Impact of short-term water exercise programs on weight, body composition, metabolic profile and quality of life of obese women

Physical exercises performed in water, such as water aerobics, have a minimal impact on the joints and are frequently indicated to help obese individuals to lose weight. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two water programs (continuous vs intermittent) on the body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), metabolic profile, and quality of life of obese women without nutritional intervention. Twenty-seven sedentary female volunteers (mean age and BMI of 42.8±7.4 years and 36.1±6.3kg.m-2, respectively) were selected and allocated randomly into two groups: continuous water exercise (CON) and intermittent water exercise (INT). Both programs lasted two months with 3 weekly sessions of 60 minutes each. The following evaluations were performed before and after the intervention: anthropometry (weight and body circumferences), body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass), metabolic profile (glycemia and lipid profile), REE (indirect calorimetry), and quality of life (SF-36 Questionnaire).Comparisons between groups and times (initial and final) were performed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon test. The groups did not differ in any of the variables analyzed at the initial time (Ti) and at the final time (Tf). Comparison of Ti vs f revealed significant reductions of weight (-0.6 kg), BMI(-0.3 kg.m-2), fat mass (-0.6 kg), arm circumference (-1.8cm) and hip circumference (-4.0cm) for CON group and significant reductions of only fat mass (-0.6kg)and arm circumference (-2.0cm) for INT group. Regarding quality of life, improvement in social and vitality aspects was observed in CON group and improvement in vitality and health status in INT group. Short-term water exercise programs not associated with nutritional monitoring have a modest impact on the weight, body composition and metabolic profile of obese women, with better results for programs with continuous characteristics. However, the improvement of quality of life aspects should not be overlooked

A Systematic Review of Algorithms with Linear-time Behaviour to Generate Delaunay and Voronoi Tessellations

Triangulations and tetrahedrizations are important geometrical discretization procedures applied to several areas, such as the reconstruction of surfaces and data visualization. Delaunay and Voronoi tessellations are discretization structures of domains with desirable geometrical properties. In this work, a systematic review of algorithms with linear-time behaviour to generate 2D/3D Delaunay and/or Voronoi tessellations is presented

Performance-based outcome measures to assess functionality in hospitalised patients with COPD exacerbations: a systematic review of the measurement properties

INTRODUCTION: Hospitalised patients with exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) may have physical and functional impairments that impact morbidity and readmission. Therefore, it is crucial to properly identify reduced functionality in these patients to support a personalised rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to summarise and compare the measurement properties of functionality performance-based outcome measures for hospitalised patients with ECOPD. METHODS: A systematic review based on the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) was performed. The PubMed, Embase, PEDro and Cochrane databases were searched using terms related to functionality, hospitalised patients with ECOPD and measurement properties. Studies were selected and extracted by two researchers. The COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist was applied to assess the methodological quality of the studies and measurement property results were compared with the criteria for good measurement properties. Quality of evidence was graded using a modified Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. RESULTS: 13 studies were included with nine outcome measures, namely the 6-min pegboard ring test, the de Morton mobility index, the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT), the 6-min walk test (6MWT), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), the Berg balance scale, 4-m gait speed, handgrip strength and the 6-min stepper test. Construct validity was rated as sufficient, except for the ISWT. Responsiveness, assessed only for MIP, was considered insufficient and measurement errors for the ISWT and 6MWT were insufficient, with a very low quality of evidence for all measurement properties. CONCLUSION: Measurement properties of performance-based outcome measures to assess functionality in patients hospitalised with ECOPD are still scarce, with very low evidence supporting validity and a lack of evidence of responsiveness and reliability. Further studies are needed to address this topic and guide assertive and personalised management

Performance-based outcome measures to assess functionality in hospitalised patients with COPD exacerbations: a systematic review of the measurement properties

