Associations between physical fitness, body composition, and heart rate variability during exercise in older people: exploring mediating factors.

Background: Age-related changes in body composition affect physical fitness in older adults. However, whether the autonomic response is associated with body fat percentage and its implication for physical fitness is not fully understood. Aim: To understand the association between physical fitness, body composition, and heart rate variability in older people and its mediating factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 81 older adults was conducted, assessing Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Two-minute Step Test (TMST), body composition, and cardiac autonomic response. Correlation and mediation analyses were performed. Results: Body fat percentage negatively correlated with physical fitness (SPPB: r =  - 0.273, p = 0.015; TMST: r =  - 0.279, p = 0.013) and sympathetic activity (sympathetic nervous system (SNS) index: r =  - 0.252, p = 0.030), yet positively correlated with parasympathetic tone (root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD): r = 0.253, p = 0.029; standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN): r = 0.269, p = 0.020). Physical fitness associated with sympathetic nervous system index (SPPB: r = 0.313, p = 0.006; TMST: r = 0.265, p = 0.022) and parasympathetic nervous system index (TMST: r =  - 0.344, p = 0.003). Muscle mass mediated body fat's impact on physical fitness, while physical fitness mediated body fat's impact on autonomic response. Conclusion: Body composition and cardiac autonomic response to exercise are associated with physical fitness in older people, highlighting a possible protective effect of muscle mass against the decline in physical fitness associated with increased body fat.

Validity and Reliability of Short-Term Heart Rate Variability Parameters in Older People in Response to Physical Exercise.

BACKGROUND: Currently, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no standardized protocol to measure the effect of low- to moderate-intensity physical exercise on autonomic modulation focused in older people. AIM: Validate a test-retest short-term exercise protocol for measuring the autonomic response through HRV in older people. METHODS: A test-retest study design was used. The participants were selected through intentional non-probabilistic sampling. A total of 105 older people (male: 21.9%; female: 78.1%) were recruited from a local community. The assessment protocol evaluated HRV before and immediately after the 2-min step test. It was performed twice on the same day, considering a time of three chronological hours between the two measurements. RESULTS: The posterior distribution of estimated responses in the Bayesian framework suggests moderate to strong evidence favoring a null effect between measurements. In addition, there was moderate to robust agreement between heart rate variability (HRV) indices and assessments, except for low frequency and very low frequency, which showed weak agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide moderate to strong evidence for using HRV to measure cardiac autonomic response to moderate exercise, suggesting that it is sufficiently reliable to show similar results to those shown in this test-retest protocol.

Physical Activity, Seasonal Sensitivity and Psychological Well-Being of People of Different Age Groups Living in Extreme Environments.

Physical activity can prevent many organic and mental pathologies. For people living in extreme southern high-latitude environments, weather conditions can affect these activities, altering their psychological well-being and favoring the prevalence of seasonal sensitivity (SS). This study aims to determine the relationships between the practice of physical activity, seasonal sensitivity and well-being in people living in high southern latitudes. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), applying a psychological well-being scale, and determining sports practice according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 370 male (n = 209; 55%) and female (n = 173; 45%) participants. The main results indicated that 194 people (52 ± 7.7 years) reported physical activity. High-intensity physical activity practitioners recorded a significantly lower proportion of SS. In terms of psychological well-being, an adverse effect was found between the Seasonal Score Index (SSI) and five subcategories of the Ryff well-being scale. In conclusion, those who perform high-intensity physical activity have a lower SS, and those who have a higher SS have a lower psychological well-being.

