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- Author or Editor: Akos Koller x
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Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous negative impact on the psychosomatic status of the general population, and especially of more vulnerable populations, such as older people. The present study aimed to assess changes in psychosomatic status before and after the COVID-19 pandemic among emeritus professors over 70 years of age.
Materials/Methods
A total of 56 emeritus professors aged 77.4 ± 6.1 (74.1% male) participated in the study. The study was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023, after approximately two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics, including socioeconomic status, were assessed in the questionnaire, along with active involvement in academic life and healthcare/sports. Physical and mental fatigue were assessed using a self-report questionnaire, and the impact of fatigue on physical and cognitive function was measured using the Fatigue Impact Scale. Participants evaluated their physical/mental fatigue and physical/cognitive function before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
Among the participating emeritus professors, 15% reported higher levels of physical fatigue (Z = −1.992, P = 0.046, r = 0.28) and mental fatigue (Z = −2.154, P = 0.031, r = 0.31) following the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant difference was found in physical function assessed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, t(51) = −2.986, P = 0.004, g = 0.22, while cognitive function showed a non-significant difference, t(51) = −1.265, P = 0.212, g = 0.12. After the COVID-19 pandemic, 26.9% of participants reported reduced physical function and 19.2% showed reduced cognitive function. Infection with the COVID-19 virus resulted in increased mental fatigue and reduced cognitive function among the participating emeritus professors.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic (and the introduction of restrictions on social activities) had a substantial and similar impact on the psychosomatic status of emeritus professors at both medical and sports universities. Furthermore, the reduction in physical and mental/cognitive function was exacerbated in those who were infected by SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, however, the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was smaller in the population of emeritus professors than in the general elderly population. This may be due to the better maintenance of physical and mental activity in the former population, thus emphasising the importance of remaining physically and mentally active in old age, especially in the context of critical life events.
Absztrakt
A legtöbb fejlett országban a vénás betegségek előfordulása és az abból adódó komplikációk meghaladják az artériás betegségekét, ezért nagyon fontos, hogy a vénák fiziológiás és patofiziológiás működését és az ezeket szabályozó mechanizmusokat minél pontosabban megismerjük. A kisvénák és venulák egyik fő feladata a vénás vér szívbe történő visszaáramlásának biztosítása és a kapillárisokban történő folyadékcsere és anyagcsere kontrollja a vazomotortónusuk szabályozása révén. Az ezeket a funkciókat szabályozó lokális mechanizmusokról azonban kevés az ismeretünk. Az elmúlt évtizedben a szerzők munkacsoportja izolált patkányvázizom-kisvénákon a vazomotortónust meghatározó „intrinszik” (érfalban található) mechanizmusokat kutatta. Eredményeik szerint a kisvénák tónusát az intraluminalis nyomás és nyíróerő változásai által aktivált mechanizmusok, továbbá számos, a simaizomból és az endotheliumból felszabaduló mediátorok integráltan szabályozzák. Ezek a mechanizmusok együttesen vesznek részt a posztkapilláris ellenállás és a szív telődésének szabályozásában, és ezáltal a megfelelő szöveti vérellátás és vénás visszaáramlás, illetve következményesen a perctérfogat biztosításában. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(21), 805–812.
Absztrakt:
Bevezetés: A balett-táncosok gyakran szenvednek deréktáji fájdalomtól. Célkitűzés: Speciális mozgásprogrammal, a törzsizmok erősítése révén, a deréktáji fájdalmak csökkentése. Módszer: 62 balett-táncosnőt (átlagéletkor: 14,89 ± 1,21 év) vizsgáltunk. Kezelt csoport: n = 30 fő, átlagéletkor: 14,86 ± 1,00 év, kontrollcsoport: n = 32 fő, átlagéletkor: 14,91 ± 1,37 év. Vizuális analóg skálával vizsgáltuk az edzéseken jelentkező derékfájdalom intenzitását, fotogrammetriás vizsgálattal habituális testtartásukat, Kraus–Weber-teszttel a hasizmok erejét, core-teszttel a törzsizmok statikus erejét, leg lowering teszttel a lumbalis motoros kontroll képességet. A kezelt csoport három hónapig LBP prevenciós mozgásprogramot végzett, majd újból elvégeztük a vizsgálatokat. Eredmények: Szignifikánsan csökkent az esetcsoport derékfájásának intenzitása (VAS1: p = 0,012; VAS2: p = 0,021), szignifikánsan javult hasizomereje (K–W. B: p = 0,025; K–W. C: p<0,001), a törzsizmok statikus ereje (core-test: p<0,001), lumbalis motoros kontroll képessége, mindkét láb esetében (Leg low. J.: p<0,001; Leg low. B.: p<0,001). A habituális testtartás magas százalékban javult (elölnézet: 34,78%, oldalnézet: 52,17%). Következtetés: A speciális mozgásprogrammal csökkenthető a balett-táncosok derékfájdalma, a sérülések előfordulási gyakorisága. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(2), 58–66.
