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Low back pain is the most frequently reported musculoskeletal disorder and represents one of the highest patient burdens in healthcare. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Pilates exercise on pain intensity and functional disability caused by low back pain (LBP). A Systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted. Data sources: MEDLINE-NLM and MEDLINE-EBSCO. We also searched on Scopus Elsevier, Cochrane, DOAJ, SciELO, PEDro, and PLOS ONE databases. Eligibility criteria: randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating LBP in which the primary treatment was based on Pilates exercise compared with no exercise, or non-specific exercise. The search returned 1566 records of which 36 articles were included in the systematic review and 19 in the meta-analysis. Twenty-two studies compared the effects of Pilates exercise vs no exercise and 13 studies examined the effects of Pilates exercise vs non-specific exercise. Analysis showed that Pilates had a positive effect on the perception of LBP vs no exercise. A similar trend occurred with non-specific exercise. Pilates exercise can decrease LBP compared to no exercise and non-specific exercise. General practitioners should consider Pilates exercise as an effective strategy to manage LBP and counteract the growing health. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022308387. Pilates is a good strategy for improving low back pain and is more effective than other exercise programs or no exercise. Pilates is a safe tool to apply to most of the population with low back pain. Pilates is a non-pharmacological strategy useful for counteracting low back pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manual dexterity is a key skill in motor development. There are conflicting studies on the influence of sports practice on this skill and on which type of sport trains this ability the most in youth. Manual dexterity is usually assessed with expensive and time-consuming tools not easily available to facilities such as schools or sports clubs. The aim of this study was to assess differences in manual dexterity performance between young basketball players, sportsmen, and non-sportsmen. A further aim was to analyze whether the coin rotation task was a reliable tool for assessing manual dexterity. Based on the characteristics of the sport, we hypothesized that basketball players had better manual dexterity performances. Seventy-eight participants were included in the study and categorized into "basketball", "sports", and "non-sports" groups. Manual dexterity was assessed with the grooved pegboard, the coin rotation task, and the handgrip tests. The basketball group showed better performance in all tests. Significant differences were found between the basketball group and sports group and between the basketball group and non-sport group in the grooved pegboard (p < 0.05) and in the handgrip (p < 0.05) tests. Test–retest reliability of the coin rotation task scores was moderate in the basketball group (ICC2,1 0.63–0.6). Basketball practice could positively influence manual dexterity. The coin rotation task showed an acceptable construct of validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the fitness levels and possible deficits in physical performance in children with a diagnosis of childhood acute leukemia and lymphoma after 10 months of therapy ending through a specific test battery. A total of 58 subjects were enrolled in this study. The experimental group ( EG) (7.55 ± 2.43 years; 41.8 ± 16.37 kg; 144.6 ± 10.21 cm) consisted of 18 children with diagnosed leukemia and lymphoma after completion of 10 months of therapy intervention and 40 healthy children who were enrolled in a control group ( CG) (7.92 ± 1.78 years; 37.4 ± 12.37 kg; 140.6 ± 12.61 cm). A testing battery including the standing broad jump; the sit-up test; the 4 × 10 m shuttle run test, and the hand grip strength test were administered to both groups. An unpaired t-test was adopted to determine differences and the Pearson product moment was administered when appropriate. Results of the EG were generally lower when compared to the CG. Significant differences were identified for the standing broad jump ( P < 0.05); 4 × 10 m shuttle run ( P < 0.05); hand grip test DX ( P < 0.05), and hand grip test SX ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the sit-up tests. Pearson product moment correlation revealed a good interaction for all EG participants. Findings suggest that the proposed testing battery could be an appropriate tool to evaluate residual fitness levels in children with previous hematological malignancies. However, our results have to be confirmed with a larger number of participants with the same diagnosis of our EG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute effects of static stretching (SS) and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on local and non-local range of motion (ROM) were assessed in 29 participants. Three evaluations were performed one week apart: week-1 Control session (CS); weeks 2–3 either SS or PNF interventions (randomized). Dominant and non-dominant limbs, local (hamstring extensibility) and non-local ROMs (Shoulder extension-ShE) were collected at baseline (T0), immediately after (T1), and fifteen minutes post-intervention (T2). No differences were found between time-points during the CS. Local-ROM significantly increased (p=0.0002, ES=0.74 and 0.0079, 0.56, for dominant and non-dominant lower limbs, respectively) after both SS and PNF. No interaction between time and treatment was detected for ShE in both limbs. However, post-hoc analysis revealed a significant increase in dominant upper limb ShE between T0 and T1 only after SS (p=0.002; +6.5%). Acute bouts of SS and PNF can increase local-ROM, however, no clear effects were observed for non-local ROM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of physical activity on postural balance in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It mentions that JIA is the main rheumatic disease in pediatric age that are main causes of physical disability. It notes that physical activity prevent future diseases among children and increase their balance levels.

