scholarly journals EFFECTS OF AN EVIDENCEBASED DANCE PROGRAM (TANZPRO-BIODANZA®) FOR KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN AGED FOUR TO SIX ON IMMUNEGLOBULINE A, TESTOSTERONE AND HEART RATE

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-143
Author(s):  
Marcus Stueck ◽  
Alejandra Villegas ◽  
Cathleen Schoenichen ◽  
Katrin Bauer ◽  
Paul Tofts ◽  
...  

Present study addresses the question of the effects of the evidence based TANZPRO-Biodanza®-Program (Stueck & Villegas, 2009, Stück, 2013) based on BIODANZA by Rolando Toro and Cecilia Luzzi (Toro, 2010). TANZPRO-Biodanza® is the nonverbal part of the School of Empathy concept by Marcus Stueck (Stueck, 2013), which was developed in the project “Healthy Lifestyles in Kindergardens” of the Geman Ministry of Health (2009 until 2011). Biodanza is a contact and motion-based intervention method with auto-regulative claim on immune competence and the autonomic system of children of kindergarten age. The evaluation took ten weeks. A TANZPRO®-Biodanza class with girls aged four to six was carried out from September 2011 until December 2012. The immunological parameters immunoglobuline A and testosterone as well as the autonomic heart rate parameters were collected before and after each TANZPRO®-Biodanza sessions of the course as a process variable. Especially, the reduced testosterone levels after the meetings in the saliva of children show positive effects of the method on the immune system. The decrease of IgA levels after TANZPRO®-Biodanza in the saliva of children towards age norm might be due to an immune regulative effect. The specific effects of TANZPRO®-Biodanza on heart rate towards a mean level show improvement of physical autoregulatory processes. Key words: auto regulative immune competence, empathy, Immuneglobuline A, TANZPRO®-Biodanza, testosterone.

Author(s):  
Marcela Sánchez-Delgado ◽  
José Antonio Estrada ◽  
Vladimir Paredes-Cervantes ◽  
Martha Kaufer-Horwitz ◽  
Irazú Contreras

Abstract. Establishing the safety of non-caloric sweetener consumption in humans is a difficult task, since many contradictory results have been reported. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of frequent intake of sucrose, sucralose or steviol glycosides, on selected anthropometric, biochemical and immunological parameters in healthy, young adults. 38 individuals with normal body mass index were recruited and randomly divided into three experimental groups. After a washout week (where food with added sweeteners was restricted), each group was supplemented with sucrose (8 × 5 g packets/day), sucralose or steviol glycosides (4 × 1 g packets/day each) for 6 weeks. Selected variables were measured before and after treatment in each group and differences within and among groups were assessed. Our results showed that, compared to baseline, there was a modest but significant increase in weight (p = 0.0293) in the sucralose group, while the steviol glycosides group reduced their fat mass (p = 0.0390). No differences were observed in glycaemia; however, there was a significant increase in serum triglycerides (77.8–110.8 mg/dL) and cholesterol (162.0–172.3 mg/dL) in the sucrose group, whereas the steviol glycosides group presented lower triglycerides (104.7–92.8 mg/dL) and TNF-α concentrations (51.1–47.5 pg/mL). Comparison among groups showed differences in serum triglycerides (p = 0.0226), TNF-α (p = 0.0460) and IL-β (p = 0.0008). Our results suggest that, even in a short time span, frequent intake of steviol glycosides may have positive effects on metabolic parameters that may be relevant for human health.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Keller ◽  
Eric Ruthruff ◽  
Patrick Keller

