The Influence of Pilates Exercises on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, and Gait Speed in Community-Dwelling Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT: Aibar-Almazán, A, Martínez-Amat, A, Cruz-Díaz, D, Jesús de la Torre-Cruz, M, Jiménez-García, JD, Zagalaz-Anula, N, Redecillas-Peiró, MT, Mendoza-Ladrón de Guevara, N, and Hita-Contreras, F. The influence of Pilates exercises on body composition, muscle strength, and gait speed in community-dwelling older women: a randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 36(8): 2298-2305, 2022-Population aging is a global phenomenon that has wide-ranging consequences for the health of individuals, including age-related obesity, muscle loss, and a decline in muscle strength and gait speed. These alterations are associated with disability, functional decline, and mortality in older adults. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of Pilates exercises on body composition, handgrip strength, and physical performance among community-dwelling Spanish women aged 60 and older. A randomized controlled trial of a 12-week Pilates training program was conducted. A total of 109 women were randomly allocated to either a control ( n = 54) or a Pilates ( n = 55) group. Body composition was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance. Body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, and height-adjusted skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were assessed before and immediately after the intervention, as were physical performance, estimated by gait speed (timed up-and-go test), and handgrip strength. Statistically significant improvements ( p < 0.05) were observed both within and between groups for handgrip strength (Cohen's d = 0.40 and 0.52 respectively) and gait speed (Cohen's d = 0.86 and 0.87 respectively). After 12 weeks, BMI significantly decreased (Cohen's d = 0.07) only in the Pilates group. No significant differences were observed regarding SMI. In conclusion, a 12-week Pilates exercise intervention on community dwelling women over 60 years old shows beneficial effects on muscle strength, physical performance, and BMI, but failed to induce any changes on body composition.

Validity of two-dimensional ultrasound for determining extreme foetal weights to term.

The aim of this study was to assess the validity of ultrasound carried out within seven days prior to birth at term for the calculation of full term estimated foetal weight (EFW) in order to diagnose extreme foetal weight, performed using a single-center retrospective cohort study of 2500 pregnant women. Ultrasound calculations of EFW with a standard error of less than 10% showed an accuracy ratio of 75.1% for the total sample. This percentage was similar for appropriate for gestational age (78.6%) and normal foetal weights (77.5%) but decreased significantly (p < .01) in the case of extreme foetal weights. The simple error increased in both the high and low EFWs, taking on positive values for the low weights and negative values for the high weights. As for the percentage error values, there was a tendency for positive errors for low weights and negative errors for high weights; this led to a tendency to overestimate low foetal weights and underestimate high foetal weights.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Two-dimensional ultrasound is currently the principal tool used in obstetrics to evaluate foetal growth, mainly through the calculation of EFW. Foetal weight represents an important prognostic factor in perinatal results, with a greater risk of adverse effects in cases of extreme foetal weights. In this sense, there are few studies that assess the validity of EFW calculations focussing on extreme foetal weights to term.What do the results of this study add? The ultrasound estimates of EFW with an error lower than 10% in the seven days prior to birth showed an accuracy ratio of 75.1% for the total sample. This percentage was similar to appropriate for gestational age weights (78.6%) and of normal weights (77.5%), but decreased significantly (p < .01) in the case of extreme foetal weights: small for gestational age (52.1%), large for gestational age (68.2%), microsomia (49.1%), and macrosomia (61%). Likewise, we found high specificity and low sensitivity for ultrasound diagnosis of extreme foetal weights.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or future research? The validity of ultrasound EFW is influenced by extreme foetal weights, with a tendency to overestimate low weights and underestimate high weights, which represents a clinically important finding.

Assessing the testicular sperm microbiome: a low-biomass site with abundant contamination.

RESEARCH QUESTION: The semen harbours a diverse range of microorganisms. The origin of the seminal microbes, however, has not yet been established. Do testicular spermatozoa harbour microbes and could they potentially contribute to the seminal microbiome composition? DESIGN: The study included 24 samples, comprising a total of 307 testicular maturing spermatozoa. A high-throughput sequencing method targeting V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene was applied. A series of negative controls together with stringent in-silico decontamination methods were analysed. RESULTS: Between 50 and 70% of all the detected bacterial reads accounted for contamination in the testicular sperm samples. After stringent decontamination, Blautia (P = 0.04), Cellulosibacter (P = 0.02), Clostridium XIVa (P = 0.01), Clostridium XIVb (P = 0.04), Clostridium XVIII (P = 0.02), Collinsella (P = 0.005), Prevotella (P = 0.04), Prolixibacter (P = 0.02), Robinsoniella (P = 0.04), and Wandonia (P = 0.04) genera demonstrated statistically significant abundance among immature spermatozoa. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the human testicle harbours potential bacterial signature, though in a low-biomass, and could contribute to the seminal microbiome composition. Further, applying stringent decontamination methods is crucial for analysing microbiome in low-biomass site.

