Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Compared to a Community-Based Exercise Program for Improving Older Adults\u27 Balance and Mood

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) may be an effective means of improving body composition and physical functioning in older adults, and the benefits may be comparable to traditional exercise modalities. The aim of this study was to test the effects of WBV on older adults’ balance and mood state. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one participants (5 male, M age= 89.8 ±8.8, and 26 female, M age = 74.5±8.1) were randomly assigned to WBV or a community-based exercise program (CBEP). The intervention lasted 6 months, with participants doing WBV 10-15 min, 5 d/wk or CBEP 50 min, 2 d/wk. The Sensory Organization Test (SOT) was used to assess overall balance. SOT data were collected using the NeuroCom (Clackamas, OR), which assesses three sensory systems associated with postural control: somatosensory, visual, and vestibular. Total mood disturbance (TMD) was assessed over the previous 6 months using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Data were collected pre- post-intervention. Results: Controlling for age and gender, a 2 (group) x 2 (time) repeated measures MANCOVA revealed no group, time, or group x time interaction effects (all p\u3e.05); however, the proportion of variance accounted for by the group x time interaction was 14%, which is moderate. Delta values for the WBV and CBEP for SOT were +2.00 and +5.31, respectively; and for TMD +5.66 and -0.19, respectively. Conclusion: No between or within group differences suggest that 6-months of WBV or CBEP produce similar results among older adults. The restrictive sample size and relatively low statistical power limit the finding’s generalizability

Behavior of Steel Structures in Fire Following Earthquakes

Fire following earthquake (FFE) events are cascading hazards that have caused great damage in the past and pose a continued threat to our communities. The increased risk for fire after a seismic event stems from potential damage to utilities such as gas or fuel pipelines, which can lead to ignition. Additionally, damage to water utilities can limit or prevent fire suppression efforts. Earthquake hazard studies performed to evaluate risks to Portland, OR and the California Bay Area found that seismic events in the areas could lead to damaging fires. The behavior of the lateral force resisting system and gravity system in a structure during a fire is critical to life safety. Damage to either of these systems could lead to loss of compartmentalization of a fire, which would allow further spread horizontally or vertically through a structure. In order to model and observe FFE structural performance, the authors developed modeling methodologies in the open-source finite element (FE) program, OpenSees. The methodologies were developed through a series of validation studies, benchmarking the results of OpenSees against experimental testing and against another FE program. The validation studies spanned from simple to complex 2D thermal-mechanical modeling techniques. These validation studies were then made available to the public on the OpenSees documentation website. The benchmarked methodologies were applied to a 2D steel moment resisting frame (MRF) to model FFE hazards through two investigations. The first FFE investigation examined the effects of three compartment fire locations and two fuel load levels (high and low). Results of the FFE analysis were compared to a fire-only hazard, investigating the influence of fire following earthquake would have on the steel moment frames behavior. The first study was also completed to identify vulnerabilities for further study in the second FFE investigation. Damage was greater in the first compartment fire location and was investigated further in the second FFE study. To investigate the 2D steel moment frame further, a coupled Incremental Fire Analysis (IFA) and Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) was performed. The IDA considered three ground-motions recorded in Oakland, CA during the Loma Prieta earthquake scaled to 1, 3, and 5 times Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA). Fire hazards for the IFA analysis were developed using 10 parametric time-temperature curves then scaled to temperatures, 600oC, 800oC, and 1000oC. Fire hazard Intensity Measure (IM) was maximum compartment gas temperature, and the Engineering Demand Parameter (EDP) was compartment beam displacement. Seismic hazard IM was PGA and the EDP selected was inter-story drift. Behavior of FFE and fire-only analysis was compared

