Our aim was to evaluate whether or not alcohol consumption in the form of binge drinking is associated with alterations of memory and executive functions in a population of university students. At the same time, we have studied the role of potential modulating factors, such as the APOE genotype or physical exercise.University students enrolled in academic year 2013–2014 at Escuelas Universitarias Gimbernat-Cantabria, affiliated with the University of Cantabria, were invited to participate in the study. We gathered sociodemographic data and details regarding the lifestyle of 206 students (mean age 19.55 ± 2.39; 67.5% women). We evaluated memory and executive functions via a series of validated cognitive tests. Participants were classified as binge drinkers (BD) and non-BD. Using Student's t-distribution we studied the association between cognitive tests and BD patterns. Multivariate analyses were carried out via multiple linear regression. 47.6% of the students were found to be BD. The BD differed significantly from the non-BD in their results in the executive functions test TMT B (43.41 ± 13.30 vs 37.40 ± 9.77; p = 0.0003). Adjusting by age, sex, academic records, age at which they started consuming alcohol, cannabis consumption, level of physical activity and other possible modifying variables, the association was statistically significant (p = 0.009). We noticed a statistically significant inverse correlation (Pearson’s r2 = -0.192; p = 0.007) between TMT B and starting age of alcohol consumption. Differences were observed in another executive functions test, TMT A, but only in the group of women (19.73±6.1 BD vs 17.78±5.4 non-BD p = 0.05). In spite of the young age of our participants, BD was associated with a lower performance in the executive functions test (TMT B). These deficits were related to the age at which they started drinking alcohol, suggesting an accumulative effect.

Introduction: In recent years, the study of the benefits that physical exercise has on brain health has acquired special relevance. In order to implement exercise as an intervention to protect the brain, it is important to have a more clear idea of its effect in the young population. However, few studies have been carried out on these ages. Objective: The main objective of our study was to evaluate the association between physical activity (PA) with memory and executive function, in university students, analyzing the modulatory effect of sex. Methodology: We collected socio-demographic and life habit information, as well as data on the PA that was carried out during the previous week using the international PA questionnaire short version (IPAQ-SF) questionnaire in 206 university students (mean age 19.55 ± 2.39; 67.5% women). Memory and executive function were assessed using a comprehensive battery of validate cognitive tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to correlate PA with cognitive tests scores and to evaluate the potential synergistic role of sex. Results: The main finding was that the total amount of PA correlated positively with several tests that evaluated aspects of executive function, specifically Stroop Colors (Pearson's r = 0.17; p = 0.01) and the Stroop Test Color-Word (Pearson's r = 0.15. p = 0.03). These results were adjusted by a large number of possible confounders and modifying variables in a multivariate analysis, like age, sex, academic record, day of the week, and time at which the test was performed. Additionally, we found out that sex had a synergistic effect with PA on the executive test Trail making test-A (TMTA), and in women, this association was stronger than in men. The more PA women reported, the better they performed, that is to say that they took less time to finalize the TMT-A (interaction term between PA and sex: b = −0.0009; p = 0.014). Conclusion: Our study adds evidence of the benefit of PA in cognition in the young population, specifically in the executive inhibitory control, and more significantly in women.

Introduction. Trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis (TMC OA) is a common condition frequently related to instability and hypermobility. Many factors are involved in the development of this degenerative process. Recent research suggests that the position of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint may influence TMC joint contact wear patterns and subsequent development of OA. The aim of this study is to explore the alignment of the MCP joint of the thumb during lateral pinch in order to describe the naturally occurring alignment in a group of healthy volunteers without symptoms. Methods. One hundred and nine participants were asked to apply a lateral pinch manoeuvre to a pinchmeter, while their thumbs were assessed. Passive hypermobility of the thumb MCP (MCP) joint was assessed, key pinch strength was measured, key pinch position was photographed and the angle of the joints during the assessment was measured. Results. Four different functional pinch patterns were identified. The most frequent pattern seems to be MCP hyperextension described by Moulton as harmful for the TMC joint.The level of strength obtained did not correspond to the pinch pattern used, and hypermobility of the thumb MCP joint did not determine the position of the thumb during key pinch. Conclusion. Four different thumb postures were identified during lateral pinch; however, these postures were not associated with any difference in pinch strength. We conclude that the more unstable and mechanically inefficient postures are compensated by functional capacity.

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Population growth and physical inactivity have led to health and social consequences derived from chronic diseases and decreased quality of life in the elderly. Some research suggests that overweight in older people may not be associated with the negative effects on some health indicators. This study analysed the associations between Self-Perceived Health (SPH), Depression status, Pain Level, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in people over 70 years who are residents in Spain, with a final sample composed of 13,895 participants. A cross-sectional study using data from the European Health Surveys in Spain (EHIS2014 and 2020) and the National Health Survey (ENSE2017) was conducted. Dependency associations were observed between SPH, Depression Status, and Pain Level with BMI in the outcomes from the three surveys analysed (p < 0.001). Negative SPH, Depression Status, and Severe/Extreme Pain Degree prevalence were higher in the Underweight groups, being the lowest in Normal-weight and Overweight groups (p < 0.05). High levels of negative SPH, Depression, and Severe/Extreme Pain risks were found in the Underweight compared to the Normal-weight group, but not in Overweight ones. Overweight was not linked with an increased risk of the conditions analysed compared to the Normal-weight groups in older residents in Spain. The Underweight group presented the highest negative SPH prevalence, Depression, and Severe/Extreme Pain. Moreover, Obesity increased the negative SPH, Depression, and Pain Degree risks compared to the Normal-weight and Overweight groups in this population.