Compliance with the 24-h movement behaviors guidelines among urban and rural Brazilian preschoolers.

Background: The importance of movement behaviors for health is well-known, although few studies have examined the compliance with movement guidelines in preschoolers from different living contexts. This study reported the compliance with the 24-h movement behaviors guidelines among low-income Brazilian preschoolers from rural and urban areas, according to age.

Methods: A total of 453 preschoolers (n = 222 urban), aged between 3 and 5 years, provided physical activity (PA) data (Actigraph wGT3X).

Are there associations between sedentary time inside and outside preschools with preschoolers' executive function?

Preschool children spend a large part of their day at school, and a large part of that time they spend in sedentary time. Although sedentary time negatively affects regions of the brain responsible for cognition, it is believed that the type of sedentary time performed can favor executive functions' performance. The present study explored the associations between sedentary time inside and outside preschools with executive function (EF) tasks in preschoolers.

Impaired mechanical properties of Achilles tendon in spastic stroke survivors: an observational study.

Background: The spasticity could lead to decreased functional capacity and changes in musculoskeletal tissue.

Objective: To compare the Achilles tendon properties between the affected and contralateral limbs of participants with spasticity due to stroke and the healthy subjects.

Methods: Fifteen individuals with ankle spasticity due to stroke and 15 healthy subjects were recruited.

Achilles tendon morphology, plantar flexors torque and passive ankle stiffness in spastic hemiparetic stroke survivors.

Background: The present study compared the Achilles tendon morphological characteristics, plantar flexor toque and passive ankle stiffness between hemiparetic spastic stroke survivors and healthy subjects.

Methods: The Achilles tendon length was measured at the affected and contralateral limbs of twelve hemiparetic stroke survivors with ankle spasticity and twelve healthy subjects. The ankle was held at three different angles (20° plantar flexion, 0° and maximum dorsiflexion) while an ultrasound system was used to capture images from the Achilles tendon.

Muscle architecture and torque production in stroke survivors: an observational study.

Objective: Spasticity poststroke leads to muscle weakness and soft tissue contracture, however, it is not clear how muscle properties change due this motor neural disorder. The purpose was to compare medial gastrocnemius muscle architecture and mechanical properties of the plantarflexor muscles between stroke survivors with spasticity and healthy subjects.

Methods: The study included 15 stroke survivors with ankle spasticity and 15 healthy subjects.