How Europeans move: a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sitting time paradox in the European Union.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the interactions between physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour in a large population taking account of major sociodemographic characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. METHODS: Data from 28,031 individuals living in the European Union who were aged ≥15 years were retrieved from a cross-sectional survey, the Eurobarometer 2017. Interactions among the four mobility components (vigorous, moderate, walking activity and sitting time) were assessed at the individual level across age, gender and place of residence, and at the country level by compositional data analysis, hierarchical linear regressions and principal component analysis. RESULTS: The most frequently reported PA was walking; however, sitting time represented >95% of the reported weekly times, whereas moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) represented <1%. Women reported less PA and sitting time, age decreased total PA and increased sitting time, and individuals living in large urban areas reported lower PA and higher sitting times. MVPA decreased with age (ß = -0.047, P < 0.001) and was lower in women (ß = -0.760, P < 0.001) and those living in large urban areas (ß = -0.581, P < 0.001), while walking and sitting times increased with age, being higher in women and lower in those living in rural areas. At the country level, sitting time was positively associated with moderate activity (ß = 0.389, P = 0.041) and marginally non-significant with MVPA (ß = 0.330, P = 0.087). CONCLUSIONS: Walking was the highest contributor to weekly PA, whereas sitting time was paradoxically associated with higher MVPA. Specific measures to reduce sitting time are required to achieve an active lifestyle.

Muscle contraction velocity, strength and power output changes following different degrees of hypohydration in competitive olympic combat sports.

BACKGROUND: It is habitual for combat sports athletes to lose weight rapidly to get into a lower weight class. Fluid restriction, dehydration by sweating (sauna or exercise) and the use of diuretics are among the most recurrent means of weight cutting. Although it is difficult to dissuade athletes from this practice due to the possible negative effect of severe dehydration on their health, athletes may be receptive to avoid weight cutting if there is evidence that it could affect their muscle performance. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate if hypohydration, to reach a weight category, affects neuromuscular performance and combat sports competition results. METHODS: We tested 163 (124 men and 39 woman) combat sports athletes during the 2013 senior Spanish National Championships. Body mass and urine osmolality (UOSM) were measured at the official weigh-in (PRE) and 13-18 h later, right before competing (POST). Athletes were divided according to their USOM at PRE in euhydrated (EUH; UOSM 250-700 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)), hypohydrated (HYP; UOSM 701-1080 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)) and severely hypohydrated (S-HYP; UOSM 1081-1500 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)). Athletes' muscle strength, power output and contraction velocity were measured in upper (bench press and grip) and lower body (countermovement jump - CMJ) muscle actions at PRE and POST time-points. RESULTS: At weigh-in 84 % of the participants were hypohydrated. Before competition (POST) UOSM in S-HYP and HYP decreased but did not reach euhydration levels. However, this partial rehydration increased bench press contraction velocity (2.8-7.3 %; p < 0.05) and CMJ power (2.8 %; p < 0.05) in S-HYP. Sixty-three percent of the participants competed with a body mass above their previous day's weight category and 70 of them (69 % of that sample) obtained a medal. CONCLUSIONS: Hypohydration is highly prevalent among combat sports athletes at weigh-in and not fully reversed in the 13-18 h from weigh-in to competition. Nonetheless, partial rehydration recovers upper and lower body neuromuscular performance in the severely hypohydrated participants. Our data suggest that the advantage of competing in a lower weight category could compensate the declines in neuromuscular performance at the onset of competition, since 69 % of medal winners underwent marked hypohydration.

Corneal topography in keratoconus: state of the art.

The morphological characterization of the cornea using corneal topographers is a widespread clinical practice that is essential for the diagnosis of keratoconus. The current state of this non-invasive exploratory technique has evolved with the possibility of achieving a great number of measuring points of both anterior and posterior corneal surfaces, which is possible due to the development of new and advanced measurement devices. All these data are later used to extract a series of topographic valuation indices that permit to offer the most exact and reliable clinical diagnosis. This paper describes the technologies in which current corneal topographers are based on, being possible to define the main morphological characteristics that the keratoconus pathology produces on corneal surface. Finally, the main valuation indices, which are provided by the corneal topographers and used for the diagnosis of keratoconus, are also defined.

[Back pain and restricted daily physical activity in the Spanish adult population]. / Dolor de espalda y limitación de la actividad física cotidiana en la población adulta española.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a widespread health problem that affects a great part of the Spanish adult population; it also places a constraint on developing activities of daily living. The aim of this paper is to estimate the association between daily physical activity and chronic back pain in Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This paper analyses data from the European Health Survey in Spain 2009; it presents a cross sectional epidemiological study designed to assess the health of the Spanish population, in which 22,188 people participated (10,876 men and 11,312 women over 16 years ), representative of the total Spanish population. The variables studied are: back pain indicators obtained from the European Health Status Module and the European Health Care Module included in this survey, and the daily physical activity pattern obtained from the European Module of Health Determinants. RESULTS: The total volume of daily physical activity is similar in healthy people and those who have back pain, but a pattern of low or moderate intensity in people with chronic back pain in the last twelve months (p <0.01) was observed with greater frequency. CONCLUSIONS: People with chronic back pain do not show a lower volume of physical activity, but their physical activity pattern is often low or moderate. Developing a vigorous pattern of physical activity should be considered not only as a strategy to prevent this disease, but also as a therapeutic target in these patients.