Gait variability is related to functional decline in the elderly. The dual-task Timed Up and Go Test (TUG-DT) reflects the performance in daily activities. Objective: To evaluate the differences in time to perform the TUG with and without DT in elderly women with different ages and levels of education and physical activity. Method: Ninety-two elderly women perfomed the TUG at usual and fast speeds, with and without motor and cognitive DT. Results: Increases in the time to perform the TUG-DT were observed at older ages and lower educational levels, but not at different levels of physical activity. More educated women performed the test faster with and without DT at both speeds. When age was considered, significant differences were found only for the TUG-DT at both speeds. Conclusion: Younger women with higher education levels demonstrated better performances on the TUG-DT.Keywords: elderly, gait, Timed Up and Go, dual task. RESUMOAlterações da marcha são indícios de declínio funcional em idosos. O TUG com dupla tarefa (TUG-DT) reflete o desempenho das atividades do cotidiano. Objetivo: Avaliar as diferenças no tempo de execução do TUG com e sem DT em idosas com diferentes faixas etárias, e níveis de escolaridade e atividade física. Método: Noventa e duas idosas foram avaliadas pelo TUG nas velocidades usual e máxima, sem e com DT cognitiva e motora. Resultados: Houve aumento no tempo de execução do TUG-DT em idosas com maior faixa etária e menor escolaridade, mas não para diferentes níveis de atividade física. Aquelas com maior escolaridade realizaram o teste mais rápido com e sem DT nas duas velocidades. Com relação à faixa etária, foram obervadas diferenças apenas nos testes com DT nas duas velocidades. Conclusão: Idosas mais jovens com maior escolaridade demonstraram um melhor desempenho no TUG com DT.Palavras-chave: idosos, marcha, teste Timed Up and Go, dupla tarefa.The aging rate has been growing rapidly worldwide in the last decades, and this has exerted strong influences on the dynamics of the society development 1 , with increases in chronic and degenerative diseases, higher dependency indices, and high rates of institutionalization and hospitalization 1 . Functional capacity (FC) refers to the competence of the individuals to preserve their physical and mental abilities necessary for an independent life. FC is an important marker of healthy, independent, and successful aging and has a positive impact on quality of life, especially regarding motor abilities 2 . Changes in gait patterns and speeds are related to difficulties in performing everyday activities, and indicate functional declines and hospitalization in individuals above 75 years of age 3,4 . Several studies have shown increased activation and inter-relations of brain structures related to cognition and

Introduction: The physiological deterioration associated with ageing exposes elderly persons to greater risks of falls, especially during the performance of simultaneous tasks during gait. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of dual tasks (DT) on spatiotemporal gait parameters and to identify the tools and tasks most commonly used to assess the performance of DT among the elderly. Method: Searches of the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and SciELO databases were conducted. Observational studies, which evaluated gait changes during the performance of DT, published up to April 2014, were selected. Results: A total of 385 articles were found, of which 28 were selected. Decreases in speed and increases in stride variability, stride time, step width, and double support time were observed under DT conditions. Motion analysis systems, such as the GAITRite walkway® system were the mostly commonly used instruments for the analyses of kinematic parameters (16 studies). DT was most commonly assessed by arithmetic calculations in 20 studies, followed by verbal fluency, in nine studies. The gait parameters most commonly assessed were speed (19 studies), followed by stride variability (14 studies). Conclusion: The elderly showed changes in spatiotemporal gait parameters under DT conditions. Gait speed and stride variability were often assessed and, together, were considered good indicators of risks of falls.

Introduction: Aging is associated with loss of muscle mass, immunosenescence and increased production of inflammatory mediators, high levels being predictors of a decline in functional capacity in the elderly. Objective: To assess the association between inflammatory mediators, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and functional capacity in the elderly. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 308 community-dwelling elderly. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee, under protocol number 067/2010. Grip strength (GS) was measured using a JAMAR® dynamometer and functional capacity by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Blood tests were performed and serum levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 assessed. Spearman’s coefficient was applied to analyze the correlation between variables and the Mann-Whitney for intergroup comparison. Significance was set at 0.05. Results: There was no significant correlation between GS, the TUG and inflammatory mediators (CRP and IL-6). However, by adjusting for variables such as age, sex and muscle mass, a significant and inverse correlation (p = 0.023) was observed between GS and CPR. Conclusion: Elderly subjects with low C-reactive protein levels performed better in the grip strength test. It is important to investigate the adverse effects on functional capacity that can be influenced by inflammatory cytokines in the elderly during aging.

