The psychosomatic impact of Yoga in medical education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Non-clinical approaches such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness are popular traditional therapeutical interventions adopted by many educational institutions to improve the physical and mental well-being of learners. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga intervention in improving cardiopulmonary parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, pulmonary function tests and psychosomatic symptoms such as depression, anxiety and stress in medical and dental students. Using the PRISMA protocol, a search from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Embase resulted in 304 relevant articles.

Vitamin D status in chimpanzees in human care: a Europe wide study.

While vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern in humans, comparatively little is known about vitamin D levels in non-human primates. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in overall health and its deficiency is associated with a range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of death in great apes. Serum samples (n = 245) from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed at 32 European zoos were measured for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

Typologies of dual career in sport: A cluster analysis of identity and self-efficacy.

Research has previously identified different approaches to a dual career (i.e., the simultaneous development of a vocational career alongside the athletic career): (a) educational/vocational pathway (i.

Stand Out in Class: restructuring the classroom environment to reduce sitting time - findings from a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Excessive sedentary behaviour (sitting) is a risk factor for poor health in children and adults. Incorporating sit-stand desks in the classroom environment has been highlighted as a potential strategy to reduce children's sitting time. The primary aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of conducting a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a sit-stand desk intervention within primary school classrooms.

Exploring the potential of salivary and blood immune biomarkers to elucidate physical frailty in institutionalized older women.

Identification of older populations at increased risk of physical frailty using biochemical approaches could improve screening accuracy. The aim of this study was to study the relationship between immune markers and independent components of physical frailty in institutionalized older women. A sample of 358 institutionalized-dwelling women, aged 75 years and older, were assessed for biosocial factors and general health status, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines, sex steroid hormones, salivary anti-microbial proteins, blood cells counts and the five Fried's physical frailty components that allowed for classification of the sample into frail, prefrailty and not-frail subgroups.

Determinants of frailty development and progression using a multidimensional frailty index: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Objective: To identify modifiable risk factors for development and progression of frailty in older adults living in England, as conceptualised by a multidimensional frailty index (FI).

Methods: Data from participants aged 50 and over from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) was used to examine potential determinants of frailty, using a 56-item FI comprised of self-reported health conditions, disabilities, cognitive function, hearing, eyesight, depressive symptoms and ability to carry out activities of daily living. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to measure frailty development (n = 7420) and linear regression models to measure frailty progression over 12 years follow-up (n = 8780).

Effects of heat stress and dehydration on cognitive function in elite female field hockey players.

Background: It has previously been suggested that heat exposure and hypohydration have negative effects on cognitive performance, which may impact upon sporting performance. The aim of the present study was to examine the independent effects of heat stress and hypohydration on cognitive performance in elite female field hockey players.

Methods: Eight unacclimatised elite field hockey players (age: 22 ± 3 y; height: 1.

Stand Out in Class: restructuring the classroom environment to reduce sedentary behaviour in 9-10-year-olds - study protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Sedentary behaviour (sitting) is a highly prevalent negative health behaviour, with individuals of all ages exposed to environments that promote prolonged sitting. Excessive sedentary behaviour adversely affects health in children and adults. As sedentary behaviour tracks from childhood into adulthood, the reduction of sedentary time in young people is key for the prevention of chronic diseases that result from excessive sitting in later life.

High intensity intermittent games-based activity and adolescents' cognition: moderating effect of physical fitness.

Background: An acute bout of exercise elicits a beneficial effect on subsequent cognitive function in adolescents. The effect of games-based activity, an ecologically valid and attractive exercise model for young people, remains unknown; as does the moderating effect of fitness on the acute exercise-cognition relationship. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of games-based activity on subsequent cognition in adolescents, and the moderating effect of fitness on this relationship.

Physical activity pre- and post-dementia: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Background: To inform public health interventions, further investigation is needed to identify: (1) frequency/intensity of everyday physical activity (PA) needed to reduce dementia risk; (2) whether post-diagnosis reduction in PA is associated with cognitive outcomes in people with dementia.

Methods: Data from 11,391 men and women (aged ≥50) were obtained from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort. Assessments were carried out at baseline (2002-2003) and at biannual follow-ups (2004-2013).

Associations Between Sedentary Behaviors and Cognitive Function: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Findings From the UK Biobank.

We investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations between different sedentary behaviors and cognitive function in a large sample of adults with data stored in the UK Biobank. Baseline data were available for 502,643 participants (2006-2010, United Kingdom). Cognitive tests included prospective memory (baseline only: n = 171,585), visual-spatial memory (round 1: n = 483,832; round 2: n = 482,762), fluid intelligence (n = 165,492), and short-term numeric memory (n = 50,370).

A critical literature review of the effectiveness of various instruments in the diagnosis of dementia in adults with intellectual disabilities.

Introduction: Currently, there is no consensus on dementia diagnostics in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). There are three types of assessments available: direct cognitive tests, test batteries, and informant reports.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in four databases yielding 9840 records.

Study Protocol on Hormonal Mediation of Exercise on Cognition, Stress and Immunity (PRO-HMECSI): Effects of Different Exercise Programmes in Institutionalized Elders.

Physical activity (PA) in elders has been shown to have positive effects on a plethora of chronic diseases and to improve immunity, mental health, and cognition. Chronic stress has also been shown to have immuno-suppressive effects and to accelerate immunosenescence. Exercise could be a significant factor in ameliorating the deleterious effects of chronic stress, but variables such as the type, intensity, and frequency of exercise that should be performed in order to effectively reduce the stress burden need to be defined clearly.

Sprint-based exercise and cognitive function in adolescents.

Moderate intensity exercise has been shown to enhance cognition in an adolescent population, yet the effect of high-intensity sprint-based exercise remains unknown and was therefore examined in the present study. Following ethical approval and familiarisation, 44 adolescents (12.6 ± 0.

Cluster Analysis of Physical and Cognitive Ageing Patterns in Older People from Shanghai.

This study investigated the relationship between education, cognitive and physical function in older age, and their respective impacts on activities of daily living (ADL). Data on 148 older participants from a community-based sample recruited in Shanghai, China, included the following measures: age, education, ADL, grip strength, balance, gait speed, global cognition and verbal memory. The majority of participants in the present cohort were cognitively and physically healthy and reported no problems with ADL.

Prevalence of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Individuals with Learning Disabilities.

A review of 23 studies investigating the prevalence of Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in the general and learning disability population and measures used to assess BPSD was carried out. BPSD are non-cognitive symptoms, which constitute as a major component of dementia regardless of its subtype Research has indicated that there is a high prevalence of BPSD in the general dementia population. There are limited studies, which investigate the prevalence of BPSD within individuals who have learning disabilities and dementia.

Breakfast glycaemic index and exercise: combined effects on adolescents' cognition.

The aim of the present study was to examine the combined effects of breakfast glycaemic index (GI) and a mid-morning bout of exercise on adolescents' cognitive function. Participants were randomly allocated to a high or low GI breakfast group in a mixed research design, where each participant completed two experimental trials (exercise and resting). Forty-two adolescents (12.

The relationship of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to cognitive processing in adolescents: findings from the ALSPAC birth cohort.

The aim of this study was to assess the relations of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to cognitive functions in 15-year-old adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children while controlling for aerobic fitness. A sub-sample of 667 adolescents (M(age) = 15.4 ± 0.

Breakfast glycaemic index and cognitive function in adolescent school children.

It has been suggested that a low-glycaemic index (GI) breakfast may be beneficial for some elements of cognitive function (e.g. memory and attention), but the effects are not clear, especially in adolescents.

Breakfast consumption and cognitive function in adolescent schoolchildren.

This study examined the effects of breakfast consumption on cognitive function, mood and blood glucose concentration in adolescent schoolchildren. With the institution's ethical advisory committee approval, 96 adolescents (12 to 15 years old) completed two randomly assigned trials (one following breakfast consumption and one following breakfast omission), scheduled 7 days apart. Cognitive function tests (visual search test, Stroop test and Sternberg paradigm), a mood questionnaire and a finger prick blood sample (in a subgroup of 60 participants) were completed immediately following breakfast and 120 min after the baseline measures.

Borobudur revisited: soy consumption may be associated with better recall in younger, but not in older, rural Indonesian elderly.

Previous reports have suggested that high frequent tofu consumption is associated with worse cognitive function in East Asian elderly. Some studies also found an increased risk of dementia with high tofu consumption in those older than 65years of age. Tofu and other soy products, such as tempeh, contain high levels of plant estrogens or isoflavones.

Sex steroids to maintain cognitive function in women after the menopause: a meta-analyses of treatment trials.

It is still debated whether estrogen treatment after the menopause could result in improved cognitive function in women. This debate is based on many animal and cell culture data showing that estrogens can positively affect the aging brain. Observational data also show a halved risk of dementia in women who took estrogens around the age of menopause.

Visual impairment in Alzheimer's disease: a critical review.

Visual impairment is a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of visual interventions to improve the functioning of AD patients. Therefore, clarification of the profile of visual deficits in AD and possible mechanisms underlying these deficits are needed.

Caffeine improves physical and cognitive performance during exhaustive exercise.

Unlabelled: Caffeine is thought to act as a central stimulant and to have effects on physical, cognitive, and psychomotor functioning.

Purpose: To examine the effects of ingesting a performance bar, containing caffeine, before and during cycling exercise on physical and cognitive performance.

Methods: Twenty-four well-trained cyclists consumed the products [a performance bar containing 45 g of carbohydrate and 100 mg of caffeine (CAF), an isocaloric noncaffeine performance bar (CHO), or 300 mL of placebo beverage (BEV)] immediately before performing a 2.