Support statement: This work was supported by Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (numbers process: 2015/12763-4; 2015/26501-1 (Project grant); 2021/03493-4 (NTL scholarship)). The funding source had no involvement in this analysis or in the writing of this manuscript. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.Projeto financiado: Bolsa de doutoramento da FAPESP (Brasil).Introduction Hospitalised patients with exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) may have physical and functional impairments that impact morbidity and readmission. Therefore, it is crucial to properly identify reduced functionality in these patients to support a personalised rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to summarise and compare the measurement properties of functionality performance-based outcome measures for hospitalised patients with ECOPD. Methods A systematic review based on the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) was performed. The PubMed, Embase, PEDro and Cochrane databases were searched using terms related to functionality, hospitalised patients with ECOPD and measurement properties. Studies were selected and extracted by two researchers. The COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist was applied to assess the methodological quality of the studies and measurement property results were compared with the criteria for good measurement properties. Quality of evidence was graded using a modified Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Results 13 studies were included with nine outcome measures, namely the 6-min pegboard ring test, the de Morton mobility index, the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT), the 6-min walk test (6MWT), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), the Berg balance scale, 4-m gait speed, handgrip strength and the 6-min stepper test. Construct validity was rated as sufficient, except for the ISWT. Responsiveness, assessed only for MIP, was considered insufficient and measurement errors for the ISWT and 6MWT were insufficient, with a very low quality of evidence for all measurement properties. Conclusion Measurement properties of performance-based outcome measures to assess functionality in patients hospitalised with ECOPD are still scarce, with very low evidence supporting validity and a lack of evidence of responsiveness and reliability. Further studies are needed to address this topic and guide assertive and personalised management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The use of sorghum to produce gluten-free breads : A systematic review

Sorghum is a strategic gluten-free crop cereal for food security due to its tolerance to drought and heat environment, with an interesting composition related to its similarity to corn, aggregated to resistant starch and phenolic compounds in many of the accessions. Sorghum grains should be applied for human consumption in several gluten-free products, such as breads. We assessed application of sorghum to make gluten-free breads (GFB) and to evaluate the advantages already achieved in its use, and what challenges remain. We searched electronic databases and bibliographies published from January 2005 to June 2015 by using the keywords sorghum, bread and gluten-free, and eleven studies on sorghum GFB were included. Sorghum GFB were developed mainly with red and white commercial sorghum flours and little information was provided about accessions. Only one of the studies has explored nutritional advantages of sorghum flour on glycemic index of bread. The other studies have focused on technological approaches to improve bread quality, which involved germination of sorghum grains, high pressure, application of sourdough and the use of starches and additives. Positive results were achieved with the partial application of germinated sorghum flour, sourdough, and lyophilized pressure-treated sorghum batter. Good results with the partial replacement of sorghum flour by starch, mainly native cassava starch, was observed. Concerning additives, emulsifiers were the most successful, but levels optimization were still required. The limited number of sorghum accessions used in the studies in comparison with the high diversity of sorghum and the scarce information on the accessions indicates that the potential of sorghum was not fully investigated for technological application. The use of accessions with quantified tannins and other phenolic compounds and resistant starch should be studied for health benefits, and the technological impacts related to the presence of these compounds must be investigated and overcome. Optimization of additive levels and association of positive results from different studies may contribute to quality improvement. Sensory evaluation and consumer studies are still incipient and very important, especially in countries in which sorghum is not used for human consumption

Neem oil and crop protection: from now to the future

A major challenge of agriculture is to increase food production to meet the needs of the growing world population, without damaging the environment. In current agricultural practices, the control of pests is often accomplished by means of the excessive use of agrochemicals, which can result in environmental pollution and the development of resistant pests. In this context, biopesticides can offer a better alternative to synthetic pesticides, enabling safer control of pest populations. However, limitations of biopesticides, including short shelf life, photosensitivity, and volatilization, make it difficult to use them on a large scale. Here, we review the potential use of neem oil in crop protection, considering the gaps and obstacles associated with the development of sustainable agriculture in the not too distant future7FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2014/20273-4; 2013/12322-2; 2014/20286-9; 2015/15617-9; 2015/17120-

A relação entre os domínios cognitivo visuo-espacial e linguístico na síndrome de Williams: um estudo de caso com verbos de movimento

