Influence of creep feeder position on the behavior and performance of preweaning piglets and sows in a hot climate environment.

The use of creep feeding for preweaning piglets is important to improve the performance of the piglets. The objective of this experiment was evaluate the effect of using or altering the position of piglet's creep feeder during lactation on piglet's performance and on behavior of piglets and sows kept in a hot climate environment. Forty-five sows and their litters at 10 days of lactation were randomly distributed into three treatments: front feeder (FF) - near the side of the sow's head; back feeder (BF) - near the side of the rump of the sow; and no feeder (NF). All piglets were weighed individually to evaluate the average weight, weight gain and coefficient of variation of the weight. Behavior assessments of the piglets and sows were recorded in 3 period. At 15 and 21 d, piglets of the FF treatment were heavier (P ≤ 0.0001) than piglets of the other treatments. At 10-21d piglets of FF treatment had 76.2% less belly nosing behavior than the NF piglets (P=0.015). The treatments had no impact on behavior of the sows. The creep feeders positioned in the front of the farrowing crate increased piglet growth rate and decreased frequency of belly nosing behavior.

Knowledge about epilepsy in university health students: A multicenter study.

Even with economic development and improvements in health care around the world, it is estimated that nowadays, 50 million people have epilepsy. It is one of the most prevalent neurological diseases, yet it is still surrounded by prejudice, stigma, lack of awareness, and wrong attitudes of the population towards the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the knowledge about epilepsy in health students from different countries: Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, United States, and South Africa. Students were asked to complete a survey regarding knowledge about epilepsy (the Epilepsy Knowledge Questionnaire). One hundred and two students participated, 62.2% of them were female. Portuguese students had significantly higher values than the American ones (p=0.025). Regarding the medical aspects, on average, students hit 63.8% of the questions, and the students from Portugal had significantly higher average than the ones from the United States (p=0.0007). Statements with lower percent of correct answers were about pathophysiology, medication, and treatment of the disease. There were no differences between the scores obtained by the students of each country in the social aspects of the disease. Statements with higher percent of mistakes were about sports practice, labor, proceedings in case of convulsion, and ability to drive vehicles. General knowledge of senior health students about epilepsy was considered low, however, regarding the medical aspects of the disease, students from Brazil and Portugal exhibited a slightly superior knowledge. Changing the way of seeing and treating people with epilepsy brings, as a consequence, increased opportunities for these people in different sectors of society.

The role of bystander CPR in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: what the evidence tells us.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a global public health problem. Lay bystanders witness almost half of OHCA, so early recognition is critical to allow immediate initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the bystander. The present investigation aims to analyze the most recent scientific evidence of the effect of bystander CPR on survival after an OHCA. A systematic literature review was carried out at the "Web of Science," "Scopus," and "PubMed" databases, including publications from the last 20 years. After inclusion/exclusion criteria, 37 articles were identified. Results indicate that patients who receive CPR are more likely to survive than those who don't, and CPR is associated with a good quality of life post-OHCA. Emphasis should be placed on practicing chest compressions only when the bystander has not mastered the artificial ventilation technique. Finding an AED is the first step to using it in an OHCA situation. Correct use of an AED by laypeople is associated with nearly double the survival rate after an OHCA when compared to standard CPR. It is important to promote CPR and AED training to non-professionals, such as community residents and youth, as training is associated with higher success rates of effective CPR-AED. A mobile phone positioning system to recruit trained laypeople or text message alerts to send citizen volunteers as well as assistance through a mobile app appear to have significant advantages in practicing effective CPR. The benefits of bystander CPR outweigh the risk of injury to victims, highlighting the need to disseminate training to laypeople.

Efficacy and safety of concurrent training in systemic sclerosis.

