Factors associated with the implementation of physical activity among National Institute of Technology students during school closure due to COVID-19 / 体力科学

We examined the characteristics of students with high levels of physical activity during school closure due to the coronavirus pandemic and the factors related to performing physical activity. A total of 404 students, enrolled in Hachinohe National College of Technology, participated in the study. After data cleaning and processing, 345 responses were analyzed. Online classes were held between April 20 and June 5, 2020. A questionnaire was used to survey the lifestyle of students during this period. Additionally, a physical activity survey was conducted in the second week of June 2020, when face-to-face classes resumed. Among students who liked exercising, vigorous physical activity (VPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and total physical activity in both male and female students and moderate physical activity in male students were significantly higher than that of students who disliked exercising. However, among students who were not afraid of coronavirus, only the VPA of females students was significantly higher than that of students who were afraid. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by logistic regression analysis with the high MVPA group (MVPA ≥ 420 min/week) as the dependent variable and participants’ characteristics as independent variables. We found an association between high MVPA and belonging to an exercise club (OR: 1.85, CI: 1.06–3.22, p=0.030), liking exercise (OR: 4.14, CI: 1.83–9.38, p=0.001), frequently going out (OR: 3.24, CI: 1.74–6.03, p<0.001), and number of factors preventing people from going out (OR: 1.96, CI: 1.05–3.63, p=0.033).

What is the effect of vigorous exercise on the brain?

Abstract Aims: This study aimed to verify whether vigorous exercise is capable of generating mental fatigue. Methods: To do so, 16 young adult male (29.4 ± 5.2 years old) cyclists (5.4 ± 4.6 years of training) underwent three visits: 1) control session (rest); 2) session with cognitive demand (20 minutes of AX-CPT); 3) session with vigorous exercise (10km time trial). Mental fatigue was assessed using the visual analog scale of fatigue in the pre-and post-session moments. A two-way ANOVA of repeated measures followed by the Bonferroni posthoc was used to verify the effect of the condition (control, cognitive demand, and exercise) and time (pre and post) interaction. The paired "t" test was used to compare the delta of mental fatigue (post - pre) of the sessions. The partial eta squared was used to determine the effect size of the variance. The significance adopted was p < 0.05. Results: A condition x time interaction was observed (F (2.30) = 5.349, p = 0.010, partial η2 = 0.263). When comparing the deltas, a mean difference was found between the control and vigorous exercise (p = 0.033) conditions and cognitive demand and vigorous exercise (p = 0.017) conditions. Control and cognitive demand sessions showed no difference (p = 0.801). Conclusion: The findings suggest that intense physical exercise seems to cause mental fatigue after practice.

Different amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity and change in glycemic variability in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: is there dose-response relationship?

ABSTRACT Objective To identify the level of physical activity and glycemic variability of adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and to compare glycemic variability on days with different amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Subjects and methods A sample of 34 subjects aged 10 to 15 years, 18 (52.94%) female; age: 13.04 ± 1.94; HbA1c: 9.76 ± 1.51. Physical activity was measured by wGT3X accelerometer. The glucose data were obtained using continuous glucose monitoring, and the following glycemic variability measures were calculated: standard deviation (SD), low blood glucose index (LBGI), high blood glucose index (HBGI), mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE), glycemic risk assessment in diabetes equation (GRADE) and coefficient of variation (CV). The most and least active days (the days with greater and lesser time dedicated to physical activities of moderate to vigorous intensity, respectively) were identified. In addition, based on the whole period of accelerometer use, daily means of time spent in MVPA were identified among participants, who were then divided into three groups: up to 100 minutes; from 101 to 200 minutes and above 201 minutes. Then, the measures of glycemic variability were compared among the most and least active days and among the groups too. Results The amount of MVPA was significantly different between the days evaluated (237.49 ± 93.29 vs. 125.21 ± 58.10 minutes), but glycemic variability measures did not present a significant difference. Conclusion Despite the significant differences in the amount of MVPA between the two days evaluated, the glycemic variability did not change significantly. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2020;64(3):312-8

