Biodiversity is severely declining worldwide and one of its main threats is invasion by exotic species. Successful management of these species requires citizens to be aware and engaged to prevent new ...introductions and support control interventions. We used questionnaires to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of Portuguese citizens aware of environmental issues, regarding invasive alien plants (IAPs). The influence of formal training in environmental areas vs. informal education about IAPs on the knowledge and perceptions of respondents was analysed. The results (735 responses) showed that environmentally conscious citizens have a great knowledge and awareness of IAPs (and biodiversity). While most respondents realize that IAPs negatively alter the landscape and cause negative impacts, some recognize that they can also have positive impacts and benefit the landscape. Formal training in environmental areas influences perception and increases knowledge about IAPs. In general, the opinion of whether a species should be removed or not was greatly influenced by the recognition of its invasive status, and less so by whether respondents liked or considered the species beautiful, suggesting that if citizens are informed about the invasive status of a species they are more willing to support its removal. More surprisingly, our results suggest that knowing the “Invasive Plants in Portugal” (Invasoras.pt) project, used as a proxy for higher awareness/informal education, increases knowledge and alters perceptions. Besides increasing understanding of IAPs' knowledge and perceptions among citizens, our work show that investing in public awareness projects pays off and can be focused on improving the planning of IAPs management strategies.
This study aimed to review the literature on studies that evaluated the effects of omega-3 supplementation on parameters of diabetes in humans. An online search was conducted in the following ...databases: Pubmed, LILACS, Scielo, Scopus, and Web of Science. It included experimental studies that investigated the effects of omega-3 supplementation for diabetes treatment or prevention and its relationship with fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, and glycated hemoglobin. Observational, non-human studies and non-randomized clinical trials were excluded. The Cochrane scale assessed the quality of the studies. A meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the effect of omega-3 on fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, and glycated hemoglobin. Thirty studies were included in the review. Almost 70% (n = 20) demonstrated at least one significant effect of the omega-3 supplementation related to diabetes. In the meta-analysis, there was a significant effect on the reduction of fasting blood glucose SMD: −0.48; CI95%: −0.76, −0.19; p = 0.01; I2 = 88% and insulin resistance SMD: −0.61; CI95%: −0.98, −0.24; p = 0.01; I2 = 90%. For glycated hemoglobin, there was no significant effect in the meta-analysis. This systematic review with meta-analysis demonstrated that supplementation with omega-3 has protective effects on diabetes parameters.
Women are encouraged to be physically active during pregnancy. Despite available evidence supporting antenatal physical activity to bring health benefits for both the mother and child, the most ...effective way to prevent some maternal and fetal outcomes is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an exercise intervention to prevent negative maternal and newborn health outcomes.
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) nested into the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study was carried-out with 639 healthy pregnant women, 213 in the intervention group (IG) and 426 in the control (CG) group. An exercise-based intervention was conducted three times/week for 16 weeks from 16-20 to 32-36 weeks' gestation. The main outcomes were preterm birth and pre-eclampsia. Gestational age was calculated based on several parameters, including routine ultrassounds and/or last menstrual period and categorized as < 37 weeks and ≥ 37 weeks for evaluation of preterm birth. Pre-eclampsia was self-reported. Secondary outcomes were gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, birth weight, infant length, and head circumference. Analyses were performed by intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (70% of the 48 planned exercise sessions). Odds ratio were derived using unconditional logistic regression.
The IG and CG did not differ at baseline regarding their mean age (27.2 years ± 5.3 vs. 27.1 years ± 5.7) and mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (25.1 ± 3.9 vs. 25.2 ± 4.1 kg/m
). The mean adherence to the exercise intervention was 27 ± 17.2 sessions (out of a potential 48) with 40.4% attending > = 70% of the recommended exercise sessions. A total of 594 participants (IG:198; CG: 396) were included in the ITT and 479 (IG: 83; CG: 396) were included in the per protocol analyses. There were no significant differences in the incidence of preterm birth and pre-eclampsia between groups in the ITT and per protocol analysis. There were also no differences between the two groups in mean gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, birth weight, infant length, and head circumference.
While the RCT did not support the benefits of exercise performed during pregnancy on preeclampsia and preterm birth, the exercise program also did not present adverse impacts on newborn health. Our findings may contribute to promote intervention strategies that motivate health providers to encourage pregnant women to be more physically active.
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02148965 , registered on 22 May 2014.
Objective
This study evaluated the relationship between physical activity (PA) and multimorbidity in community-dwelling older adults.
Data Source
A systematic review and meta-analysis in the ...following databases: Pubmed, Lilacs, Scielo, Web of Science, Scopus, and AgeLine.
