Influence of motor practices on university students’ emotional state [Influencia de las prácticas motrices sobre el estado emocional de estudiantes universitarios]

The emotional experience is a key aspect when promoting student’s well-being from the physical education. This study analyzed the effects of three kinds of motor practices without teammates or adversaries (games, body expression and introjections) on women and men’s emotional state. 358 students took part in this study (98 women, 27.37%, and 260 men, 72.63%) from four different Spanish universities. After each activity students filled out a questionnaire to validate the Games and Emotions Scale (GES), indicating the experienced intensity in positive, negative and ambiguous emotions. Data were analyzed by generalized estimating equations. It was confirmed that the three kinds of practices work as specific subdomains in the emotional experience. Men showed more intense emotions than women (p <.001), although both genders had a similar emotional behavior in motor expression and motor introjections practices. Women registered lower values in motor games. La vivencia emocional es un aspecto clave para promover el bienestar del alumnado desde la educación física. Este trabajo examinó los efectos de tres tipos de prácticas psicomotrices sin presencia de compañeros y de adversarios (juegos, expresión e introyección) sobre el estado emocional de mujeres y hombres. Participaron 358 estudiantes (98 mujeres, 27,37% y 260 hombres, 72,63%) de 4 universidades españolas. Tras cada actividad los estudiantes cumplimentaron el cuestionario validado de juegos y emociones (GES), indicando la intensidad experimentada en emociones positivas, negativas y ambiguas. Los datos se analizaron mediante ecuaciones de estimación generalizadas. Se confirmó que los tres tipos de prácticas funcionan como subdominios específicos en la vivencia emocional. Los hombres expresaron emociones más intensas (p < ,001) que las mujeres, aunque ambos sexos tuvieron un comportamiento emocional similar en la expresión e introyección. Las mujeres registraron valores inferiores en los juegos motores

Latent tuberculosis infection, tuberculin skin test and vitamin D status in contacts of tuberculosis patients: a cross-sectional and case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Deficient serum vitamin D levels have been associated with incidence of tuberculosis (TB), and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). However, to our knowledge, no studies on vitamin D status and tuberculin skin test (TST) conversion have been published to date. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃(25[OH]D) status with LTBI prevalence and TST conversion in contacts of active TB in Castellon (Spain).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was designed in two phases: cross-sectional and case-control. From November 2009 to October 2010, contacts of 42 TB patients (36 pulmonary, and 6 extra-pulmonary) were studied in order to screen for TB. LTBI and TST conversion cases were defined following TST, clinical, analytic and radiographic examinations. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) on a COBAS^®410 ROCHE^®analyzer. Logistic regression models were used in the statistical analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study comprised 202 people with a participation rate of 60.1%. Only 20.3% of the participants had a sufficient serum 25(OH)D (≥ 30 ng/ml) level. In the cross-sectional phase, 50 participants had LTBI and no association between LTBI status and serum 25(OH)D was found. After 2 months, 11 out of 93 negative LTBI participants, without primary prophylaxis, presented TST conversion with initial serum 25(OH)D levels: a:19.4% (7/36): < 20 ng/ml, b:12.5% (4/32):20-29 ng/ml, and c:0%(0/25) ≥ 30 ng/ml. A sufficient serum 25(OH)D level was a protector against TST conversion a: Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.00; b: OR = 0.49 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07-2.66); and c: OR = 0.10 (95% CI 0.00-0.76), trends p = 0.019, adjusted for high exposure and sputum acid-fast bacilli positive index cases. The mean of serum level 25(OH)D in TST conversion cases was lower than controls,17.5 ± 5.6 ng/ml versus 25.9 ± 13.7 ng/ml (p = 0.041).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest that sufficient serum 25(OH)D levels protect against TST conversion.</p

An overlooked connection: serotonergic mediation of estrogen-related physiology and pathology

BACKGROUND: In humans, serotonin has typically been investigated as a neurotransmitter. However, serotonin also functions as a hormone across animal phyla, including those lacking an organized central nervous system. This hormonal action allows serotonin to have physiological consequences in systems outside the central nervous system. Fluctuations in estrogen levels over the lifespan and during ovarian cycles cause predictable changes in serotonin systems in female mammals. DISCUSSION: We hypothesize that some of the physiological effects attributed to estrogen may be a consequence of estrogen-related changes in serotonin efficacy and receptor distribution. Here, we integrate data from endocrinology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and epidemiology to propose that serotonin may mediate the effects of estrogen. In the central nervous system, estrogen influences pain transmission, headache, dizziness, nausea, and depression, all of which are known to be a consequence of serotonergic signaling. Outside of the central nervous system, estrogen produces changes in bone density, vascular function, and immune cell self-recognition and activation that are consistent with serotonin's effects. For breast cancer risk, our hypothesis predicts heretofore unexplained observations of the opposing effects of obesity pre- and post-menopause and the increase following treatment with hormone replacement therapy using medroxyprogesterone. SUMMARY: Serotonergic mediation of estrogen has important clinical implications and warrants further evaluation