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The purpose of this review was to determine the current evidence-base for the efficacy of kinesiotaping in patients with osteoarthritis. Search-ing was undertaken using MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) from 2007 to 2018. The target terms included within our search criteria were “kinesiotape,” “osteoar-thrites,” “knee pain,” “adults,” and “geriatric.” Current findings indicate that kinesiotaping can be considered a useful method for decreasing pain without any side effects in patients with osteoarthritis. The search yielded 1,062 articles and finally seven studies met inclusion criteria. However, there are a limited number of appropriately powered, robustly designed studies. Further research is required to fully understand the short- and longer-term impact of kinesotaping in patients with osteoar-thritis.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes a variety of neuropathological mani-festations including cognitive, emotional, physiological and psychologi-cal deficits. Physical exercise is known to ameliorate neurological im-pairments induced by various brain injuries. We investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on memory impairments due to TBI in relation to dopamine and D2 dopamine receptor. TBI was induced with an electro-magnetic-controlled cortical impact device. The rats in the exercise groups were scheduled to run on a treadmill for 30 min once a day for 28 days after TBI induction. Then, step-down avoidance task, radial 8-arm maze test, immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and western blot for D2 dopamine receptor were performed. TBI im-paired short-term and spatial learning memories. TBI decreased TH ex-pressions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum, hippocampus dentate gyrus, and substantia nigra (SN). By contrast, the expressions of D2 do-pamine receptor in the PFC, striatum, hippocampus, and SN were in-creased by TBI. Treadmill exercise alleviated the impairments of short-term and spatial learning memories observed in TBI rats. TH expression was decreased and D2 dopamine receptor expression was increased in TBI rats. Treadmill exercise enhanced TH expression and suppressed D2 dopamine receptor expression in TBI rats. TBI deteriorated short-term and spatial learning memories, in contrast, treadmill exercise alle-viated the TBI-induced memory impairments by up-regulating dopa-mine level and down-regulating D2 dopamine receptor expression.

This study aimed to determine the effects of a single bout exercise on mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling in cardiac and skeletal muscles. Fischer 344 rats (4 months old) were randomly divided into the control or a single bout of exercise group (n=10 each). The rats per-formed a single bout of treadmill exercise for 60 min. Mitochondria-me-diated apoptotic signaling (e.g., Bax, Bcl-2, mitochondrial permeability transition pore [mPTP] opening, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3) was measured in cardiac (e.g., left ventricle) and skeletal (e.g., soleus and white gastrocnemius) muscles. A single bout of exercise signifi-cantly decreased mPTP opening sensitivity in all tissues. However, a single bout of exercise did not show any statistical differences in Bax, Bcl-2, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3 in all tissues measured. A single bout of exercise did not show definite results on characteristics of mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling. Therefore, further re-search is necessary to provide a more mechanistic understanding of the apoptosis pathway.

In general, exercise can help improve overall health and prevent dis-eases. However, individuals with atopic dermatitis (AD) often lose the desire for physical exercise owing to itching caused by sweating. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of low-intensity tower climbing resistance exercise (TCRE) on Dermatophagoides farinae ex-tract (DFE; house dust mite extract)- and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-in-duced AD-like skin lesions in a BALB/c model. Histopathological exam-ination showed reduced thickness of the epidermis/dermis and dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells in the ears. TCRE downregulated serum Ig levels and suppressed mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cyto-kines in the ear tissue, and reduced the size and weight of draining lymph nodes (dLNs) and nondraining lymph nodes (ndLNs), along with expres-sion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in CD4+ T cells from dLNs and ndLNs. Taken together, we showed that low-intensity TCRE reduced AD symp-toms. These results will help improve treatment of AD, and will be of in-terest to dermatologists as well as to patients with AD.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of dy-namic time warping (DTW) in gait research. Participants in this study were consist of 10 males and 10 females. Equipment used for collecting the gait data of participants in this study was three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis system consisted of 8 infrared CCD cameras operated with a sampling frequency of 120 frames/sec. DTW program used in this study was made using the MATLAB and the normal operation of the DTW program was verified by comparison of result manually calculated and output by the DTW program. Flexion angle of the knee joint of both feet obtained by 3D motion analysis system was analyzed by the DTW program and symmetry index (SI) equation. Statistical analysis of the values obtained by DTW was performed by one-sample t-test in confi-dence interval (CI) 99%, 95%, 90%, 85%, and 80% each using the SPSS. The subjects’ left and right legs were compared 20 times, and other steps of the same foot were compared 20 times. In this study, DTW showed different results from SI which is generally used to test the sim-ilarity of gait. Compared to that of DTW, the threshold figure for similarity evaluation in SI, 10%, is considered too large/high. When the CI thresh-old figure of 95% was adopted in statistical analysis, DTW demonstrat-ed a lower rate of judging two sequences as similar even in the case of normal gait. This study suggests that DTW can be used for the similarity test of gait research.

