Oral health-related quality of life in elderly: an umbrella review of systematic reviews from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation point-of-view.

Background: Poor oral health is highly prevalent among elderlies and may impact quality of life of elderly people. In this scenario, oral health has been often linked to general health and chronic disorders, including distinct features of frailty. The aim of the present umbrella review of systematic reviews was to assess the scientific literature on the correlation between oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) and elderly to present a multidisciplinary approach to these complex patients. Methods: We performed a literature search of the databases Pub-Med/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database electronic databases. Two independent reviewers performed the literature research from the inception to 25th November 2023 and screened the studies for eligibility. Results: The search resulted in a total of 676 results eligible articles. After removal of duplicates and full-text screening, a total of 3 systematic reviews were considered to meet the inclusion criteria and were included for this review. Conclusions: Frailty is very common in elderly such as a poor oral health. In this scenario, malnutrition and bad lifestyle habits may affect not only the determinism of many systemic non-communicable diseases but also oral health quality. Taken together, the findings of this umbrella review of systematic reviews showed a strict correlation between the frailty, typical condition of ageing people, and a poor OHRQoL. Therefore, it is mandatory to implement the oral health prevention with specific protocols of oral rehabilitation to improve the OHRQoL in elderly.

Effectiveness of Kinesiotaping and McConnell taping combined with physical exercise on gait biomechanics in patients with patellofemoral syndrome: non-randomized clinical trial.

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a pathological condition of the knee, typical of young adults, characterized by diffuse pain in the anterior and / or medial part of the knee. We aimed to examine the effectiveness of the two types of taping in association with therapeutic exercise in relation to the biomechanical parameters, on pain and on functionality of the lower limb in patients with PFPS. Methods: We collected data from patients treated in our outpatient's clinic with two kinds of bandage: the Kinesiotaping group (KG) and the McConnel taping group (MG). All subjects were evaluated trough an optoelectronic system, the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and with the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) at baseline before applying the taping (T0), fifteen minutes after applying the bandage (T1), after four weeks of treatment (T2) without applying the bandage and three months after the end of the first treatment period with bandages and exercises (T3). Results: Thirty-five patients (KG 16; MG 19) were included in the study. The most statistically significant changes over time in the LEFS and NPRS values have been recorded in the MG group compared to KG. The average speed and hip rotation showed a statistically significant increase between T3 and T0. Conclusion: The application of the knee bandage for PFPS would appear to show improvement in NPRS and LEFS outcomes in both groups. Furthermore, in this study the MG evidenced better results and significant changes over time than KG.

Stress related changes during a half marathon in master endurance athletes.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate heart rate (HR), salivary cortisol (sC) alpha-amylase (sAA) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in relation to competition outcome during a half marathon. METHODS: HR was monitored and salivary samples were collected during an official half marathon in five Master endurance runners (age 47 ± 7 years). RPE was collected using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) 30 minutes after the end of competition. RESULTS: Performance corresponded to 94% of their personal best (PB). Athletes spent 53.7% of total race time at intensities above 95% HRmax. RPE showed values of 68 ± 8 mm. With respect to pre-competition values (25.54 ± 6.39 nmol/L), sC concentrations significantly increased (P=0.043) by 59% immediately after the race (40.54 ± 3.95 nmol/L) and remained elevated until 1 h post exercise. Pre-competition sAA concentrations (90.59 ± 42.86 U/mL) were 118% higher (P=0.043) with respect to time-matched baseline values (197.92 ± 132 U/mL). sAA increased (192%; P=0.043) immediately after the race and was higher than time-matched resting samples. The better each athlete performed the greater cortisol increase during exercise (P<0.001). Performance was not correlated to the anticipatory sAA (the percent difference between pre-competition values and time-matched baseline ones) or to the sAA increase during exercise. CONCLUSION: This is the first attempt to study the stress-related responses during official endurance competitions in master runners. Although the strict criteria of inclusion might have limited the statistical significance, the present findings indicate that endurance competition is a remarkable stressor for psycho-physiological aspects of master athletes.

Orthorexia nervosa: a frequent eating disordered behavior in athletes.

