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Results for “Balance ability”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Response-optimised training improves learning of a complex motor task and closely related motor tasks.

Regular physical exercise is essential for promoting healthy aging and longevity. In older adults with varying physical and cognitive decline, optimising exercise interventions is crucial to maximise benefits. A promising approach to achieve this goal is by adjusting task demands to individual abilities in turn preventing over- or underloading their abilities. In the field of motor learning, it is currently unclear whether such an optimised training improves not only performance on the trained task but also transfers to untrained motor and cognitive tasks. We conducted a randomized, single-blinded, 6-week dynamic balance training (DBT) with healthy older adults (n = 30). Training was tailored to individual balance ability. Participants were assigned to either suboptimal (high or low difficulty) or optimal (moderate difficulty) training groups. Transfer effects were assessed via cognitive tasks (memory and executive) and motor tasks (untrained DBT variations and other balance tasks) measured pre-, mid- and post-intervention. Multivariate longitudinal statistical analysis showed higher performance gains in the optimal training group in three out of six sessions compared to the suboptimal groups, especially under testing conditions with high task demands. The optimal group also showed greater improvements in near motor transfer tasks mid- and post-intervention, while no significant differences were observed in the cognitive tasks. Within-group DBT learning positively correlated with transfer gains, highlighting the role of training response in achieving transfer. In conclusion, optimised task difficulty in balance training enhances both task-specific performance and related motor skills, supporting the use of personalised interventions to maintain function and independence in older adults.

Humans↗

PubMed1975

Response of institutionalized geriatric mental patients to a twelve-week program of regular physical activity.

Twenty-three geriatric patients from a mental institution were randomly assigned to three groups-a social group, an exercise group, and a control group. Subjects participated in the study for 12 weeks. Heart rate at rest, exercise and recovery, balancing ability, total daily activity level (diary method), and a self-care inventory were recorded for analysis. Data were collected at the start, the 8th and 12th weeks of the study, and 4 weeks after the termination of treatment. A Groups X Sex X Measurement Period factorial design, using multivariate analysis of variance tested the effect of the three factors. The trials effect was significant, as were several univariate tests for the sex effect and group by sex interaction. Data were discussed in terms of programmed physical activity for geriatrics, its value, and the limitations of evaluating such behavior in geriatric populations.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2026

Effects of digital health-based exercise interventions on older adults with sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and function, impairs independence in older adults. Digital health exercise interventions are scalable solutions for older adults with sarcopenia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on their efficacy in populations with clinically diagnosed sarcopenia and identify influential intervention characteristics associated with treatment outcomes. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, and Wanfang on May 20, 2026, with no date restrictions. We included randomized controlled trials involving adults aged ≥60 with sarcopenia receiving digital exercise interventions. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias; analyses were performed using R and Review Manager. RESULTS: Fourteen trials (n = 927) were included. Digital interventions showed potential improvements in muscle mass (MD = 0.25, 95%CI:0.03-0.46, 95% PI:-0.36 to 0.85), muscle strength (MD = 2.14, 95% CI:1.18-3.11, P < 0.001), balance ability (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI:0.12-0.51, P = 0.001), walking performance (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI:0.21-0.89, 95% PI:-0.70 to 1.79), and physical function (SMD = 0.89, 95% CI:0.08-1.71, 95% PI:-2.33 to 4.12), but not quality of life (SMD = 0.08, 95% CI:-0.19 to 0.35, P = 0.53). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that factors such as supervision, program duration, and measurement tools may influence outcomes; however, formal tests for subgroup differences were generally non-significant, and consistent patterns across all metrics were not observed. CONCLUSION: Digital exercise interventions show potential for managing sarcopenia in older adults, though the very low to moderate certainty of evidence indicates that true effects may differ substantially from observed estimates. This review explores potential roles of intervention design, supervision, and multimodal delivery. Future research should adopt rigorous designs and longer follow-up to validate results and enhance clinical application. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD420251135174.

Humans↗

PubMed1977

Neurological and behavioral effects of intracranial administration of mercuric chloride on rats.

