Physical Activity, Burnout, and Engagement in Latin American Students of Higher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus-disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating physical and psychological impact on society, especially on students. In this study, we describe the levels of physical activity (Physical-Activity-Questionnaire-Short-Form (IPAQ-SF)), Burnout (School-Burnout-Inventory for students (SBI-U)) and engagement (Utrecht-Work-Engagement-Scale-9 items (UWES-9S)) in a cohort of Latin American higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We also determined whether physical activity, Burnout, and engagement are related according to gender and area of study. Self-reported data from 571 Latin American students (64.79% women, 34.15% men; average age 25.24 ± 5.52 years) were collected via an online survey questionnaire. Spearman correlation analyses evaluated the associations between physical activity, Burnout, and engagement. Comparative analyses by gender and field of study were also performed. The results showed no correlation or association in the linear regression between the IPAQ-SF and SBI-U scores or between the IPAQ-SF and the UWES-9S scores. By gender, men had higher IPAQ-SF scores (p < 0.05) and reported higher intensity physical activity than women, but women had higher SBI-U scores (p < 0.05). No difference was found between men and women according to the UWES-9S scores (p = 0.28). There was also no difference in IPAQ-SF scores (p = 0.29) regarding the field of study. Our results suggest that women perform less physical activity than men, which is consistent with higher Burnout. However, physical activity was not associated with Burnout or engagement overall, which indicates that it was insufficient to prevent emotional stress in Latin American higher education students during a pandemic.

SARS-CoV-2/Renin-Angiotensin System: Deciphering the Clues for a Couple with Potentially Harmful Effects on Skeletal Muscle.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has produced significant health emergencies worldwide, resulting in the declaration by the World Health Organization of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Acute respiratory syndrome seems to be the most common manifestation of COVID-19. A high proportion of patients require intensive care unit admission and mechanical ventilation (MV) to survive. It has been well established that angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) is the primary cellular receptor for SARS-CoV-2. ACE2 belongs to the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), composed of several peptides, such as angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin (1-7) (Ang-(1-7)). Both peptides regulate muscle mass and function. It has been described that SARS-CoV-2 infection, by direct and indirect mechanisms, affects a broad range of organ systems. In the skeletal muscle, through unbalanced RAS activity, SARS-CoV-2 could induce severe consequences such as loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical function, which will delay and interfere with the recovery process of patients with COVID-19. This article discusses the relationship between RAS, SARS-CoV-2, skeletal muscle, and the potentially harmful consequences for skeletal muscle in patients currently infected with and recovering from COVID-19.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness: A review from molecular mechanisms to its impact in COVID-2019.

Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) is a generalized and symmetric neuromuscular dysfunction associated with critical illness and its treatments. Its incidence is approximately 80% in intensive care unit patients, and it manifests as critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and muscle atrophy. Intensive care unit patients can lose an elevated percentage of their muscle mass in the first days after admission, producing short- and long-term sequelae that affect patients' quality of life, physical health, and mental health. In 2019, the world was faced with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. COVID-19 produces severe respiratory disorders, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, which increases the risk of developing ICU-AW. COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care units have shown early diffuse and symmetrical muscle weakness, polyneuropathy, and myalgia, coinciding with the clinical presentation of ICU-AW. Besides, these patients require prolonged intensive care unit stays, invasive mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit pharmacological therapy, which are risk factors for ICU-AW. Thus, the purposes of this review are to discuss the features of ICU-AW and its effects on skeletal muscle. Further, we will describe the mechanisms involved in the probable development of ICU-AW in severe COVID-19 patients.

The Critical Role of Oxidative Stress in Sarcopenic Obesity.

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a combination of obesity and sarcopenia that primarily develops in older people. Patients with SO have high fat mass, low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and low physical function. SO relates to metabolic syndrome and an increased risk of morbimortality. The prevalence of SO varies because of lacking consensus criteria regarding its definition and the methodological difficulty in diagnosing sarcopenia and obesity. SO includes systemic alterations such as insulin resistance, increased proinflammatory cytokines, age-associated hormonal changes, and decreased physical activity at pathophysiological levels. Interestingly, these alterations are influenced by oxidative stress, which is a critical factor in altering muscle function and the generation of metabolic dysfunctions. Thus, oxidative stress in SO alters muscle mass, the signaling pathways that control it, satellite cell functions, and mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum activities. Considering this background, our objectives in this review are to describe SO as a highly prevalent condition and look at the role of oxidative stress in SO pathophysiology.

