Is the History of Falls an Indicative of Greater Decline in Quadriceps Muscle Function and Postural Sway?

To evaluate whether a history of falls is directly related to the quadriceps muscular function and body sway, 26 elderly women were divided on the basis of the presence or absence of a history of falls. Evaluation of muscular power and anteroposterior and mediolateral displacements of center of pressure during consecutive stand and sit 5 times were performed. Fallers exhibited higher mediolateral displacement than nonfallers. No differences were observed for quadriceps power and for sit-to-stand time between groups (P<.05). The fall history was not related to the quadriceps muscular function or to the anteroposterior displacement during sit to stand.

Clinical correlates of social adjustment in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently show poor social adjustment, which has been associated with OCD severity. Little is known about the effects that age at symptom onset, specific OCD symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidities have on social adjustment. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical correlates of social functioning in OCD patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 815 adults with a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD participating in the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. Patients were assessed with the Social Adjustment Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Clinical correlates of social adjustment were assessed with generalized linear models with gamma distribution. Results: Poor overall social functioning was associated with greater OCD severity (p = 0.02); hoarding symptoms (p = 0.004); sexual/religious obsessions (p = 0.005); current major depressive disorder (p = 0.004); current post-traumatic stress disorder (p = 0.002); and current eating disorders (p = 0.02). Poor social adjustment was also associated with impaired quality of life. Conclusions: Patients with OCD have poor social functioning in domains related to personal relationships and professional performance. Hoarding symptoms and sexual/religious obsessions seem to have the strongest negative effects on social functioning. Early age at OCD symptom onset seems to be associated with professional and academic underachievement and impairment within the family unit, whereas current psychiatric comorbidity worsen overall social functioning. In comparison with quality of life, social adjustment measures seem to provide a more comprehensive overview of the OCD-related burden. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlations between Subjective Well-being, Dyadic Adjustment and Marital Satisfaction in Brazilian Married People

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the constructs subjective well-being (SWB), dyadic adjustment (DA) and marital satisfaction (MS). Participants were 106 married Brazilians, of both sexes, with a mean age of 42 (+/- 11) years. Instruments used for the sociodemographic characterization and socioeconomic classification were the Subjective Wellbeing Scale (SWBS), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and the Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS). Through the analysis of correlations and of stepwise multiple regression, it was verified that all the factors of the dyadic adjustment showed correlation with the marital satisfaction. The satisfaction with life (factor of the SWBS) and dyadic satisfaction (factor of the DAS), were positively and significantly correlated (r = .20; p = .04), which reveals that people who say they are satisfied with life in different domains also do so in relation to the marital experience.

Comparison of multisensory and strength training for postural control in the elderly

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy of multisensory versus muscle strengthening to improve postural control in healthy community-dwelling elderly. Participants: We performed a single-blinded study with 46 community-dwelling elderly allocated to strength (GS, n = 23; 70.18 +/- 4.8 years 22 women and 1 man) and multisensory exercises groups (GM, n = 23; 68.8 +/- 5.9 years; 22 women and 1 man) for 12 weeks. Methods: We performed isokinetic evaluations of muscle groups in the ankle and foot including dorsiflexors, plantar flexors, inversion, and eversion. The oscillation of the center of pressure was assessed with a force platform. Results: The GM group presented a reduction in the oscillation (66.8 +/- 273.4 cm(2) to 11.1 +/- 11.6 cm(2); P = 0.02), which was not observed in the GS group. The GM group showed better results for the peak torque and work than the GS group, but without statistical significance. Conclusion: Although the GM group presented better results, it is not possible to state that one exercise regimen proved more efficacious than the other in improving balance control.

