Effects of physical training on functional, clinical, morphological, behavioural and psychosocial outcomes in post-COVID-19 infection: COVID-19 and REhabilitation study (CORE-study)-a study protocol for a randomised controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic remains ongoing, with a significant number of survivors who have experienced moderate to severe clinical conditions and who have suffered losses of great magnitude, especially in functional capacity, triggering limitations to daily autonomy and quality of life. Among the possibilities of intervention for disease rehabilitation, physical exercise training stands out, which can benefit several health outcomes and favours the adoption of healthier behaviours. Therefore, the aim of the study will be to analyse the effects of physical training on the functional, clinical, morphological, behavioural and psychosocial status in adults and the elderly following COVID-19 infection. METHODS: A randomised controlled clinical trial is to be conducted in parallel, with the experimental group undergoing an intervention involving a multicomponent physical rehabilitation programme, carried out at the Sports Center in partnership with the Academic Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, in Florianópolis, Brazil. Participants will be adults and the elderly, of both sexes, in a post-COVID-19-infection state, who were hospitalised during the infection. The intervention will have a total duration of 24 weeks and will include a multicomponent physical training programme, which will have gradual progression in frequency, duration and intensity over time. Regarding the outcomes, before, at the 12th and after 24 weeks of intervention, functional (primary outcome = functional index of aerobic capacity), clinical, morphological, behavioural and psychosocial outcomes will be assessed. DISCUSSION: This study will contribute to a greater understanding of the safety, adherence and benefits of physical training in the rehabilitation of post-COVID-19 patients. The results of this study will be disseminated through presentations at congresses, workshops, peer-reviewed publications and local and international conferences, especially with a view to proposing a post-COVID-19 rehabilitation care protocol. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ReBEC, RBR-10y6jhrs . Registered on 22 February 2022. 2015.

Photobiomodulation Therapy Effects on Resistance Training Volume and Discomfort in Well-Trained Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the effects of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on resistance training volume and discomfort of well-trained adults. Background: PBMT has been used to attenuate fatigue in several physical exercise topics. However, it is unclear if PBMT can increase volume and reduce discomfort in resistance training well-trained individuals. Methods: Fourteen participants (women = 7, 27.7 ± 6.0 years and men = 7, 28.3 ± 5.7 years) visited the laboratory three times, 7 days apart. In the first visit, 12-repetition maximum (12-RM) test was performed unilaterally on the standing calf raise machine. In the second and third visits, subjects were randomly submitted to a PBMT (60 J per site, 6 sites per limb, total dose = 360 J) or placebo treatment on the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles with a randomized crossover design. Five minutes after the treatment, subjects began the resistance training session, performed unilaterally with six sets of repetitions to concentric failure. In addition, the rate of perceived exertion for discomfort (RPE-D) was asked after each set. Results: After the training session, it was observed a similar force reduction of 10.0 ± 13.6% for placebo and 7.7 ± 7.3% for PBMT (p = 0.815). No differences between PBMT and placebo was observed for the repetitions fatigue index (53.4 ± 11.7% and 50.0 ± 11.6%; p = 0.325) and total repetitions volume (55.4 ± 10.9 and 54.8 ± 13.0 reps; p = 0.764), respectively. RPE-D presented large means for all sets representing a large discomfort during resistance training to concentric failure for both PBMT (7.3 ± 2.3) and placebo (7.5 ± 2.5). Conclusions: The PBMT was not effective for increasing volume and reducing discomfort during resistance training performed to concentric failure by well-trained men and women.