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to serious health conditions thus vaccination is crucial, especially for elite athletes to avoid severe/prolonged symptoms after the coronavirus infection, which can significantly influence their sports performance. Yet, only a few studies examined immunization reactions after vaccination in elite athletes, and none in young athletes. Thus, we aimed to examine the prevalence and severity of any reactions after the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in young elite athletes. Local and systemic reactions were assessed two to three days after first vaccination in adolescent elite athletes. 15 different reactions, more local than systemic reactions, were reported. The most prevalent local reaction was injection site pain, and nearly 20% of the adolescents reported severe pain. In the case of systemic reactions, half of the adolescents reported mild/moderate fatigue, and one-third experienced mild/moderate muscle pain and/or headache. The most prevalent co-occurrence was between injection site pain, pain in extremity, fatigue and muscle pain. Young elite athletes tended to feel more pain and sensation, partly due to the fact that the systemic circulation of their skeletal muscle allows an advanced spread of the vaccine, causing stronger immune reactions. The network of the reported reactions may provide a clue for understanding the connections of local and systemic reactions. These findings show that the profile of post-vaccine reactions in young elite athletes can differ from that of the general population, which could be important for the timing of vaccination, the planning of pre/post-vaccination protocol, and for returning to normal training intensity.
Abstract
By now, there is no doubt that regular physical exercise has an overall beneficial effect on each organ of the body. However, the effects of highly competitive sports (HCS) are more complex, as they exert greater demands on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems, among others. Strength, athletic, and aesthetic sport types each has a different exercise intensity and nutritional loading, as well as a different prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases at a later age. HCS athletes experience hypertension and mental stress during competitions and high nutritional loads between them. The post-career effects of this behaviour on the heart, arteries, cellular metabolism, and risk of obesity, are not well known and are not often the focus of research. In this review, we aimed to summarize the post-career effects of HCS. Based on data in the literature, we propose that athletes involved in highly competitive strength sports progressively develop metabolic syndrome and sustained elevated blood pressure.
Recent studies suggest that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exhibits potent antioxidant capacity and improves vascular and tissue functions. Thus we aimed to compare the antioxidant efficacy of H2S to that of superoxide dismutase (SOD).Isometric force of isolated rat carotid arteries and gracilis veins was measured with a myograph. The vasomotor effect of the superoxide-generator pyrogallol (10−5M) was obtained in control conditions, and then in the presence of SOD (120 U/ml) or H2S (10−5M or 10−4M), respectively. Spectrophotometric measurements were performed to detect the effect of SOD and H2S on the auto-oxidation of pyrogallol.Pyrogallol increased the isometric force of carotid arteries (9.7 ± 0.8 mN), which was abolished by SOD (5.3 ± 0.8 mN), was not affected by 10−5M H2S (9.1 ± 0.5 mN), whereas 10−4M H2S slightly, but significantly reduced it (8.1 ± 0.7 mN). Pyrogallol significantly increased the isometric force of gracilis veins (1.3 ± 0.2 mN), which was abolished by SOD (0.9 ± 0.2 mN), whereas 10−5M (1.3 ± 0.2 mN), or 10−4M H2S (1.2 ± 0.2 mN) did not affect it. Pyrogallol-induced superoxide production was measured by a spectrophotometer (A420 = 0.19 ± 0.0). SOD reduced absorbance (A420 = 0.02 ± 0.0), whereas 10−5M H2S did not (A420 = 0.18 ± 0.0) and 10−4M H2S slightly reduced it (A420 = 0.15 ± 0.0).These data suggest that H2S is a less effective vascular antioxidant than SOD. We propose that the previously described beneficial effects of H2S are unlikely to be related to its direct effect on superoxide.
Abstract
Introduction
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a worldwide pandemic, due to its great capacity to invade the human body. Previous studies have shown that the primary route of invasion of this virus is the human respiratory tract via the co-expression of ACE2 receptor and TMPRSS2, a serine protease on the cellular surface. Interestingly, this condition is present not only on the respiratory epithelium but on the conjunctival mucosa, as well. Thus, we hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 is present on the conjunctival mucosa.
Aim
To prove that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the conjunctiva.
Methods
Previously nasopharyngeal swab-sample based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive COVID-19 infected patients were selected at the COVID Care Centers of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. The study was approved by the ethical committee of Semmelweis University. During their recovery, both nasopharyngeal and conjunctival swab-samples were taken and PCR method was used to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed.
Results
The study population consisted of 97 patients, 49 females (50.5%) and 48 males (49.5%), with a mean age of 67.2 ± 11.9 years. During recovery, with nasopharyngeal swabs, the PCR test was positive in 55 cases (56.70%), whereas with conjunctival swabs it was positive in 8 cases (8.25%). Both tests were positive in 5 cases (5.15%). In some patients, ocular symptoms were observed as well. The rest of the patients (29 cases) had negative nasopharyngeal PCR tests during recovery.
Conclusions
Although only in few cases, the data of the present study provides a proof of concept that SARS-CoV-2 can be present on the conjunctival mucosa even in nasopharyngeal negative patients, a finding, which can have clinical importance. Also, on the basis of these findings one can hypothesize that - in addition to the respiratory tract – the conjunctiva can be an entrance route for SARS-CoV-2 to the human body. Thus, in high-risk conditions, in addition to covering the mouth and nose with mask, the protection of the eyes is also strongly recommended.