Study inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
It included observational studies investigating the association between physical activity and multimorbidity, with older adults, published until May 2021. Studies with institutionalized individuals or that assessed specific diseases were excluded.
Data Extraction
Two reviewers independently extracted the studies based on previous inclusion and exclusion criteria, started by selecting titles, followed by abstracts and full-text reading.
Data Synthesis
Meta-analysis results were reported as Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval using R language. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the studies.
Results
Fifteen studies were included in the systematic review, from which 12 reported an inverse association between physical activity and multimorbidity. In the meta-analysis, from over 77 000 older adults, there was an inverse association between physical activity and multimorbidity OR: .81; 95% CI: .73-.89. We found significant results only for men in the analysis by sex.
Conclusions
Low levels of physical activity were associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity in older adults. It is expected that public policies will be conducted aimed at the practice of physical activity among older adults.
Abstract Objectives To assess the inter-machine reliability of the Biodex System 3 Pro and Cybex Humac Norm Model 770 dynamometers for knee extensor and knee flexor peak torque measurements in ...isometric, concentric and eccentric tests. Design Randomized/crossover. Setting Exercise Research Laboratory, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Participants 25 healthy male subjects. Main outcome measures Isometric, concentric and eccentric knee extensor and knee flexor peak torques recorded in the same test procedure performed on both isokinetic dynamometers. One-way ANOVA, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and coefficient of variation (CV) were used to verify significant differences, relative and absolute reliability between devices. Results No significant differences were found between tests performed on Biodex and Cybex ( p > 0.05). ICC values indicated a high to very high reproducibility for isometric, concentric and eccentric peak torques (0.88–0.92), and moderate to high reliability for agonist-antagonist strength ratios (0.62–0.73). Peak torque did not show great difference between dynamometers for SEM (3.72–11.27 Nm) and CV (5.27–7.77%). Strength ratios presented CV values of 8.57–10.72%. Conclusion Maximal knee extensor and knee flexor tests performed in isometric (60° of knee flexion), concentric and eccentric modes at 60°/s in Biodex and Cybex dynamometers present similar values.
Objective methods to measure physical activity (PA) can lead to better cross-cultural comparisons, monitoring temporal PA trends, and measuring the effect of interventions. However, when applying ...this technology in field-work, the accelerometer data processing is prone to methodological issues. One of the most challenging issues relates to standardizing total wear time to provide reliable data across participants. It is generally accepted that at least 4 complete days of accelerometer wear represent a week for adults. It is not known if this same assumption holds true for pregnant women.
We assessed the optimal number of days needed to obtain reliable estimates of overall PA and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 2nd trimester in pregnancy using a raw triaxial wrist-worn accelerometer.
Cross-sectional analyses were carried out in the antenatal wave of the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Participants wore the wrist ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for seven consecutive days. The daily average acceleration, which indicated overall PA, was measured as milli-g (mg), and time spent in MVPA (minutes/day) was analyzed in 5-minute bouts. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare variability across days of the week. Bland-Altman plots and the Spearman-Brown Prophecy Formula were applied to determine the reliability coefficient associated with one to seven days of measurement.
Among 2,082 pregnant women who wore the accelerometer for seven complete days, overall and MVPA were lower on Sundays compared to other days of the week. Reliability of > = 0.80 to evaluate overall PA was reached with at least three monitoring days, whereas seven days were needed to estimate reliable measures of MVPA.
Our findings indicate that obtaining one week of accelerometry in adults is appropriate for pregnant women, particularly to obtain differences on weekend days and reliably estimate overall PA and MVPA.
To investigate the influence of parental physical activity on offspring's nutritional status in the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort.
Birth cohort study.
The main outcomes were overweight and ...obesity status of children. The main exposure was parental physical activity over time, measured during the 11, 15 and 18 years of age follow-ups. The exposure was operationalised as cumulative, and the most recent measure before the birth of child. We adjusted Poisson regression models with robust variance to evaluate crude and adjusted associations between parental physical activity and offspring's nutritional status. All analyses were stratified according to the sex of the parent.
A total of 874 members from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort followed-up at 22 years of age with their first-born child were analysed.
Children were, on average, 3·1 years old. Crude analyses showed that the mother's cumulative physical activity measure had an indirect association with the prevalence of children's obesity. The most recent maternal physical activity measure before the birth of the child was associated with 41 % lower prevalence of obesity in children, even after adjustment for confounders.
