered in the subjects who use the mobile phone for more than 4 h/day and in particular for those who use the device in the pocket of the trousers.

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PMID: 

Health Phys. 2007 Mar ;92(3):280-9. PMID: 17293700

Abstract Title: 

Radiofrequency exposure from wireless LANs utilizing Wi-Fi technology.

Abstract: 

This survey measured radiofrequency (RF) fields from wireless local area networks (WLANs) using Wi-Fi technology against a background of RF fields in the environment over the frequency range 75 MHz-3 GHz. A total of 356 measurements were conducted at 55 sites (including private residences, commercial spaces, health care and educational institutions, and other public spaces) in four countries (U.S., France, Germany, Sweden). Measurements were conducted under conditions that would result in the higher end of exposures from such systems. Where possible, measurements were conducted in public spaces as close as practical to the Wi-Fi access points. Additional measurements were conducted at a distance of approximately 1 m from a laptop while it was uploading and downloading large files to the WLAN. This distance was chosen to allow a useful comparison of fields in the far-field of the antenna in the laptop, and give a representative measure of the exposure that a bystander might receive from the laptop. The exposure to the user, particularly if the antenna of the client card were placed against his or her body, would require different measurement techniques beyond the scope of this study. In all cases, the measured Wi-Fi signal levels were very far below international exposure limits (IEEE C95.1-2005 and ICNIRP) and in nearly all cases far below other RF signals in the same environments. An discusses technical aspects of the IEEE 802.11 standard on which WLANs operate that are relevant to determining the levels of RF energy exposure from WLANs. Important limiting factors are the low operating power of client cards and access points, and the low duty cycle of transmission that normally characterizes their operation.

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PMID: 

J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2015 ;13:34. Epub 2015 Apr 21. PMID: 25937931

Abstract Title: 

Use of mobile phone during pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous abortion.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Exposure to electromagnetic fields of cell phones increasingly occurs, but the potential influence on spontaneous abortion has not been thoroughly investigated.METHODS: In a case-control study, 292 women who had an unexplained spontaneous abortion at  14 weeks gestation were enrolled. Two data collection forms were completed; one was used to collect data about socioeconomic and obstetric characteristics, medical and reproductive history, and lifestyles. Another was used to collect data about the use of cell phones during pregnancy. For the consideration of cell phone effects, we measured the average calling time per day, the location of the cell phones when not in use, use of hands-free equipment, use of phones for other applications, the specific absorption rate (SAR) reported by the manufacturer and the average of the effective SAR (average duration of calling time per day × SAR). Analyses were carried out with statistical package state software(SPSS)v.16.RESULTS: All the data pertaining to mobile phones were different between the two groups except the use of hands free devices (p 

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PMID: 

BMJ Open. 2015 May 11 ;5(5):e007302. Epub 2015 May 11. PMID: 25967996

Abstract Title: 

Association between mobile phone use and self-reported well-being in children: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVES: In the past decade, the mobile phone (MP) has become extremely popular among children and the average age at which children own their first MP has decreased. The potential health effects of children's exposure to MP have been the subject of widespread public concern. The aim of our study is to investigate the associations between MP use and well-being in children.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.SETTING: The questionnaires were completed in class with items regarding demographics, MP usage, self-reported well-being (symptoms were taken from the questionnaire of the HBSC survey) and possible confounding factors between October 2011 and May 2012 in Chongqing, China. Data were analysed usingχ(2) tests and logistic regression models.PARTICIPANTS: Among the 793 children invited to participate, 781 returned the questionnaires.RESULTS: In total, 746 (94.1%) valid questionnaires were received. Fatigue was significantly associated with the years of MP usage (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.07 to 3.22) and the daily duration of MP calls (OR 2.98; 95% CI 1.46 to 6.12). Headache was significantly associated with the daily duration of MP calls (OR 2.85; 95% CI 1.23 to 6.57). However, after adjusting for confounders only, the association between fatigue and MP usage remained statistically significant. There was no significant association between MP use and other physical symptoms in children.CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that there was a consistent significant association between MP use and fatigue in children. Further in-depth research is needed to explore the potential health effects of MP use in children.

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PMID: 

Reprod Biomed Online. 2015 Sep ;31(3):421-6. Epub 2015 Jun 18. PMID: 26206279

Abstract Title: 

Habits of cell phone usage and sperm quality – does it warrant attention?

Abstract: 

Male infertility constitutes 30-40% of all infertility cases. Some studies have shown a continuous decline in semen quality since the beginning of the 20th century. One postulated contributing factor is radio frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones. This study investigates an association between characteristics of cell phone usage and semen quality. Questionnaires accessing demographic data and characteristics of cell phone usage were completed by 106 men referred for semen analysis. Results were analysed according to WHO 2010 criteria. Talking for≥1 h/day and during device charging were associated with higher rates of abnormal semen concentration (60.9% versus 35.7%, P

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PMID: 

Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2019 May – Jun;13(3):1797-1803. Epub 2019 Apr 12. PMID: 31235097

Abstract Title: 

Evaluation of statins impacts on cognitive function among diabetic patients.

Abstract: 

AIMS: The study was intended to evaluate the association of cognitive impairment with statins therapy among diabetic outpatients.METHODS: Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (M-ACE) was conducted for 280 cases in a cross-sectional study at Hospital Pulau Pinang. M-ACE score is 30, and the cut-off score for mild cognitive impairment is ≤ 21 and ≤ 16 for dementia.RESULTS: The cognitive impairment was distributed among 59 (55.1%) patients with mild cognitive impairment and 48 (44.9%) patients with dementia. From 177 patients using statins, about 80 (45.2%) cases had cognitive impairment. While from 103 statins non-users, only 27 (26.2%) had cognitive impairment. The relative risk of cognitive impairment associated with statins use in diabetic patients is (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.2-2.48) and the excess relative risk is 72.4%. The absolute risk is 19%, and the number needed to harm is 6. Spearman's test indicated a positive association between statins usage and cognitive impairment incidence (r: 0.188, p-value: 0.002). However, Spearman's test showed a non-significant correlation amongst statins and dementia incidence (P-value: 0.587, RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.67-2.02).CONCLUSIONS: Statins therapy has a higher association with cognitive impairment risk than statins-free treatment; however, there is no association between statin use and dementia incidence among diabetic patients.

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