Search

The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) to select, collect, and analyse this thematic. The methodological procedures were registered in the PROSPERO database. The main results of the studies analysed (n = 30) point to significant differences between the intervention and the control groups in dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health. Thus, the results showed that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. The meta-analysis found statistical differences between means on the dynamic balance (mean difference (MD) = −0.0, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.50]; I2: 0%) and the aerobic capacity and aerobic resistance [(MD) = 38.29, 95% CI [6.82, 69.77]; I2: 0%). Thus, it is concluded that the efficacy of Pilates has been shown in various areas of HA and has proven to be affordable and safe for the majority of people, using just a mat on the floor. Future studies should focus on the analysis of the relationship between the cost and the benefit of a Pilates intervention in the elderly population, to better understand how health costs can be minimized and to contribute to a multidisciplinary and generalized HA. Pilates has practical application for the clinicians, therapists, and health professionals that work with the elderly population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The dielectric function and optical conductivity are used to evaluate voltage-capacity profiles, as their shape is rooted in the multi-orbital nature of the redox process in battery materials. This represents a firm approach to characterise materials for energy storage, and battery materials in particular, and offers a robust predictive framework for novel battery materials, one that can be rapidly matched to measurable quantities. Motivated by experiments, we undertake an investigation of electronic structure reconstruction and its link to electrodynamic responses of monoclinic MoO 2 . Using a combination of LDA band structure with DMFT for the subspace defined by the physically most relevant Mo 4 d -bands, we unearth the importance of multi-orbital electron interactions to MoO 2 parent compound. Supported by a microscopic description of quantum capacity we identify the implications of many-particle orbital reconstruction to understanding and evaluating voltage-capacity profiles intrinsic to MoO 2 battery material. Therein, we underline the importance of the dielectric function and optical conductivity in the characterisation of existing and candidate battery materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]