Óleo essencial de Thymus vulgaris sobre o crescimentode Streptococcus mutans / Effect of the Thymus vulgaris essential oil on the growth of Streptococcus mutans

The traditional Mediterranean herb thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a source of an essential oil that has been shown to possess antimicrobial activity against many microorganisms. A considerable part of the general population has dental caries and Streptococcus mutans is one of the microorganisms responsible. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the essential oil extracted from thyme on the growth of S. mutans, the main bacterium involved in the etiology of dental caries, as well as to incorporate this oil into a toothpaste formulation for preliminary assessment. The broth dilution technique was used in threefold tests for antibacterial activity. The concentrations tested were 1%, 5% and 10% essential oil diluted in ethanol or mineral oil. The controls were triclosan at 0.25% and 0.5%, chlorhexidine digluconate at 0.06% and 0.12%, and ethanol. The 1% solution of thyme essential oil in ethanol proved to be the most efficient against Streptococcus mutans and may be considered viable as an ingredient of toothpaste, both with regard to cost and to the sensory profile of the product. Also, analyses of the characteristics of the formulation indicated that the product is stable.

Thymus vulgaris (tomilho) é uma fonte de óleo essencial que tem demonstrado atividade antimicrobiana. Uma parcela considerável da população tem apresentado problemas dentários, tais como a cárie, na qual o Streptococcus mutans é um microrganismo de fundamental importância. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do óleo essencial de tomilho sobre o crescimento do Streptococcus mutans, a principal bactéria relacionada com a etiologia da cárie dentária, bem como veicular este óleo essencial em uma formulação de creme dental para estudo preliminar. O método empregado foi diluição em caldo. As concentrações utilizadas de óleo essencial foram 1%, 5% e 10% de óleo essencial diluído em etanol ou óleo mineral. Os controles foram triclosan a 0,25% e 0,5%, bem como digluconato de clorexidina a 0,06% e 0,12%. A amostra contendo 1% de óleo essencial de tomilho diluída em etanol foi a mais eficaz, sendo efetiva contra Streptococcus mutans e, portanto considerada viável em relação ao custo e ao sensorial conferido ao produto, sendo que a formulação avaliada foi considerada estável.

Identification of sarcopenic obesity in postmenopausal women: a cutoff proposal

Sarcopenic obesity is the combination of reduced fat-free mass (FFM) and increased fat mass (FM) with advancing age but there is lack of clear criteria for its identification. The purposes of the present investigation were: 1) to determine the prevalence of postmenopausal women with reduced FFM relative to their FM and height, and 2) to examine whether there are associations between the proposed classification and health-related variables. A total of 607 women were included in this cross-sectional study and were separated into two subsets: 258 older women with a mean age of 66.8 ± 5.6 years and 349 young women aged 18-40 years (mean age, 29.0 ± 7.5 years). All volunteers underwent body composition assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The FFM index relative to FM and height was calculated and the cutoff value corresponded to two standard deviations below the mean of the young reference group. To examine the clinical significance of the classification, all older participants underwent measurements of quadriceps strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. Values were compared between those who were classified as low FFM or not, using an independent samples t-test and correlations were examined. The cutoff corresponded to a residual of -3.4 and generated a sarcopenic obesity prevalence of 19.8 percent that was associated with reduced muscle strength and aerobic fitness among the older participants. Also, the index correlated significantly with the health-related fitness variables. The results demonstrated reduced functional capacity for those below the proposed cutoff and suggested applicability of the approach as a definition for sarcopenic obesity.

Efeito do intervalo de recuperação entre séries de extensões isocinéticas de joelho em homens jovens destreinados / Effect of recovery interval between sets of isokinetic knee extensions among untrained young men

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito de dois diferentes Intervalos de Recuperação (IR) entre séries de extensões isocinéticas de joelho no Pico de Torque (PT) e no Trabalho Total (TT) em jovens destreinados. MÉTODOS: Dezoito homens (24,22±2,58 anos; 80,42±11,41 kg) realizaram três séries de 10 extensões isocinéticas com o joelho direito a 60° e 180°/s. O IR entre as séries foram de 1 e 2 minutos, contrabalanceados entre os dois dias de teste, separados por, no mínimo, 48 horas. A taxa de trabalho-recuperação foi de 1:3 e 1:6 para 60°/s e 1:6 e 1:12 para 180°/s. Os voluntários não participavam de programas de treinamento resistido há pelo menos 6 meses. A análise estatística foi a ANOVA de medidas repetidas 2 x 3 [IR (1 e 2 minutos) x série (1ª, 2ª e 3ª)]. O nível de significância foi a<0,05. RESULTADOS: Tanto 1 como 2 minutos não conseguiram manter o PT e o TT ao longo das três séries (p<0,05). Porém, a 60°/s, 2 minutos de IR possibilitaram um melhor PT e TT na segunda e na terceira série que 1 minuto (p<0,05). Já a 180°/s, 2 minutos só foi superior (p<0,05) a 1 minuto na terceira série para o TT. CONCLUSÃO: O estudo indicou que durante um protocolo de treinamento isocinético, homens jovens necessitam mais de 2 minutos para recuperar totalmente o PT a 60°/s, e totalmente o TT a 60° e 180°/s. Entretanto, uma melhor recuperação do PT pode ser alcançada com uma taxa de trabalho-recuperação de 1:12 a 180°/s.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of two recovery intervals (RIs) between sets of isokinetic knee extension exercises on peak torque (PT) and total work (TW), among untrained young men. METHODS: Eighteen men (24.22±2.58 years; 80.42±11.41 kg) performed three sets of ten isokinetic extensions of the right knee, at 60° and 180°/s. The RIs between the sets were one and two minutes long, spread over two test days separated by a minimum of 48 hours. The work-to-recovery ratio was 1:3 and 1:6 for 60°/s, and 1:6 and 1:12 for 180°/s. The subjects had not participated in any resistance training programs within the last six months. The statistical analysis consisted of 2 x 3 repeated-measures ANOVA [RI (one or two minutes) x set (1st, 2nd or 3rd)]. The significance level was a<0.05. RESULTS: Neither one minute nor two minutes RIs maintained the PT and TW throughout the three sets (p<0.05). However, at 60°/s, two minutes RIs enabled better PT and TW in the second and third sets than one minute RIs (p<0.05). At 180°/s, two minutes RIs were only better (p<0.05) than one minute RIs for TW in the third set. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that, during an isokinetic training protocol, young men require more than two minutes of RI for full PT recovery at 60°/s and full TW recovery at 60°/s and 180°/s. However, better PT recovery can be attained with a 1:12 work-to-recovery ratio at 180°/s.

