Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-02-24"
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- Repeatability and temporal consistency of lower limb biomechanical variables expressing interlimb coordination during the double-support phase in people with and without stroke sequelaePublication . Couto, Ana G. B.; Vaz, Mário A. P.; Pinho, Liliana; Félix, José; Moreira, Juliana; Pinho, Francisco; Mesquita, Inês Albuquerque; Mesquita Montes, António; Crasto, Carlos; Sousa, AndreiaReliable biomechanical methods to assess interlimb coordination during the double-support phase in post-stroke subjects are needed for assessing movement dysfunction and related variability. The data obtained could provide a significant contribution for designing rehabilitation programs and for their monitorisation. The present study aimed to determine the minimum number of gait cycles needed to obtain adequate values of repeatability and temporal consistency of lower limb kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic parameters during the double support of walking in people with and without stroke sequelae. Eleven post-stroke and thirteen healthy participants performed 20 gait trials at self-selected speed in two separate moments with an interval between 72 h and 7 days. The joint position, the external mechanical work on the centre of mass, and the surface electromyographic activity of the tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus muscles were extracted for analysis. Both the contralesional and ipsilesional and dominant and non-dominant limbs of participants with and without stroke sequelae, respectively, were evaluated either in trailing or leading positions. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used for assessing intra-session and inter-session consistency analysis. For most of the kinematic and the kinetic variables studied in each session, two to three trials were required for both groups, limbs, and positions. The electromyographic variables presented higher variability, requiring, therefore, a number of trials ranging from 2 to >10. Globally, the number of trials required inter-session ranged from 1 to >10 for kinematic, from 1 to 9 for kinetic, and 1 to >10 for electromyographic variables. Thus, for the double support analysis, three gait trials were required in order to assess the kinematic and kinetic variables in cross-sectional studies, while for longitudinal studies, a higher number of trials (>10) were required for kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic variables.
- Effectiveness of a structured exercise intervention in gestational weight gain in pregnant women with overweight and obesity: A systematic review with meta-analysisPublication . Bernardo, Diana Salvador; Carvalho, Carlos Baptista; Conde, Monserrat; Mota, Jorge Augusto; Santos, Paula ClaraTo assess the effectiveness of exercise interventions during pregnancy in managing gestational weight gain (GWG), excessive GWG, gestational diabetes (GD), hypertensive disorders, 2-h post–oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and birth weight in pregnant women with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). The search strategy was conducted in five electronic databases, restricting to articles published within the past 10 years. Randomized controlled trials comparing exercise intervention with usual prenatal care in pregnant women with OW/OB were considered. Two reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and the quality of studies using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation classification. Continuous data were calculated as mean differences (MDs) and dichotomous data as risk ratios (RRs). Seven trials comprising 1648 pregnant women were included. Exercise interventions were associated with lower GWG (MD, −1.19 kg [95% confidence interval, CI, −1.79 to −0.60]) and lower incidence of GD (RR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.40–0.78]). When analyzing excessive GWG, 2-h post-OGTT, birth weight, and hypertensive disorders, there was no statistically significant difference between the exercise and usual care groups. The strength of evidence was considered moderate. Exercise interventions during pregnancy in women with OW/OB were shown to influence GWG and the incidence of GD.
- The effect of a virtual reality based intervention on processing speed and working memory in individuals with ADHD - A pilot-studyPublication . Cunha, Filipa; Campos, Sara; Simões-Silva, Vítor; Brugada-Ramentol, Victòria; Sá-Moura, Bebiana; Jalali, Hossein; Bozorgzadeh, Amir; Trigueiro, Maria João; Trigueiro, Maria João; Simões-Silva, VitorThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality based intervention in processing speed and working memory in students with ADHD symptomatology. A randomized experimental study was conducted, with a sample consisting of 25 adult participants recruited from the Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto. The participants were allocated into two groups: a passive control group and an intervention group that completed 10 sessions using virtual reality-based games from the Enhance VR app. The intervention included 6 games: Whack-a-mole, Shuffled, Assembly, React, Memory Wall, and Maestro. The participants underwent pre- and post-intervention evaluations using the Southwestern Assessment of Processing Speed (SWAPS) and the Sequence of Letters and Numbers and Spatial Location of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 3rd Edition - WAIS-III. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and a mixed ANOVA was used to test the effectiveness of the intervention. There was an improvement in the results of processing speed in the group exposed to the intervention (p < 0.001) and the value of the interaction between intervention and time was also significant (p = 0.004). There were no statistically significant differences between the participants’ working memory in the different variables under study, except for the values of the Spatial location test in the experimental group that improved relative to the initial assessment (p = 0.034). A virtual reality cognitive training intervention resulted in improvements in the processing speed measures, which were not found in the control group. Although we cannot make the same conclusions regarding working memory, these results suggest that the VR intervention resulted in progress in the experimental group, possibly influenced by the intervention, which should be verified in future studies with longer interventions