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AIMS: Little evidence demonstrates the influence of physical activity habits on the quality of life of people with visual impairment (VI). To gain a broader understanding, this study attempted to verify the relation between the habits of physical activity and quality of life in people with VI.METHODS: The sample consisted of 53 visually impaired volunteers. The Clinical and Sociodemographic Assessment Sheet, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version and the Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-Bref) were used.RESULTS: The mean age was 42.39±2.10 years, with a predominance of males and the mean Body Mass Index was 27.55±0.76. Predominant physical activity levels were between moderate to high. Males presented significantly higher levels of vigorous physical activity (p=0.033) and higher scores in WHOQOL-Bref, when compared to the female sex.CONCLUSION: The higher the physical activity levels of this population with VI, the better the quality of life. The participants had a predominance of moderate to high physical activity, as well as, the male presented higher levels of physical activity, when compared with the female in vigorous activities.

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, progressive and neurodegenerative disease. A disturbance on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can be observed in patients with MS, showing altered cortisol levels. We aimed to identify basal cortisol levels and verify the relationship with clinical symptoms in patients with MS. A systematic search was conducted in the databases: Pubmed, Web of Science and SCOPUS. Both higher and lower cortisol levels were associated with MS. Higher cortisol levels were associated with depression and anxiety, while lower levels were associated with depression, fatigue and urinary dysfunction. Higher cortisol levels may be associated with the progression and severity of MS.

Este artigo está licenciado sob forma de uma licença Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional, que permite uso irrestrito, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, desde que a publicação original seja corretamente citada. ABSTRACT AIMS: To evaluate the applicability of a virtual reality-based motion sensor for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation. CASES DESCRIPTION: Three post-stroke patients were subjected to virtual reality training for rehabilitation of their upper limbs using the Leap Motion Controller technology and the game Playground 3D ® for 3 consecutive days. On the first and last days, the Box and Blocks test, the De Melo Eye-Hand Coordination Test, and transcranial magnetic stimulation were applied. On the last day, the patients were evaluated with the Experience Evaluation Form. After the proposed training, a lower motor threshold was observed in both cerebral hemispheres, as well as better performance in the tests that evaluated hand and eye-hand coordination skills. The proposed therapy was well received by the patients. CONCLUSIONS: No adverse effects were observed, and promising and precise results were obtained for the virtual reality-based training using the Leap Motion Controller and Playground 3D ® . The training allowed patients to have an active role in the rehabilitation of strokeinduced upper limb sequelae.

The discrepancies between social and biological timing are reflected in shift workers' well-being. The aim of this study was to verify the association between job satisfaction and chronotype among day and night nursing personnel. Several variables, including seniority at the hospital and, in the same shift, sleep duration, quality of sleep, sleepiness and willingness to change sleep timing were also analyzed. Chronotype was calculated by using the morningness-eveningness questionnaire. We studied 514 nursing professionals from a public university hospital. Among the day workers, the higher the morningness, the more the workers were satisfied with their job. In contrast, among night workers, job satisfaction was associated with sleep quality and seniority at the hospital but not with chronotype. Our results suggest that an agreement between work schedule and chronotype may help to increase job satisfaction among diurnal workers.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the demyelinated inflammatory processes that occur within the central nervous system. Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) dysfunctions have been associated with the triggering or increase in MS symptoms. We thus aimed at evaluating motor and behavioral functions, planning skills, processing speed, and their relationship with stress through measuring hair cortisol concentration from patients with MS. The sample was composed of 40 volunteers that were clinically diagnosed with MS, along with 33 healthy adults. Evaluations included: Clinical Evaluation Form, Mini-Mental State Exam, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite Measure, Expanded Disability Status Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Zoo Map task, and a hair sample to analyze cortisol levels in the last 30 days. MS patients showed highly elevated hair cortisol levels in comparison to the control group (p = 0.048). All groups presented some degree of depressive and anxiety symptoms, aside from considerable perceived stress levels. The MS group presented deficits in gait, balance, manual skills and processing speed, and this was particularly so in individuals with moderate impairments when compared to control group (p < 0.001). Individuals with MS spent less time planning on ZooMap1 (p = 0.024) and made more mistakes (p < 0.001). No correlation was found between hair cortisol and the symptoms we assessed. However, depressive symptoms and anxiety were related to perceived stress, and higher hair cortisol suggests a change in levels in the HPA axis in MS. Nevertheless, future studies will be necessary to further understand how basal hair cortisol is related to MS symptoms.

Citação. Soares NM, Galdino GS, Araújo DP. Índice de Depressão em sujeitos pós-AVC no Municipio de Campina Grande-PB. ABSTRACTObjective. Assess the level of depression in subjects post-stroke submitted to physiotherapy in Campina Grande, Paraíba. Method. It's cross-sectional, exploratory, descriptive and analytical, with quantitative approach. Were assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), sociodemographic questionnaire and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), 42 subjects poststroke distributed in public institutions which provided physiotherapy in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba, in the year, 2012. The data were expressed as average, standard deviation, frequency and frequency distribution using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20.0. This study was approved by the CEP/UEPB under number 0731.0.133.000-11. Results. Considering the analysis data of socio-demographics, there was a female predominance 57.1% and a mean age of 56.98 ± 12.09 years, ranging between 23 and 75 years. In general, when evaluated the presence and degree of depression in these individuals through the HAM-D, it was possible to observe a large contingent relationships between moderate and severe depression, totaling 50% of the sample. If considered individuals who had some degree of depression, the situation becomes more worrisome, 90.5% of subjects not fit this situation. Conclusion. Post-stroke depression is a risk factor present and was associated with female gender, ischemic stroke and functional impairment.