Assessment of physical fitness of young rugby players of the club „MKS Ogniwo Sopot" after a year of systematic training

Introduction: The aim of the study was to assess the physical fitness of young players from the club "MKS Ogniwo Sopot" after a year of systematic training and to evaluate the components of physical fitness supporting the motor performance of young rugby players. Overall balance, responsiveness, coordination, running speed and agility, and endurance were assessed to align with selected EUROFIT tests. Results: Thirteen players took part in the study. Physical fitness was tested by using five EUROFIT tests. Statistically significant differences were found in the results of the following tests: Plate Tapping test, Standing Long Jump test, 10 x 5 m Shuttle test, Beep test. The only test with a statistically insignificant difference was the Flamingo Balance test. Conclusion: Analyzing the presented research results, it can be concluded that the athletes obtained higher results than in the previous year, indicating the development of physical fitness components that support the motor achievements their. Physical fitness depends on these components, so we can conclude that an annual period of systematic training has had a positive effect on the physical fitness of young athletes

Assessment of balance and risk of falls in people over 60 years old

Introduction: Falls of the elderly are a significant problem for public health and healthcare. They are also included in the geriatric giants, and the assessment of balance and risk of falls is an important part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). It is estimated that almost one in three people over the age of 65 living independently in a community suffers one fall per year. These estimates increase with age, and in people older than 80 years, every second senior may experience at least one fall. The aim of the study was to assess the balance and risk of falls in people over 60 years of age living independently in society. Materials and methods: The study enrolled 40 seniors over the age of 60 who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria. Three functional tests were used to assess balance and the risk of falls among seniors: the Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Four Square Step Test (FSST) and One-leg standing (OLS). Result: The study shows that as age increases, subjects perform worse on the Timed Up and Go rho = 0.38 test; p < 0.05 and in the Four Square Step Test rho = 0.53; p < 0.01. No statistically significant differences were observed between genders or age groups in the One Leg Standing test (OLS), although older people scored worse than younger age groups. There were no statistically significant associations between performance test results and BMI. The average results of the clinical tests show that the seniors in the study had good balance and a low risk of falling

Telemedicine in neurology

Introduction Telemedicine in neurology has been developed for the last two decades. However, this concept has only been introduced to the emergency scene recently. In the above review current state and prognosis of development of telemedicine would be described. Material and methods Articles in the EBSCO database have been analyzed using keywords: telemedicine, neurology. The available literature is subjectively selected. Then, the newest version of every paper was searched for. Results Results of researches with applications of telemedicine in neurology in emergency, chronic conditions. Moreover, potential costs and benefits were described. Conclusions The involvement of stroke specialists also facilitated the diagnosis of other neurological emergencies such as intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, hypoglycemia and seizure. Potential barriers to the use of this technology include the initial costs of equipment and training of personnel. Further development of telemedicine would possibly improve both emergency and long-term care in neurology

Physical activity in healthy, older people. How many drops of sweat away from gain the health benefit?

