Flexibility of Ballet Dancers in COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Observational Study in Portugal.

The aim of this study was to verify how dancers' flexibility work has developed during confinement through four assessment moments: before, during (two times), and after the lockdown period. The sample was formed by 18 dancers from the Porto Dance Conservatory (Portugal) with an average age of 11.4 ± 1.4 years and 1.4 ± 0.7 years of experience. To assess the passive and active flexibility level, we used seven of the International Gymnastics Federation's recommended tests using main joints (i.e., hips and spine). The first evaluation was performed before the pandemic situation began in a training environment, and the second and third evaluation were performed during the lockdown, in home environment, and in virtual trainings. Finally, the last evaluation was carried out in a training environment after returning to face-to-face activities and with several rules such a social distancing and mask use. The results showed that significant improvements were verified in the flexibility level of the dancers from the first to the fourth moment of evaluation. In the current study, no statistical significance was noted for the decreased values of functional asymmetry between the preferred and non-preferred lower limbs. These differences may have substantial relevance for dancers' harmonious body development.

The Effect of 16 Weeks of Lower-Limb Strength Training in Jumping Performance of Ballet Dancers.

Jumping ability is considered a determinant of performance success. It is identified as one of the predictors and talent identification in many sports and dance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 16 weeks of lower-limb strength training on the jumping performance of ballet dancers. A total of 24 participants from the same dance school were randomly selected in the control group [CG; n = 10; aged 13.00 (1.49) years; 43.09 (9.48) kg and 1.53 (0.11) m] and the intervention group [IG; n = 14; aged 12.43 (1.45) years; 38.21 (4.38) kg and 1.51 (0.07) m], evaluated before and after the applied strength training program mainly using the body weight of each participant. Jump performance was assessed using MyJump2, a scientifically validated mobile phone app. Intergroup and intragroup comparisons were assessed, and the magnitude of change was calculated using the effect size (ES). While CG significantly decreased the relative power over time (p < 0.001, ES = -0.29: small), results from the intragroup comparisons suggest that IG significantly increased the countermovement jump (CMJ) height (p < 0.001, ES = 1.21: large), the relative force (p < 0.001, ES = 0.86: moderate), maximal velocity (p < 0.001, ES = 1.15: moderate), and relative power (p < 0.001, ES = 1.37: large). We concluded that a 16-week strength training program of lower limbs is an effective way to improve CMJ height in young dancers. Supplementary strength training appears to be the determinant for the improvement of the jumping performance of ballet dancers.

[Diffuse Intraparenchymal Mesothelioma: An Atypical Presentation]. / Mesotelioma Intraparenquimatoso Difuso: Uma Apresentação Rara.

Pleural mesothelioma is a disease associated with exposure to asbestos. Although rare, it is the most common malignant pleural neoplasm. It is difficult to diagnose and it has a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 62-year-old male patient with a history of prolonged occupational exposure to asbestos, with dyspnea for minor exertion and productive cough, for several months. Imaging studies revealed extensive interstitial involvement with marked thickening of the interlobular and centrilobular septa and tenuous pleural involvement. Several differential diagnoses were considered such as, asbestosis, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, pleuropulmonary metastases, and/or bronchopulmonary infection, but the histological and immunohistochemical results were compatible with pleural mesothelioma - a rare malignant neoplasm, with pleural origin, with a high mortality rate.

O mesotelioma pleural é uma doença associada à exposição ao amianto. Embora raro, é a principal neoplasia maligna da pleura, sendo o seu diagnóstico difícil e o seu prognóstico reservado. O caso clínico apresentado refere-se a um doente de 62 anos, do género masculino, com história ocupacional de exposição prolongada a amianto e clínica arrastada, com meses de evolução, de dispneia para pequenos esforços e tosse produtiva. Imagiologicamente, apresentava um envolvimento intersticial extenso com marcado espessamento dos septos interlobulares e centrilobulares, associado a ténues alterações pleurais. Várias hipóteses diagnósticas foram equacionadas tais como, asbestose, pneumonia organizativa criptogénica, pneumonia intersticial descamativa, metástases pleuropulmonares, e/ou patologia infeciosa broncopulmonar, mas o resultado histológico e imunohistoquímico foi compatível com mesotelioma pleural- uma neoplasia maligna rara, de origem pleural, com uma taxa de mortalidade elevada.

Morphological characteristics and biological maturation of Brazilian and Portuguese gymnasts / Características morfológicas y maduración biológica de gimnastas brasileñas y portuguesas