O ingresso nos programas de residência provoca mudanças no estilo de vida dos profissionais de saúde em função da presença de vários fatores estressantes, dentre eles, as intensas cobranças, diminuição do tempo para a vida social, distanciamento dos amigos e da família e poucas oportunidades de lazer. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a qualidade de vida dos residentes de um Programa Integrado Multiprofissional de um hospital de ensino federal localizado no Estado de Minas Gerais. O método de pesquisa adotado foi o survey, por meio do questionário WHOQOL-Bref, com uma amostra de 55 residentes. A técnica utilizada para a análise de todas as escalas foi a estatística univariada, com medidas de posição e tendência central (média) e dispersão dos dados. Os resultados apontam que os residentes tenderam à maior positividade nas facetas que remetem à baixa percepção de dor e desconforto, seguida de satisfação com o acesso aos serviços de saúde, satisfação com as condições de moradia, dinheiro suficiente para satisfazer as necessidades e satisfação com o suporte que recebe de amigos, enquanto a percepção de negatividade está mais fortemente presente nas facetas relacionadas à satisfação com a capacidade de trabalho, sentimentos de estar aproveitando a vida e ter energia suficiente para o dia a dia. Conclui-se que há a necessidade de monitoramento do estado emocional dos residentes a fim de prevenir estados de adoecimento físico, depressivos e outras disfunções socioemocionais.

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Resumo Objetivo Investigar a influência da escolaridade nos ganhos de função executiva após o treinamento com dupla tarefa (DT). Método Estudo exploratório realizado com 31 idosas, com escolaridade ≥3 anos e sem alterações das funções cognitivas rastreadas pelo Miniexame do Estado Mental (MEEM). As participantes foram distribuídas em dois grupos a partir do critério escolaridade, sendo o Grupo 1 com escolaridade de três a sete anos (n=17) e o Grupo 2 com escolaridade igual e superior a oito anos (n=14). Foram avaliadas as funções executivas antes e após o treinamento através dos testes Stroop, Exame Cognitivo de Addenbrooke - Revisado (ACE-R) e Trilhas B. O protocolo de intervenção consistiu em três sessões semanais, duração de 50 minutos cada, com a realização de atividades de DT cognitiva e motora, associadas à caminhada, por 12 semanas. Resultados A ANOVA indicou que o treinamento de DT melhorou significativamente o desempenho nos testes Stroop (F=5,95; p=0,02) e ACE-R (F=18,33; p<0,0001), independentemente da escolaridade. Foi verificado efeito do grupo nos testes ACE-R (F=14,65; p<0,001) e Trilhas B (F=18,74; p<0,001). Em nenhum dos testes analisados, foi observado efeito da interação grupo x tempo (0,04<F<2,14; 0,15<p<0,95). Conclusão O treinamento de DT pode melhorar significativamente a função executiva de idosas, independente do nível de escolaridade, podendo ser utilizado na prática clínica como uma proposta de intervenção, visando o ganho de função executiva.

Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Fatigue is a disabling symptom, frequently reported in ALS, but remains under-investigated in this population. Thus, an accurate investigation of this symptom and possible associated factors in this clinical condition is needed to assist in the establishment of an adequate treatment approach. Objective To investigate the presence of fatigue in individuals with ALS and possible factors correlated with this symptom. Methods Sixty-five individuals with sporadic ALS participated in the present study. Demographic, clinical, and functional aspects were investigated. Evaluations involved the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), ALS Functional Scale (ALSRFS-R), and Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire (ALSAQ-40). Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS statistical program for Windows version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Among the 65 individuals evaluated, 44.6% (n = 29) presented fatigue based on the FSS. The mean fatigue intensity was 5.4 ± 1.2 and only 10.4% used a specific medication for fatigue. Differences between the groups with and without fatigue were found regarding sex (p = 0.049), pain intensity (p = 0.026), functioning (p = 0.004), disease severity (p = 0.029), and QoL (p = 0.000). Fatigue was correlated with pain intensity (r = 0.425; p = 0.001), muscle strength (r = - 0.356; p = 0.004), functioning (r = - 0.363; p = 0.003), and QoL (r = 0.481; p = 0.000). No correlations were found with age, time since diagnosis, cramps, or other mobility parameters. Conclusions Fatigue is a common symptom among individuals with ALS and may be present in all stages of the disease. This symptom was correlated with worse functioning, poorer QoL, greater pain intensity, disease severity, muscle weakness, and the female sex in individuals with ALS.