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The aim was to evaluate the sleep-wake cycle pattern, mood, perceived stress and some behaviors, such as physical exercise and exposure to natural light of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cross-sectional study conducted between June and August 2020 using an electronic form provided by Google. The sample consisted of undergraduate students aged between 18 and 30 years old and residents of the northeast region of Brazil. The students generally had sleepiness and poor sleep quality, high levels of anxiety, mild to moderate depressive symptoms and moderate perceived stress. Some of these aspects were worse in women. The college students showed three sleep patterns: one group had good sleep quality without excessive daytime sleepiness; another group had poor sleep quality, but no excessive daytime sleepiness; and a third group had high daytime sleepiness, and less expressive sleep quality impairment. Greater exposure to sunlight and practicing physical exercise predominated in individuals with better sleep quality, suggesting that they are protective factors. In addition, excessive daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality were separately associated with higher anxiety, depression and stress perception levels, proving to be important aspects for care in order to favor mental health during the pandemic. In conclusion, it is suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the sleep of college students in a heterogeneous way. The differentiated sleep patterns are associated with exposure to natural light and exercising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the sleep, sunlight exposure, chronotype, mood and physical activity of college students in two consecutive years during the COVID-19 pandemic (Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry: RBR-4m5j4s). The students (n = 318) answered questionnaires in two moments (2020 - time 1 and 2021 – time 2). The data showed that there was less sunlight exposure and a chronotype with more morning tendencies in the time 2, but with no difference in sleep quality. College students walked more and sat less on weekends, but with no difference in the physical activity level. Physical activity and morning chronotype were associated with lower psychological impact. Therefore, college students, despite being less exposed to sunlight and having greater morning trends in 2021, maintained psychological symptoms, sleep quality and physical activity in the first two years of the pandemic. However, students who practiced physical activity and were mornings suffered less psychological impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the neuromodulating effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Neuropathic Pain (NP). Method A systematic review of articles published in the past five years in MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and PEDro. The search was carried out from February to May 2017 using the keywords: neuropathic pain, neuralgia, nerve pain, central pain, peripheral nerve pain, tDCS. The selected studies were full articles written in Portuguese, English, or Spanish with at least one control group, and no less than one pre- or post-intervention variable, with the exclusion of case studies or case series, animal model studies, and studies with combined therapy. The quality of the selected articles was evaluated through PEDro scale, whereas the level of agreement among reviewers was measured with the Cohen’s κ test, considering P < 0.05 to be significant. Results Eight articles were selected (PEDro: 8.5 ± 0.6; Cohen’s κ test: 0.703, P < 0.01), six of which were randomized controlled trials and two were controlled clinical trials. The following causes of NP were observed: spinal cord injury (SCI), amputation, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), and radiculopathy. All of the studies showed significant effects of tDCS on NP when compared to the control group, except for one with SCI and another related to radiculopathy. Discussion The shortage of good quality articles, the varying of ramp-on and ramp-off durations, and number of sessions, as well as the diversity of results found did not allow any definite conclusion on the efficacy of the neuromodulating effect of tDCS on NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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