Arte Contemporânea na Educação Infantil: uma proposta de estágio

O artigo relata a experiência de acadêmicos do Curso de Artes Visuais da Universidade Regional de Blumenau – FURB/SC, na disciplina de Estágio Curricular Supervisionado em Artes Visuais II, ministrada por mim no segundo semestre de 2006, em que abordaram a Arte Contemporânea na Educação Infantil. A escolha pelo tema se deu devido a dificuldade de apreciação da arte contemporânea, pois o grande público tem pouco contato com esse tipo de produção artística e ainda menos com os novos conceitos de apreciação necessários para tal. Acreditando que a educação visual começa desde cedo, optou-se por desenvolver esse tema junto às crianças, iniciando-as no contato com a arte contemporânea, perguntando se elas estariam aptas a sua fruição. A premissa era que o tema encontraria aceitação do público infantil, pois este possui grande abertura de espírito, condição indispensável para a apreciação da arte contemporânea. Três equipes de acadêmicos aceitaram o desafio e elaboraram projetos dentro desta temática, cada qual com uma abordagem específica: 1) A arte contemporânea sob a ótica ingênua da criança, 2) Arte contemporânea: preparando o olhar da criança, 3) Um diálogo entre as linguagens de arte e a arte contemporânea ecoando na Educação Infantil. Os estágios foram realizados respectivamente na escola Arno Zadrosny e em dois Centros de Educação Infantil, Augusto Köester e Érica Braun, todos na cidade de Blumenau. Os resultados foram amplamente satisfatórios e confirmou nossa suposição inicial, a de que a criança pode desenvolver critérios de produção e fruição da arte contemporânea.Palavras-Chave    : arte contemporânea; educação infantil; fruição estética

Sustentabilidade turística :: estudo da capacidade de carga de áreas turísticas - estudo de caso do Porto da Barra - Ilha de Santa Catarina /

Dissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina,Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas

Suicide mortality in Brazil: temporal analysis (2010-2021) and comparison with the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To analyze suicide cases in Brazil from 2010 to 2021 and the sociodemographic characteristics of this phenomenon, including the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess whether there was a relationship between the increase in suicide cases in Brazil and this illness. Methods: Ecological timeline study, with 140,339 cases analyzed from the Mortality Information System (SIM) databases. Rates and statistical regressions were performed using STATA® software. Results: Higher suicide rates in men, singles, and residents of the South and Midwest regions were observed. The age group of 10–19 years had an increase of 1.7 cases x 100 thousand inhabitants/year. Analysis by region revealed significant variations in rates, suggesting the influence of contextual factors. Although the pandemic affected mental health, it was not possible to establish a direct relationship between COVID-19 and increased suicide rates. Conclusion: These results reinforce the need for public policies and preventive interventions, especially for vulnerable groups such as young people. A multifactorial approach is suggested that considers socioeconomic factors, access to mental health services, and reduced stigma associated with mental illness. In short, this study contributes to understanding the temporal trends and demographic characteristics of suicides in Brazil, highlighting the importance of further longitudinal investigations to better understand this complex phenomenon. Hopefully, this evidence will strengthen mental health policies and promote more effective suicide prevention strategies.

Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Induced by Primary Hyperparathyroidism is Restored After Parathyroidectomy

Background— Symptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. However, data on the association between asymptomatic PHPT and cardiovascular risk are lacking. We assessed coronary flow reserve (CFR) as a marker of coronary microvascular function in asymptomatic PHPT of recent onset. Methods and Results— We studied 100 PHPT patients (80 women; age, 58±12 years) without cardiovascular disease and 50 control subjects matched for age and sex. CFR in the left anterior descending coronary artery was detected by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, at rest, and during adenosine infusion. CFR was the ratio of hyperemic to resting diastolic flow velocity. CFR was lower in PHPT patients than in control subjects (3.0±0.8 versus 3.8±0.7; P <0.0001) and was abnormal (≤2.5) in 27 patients (27%) compared with control subjects (4%; P =0.0008). CFR was inversely related to parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels ( r =−0.3, P <0.004). In patients with CFR ≤2.5, PTH was higher (26.4 pmol/L [quartiles 1 and 3, 16 and 37 pmol/L] versus 18 [13–25] pmol/L; P <0.007), whereas calcium levels were similar (2.9±0.1 versus 2.8±0.3 mmol/L; P =0.2). In multivariable linear regression analysis, PTH, age, and heart rate were the only factors associated with CFR ( P =0.04, P =0.01, and P =0.006, respectively). In multiple logistic regression analysis, only PTH increased the probability of CFR ≤2.5 ( P =0.03). In all PHPT patients with CFR ≤2.5, parathyroidectomy normalized CFR (3.3±0.7 versus 2.1±0.5; P <0.0001). Conclusions— PHPT patients have coronary microvascular dysfunction that is completely restored after parathyroidectomy. PTH independently correlates with the coronary microvascular impairment, suggesting a crucial role of the hormone in explaining the increased cardiovascular risk in PHPT

