1. Investigación

The history of dance has long been associated with women, creating stereotypical limitations for men in this discipline, particularly evident in Physical Education (PE) where teachers often feel uncomfortable teaching Body Expression (BE) and dance content, especially male educators. Despite various artistic languages available for BE instruction in classrooms, body percussion (BP) has recently emerged as a multidisciplinary art form combining dance, theatre, and music, showing potential for transversal application in education. This study aimed to assess how BP practices are perceived by men and women and their effects on both genders. A specialized BP teaching application was introduced into higher education, involving 62 Spanish university students who completed the Profile Mood States questionnaire before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between men and women in pre- and post-tests. However, the findings indicated a positive experience for men, showcasing modifications in their emotional states – particularly reduced tension, depression, and anger, while exhibiting increased vigor. Fatigue, a common aspect in physically demanding PE activities, persisted. The study suggests that BP practices offer positive experiences related to BE and dance content, serving as a potentially more comfortable resource for classroom use compared to other artistic languages.

Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality is high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Most patients reveal a high prevalence of CV risk factors such as diabetes or arterial hypertension and many have manifest cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as coronary artery disease and chronic heart failure with an increased risk of clinical events including sudden cardiac death. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension contribute to the development of CKD and the prevalence of CKD is in the range of 20–65% in diabetic and 30–50% in hypertensive patients. Therefore, prevention and optimal treatment of CV risk factors and comorbidities are key strategies to reduce CV risk and improve survival in CKD. Beyond common CV risk factors, patients with CKD are often physically inactive and have low physical function leading to subsequent frailty with muscle fatigue and weakness, sarcopenia and increased risk of falling. Consequently, the economic health burden of CKD is high, requiring feasible strategies to counteract this vicious cycle. Regular physical activity and exercise training (ET) have been shown to be effective in improving risk factors, reducing CVD and reducing frailty and falls. Nonetheless, combining ET and a healthy lifestyle with pharmacological treatment is not frequently applied in clinical practice. For that reason, this Clinical Consensus Statement reviews the current literature and provides evidence-based data regarding the role of ET in reducing CV and overall burden in patients with CKD. The aim is to increase awareness among cardiologists, nephrologists, and healthcare professionals of the potential of exercise therapy in order to encourage implementation of ET in clinical practice, eventually reducing CV risk and disease, as well as reducing frailty in patients with CKD G3–G5D.

Background: Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often experience reduced muscle strength and diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and engaging in regular exercise may improve them. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of intradialytic exercise using non-immersive virtual reality (VR) on body composition of patients with CKD on hemodialysis (HD). Methods: This was a substudy in a clinical trial of intradialytic exercise intervention using a non-immersive VR game in which the patient interacted by moving the lower limbs. Body composition was determined by BCM Fresenius multifrequency stereoscopic bioimpedance. Body mass index (BMI), fat tissue index (FTI), lean tissue index (LTI), extracellular/intracellular water (EIW), and phase angle (PA) were recorded in 52 patients, 24 in the control group (CG) and 28 in the exercise group (EG). Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between both groups. The LTI increased in the EG while it decreased in the CG. The FTI and the EIW decreased in the EG compared to the increase observed in the CG. Conclusions: Intradialytic exercise using non-immersive VR was associated with an increase in LTI and a decrease in FTI of CKD patients on HD.

Background: Malnutrition, sedentary lifestyle, cognitive dysfunction and poor psychological well-being are often reported in patients on haemodialysis (HD). Aims: We aimed to explore needs, barriers and facilitators—as perceived by patients, their carers, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) for increasing the adherence to the diet, to physical activity and cognition and psychological well-being. Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study following the STROBE statement. This study is part of an ERASMUS+ project, GoodRENal—aiming to develop digital tools as an educational approach to patients on HD. For that, the GoodRENal comprises HD centers located in four Belgium, Greece, Spain and Sweden. Exploratory questionnaires were developed regarding the perceived needs, barriers and facilitators regarding the diet, physical activity, cognition and psychological well-being from the perspective of patients, their carers and HCPs. Results: In total, 38 patients, 34 carers and 38 HCPs were included. Nutrition: For patients and carers, the main needs to adhere to the diet included learning more about nutrients and minerals. For patients, the main barrier was not being able to eat what they like. Physical activity: As needs it was reported information about type of appropriate physical activity, while fatigue was listed as the main barrier. For Cognitive and emotional state, it was perceived as positive for patients and carers perception but not for HCPs. The HCPs identified as needs working as a team, having access to specialised HCP and being able to talk to patients in private. Conclusions: Patients and their carers listed as needs guidance regarding nutrition and physical activity but were positive with their cognitive and emotional state. The HCPs corroborated these needs and emphasised the importance of teamwork and expert support.

