Can a Halliwick swimming programme develop water competence, static and dynamic balance in disabled participants?

Introduction The Halliwick concept is an aquatic rehabilitation programme aiming to enhance balance and core stability of disabled individuals. Previous studies focused on assessing the participants’ satisfaction on Halliwick programmes or the acquisition of water motor skills (Garcia et al., 2012).Yet, as far as our understanding goes there is not in the literature the assessment of the water independence or the transfer to land-based body balance and posture. Methods Nine individuals (33±12.3 years) diagnosed with cerebral palsy (n=2), mental disability (n=4) and trisomy 21 (n=3) were took part in a Halliwick’s 10-point programme. The programme had a duration of 15 weeks comprising one weekly session with one hour of duration. All sessions were planned and implemented by a trained therapist. In the beginning (W0) and in the end (W15) of the intervention programme it was assessed the water competence, static and dynamic balance. Water competence was assessed by the Water Orientation Test Align 2 (WOTA, in points) that is capped to 81 points (Tiroshi et al., 2008). Static balance was assessed by one-leg stance test (OST, in s) and functional reaching test (FRT, in m) according to standard guidelines. The Time up & go test (TUGT, in s) was selected as a measure of dynamic balance. Results Water competence measured by WOTA 2 showed significant improvements (WOTAW0 = 39±11 vs WOTAW15 = 57±16 points, p <0.01) between the beginning and end of the programme. Static balance also improved. There was a significant change in the OST (OSTW0 = 15.56±12.88 vs OSTW15 = 17.78±12.48 s, p = 0.04) and FRT (FRTW0 = 0.20±0.09 vs FRTW15 = 0.24±0.11 m, p <0.01) performances. Dynamic balance also improved (TUGTW0 = 9.12±2.61 vs TUGTW15 = 7.74±2.52 s, p = 0.01) after the 15th week. Conclusions It can be concluded that 15 weeks of a well-designed Halliwick programme can improve water competence of disabled individuals. Concurrently, it was also noted a positive transfer of the skills acquired in water to on land body balance and posture. Hence, fitness and health practitioners should be aware of the water benefits to improve balance and core stability in disable populations

Cardiovascular effort in different head-out aquatic exercise routines: influence of limbs action and floating equipment.

Introduction Head-out aquatic exercise classes comprise limbs action with or without equipment to diversity and change the intensity of the session. Instructors use arms only, legs only action or full mode of exercise to induce different forms of effort. Although acute physiological response can be dependent from the number of limbs in action or by the inclusion of floating material (Costa et al., 2008), there is a need to stagger those routines for health and conditioning purposes. Methods Ten young and healthy women (22.2±2.6 years, 59.3±12.5 kg of body mass and 1.63±0.08 m of height) were recruited to perform five head-out aquatic exercises: (i) horizontal arms abduction (Ab); (ii) horizontal arms abduction with dumbbells (AbDum); (iii) frontal kick (Fk); (iv) frontal kick with leggings (FkLeg), and; (v) aquatic skiing (Ski). Subjects were randomly assigned to each routine that was performed for three minutes at the cadence of 132 bpm. Cardiovascular response was assessed by heart rate, systolic blood pressure, double product and rating of perceived exertion. Results There were significant and strong variations in all variables according to the routine performed (p 0.64 for all). The heart rate was higher in FkLeg (140.40±25.50 bpm) compared to Ab (110.30±23.75 bpm, p = 0.03) and AbDum (110.00±22.70 bpm, p = 0.04). The systolic blood pressure showed higher values in Fk (120.60±15.20 mmHg) when compared to Ab (104.50±10.80 mmHg, p = 0.05). The double product also showed higher values in Fk (15962.80) and FkLeg (16990.40) when compared to Ab (11608, p < 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively). Interestingly, the rating of perceived exertion showed lower values in Ski (10.40) than AbDum (13.60, p = 0.01) and FkLeg (15.80, p < 0.01). Conclusions It can be concluded that different head-out aquatic exercise routines, encompassing different limbs or with the aid of floating devices, induce different cardiovascular responses. Actions by the lower limbs are the most intense, while upper limbs elicit a lower exertion. Exercising the four limbs (e.g. aquatic skiing) seems to be less demanding than eliciting only two limbs with the aid of a floating device

Muscle activation levels during the Push-Up exercise on stable and unstable surfaces.

