Quantitative and Qualitative tools for a physical education program that increases inclusion of children with disabilities

Aim: New technologies in PE provide children with the opportunity (a) to improve motor learning and self-efficacy, (b) model and stucture new prospective of the educational process (Clapham et al.,2015). The purpose of this study is to evalute and compare (a) the development of motor coordination of primary school\u2019s children in relation to BMI, (b) effects of strategies that utilize interactive video game technology (T0 vs T1), (c) enjoyment and physical selfefficacy between EG and CG. Methods: The study has been conducted in a primary school of Puglia, Italy. The sample includes 65 children, separated into two groups in relation to sex and BMI: EG (M: 22, age,10.09 \ub1 0.30; F:19, age 10.10 \ub1 0.31) and CG (M: 12, age, 10 \ub1 0.42; F: 12, age 10 \ub1 0.0). The experimental program consists of 10 lessons, using specialised interactive video game technology to point out unusual motor responses. For the CG has been used teaching styles of production. The following tests have been proposed before and after the intervention: MOBAK 5 (Hermann and Seelig 2016), PSP_C (physical self-efficacy) and PACES (enjoyment). Results: Besides the descriptive statistics (M \ub1 DS), T-test was used in order to highlights significative differences between T0-T1, indipendently from sex differences. The significance value was set at p\0.05. Data analysis revealed significative differences between EG for boys and girls about (a) Control Object and Self-Movement (p\0.05); (b) and physical self efficacy scale (p\0.05). Conclusions: The use of modern technologies and different teaching styles in PE promote motor learning and self-efficacy in children. The trail of new and different instruments are needed to enhance educational environments and develop intrinsic motivation to motor activities. References 1. Clapham, E.D. et al. (2015). The Physical Educator. 72,1, 102\u2013116. 2. Hermann, C. & Seelig, H. (2016). Sportwissenschaft

Sex-differences in the longitudinal recovery of neuromuscular function in COVID-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors

Introduction: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may have muscle weakness up to 1 year or more following ICU discharge. However, females show greater muscle weakness than males, indicating greater neuromuscular impairment. The objective of this work was to assess sex differences in longitudinal physical functioning following ICU discharge for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: We performed longitudinal assessment of physical functioning in two groups: 14 participants (7 males, 7 females) in the 3-to-6 month and 28 participants (14 males, 14 females) in the 6-to-12 month group following ICU discharge and assessed differences between the sexes. We examined self-reported fatigue, physical functioning, compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude, maximal strength, and the neural drive to the tibialis anterior muscle. Results: We found no sex differences in the assessed parameters in the 3-to-6-month follow-up, indicating significant weakness in both sexes. Sex differences emerged in the 6-to-12-month follow-up. Specifically, females exhibited greater impairments in physical functioning, including lower strength, walking lower distances, and high neural input even 1 year following ICU-discharge. Discussion: Females infected by SARS-CoV-2 display significant impairments in functional recovery up to 1 year following ICU discharge. The effects of sex should be considered in post-COVID neurorehabilitation

Electrophysiological neuromuscular alterations and severe fatigue predict long-term muscle weakness in survivors of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome

IntroductionLong-term weakness is common in survivors of COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS). We longitudinally assessed the predictors of muscle weakness in patients evaluated 6 and 12 months after intensive care unit discharge with in-person visits.MethodsMuscle strength was measured by isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the tibialis anterior muscle. Candidate predictors of muscle weakness were follow-up time, sex, age, mechanical ventilation duration, use of steroids in the intensive care unit, the compound muscle action potential of the tibialis anterior muscle (CMAP-TA-S100), a 6-min walk test, severe fatigue, depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive assessment, and body mass index. We also compared the clinical tools currently available for the evaluation of muscle strength (handgrip strength and Medical Research Council sum score) and electrical neuromuscular function (simplified peroneal nerve test [PENT]) with more objective and robust measures of force (MVC) and electrophysiological evaluation of the neuromuscular function of the tibialis anterior muscle (CMAP-TA-S100) for their essential role in ankle control.ResultsMVC improved at 12 months compared with 6 months. CMAP-TA-S100 (P = 0.016) and the presence of severe fatigue (P = 0.036) were independent predictors of MVC. MVC was strongly associated with handgrip strength, whereas CMAP-TA-S100 was strongly associated with PENT.DiscussionElectrical neuromuscular abnormalities and severe fatigue are independently associated with reduced MVC and can be used to predict the risk of long-term muscle weakness in CARDS survivors