Women's knowledge about the genitourinary syndrome of menopause: adherence to its treatments in the COVID-19 era in a sample of them: COMEM-GSM study.

OBJECTIVE: To study knowledge regarding genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and the treatments for it and to analyze treatment adherence during the COVID-19 confinement. METHODS: Multi-center observational study including women between 35 and 75 years. An extension study of treatment adherence was conducted during the coronavirus pandemic between March and April 2020. RESULTS: A sample of 2355 women were included. Vaginal dryness was the most frequently identified symptom (74.3%). Lubricants were the best-known treatments (69.6%), followed by local estrogens (25.7%); 66% of the women did not speak to their gynecologist about sexuality. Comparative analyses were conducted according to age, menopausal status, type of menopause, place of residence, type of health care received and level of education. During the coronavirus confinement period, adherence to treatments for vulvovaginal atrophy was poor in 72.5% asked (n = 204). Reduced sexual activity (p > 0.001) and coronavirus diagnosis (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with poorer treatment compliance. CONCLUSIONS: There is great lack of knowledge of the treatments used for GSM. Most women do not talk to their gynecologist about sexuality. Adherence to treatments during the coronavirus confinement has been worryingly low.

A reliable and valid tool to assess the sexual acceptability of contraceptive methods.

Introduction: Adequate identification of the sexual acceptability of contraceptive methods is key for designing health promotion interventions, assessing their impacts, and increasing their effectiveness. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to explore the preferences of women depending on their epidemiological characteristics and their partner relationships-the Sexual Acceptability of Contraceptive Methods Questionnaire [in Spanish, Aceptabilidad Sexual de los Métodos Anticonceptivos (ASMA)]. Methods: Psychometric validation was conducted using Exploratory Factorial Analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of the final version of the questionnaire was explored using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald omega to estimate internal consistency. Results: A three-factor model was identified. Factor 1 (explaining 28.32% of the model) corresponds to questions concerning the use and placement of the contraceptive and includes 6 items; Factor 2 (explaining 24.23%) corresponds to other factors that affect the relationship such as bleeding and side effects of the contraceptive method and includes 10 items; and Factor 3 (explaining 18.94%) corresponds to the couple relationship and includes 8 items. Conclusion and implications: The ASMA questionnaire provides a valid and reliable tool for assessing the sexual acceptability of various contraceptive methods. This instrument gathers data that provide information on various aspects of women's sexuality, health, education, and beliefs, all of which can determine the preference for one contraceptive method over another. Moreover, the tool can help to identify profiles of women who have different preferences when selecting a particular method.

Sexuality in Postmenopausal Women with Genital Prolapse.

BACKGROUND: One of the most common complaints among menopausal women concerns changes in sexual function. This is attributed to various factors, including anatomical defects in the genital tract, with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) being one of the most prevalent problems affecting women during this stage of their lives. Additionally, symptoms resulting from gonadal hypofunction can also contribute to the development of sexual dysfunction during menopause. This research aimed to explore the way in which postmenopausal patients with POP experienced their sexuality in our setting. METHODS: To achieve the proposed objective, we conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study involving a total of 133 postmenopausal women with POP. RESULTS: The results of our series are consistent with the scarce literature available in our setting and suggest a high rate of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal patients with POP. CONCLUSIONS: We can conclude that POP is associated with the presence of female sexual dysfunction.

Epidemiology of Endometriosis in Spain and Its Autonomous Communities: A Large, Nationwide Study.