Introduction: The push-up (PU) is one of the most common strength exercises commonly used in the strength training programs for the upper body. Because Since it is limited to by the body weight, fitness trainers use several alternativesexercise types (e.g. unstable surfaces) have been developed in order to increase the activity activation of the involved muscles. This includes variants with unstable surfaces. This study aims aimed to analyze the changes in the muscle activity pattern induced by either performing PU exercise performed on a stable surface (on the ground) or an unstable surface (on a BOSU®). Methods: Eleven voluntary male subjects (age, mean ± SD: 21.9 ± 4.2 yrs.), familiarized with the push-up’s exercises, has have been recruited for this study. Is was asked to the subjects toSubjects performed firstly 5 repetitions of each push-up exercise (stable vs. unstable surfaces. Electromyographic activity (EMG) from the agonist muscles (clavicular, sternal and chondral portion of pectoral major, triceps brachii and anterior deltoid), antagonist muscles (latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii) and the stabilizer muscles (serratus anterior, superior trapezius, external oblique and erector spinae) has been collected with 11 wireless surface electrodes. and, simultaneously, has been collected kKinematic data. was also recorder to interpret technical execution. Results: The results showed that, from the agonist musclesgroup, only the magnitude of activation of the triceps brachii has been affected by the exercise type (p < 0.001). In the unstable PU the triceps brachii showed higher activation levels than in stable surface (70.13 ± 29.03% and 58.62 ± 25.31%, respectively). Regarding to the antagonist muscles behaviorgroup, the unstable PU exercise induced a higher activity of the brachial biceps and of the latissimus dorsi compared to the stable PU exercise (p <0.05 for both muscles). In additionFinally, for stabilizer muscles, it was observed that , during unstable PU, the upper trapezius activation was, on average, 37.79% higher than in the stable exercise (p <0.01) during unstable PU). Instead, for the serratus anterior, the activation level was, on averaged, significantly higher in the unstable PU exercise than in the stable PU (+ 14.71%, p = 0.01). For the external oblique there were no differences in muscle activity between exercise typess (p = 0.23). However, the activity of the erector spinae was significantly higher in unstable PU exercise (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Thesee results indicate that performing the push up exercise performed on an unstable surface (BOSU®) changes the pattern of activation of antagonist muscles, shoulder stabilizer muscles and agonist muscles, particularly the brachial triceps activation

Use of textile fibres in the reinforcement of a gypsum-cork based composite material

The study presented herein focus on the analysis of a series of experimental tests aiming at characterizing the performance of distinct textile fibers acting as a reinforcement of a gypsum-cork composite material. Two groups of textile fibers were selected, namely synthetic fibers (glass and basalt) and natural fibers (banana and sisal). The reinforced composite material was submitted to distinct types of loading, namely compression tests, which it was possible to obtain the compressive strength and to calculate the elastic modulus, and flexural loading Additionally, aiming at assessing the mode I fracture energy, indirect tests on notched beams were carried out

Exploring perceived barriers to physical activity among older adults living in low-population density regions: gender differences and associations with activity dimensions

Older people in low-population density regions tend to have fewer resources to engage in regular physical activity (PA) compared to their counterparts in urban areas. Moreover, PA assumes different dimensions, and the amount of PA related to each dimension may differ between women and men, predisposing them to different PA practices. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to describe the prevalence of barriers to PA, gender differences, and their associations with different PA dimensions. A total of 259 older adults (153 women and 106 men; age, 75.17 8.05 years old) living in the community in the region of Guarda (Portugal) were interviewed face to face to record their sociodemographic characteristics, general health status (comorbidity index and self-reported health), PA behaviour, and barriers to PA.Women were more likely to report “low” income and living alone (p 0.05), while men reported a higher negative health status than women (p < 0.05). Two intrinsic (“Fear of injury” (40.1%) and “Need for rest” (26.3%)) and two extrinsic barriers (“Lack of nearby facilities” (30.5%) and “I don’t have transport” (25.6%)) were the most prevalent. For women, age, self-reported health, comorbidity index, and intrinsic and extrinsic barriers were similarly associated with the different PA dimensions. However, only self-reported health and extrinsic barriers were the variables associated with the different PA dimensions in men. Therefore, strategies to promote active ageing in low-population density regions should be focused on reducing intrinsic and extrinsic barriers based on gender and the PA dimension to be achieved.This study was funded by PORTUGAL2020 and by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, I.P.), under project SAICT-POL/23811/2016 and through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UIDB/04045/2020. The Polytechnic of Guarda partly supported the research reported in this publication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Motor, cognitive and mobility deficits in 1000 geriatric patients : protocol of a quantitative observational study before and after routine clinical geriatric treatment – the ComOn-study

© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: Motor and cognitive deficits and consequently mobility problems are common in geriatric patients. The currently available methods for diagnosis and for the evaluation of treatment in this vulnerable cohort are limited. The aims of the ComOn (COgnitive and Motor interactions in the Older populatioN) study are (i) to define quantitative markers with clinical relevance for motor and cognitive deficits, (ii) to investigate the interaction between both motor and cognitive deficits and (iii) to assess health status as well as treatment outcome of 1000 geriatric inpatients in hospitals of Kiel (Germany), Brescia (Italy), Porto (Portugal), Curitiba (Brazil) and Bochum (Germany). Methods: This is a prospective, explorative observational multi-center study. In addition to the comprehensive geriatric assessment, quantitative measures of reduced mobility and motor and cognitive deficits are performed before and after a two week's inpatient stay. Components of the assessment are mobile technology-based assessments of gait, balance and transfer performance, neuropsychological tests, frailty, sarcopenia, autonomic dysfunction and sensation, and questionnaires to assess behavioral deficits, activities of daily living, quality of life, fear of falling and dysphagia. Structural MRI and an unsupervised 24/7 home assessment of mobility are performed in a subgroup of participants. The study will also investigate the minimal clinically relevant change of the investigated parameters. Discussion: This study will help form a better understanding of symptoms and their complex interactions and treatment effects in a large geriatric cohort.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study of a composite material based on plaster and cork

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia CivilA escassez de recursos a nível ambiental, económico e até social levam a sociedade a procurar novas alternativas. Neste sentido, a indústria da construção civil tem evoluído bastante na aplicação de novos processos construtivos, bem como na aplicação e desenvolvimento de novos materiais. A indústria da construção civil tem desempenhado um papel bastante importante no aproveitamento de subprodutos originários de outras indústrias. Nesse contexto, estudou-se um material compósito utilizando como materiais, subprodutos originários de outras indústrias. Com este estudo, procurou desenvolver-se alternativas às alvenarias convencionais, através do desenvolvimento de um novo material para aplicações em paredes divisórias não estruturais. Na presente investigação, foram desenvolvidas para o compósito quatro misturas, utilizando como materiais base, o gesso FGD e regranulado de cortiça, sendo utilizadas as fibras vegetais de banana e sisal e fibras minerais de basalto e vidro como materiais de reforço do material compósito. O estudo consistiu numa análise física e mecânica, através da realização de uma campanha de ensaios experimentais. Os diversos ensaios realizados consistiram na monitorização de provetes através de ultrassons, caracterização do comportamento à flexão e compressão. Foram efetuados ensaios para avaliação do processo de fratura e obtenção da energia de fratura. Os ensaios permitiram concluir que, apesar dos compósitos com fibras minerais revelarem um melhor comportamento mecânico, os compósitos com fibras vegetais provaram ser também uma boa alternativa de utilização em materiais compósitos para aplicação em blocos para fins não estruturais.The shortage of environmental, economical and even social resources demands the increase on research of new alternatives in the civil construction relating to new materials and processes. On this basis, the building industry has been developing new construction processes, as well as the study and application of new materials. The building industry has been playing an important role on the reuse of by-products from other industries. Therefore, a new composite material using by-products from other industries is studied here. This study aims at developing new alternatives to the conventional brickwork by testing a new material for application in non-structural partition walls. In the present investigation, four mixtures were studied based on the composite material resulting from the combination of FGD plaster and regranulated cork and different types of reinforcing with textile fibers, namely, Natural fibers of banana and sisal were used as well as mineral fibers of glass and basalt. The study consisted on a physical and mechanical analysis through a series of tests made in the lab in order to get its characterization. The different experiments consisted on the monitoring of test specimens through ultrasounds and behavior features under flexure and compression with the obtainment of compressive strength, flexural strength and the elasticity module. Additionally fracture energy tests were carried out aiming at characterizing the fracture process of the composite materials and obtaining the fracture energy. From the experimental campaign it was possible to conclude that mineral fibers perform better than natural ones, but it is considered that these ones can be a solution for the composite material to be applied in non-structural blocks

Wearable Health Technology to Quantify the Functional Impact of Peripheral Neuropathy on Mobility in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

The occurrence of peripheral neuropathy (PNP) is often observed in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with a prevalence up to 55%, leading to more prominent functional deficits. Motor assessment with mobile health technologies allows high sensitivity and accuracy and is widely adopted in PD, but scarcely used for PNP assessments. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the methodologies and the most relevant features to investigate PNP and PD motor deficits with wearables. Because of the lack of studies investigating motor impairments in this specific subset of PNP-PD patients, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases were used to summarize the state of the art on PNP motor assessment with wearable technology and compare it with the existing evidence on PD. A total of 24 papers on PNP and 13 on PD were selected for data extraction: The main characteristics were described, highlighting major findings, clinical applications, and the most relevant features. The information from both groups (PNP and PD) was merged for defining future directions for the assessment of PNP-PD patients with wearable technology. We established suggestions on the assessment protocol aiming at accurate patient monitoring, targeting personalized treatments and strategies to prevent falls and to investigate PD and PNP motor characteristics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio