scholarly journals Physical Activities and their Characteristics During Pandemic Times

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
Fabiana Martinescu-Bădălan

Abstract In this paper we wanted to present some aspects and characteristics observed in the specialized works and from the experience gained in performing physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This period was a complicated one both in terms of physical distancing and emotionally. We no longer had the right to leave our houses, except to get what was strictly necessary, not to meet with family members or friends, cultural and sports activities were suspended, and all this caused an increasingly visible state of sedentary lifestyle. All the restrictions of this period had a negative effect mainly on the brain and the dynamics of the human body, and they are detailed in the following pages.

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-218
Author(s):  
Ioan Sabin Sopa ◽  
Marcel Pomohaci

Abstract Sports activities and disseise prevention is a nowadays worldwide discussed problem, many specialists embraced the idea that physical activities can develop and maintain the health of human body. Our study was focused on finding the habits of a group of students from the University “Lucian Blaga” from Sibiu regarding physical activities, types of sports activities practiced in leisure time, student’s concept about the values and importance of practicing sports activities and so on. The main method of research was the lifestyle health questionnaire through which we investigated some aspects regarding sports activities influence on the level of health. We choose a sample of 300 students from all three years of study from different faculties from our university. The results of our investigation showed that students are aware of the positive influence of sports activities on human body.


Author(s):  
Inga DABOLINA ◽  
Jelizaveta Fomina ◽  
Eva Lapkovska ◽  
Liene Silina

Correct body posture is a balanced musculoskeletal body position; however, today many people face severe posture defects, and their body posture may be far from a normal, causing progressive musculoskeletal deformities and pain, as well as affecting the functionality and appearance of the body. Human daily habits, lack of physical activities and overall a sedentary lifestyle cause such phenomena. The research focuses on studies of human body measurements and body characteristics while wearing posture-corrective equipment for the assessment of the effectiveness of different posture correctors (abbreviated as PoC). Four test-persons were selected and scanned using 3D anthropometrical scanner in relaxed stand position wearing five different posture correctors for a prolonged period of time in order to determine the effectiveness and functionality of each PoC. Four distance (linear) human body measurements were gained to quantify postural changes - scapula position depth, upper torso position, shoulder projection height and hip-waist depth. General feedbacks on each subject impression of wearing PoCs were also received. Correction of posture could serve as a preventive or treatment for spine-related problems; though, commercially available correctors could negatively affect wearer’s health due to non-conformity of the design and/or used material. Therefore, PoC selection and wearing procedures should be solved with more personalized and customized approaches.


Author(s):  
M. Sato ◽  
Y. Ogawa ◽  
M. Sasaki ◽  
T. Matsuo

A virgin female of the noctuid moth, a kind of noctuidae that eats cucumis, etc. performs calling at a fixed time of each day, depending on the length of a day. The photoreceptors that induce this calling are located around the neurosecretory cells (NSC) in the central portion of the protocerebrum. Besides, it is considered that the female’s biological clock is located also in the cerebral lobe. In order to elucidate the calling and the function of the biological clock, it is necessary to clarify the basic structure of the brain. The observation results of 12 or 30 day-old noctuid moths showed that their brains are basically composed of an outer and an inner portion-neural lamella (about 2.5 μm) of collagen fibril and perineurium cells. Furthermore, nerve cells surround the cerebral lobes, in which NSCs, mushroom bodies, and central nerve cells, etc. are observed. The NSCs are large-sized (20 to 30 μm dia.) cells, which are located in the pons intercerebralis of the head section and at the rear of the mushroom body (two each on the right and left). Furthermore, the cells were classified into two types: one having many free ribosoms 15 to 20 nm in dia. and the other having granules 150 to 350 nm in dia. (Fig. 1).


