Postural Sway Velocity of Deaf Children with and without Vestibular Dysfunction.

Background: Sensory information obtained from the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems is responsible for regulating postural control, and if damage occurs in one or more of these sensory systems, postural control may be altered.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the postural sway velocity between children with normal hearing and with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), matched by sex and age group, and to compare the postural sway velocity between children with normal hearing and with SNHL, with and without vestibular dysfunction.

Methods: Cross-sectional study that evaluated 130 children (65 with normal hearing and 65 with SNHL), of both sexes and aged between 7 and 11 years, from public schools of the city of Caruaru, Pernambuco state, Brazil.

Use of Virtual Reality-Based Games to Improve Balance and Gait of Children and Adolescents with Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often experience motor skill disturbances, particularly in balance and gait, due to potential vestibular dysfunctions resulting from inner ear damage. Consequently, several studies have proposed the use of virtual reality-based games as a technological resource for therapeutic purposes, aiming to improve the balance and gait of this population.

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of evidence derived from randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that employed virtual reality-based games to enhance the balance and/or gait of children and adolescents with SNHL.

Does the practice of sports or recreational activities improve the balance and gait of children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss? A systematic review.

Background: Balance and gait disorders have been observed in children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), justified by vestibular dysfunctions that these children may present, due to the injury to the inner ear. Therefore, some investigations have suggested that the practice of sports or recreational activities can improve the balance and gait of this population.

Objective: Assess the evidence quality from randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that used sports or recreational activities as an intervention to improve the balance and /or gait of children and/or adolescents with SNHL.

Vestibular rehabilitation exercises programs to improve the postural control, balance and gait of children with sensorineural hearing loss: A systematic review.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) exhibit postural instabilities, as well as balance and gait disorders, due to the vestibular dysfunction that they are prone to display as a consequence of inner ear injury. Thus, some experiments have proposed vestibular rehabilitation exercises programs as a treatment to improve these motor skills in children with SNHL.

Objective: Assess the evidence quality of the trials that used vestibular rehabilitation exercises programs to improve the postural control, balance and gait of children with SNHL.

Balance performance of children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss: Repercussions of hearing loss degrees and etiological factors.

Introduction: Some studies have demonstrated a parallelism between the extent of hearing loss and the frequency of vestibular dysfunction in children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Despite this, little is known about the repercussion of degrees of hearing loss and etiological factors on the balance performance in this children.

Objective: Compare the balance performance between normal hearing (NH) children and those with SNHL, considering the sex and age range of the sample, and analyze balance performance according to the degrees of hearing loss and etiological factors in the latter group.

Postural control assessment in students with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.

Introduction: Children with sensorineural hearing loss can present with instabilities in postural control, possibly as a consequence of hypoactivity of their vestibular system due to internal ear injury.

Objective: To assess postural control stability in students with normal hearing (i.e.

Head Position Comparison between Students with Normal Hearing and Students with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Introduction Head sense position is coordinated by sensory activity of the vestibular system, located in the inner ear. Children with sensorineural hearing loss may show changes in the vestibular system as a result of injury to the inner ear, which can alter the sense of head position in this population. Aim Analyze the head alignment in students with normal hearing and students with sensorineural hearing loss and compare the data between groups.

Effects of a westernized diet on the reflexes and physical maturation of male rat offspring during the perinatal period.

This study evaluates the effects of a westernized diet during the perinatal period on the maternal performance and growth and development of rat offspring. Female Wistar rats were fed with either a control (C) diet, with casein as the protein source or a westernized (W) diet, during pregnancy and lactation. The pups were divided, eight per group, into the same diet groups as their dams.

Influence of muscle activity on musculotendinous stiffness quantification in stunted, prepubertal children.

The quick-release technique to estimate musculotendinous (MT) stiffness has been extensively used over the last years, in both animals and humans, to gain insights in the adaptive process of the series elastic component (SEC). Recently, MT stiffness quantification, i.e.

Use of virtual reality in gait recovery among post stroke patients--a systematic literature review.

Purpose: To conduct a systematic literature review focusing on the use of virtual reality (VR) for the improvement of gait in post-stroke patients.

Methods: We performed a search of Randomized-controlled trials published from 1966 to 2011 in the databases: Medline, Lilacs, CINAHL, Cochrane and SciELO. Keywords used in the selection were: Virtual reality in combination with (AND) "Nervous System Diseases", (OR) "Motor Skill Disorders" (OR) "neurologic impairments" (OR) "motor function" (OR) function* (OR) locomotion (OR) ambulation (OR) gait (OR) "motor activity" (OR) Stroke.

Early physical activity minimizes the adverse effects of a low-energy diet on growth and development parameters.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a low-energy diet on rat dams and physical activity in water during the perinatal period on body weight, somatic growth, and neuromotor development.

Methods: Rat dams were fed with control or low-energy diets from the third gestational week. At 8 days old the littermates were either involved or not in aquatic physical activity.

Influence of overweight on the active and the passive fraction of the plantar flexors series elastic component in prepubertal children.

The influence of overweight, as a precursor to obesity, was analyzed on the elastic properties of the triceps surae. Based on body mass index (BMI), children (9 years ± 4 mo) were classified as control (CON; n = 23; BMI -1SD>Z score<1SD) or overweight (OW; n = 21, BMI 1SD>Z score<3SD) with regard to reference data from the World Health Organization. Musculotendinous (MT) stiffness of the series elastic component (SEC) was determined using quick-release tests to obtain 1) the MT stiffness index from the slope of either linear stiffness-torque (SI(MT-Torque)) or stiffness-EMG (SI(MT-EMG)) relationships and 2) passive stiffness from the intercept point with the ordinate.

Stunting delays maturation of triceps surae mechanical properties and motor performance in prepubertal children.

Malnutrition can lead to possible irreversible consequences in the development of muscle function and some of them are yet poorly characterized. The present study evaluated the mechanical properties of the triceps surae and motor performance in stunted (S) and eutrophic (E) prepubertal children (9 years ± 6 months). Height-for-age ratio was used as indicator of stunting due to early malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization.

Passive stiffness of rat skeletal muscle undernourished during fetal development.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of fetal undernutrition on the passive mechanical properties of skeletal muscle of weaned and young adult rats.

Introduction: A poor nutrition supply during fetal development affects physiological functions of the fetus. From a mechanical point of view, skeletal muscle can be also characterized by its resistance to passive stretch.