Ryzyko upadku słuchaczek Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku na tle 6-miesięcznego programu fizjoterapeutycznego – badanie randomizowane

As our bodies age, the performance of all bodily organs and systems deteriorates, adversely affecting their functional capacity and increasing overall falls-risk, even in the most active individuals, including female students of the Third Age Universities (TAU). A well-developed and implemented physiotherapy programme makes it possible to appreciably reduce the falls-risk in TAU students, as well as any attendant negative consequences mitigated. The study aimed to assess the impact of a 6-month original physical therapy regimen on the attendant falls-risk, as established in the female TAU students. The study covered 131 female TAU students, aged 60 and over. The subjects were randomly split into two groups, i.e. Study Group (n = 66; mean age 67.2 5.4 years), and a Control Group (n = 65; mean age 66.2 3.5 years). All subjects were assessed twice, prior to, and up-on the conclusion of a 6-month physical therapy regimen. Falls-risk and individual sense of balance were assessed by a "Step Test" (ST), "One-Leg Standing Test" (OLST), and a "Func-tional Reach Test" (FRT). The study group ST and OLST test scores upon conclusion of the physical therapy regimen were significantly higher (i.e. longer time of a one-legged stand), as compared to the Control Group, for both right and left lower limbs (p > 0.05). FRT scores upon conclusion of the phys-ical therapy regimen were also significantly higher (p > 0.05), as a greater range of body ex-tension was observed. Falls-risk in the TAU students aged 60 and over was significantly decreased through the im-plementation of an original, 6-month physical therapy regimen, while an individual sense of balance in a standing position was also found to be appreciably enhanced. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. nullWstęp: Z wiekiem pogarsza się wydolność wszystkich narządów i układów człowieka, wpływając na pogorszenie sprawności funkcjonalnej i zwiększenie ryzyka upadków u osób, nawet tych najaktywniejszych, do których zaliczamy słuchaczy Uniwersytetów Trzeciego Wieku (UTW). Odpowiednio przygotowany i realizowany program fizjoterapeutyczny pozwala na przygotowanie słuchaczy UTW do zmniejszenia ryzyka upadków i konsekwencji z tym związanych. Cel pracy: Celem pracy jest ocena wpływu autorskiego 6-miesięcznego programu postępowania fizjoterapeutycznego na ryzyko upadku i równowagę słuchaczek UTW. Materiał i metody badań: Badaniami zostały objęte słuchaczki Jagiellońskiego Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku w Krakowie które ukończyły 60. rok życia. Badane podzielono losowo na dwie grupy: grupa badana (n=66, śr. wiek: 67,2 ±5,4 lat), grupa kontrolna (n=65, śr. wiek: 66,2 ±3,5 lat). Badane poddano dwukrotnie ocenie przed i po 6-miesięcznym programie fizjoterapeutycznym. Ocenę ryzyka upadku i równowagi zbadano testami „wchodzenia na stopień” (ST − Step Test), „stania na jednej nodze” (OLST − One-Leg Standing Test), „sięgania” (FRT − Functional Reach Test). Wyniki: Wynik testów (ST) i (OLST) w grupie badanej po programie fizjoterapeutycznym był istotnie wyższy w stosunku do grupy kontrolnej, zarówno w przypadku prawej, jak i lewej kończyny dolnej (p>0,05). Wyniki świadczą o istotnie statystycznie dłuższym czasie stania na jednej nodze w grupie badanej. Także wynik testu (FRT) w grupie badanej po programie fizjoterapeutycznym był istotnie wyższy w stosunku do grupy kontrolnej (p>0,05). Po drugim badaniu zaobserwowano istotny statystycznie większy zakres wychylenia w grupie badanej. Wnioski: Ryzyko upadku słuchaczek UTW które mają 60 lat i więcej istotnie zmniejsza się pod wpływem autorskiego 6-miesięcznego programu fizjoterapeutycznego, a poczucie równowagi w pozycji stojącej poprawia się po programie

Virtual Reality—A Supplement to Posturography or a Novel Balance Assessment Tool?

Virtual reality (VR) is a well-established technology in medicine. Head-mounted displays (HMDs) have made VR more accessible in many branches of medical research. However, its application in balance evaluation has been vague, and comprehensive literature on possible applications of VR in posture measurement is scarce. The aim of this review is to conduct a literature search on the application of immersive VR delivered using a head-mounted display in posturographic measurements. A systematic search of two databases, PubMed and Scopus, using the keywords “virtual reality” and “posturography,” was performed following PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Initial search results returned 89 non-duplicate records. Two reviewers independently screened the abstracts. Sixteen papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria and were selected for complete text retrieval. An additional 16 records were identified from citation searching. Ultimately, 21 studies were included in this review. virtual reality is often used as additional visual stimuli in static and dynamic posturography evaluation. Only one study has attempted to evaluate a VR environment in a head-mounted display as an independent method in the assessment of posture. Further research should be conducted to assess HMD VR as a standalone posturography replacement