Topographical and physiological data collection for urban handbike tracks design

Cities should guarantee, to all the citizens, spaces for physical activity to allow people to reach the correct amount of activity during the week. Physical activity areas for people with disability need specific safety and accessibility precautions. The aim of this study is to give suggestion to modify tracks suitable for handbike practice and to classify and describe them in order to give useful information to the users. Ten healthy subjects were tested on a dedicated handbike equipped with a powermeter. The oxygen consumption, heart rate, speed, track elevation profile and distance during the execution of one selected track were simultaneously detected. This experimental set up resulted a reliable tool to describe the relation between the track topographical features and the individual metabolic engagement as a function of the speed. Further measures, on subjects with motor disability, will be the crucial translational phase of the whole project

The force-generation capacity of the tibialis anterior muscle at different muscle–tendon lengths depends on its motor unit contractile properties

Purpose Muscle-tendon length can influence central and peripheral motor unit (MU) characteristics, but their interplay is unknown. This study aims to explain the effect of muscle length on MU firing and contractile properties by applying deconvolution of high-density surface EMG (HDEMG), and torque signals on the same MUs followed at different lengths during voluntary contractions. Methods Fourteen participants performed isometric ankle dorsiflexion at 10% and 20% of the maximal voluntary torque (MVC) at short, optimal, and long muscle lengths (90 degrees, 110 degrees, and 130 degrees ankle angles, respectively). HDEMG signals were recorded from the tibialis anterior, and MUs were tracked by cross-correlation of MU action potentials across ankle angles and torques. Torque twitch profiles were estimated using model-based deconvolution of the torque signal based on composite MU spike trains. Results Mean discharge rate of matched motor units was similar across all muscle lengths (P = 0.975). Interestingly, the increase in mean discharge rate of MUs matched from 10 to 20% MVC force levels at the same ankle angle was smaller at 110 degrees compared with the other two ankle positions (P = 0.003), and the phenomenon was explained by a greater increase in twitch torque at 110 degrees compared to the shortened and lengthened positions (P = 0.002). This result was confirmed by the deconvolution of electrically evoked contractions at different stimulation frequencies and muscle-tendon lengths. Conclusion Higher variations in MU twitch torque at optimal muscle lengths likely explain the greater force-generation capacity of muscles in this position

Neuromuscular Fatigue Affects Calf Muscle Activation Strategies, but Not Dynamic Postural Balance Control in Healthy Young Adults

none7noNeuromuscular fatigue could negatively affect postural balance, but its effects on dynamic postural regulation are still debated. This study aimed to investigate whether a fatigue protocol on calf muscle could affect muscle activation strategies and dynamic balance performance. Seventeen male adults (age 24.1 ± 4.6 years; height 183.9 ± 7.2 cm; weight 80.2 ± 7.2 kg) volunteered in the study. They performed a dynamic test on an instrumented platform, which provided anterior-posterior oscillations on the sagittal plane, before and after a localized fatigue protocol. High-density surface electromyographical (EMG) signals were recorded bilaterally from the soleus and the medial gastrocnemius muscles. The fatigue protocol, consisting of two quasi-isometric tiptoe standing exercise to failure with a fixed load, did not affect the global dynamic balance performance. Conversely, the frequency value corresponding to 95% of the total power spectrum density of the angular displacement signal increased after fatigue (from 1.03 ± 0.42 to 1.31 ± 0.42 Hz; p < 0.05). The EMG analysis showed a significant difference in the PRE/POST fatigue ratio of the root-mean-square (RMS) between the soleus and the gastrocnemius medialis muscles. No differences were detected for the coefficient of variation and the barycenter coordinates of the RMS EMG values between muscles and sides. The variations in the frequency content of the angular displacement and EMG activity across muscles may be related to an increase in the calf muscles stiffness after fatigue. The role of neuromechanical calf muscle properties seems to be relevant in maintaining the dynamic postural performance after a quasi-isometric fatigue protocol until failure.noneMarcolin G.; Cogliati M.; Cudicio A.; Negro F.; Tonin R.; Orizio C.; Paoli A.Marcolin, G.; Cogliati, M.; Cudicio, A.; Negro, F.; Tonin, R.; Orizio, C.; Paoli, A