Comparison of the upper limbs during natural kinematic motions is nec-essary for early detection of musculoskeletal imbalance between ipsi-lateral and contralateral sides in natural settings. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a novice set of wrist-worn devices de-signed to assess and compare the dual kinematic motions of the upper limbs during lateral raises. The test-retest and the golden standard and novice device result comparisons were conducted for feasibility as-sessment of the novice set of devices. Pearson correlation coefficients between 0.65 and 0.88 (P<0.01) and effect sizes between 0.02 and 0.42 indicated feasible application of the novice devices. Considering cor-relation coefficient of 0.65 between the left and right upper limbs, the results show applicable feasibility of the novice device during lateral raises. In conclusion, the novice set of devices for comparing dual up-per limb motions may be applied to assessing and comparing dual up-per limb motions for limb motion comparisons and early detection of dysfunctional movements between the limbs.

This study aimed to examine the distribution and contractile properties of single muscle fiber sex/myosin heavy chain (MHC) type-related dif-ferences and to evaluate the correlation of cross-sectional area (CSA) and specific force (SF) in a single muscle fiber. Six young men and six young women were participated in this study. Muscle sample was ob-tained from vastus lateralis muscle. To examine potential gender differ-ences within each fiber contractile properties (CSA, maximal isometric force, SF, maximal shortening velocity) and relationship between CSA and SF of single fiber using Pearson correlation. After mechanical mea-surements, single muscle fiber determined MHC isoforms using silver stain. MHC isoform composition did not differ by sex (chi-square=6.978, P=0.073). There were sex-related differences in CSA and maximal iso-metric force (P<0.05), but no fiber type-related differences (P>0.05). Related to SF and maximal shortening velocity, there were no sex-relat-ed differences only fiber type-related differences (P<0.05). However, there were differences in SF between single fiber types in men but not in women. A negative correlation was found between CSA and SF in both men and women (P<0.05). It is suggested that there might be dif-ferent mechanical properties of cross-bridges according to sex.

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among the emotional labor, job burnout, and occupational identity of Pilates instructors. In-structors conducting Pilates classes in the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon areas were selected as the study population to achieve the aforementioned goal, and a total of 195 datasets were utilized for the actual analysis, using the convenience sampling method. The analysis methods that were employed for the study include frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability verification, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis, and the following conclusions were obtained in the process: (a) the internal behaviors of the Pilates instructors’ emotional labor had a negative effect on the instructors’ job burnout; (b) the surface behaviors of the Pilates instructors’ emotional labor had a positive effect on the instructors’ job burnout; (c) the job burnout of the Pilates instructors had a negative effect on their occupa-tional identity; (d) the internal behaviors of the Pilates instructors’ emo-tional labor had a positive effect on the instructors’ occupational identi-ty; and (e) the surface behaviors of the Pilates instructors’ emotional la-bor had a negative effect on the instructors’ occupational identity.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Pilates and yoga participating in their functional movement and individual health level. Ninety volunteers were randomly divided into three groups and evenly recruited female and male participants in each group through a reliable organization. Their age group was between the 30s and 40s. They were informed the research process and assigned to the consent form. Pi-lates group (n=30), yoga group (n=30), and control group (n=30) were assigned to fulfill short form of Rand 36-item health survey (SF-36) sur-vey form based on self-administration method and were scored func-tional movement screen (FMS) test before the intervention. Pilates and yoga group were carried out certain exercise program 1-hr duration 3 times per week for 8 weeks. And control group did not perform any ex-ercise during experimental period. After completion of the 8-week Pi-lates and yoga program, they recorded SF-36 and were scored FMS score for posttest in same way. When we compared the differences between pre- and posttreatment scores, we found that there was sta-tistically significant difference among three groups on FMS (F [2,89]=15.56, P<0.001) and there was significant change in favor of Pi-lates group groups (F [2,89]=52.36, P<0.001) on SF-36. To conclude, Pi-lates group was more effective for improving functional movement and individual health level to assess quality of life than yoga group and con-trol group.

