Paulo Moreira Silva Dantas

Relationship between depression and strength training in survivors of the ischemic stroke

Abstract The Cerebral Vascular Accident is responsible for a significant increase in the mortality rate in individuals who have suffered this condition, regardless of the level of subsequent disability. This study aimed to analyze the influence of a strength training program on indicators of depression in survivors of the ischemic stroke. The study sample included subjects from both genders who were divided into two groups: an experimental group (EG) consisting of 11 subjects aged 51.7 8.0 years, and a control group (CG) consisting of 13 subjects aged 52.5 7.7 years. The EG underwent 12 weeks of strength training. Assessment was made in the pre-test before training and at the re-test after 12 weeks of training. We used the Beck Depression Inventory and evaluated 1RM. Significant differences in depression were found between post-test and pretest measurements (Δ% = -21.47%, p = 0,021) in the EG; furthermore, there were significant differences in all indicators of depression between the EG and CG after completing 12 weeks of training. There were significant gains in strength of the EG in relation to the CG. There was a negative correlation between the strength gains as determined with the 1RM test and the levels of depression, especially in lower-limb exercises. The results of this study suggest that improvements in strength are negatively correlated with levels of depression. Improvements in strength are therefore associated with a reduction in levels of depression.

Transcranial direct current stimulation on the autonomic modulation and exercise time in individuals with spinal cord injury. A case report

PURPOSE To report the effect of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of an individual, a sedentary male subject with complete chronic spinal cord injury at the T11-T12 levels. METHODS The individual underwent three experimental sessions: control, sham and anodal tDCS. Before, during and after exercise sessions, the following variables were recorded: heart rate variability, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), power and glucose (this one only before and after the exercise). RESULTS The anodal tDCS provided greater exercise time and power, lower perceived exertion, greater reduction in glucose, and an increase in time to reach the threshold of heart rate variability. CONCLUSIONS tDCS caused an improvement in the exercise tolerance, probably due to the modulation of the autonomic nervous system and the pain, characterized by reduced RPE.

HERITABILITY OF AEROBIC POWER OF INDIVIDUALS IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic and environmental contribution to variation in aerobic power in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. The sample consisted of 20 MZ individuals (12 females and 8 males) and 16 DZ individuals (12 females and 4 males), aged from 8 to 26 years, residents in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The twins were assessed by a multistage fitness test. The rate of heritability found for aerobic power was 77%. Based on the results, the estimated heritability was largely responsible for the differences in aerobic power. This implies that such measures are under strong genetic influence.

ANTROPOMETRIA E SOMATOTIPO: FATORES DETERMINANTES NA SELEÇÃO DE ATLETAS NO VOLEIBOL BRASILEIRO

Objetivo: Analisar a antropometria e somatotipo de atletas do voleibol brasileiro. Metodologia: a amostra foi composta por 54 atletas convocadas para as selecoes nacionais, sendo 16 da adulta (25,6±5,3anos), 17 da juvenil (17,89±0,32 anos) e 21 da infanto-juvenil (15,86±0,36 anos). Para o somatotipo utilizou-se o metodo de Heath e Carter. O tratamento estatistico utilizado foi o descritivo com valores de tendencia central e seus derivados, e o inferencial ANOVA e post hoc de Tukey. Para o somatotipo recorreu-se ao calculo da distância espacial entre os somatotipos (DES). Resultados: A variavel estatura nao apresenta diferenca significativa entre as selecoes, somente entre as posicoes de jogo. O somatotipo da selecao infanto-juvenil foi diferente das demais. A selecao adulta classificou-se como ectomorfo-mesomorfo (2,24/3,16/3,58), juvenil como central (3,12/3,40/3,30) e infanto-juvenil como ecto-endomorfico (3,07/2,25/3,81). Conclusao: a estatura e linearidade sao variaveis importantes na selecao de atletas para o alto rendimento.

