Earticle

Exercise and rehabilitation interventions are essential for health resto-ration, yet reviews on related clinical trials remain limited despite in-creasing research interest. This study analyzed the characteristics, de-signs, sample sizes, and outcome variables of clinical trials registered with the Clinical Research Information Service in South Korea, focusing on exercise and rehabilitation interventions. A systematic search using “exercise” and “rehabilitation” identified 1,089 trials registered up to June 9, 2024, with 470 meeting the inclusion criteria. Most studies (79.79%) were retrospectively registered, and 45.11% were open-label trials. Behavioral interventions (26.60%) and medical devices (22.34%) were most common, targeting circulatory (27.45%) and musculoskeletal (19.79%) conditions. Frequently assessed outcomes included ‘balance,’ ‘pain,’ and ‘walking.’ A notable increase in trials was observed since 2017. However, the high proportion of retrospective registrations and open-label designs highlights the need for more prospective and blind-ed trials to enhance research quality.

Grounding, the practice of direct contact with the Earth’s surface, has been explored for its potential to alleviate inflammation and neurotoxicity. Trimethyltin (TMT) is a potent neurotoxic compound known for inducing severe central nervous system damage, particularly neuronal death and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus, which is frequently used as an animal model to study neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer disease, due to its ability to induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and neurodegeneration. This study investigated the effect of a grounding mat on cognitive function, neuroinflammation, and neuroprotection in a TMT-induced neurotoxicity rats. Rats were divided into five groups: no grounding mat with saline (Nor), no grounding mat with TMT (Con), electric mat for 21 days with TMT (EM), grounding mat for 7 days with TMT (A-7D), and grounding mat for 21 days with TMT (A-21D). Cognitive function was assessed via the Y-maze test, while blood levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and hippocampal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay. The Con group showed impaired memory and elevated IL-1β and PGE2 levels, alongside reduced IL-4, compared to the Nor group. The A-7D group improved memory performance, and the A-21D group showed reductions in IL-1β and P PGE2, with increased IL-4 levels. Both A-7D and A-21D groups had elevated AChE levels compared to the Con group. These findings suggest that grounding may enhance cognitive function by reducing inflammation and promoting neuroprotection in a neurotoxicity model.

This study explores the effect of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilita-tion (PNF) exercises combined with a virtual reality (VR) motion capture system and concurrent feedback (CF) on early shoulder muscle activa-tion in healthy individuals. Thirty healthy participants sequentially per-formed three PNF diagonal 2 shoulder exercises: PNF alone, PNF with VR (PNF+VR), and PNF with VR and CF (PNF+VR+CF), with the latter two exercises presented in randomized order. Using wireless surface elec-tromyography and 3-dimensonal (3D) inertial measurement units, the activation of the upper trapezius (UT), lower trapezius (LT), infraspinatus (INF), and serratus anterior (SA) muscles, as well as shoulder flexion, abduction, and external rotation range of motion, were recorded during three exercises. INF and LT muscles were activated earlier in abduction and flexion during PNF+VR and PNF+VR+CF exercises than in PNF alone (P<0.05). These muscles were also activated during the early external rotation phase during PNF alone (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in UT and SA muscle activation among PNF alone, PNF+VR, and PNF+VR+CF exercises (P>0.05). Integrating VR gaming elements and CF into PNF shoulder exercises may promote ear-ly muscle activation, offering a promising approach for advanced reha-bilitation strategies that can potentially improve patient outcomes. VR motion capture systems have the potential to transform traditional ther-apeutic approaches by increasing enjoyment and engage

Regular participation in regularly performed physical activity (PA) is recommended for proper development of rapidly changing physical and psychological status of adolescents. Despite the importance of proper PA, various prioritizing factors in adolescents’ daily lives such as com-petitive academic performance deter regular participation. This study has been conducted to analyze impact of PA on academic performance (grades) for middle to high school female adolescents. 20th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey data with 8 factors were utilized for the study. 25,668 female adolescents across six grade levels (M1, M2, M3, H1, H2, H3) were grouped to sedentary (SG: 2 or fewer days/wk) and physically active (PG: 3 or more days/wk) groups based on their weekly PA days and compared. Also, each incremented day of PA (0- through 7-day PA) was further compared. Although SG and PG showed mixed results, in-cremented PA days showed either significantly better academic perfor-mances or no difference. Significant poor academic performances were shown for 7-day PA compared to 0-day PA for M2 (2.88±1.19 vs. 3.25± 1.17), M3 (2.84±1.20 vs. 3.23±1.23), H3 (3.02±1.08 vs. 3.51±1.09). Although body mass index (BMI) of each grade level was within normal range for all PA groups, significantly increased BMI was shown in SG groups. Moreover, perceived effort on weight control (effort) was shown for all 7-day PA groups compared to all 0-day PA groups. In conclusion, regu-larly performed PA may positively influence or have no effect on aca-demic performance. However, excessive PA aimed at weight control may have a negative impact.

Fatigue is a state of difficulty maintaining voluntary activity. Cortisol, which is essential for stress regulation, can cause tissue damage when elevated for long periods of time, which is a common problem for office workers in stressful environments. Sleep quality is important for health and cognitive function, while sleep deprivation increases the risk of physical and mental health disorders. Gyrokinesis combines circular, spiral, and wave movements influenced by yoga, tai chi, and ballet to provide a calming effect on the sympathetic nervous system. This study investigated the effects of Gyrokinesis exercise on lower extremity edema, muscle strength, fatigue, and sleep quality in sedentary office workers. Twenty-seven adult women aged 20–40 years were randomly assigned to a Gyrokinesis exercise group (n=14) or a control group (n=13). The exercise group participated in 60-min Gyrokinesis sessions twice a week for 8 weeks, while the control group used elastic compres-sion stockings during their working hours. Results showed a significant decrease in fatigue and an improvement in sleep quality in the exercise group. Cortisol and serotonin levels showed a significant between-group interaction effect, with within-group changes observed only in the exer-cise group. Sleep quality indices improved significantly over time. In con-clusion, Gyrokinesis exercise has the potential to improve physical and psychological well-being in sedentary office workers by positively influ-encing fatigue, sleep quality, and related hormone levels.

Nonspecific neck pain occurs without a clear cause and has a variety of causes. We investigated the characteristics and subjective feelings according to the intensity and duration of pain in patients with nonspe-cific neck pain. A survey was conducted on 43 patients complaining of neck pain according to pain duration and pain intensity. As a result, there was a significant difference between pain intensity and sleep (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between pain duration and sleep, pain duration and emotion (P<0.05). In addition, common feelings such as stiff, heavy, tight, and throbbing were observed according to pain intensity and duration. Therefore, consideration of sleep and emo-tion is necessary when composing an intervention to improve pain in patients with nonspecific neck pain.