This study investigates the effect of vibration foam roller (VFR) applied to the hamstring, on the quadriceps electromyography (EMG) activity and hamstring flexibility. A total of 16 subjects were randomly assigned to either the VFR group (n=8) or the nonvibration foam roller group (NVFR, n=8). The two groups applied the foam roller or the VFR to the dominant hamstring, at a rate of 40 times per min, for a total of 200 times in 5 min. The primary outcome was to measure hamstring extensibility using the sit and reach test. The EMG activity of the dominant rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) was mea-sured as the secondary outcome. Results indicate a significant in-crease in the sit and reach distance after the intervention in both groups, as compared to preintervention. The sit and reach difference between VFR and NVFR show no significant difference after the inter-vention. Significant increases were observed after intervention in the %maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) of VL, VM, and RF in the VFR group, and RF in the NVFR group, as compared to the prein-tervention values. Furthermore, %MVIC values of VL and RF, but not the VM muscle, were significantly different between the two groups. These findings suggest that regardless of vibration, the application of foam roller to hamstring may exert a positive effect on hamstring flexibility. Furthermore, these results indicate that the application of foam roller with vibrations causes more EMG activation in the antagonists.

This study aimed to compare respiratory muscle strength in individuals performing continuous and noncontinuous walking exercises in water after the 6-week program. Twenty-nine healthy men were randomly di-vided into a continuous group (CG, n=14) and a noncontinuous group (NG, n=15). Firstly, both groups executed the 6-week program which set them to walk for 30 min, 4 times per week, over 6 weeks in a pool with the adjusted intensity that their walking speed increased the heart rate to 60% of the predicted maximum. After the 6-week program, par-ticipants in the CG continued the water-walking program for 4 weeks while those in the NG discontinued the water-walking program. In both groups, respiratory muscle strength evaluated by maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax) and maximum expiratory pressure (PEmax) increased significantly after the 6-week program compared with pre-exercise val-ue. Compared to the value after the 6-week program, PEmax increased significantly in the CG after 10 weeks (P<0.05), but the PImax showed no significant change. Compared to the value after the 6-week program, after 10 weeks, in the NG, PEmax decreased significantly, with a con-siderable decrease after 9 and 10 weeks compared to the CG (P<0.05). The PImax in the NG significantly decreased after 10 weeks from the value observed after the 6-week program. We demonstrated that 6 weeks of walking in water at 60% of the predicted maximum heart rate enhances PImax and PEmax, and that PImax and PEmax decrease in 4 weeks without a water-walking program.

The aim of this study was to investigate the serum serotonin, prolactin, and plasma dopamine levels in humans with and without caffeine in-gestion during and after passive heat loading (half immersion in 42°C hot water). Thirty male volunteers participated in the randomized exper-iment (control group, n=15 vs. caffeine ingestion group, n=15, 3 mg/kg). After 60 min, passive heat loading was conducted for 30 min. Blood samples were collected and assessed for serum serotonin, dopamine and prolactin with and without caffeine during and after passive heat loading. Serum serotonin was significantly lower in the caffeine inges-tion group compared to the control group after passive heat loading for 30 min (Post) (P<0.05) and also after 60 min of resting (P<0.01). Dopa-mine and prolactin were significantly higher in the caffeine ingestion group than in the control group at the Post time point (P<0.001). In con-clusion, 3-mg/kg caffeine ingestion prior to passive heat loading can al-ter central serotonergic and dopaminergic activity, which may contrib-ute to reduced central fatigue and subsequently, to reduced general fa-tigue. Prolactin responses during passive heat loading were also sig-nificantly related to caffeine ingestion in this study. However, the inhibi-tory effects of dopamine on prolactin by caffeine remain to be elucidated.

The aim of this study is to compare the effect of stabilization and equi-librium training on hip muscle strength and balance performance of ka-rate athletes with deafness. Twenty-seven athletes from the National Deaf Karate Team (18 males, nine females) with an average age of 24.53±3.62 (18–43) years were included in this study. The athletes were randomly assigned to either stabilization or equilibrium training group. Both training programs lasted 6 weeks with once per day and 5 days per week sessions. The assessment of muscle strength and balance performance was done before and after the training. The muscle strength and balance have improved in both training groups (P<0.05), but while there was no difference in the results of muscle strength be-tween the groups (P>0.05), balance performance was better in the equilibrium training group (P<0.05). In conclusion, stabilization and equilibrium training have helped the karate athletes with deafness to improve their muscle strength and balance performance.