The morphological characteristics and biological maturation are among the more important factors in the performance in the Rhythmic Gymnastics. Thus, the aims of the present study were: (1) identify the training, morphological and biological maturation characteristics in elite Brazilian and Portuguese gymnasts; (2) compare these characteristics across groups. The Brazilian Portuguese National Team (13 gymnasts) were studied. Anthropometric and body composition measurements were performed. For analysis of biological maturation, the sexual (pubertal stages and age at menarche) and somatic (offset maturational) maturation were evaluated. The training data were collected by interviewing. For the statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney test was applied. The somatotype and calculation of its components were performed according to the Health-Carter method thought of the MER Goulding Software Development. Brazil and Portugal National Teams presented similar training volume and training onset, however Brazilian gymnasts had higher age and years of practice in Rhythmic Gymnastics than Portuguese gymnasts. Brazilian had higher body mass; height; lower limb length; triceps, subscapular and abdominal skinfolds; relaxed arm and thigh girths; and endomorphy somatotype component than Portuguese. The groups showed different somatotypes: Brazilian (endomorphic ectomorph) and Portuguese (balanced ectomorph), although without statistical significance. The groups demonstrated a delay in maturational development. Similar breast (stages 3 and 4) and pubic hair (stages 2 and 3) development were verified. In total, 84.6 % of gymnasts had reached menarche (15.9±2.6 years) and all gymnasts had reached the age at peak height velocity (14.9±1.2 years). The distance and age at peak height velocity were higher in Brazilian than in Portuguese.

Las características morfológicas y la maduración biológica se encuentran entre los factores más importantes en el rendimiento en la gimnasia rítmica. Por lo tanto, los objetivos del presente estudio fueron: (1) identificar las características de entrenamiento, morfológicas y maduración biológica en las gimnastas brasileñas y portuguesas de élite; (2) comparas estas características entre grupos. Se estudió la Selección Nacional Portuguesa y Brasileña (13 gimnastas). Se realizaron mediciones antropométricas y de composición corporal. Para el análisis de la maduración biológica, se evaluaron las etapas sexuales (etapas de pubertad y edad en la menarquia) y somáticas (edad en el pick de velocidad de altura). Los datos de entrenamiento fueron recolectados mediante entrevistas. Para el análisis estadístico, se aplicó la prueba de Mann-Whitney. El somatotipo y el cálculo de sus componentes se realizaron de acuerdo con el método de Health-Carter, pensado en el desarrollo de software MER Goulding. Los equipos nacionales de Brasil y Portugal presentaron un volumen de entrenamiento y un inicio de entrenamiento similares; sin embargo, las gimnastas brasileñas tenían mayor edad y años de práctica en gimnasia rítmica que las gimnastas portuguesas. Las brasileñas tenían mayor masa corporal; altura; longitud del miembro inferior; pliegues cutáneos del músculo tríceps, músculo subescapular y a nivel abdominal; circunferencia relajada del brazo y del muslo; y el componente somatotípico endomórfico que el portugués. Los grupos eran diferentes somatotipos: brasileñas (ectomórfico endomórfico) y portugués (ectomórfico equilibrada), aunque sin significación estadística. Los grupos demostraron un retraso en el desarrollo madurativo. Se verificó un desarrollo similar del seno (estadios 3 y 4) y del vello púbico (estadios 2 y 3). En total, el 84,6 % de las gimnastas alcanzaron la menarquia (15,9 ± 2,6 años) y el 92,3 % de las gimnastas alcanzaron su altura máxima con 17,4 ± 1,2 años. La distancia y la edad en la velocidad de alcance de la altura máxima fueron más altas en Brasil que en Portugal.

Sulfite concentration and the occurrence of headache in young adults: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sulfites are additives commonly used in food and wine industries that are associated to adverse clinical effects such as headaches. The objective of this study is to investigate the possible association between sulfite concentration in wine and the occurrence of headaches in young adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eighty volunteers, aged between 18 and 25 years, were evaluated. Sub-groups (with or without previous headaches related with wine) were created and volunteers were submitted to two wine tests (minimum and maximum sulfite concentration accordingly to weight). A questionnaire was handed out after the test regarding the presence or not of headaches, their main characteristics, as well as other symptoms associated. RESULTS: Subjects that refer a previous headache history upon wine ingestion presented a risk 2266 greater of developing headaches after wine ingestion with a greater sulfite concentration. Those that refer constant headaches related to wine ingestion previous to the test present a risk of 6232 times more of developing headaches compared to those who refer sporadic headaches related to wine consumption. CONCLUSIONS: In our group of subjects, sulfite concentration in wine is related to the risk of developing headaches in individuals who are susceptible to wine induced headaches.

A rare case of Actinomyces meyeri empyema: Still a challenging entity to manage.

Actinomyces meyeri is a rare pathogen and an infrequent cause of human actinomycosis. Less than ten cases were reported in the English-literature to date concerning A. meyeri empyema. We herein report a case to promote the awareness and adequate management of the disease. A 44-year-old immunocompetent male with known pulmonary disease was diagnosed with an A. meyeri empyema. He underwent chest tube drainage and a short-term treatment with clindamycin for 4 months. This is the first report of a patient with structural pulmonary disease with an A. meyeri empyema treated with 4-month of clindamycin and chest tube drainage. In comparison to previous reports, our case was diagnosed early, empyema was effectively drained with one chest tube and symptoms and radiological findings were rapidly improved. Short-term antibiotic treatment can be well succeeded if an early diagnosis is made, there is no evidence of dissemination and adequate management is promptly instituted.

Judging in Rhythmic Gymnastics at Different Levels of Performance.