Equine ventricular repolarisation wave can be influenced by many physiological and pathological factors. T wave abnormalities have been related to a shorter time for ventricular filling, reduced stroke volume, cardiac output and exercise performance in racehorses. The present research performed electrocardiographic recordings in 14 four-year-old male Andalusian horses, when they were untrained and after three months of an aerobic training programme. Leads I, aVF, V10, V1R, V3R, V1L and V3L were used. It was aimed to assess the incidence of abnormal T waves in this breed, according to the criteria of abnormalities established for other equine breeds, to evaluate if the changes induced by training in the T wave are the same that those reported in the athletic heart syndrome in canine and human athletes and, to analyse if the abnormal T waves could have been related to changes in the plasma concentrations of Na, K, and Cl, since these electrolytes are involved in the cardiac electrical processes. It was found out that the incidence of abnormal T waves was quite high in the Andalusian breed, especially in the precordial leads. Moreover, the incidence of abnormal T waves increased in precordial leads and decreased in lead I and aVF after training. The abnormal T waves after training were shorter and had the same voltage, changes which were different to those presented for the athlete’ heart syndrome. The horses with abnormal T waves had higher plasma K concentrations, both before and after training. Plasma Na and Cl concentration at rest decreased after training. Plasma Na concentrations were positively related to T wave duration and negatively to T wave voltage.

Plasma K accumulation during exercise results from the balance between exchange through biological membranes (mainly muscle fibres and erythrocytes), distribution to other tissues and the haemoconcentration. In the present study, the effect of exercise and training on plasma K concentrations and its relationships with other physiological variables have been analysed in two equine breeds. Twenty male Andalusian (AN) and ten Angloarabian (AA) horses, 7 females and 3 males, were subjected to two standardised exercise tests, composed of four workloads, before and after training. Heart rate (HR) was monitored and venous blood was withdrawn at rest, before each exercise level and during recovery. The following parameters were analysed: packed cell volume (PCV), plasma K, lactate (LA) and total protein (TPP). Furthermore, the horses were filmed and three kinematic parameters were studied: stride duration (SD), frequency (SF) and length (SL). Exercise induced an increase in K from 6 and 8 m/sec in AA and AN horses respectively, a steady-state until the end of the exercise and a decrease after 2 min of recuperation. Some interbreed differences existed, with higher K levels in the AN horses, due to the higher relative exercise intensity, stride frequency and haemoconcentration. K was correlated with HR, PCV, TPP, SL, SD and SF. Training caused a decrease in K in AN, but not in AA horses. Plasma K seems to be a good indicator of the physical effort intensity, fitness and training degrees, but it was not related to the magnitude of the glycolytic response to exercise.

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido describir un sistema de pun-tuación objetivo, a partir de índices de funcionalidad cardiovas-cular y metabólica, que permita la discriminación entre caba-llos según su potencial atlético. Se han estudiado 45 caballosadultos, Pura Raza Española (PRE), machos. Tras un calenta-miento al trote (4 m/s), los animales realizaron un test de ejer-cicio, a velocidades de 5, 6,7y8m/s, cubriendo 1.000 m encada carga de esfuerzo. Se monitoreó la frecuencia cardiaca(FC) y se extrajeron muestras de sangre venosa en reposo,tras el calentamiento, después de cada fase del test y a los 2,4, 6, 8, 10, 15 y 30 minutos de una recuperación activa. Ensangre entera, se determinó la concentración de hemoglobina(HB) y el valor hematócrito (HTO). En plasma, se midieron losniveles de lactato (LA). Los índices de funcionalidad oxidativoshan sido: HBo’ y HTOo’ (HB y HTO a 8 m/s), V150 y VLA2 (ve-locidad a 150 lpm y 2 mmol/L de LA respectivamente), FCLA2(FC a 2 mmol/L de LA) y LA150 (LA a 150 lpm). Como índicesglicolíticos-mixtos, se han considerado: FCmáx (FC máxima),FCo’ (FC a 8 m/s), LAmáx (LA máximo), V200 y VLA4 (veloci-dades a 200 lpm y 4 mmol/L de LA), FCLA4 (FC a 4 mmol/Lde LA) y LA200 (LA a 200 lpm). Los índices que mejor han dis-criminado a los caballos PRE según su nivel de forma físicahan sido VLA2, LA150 y HTOo’ (oxidativos) y FCo’, VLA4 yV200 (glicolíticos-mixtos). VLA2, VLA4 y V200 estuvieron co-rrelacionados positivamente con el potencial físico y FCo’,HTOo’ y LA150, de modo negativo.