The purpose of this study was to exam 12 weeks of stair and normal walking effects on lower extremity functional ability and cardiovascular health risk factors in middle-aged older women. Twenty-four subjects were assigned either to the stair walking group (SWG, 57.40±6.11 years, n=10) or the normal walking group (NWG, 57.28±16.83 years, n= 14). They performed exercises 3 times per week, 60 min per day for 12 weeks. Lower extremity functional ability (lower extremity muscular strength, walking speed, active and static balance ability, and agility) and cardiovascular health risk factors were compared by time and groups using a two-way repeated analysis of variance and mean val-ues were compared within group using paired t-test. As results, signifi-cant time differences were found in lower extremity muscular strength, walking speed and active balance; no time and group interactions were found. Also, significant time differences were found in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fast-ing glucose. Significant time and group interactions were found in body fat. In addition, significant time differences within the groups were found in lower extremity muscular strength, walking speed, active bal-ance in SWG and NWG; systolic blood pressure in SWG; systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose in NWG. These results indicated that home-based stair and normal walking exercises can be utilized to improve lower extremi-ty functional ability and cardiovascular health risk factors in mid-dle-aged and older women.

Attention may influence the motor performance of poststroke patients. The attentional focus implies “where” attention is focused while per-forming a specific movement. Focusing attention on the inside of the body while performing a specific exercise is called an internal focus (IF) and focus on the external environment is called an external focus (EF). This study examined the effect of attention on the gait of patients with chronic stroke. Sixteen subjects voluntarily participated in the study. The subjects were guided to walk while maintaining the required atten-tional focus, which is control, IF, and EF condition. Dependent variables were as follows: step length, stride length, step width, 10-m walk time, and weight distribution on the paretic limb. The results are as follows. First, the step length and the stride length were observed to be longer in the EF condition. Second, 10-m walk time was faster in EF condition. Third, under the EF condition, more weight was applied to the paretic limb. We suggest that EF instruction useful to improve the poststroke gait.

The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the immediate effect of in-terventions based on the frequency of whole-body vibration on children with cerebral palsy’s balance and walking abilities. A total of 12 were selected as subjects. All subjects measured 10-m walking test (10MWT), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and measured sway length (SL) and limit of stability (LOS) by bio-rescue. And those were performed again after the frequencies of the 12, 18, and 26 Hz were applied respectively. To check the immediate effect, all subjects performed only one frequency of in-terventions per day and no other treatment was performed in parallel to control the foreign variables. After intervention, 10MWT were signifi-cantly increased in the 12 and 18 Hz groups (P<0.05). TUG test and LOS were significantly increased in the 18 Hz group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences on TUG, SL, and LOS in the 12 Hz group. There were no significant differences on 10MWT, TUG, SL, and LOS in the 26 Hz group. Looking at the results of this study, the immediate effect of whole-body vibration shows that the frequency of the 18 Hz group is the most effective interventions in promoting walking and balancing abili-ties in children with cerebral palsy than frequencies of the 12 and 26 Hz groups.

This study aimed to determine the effects of kinesiotape (KT) on pain, range of motion, and functional status in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. In this randomized controlled trial, patients with knee osteoar-thritis, based on American College of Rheumatology criteria, and Kell-gren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3 criteria were selected. Visual analogue scale and active range of motion were the primary outcome measures. Timed Up and Go test and 6-min walk test, were the secondary out-come measures. Evaluation was performed at baseline (T0), after 1 hr (T1), and after 72 hr (T2). We recruited 27 patients with osteoarthritis (age, 57.33±8.72 years; 63% female; body mass index, 29.7±4.3 kg/m2) who were randomly assigned into KT or sham-KT groups. There was a significant group by time interaction for the visual analogue scale (P< 0.001, ŋ2=0.593), active range of motion (flexion) (P<0.001, ŋ2=0.492), active range of motion (extension) (P<0.001, ŋ2=0.351), 6-min walk test (P<0.001, ŋ2=0.568), and Timed Up and Go test (P=0.026, ŋ2=0.136). Be-tween-group comparisons revealed significant differences between KT and sham-KT in visual analogue scale and Timed Up and Go test in T1 and T2 assessments, with changes in knee flexion (P<0.002) and exten-sion active range of motion (P<0.010) and 6-min walk test (P<0.044) at 72-hr posttreatment. This study showed that, 1 hr of KT is an effective treatment for decreasing pain and improving active range of motion and physical function at a 72-hr follow-up in patients with osteoarthritis.