A retrospective population-based study aimed to assess the incidence of endometriosis in the general population in Spain and in each of its autonomous communities. The authors used the incidence of diagnosed endometriosis in the minimum basic dataset at discharge in the national hospital discharge registry of Spain. This analysis was carried out with hospital data with a diagnosis of endometriosis (International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 code 617.xx and ICD-10 code N80.xx) and covered the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017 and a population of 12,775,911 women of reproductive age (15-54 years). The data were then analyzed at the national level and separately for each autonomous community. This nationwide Spanish study estimated the overall incidence of endometriosis among autonomous communities in Spain to be 16.1 per 10,000 women (range, 6.8 to 24). The mean age of the 20,547 women diagnosed with endometriosis during the study period was 36.8 ± 5.4 years. The types (proportions) of endometriosis were uterine (28.4%), tubo-ovarian (35.2%), peritoneal (8.1%), vesical (6.8%) and intestinal (3.2%) endometriosis. Further studies are needed to assess the reasons for the decrease in the observed incidence and for the significant differences in the regional incidence rates of this disease.

Relationship of breast volume, obesity and central obesity with different prognostic factors of breast cancer.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the BC tumor biology in women with larger breast volume, in obese women and especially in women with central adiposity at the moment of diagnosis of BC is more aggressive than in those women without these characteristics. 347 pre- and postmenopausal women with a recent diagnosis of BC were analyzed. In all patients, anthropometric measurements at the time of diagnosis was collected. In 103 of them, the breast volume was measured by the Archimedes method. The Breast volume, BMI, WHR and the menopausal status were related to different well-known pathological prognostic factors for BC. At the time of diagnosis, 35.4% were obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2), 60.2% had a WHR ≥ 0.85, 68.8% were postmenopausal and 44.7% had a breast volume considered "large" (> 600 cc). Between patients with a large breast volume, only a higher prevalence of ER (+) tumors was found (95.3% vs. 77.2%; p = 0.04) compared to those with small breast volumes. The obese BC patients showed significantly higher rates of large tumors (45.5% vs. 40.6%; p = 0.04), axillary invasion (53.6% vs. 38.8%; p = 0.04), undifferentiated tumors (38.2% vs. 23.2%) and unfavorable NPI (p = 0.04) than non-obese women. Those with WHR ≥ 0.85 presented higher postsurgical tumor stages (61.7% vs. 57.8%; p = 0.03), higher axillary invasion (39.9% vs. 36.0%; p = 0.004), more undifferentiated tumors (30.0% vs. 22.3%; p = 0.009), higher lymphovascular infiltration (6.5% vs. 1.6%; p = 0.02), and a higher NPI (3.6 ± 1.8 vs. 3.2 ± 1.8; p = 0.04). No statistically significant differences were found according to menopausal status. We conclude that obesity, but especially central obesity can be associated with a more aggressive tumour phenotype. No relation between breast volume and tumoral prognostic factors was found, except for a higher proportion of ER (+) tumor in women with higher breast volume.

Psychosocial interventions in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a systematic review of randomised and non-randomised trials and non-controlled studies.

Women's care during perimenopause and postmenopause is taking new paths to help women cope with both somatic manifestations and changes related to psychological and social factors. An updated, systematic review was conducted on non-pharmacological psychosocial interventions with regard to peri- and postmenopause. Several databases complemented with reference lists and reviews were used to perform a literature search of any relevant article. Studies were selected if they included psychoeducational programmes, health education and promotion and cognitive-behavioural techniques applied to peri- or postmenopausal women, independently of study design, main outcomes and intervention comparators. A total of 33 reports and 3 relevant reviews published between 1987 and 2013 were included. Psychosocial options are promising intervention options for self-management and self-care, as they provide multiple benefits with no side effects. Moreover, these options are recommended for women in clinical, subclinical and asymptomatic groups, as they offer women the agency and skills necessary to manage and relieve menopausal symptoms, as well as provide information and alternatives to prevent menopausal symptoms and to have a more positive experience during these life stages. These options do more than reduce distress and complaints, as they allow women in any condition to enjoy enhanced health, well-being and quality of life. Moreover, these options are accompanied by important cost reductions in pharmaceutical investment and healthcare. Nevertheless, several issues remain controversial or have scarcely been investigated, and additional high-quality research should address these issues properly in the future. Despite these limitations and the weaknesses of the review, the findings of this review are interesting and positive. Thus, we encourage women-focused institutions and policies (e.g., healthcare centres, public organisations and women's associations) to offer psychosocial interventions to peri- and postmenopausal women within a comprehensive healthcare paradigm.