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aslı Eker ◽  
Meltem Aydın Besen ◽  
Mine Yurdakul

Background: Every working woman has the right to continue to live as a healthy individual. The working environment has important effects on general health status and reproductive health of women. If menopouse period of women is not taken into consideration and if appropriate arrangements are not made at workplaces, their work performance and productivity decrease. It is important to have detailed knowledge about factors creating risk for health in order to develop effective policies and programs directed towards preventing them. Objective: This study was performed to determine perceived effects of menopause on work life and attitudes of an institution towards menopausal women. Methods: The study population included 419 women aged 45-55 years and working at a university. Out of 419 women, 291 could be contacted. Data were collected with a questionaire composed of questions about descriptive characteristics, effects of menopause on work life and support from and attitudes of the institution about menopause. Data collected to reveal menopausal women’s experiences at work were analyzed with statistical methods frequency, percentages and mean. Results: The mean age at which menopause started was 47 years and 89.7% of the women experienced menopausal complaints. Conclusions: Physical conditions at work and stressors were found to increase menopausal complaints and had a negative effect on work performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-120
Author(s):  
N.D. Sorokina ◽  
◽  
L.R. Shahalieva ◽  
S.S. Pertsov ◽  
L.V. Polma ◽  
...  

One of the most common causes of chronic pain in the facial region, including in the trigeminal nerve link, which is not associated with dental diseases, is pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. At the same time, there is evidence in the literature that there are relationships between pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, abnormal occlusion, cervical-muscular tonic phenomena, postural disorders, dysfunction of the Autonomous nervous system and cochleovestibular manifestations. At the same time, neurophysiological indicators of functional disorders in the maxillofacial region and intersystem interactions in pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint are insufficiently studied.Goal. The aim of the work is to evaluate the neurophysiological features of trigeminal afferentation in terms of trigeminal somatosensory evoked potentials (TSWP) and the auditory conducting system of the brain in terms of acoustic stem evoked potentials (ASVP) in distal occlusion of the dentition with pain dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in comparison with physiological occlusion in students 18-21 years old. Material and methods. The main study included 41 students with distal occlusion (21 girls and 20 boys), (grade II Engl, symmetrically right and left in 14 people, and grade II Engl on the left and grade I on the right in 12 people, grade I on the left and grade II on the right in 15 people). All respondents with distal occlusion and who were practically healthy signed an informed consent to participate in the study. We used complex orthodontic methods of examination, subjective degree of severity and intensity of pain in the TMJ, assessment of the Autonomous nervous system (samples and tests), and neurophysiological methods for assessing TSVP and ASVP. Results. Significant differences in ASEP parameters were found in the group of respondents with distal occlusion in the form of a decrease in the latency period of peak I, III, and V compared to physiological occlusion, that correlated with the subjective assessment (in points) of cochleovestibular disorders. According to the TSVP study, a decrease in the duration of latent periods was found, which indicates an increased excitability of non-specific brain stem structures at the medullo-ponto-mesencephalic level compared to the control group. Conclusions. The results obtained are supposed to be used for differential diagnostics, including such dental diseases as TMJ pain dysfunction, occlusion abnormalities accompanied by pain syndrome. Additional functional diagnostics of multi-modal VP of the brain (acoustic evoked potentials, trigeminal evoked potentials) can be performed in conjunction with indicators of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, with parameters of severity of clinical symptoms of cochleovestibular disorders, musculoskeletal dysfunction the maxillofacial area, with indicators of pain, which will determine the tactics and effectiveness of subsequent treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii460-iii460
Author(s):  
Mayuko Miyata ◽  
Masahiro Nonaka ◽  
Akio Asai

Abstract BACKGROUND If new lesions are observed during follow-up of the malignant tumor after treatment, it is difficult to distinguish whether the tumor is a recurrent lesion, secondary cancer, or radiation necrosis of the brain. We have encountered a patient with symptomatic radiation necrosis of the cerebellum 16 years after treatment of medulloblastoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old man who had received a tumor resection and chemoradiotherapy for cerebellar medulloblastoma at the age of 8 presented with dizziness. For the past 16 years, there was no recurrence of the tumor. He subsequently underwent MRI scan, and T1-Gd image showed enhanced lesion in the right cerebellar peduncle. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology analysis was negative for tumor. We suspected tumor reccurence or secondary cancer, and performed lesion biopsy. The result of the pathological examination was radiation necrosis of the cerebellum. DISCUSSION: The interval of radiation necrosis of the brain and radiotherapy can vary from months to more than 10 years. So, whenever a new lesion is identified, radiation brain necrosis must be envisioned. According to guidelines in Japan, there is no absolute examination for discriminating tumor recurrence from radiation brain necrosis and diagnosis by biopsy may be required. CONCLUSION We experienced a case of symptomatic radiation necrosis of the cerebellum 16 years after treatment. In patients showing new lesion after long periods of time, the possibility of radiation necrosis to be considered.


