Unpleasant Pictures Exposure Evokes Different Repercussion on Emotional State and Heart Rate Response in Healthy Women and Men.

To evaluate the heart rate response, emotion and changes in anxiety and anger levels after exposure to unpleasant pictures from the International Assessment Pictures System (IAPS) compared with neutral picture exposure in healthy individuals. Forty participants (23 women) visited the laboratory on two occasions. State anger and state anxiety levels were evaluated pre- and post-visualization of a set of IAPS pictures and heart rate was monitored during exposure. Two different picture sets were utilized-one with neutral pictures (that served as the control) and the other with unpleasant pictures. State anxiety and state anger were higher in post-unpleasant session for women than before (p < 0.001). For men, only state anxiety was higher in the post-unpleasant session (p < 0.001). State anxiety (p = 0.004) and state anger (p < 0.001) post-unpleasant session was higher for women than in men. The pleasure and dominance domains were lower in the unpleasant session for both men and women (p < 0.001), and the arousal domain was higher for both men and women (p < 0.001) than in the neutral session. In the unpleasant session, arousal was higher (p = 0.004), and dominance was lower (p < 0.001) among women than among men, but no difference in pleasure was found (p > 0.05). For women, average heart rate was higher on unpleasant session, compared to neutral (p = 0.01), but not for men (p > 0.05). Women are more sensitive and react strongly to unpleasant picture exposure. The IAPS unpleasant session was not able to induce anger levels in men.

The effects of exergames on muscle strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined studies on the chronic effects of exergames on muscle strength in humans. PubMed, Scopus, CENTRAL, Web of Science, SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, and Google Scholar were searched, and manual searches of the reference lists of included studies and hand-searches on Physiotherapy Evidence Database and ResearchGate were conducted from inception to August 10, 2020. Randomized and non-randomized exergame intervention studies with or without a non-exercise group and/or a "usual care intervention group" (any other intervention that did not incorporate exergames), which evaluated muscle strength through direct measurements, were included. Forty-seven and 25 studies were included in the qualitative review and meta-analysis, respectively. The between-groups meta-analyses showed no significant differences between exergames and non-exercise control groups for handgrip strength in heathy/unhealthy middle-aged/older adults or knee extension maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) in healthy older adults. However, exergames provided a greater increase in handgrip strength, knee flexion MVIC, and elbow extension MVIC, but not knee extension MVIC or elbow flexion MVIC, in individuals with different health statuses when compared to usual care interventions. Also, there was a greater increase in handgrip strength in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy favouring usual care plus exergames compared to usual care interventions. These results suggest that exergames may improve upper and lower limb muscle strength in individuals with different heath statuses compared to usual care interventions, but not muscle strength in middle age/older adults after accounting for random error. Also, exergames appear to be a useful tool for improving handgrip strength in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy when added to usual care. However, as the exergame interventions were applied in different populations and there currently are many different approaches to perform exergames, future randomized controlled trials with high methodological quality and large sample sizes are needed to provide more compelling evidence in favour of a specific exergame protocol, or to elucidate exergame protocol design principles that appear to strongly influence outcomes.

Does yoga improve sexual function? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Yoga practice can increase blood flow in the genital area, increase muscular strength, and improve body perception, which is related to sexual function. This study aimed to summarize the available evidence about the effects of yoga on sexual function in adults. METHODS: Systematic searches of five databases were conducted from inception to April 28, with the last update on September 28, 2023. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared yoga with nonintervention control groups on sexual function in adults. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool 2, and the GRADE approach, respectively. Summary effect size measures were calculated using a random-effects model estimation and are reported as standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. Reporting followed the PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Ten RCTs that comprised 730 adults (range mean age, 26.64-68.2 years; 680 [93.2 %] women) were included. For the primary outcome, yoga intervention was associated with a significant small improvement in sexual function (-0.31; -0.47 to -0.15, p = 0.0002), with some concerns about risk of bias in nine RCTs (90%) and low-certainty evidence. Subgroup analyses revealed that yoga interventions performed by women (-0.36; -0.52 to -0.21, p < 0.00001), healthy individuals (-0.38; -0.59 to -0.16, p = 0.0006), or middle-aged individuals (-0.44; -0.63 to -0.25, p < 00001) significantly improved sexual function compared with control groups. CONCLUSION: Yoga was associated with a small improvement in sexual function compared with nonintervention control groups in adults. However, high-quality, larger RCTs are required to draw more definitive conclusions.

Profiling the Use of Dietary Supplements by Brazilian Physical Education Professionals.

A survey was designed to examine the use of dietary supplements by Brazilian physical education professionals. The study included 131 Brazilian physical education professionals (83 men and 48 women). A descriptive statistical analysis was performed (mean, standard deviation, and absolute and relative frequencies). A chi-square test was applied to evaluate differences in use of dietary supplements according to particular variables of interest (p < .05). Forty-nine percent of respondents used dietary supplements. Approximately 59% of dietary supplement users took two or more kinds of supplements. Among users of supplements, men professionals (73%) consumed more dietary supplements than women (27%). The most-consumed dietary supplement was whey protein (80%). The results showed a higher use of dietary supplements by men. The most-consumed supplements were rich in protein. The consumption of dietary supplements by almost half of the participants in this study suggests that participants did not consider their dietary needs to be met by normal diet alone.