A Role for Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Stress in Controlling Lineage Commitment of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Through Inhibition of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

The mechanisms by which chronic ethanol intake induces bone loss remain unclear. In females, the skeletal response to ethanol varies depending on physiologic status (e.g., cycling, pregnancy, or lactation). Ethanol-induced oxidative stress appears to be a key event leading to skeletal toxicity. In this study, ethanol-containing liquid diets were fed to postlactational female Sprague-Dawley rats intragastrically for 4 weeks beginning at weaning. Ethanol consumption decreased bone mineral density (BMD) compared with control animals during this period of bone rebuilding following the end of lactation. Coadministration of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was able to block bone loss and downregulation of the bone-formation markers alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin in serum and gene expression in bone. Real-time array analysis of total RNA isolated from bone tissue revealed that the majority of Wnt signaling components were downregulated by chronic ethanol infusion. Real-time PCR confirmed downregulated gene expression in a subset of the Wnt signaling components by ethanol. However, the Wnt antagonist DKK1 was upregulated by ethanol. The key canonical Wnt signaling molecule β-catenin protein expression was inhibited, while glycogen synthase kinase-3-β was dephosphorylated by ethanol in bone and preosteoblastic cells. These actions of ethanol were blocked by NAC. Ethanol treatment inactivated TCF/LEF gene transcription, eliminated β-catenin nuclear translocation in osteoblasts, and reciprocally suppressed osteoblastogenesis and enhanced adipogenesis. These effects of ethanol on lineage commitment of mesenchymal stem cells were eliminated by NAC pretreatment. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that ethanol inhibits bone formation through stimulation of oxidative stress to suppress Wnt signaling. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Twelve months of voluntary heavy alcohol consumption in male rhesus macaques suppresses intracortical bone remodeling

Chronic heavy alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cortical bone fractures in males. The increase in fracture risk may be due, in part, to reduced bone quality. Intracortical (osteonal) bone remodeling is the principle mechanism for maintaining cortical bone quality. However, it is not clear how alcohol abuse impacts intracortical bone remodeling. This study investigated the effects of long-duration heavy alcohol consumption on intracortical bone remodeling in a non-human primate model. Following a 4-month induction period, male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta, n = 21) were allowed to voluntarily self-administer water or alcohol (4% ethanol w/v) for 22 h/d, 7 d/wk for 12 months. Control monkeys (n = 13) received water and an isocaloric maltose-dextrin solution. Tetracycline hydrochloride was administered orally 17 and 3 days prior to sacrifice for determination of active mineralization sites. Animals in the alcohol group consumed 2.7 ± 0.2 g alcohol/kg/d (mean ± SE) during the 12 months of self-administration, resulting in a mean daily blood alcohol concentration of 77 ± 9 mg/dl from samples taken at 7 h after the start of a daily session. However, blood alcohol concentration varied widely from day to day, with peak levels exceeding 250 mg/dl, modeling a binge-drinking pattern of alcohol consumption. The skeletal response to alcohol was determined by densitometry, microcomputed tomography and histomorphometry. Significant differences in tibial bone mineral content, bone mineral density, and cortical bone architecture (cross-sectional volume, cortical volume, marrow volume, cortical thickness, and polar moment of inertia) in the tibial diaphysis were not detected with treatment. However, cortical porosity was lower (1.8 ± 0.5 % versus 0.6 ± 0.1 %, p = 0.021) and labeled osteon density was lower (0.41 ± 0.2/mm² versus 0.04 ± 0.01/mm², p < 0.003) in alcohol-consuming monkeys compared to controls, indicating a reduced rate of intracortical bone remodeling. In concordance, plasma CTx was lower (2.5 ± 0.3 ng/ml versus 1.7 ± 0.1 ng/ml, p = 0.028) in the alcohol group. These results suggest that chronic heavy alcohol consumption may negatively impact bone health, in part, by suppressing intracortical bone remodeling.Keywords: Ethanol, Histomorphometry, Non-human primate, Haversian remodeling, Microcomputed tomograph