Impact of exercise training on the sarcopenia criteria in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sarcopenia is a highly prevalent complication of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analyses to elucidate the exercise training (ET)'s efficacy on NAFLD adult patients' sarcopenia criteria. We identified relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT) in electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus. We selected seven RCT from 66 screened studies. The ET programs included endurance or combined (endurance and resistance) training. No study performed resistance training alone. The physical function improved with endurance or combined training (mean differences [MD] 8.26 mL/Kg*min [95% CI 5.27 to 11.24 mL/Kg*min], p < 0.0001); Muscle mass showed no evidence of the beneficial effects of endurance or combined training (MD 1.01 Kg [95% CI -1.78 to 3.80 Kg], p = 0.48). None of the selected studies evaluated muscle strength. Endurance and combined training increase physical function criteria but do not improve muscle mass criteria on sarcopenia in NAFLD patients. These results must be interpreted with caution for the small number of patients included in the RCTs analyzed, the different characteristics of the ET carried out, the non-use of resistance training, which prevents assess its effect on sarcopenia despite the evidence that recommends it and does not assessment muscle strength criteria in RCT include. Future research should include muscle strength assessments and resistance training to evaluate the effects in this condition. Exercise training is beneficial for sarcopenia in NAFLD but is necessary more experimental evidence to define the best type of training that positively affects the three criteria of sarcopenia. PROSPERO reference number CRD42020191471.

[A systematic review of the functional effectiveness of kinesiotaping in individuals with ankle instability]. / Revisión sistemática de la efectividad funcional del vendaje neuromuscular en sujetos con inestabilidad de tobillo.

INTRODUCTION: Ankle instability often seen in people who have suffered repeated ankle sprains. Kinesio Tape is a technique widely applied in recent years, despite not having enough evidence to support its application. OBJETIVE: To determine the functional effectiveness of Kinesio Tape in individuals with ankle instability. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of articles was performed where Kinesio Tape was applied in subjects with ankle instability in the following databases: PubMed Central; PubMed/Medline; Cochrane; Embase; Sciencedirect; Biomed Central; CINAHL; Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; SAGE and Wiley-Blackwell. METHODS OF THE REVIEW: Only clinical trials were selected, in which patients with ankle instability were intervened by applying Kinesio Tape and which included at least one outcome variable associated with ankle function. RESULTS: 364 articles were found. Ten met the inclusion criteria; five presented high and five moderate methodological quality. In most cases, one article measured more than one variable. Two articles showed improvements in muscle strength. Of four articles that evaluated balance, two observed improvements; one article observe improvements in proprioception; two articles measured postural control, without significant improvements; one article did not observe significant improvements in neuromuscular control. Stability (one article), muscular activity (one article) and functionality (one article) did not report significant improvements with the use of Kinesio Tape. On the other hand, Kinesio tape does not report significant improvements with respect to postural control, neuromuscular control, muscle activity, joint stability and functionality in subjects suffering from ankle instability. CONCLUSION: Kinesio Tape is effective for improvement of muscle strength, balance and proprioception in subjects with ankle instability. However, Kinesio Tape does not report significant improvement of postural control, neuromuscular control, muscle activity, joint stability and functionality in people with ankle instability.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La inestabilidad de tobillo presenta mayor frecuencia en personas que han sufrido repetidos esguinces de tobillo. Aunque el Kinesio Tape es una técnica masificada en los últimos años en el tratamiento de esta lesión, se desconoce su efectividad. OBJETIVO: Determinar la efectividad funcional del Kinesio Tape en individuos con inestabilidad de tobillo. DISEÑO: Revisión sistemática. FUENTES DE DATOS: Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de artículos en donde se aplicó Kinesio Tape en sujetos con inestabilidad de tobillo en las siguientes bases de datos: PubMed Central; PubMed/Medline; Cochrane; Embase; Sciencedirect; Biomed Central; CINAHL; Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; SAGE y Wiley-Blackwell. MÉTODOS DE LA REVISIÓN: Se seleccionaron solo estudios experimentales tipo ensayo clínico, en donde se interviniera a pacientes con inestabilidad de tobillo mediante la aplicación de Kinesio Tape y que incluyeran al menos una variable de resultado asociada a la función del tobillo. Se aplicó la escala PEDro a cada artículo para medir su calidad metodológica. RESULTADOS: Se obtuvieron 364 artículos. Diez cumplieron los criterios de inclusión; cinco de alta y cinco de moderada calidad metodológica. En la mayoría de los artículos se midió más de una variable. Dos artículos presentaron mejoras en la fuerza muscular; cuatro artículos midieron equilibrio, dos observaron mejoras; un artículo observó mejoras en la propiocepción; dos artículos midieron control postural, sin mejoras significativas y un artículo no observó mejoras significativas en control neuromuscular. Estabilidad articular (un artículo), actividad muscular (un artículo) y funcionalidad (un artículo), no reportaron mejoras significativas con el uso de Kinesio Tape. CONCLUSIÓN: El Kinesio Tape es efectivo para obtener mejoras en la fuerza muscular, el equilibrio y la propiocepción en individuos con inestabilidad de tobillo. Sin embargo, el Kinesio tape no reporta mejoras significativas en control postural, control neuromuscular, actividad muscular, estabilidad articular y funcionalidad en sujetos con inestabilidad de tobillo.