Mercuric chloride was injected intracranially into the rat brain in the region of the fourth ventricle via the foramen magnum. Responses to a single treatment of 0.3 mg/kg HgCl2, 0.03 mg/kg HgCl2, or carrier solution were followed for 10 days. Changes in the rats' behavior and motor coordination were observed 24-48 hr after treatment with HgCl2. Underwater swimming and decreased grooming and feeding were characteristic of mercury-treated rats. Decreased balancing ability and crossing of hind limbs suggested altered motor coordination. Rats treated with mercury often exhibited decreased body temperature, matting of fur about the eyes and perineal region, apparent visual impairment, decreased body weight, and diarrhea.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Bilateral writing ability, cerebral organization, and hand posture.

Among a group of 12 persons selected for the ability to write with ease with either hand, none were found to write using a hooked hand posture with either the right or left hand. Tests of verbal and manipulospatial ability indicated a normal balance of these two types of abilities, usually associated with the left and right hemispheres. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for cerebral organization and hand position in writing.

Dominance, Cerebral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Postural equilibrium following exposure to weightless space flight.

Postural equilibrium performance by the Skylab 1/2, 3, and 4 crewmen following exposure to weightlessness of 28, 59, and 84 days respectively was evaluated using a modified version of a quantitative ataxia test developed by Graybiel and Fregly. Performance for this test was measured under two sets of conditions. In the first, the crewman was required to maintain postural equilibrium on narrow metal rails (or floor) with his eyes open. In the second condition, he attempted to balance with his eyes closed. A comparison of the preflight and postflight data indicated moderate postflight decrements in postural equilibrium in three of the crewmen during the eyes open test condition. However, in the eyes closed condition, a considerable decrease in ability to maintain balance on the rails was observed postflight for all crewmen tested. The magnitude of the change was most pronounced during the first postflight test day. Improvement was slow; however, on the basis of data obtained, recovery of preflight baseline levels of performance was evidently complete at the end of approximately two weeks for all crewmen. The findings are explained in terms of functional alterations in the kinesthetic, touch, vestibular and neuromuscular sensory mechanisms induced by the prolonged absence of a normal 1-G gravitational environment.

Gravitation↗

PubMed2026

Healthy subjects gut microbiome modulation by Bacillus coagulans BCP92: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics are recognized for their ability to restore balance in the gut microbiome during dysbiosis. However, their effects on the gut microbiota of healthy individuals have rarely been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Bacillus coagulans (Heyndrickxia coagulans) BCP92 and its influence on microbiota composition in healthy subjects. METHODS: In the present investigation, healthy participants (n = 48) were allocated into 2 groups and administered either Bacillus coagulans BCP92 capsules (1 billion CFU/capsule) or a placebo containing maltodextrin for 42 days. Microbiome composition and short-chain fatty acid analyses were subsequently conducted. RESULTS: Analysis of metagenomes showed no major alterations in gut microbiome composition among participants who received B. coagulans BCP92 supplementation. However, subtle beneficial changes were observed in the treatment group, suggesting that probiotic administration may increase advantageous phyla, classes, orders, families, and some genera, while decreasing potentially harmful groups. A slight increase in short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) was also observed in the fecal samples. CONCLUSIONS: This study implies that extended supplementation with the probiotic B. coagulans BCP92 may lead to substantial improvements in gut microbiome composition and SCFA levels.

Humans↗

PubMed1975

A geriatric functional rating scale to determine the need for institutional care.

This study was carried out to validate a rating scale which could serve as a guide in determining the need for institutional care. The scale assesses the subject's physical and mental disability, balanced against his ability to function and the support available from relatives and community resources. Cut-off points were tested by the use of an 18-month follow-up interval. Initially, 130 aged men and women from three different settings were rated. At the time of follow-up eighteen months later, 83 per cent of the subjects who had obtained an initial score indicative of their inability to function in the community were either dead or in an institution. In contrast, 90 per cent of those who obtained an initial score indicating that they were able to continue in the community, were not in an institution at the time of follow-up. The rating scale can be used not only to help decide the need for institutional care, but also to help determine the most suitable setting for the patient if placement is necessary.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1977

A new device for the rapid measurement of impaired motor function in mice.