Effects of resistance training concentric velocity on older adults' functional capacity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Reduced levels of functional capacity in older adults are related to lower quality of life, frailty, and sarcopenia, and can increase risk of falling, fractures and hospitalisation. Resistance training is an effective method to attenuate age-related functional declines. Based on the findings that muscle power and explosive strength are strongly associated with functional performance in older adults, it has been suggested that fast-intended-velocity resistance training may elicit greater improvements in functional capacity when compared to moderate-velocity resistance training. However, currently, there is no high-quality systematic review and meta-analysis supporting this assertion. The present study compared the magnitude of functional capacity improvements following resistance training performed with fast-intentional velocity versus moderate velocity. Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to January 2019. The following eligibility criteria for selecting studies was adopted: Participants aged ≥60 years; resistance training based intervention for lower limbs performed solely with slow to moderate concentric velocity (≥2 s for each concentric phase) or solely with the intention of maximising velocity (i.e., as fast as possible); and at least one functional test for lower limbs, with pre- and post-intervention measurements. When studies employed multiple functional tests, a single (pooled) standardised mean difference was calculated and presented as combined functional capacity. In addition, functional tests were grouped accordingly to their specificity for the sub-groups meta-analyses. Fifteen studies were selected (high quality, n = 3; and pre-registered, n = 2). The results presented heterogeneity and small-studies publication bias, leading to a biased advantage for fast-intended-velocity resistance training (95%CI = 0.18, 0.65; I2 = 45%). Short physical performance battery indicated an advantage for fast-intended-velocity resistance training (95%CI = 0.10, 0.94; I2 = 0%). There was no difference for timed up and go (95%CI = -0.07, 0.94; I2 = 48%), 30-s chair stand (95%CI = -0.24, 1.39; I2 = 71%), 5-times chair stand (95%CI = -1.63, 1.27; I2 = 57%) stair climb (95%CI = -1.89, 2.81; I2 = 0%), short walk (95%CI = -0.99, 0.96; I2 = 21%) and long walk (95%CI = -0.59, 1.00; I2 = 0%). These results suggest that there is inconclusive evidence to support the superiority of fast-intended-velocity resistance training to improve functional capacity when compared to moderate-velocity resistance training. These results may have been influenced by the lack of high-quality and pre-registered studies, high heterogeneity, and small-studies publication bias. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019122251.

The relation between force production at different hip angles and functional capacity in older women.

Although hip muscles are related to activities of daily living (ADLs) in older adults, there is a lack of evidence concerning the extensor-flexor hip torque-angle. A shift of the torque-angle relationship is caused by the aging process (increasing or reducing the range of motion) affecting the force production in a given muscular length during ADLs. Thus, the relationship between hip extensor-flexor muscles' force production and their association with functional capacity tests in elderly women were evaluated. Seventeen elderly women performed timed up and go, timed up and down stairs, and 30-s chair stand tests. Hip extensor-flexor isometric peak torques at 15°, 60°, 90°, and 100° (0°â€¯= full extension) were also assessed. Hip flexors produced the highest absolute and relative peak torque at a 15° angle and hip extensor muscles at 100°. A large and significant correlation (r = 0.62, p = 0.008) was observed only between absolute hip extensor peak torque at 90° and the 30-s chair stand test. When peak torque was normalized by body mass, the hip extensor-flexor muscles' peak torque obtained at all measured angles presented significant correlation with the 30-s chair stand test. The results indicate that for older women there is an optimum torque-angle for the hip flexor and extensor muscles. Furthermore, although the hip torque-angle relationship was measured under isometric contractions, there was a correlation with the 30-s chair stand test, which could indicate the presence of the isometric component during this movement.

Effects of Mat Pilates on hip and knee isokinetic torque parameters in elderly women.

This study aimed to analyze the effects of Mat Pilates on isokinetic torque of the lower limbs in elderly women. Fourteen elderly women (Age 62 ± 3 yr) participated in 12 weeks of Mat Pilates training (60-min sessions, 3 times per week). Repetitions increased every 4 weeks and the difficulty of exercises progressed from beginner to intermediate and advanced. Peak torque was assessed before (week -4 and week 0, considered as a control period) and after 6 and 12 weeks of a periodized Mat Pilates intervention. The results showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in concentric and eccentric peak torque of knee flexors muscles, hip flexor and extensor muscles after 12 weeks. Mechanical work showed significant improvement (p < 0.05) for knee extensor muscles during eccentric contractions after week 12, for hip extensor muscles during concentric contractions week 12, and for flexor muscles during concentric and eccentric contractions after week 12. We conclude that the periodization of Mat Pilates induced significant improvements in multiple isokinetic torque parameters.

Six weeks of Mat Pilates training are enough to improve functional capacity in elderly women.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Mat Pilates on the functional capacity (FC) of elderly women before and after six weeks of intervention. Eighteen women aged 62.28 (±2.34) participated in the study. Timed Up and Go test, Timed Up Stairs, Timed Down Stairs, 30-s Chair Stand, Chair Sit-and-Reach and Back Scratch tests were assessed. The results showed significant improvements in all FC tests after six weeks of the Mat Pilates intervention. Summarizing, only six weeks of Mat Pilates training of 60 min per session, three times a week, three series beginning with six repetitions and eight repetitions at the last two weeks of intervention, were enough to improve FC in elderly women. Furthermore, the exercises difficulty increased from beginners to intermediate.

