Instrução verbal: solicitar foco de atenção não garante sua adoção e melhor desempenho

The purposes of this study were to investigate a) the effect of redundant and non-redundant instruction on external focus of attention adoption, b) the effect of adopting an external focus of attention on performance in a front crawl swimming task, and c) the effect of redundancy in the wording of a verbal instruction on the above variables. 43 college students (m/f) aged 17 to 46 swam 25 m crawl at maximum speed, once under each of three conditions: without focus instruction (SF), following a focus instruction (CF) and a redundant focus instruction (CFR), in counterbalanced order. For focus adoption control, after completing the task participants were asked about what they had focused on while swimming. As a measure of performance, time and number of strokes were taken and the stroke index was calculated. The results showed that under redundant focus instruction (CFR) condition, 42 % failed to adopt the attentional focus as asked, and following focus (CF) instruction, 23 %. Under CF condition, the frequency of participants that adopted the focus was higher than of those who did not. Performance did not differ significantly among the three conditions (p>0,05). These findings stress the need of manipulation checks in attentional focus research, regarding both performance and motor learning efficiency, as well as the need for further investigation into the relation between instruction extension and performance.

Listening to music in the first, but not the last 1.5 km of a 5-km running trial alters pacing strategy and improves performance

We examined the effects of listening to music on attentional focus, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), pacing strategy and performance during a simulated 5-km running race. 15 participants performed 2 controlled trials to establish their best baseline time, followed by 2 counterbalanced experimental trials during which they listened to music during the first (M-start) or the last (M-finish) 1.5 km. The mean running velocity during the first 1.5 km was significantly higher in M-start than in the fastest control condition (p < 0.05), but there was no difference in velocity between conditions during the last 1.5 km (p > 0.05). The faster first 1.5 m in M-start was accompanied by a reduction in associative thoughts compared with the fastest control condition. There were no significant differences in RPE between conditions (p > 0.05). These results suggest that listening to music at the beginning of a trial may draw the attentional focus away from internal sensations of fatigue to thoughts about the external environment. However, along with the reduction in associative thoughts and the increase in running velocity while listening to music, the RPE increased linearly and similarly under all conditions, suggesting that the change in velocity throughout the race may be to maintain the same rate of RPE increase.

The interaction of postural and voluntary strategies for stability in Parkinson's disease

de Lima-Pardini AC, Papegaaij S, Cohen RG, Teixeira LA, Smith BA, Horak FB. The interaction of postural and voluntary strategies for stability in Parkinson's disease. J Neurophysiol 108: 1244-1252, 2012. First published June 6, 2012; doi:10.1152/jn.00118.2012.-This study assessed the effects of stability constraints of a voluntary task on postural responses to an external perturbation in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy elderly participants. Eleven PD subjects and twelve control subjects were perturbed with backward surface translations while standing and performing two versions of a voluntary task: holding a tray with a cylinder placed with the flat side down [low constraint (LC)] or with the rolling, round side down [high constraint (HC)]. Participants performed alternating blocks of LC and HC trials. PD participants accomplished the voluntary task as well as control subjects, showing slower tray velocity in the HC condition compared with the LC condition. However, the latency of postural responses was longer in the HC condition only for control subjects. Control subjects presented different patterns of hip-shoulder coordination as a function of task constraint, whereas PD subjects had a relatively invariant pattern. Initiating the experiment with the HC task led to 1) decreased postural stability in PD subjects only and 2) reduced peak hip flexion in control subjects only. These results suggest that PD impairs the capacity to adapt postural responses to constraints imposed by a voluntary task.