Kujawska Agnieszka, Perkowski Radosław, Androsiuk-Perkowska Joanna, Skierkowska Natalia, Gajos Małgorzata, Topka Weronika, Kujawski Sławomir, Kędziora-Kornatowska Kornelia. Physical activity in healthy, older people. How many drops of sweat away from gain the health benefit?. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(7):412-422. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.833881 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/4640 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 01.07.2017. Revised: 02.07.2017. Accepted: 23.07.2017. Physical activity in healthy, older people. How many drops of sweat away from gain the health benefit? Agnieszka Kujawska1, Radosław Perkowski1, Joanna Androsiuk-Perkowska1, Natalia Skierkowska1, Małgorzata Gajos1, Weronika Topka1, Sławomir Kujawski2, Kornelia Kędziora-Kornatowska1 1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Department and Clinic of Geriatrics, Nicolaus Copernicus University 2. Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Ergonomics, Division of Ergonomics and Exercise Physiology, Nicolaus Copernicus University Abstract Introduction: Aging process leads to increased risk of functional impairments and diseases occurrence. Sedentary lifestyle is one of the main risk factors the occurrence of chronic disease such a diabetes and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, results of many studies showed that regular physical activity (PA) and physical exercise (PE) could decrease the risk of these hazards. Last decades were fruitful in developing evidence-based recommendations for physical activity and exercise in older people, therefore it is worth to examine dynamics of development and the similarities between different recommendations. Material and methods: Articles in the EBSCO database have been analyzed using keywords: older people, physical exercise, physical activity, recommendations, aerobic training, resistance training. Results: Studies showed that people who were more active during lifetime, have greater self-efficacy, better physical and mental health status and in general higher satisfaction on the autumn of their life. Every analyzed recommendation underlies the negative consequences of sedentary activity, however, there is no evidence-based “cut-off” point. Similarly, there is not clear optimal “dose” of PA or PE to prescribe for older patients. Conclusions: It seems that undertaking light level of PA activity is more beneficial than none PA or sedentary lifestyle. The newest recommendations underlie the possibility of the existence of positive linear relationship between the level of PA and health benefits: every additional amount of time spent on PA during week could be related with additional health benefit Key words: Older people, physical exercise, physical activity, recommendations, aerobic exercise training, resistance exercise trainin

The influence of non-pharmacological methods in osteoporosis treatment

Introduction Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder which results from an imbalance in bone remodeling. The disease can occur because of failure to achieve peak bone mass and/or excessive bone resorption and/or decreased bone formation during remodelling. Multiple pathogenetic and regulatory mechanisms are responsible for these changes. In the above review, selected non-pharmacological therapies in osteoporosis are described. Material and methods Articles in the EBSCO database have been analyzed using keywords: osteoporosis, osteopenia, treatment. The available literature is subjectively selected. Then, the newest version of every paper was searched for. Results Results of researches on osteoporosis pathomechanism, quality of life in patients, comorbidities, non-pharmacological methods for treatment of osteoporosis, the impact of physical exercise, role of diet as adjunctive therapy in osteoporosis were described. Conclusions Osteoporosis and treatment influence on the patient's functioning and subjective assessment of the quality of life. Medical doctors need to take into account high occurrence of multimorbidity in adults with osteoporosis to be able to propose comprehensive treatment. The treatment of the affected patients should be improved to offer early or even preventive care for other diseases that coexist with osteoporosis. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as diet, seem to be effective in osteoporosis. Effects of physical exercise could be beneficial in osteoporosis patients, however further studies are needed to determine specifics of the most effective program

Can physical activity influence the quality of sleep among the elderly?

Introduction: Research shows that over the half of people in the age of more than fifty have got problems with lowered quality of sleep. The cause of lowered quality of sleep is i.a. waking up early, lengthened sleep latency, increased number of waking during the night or shortened time of sleep. The aim of the study was to show how significant are sleep related problems which appear after the age of fifty and how regular physical activity can improve the quality of sleep and as a result functioning of the elderly. Physical activity delays involutional changes and the process of ageing, which lets the elderly stay independent and self-reliant in everyday activities. The aim of the study: The study was to mark the connection between physical activity intensity and the quality of sleep of the elderly. 290 Material and methods: Research for the study was made by means of anonymous survey which consisted of two questionnaires: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and The International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The survey was targeted at people in the age of over fifty. 100 people took part in the research. Results: Significant statistical correlation between early falling asleep, waking up at night or before dawn with the intensive or moderate physical effort has been obtained. Conclusions: The research has shown that people who performed intense or moderate physical activity woke up less frequently during the night, fell asleep faster and reported better quality of sleep. In addition, it has been noticed that the lowered quality of sleep has got a negative influence on i.a. energy levels and staying alert

ACE I/D polymorphism associated with muscle strength and its relation to the health status of people over 60 years of age

