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The neurological regulation of the lower urinary tract can be viewed separately from the perspective of sensory neurons and motor neurons. First, in the receptors of the bladder and urethra of sensory nerves, sensations are transmitted through the periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain to the cerebral cortex, and the cerebrum goes through the process of decision-making. Motor neurons are divided into upper motor neurons (UMNs) and lower motor neurons (LMNs). UMNs coordinate storage and micturition in the brain stem so that synergic voiding can occur. LMNs facilitate muscle contractions in the spinal cord. The muscles involved in urinary storage and micturition are innervated by the somatic branches of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and peripheral nerves. Sympathetic nerves are responsible for contractions of urethral smooth muscles, while parasympathetic nerves originate from S2–S4 and are in charge of contractions of the bladder muscle. Somatic nerves originate from the motor neurons in Onuf’s nucleus, which is a specific part of somatic nerves. In this review, we will investigate the structures of the nervous systems related to the lower urinary tract and the regulatory system of innervation for the urinary storage and micturition and discuss the clinical significance and future prospects of neurourological research.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been introduced in urology research and practice. Application of AI leads to better accuracy of disease diagno-sis and predictive model for monitoring of responses to medical treat-ments. This mini-review article aims to summarize current applications and development of AI in urology setting, in particular for diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases. This review will introduce that ma-chine learning algorithm-based models will enhance the prediction ac-curacy for various bladder diseases including interstitial cystitis, blad-der cancer, and reproductive urology.

Many older adults experience a decline in shoulder function due to ag-ing. This decline leads to limitations in daily activities and a lower quali-ty of life. The incorporation of physical therapy interventions through elastic band exercises has demonstrated improved overall physical faculties among older adults. However, there is limited literature regard-ing the effect of these interventions on shoulder function in older adults. This scoping review summarized the current literature regarding elastic band exercises targeting shoulder function in older adults. A systematic literature search was performed using the Scopus and PubMed data-bases. An additional manual search was conducted using the PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database). Articles were included if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2017–2021. After assessing eli-gibility, five randomized controlled trials articles were included in the analysis. We discovered that two types of elastic interventions were applied to older adults: namely, the TheraBand and tube bands. We ob-served heterogeneity in participant characteristics among the studies (healthy older adults, older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and older adults with sarcopenic obesity). The duration of the exercise intervention ranged from 3 to 36 sessions. Only one study mea-sured shoulder function as the primary outcome. Our findings suggest that elastic band exercises have been applied to older adults in various conditions and tended to be effective; however, evidence on this topic is insufficient.

In the present study, alcohol, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and carbon tet-rachloride (CCL4) were administered to experimental mice. Alanine ami-notransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 concentrations, and collagen type 1alpha (COL-1A) and fibronectin expressions were mea-sured to evaluate pathophysiology of liver injury. Levels of ALT and AST were significantly increased by alcohol treatment. Alcohol with LPS treatment increased ALT and AST levels more than alcohol alone treat-ment, but it was not statistically significant. Alcohol with CCL4 treatment significantly increased ALT and AST levels more than alcohol alone treatment. Alcohol with LPS and CCL4 treatment significantly increased ALT and AST levels more than alcohol with CCL4 treatment. Concentra-tions of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were significantly enhanced by alcohol treatment. Alcohol with LPS treatment significantly enhanced concen-trations of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 more than alcohol alone treatment. Al-cohol with CCL4 treatment significantly enhanced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 concentrations more than alcohol alone treatment. Alcohol with LPS and CCL4 treatment increased TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 concentrations more than alcohol with CCL4 treatment, but it was not statistically signif-icant. COL-1A and fibronectin expressions were significantly increased by alcohol treatment. Alcohol with LPS treatment significantly in-creased COL-1A and fibronectin expressions more than alcohol alone treatment. Alcohol with CCL4 treatment significantly increased COL-1A and fibronectin expressions more than alcohol alone treatment. Alcohol with LPS and CCL4 treatment increased COL-1A and fibronectin expres-sions more than alcohol with CCL4 treatment, but it was not statistically significant.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain representing gradually cognitive impairment. CCH induces mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal cell death in the brain. Exercise is known to have a neuroprotective effect on brain damage and cognitive dysfunction. This study aimed to clarify the neuroprotective effect of low-intensity treadmill exercise (LITE) by enhancing cerebellar mitochondrial calcium retention capacity in an animal model of CCH. Wistar rats were divided into the sham group, the bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion (BCCAO) group, and the BCCAO and treadmill exercise (BCCAO+Ex) group. BCCAO+Ex group engaged the LITE on a treadmill for 30 min once a day for 8 weeks before the BCCAO surgery to investigate the protective effect of LITE on cognitive impairment. CCH induced by BCCAO resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction in the cerebellum, including impaired calcium homeostasis. CCH also decreased cerebellar Purkinje cells including of calbindin D28k and parvalbumin, resulting in cognitive impairment. The impairment of mitochondrial function, loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells, and cognitive dysfunction ameliorated by exercise. The present study showed that LITE hindered the deficit of spatial working memory and loss of Purkinje cell in the cerebellum induced by CCH. We confirmed that the protective effect of LITE on Purkinje cell by enhanced the mitochondrial calcium retention capacity. We suggest that LITE may protect against cognitive impairment, and further studies are needed to develop the intervention for patients who suffered from CCH.