The optimal training model for patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) is unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week combined resistance and aerobic training program (concurrent training) in SSc patients. Eleven patients with no evidence of pulmonary involvement were recruited for the exercise program. Lower and upper limb dynamic strengths (assessed by 1 repetition maximum [1RM] of a leg press and bench press, respectively), isometric strength (assessed by back pull and handgrip tests), balance and mobility (assessed by the timed up-and-go test), muscle function (assessed by the timed-stands test), Rodnan score, digital ulcers, Rayland's phenomenon, and blood markers of muscle inflammation (creatine kinase and aldolase) were assessed at baseline and after the 12-week program. Exercise training significantly enhanced the 1RM leg press (41%) and 1RM bench press (13%) values and back pull (24%) and handgrip strength (11%). Muscle function was also improved (15%), but balance and mobility were not significantly changed. The time-to-exhaustion was increased (46.5%, p = 0.0004), the heart rate at rest condition was significantly reduced, and the workload and time of exercise at ventilatory thresholds and peak of exercise were increased. However, maximal and submaximal &OV0312;o2 were unaltered (p > 0.05). The Rodnan score was unchanged, and muscle enzymes remained within normal levels. No change was observed in digital ulcers and Raynaud's phenomenon. This is the first study to demonstrate that a 12-week concurrent training program is safe and substantially improves muscle strength, function, and aerobic capacity in SSc patients.

Associação entre força de preensão manual, composição corporal e estado nutricional de idosos da comunidade / Association between handgrip strength, body composition and nutritional status of community dwelling elderly

Introdução: são escassos os estudos a respeito das relações entre força muscular, composição corporal e estado nutricional de idosos. Objetivo: avaliar as relações entre força de preensão manual, composição corporal e estado nutricional de idosos da comunidade. Métodos: setenta e nove idosos sedentários de ambos os sexos, frequentadores do Centro de Convivência do Idoso em Embu-Guaçu/SP, participaram deste estudo transversal quantitativo. Eles foram submetidos à avaliação de força de preensão manual por dinamometria, de composição corporal por bioimpedância tetrapolar, e do estado nutricional pelo índice de massa corporal e pela Mini Avaliação Nutricional reduzida. Resultados: a preensão manual direta foi considerada adequada em 65,8% da amostra. A maior parte dos idosos apresentava excesso de peso (60,3%) e de adiposidade (76,9% dos homens e 85,9% das mulheres), e 53,8% dos homens apresentavam sarcopenia grau I vs. 27,7% das mulheres. Um terço da amostra (34,2%) apresentava risco de desnutrição. O valor energético médio consumido pela amostra foi significantemente mais alto entre os homens (p=0,005), que também apresentaram menor ingestão percentual de carboidratos (p=0,03), e maior ingestão de proteínas (p<0,0001) e lipídeos (p=0,01) do que as mulheres. A força de preensão manual direita esteve moderadamente associada à massa magra (r=0,54 e p<0,001) e fracamente associada ao consumo de proteínas (r=0,330 e p=0,01). Conclusão: houve associação entre força de preensão manual, massa magra e consumo de proteínas, porém não foram encontradas associações entre a força e o escore da avaliação nutricional ou o índice de massa corporal.(AU)

Introduction: studies on the relationships between muscle strength, body composition, and nutritional status of the elderly are still scarce. Objective: to evaluate the relationship between manual grip strength, body composition, and nutritional status of community-dwelling elderly. Methods: seventy-nine sedentary elderly men and women from the Center for the Elderly in Embu-Guaçu/SP participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. Participants were submitted to handgrip strength evaluation by dynamometry, body composition by tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance, and nutritional status by the body mass index and reduced Mini Nutritional Assessment. Results: right-hand grip strength was considered adequate in 65.8% of the sample. Most elderly presented excessive body weight (60,3%) and adiposity (76,9% of men e 85,9% of women). 53.8% of men presented with stage I sarcopenia vs. 27.7% of women. One-third (34.2%) of the elderly presented risk of malnutrition. The mean energy consumed by the sample was significantly higher among males (p=0.005), who also presented lower percentage of carbohydrate intake (p=0.03) and higher intake of proteins (p<0.0001) and lipids (p=0.01) than women. Right-hand grip strength was moderately associated with lean mass (r=0.54 and p<0.001) and weakly associated protein consumption (r=0.330 and p=0.01). Conclusion: there was an association between handgrip strength, lean mass, and protein intake, however, no asso -ciations were found between strength and nutritional assessment scores or body mass index.(AU)