Among older people, a big problem is the decrease in both muscle strength and general physical fitness. This often prevents the proper functioning of a person, which makes him or her dependent on their guardians or family. It is believed that the ACE gene is associated with better results achieved in strength sports. It may also be related to the health condition of older people. For this purpose, a study was conducted on a group of 60 people over 60 years of age. The study was conducted with the consent of the bioethical commission and under the supervision of physiotherapists. The relationship between overall fitness and muscle strength of older people with ACE genotypic variants was checked. For this purpose, a questionnaire on physical activity of IPAQ was used. On its basis, the values ​​of MET and BMI coefficients were determined. Fitness tests were also carried out, i.e. SPPB, DGI and Up & Go. The ACE gene was tested by PCR. The insertion-deletion polymorphism of the Alu sequence in this gene was examined. It was found that: DD gene genotype ACE is associated with higher values ​​of BMI and shorter standing time on the left leg (p<0.05), genotype II is associated with lower overall physical activity determined on the basis of MET (p<0.05), genotype ID is associated with better results in the left leg test (p<0.05). Based on obtained results it is impossible to determine if ACE gene has clear impact on muscle strength and health of the older adults

Sleep quality disorders among the people of old and presenile age

According to the newest research over the half of geriatric population suffers from sleep disorders. Lowered quality of sleep has got a negative influence on biopsychosocial functioning of an individual. The aim of the study was to define the magnitude of the problem of sleep quality disorders occurrence in the elderly. The research for the study was carried out by means of anonymous survey which consists of two questionnaires: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a survey constructed for the sake of the study. 100 people took part in the study and the survey was aimed at people over the age of 50. The research showed that over one fifth of the subjects assess their sleep as rather bad and significant correlations between lengthening the time needed to fall asleep and waking up at night or before dawn and the lack of energy

Cognitive disorders and fitness of the elderly in residential homes in Bydgoszcz

Introduction. Process of ageing and the growing number of people in retirement age is one of the main problems of the modern world. Together with advancing age both fitness and mental capacity deteriorate. Research proves that there is dependence between cognitive functions and fitness of the elderly. Aim. The aim of the study was to compare fitness with cognitive functions among residents of residential home in Bydgoszcz. Material and methods. 59 people (35 women and 24 men) at the age of 60 to 98 participated in the study. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive functions. Fitness was assessed by means of Tinetti Test. The subjects were divided according to a) age: group 60-75 and 75+ and b) gender. Results. Negative correlation was observed between age and Tinetti Test results. In the study there was positive and moderate correlation between MMSE scale and Tinetti Test results. In Tinetti Test results regarding differences due to gender were close to statistical significance. Conclusions. There is a dependence between age and weakening of fitness in the elderly in residential homes in Bydgoszcz. Risk of falls increases with age. There is a dependence between cognitive functions disorders and fitness of the elderly from residential homes in Bydgoszcz

Association between ACTN3 gene polymorphism and muscle strength in older adults

The decrease of muscle strength and general physical fitness is a big problem in the elderly group. It often prevents the proper functioning of a person, which makes him/her dependent on caretakers. It is believed that the some polymorphisms in ACTN3 geneare associated with better results in strength sports. If those polymorphisms affect muscle strength, they may also be related to the health condition of older people. Our study was conducted on a group of 60 people over 60 years of age. The relationship between overall fitness and muscular strength of elderly patients with ACTN R577X gene polymorphism was checked. The ACTN3 gene was tested by PCR-RFLP. Overall fitness was tested using the IPAQ questionnaire and fitness tests: Tinetti, DGI, Up&Go, SPPB, standing on one leg (both right and left). Based on the results of the survey, the MET and BMI coefficients were determined. It was found that the RX genotype is associated with better results achieved in the SPPB test. Genotype XX was associated with worse results in the right leg standing test (p<0.05). The R-allele of the ACTN3 gene wasassociated with better results obtained during the standing test on the right leg (p<0.05).Based on obtained results it was impossible to determine a clear impact of the ACTN3 gene on muscle strength and health of the older adults