The Influence of Nesfatin-1 on Bone Metabolism Markers Concentration, Densitometric, Tomographic and Mechanical Parameters of Skeletal System of Rats in the Conditions of Established Osteopenia

Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of nesfatin-1 administration on bone metabolism and properties in established osteopenia in ovariectomized female rats. In total, 21 female Wistar rats were assigned to two groups: sham-operated (SHAM, n = 7) and ovariectomized (OVA, n = 14). After 12 weeks of osteopenia induction in the OVA females, the animals were given i.p. physiological saline (OVA, n = 7) or 2 µg/kg body weight of nesfatin-1(NES, n = 7) for the next 8 weeks. The SHAM animals received physiological saline at the same time. Final body weight, total bone mineral density and content of the skeleton were estimated. Then, isolated femora and tibias were subjected to densitometric, tomographic, and mechanical tests. Bone metabolism markers, i.e., osteocalcin, bone specific alkaline phosphatase (bALP), and crosslinked N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) were determined in serum using an ELISA kit. Ovariectomy led to negative changes in bone metabolism associated with increased resorption, thus diminishing the densitometric, tomographic, and mechanical parameters. In turn, the administration of nesfatin-1 led to an increase in the value of the majority of the tested parameters of bones. The lowest bALP concentration and the highest NTx concentration were found in the OVA females. The bALP concentration was significantly higher after nesfatin-1 administration in comparison to the OVA rats. In conclusion, the results indicate that nesfatin-1 treatment limits bone loss, preserves bone architecture, and increases bone strength in condition of established osteopenia

Making use of virtual reality and console gaming in falls prevention among the elderly

Wirtualna rzeczywistość i konsole do gier coraz częściej wykorzystywane są w procesie usprawniania osób starszych. Niski koszt oraz łatwość obsługi pozwalają na korzystanie z tego typu sprzętu bez względu na wiek, a różnorodność programów i gier stwarza możliwość urozmaicenia usprawniania poprzez wprowadzenie alternatywnych form aktywności. Celem opracowania była ocena wykorzystania konsoli Nintendo Wii® w prewencji upadków osób starszych na podstawie przeglądu piśmiennictwa. Do analizy włączono prace opublikowane w okresie od stycznia 2011 roku do grudnia 2012 roku. Zastosowanie konsoli Nintendo Wii® w programach profilaktyki upadków wydaje się dobrym uzupełnieniem. Brakuje jednak randomizowanych badań klinicznych potwierdzających skuteczność takiej formy aktywności, zwłaszcza u osób z zespołem słabości, które są największymi beneficjentami tego typu postępowania usprawniającego. Nintendo Wii®znalazło zastosowanie w profilaktyce upadków i rehabilitacji osób starszych po 65. roku życia.Virtual reality and console gaming are increasingly used in the process of streamlining the elderly. Low cost and ease of application effectively facilitates making use of this type of equipment regardless of age. A variety of games makes it possible to vary improvement through application of alternative forms of activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the console gaming on Nintendo Wii® in falls prevention among the elderly, based on the literature review. The analysis embraced the papers published in the period spanning January 2011 — December 2012. Application of Nintendo Wii® game console in the falls prevention programs appears an effective supplementary instrument. On the other hand, there are no randomized, controlled trials corroborating the actual efficacy of this form of activity, especially in the frail elderly who by far seem to benefit most through this particular type of rehabilitation procedure. Nintendo Wii® game console has found its application in the falls prevention and physical rehabilitation programmes intended for the elderly over 65 years of age

Effect of Nesfatin-1 on Rat Humerus Mechanical Properties under Quasi-Static and Impact Loading Conditions

The investigations on the response of bone tissue under different loading conditions are important from clinical and engineering points of view. In this paper, the influence of nesfatin-1 administration on rat humerus mechanical properties was analyzed. The classical three-point bending and impact tests were carried out for three rat bone groups: control (SHO), the humerus of animals under the conditions of established osteopenia (OVX), and bones of rats receiving nesfatin-1 after ovariectomy (NES). The experiments proved that the bone strength parameters measured under various mechanical loading conditions increased after the nesfatin-1 administration. The OVX bones were most susceptible to deformation and had the smallest fracture toughness. The SEM images of humerus fracture surface in this group showed that ovariectomized rats had a much looser bone structure compared to the SHO and NES females. Loosening of the bone structure was also confirmed by the densitometric and qualitative EDS analysis, showing a decrease in the OVX bones’ mineral content. The samples of the NES group were characterized by the largest values of maximum force obtained under both quasi-static and impact conditions. The energies absorbed during the impact and the critical energy for fracture (from the three-point bending test) were similar for the SHO and NES groups. Statistically significant differences were observed between the mean Fi max values of all analyzed sample groups. The obtained results suggest that the impact test was more sensitive than the classical quasi-static three-point bending one. Hence, Fi max could be used as a parameter to predict bone fracture toughness