School-based physical activity intervention in 11-13-year-olds: study protocol for cluster randomized controlled trial

Background:Targeted strategies to enhance regular physical activity appear to be promising to promote health and well-being of adolescents.This article reports the design of a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based physical activity programme on the rate and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sitting time including screen time, andhealth-related physical fitness parameters among 11-13 year-old adolescents.Methods:This is a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 360 adolescents fromgovernment schools in the Colombo Municipal Council area, Sri Lanka. An individual school wasconsidered as a unit of randomization and the 12 selected schools were randomly assigned to one of twogroups: control (sixschools) and intervention groups (sixschools). The intervention group follows aphysical activity programme for 30 minutes on threeschool days per week, for threeconsecutive months in addition to the standard practice. The primary outcomes are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity rate and duration and sitting time including screen time. Secondary outcomes are the health-related physical fitness parameters: cardiovascular fitness, muscle fitness and flexibility, and body composition. All the outcomes are measured at baseline and three-months following the intervention.Discussion:The outcomes of this study will be an evidence-based intervention programme with the potential to be incorporated into the national education system thus promoting health and well-being of adolescents in Sri Lanka. Trial Registration: Registered at the Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry (SLCTR/2018/028).

Physical activity of children and adolescents and its influencing factors / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To examine children and adolescents physical activity level and its influencing factors based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Methods A total of 353 students aged 8-15 were chosen as samples.Accelerometers were used to measure the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time and a TPB scale was used to measure the TPB constructs.Results ①Research results showed that only 5.3％ of the participating children and adolescents reached the recommended 60 miu MVPA each day.②There were significant gender differences in the attitude (t=1.360,P＜0.0 l),MVPA intention(t=2.076,P＜0.01) and MVPA time (t=2.076,P＜0.05) of children and adolescents.However,there was no significant differences in their subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (P＞ 0.05).Significant grade differences were also observed for attitude (F (5.352) =2.627,P＜ 0.05),MVPA intention (F(5.352)=2.890,P＜0.05) and MVPA time (F(5.352) =6.156,P＜0.01).③The regression results showed that MVPA intention (β=0.130,P＜0.01) was significantly related to MVPA time and it explained 0.4％ variance.Perceived behavioral control(β=0.496,P＜0.01) and attitude(β=0.155,P＜0.01) were significantly associated with MVPA intention and explained 1.8％ variance.Conclusion The average MVPA time of children and adolescents in this study do not achieve the international recommendation level and the behavioral intention determines their MVPA time.

Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and its Relationship with Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC) Measurements: A Cross-Sectional Study on Malaysian Adults

Introduction: Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Our contemporary way of life that is technology dependent has significantly reduced physical activity. This study aimed to determine accelerometer-measured physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) among adults in high and low walkability neighbourhoods in Penang and Kota Bharu, Malaysia. Methods: Participants (n=490) were sampled using multistage sampling method from neighbourhoods with varied levels of walkability using Geographical Information System (GIS). Physical activity was measured objectively using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers, worn by the participants on their waists for a period of 5 to 7 days. Results: The participants had a mean of 13.5 min/day of MVPA. Total MVPA was significantly higher among participants in high walkability neighbourhoods (19.7 min/day vs. 9.1 min/ day). Results from t-test showed that the time spent on MVPA per day was significantly lower among participants residing in low walkability neighbourhoods. The final model of the MIXED model statistical tests showed that total MVPA was significantly associated with BMI, but not with WC measurements, after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Most of the participants had very low MVPA and did not achieve the current physical activity recommendations, implying that Malaysian adults residing in these two cities were not physically active to achieve health benefits. Results are suggestive of the importance of the walkability concept in neighbourhoods in encouraging physical activity and healthy body weight among Malaysians.