Striving for enhancing athletic performance, many sportsmen undergo rigid dietary habits, which could lead to eating disorders (EDs) or Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a psychopathological condition characterized by the obsession for high quality food. The aim of the study was to examine the occurrence of ON in athletes and to verify the relationship between ON and EDs. Five-hundred-seventy-seven athletes and 217 matched controls were administered the following tests: ORTO-15, Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26), Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) and Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorder Scale (YBC-EDS). High positivity to ORTO-15 (28%) and EAT-26 (14%) emerged in athletes, whereas a high rate of BUT positivity was evident among controls (21%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that independent predictors of ON are previous dieting, age, positivity to YBC-EDS, positivity to EAT-26, competition level, and number of YBC-EDS preoccupations and rituals. Sharing many features with both EDs and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum, ON represents a crossroad between these pathologic conditions and might compromise the health state of an athlete. Therefore, coaches should consider important to detect symptoms of EDs and ON in their athletes.

Stress-related hormonal and psychological changes to official youth Taekwondo competitions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an official Taekwondo competition on the heart rate (HR), salivary α-amylase (sA-A), salivary free cortisol (sC), and Profile of Mood States (POMS) in 10 young male (14±0 years) and six female (13±1 years) athletes. POMS and hormones were measured 15 min before and directly after the competition. During the recovery phase (30 and 90 min), sA-A and sC were also measured. HR measured during the competition was expressed as a percentage of individual's maximal heart rate (%HR(max) ) to evaluate the intensity of exercise. During the competition, athletes spent 65% of the time working at HR>90% of individuals HR(max). A significant increase (P<0.0001) in sA-A (115%) was observed at the end of the match. At 30 min of recovery, sA-A returned to the pre-competition level. The peak sC values were observed at 30 min of recovery (P<0.001), returning to the pre-competition level at 90 min of recovery. A gender difference (P=0.01) emerged only for sC, although a similar trend was observed for female and male athletes. Significantly higher post-match scores emerged for Anger-hostility (pre: 6.1±1.1, post: 11.2±1.9; P=0.03) and Depression-dejection (pre: 4.5±0.5, post: 10.2±1.9; P=0.006), whereas the reverse picture was observed for Vigour-activity (pre: 23.2±1.2, post: 16.3±1.7; P=0.0006). Taekwondo competition results in temporary changes in the stress-related parameters measured in this study. The present findings suggest that this experimental paradigm can represent a useful model for further research on the effects of various stressors (i.e., training and competition) in Taekwondo athletes of different levels (i.e., novice, international).

Synovial cyst in a posterior lumbar joint associated with sacralization at L5. Description of a case.

Synovial cysts may occasionally be localized in the facet joints of the lumbar spine. These lesions are usually secondary to interapophyseal arthritis or trauma, that may cause hypermobility of the facet joints. Given the frequent association with arthrosis, synovial cysts are more often observed at L4-L5, which represents the level of greater mobility in the lumbar spine, in subjects aged over 50 years. A rare case of synovial cyst of the posterior joint of L5-S1 associated with sacralization of L5, a congenital anomaly that determines considerable segmental mechanical stability, is described.

[Bone metastasis of leiomyosarcoma. Apropos of a case]. / Métastase osseuse d'un leiomyosarcome. A propos d'un cas.

INTRODUCTION: Bone leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor, whether it may be primary or secondary. The authors report on the case of a woman, aged 67, admitted in January 1992 complaining of pain in the left hip and the upper end of the femur. CASE REPORT: In 1985 the patient underwent surgical excision of a soft tissue tumor in the right thigh, histologically diagnosed as a benign fibrous tumor. This lesion recurred locally four times and repeated excisions were performed throughout the years, always with a histological diagnosis of a benign lesion. On admission to hospital, the physical examination as well as laboratory data and plain roentgenograms were unremarkable. Both tomography and MRI showed a lesion in the upper end of the left femur. An isotopic bone scan showed marked increased uptake in the left hip extending to the femoral diaphysis. An open biopsy was performed for histology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. A diagnosis of metastatic leiomyosarcoma was made. The retrospective histological examination of specimens of the soft tissue tumor excised in 1985 showed the same immunohistochemical features of the contralateral leiomyosarcoma. On this basis, one stage resection of the left hip and the upper end of the femur was performed and a Kotz modular prosthesis was inserted. Postoperative healing was achieved without any complications and the function of the operated limb was satisfactory. Three months after the operation pulmonary lesions were noted on chest radiographs and CT scan. The patient died two years after the first admission for widespread metastasis. DISCUSSION: In the reported case, the bony metastasis appeared to be the presenting finding of the soft tissue tumor of the contralateral thigh. This presentation is rare in previously published series. The misdiagnosis of the primary tumor had caused local recurrences, and an increased malignity occurred. According to the literature, a soft tissue leiomyosarcoma can be easily confused with other spindle cell lesions. Therefore an accurate histological and ultrastructural diagnosis is necessary for adequate surgical treatment.