Frequency of leisure-time physical activity and pulse pressure in the Brazilian population: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the frequency of leisure-time physical activity and brachial pulse pressure (PP), according to physical activity intensity and type, sex, and age, in the general Brazilian population. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study based on data from the Brazilian 2013 National Health Survey. METHODS: The sample consisted of 20,058 men and 20,600 women aged between 18 and 65 years. The frequency of leisure-time physical activity was obtained through a questionnaire and classified according to intensity (vigorous or moderate) and type (cyclic or acyclic). We calculated PP as the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures based on the measure of a digital pressure device. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to analyze the association of different sexes, frequency, type, and intensity of leisure-time physical activity and PP. RESULTS: Adjusted results showed that one session of moderate physical activity per week could benefit men's PP: ß = -1.87 mmHg; SE = 0.83. For women, the adjusted model reveals that physical activity undertaken twice a week is sufficient to benefit PP: ß = -1.77 mmHg; SE = 0.72. However, according to type, two times a week of acyclic activities increased PP in men: ß = 2.62 mmHg; SE = 0.62 and decreased in women: ß = -2.67 mmHg; SE = 0.72. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that low frequencies of leisure-time physical activity are sufficient to induce beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system for both sexes. Also, there are some differences between sexes in cardiac adaptations according to type, frequency, and intensity of physical activity.

Corticomuscular coherence behavior in fine motor control of force: a critical review.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding how the human motor control operates is an important issue to the neuroscience. One example is how the motor cortex controls muscle activity, which can be observed through corticomuscular coherence (CMC). AIM: Our study aimed to verify the influence of certain factors related to the fine motor control of force tasks on CMC. Our issue is if would be possible the strength of the coupling between the central and muscular systems measured by changes in oscillatory activity of beta- and gamma-band being influenced by these factors as much healthy subjects as patients. DEVELOPMENT: Beta-band CMC was especially important when executing sustaining accurate control tasks, which need more concentration and effort. However, we found that beta-band CMC was influenced by some factors. With regard to gamma-band CMC, apparently a complex and continuous dynamic integration of several mechanisms would be necessary to modulate gamma-band CMC, since it was not modulated by magnitude of force. Therefore, it seems these mechanisms would be required to an adequate and effective neural networks operation when a dynamic force output is required. CONCLUSION: Beta- and gamma-band CMC could enrich our understanding of the dynamic changes of the motor system not only in health subjects but also in neurological patients. It may serve as a sensitive index for quantifying dynamical changes in fine motor control of force. It has the potential to become a useful tool to characterize the patterns of changes in central nervous system's activities for the purposes of basic research, especially in restoring of motor function.