Research has shown that higher levels of physical activity are associated with better cognitive performance in children. However, the benefits of physical activity on academic achievement and specifically on mathematics performance need to be further explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a complex physical activity (CPA) intervention program, including cognitive involvement, on children's mathematics performance. The participants were 128 children (aged 12–13 years) attending third grade in three middle schools. They were randomly allocated into a CPA intervention (n = 64) or a waitlist control group (n = 64), the latter of which was given a regular and easy-to-perform activity program. At baseline and after the intervention, students' physical fitness was measured using a battery of standardized motor tests (20 m shuttle run test, curl-up test, push-up test, and sit and reach test). In addition, the AC-MT 11-14 test was administered to allow a standardized and comprehensive assessment of arithmetic problem-solving and arithmetic reasoning abilities. In comparison to the control, the intervention group showed significant improvements (p < 0.001) in comprehension and production (d = 1.88), arithmetic reasoning (d = 2.50), and problem solving (d = 1.32), as well as in 20 m shuttle run test (d = 1.81), push-up test (d = 1.88), curl-up (d = 3.52), and sit and reach (d = 2.52). No significant changes were found in the control group. In conclusion, findings showed that a 12-week CPA intervention program can improve mathematical performance in children in the third grade of middle school. CPA intervention may be an effective method to improve academic performance and avoid student failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present review is to investigate the main field-based tests, used alone or included in sport or fitness batteries, for the assessment of health- and skill-related physical fitness components in adolescents. Different scientific databases were searched through using the selected key words related to physical fitness and its components for adolescence. The search focused on original articles and reviews/meta-analyses using valid, reproducible and feasible tests that fit within the school environment. A total of 100 scientific manuscripts were included in the qualitative synthesis. The present systematic review pointed out 5 fitness tests that well adapt to the evaluation of the components of physical fitness of adolescents within a school environment: the 20 m shuttle run test for cardio-respiratory endurance; the handgrip strength test for upper body maximal strength; the standing broad jump test for lower body maximal strength; the sit-up test to exhaustion for muscular endurance and the 4×10 m shuttle run test for speed, agility and coordination. These fitness tests have been finally selected and incorporated into the Adolescents and Surveillance System for the Obesity prevention - Fitness Test Battery (ASSO-FTB), and will be adopted within the ASSO Project for evaluation purposes. This instrument could be also provided to teachers and people working in schools in order to assess physical fitness of adolescents over time and prevent obesity and related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present review is to investigate the main field-based tests, used alone or included in sport or fitness batteries, for the assessment of health- and skill-related physical fitness components in adolescents. Different scientific databases were searched through using the selected key words related to physical fitness and its components for adolescence. The search focused on original articles and reviews/meta-analyses using valid, reproducible and feasible tests that fit within the school environment. A total of 100 scientific manuscripts were included in the qualitative synthesis. The present systematic review pointed out 5 fitness tests that well adapt to the evaluation of the components of physical fitness of adolescents within a school environment: the 20 m shuttle run test for cardio-respiratory endurance; the handgrip strength test for upper body maximal strength; the standing broad jump test for lower body maximal strength; the sit-up test to exhaustion for muscular endurance and the 4×10 m shuttle run test for speed, agility and coordination. These fitness tests have been finally selected and incorporated into the Adolescents and Surveillance System for the Obesity prevention – Fitness Test Battery (ASSO-FTB), and will be adopted within the ASSO Project for evaluation purposes. This instrument could be also provided to teachers and people working in schools in order to assess physical fitness of adolescents over time and prevent obesity and related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining appropriate levels of physical exercise is an optimal way for keeping a good state of health. At the same time, optimal exercise performance necessitates an integrated organ system response. In this respect, physical exercise has numerous repercussions on metabolism and function of different organs and tissues by enhancing whole-body metabolic homeostasis in response to different exercise-related adaptations. Specifically, both prolonged and intensive physical exercise produce vast changes in multiple and different lipid-related metabolites. Lipidomic technologies allow these changes and adaptations to be clarified, by using a biological system approach they provide scientific understanding of the effect of physical exercise on lipid trajectories. Therefore, this systematic review aims to indicate and clarify the identifying biology of the individual response to different exercise workloads, as well as provide direction for future studies focused on the body's metabolome exercise-related adaptations. It was performed using five databases (Medline (PubMed), Google Scholar, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library). Two author teams reviewed 105 abstracts for inclusion and at the end of the screening process 50 full texts were analyzed. Lastly, 14 research articles specifically focusing on metabolic responses to exercise in healthy subjects were included. The Oxford quality scoring system scale was used as a quality measure of the reviews. Information was extracted using the participants, intervention, comparison, outcomes (PICOS) format. Despite that fact that it is well-known that lipids are involved in different sport-related changes, it is unclear what types of lipids are involved. Therefore, we analyzed the characteristic lipid species in blood and skeletal muscle, as well as their alterations in response to chronic and acute exercise. Lipidomics analyses of the studies examined revealed medium- and long-chain fatty acids, fatty acid oxidation products, and phospholipids qualitative changes. The main cumulative evidence indicates that both chronic and acute bouts of exercise determine significant changes in lipidomic profiles, but they manifested in very different ways depending on the type of tissue examined. Therefore, this systematic review may offer the possibility to fully understand the individual lipidomics exercise-related response and could be especially important to improve athletic performance and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]