Introdução: A dança pode melhorar a qualidade de vida (QV) de pessoas que apresentam algum comprometimento psicomotor, porém, nada foi encontrado sobre a dança sênior para pacientes neurológicos. Objetivo: Avaliar a QV em pacientes hemiparéticos pós-AVE, antes e após terapia com dança sênior. Metodologia: Selecionaram-se oito hemiparéticos e foram aplicados dois questionários de QV, SF-36 e SS-QOL. As sessões de terapia com dança sênior, realizadas na clínica de Fisioterapia da Uninove, tiveram duração de uma hora, duas vezes por semana, totalizando 24 sessões. Ao final, os questionários foram reaplicados. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva para caracterização da amostra, após os dados foram submetidos ao teste de normalidade Kolmogorov-Smirnov e teste Wilcoxon. Estabeleceu-se o nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: Observou-se diferença estatisticamente significante na QV, sendo SF-36 (p=0,05) e SS-QOL (p=0,01). Conclusão: O estudo mostrou resultados positivos, pois houve uma melhora significativa na qualidade de vida dos pacientes que participaram da dança.

Di zziness is frequent in elderly people. Aims:To evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) in elderly subjects with dizziness, relate it with gender and age. Material and Method:A prospective study comprising 120 elderly patients with dizziness evaluated with Brazilian versions of the Whoqol-bref and the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI). The factor analysis (FA), the Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests, and the Spearman correlation were applied to study the results. Results:The most compromised domains were the DHI physical domain and the Whoqol-bref physical and environment domains. FA resulted in 3 factors in the DHI and 5 factors in the Whoqolbref. There was a moderate correlation (-0.596) in the total scores of both instruments. Males had a better QoL in the "environment perception and introspectivity" and "health perception" factors of the Whoqol-bref test. Females had a better QoL in the "functionality perception" factor of the Whoqol-bref test. There were no significant age differences. Conclusions:Elderly patients with dizziness have a worse QoL. Elderly females with dizziness have worse QoL scores in "environment perception and introspectivity" and "health perception" and better QoL in the "functionality perception" factor compared to elderly males. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;76(6):769-75. ORIGINAL ARTICLE

C57BL/6 mice have frequently been used as an animal model for presbyacusis. We used this animal model and examined aging effects on morphological changes in auditory and vestibular peripherals and on auditory and vestibular functions.Methods: C57BL/6 mice at ages ranging from 3 weeks to 15 months were used as experimental animals. The auditory function was assessed via the measurements of thresholds of auditory brainstem response (ABR). The vestibular function was evaluated via the measurements of gains of the vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR). After measurements of ABR and VOR, cryostat sections of the temporal bones were made. Degeneration of cochlear hair cells, spiral ganglions, and vestibular epithelia of ampullar cristae of the lateral were histologically examined.Results: ABR analysis clearly demonstrated loss of auditory function due to aging. Histological analysis revealed loss of outer hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons in aged animals. These morphological changes appeared in parallel to loss of auditory function. These findings suggest that auditory peripherals are the primary lesion for dysfunction due to aging. On the other hand, vestibular dysfunction detected by VOR gently progressed compared with the auditory function.Conclusion: Significant loss of gains for VOR was found only in the oldest animals. In contrast, morphological degeneration of the vestibular epithelia was observed similar to auditory peripherals.Significance: Degeneration of vestibular peripherals may not play a central role in vestibular dysfunction due to aging.