Efeitos de diferentes intervalos de recuperação no desempenho muscular isocinético em idosos / Effects of different rest intervals on isokinetic muscle performance among older adults

OBJETIVO: Comparar os efeitos de diferentes intervalos de recuperação (IR) entre séries de contração isocinética no desempenho muscular em idosos. MÉTODOS: Vinte idosos voluntários (66,9±3,9 anos, 76,1±13,4kg, 169±5,2cm) foram submetidos a três sessões de exercício resistido isocinético unilateral da musculatura extensora do joelho com diferentes IR (1 minuto, 2 minutos, e 3 minutos) na velocidade de 60°•s-1. Cada sessão consistia em três séries de 10 repetições durante as quais foram avaliados o pico de torque (PT), trabalho total (TT) e índice de fadiga (IF). ANOVA fatorial para medidas repetidas, com a análise de Post hoc por Bonferroni, foi utilizada para identificar possíveis diferenças entre os IR. O nível de significância estatístico utilizado foi de p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Não foram observadas diferenças no desempenho muscular entre as 1as séries nos diferentes IR (p>0,05). Apesar de ter sido observado menor desempenho muscular na 3ª série em todos os IR, maiores quedas no PT, TT e IF foram observadas quando adotado o IR de 1minuto (p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados mostraram que a variável IR exerce importante influência sobre o desempenho muscular isocinético em idosos, principalmente a partir da 3ª série, o que sugere incrementos no IR à medida que séries subsequentes forem executadas durante a mesma sessão de exercícios.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of different rest intervals (RI) between sets of isokinetic contractions on muscle performance in older adults. METHODS: Twenty older participants (66.9±3.9 years; 76.1±13.4kg; 169±5.2cm) underwent three sessions of unilateral isokinetic training for the knee extensor muscles, with different RI (1 minute, 2 minutes and 3 minutes) at an angular velocity of 60°•s-1. Each session consisted of three sets of 10 repetitions, during which the peak torque (PT), total work (TW) and fatigue index (FI) were evaluated. Factorial ANOVA for repeated measurements, with Bonferroni post-hoc analysis, was used to identify possible differences between the RI. The statistical significance level was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: No differences in muscle performance during the first sets were observed between the different RI (p>0.05). Although muscle performance was lower during the third sets with all RI, the greatest decreases in PT, TW and FI occurred with the 1 minute RI (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the RI variable has an important influence on isokinetic muscle performance in older adults, particularly from the third sets onwards, which suggests that RI should be increased as successive sets are performed within the same exercise session.

Effect of exercise on the caloric intake of breast cancer patients undergoing treatment

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an exercise intervention on the total caloric intake (TCI) of breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. A secondary purpose was to determine whether or not a relationship existed between changes in TCI, body fat composition ( percentBF), and fatigue during the study, which lasted 6 months. Twenty females recently diagnosed with breast cancer, scheduled to undergo chemotherapy or radiation, were assigned randomly to an experimental (N = 10) or control group (N = 10). Outcome measures included TCI (3-day food diary), percentBF (skinfolds), and fatigue (revised Piper Fatigue Scale). Each exercise session was conducted as follows: initial cardiovascular activity (6-12 min), followed by stretching (5-10 min), resistance training (15-30 min), and a cool-down (approximately 8 min). Significant changes in TCI were observed among groups (F1,18 = 8.582; P = 0.009), at treatments 2 and 3, and at the end of the study [experimental (1973 ± 419), control (1488 ± 418); experimental (1946 ± 437), control (1436 ± 429); experimental (2315 ± 455), control (1474 ± 294), respectively]. A significant negative correlation was found (Spearman rho(18) = -0.759; P < 0.001) between TCI and percentBF and between TCI and fatigue levels (Spearman rho(18) = -0.541; P = 0.014) at the end of the study. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that an exercise intervention administered to breast cancer patients undergoing medical treatment may assist in the mitigation of some treatment side effects, including decreased TCI, increased fatigue, and negative changes in body composition.