Earticle

Maternal nutrition is necessary for the growth of the fetus, and exces-sive intake of nutrients interferes with brain development in offspring. In the current study, the effect of treadmill running during pregnancy in obese maternal rats on spatial learning memory and spatial working memory in rat pups was investigated. Phosphorylation of phosphatidyli-nositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and extracellular sig-nal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) was also identified in rat pups. Female rats were divided into the normal diet group and the high-fat diet group for 7 weeks, including pregnancy and lactation. Maternal treadmill running was performed for 4 weeks. The born rat pups were classified into a control group, a treadmill exercise group, a high-fat diet group, a high-fat diet and treadmill exercise group according to the sta-tus of maternal rats. Radial 8-arm maze task for spatial learning memory and Morris water maze task for spatial working memory were done. Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the expressions of PI3K, Akt, ERK1/2. In the current results, maternal treadmill running during pregnancy improved spatial learning memory and spatial work-ing memory in rat pups born to obese maternal rats. This improving ef-fect of memory was due to the enhanced phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, and ERK1/2 by treadmill running.

The assessment and rehabilitation of patients with cognitive dysfunc-tion is a field that currently requires assistive technology. While the pa-per-and-pencil test, such as the line tracing test, is one of the commonly used assessment methods for cognitive dysfunction, accuracy, and time-consuming assessment process needed technological applica-tion. The aim of this study was therefore to establish a computer-based real-time assessment system (e-system) for patients without compro-mising the usefulness of the conventional paper-and-pencil based user tools with 50 healthy participants. The comparison of the e-system with the golden-standard assessment (evaluator) results showed high con-cordance correlation coefficients of 0.89 and 0.87 and small effective sizes of 0.27 and 0.27 between two repeated measures. The Bland-Alt-man plots also showed smaller degree of error and greater repeatability in comparison to the repeated measures. Moreover, the accuracy rates of 96.5% and 96.4% were shown. The results indicated feasibility of the novice e-system. The e-system may assist rehabilitation specialists to assess and diagnose patients with cognitive dysfunction. This system can be applied to a range of assessment and rehabilitation modalities based on pen and paper. It can also be used for various patients such as those with Parkinson disease, stroke, or different forms of brain le-sions.

Stroke patients have limited motor function due to ankle spasticity, and various interventions are applied to solve this problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of functional electrical stimula-tion (FES) with ankle exercise on spinal cord motor neuron excitability and balance in stroke patients. Twenty-five stroke patients were divided into the three groups. For the intervention, the control group applied general physiotherapy, the experimental group I applied a sham FES with ankle exercise, and the experimental group II applied a FES with ankle exercise. All groups applied the intervention for 30 min per ses-sion, 5 times a week, for a total of 8 weeks. The functional reaching test (FRT), Timed Up and Go test was used to measure balance ability, and H-reflex was used to measure spinal motor neuron excitability. All tests were measured before and after the intervention. In the ankle exercise with FES group, spinal motor neuron excitability significantly decreased (P<0.05), and FRT was significantly increased (P<0.05). Therefore, FES with ankle exercise for stroke patients could be suggested as an effec-tive intervention for improving motor function.

This study aimed to compare the short-term effects of sciatic nerve neural sliding and neural stretching exercises on hamstring muscle length and functional flexibility in wrestlers. The study participants in-cluded 74 wrestlers. The athletes were randomly divided into two groups: neural sliding and neural stretching groups. The hamstring flexibility and the functional flexibility were assessed using the active knee ex-tension limitation (AKEL) angle and the sit and reach (SR) test one day before and immediately after the neural mobilization exercises, respec-tively. A three-way repeated measures analysis of variance was con-ducted that examined the effect of mobilization type, time, and gender on interest in AKEL right leg, AKEL left leg, and SR test. There is not a significant difference between the effect of two different mobilizations on AKEL right and left leg, and SR test (P>0.05). It was determined there is statistically significant differences between premobilization and post-mobilization outcome measures for AKEL right leg (F=59.886, P=0.001), AKEL left leg (F=31.896, P=0.001), and SR test (F=22.630, P=0.001). There is not a statistically significant difference between males and females by these three measures neural sliding and neural stretching exercises to the sciatic nerve in wrestlers were effective in increasing hamstring flexibility and functional flexibility and not superior to each other.