There is a lack of evidence on the effect of exercise-based cardiac re-habilitation (EBCR) in patients treated with total thoracoscopic ablation (TTA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Our study investigated the efficacy and safety of postoperative exercise intervention in patients recovering from TTA. Twenty-four patients participated in the study, and were divided into the two groups, exercise group (EG) (n=12) and control group (n= 12). Patients in EG performed the exercise intervention including the aerobic and resistance exercise program twice a week for 8 weeks, which was used as a hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation for the out-patient. A cardiopulmonary exercise test was administered to evaluate aerobic exercise capacity, and qualitative aspect of patient’s life was assessed using the Short Form 36 questionnaires to compare pre and postoperative wellness of patient’s life. Although there was an increase of VO2peak (peak oxygen uptake) after exercise intervention, no signifi-cant improvement was found (P=0.055). Two of 4 physical health scores (role-physical, P=0.013 and general health, P=0.05) and three of four mental health scores (vitality, P=0.027, social function, P=0.016, and mental health, P=0.003) were significantly improved after 8 weeks of EBCR. Each summarized scale in the physical (P=0.022) and mental (P= 0.004) survey section was also significantly improved in postoperative assessment compared to the preoperative one. In this context, we con-cluded that EBCR initiated at the time point of 4th week after TTA opera-tion can guarantee the secure postoperative physical activity, and the 8 weeks of EBCR can effectively improve the quality of life in AF Patients.

Respiratory muscle dysfunction after open-heart surgery may influence the cardiopulmonary interactions. The purpose of this study was to ex-amine the correlation between change in the neural respiratory drive (NRD) and change in heart rate variability (HRV) in patients submitted to open-heart surgery. An observational cross-sectional study was con-ducted among 32 participants. NRD was assessed via a surface elec-tromyogram of the parasternal intercostal muscle (sEMGpara). Polar heart rate monitor was used to measure HRV during the deep breathing maneuver. Evaluations were performed on the day of admission and discharge. There were statistically significant differences in NRD and HRV indices between admission and discharge periods (P<0.05). The difference in peak root mean square of sEMGpara recorded during resting (ΔRMS sEMGpara tidal), during maximal inspiratory maneuver (ΔsEMGpara max), and its normalized values (ΔRMS sEMGpara%max) were significantly correlated with the difference in total power (ΔTotal power), mean of heart rate (ΔMeanHR), and mean of R to R intervals (ΔMeanRR) (r=-0.844, P=0.004, r=-0.835, P=0.005, and r=0.643, P=0.043, respectively). It can be concluded that NRD correlated well with HRV in patients who had undergone open-heart surgery.

The roots of apoptosis caused by the use of certain drugs in patients with colorectal cancer and certain drugs could be induced the change in genes SSTR2 and SSTR5. SSTRs play a role in colorectal cancer and it’s also known that exercise training has similar effects to certain drugs. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of a combined training program on hormonal and physiological changes in patients with colorectal cancer. Twenty patients with colorectal cancer were in-cluded in this study and divided into two groups as experimental (n=10) and control (n=10). The experimental group performed an exercise training program 5 days a week for 14 weeks. Blood samples were tak-en from the patients before and after the training program, and analyzed for somatostatin and its receptors. When the pretest effect excluded as statistical, there were no significant differences in SSRT2 (P>0.05) and SSRT5 (P>0.05) between the experimental and control groups. The hy-pothesis for this study was “SSTR2 and SSTR5 will improve after com-bined training program” however, in accordance with the results it was rejected. It seems that the determined training program for these pa-tients need to be extended and performed for at least 3 months in a gradual incremental structure so that it could affect their health indica-tors significantly.

Schwannoma is a benign tumor located in the Schwann cells of the nerves. A 36-year-old white man underwent surgery after being diag-nosed with radial nerve schwannoma of the upper right extremity be-tween the triceps brachii muscle and brachioradialis muscle, after which a complete axonotmesis of the aforementioned nerve trunk oc-curred. The symptomatology presented by the patient included a loss of both motor and sensory function of the fingers, hand, and right forearm. The treatment was a biobehavioral physiotherapy approach that includ-ed therapeutic exercise, neuro-orthopedic manual physical therapy, therapeutic education, and sensitivity retraining. The biobehavioral ap-proach in physiotherapy includes a multimodal approach that encom-passes biological aspects, along with cognitive-evaluating and motiva-tional-affective components. Two weekly sessions were held for 6 months, resulting in a total of 48 sessions. Using multimodal physiother-apy based on a biobehavioral approach, after 6 months of treatment, the symptoms improved. The motor function of the upper limb improved considerably due to the recovery of increased activity of the superficial musculature dependent on the radial nerve. However, the functions de-pendent on deep forearm and hand musculature recovered to a lesser extent. At the sensory level, the retraining of sensitivity allowed the pa-tient to regain an important sensitivity. This case report explains the treatment used and the findings obtained, given a large percentage of the functionality that had been lost was recovered.