Contribuição das características antropométricas na predição dos estádios de maturação puberal de jovens do sexo masculino

Objetivo:Identificar a contribuicao de variaveis antropometricas para a predicao do estadio maturacional em jovens do sexo masculino.Metodos:Estudo transversal, sendo investigados 190 sujeitos do sexo masculino, com idades entre 8 e 18 anos, selecionados aleatoriamente em escolas publicas e privadas de Natal. Foram selecionadas 32 variaveis antropometricas, todas avaliadas de acordo com as recomendacoes da International Society for the Advancement of Kineanthropometry (ISAK). A avaliacao da maturacao sexual se baseou na observacao de dois especialistas experientes, que identificaram o desenvolvimento da genitalia, segundo as recomendacoes propostas por Tanner (1962).Resultados:As variaveis antropometricas apresentaram um aumento significativo no decorrer do avanco do desenvolvimento puberal (p<0,05). As variaveis de altura troncocefalica, diâmetro biepicondilo femural, perimetro de antebraco, dobra cutânea de triceps, alturas osseas tibial e acromio-radial apresentaram a melhor relacao para predicao dos grupos maturacionais, sendo responsaveis por estimar os estadios puberais com indice de 76,3% de chance de acerto.Conclusao:As caracteristicas antropometricas apresentaram diferencas significativas entre os momentos dos estadios maturacionais, sendo encontradas, de forma representativa, sete variaveis que melhor predizem os estadios de maturacao sexual.Objective: To identify the contribution of anthropometric variables to predict the maturational stage in young males. Methods: Cross-sectional study that enrolled 190 male subjects aged between eight and 18 years, randomly selected from public and private schools in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Thirtytwo anthropometric variables were measured following the recommendations of the International Society for the Advancement of Kineanthropometry (ISAK). The assessment of sexual maturation was based on the observation of two experienced experts, who identified the pubertal development according to Tanner guidelines (1962). Results: The anthropometric variables showed a significant increase of their values during the advancement of pubertal development (p<0.05). The following variables showed the best value for prediction of maturational groups: sitting height, femoral biepicondylar diameter, forearm girth, triceps skinfold, tibiale laterale and acromiale-radiale bonelenghts. These variables were able to estimate the pubertal stages in 76.3% of the sujects. Conclusion: The anthropometric characteristics showed significant differences between the moments of maturational stages, being found, representatively, seven variables that best predict the stages of sexual maturation.

Lifestyle and sleep patterns among people living with and without HIV/AIDS

INTRODUCTION Negative lifestyles affect the health and quality of sleep of those living with and without HIV/AIDS. METHODS Individuals were divided into two groups based on whether or not they were living with HIV/AIDS. RESULTS Among the 20 participants, 95% displayed a poor lifestyle, and both groups demonstrated low-quality sleep with significant differences between groups in the early sleep variables, total sleep time, and sleep patterns. CONCLUSIONS Both groups demonstrated similar behavior with unsatisfactory lifestyles, poor sleep quality, and irregular sleep patterns.

Exercise and reproductive function in polycystic ovary syndrome: protocol of a systematic review

BackgroundAlthough many post-participation outcomes in different types of physical training (e.g., aerobic and strength) have been previously investigated for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, there is no recent systematic review of the relationship between various types of intervention and the reproductive function of women with PCOS. The current paper describes a systematic review protocol on the benefits of physical exercise and dietary or drug interventions on endocrinological outcomes in women with PCOS.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, Bireme, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane Library (Cochrane Systematic Reviews Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Studies (CENTRAL) databases will be searched. Studies randomized controlled trials reporting on intervening changes in exercise interventions with or without interventions compared such as diet, medication and acupuncture on the menstrual cycle, and fertility in women with PCOS will be included. Results will be on the decrease of the characteristics of hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and obesity. Studies published since 2010 and in the English language will be included.DiscussionThis systematic review will identify improvement strategies and types of interventions that are geared toward improving endocrine and consequently metabolic parameters. Thus, the use of such strategies may increase the types of low-cost non-drug therapies that aid in the treatment of PCOS.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42017058869

Qualidade de vida, fatores socioeconômicos e clínicos e prática de exercício físico em pessoas vivendo com HIV/aids