Nível de atividade física de escolares da rede pública de ensino de um município do Rio Grande do Sul / Physical activity level of students of a public school in a city of Rio Grande do Sul / Nivel de actividad fisica de escolares de la red pública de enseñanza en um municipio de Rio Grande de Sul

Diagnosticar o nível de atividade física de escolares entre 15 e 18 anos da rede pública de ensino de um município do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Métodos: Estudo quantitativo, do tipo transversal. Aplicou-se o Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ), versão curta. Comparou-se o nível de atividade física entre os sujeitos do sexo feminino e masculino através do Teste de Mann-Whitney. Para comparação dos sujeitos do mesmo sexo nas diferentes idades, foi utilizado o Teste de Kruskal-Wallis. Adotou-se, para todas as análises, o nível de significância de 0,05. Resultados: Observou-se que 57,5% (n=309) dos sujeitos eram ativos; 26,3% (n=141), moderadamente ativos; e 16,2% (n=87), inativos, sendo o nível de atividade física estatisticamente superior em adolescentes do sexo masculino. Verificou-se que 59,6% (n=136) destes e 56% (n=176) das adolescentes se classificaram como muito ativos. Atividades como caminhada são realizadas com maior frequência semanal (5,36 dias/semana) em comparação com as atividades de intensidade moderada (3,74 dias/semana) e vigorosa (2,06 dias/semana). Conclusão: Houve maior ocorrência de sujeitos classificados como muito ativos, seguidos dos suficientemente ativos e, por último, os insuficientemente ativos. Os sujeitos do sexo masculino demonstraram ser fisicamente mais ativos do que os do sexo feminino...

To diagnose the level of physical activity of 15-18-year-old students of a public school in a city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Methods: This is a quantitative cross-sectional study. The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. The level of physical activity was compared between female and male students using the Mann-Whitney test. Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to compare same-sex individuals at different ages. All the analyses used a significance level of 0.05.Results: It was observed that 57.5% (n = 309) of the students were active, 26.3% (n = 141) moderately active and 16.2% (n = 87) inactive, with a higher level of physical activity among male adolescents. It could be found that 59.6% (n = 136) of the boys and 56% (n = 176) of the girls were classified as vigorously active. Activities such as walking are carried out more frequently (5.36 days / week) if compared with the moderate (3.74 days / week) and vigorous activities (2.06 days / week). Conclusion: There was a higher prevalence of individuals classified as vigorously active followed by moderately active and extremely inactive. Male adolescents are more active than their female peers...

Diagnosticar el nivel de actividad física de escolares entre los 15 y 18 años de La red pública de enseñanza de un municipio de Rio Grande de Sul, Brasil. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo del tipo trasversal. Se aplicó la versión corta del Cuestionario Internacional deActividad Física (IPAQ). Se comparó el nivel de actividad física entre los sujetos del sexo femenino y masculino a través de La prueba de Mann-Whitney. Para la comparación entre sujetos del mismo sexo y distintas edades fue utilizada la prueba de Kruskal- Wallis. Se adoptó para todos los análisis el nivel de significância de 0,05. Resultados: Se observó que el 57,5% (n=309) de los sujetos eran activos; el 26,3% (n=141), moderadamente activos; y el 16,2% (n=87), inactivos, siendo el nivel de actividad física estadísticamente superior en adolescentes del sexo masculino. Se verifico que el 59,6% (n=136) de eses y el 56% (n=176) de lãs adolescentes se clasificaron como muy activos. Actividades como caminata son realizadas con mayor frecuencia semanal (5,36 días/semana) cuando comparadas a las actividades de intensidad moderada (3,74 días/semana) y vigorosa (2,06 días/semana). Conclusión: Hubo mayor ocurrencia de sujetos clasificados como muy activos, seguidos de los suficientemente activos y por último los insuficientemente activos. Los sujetos del sexo masculino demostraron estar físicamente más activos que los del sexo femenino...

The force-length relationship of the cat soleus muscle.

According to the force-length relationship, cat soleus optimal sarcomere length should lie between 2.3-2.5µm. Rack and Westbury (1969) found optimal sarcomere length around 2.8- 3.0µm. The purpose of this study was to repeat their study to check for these discrepancies between the expected and the measured optimal length. The soleus muscle of both hindlimbs of three cats was supra-maximally stimulated. Isometric forces were measured for lengths ranging from -20 to +20mm relative to the optimal length. Mean sarcomere lengths were obtained by laser diffraction. Fibre length was obtained post-mortem by video analysis and in situ with sonomicrometry crystals. Sarcomere number was determined and in situ sarcomere lengths were calculated. The sarcomere force-length relationship showed an ascending and descending part with a plateau between 2.0-2.4µm. Peak forces were obtained at smaller average sarcomere lengths than reported by Rack and Westbury and closer to the optimal sarcomere length based on sliding filament considerations.