This study determined the effectiveness of a 12-week cycle of Ruesi Dadton (RSD) among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), for improving cognitive and physical performance. Seventy-six partici-pants were included and were divided equally into two groups. A group performed RSD exercise for 60 min, 3 times/wk for 12 weeks, and the control group did not perform RSD exercise. The primary endpoint was cognitive function, as assessed by the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination, verbal fluency (VF) test, and trail making test parts A and B (TMT-A and TMT-B). The secondary endpoints were the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, handgrip, and gait speed results, which were used to evaluate the physical function. There were significant differences in the TMT-B and handgrip scores (P<0.05) between the two groups. Both groups had improved MoCA scores (P<0.05) and normal walking speeds (P<0.01). Additionally, the RSD group showed improved VF test (P<0.01), TMT-B (P<0.01), and TUG test (P<0.05); a negative correlation was found between MoCA and TUG test (P<0.05). However, high walking speed and handgrip (P<0.05) worsened in the control group. RSD exercise resulted in relevant im-provements in the cognitive and physical functions in MCI.

This study aimed to examine the changes in the blood fatigue indica-tors, inflammatory markers, and stress hormones following an 8-week intensity interval training in sprinters, and to investigate the effects on changes in the 100-m sprint records. Twenty sprinters from a boys’ high school were equally assigned to high-intensity and medium-intensity interval training groups, and three 60-min interval training sessions were performed per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions. Exer-cise intensity was defined as 85%–95% and 75%–85% of heart rate re-serve for high- and medium-intensity training, respectively. At rest, both groups had an exercise intensity of 60% of the heart rate reserve. Our results showed decreased fatigue indicators, inflammatory markers, and stress hormone levels after high-intensity and medium-intensity in-terval training, with no difference between the training levels. In addi-tion, the 100-m sprint records were different in high- and medium-inten-sity interval training groups, based on the lactate dehydrogenase and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels. In conclusion, medium-intensity interval training with a reserve heart rate of ≥75% can have a positive effect on blood fatigue indicators, inflammatory markers, and stress hormones in sprinters. Specifically, the changes in adrenocorticotropic hormone level seen in the high-intensity interval training group were found to have a significant effect on the 100-m sprinting records.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate balance abili-ty, isokinetic moments, and physical fitness according to the growth pe-riod from middle school to university in male taekwondo players. Thirty- five taekwondo players (middle school, n=11; high school, n=15; uni-versity, n=9) participated in this study. The anteriorposterior and medi-al-lateral CoP displacement at balance ability was better in university players than in high school and middle school players. The isokinetic knee joint muscle strength of the right extension and flexion % body weight (BW) at 60°/s was higher in university players than in high school players. The average power of right flexion BW at 180°/sec was higher in middle school players than in high school players. Back strength was higher in university players than in middle and high school players. The repeated jump was higher in high school players than in middle school players. The standing broad jump was higher in university players than in middle school players. The side-step was higher in university players than in high school players. The average power and total energy of an-aerobic power were higher in university and high school players than in middle school players. The peak drop in anaerobic power was higher in middle school players than in high school players. Based on the results of the present study, the growth period should be considered when ap-plying training such as balance, isokinetic moments, and physical fitness to male taekwondo players.

The purpose of this study was to verify the accuracy of the agreement between heart rate at the first ventilatory threshold (HRVT1) and heart rate at the end of the 6-min walk test (HR6MWT) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients on β-blockers treatment. This was a cross-sectional study with stable CAD patients, which performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill and a 6-min walk test (6MWT) on nonconsecutive days. The accuracy of agreement between HRVT1 and HR6MWT was evaluated by Bland–Altman analysis and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (rc), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and standard error of estimate (SEE). Seventeen stable CAD patients on β-blockers treatment (male, 64.7%; age, 61±10 years) were included in data analysis. The Bland–Altman analysis revealed a negative bias of -0.41±6.4 bpm (95% limits of agreements, -13 to 12.2 bpm) between HRVT1 and HR6MWT. There was acceptable agreement between HRVT1 and HR6MWT (rc=0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.93; study power anal-ysis=0.79). The MAPE of the HR6MWT was 5.1% and SEE was 6.6 bpm. The ratio HRVT1/HRpeak and HR6MWT/HRpeak from CPET were not significantly different (81%±5% vs. 81%±6%, P=0.85); respectively. There was a high correlation between HRVT1 and HR6MWT (r=0.85, P<0.0001). Finally, the results of the present study demonstrate that there was an accept-able agreement between HRVT1 and HR6MWT in CAD patients on β-block-ers treatment and suggest that HR6MWT may be useful to prescribe and control aerobic exercise intensity in cardiac rehabilitation programs.