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze whether socioeconomic and clinical aspects and the aspects of healthy life habits are associated with the quality of life of persons living with HIV/AIDS. METHODS This is a cross-sectional exploratory quantitative research, with 227 persons living with HIV/AIDS, treated at two hospitals of reference between April 2012 and June 2014. We used structured questionnaires to assess socioeconomic aspects (gender, age, education level, marital status, race, socioeconomic status, dependents on family income, employment relationship), clinical parameters (time of disease diagnosis, use and time of medication, CD4 T-cell count, and viral load), and practice of physical exercise. To assess quality of life, we used the Quality of Life questionnaire (HAT-QoL). For characterization of the socioeconomic and clinical data and domains of quality of life, we conducted a descriptive analysis (simple frequency, averages, and standard deviations). We applied linear regression, following a hierarchical model for each domain of quality of life. RESULTS The domains that presented lower averages for quality of life were financial concern, concern with confidentiality, general function, and satisfaction with life. We found associations with the variables of socioeconomic status and physical exercise, therapy, and physical exercise for the last two domains, consecutively. CONCLUSIONS The quality of life of persons living with HIV/AIDS shows losses, especially in the financial and confidentiality areas, followed by general function of the body and satisfaction with life, in which socioeconomic and clinical aspects and healthy living habits, such as the practice of physical exercise, are determining factors for this reality.OBJETIVO Analisar se aspectos socioeconomicos, clinicos e de habitos de vida saudavel estao associados a qualidade de vida em pessoas vivendo com HIV/aids. METODOS Pesquisa quantitativa exploratoria de corte transversal, com 227 pessoas vivendo com HIV/aids, atendidos em dois hospitais de referencia entre os periodos de abril 2012 a junho de 2014. Foram utilizados questionarios […]

Transcranial direct current stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury: Assessment of autonomic nervous system activity

BACKGROUND We hypothesized in this study that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of primary motor cortex could exert top-down modulation over subcortical systems associated with autonomic control and thus be useful to revert some of the dysfunctional changes found in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of subjects with spinal cord injuries (SCI). OBJECTIVE To explore the acute effect of tDCS on ANS indexed by Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in individuals with SCI and analyze whether this effect depends on the gender, degree, level and time of injury. METHODS In this randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blinded study, 18 adults with SCI (32.9±7.9 years old) were included; the intervention consisted of a single 12-minute session of active tDCS (anodal, 2 mA) and a control session of sham tDCS applied over Cz (bihemispheric motor cortex). HRV was calculated using spectral analysis. Low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF), and LF/HF ratio variables were evaluated before, during, and post tDCS. RESULTS A two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that after active (anodal) stimulation, LF/HF ratio was significantly increased (P = 0.013). There was a trend for an interaction between time and stimulation for both LF and HF (P = 0.052). Paired exploratory t-tests reported effects on the difference of time [post-pre] between stimulation conditions for LF (P = 0.052), HF (P = 0.052) and LF/HF (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION Anodal tDCS of the motor cortex modulated ANS activity in individuals with SCI independent of gender, type and time of lesion. These changes were in the direction of normalization of ANS parameters, thus confirming our initial hypothesis that an enhancement of cortical excitability by tDCS could at least partially restore some of the dysfunctional activity in the ANS system of subjects with SCI.

Pubertal maturation and health risk behaviors in adolescents: a systematic review

Objective: The objective of this academic work is to demonstrate evidences available in literature about the association among the pubertal maturation and health risk behavior in adolescents. Methods: It was used the database from MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scopus, Lilacs and Web of Science. The terms used in the research, with its variations, were “puberty”, “maturation”, “maturity”, “risk behaviors”, “risk factors”, “adolescent” and “student”. Results: Out of 838 manuscripts found in the databases, after the sorting and applied the eligibility criteria, remained in this systematic review 13 articles. Early maturation was associated significantly with the use of alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs, early sexual initiation, sedentary behaviors and involvement in fights, where girls showed higher prevalence. Conclusions: Henceforth, the results from the current study indicates that the early maturation is associated with health risk behaviors in adolescents, especially with the use of alcohol and cigarettes.