Measurement of the ability of mice to balance on a rotating rod or cone is often used as a measure of impaired motor function. In most of these procedures the mice must be trained prior to the test. In the new screen test described in this paper, untrained mice are used in a 60 sec test which measures the ability of mice to either climb to the top of or cling to the bottom of a horizontal screen. The ED50 values obtained for failure to reach the top of the horizontal screen are similar to those obtained with the rotarod; the values for falling from the screen are somewhat higher. With both of the horizontal screen measures there were fewer control failures than in the rotarod procedure.

Animals↗

PubMed1978

Calcium binding by dietary fibre.

Dietary fibre from plants low in phytate bound calcium in proportion to its uronic-acid content. This binding by the non-cellulosic fraction of fibre will reduce the availability of calcium for small-intestinal absorption, but the colonic microbial digestion of uronic acids will liberate the calcium. Thus the ability to maintain calcium balance on high-fibre diets may depend on the adaptive capacity of the colon for calcium absorption.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1976

The rectal complex in the larvae of lepidoptera.

In the so-called "cryptonephric" condition of the excretory system in insects the distal ends of the Malpighian tubules are closely applied to the rectum and enclosed with it in a special chamber, the perinephric space, separated from the rest of the body cavity by the perinephric membrane. The term "rectal complex" refers to this association of tubules and rectum, which is found in the larvae (but not in the adults) of most Lepidoptera. In the mealworm (Coleoptera) the rectal complex has notable ability to remove water from the faeces, but this ability is not conspicuously developed in the larvae of the two species of Lepidoptera here studied: Pieris brassicae and Manduca sexta. On the other hand these larvae have notable ability to maintain salt balance under heavy dietary loading, and in this the rectal complex plays an important part. A study of salt balance in more detail has shown that more sodium can be eliminated in the faeces than enters the rectal complex from the intestine. Consideration of other possible routes of entry points strongly to the Malpighian tubules. Superimposed upon a new flow of tubule fluid out of the rectal complex there is a tidal flow, brought about by the rectal musculature and amplified by dilatations of the cryptonephric tubules, which could bring in fluid from the free tubules and afford opportunity for the uptake of salts. Evidence is presented in support of this view. This tidal flow of tubule fluid and uptake of salts could be the basis of the build-up of high osmolarity in the perinephric fluid and could contribute to the removal of water from the faeces. It could also be the basic mechanism in the mealworm, the leptophragmal mechanism being superimposed upon it.

Animals↗

PubMed1978

Oral contraceptive use alters the balance of platelet prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis.

The ability of platelet microsomes to generate platelet aggregating activity on addition of arachidonic acid was evaluated in women taking oral contraceptives and in controls taking no medication but matched for age, sex, and family history. Oral contraceptive users generated significantly more platelet aggregating activity per 100 ug of platelet microsomal protein than controls. Variation in generation of platelet aggregating activity during the menstrual cycle was also observed with highest activity during the third week. These studies show an altered balance of platelet prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis in oral contraceptive users which may contribute to their increased incidence of thromboembolic phenomena.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

The artificial heart. Progress and promise.

A multidisciplinary group has designed, fabricated, and evaluated an artificial heart. The heart consists of two smooth-surfaced sac-type pumps, two pneumatic power units, and an electronic control system. The artificial heart has been employed in 22 calves. A variety of problems have been encountered and overcome and a significant improvement in pump design has been made. As a result, a gradual increase in survival times has occurred. The last two calves in which the heart was tested lived for 60 and 42 days respectively. These animals ate well and gained weight. The ability of the control system to balance the output of the two pumps over long periods of time and to automatically increase cardiac output with treadmill exercise has been confirmed. No insurmountable problems in the development of the artificial heart have been identified. The date that an artificial heart will be available for clinical use depends on the availability of funds and on the tenacity of the investigators.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

Inotropic agents and infarct size. Theoretical and practical considerations.