1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 561-571
Author(s):  
Gunnar Heuser ◽  
Ismael Mena ◽  
Francisca Alamos

Exposures to neurotoxic chemicals such as pesticides, glues, solvents, etc. are known to induce neurologic and psychiatric symptomatology. We report on 41 patients 16 young patients (6 males, 10 females, age 34 8 yrs.) and 25 elderly patients (9 males, 16 females, age 55 7 yrs). Fifteen of them were exposed to pesticides, and 29 to solvents. They were studied with quantitative and qualitative analysis of regional cerebral bood flow (rCBF), performed with 30 mCi of Xe-133 by inhalation, followed by 30 mCi of Tc-HMPAO given intravenously. Imaging was performed with a brain dedicated system, distribution of rCBF was assessed with automatic ROI definition, and HMPAO was normalized to maximal pixel activity in the brain. Results of Xe rCBF are expressed as mean and S.D. in ml/min/100g, and HMPAO as mean and S.D. uptake per ROI, and compared with age-matched controls 10 young and 20 elderly individuals. Neurotoxics HMPAO Uptake Young Elderly R. Orbital frontal R. Dorsal frontal .70 .66 p < 0.05 R. Temporal .64 p < 0.001 R. Parietal .66 .66 We conclude that patients exposed to chemicals present with diminished CBF, worse in the right hemisphere, with random presentation of areas of hypoperfusion, more prevalent in the dorsal frontal and parietal lobes. These findings are significantly different from observations in patients with chronic fatigue and depression, suggesting primary cortical effect, possibly due to a vasculitis process.


Author(s):  
Shihan Wang ◽  
Karlijn Sporrel ◽  
Herke van Hoof ◽  
Monique Simons ◽  
Rémi D. D. de Boer ◽  
...  

Just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) has gained attention recently and previous studies have indicated that it is an effective strategy in the field of mobile healthcare intervention. Identifying the right moment for the intervention is a crucial component. In this paper the reinforcement learning (RL) technique has been used in a smartphone exercise application to promote physical activity. This RL model determines the ‘right’ time to deliver a restricted number of notifications adaptively, with respect to users’ temporary context information (i.e., time and calendar). A four-week trial study was conducted to examine the feasibility of our model with real target users. JITAI reminders were sent by the RL model in the fourth week of the intervention, while the participants could only access the app’s other functionalities during the first 3 weeks. Eleven target users registered for this study, and the data from 7 participants using the application for 4 weeks and receiving the intervening reminders were analyzed. Not only were the reaction behaviors of users after receiving the reminders analyzed from the application data, but the user experience with the reminders was also explored in a questionnaire and exit interviews. The results show that 83.3% reminders sent at adaptive moments were able to elicit user reaction within 50 min, and 66.7% of physical activities in the intervention week were performed within 5 h of the delivery of a reminder. Our findings indicated the usability of the RL model, while the timing of the moments to deliver reminders can be further improved based on lessons learned.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110009
Author(s):  
Li Ping Wong ◽  
Sik Loo Tan ◽  
Haridah Alias ◽  
Thiam Eng Sia ◽  
Aik Saw

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP); this pause has not only caused unprecedented challenges for the delivery of medical education but has forced changes in the programme ceremony sessions. We aimed to describe the psychological impact and experiences of family members of silent mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic using qualitative interviews. Many expressed feelings of remorse and unrest about the unprecedented delay of the SMP. The delay increased negative emotions particularly among some elderly family members; however, there was no prominent negative effect on their functional health and well-being. Several participants relayed the belief that the soul cannot rest until the body receives a proper burial while some worried about the deterioration of the physical condition of the mentors. In conclusion, findings provide insights into the importance of not overlooking the mental health implications of delaying the SMP in future outbreaks or crises.


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