This study aimed to analyse the quality of difficulty judging in rhythmic gymnastics, at different levels of performance. The sample consisted of 1152 difficulty scores concerning 288 individual routines, performed in the World Championships in 2013. The data were analysed using the mean absolute judge deviation from the final difficulty score, a Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intra-class correlations, for consistency and reliability assessment. For validity assessment, mean deviations of judges' difficulty scores, the Kendall's coefficient of concordance W and ANOVA eta-squared values were calculated. Overall, the results in terms of consistency (Cronbach's alpha mostly above 0.90) and reliability (intra-class correlations for single and average measures above 0.70 and 0.90, respectively) were satisfactory, in the first and third parts of the ranking on all apparatus. The medium level gymnasts, those in the second part of the ranking, had inferior reliability indices and highest score dispersion. In this part, the minimum of corrected item-total correlation of individual judges was 0.55, with most values well below, and the matrix for between-judge correlations identified remarkable inferior correlations. These findings suggest that the quality of difficulty judging in rhythmic gymnastics may be compromised at certain levels of performance. In future, special attention should be paid to the judging analysis of the medium level gymnasts, as well as the Code of Points applicability at this level.

Explosive power of lower limbs in rhythmic gymnastics athletes in different competitive levels / Força explosiva de membros inferiores em ginastas da ginástica rítmica de diferentes níveis competitivos

Abstract The explosive power in Rhythmic Gymnastics shows itself in the great majority of movements and elements performed by the gymnasts, particularly in the jumps, which are essential corporal movements in this sport. The training directed to the development of jumping capacity presents a large quantity of exercises which aim to improve muscular power in the lower limbs and therefore the impulsion capacity. The vertical impulsion is an important measure used to calculate the explosive power of the lower limbs and is directly connected to the success that the gymnast will be able to achieve. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the height of two jumps in the RG (stag jump and Cossack jump) in contact mat Ergojump, which calculates the jump height in connection with the flight timing, executed by national level junior gymnasts and to compare them to the results of the Junior National Team - in total 30 junior gymnasts with 13.73 ± 0.17 years old. Furthermore, to compare the levels of explosive power of preferred lower limb (PLL) and non-preferred lower limb (NPLL) of all gymnasts in the study, in order to verify eventual functional asymmetries. For the statistical analysis we used Parametric Tests (t Test) and Nonparametric (Mann-Whitney Test and Wilcoxon Test). The gymnasts of the National Team achieved superior marks in 33.3% of the tests and 83.3% of the gymnasts of our sample did not present explosive power asymmetries. We conclude that the gymnasts of the National Team did not show the expected superiority in the tests, and the most of gymnasts presented a harmonious development of explosive power for both lower limbs, since they did not show functional asymmetries.

Resumo A força na Ginástica Rítmica manifesta-se na grande maioria dos movimentos e elementos realizados pelas ginastas, especialmente nos saltos, que são elementos corporais indispensáveis na prática da modalidade. O treino voltado para o desenvolvimento da habilidade de salto apresenta uma grande quantidade de exercícios que visam aumentar o grau de potência muscular de membros inferiores, e portanto, a capacidade de impulsão. A impulsão vertical é uma importante medida utilizada para mensurar a força explosiva de membros inferiores e está diretamente ligada ao sucesso que a ginasta poderá atingir. Deste modo, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a altura de dois saltos da Ginástica Rítmica (salto de corça e salto cossaco) através da plataforma de contato Ergojump, que calcula a altura do salto em função do tempo de voo, executados por ginastas juniores de nível nacional e comparar com resultados da Seleção Nacional Júnior – no total 30 ginastas, com idade média de 13,73 ± 0,17 anos. Além disso, comparar os níveis de força explosiva do membro inferior preferido (MIP) e membro inferior não preferido (MINP) de todas as ginastas do estudo, de modo a verificar possíveis assimetrias funcionais. Para a análise estatística recorremos aos Testes Paramétricos (Teste T) e não Paramétricos (Teste Mann-Whitney e Wilcoxon). As ginastas da Seleção Nacional alcançaram melhores resultados em 33% dos testes, deste modo concluímos que não conseguiram mostrar a superioridade esperada nos testes realizados. Além disso, verificamos que a maior parte das ginastas apresentaram um harmonioso desenvolvimento da força explosiva em ambos os membros inferiores, dado que e 83,3% das ginastas da amostra não demonstraram assimetrias funcionais.

[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis revealed by acute respiratory failure: two case studies]. / Insuficiência respiratória aguda como primeira manifestação de Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica: dois casos clínicos.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fast progressing neuromuscular disease that affects all but the extrinsic muscles of the eye and sphincters. The main cause of morbidity and mortality are the respiratory complications that usually start in a late stage of the diseases natural history. In a small number of cases acute respiratory failure is the initial manifestation of the disease. The authors present 2 case studies admitted to a pulmonary department, without previously known neuromuscular disease, with the diagnosis of acute respiratory failure of unknown etiology and that were later shown to be cases of ALS. Analysis of the cases presented here, and those already published in the literature, suggests that the occurrence of acute respiratory failure in patients without a previous history of pulmonary and/or heart disease, especially in the 5th and 6th decade of life, should alert to ALS as a possible diagnosis.