Earticle

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the timing of tread-mill exercise application can control expression levels of neuropathic pain- and regeneration-related proteins in the ipsilateral lumbar 4 (L4) to 6 (L6) dorsal root ganglion cells (DRG) after sciatic nerve injury (SNI). The experimental rats were randomly divided into five groups: the nor-mal control, SNI+sedentary (IS), exercise+SNI (EI), SNI+exercise (IE), exercise+SNI+exercise (EIE) groups. The rats in exercise groups per-formed treadmill exercise at a speed of 8 m/min for 30 min once a day during 14 days before and/or after SNI. For investigating the expression of specific neuropathic pain and regeneration-related proteins in DRG, we prepared L4 to L6 DRG in the ipsilateral side. In the quantitative anal-ysis, growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43) and brain-derived neuro-trophic factor levels were further increased in the ipsilateral DRG at all treadmill exercise groups than those in IS group. In the histological findings, GAP-43 was qualitatively increased IE and EIE groups than IS group at DRG. Wnt3a and β-catenin were dramatically downregulated in EIE and IE groups than IS groups. In addition, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells and tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly decreased in IE and EIE groups than IS group in the ipsilateral DRG. Our findings suggested novel information that regular low-intensity exercise before and/or after SNI might be a therapeutic and preventive approaches for relieving neuropathic pain and improv-ing axonal elongation after peripheral nerve injury.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the job stress of commercial sports center workers on organizational commit-ment and turnover intention. The causal relationship between their de-mographic characteristics and job stress was investigated for 261 out of 300 workers working at commercial sports centers in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi province. There was a difference by work type, and it was found that there was a difference between regular and contract workers. Role-related and interpersonal relationships had a negative influence relationship in terms of tenure commitment, normative com-mitment, and affective commitment. Job characteristics, role-related, interpersonal relationship, and compensation system had an influence on turnover intention. In other words, it was found that role-related and interpersonal relationships had a positive effect on turnover intention, and job characteristics and compensation system had a negative effect on turnover intention. It was found that job stress affects both organiza-tional commitment and turnover intention. The results of this study indi-cate that job stress, organizational commitment, and turnover intention should be dealt with mainly in order to reduce turnover intention of com-mercial sports center workers. In other words, clearer guidelines on the role of commercial sports center workers and various welfare programs for improving human relationships should be provided. Therefore, com-mercial sports centers should continuously research and develop ways to maximize job satisfaction from the perspective of workers in order to reduce job stress and induce positive organizational commitment.

This study aimed to analyze nursing diagnoses determined by the nurs-ing students for pa-tients in rehabilitation unit. Data were collected from 190 case reports submitted by the nursing students who practiced in the rehabilitation unit, and analyzed on the basis of North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) International, Inc. nursing di-agnoses. Thirty different diagnoses were documented in rehabilitation unit. The most frequent nursing diagnosis was im-paired physical mo-bility (n=68, 14.6%). The 30 diagnoses were grouped into 10 domains and 20 classes of the NANDA International, Inc. human response pat-terns. The average quality of nursing statements corresponded to a score of 8.63, indicating relatively good quality. The re-sults of this study will help to improve the quality of nursing process education and pro-vide guidelines to improve the quality of nursing care for the rehabilita-tion nursing situation in Korea.

This study aims to examine the relationship between postural perfor-mance, physical fitness level, and shooting performance in Olympic fe-male goalball players. Eight Olympic-level goalball players (age: 20.63± 4.37 years) were recruited from the Turkish National Women’s Goalball Team. Postural stability, physical fitness, and shooting performance of the players were measured. The postural stability was determined us-ing body sway measurements during parallel and single-leg stances on a force plate. The physical fitness level of the players is evaluated by curl-up, isometric push-up, trunk lift, and grip strength (dominant hand) tests. A goalball-specific shooting accuracy test was used for shooting performance. Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation were used for statistical processing. No statistical difference was observed in body sway parameters between open eyes and closed eyes condi-tions except for the anteroposterior sway area. Some of the body sway parameters performed under different stances positively correlated with all physical fitness tests (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the shooting accuracy and trunk lift score (r=0.767). Right leg sway area anterior-posterior and ellipse area negatively correlated with shooting accuracy (r=-0.629 and r=-0.692 respectively). It is necessary to attach importance to the improvement of the physical fitness level specific to core strength to maintain postural stability for visually im-paired athletes. In our study, some factors affecting shooting accuracy were identified, but it is necessary not to restrict a complex structure such as shooting accuracy within certain concepts.

