Balance training reduces the incidence of ankle sprains and increases dynamic neuromuscular control, postural sway, and the joint position sense in athletes.

Thus it can be inferred that 30 seconds are sufficient for increased flexibility of young women. Therefore the time-treatment sessions can be optimized. Only the acute effect of stretching was observed; further investigation of the long-term effect is required.

Context: Fencing is a sport of agility, with a higher incidence of lower-limb injuries, of which the ankle sprain is the most prevalent. Injury prevention is very important to improve performance and decrease the withdrawal time of athletes. Proprioceptive training programs can be added to the training of athletes, since, in addition to easy application and low cost, proprioception has the function of stabilizing the ankle joint to prevent injuries. Objective: To verify the influence of a 12-week proprioceptive training program on dynamic neuromuscular control in fencing athletes. Design: The study was a clinical trial, and the athletes were allocated, for convenience, in the intervention group or in the control group. Setting: The study was developed in 4 stages (preintervention, intervention, postintervention, and follow-up of 3). The neuromuscular control during the star excursion balance test was evaluated. Participants: The participants were 19 fencing athletes (intervention group: 10, and control group: 9), aged 14–35 years, from a multisport club. Interventions: The athletes performed the proprioceptive training during 12 weeks, 3 times a week, with a duration of 30 minutes. Main Outcome Measures: Dynamic neuromuscular control. Results: The data and SE were considered for statistical analysis, submitted to the generalized estimates equations test with Bonferroni post hoc. The level of significance was .05. The distance reached in the star excursion balance test increased significantly in all 8 directions evaluated in the 2 legs of the intervention group. Conclusions: The proprioceptive training program was able to improve dynamic neuromuscular control in fencing athletes.

Background/aims Studies have shown the efficacy of stretching to increase the hip flexion range of motion but studies regarding its effects are not unanimous about the most efficient technique. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two stretching techniques on the neuromuscular properties of the hamstring muscles. Methods A total of 18 women (aged 24 ± 2.52 years old) participated, and were divided into three groups: a control group, a passive static stretching group and a propioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching group. Evaluations of variables of the hamstring muscles were performed before and after the training period. The intervention was carried out for 30 seconds, three times a week for a total of 4 weeks. Results A significant difference was found in the range of motion in the passive static stretching group (pre=80.8° [±11.0] and post=94.5° [±10.2]; t(5)=−3.755; P=0.013) and in concentric torque (passive static stretching group – pre=66.3 Nm [±12.9] and post=70.0 Nm [±8.1]; t(5)=−1.267; P=0.023; propioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching group – pre=79.1 Nm [±12.7] and post=83.5 Nm [±11.6]; t(5)=−1.917; P=0.014; control group – pre=71.1 Nm [±10.1] and post=74.1 Nm [±14.6]; t(5)=−1.275; P=0.003). Conclusions Passive static stretching was superior to propioceptive neuromuscular facilitation when comparing the increase range of motion in hip flexion, even without neural and structural changes in hamstring muscles after a 4-week period.

RESUMOEste estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a condição de saúde bucal de pacientes em terapia oncológica. Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal realizado no Centro OncoHematologico de Pernambuco (CEONHPE), vinculado ao Hospital Universitário Oswaldo Cruz (HUOC), da Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE). Foram incluídos no estudo pacientes com idade entre 1 e 19 anos, de ambos os sexos, totalizando uma amostra de 177 pacientes, dentre os quais 25 realizaram o índice de placa, 111 submeteram-se ao índice de Dentes Cariados, Perdidos e Obturados (CPOD) e 129 ao índice de Dentes Decíduos Cariados, Com Extração Indicada e Obturados (ceo-d). Foi realizada coleta de dados secundários obtidos nas fichas clínicas dos pacientes que estiveram em atendimento no ano de 2018. Através da análise estatística descritiva foram consideradas as variáveis: condição de saúde bucal, idade, gênero, diagnóstico oncológico e fase atual do tratamento. Com relação às condições de saúde bucal foram avaliadas: condições de higiene oral (índice de placa de O´Leary); cárie (CPO-D e ceo-d). Verificou-se que houve predominância do índice CPO-D e ceo-d em zero e o índice de placa foi considerado insatisfatório na maioria dos pacientes. Portanto, apesar de baixo índice de cárie, foi constatado elevado índice de placa bacteriana.

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Rev Bras Educ Fís Esporte, (São Paulo) 2017 Abr-Jun; 31(2):385-91 • 385Effects of stretch on hamstring flexibility in young women IntroductionEffects of number of stretch series on hamstring muscle flexibility in young women AbstractThe aim of this study was to look at the influence of five different sets of passive stretching on hamstring muscle flexibility in young women. The sample consisted of 45 university students of physiotherapy. The range of motion of the hip and the knee was evaluated with a manual goniometer, using two tests: Straight Leg Raise test and Knee Extension modified test, before and after stretching. The stretching was performed once a week, with different numbers of series: one, two, three, four and five 30-second sets, the order established by lot. The data relating to pre and post-test were compared using the t test for paired samples. One-Way ANOVA was used for comparison between the number of runs; in the presence of post-hoc differences Bonferroni was used (α = 0.05). The results demonstrate that the post-test had a significant increase in range of motion compared to the pre all tests. Comparing the series showed a marked increase in range of motion of the hip when there were three, four and five series of stretching in the Straight Leg Raise test and in four and five series in the Knee Extension modified test. The data show that the stretching exercises, regardless of the number of series, increase joint range of motion. However, the application of the four for range of motion gains because the results are better.

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