Earticle

Stress during pregnancy has a negative effect on the fetus. However, maternal exercise has a positive effect on the cognitive function of the fetus and alleviates the negative effects of stress. This study aimed to demonstrate whether exercise before pregnancy has a protective ef-fect on prenatal stress-induced impairment of memory, neurogenesis and mitochondrial function in mice offspring. In this experiment, immu-nohistochemistry, Western blot, measurement of mitochondria oxygen respiration, and behavior tests were performed. Spatial memory and short-term memory of the offspring from the prenatal stress with exer-cise were increased compared to the offspring from the prenatal stress. The numbers of doublecortin-positive and 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine- positive cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the offspring from the prenatal stress with exercise were higher compared to the offspring from the prenatal stress. The expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, postsynaptic density 95 kDa, and synaptophysin in the hippo-campus of the offspring from the prenatal stress with exercise were enhanced compared to the offspring from the prenatal stress. Oxygen consumption of the offspring from the prenatal stress with exercise were higher compared to the offspring from the prenatal stress. Exer-cise before pregnancy alleviated prenatal stress-induced impairment of memory, neurogenesis, and mitochondrial function. Therefore, exercise before pregnancy may have a protective effect against prenatal stress of the offspring.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (BP), is a critical health issue that can cause cardiovascular disease. It is observed more fre-quently in older adults. Thus, this study aimed to identify the functional fitness and body composition factors that significantly influence both systolic and diastolic BPs in older adults. Data from 155,266 older adults (51,751 men [33.3%] and 103,505 women [66.7%]) who underwent func-tional fitness tests between 2013 and 2018 were analyzed. The following seven functional fitness tests were conducted: (a) aerobic endurance (2-min step), (b) upper body muscle strength (hand grip strength), (c) lower body muscle endurance (chair sit-and-stand), (d) flexibility (sit-and-reach), (e) agility (Timed Up and Go), and (f) body composition (body mass index [BMI] and body fat percentage). Systolic and diastolic BPs were used as outcome variables. In examining the proposed relation-ships, the regression analysis re-vealed that BMI, body fat percentage, sit-and-reach, 2-min step, hand grip, chair sit-and-stand, and Timed Up and Go were significantly associated with reduced systolic and diastol-ic body pressures.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease caused tearing and progressive wear of articular cartilage, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is recommended to patients with OA. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilita-tion (PNF) and both sides up ball (BOSU) exercises on pain, range of motion (ROM), and muscle function in patients following TKA. Ten par-ticipants who have limitation of the knee joint from TKA were divided into two groups: the continuous passive motion (CPM)+PNF exercise group (n=5) and the CPM+BOUS exercise group (n=5). Exercise reha-bilitation program consisted of PNF and BOSU exercises, and both ex-ercises were performed twice a day for 2 weeks. To examine effect of exercise rehabilitation, visual analogue scale (VAS), sit and reach flexi-bility, knee ROM, and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were measured be-fore and after exercise intervention. A two-way repeated analysis of variance was used to confirm the main effect. If there was a significant interaction effect, an independent t-test between groups or a paired t-test between times was applied. VAS, sit and reach flexibility, knee ROM and TUG did not show interaction between the PNF and BOSU exercise groups, but all measured variables showed significant differ-ences over time. Present findings provide information that PNF and BOSU exercise rehabilitation after TKA might be an important part of ensuring successful surgical outcomes as they have a positive impact on reducing pain, increasing ROM, improving muscle strength, and en-hancing daily life movements.

This study aimed to explore the influence of metaverse technology (MT) factors like presence, usability, and enjoyment on patients’ satisfaction, with a focus on examining potential mediating effects. In addition, it sought to assess whether the yoga practice as an intervention therapy in MT induces changes in the pain, anxiety, and depression levels of patients experiencing back pain. From the pool of 202 participants, this study chose participants who had reported enduring low back pain over 12 weeks, with a visual analogue scale (VAS) rating of 4 or higher. After completing the questionnaire, patients were randomly assigned to either the control group (COG, n=100) or the yoga exercise group (YEG, n=99). Results showed that the construct validity for questionnaires and a reasonable model fit were confirmed, and that presence showed a statistically significant effect on psychological satisfaction via the me-diating path of enjoyment (β=0.592, P=0.001). Following 8 weeks of the yoga practice, the VAS increased for the COG, while it decreased sig-nificantly by ~29% for the YEG (P=0.001). YEG also exhibited a decrease in the Oswestry Disability Index by ~17%, anxiety by ~7%, and depres-sion by ~10% (P=0.001). In conclusion, psychological satisfaction in a yoga practice using a metaverse cannot be achieved solely through the sense of presence; enjoyment is necessary for patients’ satisfaction. Moreover, it was verified that virtual yoga practice is effective in ame-liorating psychological factors resulting from back pain.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of proprioceptive exer-cise training on soccer skills and physical fitness in young soccer play-ers. Nineteen young soccer players participated in the study. Partici-pants were divided into proprioceptive exercises training (PT) and con-trol (Cont) groups. The physical fitness and soccer skill performance test assessed at pre- and posttraining. Balance ability and power sig-nificantly improved in both groups after 8 weeks of training (P<0.05). Dribble in the PT group was similar between pre- and posttraining, with a statistically significant difference in the Cont group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences within and between groups according to training in the left and right feet for juggling. The PT and Cont groups did not differ significantly regarding short passes posttraining. However, a significant improvement in long passes was observed in the PT group after training period (P<0.05). Shooting was no different between and within the groups. In conclusion, these inconsistent findings are thought to be due to the applied exercise method, training duration, and the specificity of the physical growth period of the young players. There-fore, it is necessary to increase the frequency and time of propriocep-tive exercise training and apply factors for cognitive ability improvement to training programs for young soccer players in future studies. These studies could suggest appropriate training methods necessary to im-prove the performance of young soccer players.

This study aims to demonstrate that when performing dynamic time warping (DTW) on gait data, multiple optimal warping paths (OWPs) with a minimum sum of local costs can occur and to propose an addi-tional OWP selection method to address this problem. A 3-dimensional motion analysis experiment was conducted on 55 adult participants, in-cluding both males and females, to acquire gait data. This study ana-lyzed 990 instances of DTW on gait data to examine the occurrence of multiple OWPs with the minimum sum of local costs. We subsequently applied an additional selection method to the multiple OWPs to deter-mine the feasibility of identifying a single OWP. Multiple OWPs through DTW were observed 82 times, accounting for 8.28%. Notably, on the ankle joint of males, the rate was the highest at 11.11%. Cases with two multiple OWPs were the most prevalent at 56.10%, and cases with ten or more multiple OWPs accounted for 19.51%. The additional selection method proposed in this study was applied to the 82 instances in which multiple OWPs occurred. The results demonstrated the ability to identify a unique OWP in all cases. These results hold significance in identifying the shortcomings of conventional OWP selection methods previously employed and proposing solutions. It enhances the reliability, validity, and accuracy of studies utilizing DTW.