Obese elderly women exhibit low postural stability: a novel three-dimensional evaluation system

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the multisegmental static postural balance of active eutrophic and obese elderly women using a three-dimensional system under different sensory conditions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 31 elderly women (16 eutrophic and 15 obese) aged 65 to 75 years. The following anthropometric measurements were obtained: weight, height, waist and hip circumference, and handgrip strength. The physical activity level was evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Body composition was measured using the deuterium oxide dilution technique. The Polhemus (R) Patriot (three-dimensional) equipment was used to measure the parameters of postural balance along the anteroposterior and laterolateral axes. The data acquisition involved one trial of 60 s to test the limit of stability and four trials of 90 s each under the following conditions: (1) eyes open, stable surface; (2) eyes closed, stable surface; (3) eyes open, unstable surface; and (4) eyes closed, unstable surface. RESULTS: For the limit of stability, significant differences were observed in the maximum anteroposterior and laterolateral displacement (p<0.01) and in the parameter maximum anteroposterior displacement in the eyes closed stable surface condition (p<0.01) and maximum anteroposterior and laterolateral displacement in the eyes open unstable surface (p<0.01 and p = 0.03) and eyes closed unstable surface (p<0.01 and p<0.01) conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Obese elderly women exhibited a lower stability limit (lower sway area) compared with eutrophic women, leaving them more vulnerable to falls.

Previous exposure to musical auditory stimulation immediately influences the cardiac autonomic responses to the postural change maneuver in women

Background Chronic exposure to musical auditory stimulation has been reported to improve cardiac autonomic regulation. However, it is not clear if music acutely influences it in response to autonomic tests. We evaluated the acute effects of music on heart rate variability (HRV) responses to the postural change maneuver (PCM) in women. Method We evaluated 12 healthy women between 18 and 28 years old and HRV was analyzed in the time (SDNN, RMSSD, NN50 and pNN50) and frequency (LF, HF and LF/HF ratio) domains. In the control protocol, the women remained at seated rest for 10 minutes and quickly stood up within three seconds and remained standing still for 15 minutes. In the music protocol, the women remained at seated rest for 10 minutes, were exposed to music for 10 minutes and quickly stood up within three seconds and remained standing still for 15 minutes. HRV was recorded at the following time: rest, music (music protocol) 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 min during standing. Results In the control protocol the SDNN, RMSSD and pNN50 indexes were reduced at 10–15 minutes after the volunteers stood up, while the LF (nu) index was increased at the same moment compared to seated rest. In the protocol with music, the indexes were not different from control but the RMSSD, pNN50 and LF (nu) were different from the music period. Conclusion Musical auditory stimulation attenuates the cardiac autonomic responses to the PCM.

Postural balance in patients with social anxiety disorder

Body stability is controlled by the postural system and can be affected by fear and anxiety. Few studies have addressed freezing posture in psychiatric disorders. The purpose of the present study was to assess posturographic behavior in 30 patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and 35 without SAD during presentation of blocks of pictures with different valences. Neutral images consisted of objects taken from a catalog of pictures, negative images were mutilation pictures and anxiogenic images were related to situations regarding SAD fears. While participants were standing on a force platform, similar to a balance, displacement of the center of pressure in the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions was measured. We found that the SAD group exhibited a lower sway area and a lower velocity of sway throughout the experiment independent of the visual stimuli, in which the phobic pictures, a stimulus associated with a defense response, were unable to evoke a significantly more rigid posture than the others. We hypothesize that patients with SAD when entering in a situation of exposure, from the moment the pictures are presented, tend to move less than controls, remaining this way until the experiment ends. This discrete body manifestation can provide additional data to the characterization of SAD and its differentiation from other anxiety disorders, especially in situations regarding facing fear.

Equilíbrio, controle postural e força muscular em idosas osteoporóticas com e sem quedas

Um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública na população idosa são as quedas, agravando-se quando relacionadas à presença de osteoporose. Dentre os vários fatores de risco, destacam-se a diminuição do equilíbrio, controle postural e força muscular. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar o equilíbrio, o controle postural e a força muscular em idosas osteoporóticas com e sem quedas referidas no último ano. Foram avaliadas 45 mulheres entre 65 e 85 anos, divididas em dois grupos com base no relato de quedas nos 12 meses anteriores à avaliação: grupo com quedas (GCQ; n=21) e grupo sem quedas (GSQ; n=24). O equilíbrio foi avaliado por meio da escala de equilíbrio de Berg; o controle postural pelo teste clínico modificado de interação sensorial no equilíbrio (mCTSIB), realizado no equipamento Balance Master®; e a força muscular dos flexores e extensores de joelho e dorsiflexores de tornozelo, com dinamômetro EMG System do Brasil®. Foi considerado nível de significância α=0,05. Houve diferença significativa no equilíbrio (p<0,01) e na velocidade de oscilação do Centro de Pressão (CP) durante o teste mCTSIB nas condições olhos fechados superfície estável (p=0,05) e olhos abertos superfície instável (p<0,01), com valores maiores para o GCQ. Os grupos foram semelhantes entre si em relação à força muscular (p>0,05). Nossos resultados indicam que idosas osteoporóticas com histórico de quedas nos últimos 12 meses possuem pior equilíbrio e controle postural em relação às osteoporóticas sem quedas referidas.

Influência da obesidade e da força de preensão palmar no equilíbrio postural estático de idosas ativas

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a influência da obesidade e da força de preensão palmar (FPP) no equilíbrio postural estático de idosas ativas nas condições de olhos abertos e fechados. Participaram 31 idosas (16 eutróficas e 15 obesas). A idade média e o Índice de Massa Corpórea (IMC) das eutróficas foram, respectivamente, 68,3±2,7 anos e 23,4±1,6kg/m², e das obesas 69,1±2,7 anos e 33,5±3kg/m². A FPP foi avaliada usando um dinamômetro (JAMAR). O equilíbrio postural estático foi avaliado usando um sistema tridimensional nas condições de olhos abertos (OA) e fechados (OF), durante 90 segundos cada condição. A FPP das idosas eutróficas foi 25,1±4,6kgf e das obesas foi 24,8±5,2kgf, não havendo diferenças significativas. No equilíbrio postural, foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos apenas no deslocamento máximo a-p com AO (p=0,04) e OF (p<0,01), com as idosas obesas apresentando menor deslocamento a-p em relação às eutróficas. Não houve correlação entre o deslocamento máximo a-p com IMC e a FPP. No presente estudo FPP não influenciou o equilíbrio postural estático, enquanto a obesidade foi fator determinante de menor deslocamento ântero-posterior de idosas ativas.

Efeitos da informação comportamental na dinâmica intrínseca do controle postural

Esse estudo teve como objetivo examinar possíveis alterações na dinâmica intrínseca de crianças e adultos decorrentes de informações externas na realização de uma tarefa de manutenção da postura ereta. Participaram do estudo dez crianças de 8 anos de idade e dez adultos jovens de ambos os gêneros. Eles permaneceram na posição ereta dentro de uma sala móvel que foi movimentada continuamente para frente e para trás. Os participantes recebiam informação sobre o movimento da sala e eram solicitados a não oscilar ou a oscilar junto com o movimento da mesma. Os resultados mostraram que a manipulação da informação visual induziu oscilação corporal correspondente (dinâmica intrínseca) em crianças e adultos. Informação sobre o movimento da sala e solicitação de uma ação (informação comportamental) alteraram o relacionamento entre informação visual e oscilação corporal. Crianças apresentaram mais dificuldades em alterar a dinâmica intrínseca do que adultos, indicando que elas são mais dependentes da dinâmica intrínseca do que adultos. Esses resultados trazem implicações importantes para a situação de ensino-aprendizagem, pois indica que aprendizagem envolvendo crianças deve ser estruturada propiciando condições mais favoráveis para alterações na dinâmica intrínseca para que os objetivos da mesma sejam alcançados.

Comparison between 2.5-D and 3-D realistic models for wind field adjustment

[EN]In previous works, many authors have widely used mass consistent models for wind field simulation by the finite element method. On one hand, we have developed a 3-D mass consistent model by using tetrahedral meshes which are simultaneously adapted to complex orography and to terrain roughness length. In addition, we have included a local refinement strategy around several measurement or control points, significant contours, as for example shorelines, or numerical solution singularities. On the other hand, we have developed a 2.5-D model for simulating the wind velocity in a 3-D domain in terms of the terrain elevation, the surface temperature and the meteorological wind, which is consider as an averaged wind on vertical boundaries...