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Purpose: This systematic review aimed to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 lockdown had on the amount of physical activity performed by university students.Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search for studies providing information regarding physical activity levels pre and during COVID-19 pandemic in university students was performed up to 20th October 2020 in the databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias of external validity quality of included studies was assessed by means of those the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The quality of the evidence for main outcomes was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.Results and Conclusions: A total of 10 studies were selected. Physical activity levels were assessed by means of questionnaires (10 studies) and accelerometer (1 study). Risk of bias was regarded as low and high in six and four investigations, respectively. The quality of evidence was downgraded to low. A significant reduction of physical activity levels were observed in 9 studies. Compared to pre-lockdown values, five studies showed a reduction of light/mild physical activity (walking) between 32.5 and 365.5%, while seven studies revealed a reduction of high/vigorous physical activity between 2.9 and 52.8%. Walking, moderate, vigorous, and total physical activity levels have been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic confinements in university students of different countries. Despite of the reductions, those who met the current minimum PA recommendations before the lockdown generally met the recommendations also during the confinements.

Vaquera, A, Suárez-Iglesias, D, Guiu, X, Barroso, R, Thomas, G, and Renfree, A. Physiological responses to and athlete and coach perceptions of exertion during small-sided basketball games. J Strength Cond Res 32(10): 2949-2953, 2018-This study describes heart rate (HR) responses during different small-sided games (SSGs) in junior basketball players and identifies the level of agreement between athlete and coach perceptions of internal training load calculated using the in-task rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method. Over a 6-week period, 12 male junior basketball players, who played in the Spanish national under-18 League, played 7 games of one-a-side (1v1), 6 games of 2-a-side (2v2), 8 games of 5-a-side (5v5), and 5 games of superiority (3v2) situations. During 1v1, 2v2, 5v5, and 3v2, peak HRs were 90.27 ± 3.37%, 92.68 ± 3.29%, 92.01 ± 3.48%, and 88.74 ± 5.77% of HRmax, respectively. These differences were statistically significant between 1v1 and 2v2 (p < 0.01), 1v1 and 5v5 (p ≤ 0.05), 2v2 and 3v2 (p < 0.001), and 5v5 and 3v2 (p < 0.001). Mean HR was 79.5 ± 4.4%, 83.1 ± 4.2%, 91.2 ± 4.7%, and 78.5 ± 7.5% of HRmax during 1v1, 2v2, 5v5, and 3v2, respectively, and differences were observed between 1v1 and 2v2 (p < 0.001), 2v2 and 3v2 (p < 0.001), and 5v5 and 3v2 (p ≤ 0.05). There were differences in athletes and coaches in-task RPE in all SSGs (all p < 0.0001 apart from 5 × 5 p = 0.0019). The 2v2 format elicited a higher mean in-task RPE in comparison with all other SSGs (p < 0.001), possibly because 2v2 imposes a greater cognitive load.

Pilates may be a beneficial method of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, no studies have critically reviewed the scientific evidence in this regard. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Pilates as a rehabilitation strategy for PD. A systematic search of the electronic databases PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus was conducted to identify studies related to the effect of Pilates on PD. The search timeframe ranged from the inception of each database to March 2019. The search resulted in the identification of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four non-RCT studies. The methodological quality of the investigations ranged from poor to fair. The descriptive analysis of the eight investigations showed that Pilates resulted in beneficial effects on fitness, balance and functional autonomy. A subsequent meta-analysis on the four RCTs indicated that Pilates was more effective than traditional training programmes in improving lower limb function. Pilates can be safely prescribed for people with mild-to-moderate PD. Preliminary evidence indicates that its practice could have a positive impact on fitness, balance and physical function. Its benefits on lower-body function appear to be superior to those of other conventional exercises. Future randomized studies with greater samples are needed to confirm these observations.

OBJECTIVE: Few physical exercise programs for children with limb loss have been described in detail recently. We provided information regarding the characteristics and effectiveness of an alternative rehabilitation exercise developed for children with lower-limb amputation.METHODS: An 8-year-old boy with a below-knee amputation and a 9-year-old bilateral amputee girl performed an exercise program of one 2-h session per week for 20 weeks, aimed at developing muscular strength and coordination. Walking ability and walking speed were assessed by using the L-test of functional mobility and 10-m walk test, respectively. Mechanical and neuromuscular muscle function was assessed by using tensiomyography. RESULTS:In case 1, a decrement of 9.5% and 10.5% was found in the L-test (42 s vs. 38 s) and in the 10-m test (19 s vs. 17 s) scores, respectively. In case 2, walking ability remained unchanged (L-test score: 38 s), while a 5.2% reduction in walking speed was observed (10-m test score: 19 s vs. 18 s). No relevant changes were observed in the muscular tone in both cases.CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners should be aware that, contrary to what could be expected, a multidisciplinary training program held once per week for 5 months had a minimal impact on the gait pattern and neuromuscular function of two children with lower-limb amputation.

Introduction. Freezing of gait (FOG) is one of the most severe symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Physiotherapy treatment could be an effective strategy for treating FOG, but no systematic review has been carried out in this regard.Aim. To identify the characteristics, methodological quality, and main outcomes of the studies that have analyzed the effects of physiotherapy interventions in FOG up to date, by performing a systematic review and a meta-analysis.Patients and methods. Four electronic databases were searched in order to find randomized controlled trials that provided information regarding the effects of any kind of physiotherapy treatment on FOG. The methodological quality of the included investigations was assessed by means of the PEDro scale.Results. Twelve studies were identified for inclusion into the qualitative analysis, with four randomized controlled trials included in the final meta-analysis. The quality of the trials was generally good. Those physiotherapy modalities including cues were more effective for treating FOG than traditional physiotherapy approaches. The meta-analysis indicated that physiotherapy interventions had a significantly greater impact on FOG than control comparisons.Conclusions. Physiotherapy treatment, especially those modalities including visual and auditory cueing, should be prescribed to PD patients with FOG. Future studies including PD patients with cognitive impairment and FOG objective measurement tools are need to complete the existing scientific evidence.

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