Clusters of leprosy transmission and of late diagnosis in a highly endemic area in Brazil: focus on different spatial analysis approaches

Objective The Brazilian National Hansens Disease Control Program recently identified clusters with high disease transmission. Herein, we present different spatial analytical approaches to define highly vulnerable areas in one of these clusters. Method The study area included 373 municipalities in the four Brazilian states Maranha o, Para ', Tocantins and Piaui '. Spatial analysis was based on municipalities as the observation unit, considering the following disease indicators: (i) rate of new cases / 100 000 population, (ii) rate of cases < 15 years / 100 000 population, (iii) new cases with grade-2 disability / 100 000 population and (iv) proportion of new cases with grade-2 disabilities. We performed descriptive spatial analysis, local empirical Bayesian analysis and spatial scan statistic. Results A total of 254 (68.0%) municipalities were classified as hyperendemic (mean annual detection rates > 40 cases / 100 000 inhabitants). There was a concentration of municipalities with higher detection rates in Para ' and in the center of Maranha o. Spatial scan statistic identified 23 likely clusters of new leprosy case detection rates, most of them localized in these two states. These clusters included only 32% of the total population, but 55.4% of new leprosy cases. We also identified 16 significant clusters for the detection rate < 15 years and 11 likely clusters of new cases with grade-2. Several clusters of new cases with grade-2 / population overlap with those of new cases detection and detection of children < 15 years of age. The proportion of new cases with grade-2 did not reveal any significant clusters. Conclusions Several municipality clusters for high leprosy transmission and late diagnosis were identified in an endemic area using different statistical approaches. Spatial scan statistic is adequate to validate and confirm high-risk leprosy areas for transmission and late diagnosis, identified using descriptive spatial analysis and using local empirical Bayesian method. National and State leprosy control programs urgently need to intensify control actions in these highly vulnerable municipalities.

Burnout syndrome and Brazilian civil aviation: a short essay on the focus on prevention

Introduction: At the same time that there are increased demands we have become more sedentary, increasing risk factors for new diseases. All this reflects on our quality of life with special emphasis upon a particular syndrome called Burnout. Aviation is no exception and packed into its processes each day more expeditious, promotes a perfect environment for the development and spread of the syndrome. Aim: To evaluate the quality of life, organizational climate, and the level of physical activity among employees of a Brazilian airline. Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted with 8 subjects. Results: Total score on the WHOQOL quality of life questionnaire was 64.7 (SD 10.8), and the environmental field showed the lowest score. Nevertheless, the sedentary risk factor was performed in 25% of the sample. About the organizational climate, it can be seen that 6.12% of the sample was framed in "Professional Exhaustive", 29.60% in the condition of "Warning", and 64.37% in the condition of "Professional Efficiency". Conclusion: the study found a low quality of life, especially in the environmental category, sedentary people and a large proportion of employees in this Brazilian airline with negative scores on the Organizational Climate.

Providing health care to women with tuberculosis: the family focus perspective

To analyze the relationship between the practice of family health team workers and women with tuberculosis, according to the family focus dimension. The participants were eight family health team workers from a city in the Joao Pessoa metropolitan area (Paraiba -PB). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and then subjected to thematic content analysis. The workers recognize the critical social condition that women with tuberculosis live in, as well as the prejudice they face. They suggest that these women require care based on the concept of comprehensiveness in health. They also highlight the importance of Directly Observed Therapy -Short Course, the existence of incentives, and the women's poor adherence to educational activities and groups. Few workers recognize the inclusion of relatives in the care of women with tuberculosis, which implies the need for discussion regarding this fact with the purpose of improving tuberculosis treatment effectiveness.

Induction of Psychosis by Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Reflects Modulation of Prefrontal and Striatal Function During Attentional Salience Processing

Context: The aberrant processing of salience is thought to be a fundamental factor underlying psychosis. Cannabis can induce acute psychotic symptoms, and its chronic use may increase the risk of schizophrenia. We investigated whether its psychotic effects are mediated through an influence on attentional salience processing. Objective: To examine the effects of Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on regional brain function during salience processing. Design: Volunteers were studied using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging on 3 occasions after administration of Delta 9-THC, CBD, or placebo while performing a visual oddball detection paradigm that involved allocation of attention to infrequent (oddball) stimuli within a string of frequent (standard) stimuli. Setting: University center. Participants: Fifteen healthy men with minimal previous cannabis use. Main Outcome Measures: Symptom ratings, task performance, and regional brain activation. Results: During the processing of oddball stimuli, relative to placebo, Delta 9-THC attenuated activation in the right caudate but augmented it in the right prefrontal cortex. Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol also reduced the response latency to standard relative to oddball stimuli. The effect of Delta 9-THC in the right caudate was negatively correlated with the severity of the psychotic symptoms it induced and its effect on response latency. The effects of CBD on task-related activation were in the opposite direction of those of Delta 9-THC; relative to placebo, CBD augmented left caudate and hippocampal activation but attenuated right prefrontal activation. Conclusions: Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD differentially modulate prefrontal, striatal, and hippocampal function during attentional salience processing. These effects may contribute to the effects of cannabis on psychotic symptoms and on the risk of psychotic disorders.

