Digital platforms to facilitate physical activities for people with physical or sensory disabilities: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: People with disabilities (PWD) commonly experience difficulties in accessing their environments, which can lead to restricted participation in outdoor leisure-time physical activity. Participating in outdoor leisure-time physical activity (OLTPA) provides health and social benefits to PWD and benefits to the communities in which they live. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify features existing in digital platforms that facilitate access to OLTPA for PWD. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted in four library databases and in Google advance search to identify relevant scientific and grey literature, and websites. Each step of the review was independently conducted by two co-authors who confirmed consensus of results. Descriptive data analyses were performed. RESULTS: Seven scientific studies and ten websites were included in the scoping review. Seven presented mobile apps, nine presented a website and one presented an online database. Sources reported five main obstacles to using digital platforms that support access to physical activities (e.g., lack of digital literacy, technical issues, unintuitive design), and 10 facilitators (e.g., possibility to personalize your online space, accessibility features of the navigation). Among these sources, a trend emerged in the most important factors and features to consider for the visuals and navigation of the platforms. CONCLUSION: The features of digital platforms that facilitate access to OLTPA include intuitive design compliant with accessibility guidelines and supported by navigation tools, personalization of the online space, and features for social interactions.

Is the SOGS an accurate measure of pathological gambling among children, adolescents and adults?

The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) is widely used to assess the prevalence of pathological gambling. For a variety of reasons, this instrument may not provide an accurate rate of the prevalence of pathological gambling. In this paper, one source of error in data provided by the SOGS is investigated. It is argued that individuals may not fully understand the meaning of some items, and that clarification of the meaning of misunderstood items may in some cases lead to a changed score on the scale. The present study evaluates respondents' understanding of the SOGS items. The results from three studies are reported, each using a different sample: grade school children, adolescents and adults. It was hypothesised that (1) participants would not understand some items of the SOGS, (2) problem gamblers and probable pathological gamblers would be more inclined to interpret items incorrectly than would non-problem gamblers and, (3) consistent with the first two hypotheses, clarification of items would decrease the number of participants identified as problem gamblers or probable pathological gamblers. The data obtained supported hypotheses 1 and 3. Furthermore, hypothesis 2 was supported for grade school children, but not for adolescents or adults. These results are consistent with recent literature on endorsement and acquiescence phenomena, and have implications for prevalence studies of probable pathological gambling.

Pancreatic innervation is not essential for exercise-induced changes in glucagon and insulin or glucose kinetics.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of pancreatic innervation in mediating exercise-induced changes in pancreatic hormone secretion and glucose kinetics. Dogs underwent surgery >16 days before an experiment, at which time flow probes were implanted on the portal vein and the hepatic artery, and Silastic catheters were inserted in the carotid artery, portal vein, and hepatic vein for sampling. In one group of dogs (DP) all nerves and plexuses to the pancreas were sectioned during surgery. A second group of dogs underwent sham denervation (SHAM). Pancreatic tissue norepinephrine was reduced by >98% in DP dogs. Each study consisted of basal (-30 to 0 min) and moderate exercise (0 to 150 min, 100 m/min, 12% grade) periods. Isotope ([3-(3)H]glucose) dilution and arteriovenous differences were used to assess hepatic function. Arterial and portal vein glucagon and insulin concentrations and the rate of net extrahepatic splanchnic glucagon release (NESGR) were similar in DP and SHAM during the basal period. Arterial and portal vein glucagon and NESGR increased similarly in DP and SHAM during exercise. Arterial and portal vein insulin were similar during exercise. Arterial glucose, tracer-determined endogenous glucose production, and net hepatic glucose output were similar in DP and SHAM during the basal and exercise periods. These results demonstrate that pancreatic nerves are not essential to pancreatic hormone secretion or glucose homeostasis during rest or moderate exercise.

Regulation of hepatic glutamine metabolism during exercise in the dog.

The goal of this study was to determine how liver glutamine (Gln) metabolism adapts to acute exercise in the 18-h-fasted dogs (n = 7) and in dogs that were glycogen depleted by a 42-h fast (n = 8). For this purpose, sampling (carotid artery, portal vein, and hepatic vein) and infusion (vena cava) catheters and Doppler flow probes (portal vein, hepatic artery) were implanted under general anesthesia. At least 16 days later an experiment, consisting of a 120-min equilibration period, a 30-min basal sampling period, and a 150-min exercise period was performed. At the start of the equilibration period, a constant-rate infusion of [5-15N]Gln was initiated. Arterial Gln flux was determined by isotope dilution. Gut and liver Gln release into and uptake from the blood were calculated by combining stable isotopic and arteriovenous difference methods. The results of this study show that 1) in the 18-h-fasted dog, approximately 10% and approximately 35% of the basal Gln appearance in arterial blood is due to Gln release from the gut and liver, respectively, whereas approximately 30% and approximately 25% of the basal Gln disappearance is due to removal by these tissues; 2) extending the fast to 42 h does not affect basal arterial Gln flux or the contribution of the gut to arterial Gln fluxes but decreases hepatic Gln release, causing a greater retention of gluconeogenic carbon by the liver; 3) moderate-intensity exercise increases hepatic Gln removal from the blood regardless of fast duration but does not affect the hepatic release of Gln; and 4) Gln plays an important role in channeling nitrogen into the ureagenic pathway in the basal state, and this role is increased by approximately 80% in response to exercise. These studies illustrate the quantitative importance of the splanchnic bed contribution to arterial Gln flux during exercise and the ability of the liver to acutely adapt to changes in metabolic requirements induced by the combined effects of fasting and exercise.

Oral [13C]glucose oxidation during prolonged exercise after high- and low-carbohydrate diets.

The effect of a diet either high or low in carbohydrates (CHO) on exogenous 13C-labeled glucose oxidation (200 g) during exercise (ergocycle: 120 min at 64.0 +/- 0.5% maximal oxygen uptake) was studied in six subjects. Between 40 and 80 min, exogenous glucose oxidation was significantly higher after the diet low in CHO (0.63 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.52 +/- 0.04 g/min), but this difference disappeared between 80 and 120 min (0.71 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.69 +/- 0.04 g/min). The oxidation rate of plasma glucose, computed from the volume of 13CO2 produced the 13C-to-12C ratio in plasma glucose at 80 min, and of glucose released from the liver, computed from the difference between plasma glucose and exogenous glucose oxidation, was higher after the diet low in CHO (1.68 +/- 0.26 vs. 1.41 +/- 0.17 and 1.02 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.81 +/- 0.14 g/min, respectively). In contrast the oxidation rate of glucose plus lactate from muscle glycogen (computed from the difference between total CHO oxidation and plasma glucose oxidation) was lower (0.31 +/- 0.35 vs. 1.59 +/- 0.20 g/min). After a diet low in CHO, the oxidation of exogenous glucose and of glucose released from the liver is increased and partly compensates for the reduction in muscle glycogen availability and oxidation.