This study aimed to analyze the effect of wearing a mouthguard or not on masticatory muscle tone and stiffness of male taekwondo athletes during high-intensity weight training. The participants were male tae-kwondo athletes and aged 18 to 22 years. We randomly divided 24 men into the control group (CON; without a mouthguard; n=12) and the ex-perimental group (MOG; with a mouthguard; n=12). Masticatory muscle tone and stiffness were measured after weight training at a level of 70% of one-repetition maximum. As a result of this study, masticatory muscle tone was no different in intragroup and intergroup after experiment. In addition, although the masticatory muscle stiffness was significantly higher in the dominant side of the MOG, there was no difference in in-tergroup, intragroup, and interaction. Through this study, it is necessary to consider the selective wearing of a mouthguard according to the training methods when partially analyzed from the physiological point of view of the masticatory muscle of taekwondo athletes.

We aimed to investigate change the instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) rehabilitation exercise on range of motion (ROM), isokinetic ankle strength, and balance. We included 20 elite taekwondo players (chronic ankle instability) in Korea. They were divided into the IASTM group (n=10), control group (n=10). IASTM group were exer-cised with IASTM rehabilitation exercise four times per week for 8 weeks. The remaining control group did not receive exercise inter-vention between tests and served as the control. A goniometer was used to measure dorsi-flexion (D/F), plantar-flexion (P/F), a dynamome-ter was used to measure ankle isokinetic strength, and plantar foot pressure was used to measure static balance. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in IASTM group and control group: ROM (right P/F, P<0.001; right D/F, P<0.01; left P/F, P<0.000; left D/F, P<0.000), isokinetic strength (right P/F 60°, P<0.000; right D/F 60°, P<0.000; left P/F 60°, P<0.000; left D/F 60°, P<0.000; right P/F 180°, P<0.000; right D/F 180°, P<0.000; left: P/F 180°, P<0.000, left D/F 180°, P<0.000), and balance test (static eye open, P<0.000; static eye close, P<0.000; postural stability, P<0.041). These results suggest that IASTM rehabilitation exercise improves ankle stability, muscle power, and body balance in chronic ankle instability taekwondo players.

Exercise performance is reduced in hot environments due to physiolog-ical responses caused by increased body temperature. A proper resi-dential environment is important for improving the performance and maintaining physical condition of soccer players in the summer. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of indoor temperature of the resting space during the summer on the fitness and condition of soccer players. A total of 12 K-3 League semiprofessional players with-out serious injuries in the last 3 months voluntarily participated in the study. Participants performed speed (10 m, 20 m, and 30 m), soccer-spe-cific coordination skill (dribbling), agility, repeated sprints, Yo-Yo inter-mittent level 2, vertical jump, and questionnaire (fatigue, sleep quality, muscle soreness, stress, and mood) after staying indoor temperature at 20°C, 26°C, and 30°C for one night, respectively. There was no differ-ence among groups in physical fitness (speed, agility, jump, coordina-tion, Yo-Yo intermittent level 2, and repeated sprints). The differences in fatigue and sleep quality were not statistically significant among groups, but they tended to be different. Muscle soreness was similar among all groups. Significant differences were observed between the 20°C and 30°C groups in stress and mood levels. The present study con-cluded that, while the physical fitness did not differ among groups, the 30°C residential environment was shown to have a negative psycholog-ical effect. Considering that many diseases associated with hot weath-er occur in low residential temperatures, a room temperature of 26°C is recommended for elite soccer players in hot summer weather.

We invented a wearable device that can measure voiding time and fre-quency by checking a habitual series of characteristic motions among men. This study collected and analyzed urination time data collected smart bands worn by patients to resolve the clinical issues posed by using voiding charts. By developing a smart band-based algorithm for assessing urination time in patients, this study aimed to explore the fea-sibility of urination management systems. This study aimed to assess urination time based on a patient’s posture and changes in posture. Motion data were obtained from a smart band on the arm. An algorithm that identifies the three stages of urination (forward movement, urina-tion, backward movement) was developed based on data collected from a 3-axis accelerometer and tilt angle data. Therefore, we analyze hidden Markov model (HMM)-based sequential data to determine uri-nation time. Real-time data were acquired from the smart band. For data corresponding to a specific duration, the value of the signals was calculated and then compared with the set analysis model to calculate the time of urination. The final accuracy of the algorithm was calculated based on clinical guidelines for urologists. The experiment showed a high average accuracy of 92.5%, proving the robustness of the pro-posed algorithm. The proposed urination time recognition technology draws on acceleration data and tilt angle data collected via a smart band; these data were then analyzed using a classifier after applying the HMM method.