Mindfulness (MF) is a form of mental training that has been linked to increased creativity in problem-solving. Most MF studies recruit participants interested in meditation, and thus are biased towards positive effects. Participants in this study (n = 73) therefore signed up for "mental training," not "mindfulness meditation"; the vast majority (54) had little to no prior meditation experience. This is also the first such experiment to use an objective measure of MF (coherence, a physiological correlate of MF that can be indexed by heart rate variability or HRV) as a manipulation check. Participants were randomly assigned to either MF training or a control condition (a memory exercise), and completed a test of divergent thinking (Unusual Uses Task) before and after mental training. Coherence was significantly higher in the MF group and heart rate was significantly lower in the MF group.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1018-1032
Author(s):  
Chia-Hsin Wu ◽  
Roger W. Chan

Purpose Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program. Method Thirty-seven elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups: (a) SPW exercises with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group) and (b) vocal hygiene education (control group). Before and after intervention (2 weeks after the completion of the exercise program), acoustic analysis, auditory–perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of vocal impairment were conducted. Results Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio, the auditory–perceptual parameter of breathiness, and Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postintervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for other measures. Conclusions Our results supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for the aging voice, with a 6-week SPW exercise program being a clinical option. Future studies should involve long-term follow-up and additional outcome measures to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises, particularly SPW exercises, for the aging voice.


2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunfeng Sun ◽  
Yinling Zhang ◽  
Ning He ◽  
Xufeng Liu ◽  
Danmin Miao

Abstract. Caffeine placebo expectation seems to improve vigilance and cognitive performance. This study investigated the effect of caffeine and placebo expectation on vigilance and cognitive performance during 28 h sleep deprivation. Ten healthy males volunteered to take part in the double-blind, cross-over study, which required participants to complete five treatment periods of 28 h separated by 1-week wash-out intervals. The treatments were no substance (Control); caffeine 200 mg at 00:00 (C200); placebo 200 mg at 00:00 (P200); twice caffeine 200 mg at 00:00 and 04:00 (C200-C200); caffeine 200 mg at 00:00 and placebo 200 mg at 04:00 (C200-P200). Participants were told that all capsules were caffeine and given information about the effects of caffeine to increase expectation. Vigilance was assessed by a three-letter cancellation test, cognitive functions by the continuous addition test and Stroop test, and cardiovascular regulation by heart rate and blood pressure. Tests were performed bihourly from 00:00 to 10:00 of the second day. Results indicated that C200-P200 and C200-C200 were more alert (p < .05) than Control and P200. Their cognitive functions were higher (p < .05) than Control and P200. Also, C200-P200 scored higher than C200 in the letter cancellation task (p < .05). No test showed any significant differences between C200-P200 and C200-C200. The results demonstrated that the combination of caffeine 200 mg and placebo 200 mg expectation exerted prolonged positive effects on vigilance and cognitive performance.


Author(s):  
A. E. Chernikova ◽  
Yu. P. Potekhina

Introduction. An osteopathic examination determines the rate, the amplitude and the strength of the main rhythms (cardiac, respiratory and cranial). However, there are relatively few studies in the available literature dedicated to the influence of osteopathic correction (OC) on the characteristics of these rhythms.Goal of research — to study the influence of OC on the rate characteristics of various rhythms of the human body.Materials and methods. 88 adult osteopathic patients aged from 18 to 81 years were examined, among them 30 men and 58 women. All patients received general osteopathic examination. The rate of the cranial rhythm (RCR), respiratory rate (RR) heart rate (HR), the mobility of the nervous processes (MNP) and the connective tissue mobility (CTM) were assessed before and after the OC session.Results. Since age varied greatly in the examined group, a correlation analysis of age-related changes of the assessed rhythms was carried out. Only the CTM correlated with age (r=–0,28; p<0,05) in a statistically significant way. The rank dispersion analysis of Kruskal–Wallis also showed statistically significant difference in this indicator in different age groups (p=0,043). With the increase of years, the CTM decreases gradually. After the OC, the CTM, increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001). The RCR varied from 5 to 12 cycles/min in the examined group, which corresponded to the norm. After the OC, the RCR has increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001), the MNP has also increased (p<0,0001). The initial heart rate in the subjects varied from 56 to 94 beats/min, and in 15 % it exceeded the norm. After the OC the heart rate corresponded to the norm in all patients. The heart rate and the respiratory rate significantly decreased after the OC (р<0,0001).Conclusion. The described biorhythm changes after the OC session may be indicative of the improvement of the nervous regulation, of the normalization of the autonomic balance, of the improvement of the biomechanical properties of body tissues and of the increase of their mobility. The assessed parameters can be measured quickly without any additional equipment and can be used in order to study the results of the OC.


Diabetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 312-OR
Author(s):  
AHMAD AL-MRABEH ◽  
SHADEN MELHEM ◽  
SVIATLANA V. ZHYZHNEUSKAYA ◽  
CARL PETERS ◽  
ALISON C. BARNES ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Asier Anabitarte ◽  
Gonzalo García-Baquero ◽  
Ainara Andiarena ◽  
Nerea Lertxundi ◽  
Nerea Urbieta ◽  
...  

The positive effects of Green Spaces on health are thought to be achieved through the mechanisms of mitigation, instoration and restoration. One of the benefits of Green Spaces may be the restoration of attention and so the objective of this research is testing empirically whether exposure to a green environment improves attention in school children. For so doing, we first used a split-unit statistical design in each of four schools, then combined the primary results via meta-analysis. The Attention Network Test (ANT) was used to measure attention before and after exposure and a total of 167 seven-year-old students participated in the experiments. Overall, our experimental results do not support the hypothesis that students’ exposure to activities in green vs. grey spaces affected their performance in ANT. This was so despite the fact that neither age nor gender biases have been detected and despite that our experiments have been proved to be sufficiently statistically powerful. It would be advisable to consider air pollution and noise. We also recommend that participants attend the experiment with mental exhaustion to maximize the ability to detect significant changes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Dal Sasso Mendes ◽  
Orlando de Castro e Silva Junior ◽  
Luciana da Costa Ziviani ◽  
Fabiana Murad Rossin ◽  
Márcia Maria Fontão Zago ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: The objective in this study was to analyze candidates' knowledge on the liver transplantation process before and after putting in practice an educational intervention. METHOD: A quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest research design was adopted. The final sample included 15 subjects. Research data were collected between January and March 2010 in three phases, which were: pretest, implementation of the educational intervention (two meetings) and posttest. RESULTS: The results evidenced significant cognitive gains after the intervention, with improvements in the participants' performance . CONCLUSIONS: The research presents evidence that putting in practice a patient education strategy can enhance candidates' knowledge on the liver transplantation process and consequently contribute to a successful treatment.


1961 ◽  
Vol 201 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel M. Bass ◽  
Vincent V. Glaviano

Heart rate, mean blood pressure, adrenal blood flow, and adrenal plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline were compared before and after ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery in dogs anesthetized with chloralose. One group of 12 dogs responded to acute coronary occlusion with a sudden and marked decrease in mean blood pressure (mean, 31%) and heart rate (mean, 18%) followed by an early onset (mean, 227 sec) of ventricular fibrillation. Another group of nine dogs responded with slight decreases in mean blood pressure (mean, 13%) and heart rate (mean, 5%), during which time ventricular fibrillation occurred late (mean, 30 min) or not at all. While the two groups were statistically different in mean blood pressure and heart rate, the minute output of adrenal catecholamines in either group was not found to be related to the early or late occurrence of ventricular fibrillation.


1994 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 1391-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherman D. Vanderark ◽  
Daniel Ely

Physiological responses associated with the ratings of musical stimuli were investigated. For 101 university music and biology students in the experimental group, heart rate, blood pressure, and finger temperature were measured before and after listening to about 10 min. of music (Venus and Jupiter from Holst's The Planets) in an anechoic chamber. They also served as their own controls by sitting in silence for about 10 min. No significant differences were found on the three measures for the two musical stimuli between the musical or control conditions or between the two majors.


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