Characteristics of the practice of physical activity during a pandemic by COVID-19 in professionals and their families

The objective of the study was to determine the characteristics of the physical activity behavior carried out at the beginning of phase 3 of the epidemiological contingency due to COVID-19 in people over 18 years of age. It is presented a quantitative comparative and cross-sectional study. Two thousand one hundred sixteen professionals affiliated with Physical Education and Sports associations in North, Central and South America participated. In this sample, the main reasons for exercising were physical condition (32.5%), enjoyment (27.8%) and physical appearance (16.3%). More than one in five reported not having time to exercise. There were differences by region and sex for the performance of physical activity during social isolation (p < .05). Even though people recognize the benefits of exercise for health, health is not considered among the main motivations for its performance.

Chemical properties of polyphenols: a review focused on anti-inflammatory and anti-viral medical application

Polyphenols are attributed to multiple biological activities that provide nutritional and therapeutical benefits. The present paper is a descriptive review focused on polyphenolic chemical structural aspects contributing to explain biological and biochemical functions offered by these phytochemicals. Element conformation differences, ring modifications, the presence of specific functional groups, and the tridimensional chemical arrangement are fundamental to explain specific effects presented by polyphenols. The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of poly phenols suggest that basic chemical reactions and elemen re-organization are important in understanding their function, well-known polyphenols such as quercetin, curcumin, and catechin have been evaluated in multiple studies. Moreover, anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities have been proven to be dependent on hydroxylation, methoxylation, and alkylation of several polyphenol ring components. Polyphenols extracted from tea, like catechins, proved to inhibit efficiently hepatitis C, Zika, and Chikungunya viruses. They have also acted as promising prophylactic and therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2. Epicatechin extracted from the hawthorn tree showed antiviral activity on several bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. The inclusion of these natural components in daily diets is of primary nutritional benefit and importance in the prevention of several diseases.