The most recent maternal physical activity measure was indirectly associated with the prevalence of obesity in children. No associations were found for fathers, reinforcing the hypothesis of a biological effect of maternal physical activity on offspring's nutritional status.
To explore the different consequences of acute and chronic exposure to chlorine gas (Cl2) on the functional and histological parameters of health mice.
Firstly, male BALB/c mice were acute exposed to ...3.3 or 33.3 or 70.5 mg/m3 Cl2. We analyzed the lung function, the inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage, cell influx in the peribrochoalveolar space and mucus production. In a second phase, mice were chronic exposed to 70.5 mg/m3 Cl2. Besides the first phase analyses, we also evaluated the epithelial cells thickness, collagen deposition in the airways, immunohistochemistry stain for IL-1β, iNOS, IL-17 and ROCK-2 and the levels of IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, IL-1β and TNF-α in lung homogenate.
Acute exposure to chlorine impaired the lung function, increased the number of inflammatory cells in the BALF and in the airways, also increased the mucus production. Furthermore, when chlorine was exposed chronically, increased the airway remodeling with collagen deposition and epithelial cells thickness, positive cells for IL-1β, iNOS, IL-17 in the airways and in the alveolar walls and ROCK-2 in the alveolar walls, lung inflammation with increased levels of IL-5, IL-13, IL-1β and TNF-α in the lung homogenate, and also, induced the acid mucus production by the nasal epithelium.
Acute and chronic exposure to low dose of chlorine gas worsens lung function, induces oxidative stress activation and mucus production and contributes to augmenting inflammation in health mice.
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National, regional and global scientific production and research capacity for physical activity - PA may contribute to improving public health PA policies and programs. There is an uneven ...distribution of research productivity by region and country income group, where countries with the highest burden of non-communicable diseases attributable to physical inactivity having low research productivity. A first step towards improving global research capacity is to objectively quantify patterns, trends, and gaps in PA research. This study describes national, regional and global trends and patterns of PA research from 1950 to 2019.
A systematic review using searches in PubMed, SCOPUS and ISI Web of Knowledge databases was conducted in August 2017 and updated between January and May 2020. The review was registered at the PROSPERO database number CRD42017070153. PA publications per 100,000 inhabitants per country was the main variable of interest. Descriptive and time-trend analyses were conducted in STATA version 16.0.
The search retrieved 555,468 articles of which 75,756 were duplicates, leaving 479,712 eligible articles. After reviewing inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23,860 were eligible for data extraction. Eighty-one percent of countries (n = 176) had at least one PA publication. The overall worldwide publication rate in the PA field was 0.46 articles per 100,000 inhabitants. Europe had the highest rate (1.44 articles per 100,000 inhabitants) and South East Asia had the lowest (0.04 articles per 100,000 inhabitants). A more than a 50-fold difference in publications per 100,000 inhabitants was identified between high and low-income countries. The least productive and poorest regions have rates resembling previous decades of the most productive and the richest.
This study showed an increasing number of publications over the last 60 years with a growing number of disciplines and research methods over time. However, striking inequities were revealed and the knowledge gap across geographic regions and by country income groups was substantial over time. The need for regular global surveillance of PA research, particularly in countries with the largest data gaps is clear. A focus on the public health impact and global equity of research will be an important contribution to making the world more active.
To evaluate the physical inactivity-related inpatient costs of chronic non-communicable diseases.
This study used data from 2013, from Brazilian Unified Health System, regarding inpatient numbers and ...costs due to malignant colon and breast neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. In order to calculate the share physical inactivity represents in that, the physical inactivity-related risks, which apply to each disease, were considered, and physical inactivity prevalence during leisure activities was obtained from Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílio(Brazil's National Household Sample Survey). The analysis was stratified by genders and residing country regions of subjects who were 40 years or older. The physical inactivity-related hospitalization cost regarding each cause was multiplied by the respective share it regarded to.
In 2013, 974,641 patients were admitted due to seven different causes in Brazil, which represented a high cost. South region was found to have the highest patient admission rate in most studied causes. The highest prevalences for physical inactivity were observed in North and Northeast regions. The highest inactivity-related share in men was found for osteoporosis in all regions (≈ 35.0%), whereas diabetes was found to have a higher share regarding inactivity in women (33.0% to 37.0% variation in the regions). Ischemic heart diseases accounted for the highest total costs that could be linked to physical inactivity in all regions and for both genders, being followed by cerebrovascular diseases. Approximately 15.0% of inpatient costs from Brazilian Unified Health System were connected to physical inactivity.
Physical inactivity significantly impacts the number of patient admissions due to the evaluated causes and through their resulting costs, with different genders and country regions representing different shares.
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