Meditation training increases brain efficiency in an attention task

Meditation is a mental training, which involves attention and the ability to maintain focus on a particular object. In this study we have applied a specific attentional task to simply measure the performance of the participants with different levels of meditation experience, rather than evaluating meditation practice per se or task performance during meditation. Our objective was to evaluate the performance of regular meditators and non-meditators during an fMRI adapted Stroop Word-Colour Task (SWCT), which requires attention and impulse control, using a block design paradigm. We selected 20 right-handed regular meditators and 19 non-meditators matched for age, years of education and gender. Participants had to choose the colour (red, blue or green) of single words presented visually in three conditions: congruent, neutral and incongruent. Non-meditators showed greater activity than meditators in the right medial frontal, middle temporal, precentral and postcentral gyri and the lentiform nucleus during the incongruent conditions. No regions were more activated in meditators relative to non-meditators in the same comparison. Non-meditators showed an increased pattern of brain activation relative to regular meditators under the same behavioural performance level. This suggests that meditation training improves efficiency, possibly via improved sustained attention and impulse control. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prenatal and Neonatal Adaptations with a Focus on the Respiratory System

Contents Among the modifications that occur during the neonatal period, pulmonary development is the most critical. The neonate's lungs must be able to perform adequate gas exchange, which was previously accomplished by the placenta. Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome is defined as insufficient surfactant production or pulmonary structural immaturity and is specifically relevant to preterm newborns. Prenatal maternal betamethasone treatment of bitches at 55days of gestation leads to structural changes in the neonatal lung parenchyma and consequently an improvement in the preterm neonatal respiratory condition, but not to an increase in pulmonary surfactant production. Parturition represents an important challenge to neonatal adaptation, as the uterine and abdominal contractions during labour provoke intermittent hypoxia. Immediately after birth, puppies present venous mixed acidosis (low blood pH and high dioxide carbon saturation) and low but satisfactory Apgar scores. Thus, the combination of physiological hypoxia during birth and the initial effort of filling the pulmonary alveoli with oxygen results in anaerobiosis. As a neonatal adaptation follow-up, the Apgar analysis indicates a tachypnoea response after 1h of life, which leads to a shift in the blood acidbase status to metabolic acidosis. One hour is sufficient for canine neonates to achieve an ideal Apgar score; however, a haemogasometric imbalance persists. Dystocia promotes a long-lasting bradycardia effect, slows down Apgar score progression and aggravates metabolic acidosis and stress. The latest data reinforce the need to accurately intervene during canine parturition and offer adequate medical treatment to puppies that underwent a pathological labour.

Which factors are important for crossmodal attentional effect?

Some results in the literature suggest that crossmodal attention is very sensitive to the features of the experimental protocol. The current work examined the possible contribution of the asynchrony between the onset of the cue and the target (SOA) and the kind of task performed by the observer to the manifestation of crossmodal attentional effect. In a first experiment, a target (Gabor patch), whose spatial frequency had to be discriminated, was presented 133 or 159 ms after an auditory cue, in a close location on the same side or in a distant location on the opposite side. The crossmodal attentional effect was observed only for the 159 ms SOA. In a second experiment, the SOA was again 133 ms, but the location of the target had to be discriminated, instead of its spatial frequency. A crossmodal attentional effect was observed. The results of these two experiments indicate that crossmodal attentional effect depends on the SOA and the task. It takes longer to develop when the task requires the discrimination of the spatial frequency of the target than the discrimination of its location.