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Smartphone addiction and its excessive use could cause musculoskeletal symptoms such neck and upper limb pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between smartphone use and musculoskeletal pain in the upper limbs and neck, as well as to observe the relationship in between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal pain and upper limb function in university students. It is a cross-sectional, analytical study. A total of 165 university students participated in the research. Each student had their own smartphone. The students answered a structured questionnaire about pain in the upper limbs and neck; the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (DASH). Prevalence of neck and upper limb pain was 34.0%. Smartphone addiction and its use to play games and listen to music were risk factors to upper limb pain. Moreover, the smartphone addiction and age proved to be risk factors to neck pain. There was correlation between DASH and SPAI scores, and there was association between DASH score and neck and upper limb pain. Being of the female sex and smartphone addiction predicted the risk of incapacity development. We found association between neck and upper limb pain with smartphone addiction. Functional incapacity was associated to neck and upper limb pain. It was predicted by smartphone addiction and being of the female sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a multidimensional construct associated with the etiology and maintenance of panic disorder (PD) symptoms. However, only a few studies have evaluated whether cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) can modify the condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of CBGT on AS in patients with PD and to analyze AS and its dimensions as predictors of response to CBGT. In the present clinical trial, an intervention group (n = 37) attended 12 CBGT sessions, while a control group (n = 52) did not receive any intervention. The severity of symptoms and of AS were evaluated before and after CBGT in the intervention group and once in the control group. Significant improvement occurred in all specific PD symptoms and in general anxiety and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, AS scores reduced significantly after intervention. This study confirmed that AS is higher in patients with more severe PD. The effectiveness of CBGT for reducing the physical, cognitive, and social dimensions of AS was also observed, supporting the hypothesis of a positive impact of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was two-step: (1) classify ball possession (BP) according to the duration and number of passes and (2) identify which tactical variables most discriminate the different BP. We obtained 527 BPs from four official matches of the Brazilian Soccer Championship 2016. Forty-one "notational", "space occupation", and "displacement synchronization" predictor variables were used. The BPs were classified into three groups: short (11.07 ± 4.49 s, 1.93 ± 0.99 passes), medium (26.83 ± 7.33 s, 5.41 ± 1.84 passes), long (55.50 ± 14.97 s, 12.11 ± 4.61 passes). Discriminant analysis identified the five most relevant variables to describe each group: coefficient of variation (CV) of the defensive team's synchronization-Y, CV defensive team´s synchronization-X, successful pass last third, CV distance between offensive team's centroid and target, mean of the offensive team's width. The approach highlights important variables and could benefit the description of offensive and defensive game sequences to provide precise knowledge on the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-adherence to oral antidiabetics drugs (OADs) has been a common problem and may contribute to poor glycemic control. Aim: To describe an experimental study protocol that aims at implementing and evaluating the effect of the "action planning and coping planning" interventions on medication adherence to OADs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in follow-up at primary care services. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Two groups (intervention and control) will be followed over a period of 105 days. The intervention group will receive a combination of the "action planning" and "coping planning" intervention strategies. There will be in-person meetings and phone calls to reinforce the intervention. The control group will receive the usual care from the health unit. Conclusions: It is hoped that this study will help health professionals to improve their approach with patients who have T2DM in relation to medication adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:To evaluate short-term effects of balance Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) on balance, dizziness symptoms and quality of life of the elderly with chronic Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Method:In this randomized, single-blind and controlled trial, older adults with chronic BPPV were randomized into two groups, the experimental group (n = 7, age: 69 (65–78) years) and the control group (n = 7, age: 73 (65–76) years). Patients in the experimental group underwent balance VRT (50 min per session, two times a week) and Canalith Repositioning Maneuver (CRM) as required, for 13 weeks. The control group was treated using only CRM as required. Standing and dynamic balance, dizziness symptoms and quality of life were measured at the baseline, and at one, five, nine and thirteen weeks. Results:There were no between-group differences in dizziness, quality of life and standing balance over the 13 weeks. Significant differences were observed in dynamic balance measures between groups (p <  0.05 for most tests) through assessments. In intragroup analysis, both groups showed improvements in all measurements except no improvement was found in majority of the dynamic balance tests in the control group. Conclusions:The patients who received additional balance VRT demonstrated better results in dynamic balance than those who received only CRM. Implications for RehabilitationThe findings that balance VRT in addition to CRM improves dynamic balance in elderly people with BPPV should be useful in guiding rehabilitation professionals’ clinical decision making to design interventions for seniors suffering from BPPV;Improvements in tests of dynamic balance suggest that the risk of adverse consequences of BPPV in the elderly such as falls and fractures can be potentially reduced through implementation of CRM in conjunction with balance VRT;Lack of additional improvement in Visual Analogue Scale of dizziness and Dizziness Handicap Index suggests that addition of balance VRT does not influence dizziness symptomatology, per se, and CRM alone is effective to ameliorate vertiginous symptoms and potentially improve quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of a congested match schedule (7 matches played in 7 days) on steroid hormone concentrations, mucosal immunity, session rating of perceived exertion (S-RPE) and technical performance in 16 elite youth soccer players (14.8 ± 0.4 years; 170.6 ± 9.4 cm; 64.9 ± 7 kg). No change was observed for salivary cortisol concentration across match time points (P = 0.33; effect size [ES] = 0.13–0.48). In contrast, there was a decrease in salivary testosterone and salivary IgA (SIgA) concentrations from the 1st compared with the last time point (P = 0.01 and 0.001, ES = 0.42 and 0.67, respectively). The SIgA concentration varied across time points (P < 0.001) with the highest value observed at the 3rd time point (rest day) (3rd vs all time point; ES = 0.47–0.73). No changes were observed for S-RPE across time points (P > 0.05). A higher number of tackles and interceptions were observed during the 4th match vs 1st and 7th matches (P < 0.001; ES = 2.25 and 1.90, respectively). The present data demonstrate that accumulated fatigue related to participation in a congested match schedule might induce a decrease in testosterone concentration in youth players and negatively affect their mucosal immunity and capacity to perform certain technical actions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background:The recreational use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has reached alarming levels among healthy people. However, several complications have been related to consumption of these drugs, including liver disorders.Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of liver injuries in young Brazilian recreational AAS users.Methods:Between February/2007 and May/2012 asymptomatic bodybuilders who were ≥18 years old and reported AAS use for ≥6 months were enrolled. All had clinical evaluations, abdominal ultrasound (AUS), and blood tests.Results:182 individuals were included in the study. The median age (interquartile range) was 26.0 years (22.0–30.0) and all were male. Elevated liver enzyme levels were observed in 38.5% (n= 70) of AAS users, and creatine phosphokinase was normal in 27.1% (n= 19) of them. Hepatic steatosis was observed by AUS in 12.1% of the sample. One individual had focal nodular hyperplasia and another had hepatocellular adenoma. One case each of hepatitis B and C virus infection was found. A diagnosis of toxic liver injury was suggested in 23 (12.6%) AAS users without a history of alcohol or other medications/drugs consumption, or evidence of other liver diseases.Conclusions/Importance: Young Brazilian recreational AAS users presented a wide spectrum of liver injuries that included hepatotoxicity, fatty liver, and liver neoplasm. They also presented risk factors for liver diseases such as alcohol consumption and hepatitis B and C virus infection. The results suggest that the risk of AAS use for the liver may be greater than the esthetic benefits, and demonstrate the importance of screening AAS users for liver injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of the present study was to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, and functional determinants of quality of life in elderly (older than 60 years) patients from a Psychosocial Care Center. The sample was randomly selected patients undergoing treatment at the center during the study period. Quality of life was assessed using the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment for older adults (WHOQOL-OLD). A total of 50 elderly individuals with a mean age of 67.5 ( SD = 5.72) years were included in the study. A hierarchical linear regression showed that clinical characteristics, such as severe symptoms of depression and a higher number of comorbidities, were related to lower quality of life. Better functional capacity and more frequent visits to the center were determinants of higher quality of life. These findings underscore the importance of assessing quality of life and of taking this variable into account when planning health interventions for elderly patients at a Psychosocial Care Center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of a short inspiratory muscle training (IMT) program results in functional capacity, inspiratory muscle strength and quality of life in physically active elderly people. Twenty-six physically active elderly subjects were assigned to either a 6-week IMT program (13 subjects) or a placebo-IMT (P-IMT; 13 subjects). The following parameters were measured before and after intervention: 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, inspiratory muscle strength (PImax) and quality of life scores. Between-groups analysis of functional capacity was not statistically significant, but showed a tendency to improvement in the IMT group from 469.4 m (IQR: 418-532 m) at baseline to 516.4 m (IQR: 462.5-560.1 m) during follow-up. The IMT program induced significant improvement in inspiratory strength between the groups from 55 cm H2O (IQR: 45-71.25 cm H2O) at baseline to 90 cm H2O (IQR: 76.25-107.5 cm H2O) during follow-up, whereas the P-IMT group had a slight decrease from 75 cm H2O (IQR: 67.5-95 cm H2O) at baseline to 67.5 cm H2O (IQR: 65-75 cm H2O; p = 0.010). The quality of life questionnaire did not improve after the IMT program. The present study demonstrates that a short-term 6-week IMT program results in improvement in inspiratory muscle strength and a tendency to improvement in functional capacity in physically active elderly people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to verify the impact of an occupational therapy (OT) program on the Quality of Life (QoL) of hemodialysed patients. Sixty patients with chronic renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis were involved. A study group composed of 20 subjects was submitted to an OT program while a control group with 40 subjects followed conventional treatment. Upon analyzing the group as a whole, the study group showed significant improvement in mental health (p = 0.05) and the control group showed a deterioration in the pain domain (p = 0.04). No significant change was observed when comparing groups. When the group was divided between the genders, female patients in the study group scored improvements in the categories of Pain, Emotional Aspects, and Mental Health, whereas no corresponding significant change was found in the control group. A significant improvement was observed in the pain domain (p < 0.05) when comparing groups. In male patients, no significant changes were observed in the study group whereas a significant deterioration occurred in functional capacity in the control group. No significant changes were observed when comparing groups. The conclusion is that to improve their QoL occupational therapy may be included in the therapeutic approach for patients under hemodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]