Recent data demonstrating the ability of interventions that alter the balance between myocardial oxygen demand and supply to affect infarct size are reviewed. The effects of inotropic agents on the determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow are discussed relative to the potential of these drugs to decrease or increase infarct size in the experimental animal and in man. The applicability of the animal data to the clinical situation is discussed and, on the basis of these considerations, guidelines are presented for the use of inotropic agents in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1976

An enzyme isolated from arteries transforms prostaglandin endoperoxides to an unstable substance that inhibits platelet aggregation.

Microsomes prepared from rabbit or pig aortas transformed endoperoxides (PGG2 or PGH2) to an unstable substance (PGX) that inhibited human platelet aggregation. PGX was 30 times more potent in this respect than prostaglandin E1. PGX contracted some gastrointestinal smooth muscle and relaxed certain isolated blood vessels. Prostaglandin endoperoxides cause platelet aggregation possibly through the generation by platelets of thromboxane A2. Generation of PGX by vessel walls could be the biochemical mechanism underlying their unique ability to resist platelet adhesion. A balance between formation of anti- and pro-aggregatory substances by enzymes could also contribute to the maintenance of the integrity of vascular endothelium and explain the mechanism of formation of intra-arterial thrombi in certain physiopathological conditions.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Non-progressive evolution, the Red Queen hypothesis, and the balance of nature.

The Red Queen hypothesis, or the ability organisms have to control and regulate the available trophic energy, is a recently proposed parameter for measuring fitness. Firstly, this hypothesis is analysed in terms of its heuristic power. Secondly, the claimed causal dependence between this parameter and a, still controversial, law of constant extinction is judged to be unjustified, however reasonable such a claim appears to be. Finally, the ubiquity of competition in nature which is seemingly required by the Red Queen and supposedly realized at the expense of a mutualistic alternative, is deemed to be a questionable assumption.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed1978

[Nutritional study of spun soy proteins].

Most of metabolic studies in man concerning the ability of soya proteins to obtain an equilibrated nitrogen balance have been made with extruded products. Because of the extending development of spun proteins, it seems necessary to study the protein quality of this type of product. A preliminary study in rat (C.E.P. method) was conducted to improve the nutritional value by complementation of the fibers by the way of binder. The metabolic utilization of this protein was evaluated in human subjects during two periods of 10 days. Soya protein cover respectively 78 and 48% of the total protein intake. Under these experimental conditions in which soya proteins constitute an important percentage of the total protein intake, the mean nitrogen balance is near to be equilibrated and the nitrogen utilization does not present any significative difference between the periods. Parallely to the suppression of animal proteins, the introduction of insatured lipids in the diet, has allowed, moreover, to decrease the concentration of the lipidic parameters of the subjects. This study demonstrated the dietetic interest and the ability of the studied product to provide the supplying of the nitrogen balance.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Generation and Characterization of an Ent2*/CyO Drosophila melanogaster Strain.

In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-editing approach was used to introduce mutations in the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 2 (Ent2) gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Guide RNAs targeting the coding region of Ent2 were designed and co-injected with Cas9 mRNA into w1118 embryos. Mutant alleles were identified by Sanger sequencing and maintained as a stable Ent2*/CyO heterozygous line using a balancer chromosome. Subsequently, we evaluated body weight, climbing ability, survival rate, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in fruit flies at 22 °C and 25 °C, respectively. The results indicate that at both 22 °C and 25 °C, the body length and weight of Ent2*/CyO fruit flies were significantly reduced compared to the w1118, and their development was delayed. At 22 °C, the overall lifespan of Ent2*/CyO flies was slightly longer than that of the w1118, whereas at 25 °C, no significant difference was observed. Regarding locomotor ability, the climbing performance of heterozygous flies was significantly lower than that of the w1118 at both temperatures, with males being more severely affected. In addition, the antioxidant enzyme activities of CAT and SOD in Ent2*/CyO fruit flies were significantly reduced, indicating a clear impairment of antioxidant capacity. These results describe the phenotypic profile of a CRISPR-generated Ent2 mutant line and demonstrate the feasibility of combining genome editing with balancer chromosome strategies in Drosophila. This study provides a methodological framework and a genetic resource for future investigations of genes associated with metabolism and environmental responses.

Animals↗