Relationship between mental health and exercise in adolescents / 体力科学

A number of studies have been conducted to examine the influence of physical activity on psychological well-being in young people; however, few studies have discussed the relationship between exercise and mental health. The purpose of this article was to investigate the influence of exercise on mental health in adolescents by performing a brief review. Although the studies included in this review are cross-sectional, relatively small scale and lack measurement consistency, the results show that participating in exercise and/or sports is likely to significantly improve mood. Organized sport activities contribute to the reduction of chronic stress response. On the other hand, higher levels of sedentary behavior are associated with worse mental health. These findings suggest that physical activity may enhance psychological well-being, and chronic vigorous exercise and sport activities are effective in promoting improvement of mental health in adolescents.

The Effects of a Delay Following Warm-up on the Heart Rate Response to Sudden Strenuous Exercise.

Introduction: Sudden strenuous exercise (SSE) has previously been shown to result in electrocardiograph (ECG) abnormalities indicative of myocardial ischemia when not preceded by a warm-up. Athletes regularly undergo SSE and are often unable to warm-up immediately prior to competition. It is unknown whether a delay post warm-up will result in the same heart rate (HR) response to SSE as seen with no warm-up. Aims: To compare the HR response and to observe for ECG abnormalities during SSE with a warm up, with a delay after warm up and without a warm up. Methods: Seven male subjects randomly completed three SSE exercise conditions while being monitored by ECG; a 15 second supramaximal sprint following three conditions: no warm up (NW); immediately following a warm-up (WU); and following a 10-minute delay post warm up (D). There were no ECG abnormalities across any of the conditions indicative of myocardial ischemia. Results: Significant differences (p<0.05) were found in the HR response for all time periods during exercise between WU and NW, between WU and D, but not between D and NW. A delay between warm-up and SSE resulted in a lowered HR response to the SSE compared with a warm-up immediately preceding, but a higher HR response to SSE with no warm-up. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that a 10 minute delay following warm-up before SSE is too long to maintain the benefits of warm-up.

Is habitual sedentary behaviour time associated with lower extremity performance independent of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity in older adults? −Cross-sectional analysis using uniaxial accelerometer– / 体力科学

Habitual moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity positively impacts lower extremely performance in older adults. However, little is known whether habitual sedentary behaviour time independently impacts lower extremity performance. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify whether sedentary behaviour time is associated with lower extremity performance independent of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time in older adults. Eight-hundred-and-two community-dwelling older Japanese adults (72.5 ± 5.9 years) participated in this study. Sedentary behavioir time and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time were assessed using a uniaxial accelerometer. Lower extremity performance was assessed by repeated chair stand, single leg stance, and timed up and go tests. Jonckheere terpstra trend test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient were used to identify the single relation between sedentary behaviour time and lower extremity performance. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to identify whether sedentary behaviour time is associated with lower extremity performance independent of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time. Results of single relation analysis showed there were negative associations between sedentary behaviour time and all lower extremity performance tests. Multivariable analysis indicated that sedentary behaviour time was not significantly associated with any lower extremity performances but moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time was positively associated with all lower extremity performance tests. In conclusion, sedentary behaviour time would be less useful than moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time as an indicator for modifying habitual behavior to maintain good lower extremity performance in community-dwelling older adults.

Correction of Long Standing Proximal Interphalangeal Flexion Contractures with Cross Finger Flaps and Vigorous Postoperative Exercises

PURPOSE: We reviewed the results of cross finger flaps after surgical release and vigorous postoperative exercises for long-standing, severe flexion contractures of the Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) joints of fingers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 9 patients, all contracted tissue was sequentially released and the resultant skin defect was covered with a cross-finger flap. The cause of the contracture was contact burn in 4, skin graft in 3, and a previous operation in 2. The mean follow-up period was 41.2 months. RESULTS: The mean flexion contracture/further flexion in the joints were improved from 73.4/87.8degrees to 8.4/95.4degrees at the last follow-up. A mean of 19.5degrees of extension was achieved with vigorous extension exercise after the operation. The mean gain in range of motion (ROM) was 79.4degrees. Near full ROM was achieved in 3 cases. There were no major complications. CONCLUSIONS: In severe flexion contractures with scarring of the PIP joints of fingers, cross finger flaps after sufficient release and vigorous postoperative exercise seems to be a reasonable option to obtain satisfactory ROM of the joints.

