Abstract Background: Trunk pelvic dissociation is fundamental to the compensatory mechanism for muscle weakness during body bending. We carried out an early investigation of gait changes in a sample of community-dwelling women ≥60 years without gait complaints. The primary objective was to correlate spine and pelvic angles with performance tests and accelerometry parameters. The secondary objective was to correlate performance tests with accelerometry. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 54 community-dwelling women ≥60years were subjected to Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), performance tests (Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, and Gait analysis), and radiographic analysis of sagittal alignment (Thoracic and Lumbar Cobb, Pelvic Incidence, Sacral Slope, and Pelvic Tilt angles). Gait speed was assessed in a 10-m comfortable walk, and accelerometry parameters were obtained in a 30m walk distance. Results: The sample, aged 72 ±6 years, exhibited moderate correlation between Sacral Slope and Step Length (+ 0.615). Sacral Slope weakly correlated with FES-I (- 0.339), Berg Balance Scale (+0.367), and with further accelerometry data in the AP plane: RMS, (+ 0.439) and Stride Regularity (+ 0.475), p < 0.05, all. Lumbar Cobb weakly correlated with the following accelerometry data in the AP plane: Step Length (+0.405), RMS, (+0.392), and Stride Regularity (+ 0.345), p < 0.05, all. Additionally, Stride Regularity in AP moderately correlated with FES-I (0,561, p < 0.05), among other weak correlations between performance tests and accelerometry data in AP. Conclusions: Early alterations in Sacral Slope and gait abnormalities in the AP plane may provide understanding of the early gait changes in robust older women.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a clinical disorder associated with high socioeconomic burden. Despite its importance, management of IBS remains difficult and several interventions have been hypothesized as beneficial for this condition. This study identified and summarized all Cochrane systematic reviews (SRs) about the effects of interventions for managing IBS patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Review of systematic reviews, carried out in the Discipline of Evidence-Based Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). METHODS: Review of Cochrane SRs addressing interventions for IBS. RESULTS: We included six SRs assessing acupuncture, bulking agents, antispasmodics, antidepressants, herbal medicines, homeopathy, hypnotherapy and psychological therapy for IBS. The certainty of evidence ranged from unknown to moderate, mainly due to imprecision in the estimates and high risk of bias from the primary studies included. There was moderate certainty of evidence that acupuncture had no important benefit regarding improvement of symptoms and quality of life, compared with sham acupuncture. There was also very low certainty of evidence that homeopathic asafoetida, used alone or in association with nux, was better than placebo regarding self-reported overall improvement. CONCLUSION: There was moderate certainty of evidence that acupuncture had no important benefit regarding improvement of symptoms and quality of life. Further well-designed and well-conducted randomized clinical trials are needed in order to reduce the uncertainties regarding the most commonly used interventions for patients with IBS.