Objective:To evaluate the impact of physical activity on the use of the health system and the quality of life in sedentary elderly.Methods:A prospective interventional study was carried out between March 2010 and February 2011 with 100 subjects (60-90 years of age,) divided into active group (AG) and control group (CG). During this period, AG performed physical exercise twice a week in 60-minute sessions and the CG remained sedentary with observation of their activities. Before and after the study, all subjects were clinically evaluated and completed a quality of life questionnaire.Results:Eighty-nine subjects (AG = 44; CG = 45) were analyzed. AG had fewer visits to emergency room (p = 0.0056), hospitalizations (p = 0.0011), length of hospital stay (p = 0.0012) and fewer subsidiary tests (p = 0.0236) compared to the CG. The quality of life score analyzed before and after physical activity increased in AG compared to CG (p < 0.0001) and among subjects in AG (p < 0.0001), with no change in the CG.Conclusion:The intervention of a physical activity program for sedentary elderly can contribute to reduce the use of the health system and improve the quality of life. Level of evidence II, Therapeutics Studies. Prospective comparative study.

O envelhecimento populacional é uma realidade no Brasil, porém na literatura há uma escassez de artigos sobre os verdadeiros benefícios funcionais e cognitivos da prática amadora e profissional esportiva em idosos de diferentes perfis socioeconômicos. Sendo assim, o objetivo foi avaliar as características socioeconômicas, físicas e funcionais dos idosos participantes dos jogos municipais da pessoa idosa no ano de 2015 e o papel da pratica esportiva. A amostra foi constituída por 181 idosos inscritos nos jogos de 2015. Foi utilizada uma avaliação geriátrica associada a testes específicos para flexibilidade e força. Os resultados indicaram uma predominância feminina com idade média de 69,6 anos. A idade, o gênero, a cor de pele, a renda e escolaridade foram determinantes para escolha das modalidades esportivas e para as demais variáveis, como desempenho cognitivo e funcional. As queixas de sono (fragmentação e aumento do tempo de latência) apresentaram-se frequentes entre a população. O número de quedas apresentou associação positiva ao risco de depressão. A cognição se relacionou negativamente com depressão. O número de medicamentos utilizados por dia correlacionou-se com a idade, Epworth e quedas, ou seja, conforme aumenta a idade, aumenta o consumo de medicamentos diários, aumenta a sonolência e o número de quedas. Os dados aqui apresentados sugerem que a idade e os fatores socioeconômicos influenciam na prática esportiva e o processo de envelhecimento e as alterações fisiológicas continuam a acontecer mesmo em idosos praticantes de exercícios físicos.

Conflitos de interesse: o artigo "Functional fitness and quality of life of elderly Lian Gong, Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners" está publicado em um repositório preprint e encontra-se publicado na base de dados do Research Square

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) plays a crucial role in viral infections by preventing viral replication and in the promotion of innate and adaptive immune responses. However, IFN-gamma can exert distinct effects in different persistent viral infections. The long-term overproduction of IFN-γ in retroviral infections, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), and human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), resulting in inflammation, may cause neuronal damage. This review is provocative about the role of IFN-γ during persistent retroviral infections and its relationship with the causation of some neurological disorders that are important for public health.

Abstract BACKGROUND Long-term regular physical activity, such as body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine, seems to be an important habit for maintaining the functional fitness, independence and quality of life of elderly individuals. However, scientific knowledge production concerning assessment of such practices, specifically for the elderly population, focusing on functional fitness and quality of life, is still modest. Moreover, there is a lack of studies with long-term follow-up and control groups. Therefore, this study aims to compare the parameters of functional fitness and the dimensions of quality of life of elderly participants and non-participants in the body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Longer adherence time, shorter adherence time and control group have been considered. METHODS This is an observational epidemiological case-control study carried out with 118 elderly individuals (≥ 60 years). The case group was represented by 59 elderly people practicing the body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and they were subdivided into two groups, according to their median adherence time (< 24 months and ≥ 24 months). The control group was composed of 59 participants who were not participating in physical activity programs or guided body practices. Collection was carried out in four Traditional Medicine Specialized Units of the Municipal Health Office of the city of São Paulo. Sociodemographic and functional variables were collected. Quality of life was measured by Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). For data analysis, a univariate logistic regression and the Kruskal Wallis test have been performed. RESULTS When assessing quality of life, favorable results were found for the case group, with longer (≥ 24 months) adherence time in the domains of bodily pain (p = 0.003), vitality (p = 0.021), role emotional (p = 0.034), and mental health (p = 0.020). A better result was observed in the case group, with longer (≥ 24 months) adherence time in the functional 30-second chair stand test (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS The body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine can contribute to quality of life, functional fitness, and lower limb strength.