Relationship between Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Vigorous Physical Activity among Adult Seoul Residents / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Vigorous physical activity is a well-known method to promote people s health. This research aims to investigate whether perceived neighborhood characteristics affect vigorous physical activity among adult Seoul residents (aged 19 to 64). METHODS: Utilizing the 2005 Seoul Citizens Health Indicators Survey data, this study estimates the probability of vigorous physical activity. Particular attention is given to the effects of three perceived neighborhood characteristics (satisfaction with relationship to the neighborhood, satisfaction with park and recreational facilities, and satisfaction with public security). Logistic regression models are analyzed separately by gender for the parameter estimation. RESULTS: Vigorous physical activity is positively associated with three perceived neighborhood characteristics for women, while neither significant nor substantive association is found for men. CONCLUSIONS: As vigorous physical activity among Seoul citizens is differentially affected by perceived neighborhood characteristics and by gender, a different approach will be needed to increase vigorous physical activity of men and women in Seoul.

A Case of Thyrotoxic Storm Triggered by Virgorous Palpation of Thyroid Gland After Delivery / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Although the mortality has been reduced with aggressive approach, thyrotoxic storm or crisis is still a life-threatening condition and usually triggered by preeclampsia, placenta previa, congestive heart failure, infections and induction of labor during pregnancy. We report here a 28-year-old pregnant woman suspicious of placenta previa without a previous history of hyperthyroidism was admitted to the hospital with vaginal spotting and labor. After receiving a Cesarean section, thyrotoxic manifestations were developed and she became stable with antithyroid therapy. The second attack of thyrotoxic storm was presented after a thyroid ultrasonographic study. It appears that the vigorous examination of thyroid gland carries a significant risk of thyrotoxic crisis in poorly controlled hyperthyroidism.

Experimental Application of Jiin-koka-to to Cases of Bronchial Asthma / 日本東洋医学雑誌

The source of the herbal mixture named Jiin-koka-to is Wan bing hui chun. Jiin-koka-to has been used mainly as a decoction for the treatment of bronchitis and tuberculosis. The cases of bronchial asthma treated with Jiin-koka-to in this report had similar symptoms: abnormal sensations in the throat and irritation. We investigated the efficacy of Jiin-koka-to in 11 asthma patients having both symptoms. Improvements were observed in all patients; these improvements included reduction of peripheral eosinophil count and serum IgE, loss in quantity of prednisolone, increment of peak expiratory flow rate, and cessation or decrease of asthma attacks. Thus, it is possible that Jiin-koka-to is a controller rather than a reliever in the treatment of bronchial asthma. Abnormal sensations in the throat and irritation might be one of the indications for Jiin-koka-to.

Unstable Cervical Spine Caused by Metastatic Tumors

Metastatic tumors of the cervical spine represent an omnious complication of systemic cancer. Neoplastic disease of the cervical spine is a rare disorder. Because of the potential morbidity and mortality associated with cervical tumors, their significance to both patients and surgeon is much greater than the incidence. The potential for devasating morbidity associated with unstable symptomatic cervical spine stresses the importance of early recognition and vigorous treatment of this disorder. Our approach to the problem is based on an experience which includes surgical treatment in a series of eight consecutive patients with symptomatic spinal metastases during three years from September 1993 to August 1996. The primary foci were lung in 4 cases, breast in 2, prostate in 2, and unknown in 1. The surgery performed with anterior approach in 3 cases, posterior in 4 cases, combined in 1. The immediate postoperative result was excellent without any surgical complications. The author thinks that unstable cervical metastatic tumors may be required a vigorous treatment because of its devasating nature.