Características clínicas, comorbilidad y variables de laboratorio asociadas a la hospitalización y mortalidad de personas mayores con Covid-19: Una revisión sistemática

Objetivo: Caracterizar indicadores clínicos, comorbilidad y variables de laboratorio asociadas a la hospitalización y mortalidad de personas mayores con Covid-19. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de acuerdo con la declaración PRISMA, en las bases de datos Medline/Pubmed, Science Direct y WOS, en la que se aplicaron estrategias de búsquedas específicas para artículos y estudios que fueron publicados desde el periodo de tiempo comprendido entre el 1 de enero de 2020 hasta el 26 de noviembre de 2020. Resultados: Se identificaron 28 artículos que cumplieron con los criterios de selección, con una suma del tamaño muestral de los estudios incluidos de 581 319 sujetos (55.1 % mujeres). De los factores analizados, un estado funcional óptimo, el sexo femenino, el recuento de linfocitos, el uso de anticoagulantes de manera curativa y los niveles de albúmina sérica, se han asociado a un mejor pronóstico clínico en adultos mayores de 65 años. Conclusiones: Se encontraron características clínicas, de comorbilidad y variables de laboratorio asociadas a la hospitalización y morbilidad.

Objective: To characterize clinical indicators, comorbidity and laboratory variables associated with hospitalization and mortality in older people with Covid-19. Materials and methods: A systematic review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA statement, in the Medline/Pubmed, Science databases. Direct and WOS, in which specific search strategies were applied to articles and studies that were published from the period of time between January 1, 2020 and November 26, 2020. Results: 28 articles were identified that met the the selection criteria, with a sum of the sample size of the included studies of 581,319 subjects (55.1% women). Of the factors analyzed, optimal functional status, female gender, lymphocyte count, curative use of anticoagulants, and serum albumin levels have been associated with a better clinical prognosis in adults older than 65 years. Conclusions: Clinical characteristics, comorbidity and laboratory variables associated with hospitalization and morbidity were found.

Effect of Confinement on Anxiety Symptoms and Sleep Quality during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted lifestyles worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of confinement on anxiety symptoms and sleep quality in people living in extreme southern latitudes. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to 617 people, 74.2% of whom were women. The sample was grouped according to confinement: the zone of confinement (CZ) (46.5%) and the zone of partial confinement (PZ) (53.5%). In addition, the sample was further categorized into four age subgroups (18-25 years; 26-40 years; 41-50 years; over 50 years). Higher levels of anxiety and worse sleep quality were found in the CZ group than in the PZ group. Women had higher levels of anxiety and worse sleep quality than men. A significant bidirectional relationship between anxiety and sleep quality was observed, even after controlling for sex. This study demonstrated that women and young adults were more vulnerable to the effects of confinement on anxiety symptoms and sleep quality in populations at southern latitudes.

[Functional characterization of patients with cerebral palsy living in the Magallanes region and the Chilean Antarctic]. / Caracterización funcional de pacientes con parálisis cerebral que viven en la región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena.

OBJECTIVE: To functionally characterize patients with Cerebral Palsy (CP) living in the Magallanes Re gion and the Chilean Antarctic. PATIENT AND METHOD: Descriptive-retrospective observational study of patients with cerebral palsy, registered in the Outpatient Rehabilitation Program of the Corporación de Rehabilitación Club de Leones Cruz del Sur de Punta Arenas between 1986 and 2018. Patients with CP were clinically categorized and then functionally characterized according to gross motor skills (GMFCS), manual ability (MACS), feeding ability (EDACS), and communication function (CFCS). RESULTS: 106 patients were included. Regarding the clinical classification, the most common type of CP was bilateral spastic paralysis, with the highest percentage of functional involvement in each of the evaluated areas, followed by unilateral spastic paralysis, while cases of dystonic CP and other non-classifiable types presented were less frequent. According to the clinical subclassification, spastic diplegia was more frequent, especially affecting manual and communication skills level I compared with hemiplegia, while cases of mixed and unclassifiable quadriplegia were less frequent with greater overall involvement of level I feeding skills. CONCLUSION: The observed results of CP in the Magalla nes Region and the Chilean Antarctic are similar to studies available in the literature. The complete evaluation and classification of patients with CP enable a better understanding of the pathology for future studies.

Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Response to Muscle Fatigue and Sex Differences During Consecutive Competition Periods in Young Swimmers: A Longitudinal Study.

Objective: To study the differences in cardiac autonomic modulation in response to muscle fatigue caused by high-intensity exercise during two consecutive competition periods in young swimmers. Methods: Twenty-six competitive swimmers, selected by their training volume, were separated in two groups, females (n = 12 [46%], age: 13.5 ± 1.4 years) and males (n = 14 [54%], age: 13.9 ± 1.7 years), aged between 10 and 16 years, were evaluated five times as follow: (i) 21 days before the first competition (t-0); (ii) two days before (t-1; t-3); and (iii) two days after (t-2; t-4) of the first and second competitions. Morphological measurements (body mass, percentage of total body fat and height), blood pressure, power, and resting heart rate variability (RR with Polar band) were recorded before and after Wingate test at each time. Results: Body fat was higher in females compared to males. However, no differences were found in other morphological parameters. An intra-subject analysis grouped by sex in cardiovascular parameters shows longitudinal variations in systolic pressure and mean pressure among females. Additionally, females depicted higher, very low frequency (VLF, which is intrinsically generated by the heart and strongly associated with emotional stress) after physical fatigue compared to males at t-1. Further, before the competition, the high frequency (HF) component of HRV (parasympathetic drive) was higher in males than females at t-0 and t-4. Conclusion: Our data revealed that males displayed greater parasympathetic reactivity after an anaerobic muscle fatigue test during their competition periods. Contrarily, females had a less cardiac autonomic modulation when comparing the pre-post Wingate test after two consecutive competition periods.

Asociación entre el índice de masa corporal y la regulación del sistema cardiovascular en estudiantes de medicina. Un estudio piloto / Association between body mass index and regulation of the cardiovascular system in medical students. A pilot study

Objetivo: determinar la existencia de una asociación entre el índice de masa corporal y la regulación cardiovascular en estudiantes de medicina. Materiales y métodos: estudio transversal con un diseño aleatorio. La muestra se compuso por 54 estudiantes de medicina (21,2 ± 1,6 años) evaluados y clasificados según el índice de masa corporal: normopeso (NP; IMC < 25 kg/m2); sobrepeso (SP; IMC≥ 25 kg/m2); obesos (OB; IMC ≥ a 30 Kg/m2). Las medidas antropométricas, presión arterial y variabilidad de frecuencia cardiaca (HRV) fueron las variables evaluadas. Resultados: el 51,9% de los estudiantes presenta sobrepeso u obesidad. El índice de masa corporal correlaciona negativamente con el parámetro de variabilidad de frecuencia cardíaca, especialmente al compararla en los dominios de tiempo de HRV (p<0,001). También se observaron diferencias en el control autonómico cardíaco al comparar los grupos de estudio en LnRMSSD (p<0,01) y LnSDNN (p<0,01). Conclusión: la implementación de medidas que disminuyan los valores de IMC posibilitará un mayor control autonómico cardíaco y mejor salud cardiovascular en estudiantes de medicina..(Au)

Objective: this study had the purpose of knowing the association of the body mass index and cardiovascular regulation of medical students. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional study with a randomized design. The sample consisted of 54 medical students (21,2 ± 1,6 years) who were evaluated and classified according to the body mass index: Normal weight (NP; BMI <25 kg / m2); Overweight (SP; BMI≥ 25 kg / m2); Obese (OB; BMI ≥ 30 Kg / m2). Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and heart rate variability (HRV) were the variables evaluated. Results: 51,9% of the students are overweight or obese. The body mass index was negatively correlated with the heart rate variability parameter, especially when compared with the HRV time domains (p <0.001). Differences were also observed in cardiac autonomic control when comparing the study groups in LnRMSSD (p <0,01) and LnSDNN (p <0,01). Conclusion: the implementation of measures that decrease BMI values will allow greater autonomic cardiac control and better cardiovascular health in medical students..(Au)