The present research is a pilot study investigating the mastery of verbs of motion in typical acquisition and by a population with cognitive impairment - individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS). Different types of verbs of motion are considered in relation to the semantic primitives motion, manner, and path and their lexicalization in the verbal root (SILVA JÚNIOR, 2015). A comprehension task is applied in which the compatibility between motion events and linguistic sentences are judged. Participants listen to sentences and watch short videos, being asked whether or not the sentences are compatible with the event displayed on the video. Different motion verbs are tested: (i) Motion and manner verbs, (ii) motion and path verbs, (iii) motion, manner and path verbs, and (iv) motion, manner and path verbs with complete path. Participants are fifteen typically developing children, fifteen adults, as a control group, and a 10-year-old WS child, configuring a case study. Results indicate group and verb type effects. Children have greater difficulty with verbs of type (iv). The WS child, who, although older, shows even greater difficulty in this condition, indicating a non-specific linguistic difficulty.O estudo piloto descrito investiga o domínio de verbos de movimento na aquisição típica e atípica, com indivíduos com Síndrome de Williams. Consideram-se diferentes tipos de verbos de movimento em relação aos primitivos semânticos movimento, modo e trajetória e sua lexicalização na raiz verbal (SILVA JÚNIOR, 2015). Avalia-se a compreensão a partir de uma tarefa de julgamento de verificação de compatibilidade entre codificação linguística e eventos ocorridos. Os participantes foram apresentados a sentenças, seguidas de pequenos vídeos e deveriam responder se as frases eram ou não compatíveis com o evento exibido no vídeo. Testaram-se (i) verbos de movimento e modo, (ii) verbos de movimento e trajetória, (iii) verbos de movimento, modo e trajetória com foco na meta e (iv) verbos de movimento, modo e trajetória com trajetória delimitada. Reportam-se os dados de quinze crianças com desenvolvimento típico, quinze adultos, como grupo controle, além de um estudo de caso com um indivíduo com SW, com 10 anos de idade. Os resultados indicam efeitos de grupo e tipo de verbo. As crianças apresentam maior dificuldade nos verbos do tipo (iv). Já o indivíduo com SW, apesar de mais velho, evidencia dificuldade ainda maior nessa condição, indicando uma dificuldade não-linguística stricto sensu

Neem Oil and Crop Protection: From Now to the Future

In current agricultural practices, the control of pests is often accomplished by means of the excessive use of agrochemicals, which can result in environmental pollution and the development of resistant pests. A major challenge of agriculture is to increase food production to meet the needs of the growing world population, without damaging the environment. In this context, biopesticides can offer a better alternative to synthetic pesticides, enabling safer control of pest populations. However, limitations of biopesticides, including short shelf life, photosensitivity, and volatilization, make it difficult to use them on a large scale. Here, we investigate the potential use of neem oil in crop protection, considering the gaps and obstacles associated with the development of sustainable agriculture in the not too distant future

Reconstruction of the yeast Snf1 kinase regulatory network reveals its role as a global energy regulator

Highly conserved among eukaryotic cells, the AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a central regulator of carbon metabolism. To map the complete network of interactions around AMPK in yeast (Snf1) and to evaluate the role of its regulatory subunit Snf4, we measured global mRNA, protein and metabolite levels in wild type, Δsnf1, Δsnf4, and Δsnf1Δsnf4 knockout strains. Using four newly developed computational tools, including novel DOGMA sub-network analysis, we showed the benefits of three-level ome-data integration to uncover the global Snf1 kinase role in yeast. We for the first time identified Snf1's global regulation on gene and protein expression levels, and showed that yeast Snf1 has a far more extensive function in controlling energy metabolism than reported earlier. Additionally, we identified complementary roles of Snf1 and Snf4. Similar to the function of AMPK in humans, our findings showed that Snf1 is a low-energy checkpoint and that yeast can be used more extensively as a model system for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the global regulation of AMPK in mammals, failure of which leads to metabolic diseases

Glatiramer Acetate Treatment Increases Stability Of Spinal Synapses And Down Regulates Mhc I During The Course Of Eae.

The recent discovery that the major histocompatibility complex of class I (MHC I) expression has a role in the synaptic elimination process, represented an insight into understanding the cross talk between neurons. In the present study, the possibility that glatiramer acetate (GA) treatment influences the MHC class I expression and the synaptic plasticity process in the spinal cord during the course of EAE was investigated. C57BL/6J mice were induced to EAE and submitted to treatment either with a placebo solution or with GA (0.05 mg/animal, subcutaneously, on a daily basis). All the animals were sacrificed at the peak disease (14 days after induction) or at the point of recovery of the clinical signs (21 days after induction). The spinal cords were removed and submitted to immunohistochemical examination, Western blotting and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The results showed that GA treatment was able to decrease synaptic loss during the course of EAE, which correlates with the downregulation of the MHC I complex. The present results reinforce the neuroprotective role of GA treatment, by reducing synaptic loss during the course of the disease. Such action may be associated with the recently described role of MHC I regulation during the synaptic plasticity process.71188-20