Effects of pesticides and metals on penaeid shrimps in Maputo Bay, Mozambique - A field study.

Estuaries are important nursery areas for many species and these habitats are often affected by anthropogenic activities. We investigate possible negative effects of pesticides and metals on penaeid shrimps in Maputo Bay, Mozambique. Shrimps and water samples were collected in three estuaries and one coastal area for biomarker and chemical analysis.

Spatial and temporal gait characteristics in pre-frail community-dwelling older adults.

Aim: A number of studies have explored possible relationships, behavior, and meanings of spatial and temporal gait variables in frail and pre-frail older adults, particularly the gait speed variable. However, it is necessary to know the relationship of other spatial and temporal gait variables of pre-frail older adults. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate and compare gait standards between pre-frail and non-frail older people.

Immediate effects of an anchor system on the stability limit of individuals with chronic dizziness of peripheral vestibular origin.

Introduction: The symptoms associated with chronic peripheral vestibulopathy exert a negative impact on the independence and quality of life of these individuals, and many individuals continue to suffer from these symptoms even after conventional vestibular rehabilitation.

Objective: To evaluate the acute effect of an anchor system for balance evaluation of patients with chronic dizziness who failed to respond to traditional vestibular rehabilitation.

Methods: Subjects over 50 years of age, presenting with chronic dizziness and postural instability of peripheral vestibular origin, participated in the study.

Long-term benefits of somatosensory training to improve balance of elderly with diabetes mellitus.

We evaluate the effects of somatosensory training on the mean amplitude of the center of pressure (COP) in the upright position and the sustained benefits after 6-month. Twelve elderly patients with type II diabetes (T2DM) participated in the study. Patients with T2DM were allocated to the somatosensory protocol, which consisted of a circuit composed of 13 stations with different textures.

Evaluation of postural control and quality of life in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To assess the balance in dynamic tasks and in the quality of life in elderly women with and without knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Elderly women were divided into Group 1 (n = 12), consisting of participants with bilateral knee osteoarthritis (Kellgreen-Lawrence grade 1 and 2), and Group 2 (n = 12), consisting of controls. A force plate (EMG System do Brazil) was used to assess postural sway in dynamic tasks, whereas the quality of life was assessed by using the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire.

The influence of vision and support base on balance during quiet standing in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis before and after posterior spinal fusion.

Background Context: Scoliosis is the most common postural alteration in adolescence and is characterized by deviations of the spine in three planes. Surgical treatment based on arthrodesis has been developed, but the effects of such restructuring on the systems involved in postural control need to be better understood.

Purpose: To assess the influence of vision and the support base on balance in the quiet standing position in adolescents awaiting surgical treatment for idiopathic scoliosis.

What is the influence of surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis on postural control?

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of surgical treatment on the control of upright balance in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Methods: Thirty adolescents were divided into two groups: Group C (n=15) consisted of individuals without scoliosis (control), and Group S (n=15) consisted of individuals with scoliosis. The mean amplitude and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) evaluations in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions were obtained before surgery and at 7, 30, 60 and 90-days after surgery, in an upright position, using a force platform.

Strengthening exercises to improve hand strength and functionality in rheumatoid arthritis with hand deformities: a randomized, controlled trial.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory and chronic disease of joints, which may result in irreversible deformities. To evaluate the effects of an exercise programme aimed at improving the hand strength in individuals with hand deformities resulting from RA and to analyse the impact these exercises have on functionality. Twenty women with RA hand deformities participated in the study.

Interference of different types of seats on postural control system during a forward-reaching task in individuals with paraplegia.

We aimed to evaluate the influence of different types of wheelchair seats on paraplegic individuals' postural control using a maximum anterior reaching test. Balance evaluations during 50, 75, and 90% of each individual's maximum reach in the forward direction using two different cushions on seat (one foam and one gel) and a no-cushion condition were carried out on 11 individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and six individuals without SCI. Trunk anterior displacement and the time spent to perform the test were assessed.

Body balance evaluation in osteoporotic elderly women.

SUMMARY: Osteoporotic Brazilian women balance was evaluated by timed up and go test (TUG) and to the Berg balance scale (BBS). In the BBS, women with and without osteoporosis had normal range scores, even with history of fall. In the TUG test, women with osteoporosis were slower, but in the normal parameter.

Electrical stimulation during gait promotes increase of muscle cross-sectional area in quadriplegics: a preliminary study.

Increases in muscular cross-sectional area (CSA) occur in quadriplegics after training, but the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) along with training are unknown. Thus, we addressed two questions: (1) Does NMES during treadmill gait training increase the quadriceps CSA in complete quadriplegics?; and (2) Is treadmill gait training alone enough to observe an increase in CSA? Fifteen quadriplegics were divided into gait (n = 8) and control (n = 7) groups. The gait group performed training with NMES for 6 months twice a week for 20 minutes each time.