This study aimed to investigate the adequacy of the visual-motor inte-gration (VMI) scale for Korean elderly (VMIS-KE) compared to tradition-al measures, mini-mental state examination of Korean version (MMSE-KC) and Beery VMI for cognitive decline in diabetic older adults. For this explanatory research, data were collected from September 1 to Sep-tember 15, 2013, from 34 diabetic older adults and 31 nondiabetic older adults in Daegu and Gyeongsan of Korea. Mean differences between the two groups were analyzed with SPSS 18.0. The diabetic older adults showed significantly lower scores in the VMIS-KE (t=4.128, P<0.001) and MMSE-KC (t=2.231, P=0.029) compared with the nondiabetic older adults. In all subcategories of VMI-KE, figure cognition (t=5.342, P<0.001), memory (t=3.011, P=0.004) and spatial cognition (t=2.639, P=0.011), there were significant differences whereas no significant difference in the VMI-6th revision (t=0.994, P=0.325). VMIS-KE could be a sensitive indicator to assess cognitive change in older adults with diabetes and health care providers should periodically evaluate vulnerable groups such as them with it.

It is necessary to understand movement characteristics of elite female soccer players during a match to develop effective training program. The purpose of this study is to analyze the physical demands of Korean female professional soccer players during a competitive season. Twen-ty-four female professional players (age: 27.8±3.9 years; height: 165.7± 5.1 cm) from a team, belonging to the women’s professional soccer league in South Korea participated in the study. The players participat-ed in 11 home matches and 10 away matches from April 26 to Novem-ber 9 of the 2011 season. Body weight and body mass index decreased during the first half-season compared to the preseason (P<0.05), and the decreased values were maintained until the second half-season. Total distance covered by the players was more than 9.5 km per match. No difference was found in the total distance, movement distance by exercise intensities, number of sprints and accelerations, and maximum speed between the first half- and second half-seasons. Midfielders covered the most distance during a match compared to other positions (P<0.05). Wing forward covered the most distance of high-intensity ex-ercise. Maximum speed during the match was higher among wing for-ward and forward than in other positions (P<0.05). There were no sig-nificant differences between home and away matches in all variables (P>0.05). In conclusion, in order to improve the performance of female soccer players and prevent injuries, a training program should be con-structed that considers the characteristics of each player and playing position rather than uniform training in a team.

A randomized control trial was conducted to investigate the synergistic effects of Gotu kola supplementation and multicomponent exercise on cognitive function, inflammation, and oxidative stress in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Sixty participants aged 74.6±7.3 years with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of 20.7±2.6 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a multicomponent exercise training group (EXE, n=20), a multicomponent exercise training with Gotu kola supplementation group (EXE+GK, n=20), or a placebo-controlled group (CON, n=20). Each participant received one capsule of placebo or 500 mg twice a day of Gotu kola extract. The multicomponent exer-cise program comprised of supervised resistance, aerobic, balance and dual-task training: three 80-min sessions/week for 12 weeks. The prima-ry outcomes, such as cognitive function, inflammatory markers, and ox-idative stress, were measured before and after the 12-week interven-tion. Following the interventions, the EXE and EXE+GK had significantly higher MMSE (P<0.01), Digit Span Forward test (DSF) (P<0.01), Digit Span Backward test (P<0.01) scores, and lower Trail Making Test parts A (P<0.01) and B (P<0.01) and lower 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (P<0.01) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (P<0.01) than the CON. The change in DSF and TNF-α in the EXE+GK had a negative correlation (r=-0.504, P<0.05). In conclusion, multicomponent exercise training with or without the supplement Gotu kola improves cognitive function, inflammation, and oxidative stress in older adults with MCI. Although supplementing with Gotu kola had no additional effects on cognitive function, it may improve the effects of multicomponent exercise on ex-ecutive function by decreasing TNF-α levels.