No abstract

(1) Background: Metabolic syndrome (MSy) is defined by a constellation of interconnected physiological, biochemical, clinical, and metabolic factors that directly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of whole-body vibration exercise (WBVE) in metabolic syndrome (MSy) individuals. (2) Methods: An electronic search in Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PEDro, and CINAHL databases in December 2022 was performed. Data regarding the included studies were extracted. The level of evidence, the methodological quality, and the risk of bias of each selected publication were individually evaluated. (3) Results: Eight studies were included in the systematic review and four studies in the meta-analysis, with a mean methodological quality score on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro scale) of 5.6, considered “fair” quality. The qualitative results suggested positive effects of the systemic vibration therapy in relevant outcomes, such as quality of life, functionality, pain level, trunk flexibility, cardiovascular responses (blood pressure and heart rate), neuromuscular activation, range of motion of the knees, rating of perceived exertion, and body composition. The quantitative results, with weighted mean differences, standard mean differences, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated. Conclusions: WBVE may be an alternative capable of interfering with physical—mainly for flexibility with weighted mean differences (1.70; 95% CI 0.15, 3.25; n = 39)—functional, psychosocial, neuromuscular, emotional parameters, and consequently contribute to improvements in metabolic health and reduce the cardiovascular risk factor in MSy individuals. Nevertheless, further additional studies are required to understand the long-term effects of WBVE on MSy and its complications in a better way. Protocol study registration was as follows: PROSPERO (CRD 42020187319).

Background: Whole-body vibration exercises (WBVE), that are generated in systemic vibratory therapy (SVT), may benefit individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study evaluated acute effects of SVT on the flexibility, on the perception of exertion to perform the anterior trunk flexion (ATF), and on the handgrip strength (HG). Methods: Thirty-eight individuals, separated into two groups, performed a single session of SVT (five bouts, 25 Hz, 2.5 of amplitude) on a side-alternating vibrating platform (SAVP), in two postures: sitting (Sitting group-SitG, n = 21) or standing (Stand group-StandG, n = 17). In both positions, the feet were on the base of the SAVP. The HG and the AFT were performed before and after the session, and the perception of effort (RPE) was measured during the ATF. Results: The ATF in the SitG (p ≤ 0.05) and in the StandG (p ≤ 0.05) was significantly improved, but in the comparison between both groups, no significant reduction was found (p = 0.14). The RPE was not influenced by the session. A significant increase of the HG in StandG post session (33.49 ± 10.30 kgf) p = 0.03 was found, but not in the SitG (p = 0.12) or between the two groups (p = 0.55). Conclusions: SVT, in a single acute session, would be capable of promoting some functional benefits for the COPD individuals without altering the perception of exertion to perform the ATF. Trial Registration: 49219115.3.0000.5259, RBR-72dqtm.

Human skin wounds pose a gathering threat to the public health, carrying an immense epidemiologic and financial burden. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological (NP) treatments have been proposed to the management of wound healing. Physical exercise is a strong NP intervention considered for patients in wound healing. Particularly, a type of exercise intervention known as whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise has gained increasing interest. WBV exercise is generated due to the transmission of mechanical vibrations, produced by a vibrating platform, to the body. The aim of this review was to summarize studies in experimental animal models using WBV exercise in wound healing. Searches were performed in EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science including publications on 21 November 2022 using the string “whole body vibration” AND “wound healing” (animal or mice or mouse or rat or rodent). The SYRCLE tool was used to assess the risk of bias (RoB). From 48 studies, five studies met the inclusion criteria. RoB indicated that none of the studies fulfilled all methodological analyzed criteria, resulting in possible biases. The studies were homogeneous, and results suggest beneficial effects of WBV exercise in wound healing, mainly related to enhancing angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation, reducing the blood glucose level and enhancing blood microcirculation, by increasing myofiber growth and rapid re-epithelialization. In conclusion, the various biological effects of the response to the WBV exercise indicate the relevance of this intervention in wound healing in animals. Moreover, considering the translation approach, it is possible to speculate that the beneficial effects of this non-pharmacological therapy might justify clinical trials for wound healing also in humans, after criterion evaluation.

Introducton: Chemotherapy is an important therapy in the treatment of cancer. Nausea, vomiting and worsening quality are some adverse effects of chemotherapy. Aromatherapy is an ancient technique that uses essential oils for physical and psychological/emotional improvement and is able to reduce the symptoms of chemotherapy and can be an excellent complementary technique.Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effects of aromatherapy on the adverse effects of chemotherapy in patients diagnosed with cancer. Methods: A search in three database PubMed, EMBASE and SCOPUS. Five studies that analyzed the use of aromatherapy to evaluate the reduction of the adverse effects of chemotherapy in a cancer patient, published only in English were included. Two reviewers, which independently examined titles and abstracts, identified records through database search and reference screening and irrelevant studies were excluded based in eligibility criteria. Relevant full texts were analyzed for eligibility, and all selected studies were included in this systematic review.  Results: Five studies were included in this systematic review. This review suggests that aromatherapy reduces nausea, frequency of vomiting and improves quality of sleep. Conclusion: Aromatherapy is an effective technique to reduce nausea, the frequency of vomiting and improves the quality of sleep of patients diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. However, more randomized clinical trials with a good methodological quality are necessary to confirm the preliminary findings of this systematic review.

Background: Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's aging process. Menopause leads to the decrease of the estrogen levels, and in consequence the functionality worsening. Physical exercise can improve the functionality of postmenopausal woman. This review aimed to assess the effect of whole-body vibration exercise (WBVE) on the functionality of postmenopausal women. Methods: PRISMA guideline were used. Only English language were considered. Searches were conducted using relevant keywords for papers prior to Sep 16th, 2021, in Embase, Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases. Results: Eight articles were selected to be in this systematic review. The mean score of methodological quality was moderate, the risk of bias was low for two studies, high for four studies, and unclear for two studies. The level of evidence of the studies was II. Improvements on muscle strength, jump, balance and maximum trunk flexion strength in the post menopause woman were reported. Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrated the functionality increase in postmenopausal women through WBVE. WBVE has been recommended as a non-pharmacological option relevant to postmenopausal management, helping to control the decline in bone density and symptoms related to osteoporosis and sarcopenia. However, further studies are needed to reinforce these findings.

Objective: Consistent independent associations between lowserum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and susceptibilityto acute respiratory tract infections have suggested apossible involvement of vitamin D in reducing the risk ofrespiratory infections and proposing its replacement as apotential strategy for prevention or treatment in this context.However, the role of vitamin D supplementation in theinfection by the novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 isstill under investigation and no clinical evidence has beenreported to date. Methods: Electronic searches in Pubmed,Embase and Scopus databases were conducted and threecohort studies that analyzed the effects of interaction ofvitamin D with COVID-19, published only in English, wereincluded. Two reviewers, which independently examinedtitles and abstracts, identified records through database searchand reference screening and irrelevant studies were excludedbased in eligibility criteria. Relevant full texts were analyzedfor eligibility, and all relevant studies were included in thesystematic review. Results: Three cohort studies were includedin this systematic review with a mean methodologicalquality low. Only one study demonstrated interaction of lowvitamin D concentration in patients with a positive diagnosisfor COVID-19. Randomized clinical trials and studies of goodmethodological quality are necessary to confirm the findingsof this systematic review. Conclusions: This systematic reviewhas not demonstrated consistent associations between lowlevels of vitamin D and susceptibility to COVID-19 infection.Further studies on vitamin D supplementation for the preventionof COVID-19 infection should be conducted..