Effects of Physical Activity Interventions in the Elderly with Anxiety, Depression, and Low Social Support: A Clinical Multicentre Randomised Trial.

The percentage of older people is increasing worldwide. Loneliness and anxious−depressive states are emerging health conditions in this population group, and these conditions give rise to higher morbidity and mortality. Physical activity (PA) and social relationships have been linked to physical and mental health. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a 4-month programme of moderate PA in a group would improve the emotional state, levels of social support, and quality of life in a sample of individuals >64 years of age. A multicentre randomised clinical trial was designed in primary care. Ninety (90) participants were selected. After the intervention, there were positive differences between the groups, with significant improvements in the intervention group (IG) in depression, anxiety, health status perception, and social support. Walking in a group two days per week for 4 months reduced clinical depression and anxiety by 59% and 45%, respectively. The level of satisfaction was very high, and adherence was high. In conclusion, the moderate group PA programme improved clinical anxiety, depression, social support, and perceptions of health status in the patients studied.

Effects of a Physical Exercise Program on Patients Affected with Fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: physical activity has been used for a number of years in the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM). The main objective of this study is to compare the effects of physical activity on 2 groups of women diagnosed with FM in terms of pain, quality of life and the impact of the condition on their daily lives. METHODS: this was a randomized clinical trial to assess the effects of physical activity performed by subjects assigned to one of 2 groups on the scores of 3 questionnaires, the pain Visual Analog Scale (EVA), the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the SF-36 health questionnaire administered before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 24 subjects were randomly assigned to each of the 2 study groups. No significant differences were found after the program of 3 months of physical activity ended. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that a physical activity program with duration of less than 3 months does not significantly improve any of the factors studied.

Diagnosis of Skin Lesions Using Photographs Taken With a Mobile Phone: An Online Survey of Primary Care Physicians.

Skin conditions are one of the most frequent reasons for visiting a primary health care facility, making it of vital importance that general practitioners (GPs) have the right knowledge and tools to diagnose the most frequent dermatological conditions. Methods: This study evaluates the accuracy of dermatological diagnoses made by 120 GPs based on photographs taken with a smartphone by an anonymous online cross-sectional survey. Results: The study was carried out between August and October 2018. The results show that the majority of the participants are in favor of using mobile phones to communicate with other professionals and use them to consult medical images. The majority (69%) took dermatological photographs and the preferred device was a smartphone (70%). From 22 different images evaluated, in 69% of responses, participants expressed a high degree of confidence in their ability to diagnose the lesion shown and in 72% of the cases, the diagnosis chosen was correct. Conclusions: The study confirms that the use of smartphone to send medical images is growing rapidly and its potential for taking medical images is an opportunity to help primary care teams deal with dermatological problems. The results suggest that GPs need further training in interpreting dermatological images, to increase their diagnostic confidence and to avoid the need for referrals to face-to-face visits.