The elderly's satisfaction with physical activity programs in senior welfare centers.

Introduction: Healthcare for the aging population has become a crucial issue in South Korea to maintain the elderly's quality of life, and physical activity is of primary importance for older adults. This study evaluated the exercise characteristics and satisfaction of the elderly who participated in physical activity programs provided by senior welfare centers in South Korea. Methods: We surveyed 266 participants to learn the characteristics of the elderly's exercise participation and their satisfaction with instructors, exercise programs, and facilities provided by senior welfare centers. A total of 263 copies were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 statistical software. Results and discussion: The top three physical activity programs that the elderly participated in senior welfare centers were dancing (25.3%), gymnastics (24.8%), and table tennis/badminton (13.2%). There were significant differences in respondents' satisfaction according to sex, education level, spouse, family type, and monthly income per household (p < 0.05). The elderly were satisfied with programs (4.183 ± 0.483), facilities (3.881 ± 0.483), and instructors (3.604 ± 0.483) in order. Also, this study shows that user satisfaction differs depending on the demographic characteristics (gender, education, marital status, family type, economic status) and the characteristics of the exercise participation of the elderly (exercise duration, participation period). Conclusions: In conclusion, we presented the elderly's satisfaction with physical activity programs in senior welfare centers, suggesting that the elderly need physical activity programs according to their demographic and exercise characteristics.

Regenerative Potential of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7-Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Ligature-Induced Periodontitis.

Periodontitis is an oral disease caused by bacterial infection that has stages according to the severity of tissue destruction. The advanced stage of periodontitis presents irreversible destruction of soft and hard tissues, which finally results in loss of teeth. When conventional treatment modalities show limited results, tissue regeneration therapy is required in patients with advanced periodontitis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) delivering bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) on tissue regeneration in a periodontitis model. BMP7 is a member of the BMP family that shows bone-forming ability; however, BMPs rapid clearing and degradation and unproven efficacy make it difficult to apply it in clinical dentistry. To overcome this, we established BMP7-expressing engineered BM-MSCs (BMP7-eBMSCs) that showed superior osteogenic differentiation potential when subcutaneously transplanted with a biphasic calcium phosphate scaffold into immunocompromised mice. Furthermore, the efficacy of BMP7-eBMSC transplantation for periodontal tissue regeneration was evaluated in a rat ligature-induced periodontitis model. Upon measuring two-dimensional and three-dimensional amounts of regenerated alveolar bone using microcomputed tomography, the amounts were found to be significantly higher in the BMP7-eBMSC transplantation group than in the eBMSC transplantation group. Most importantly, fibrous periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue regeneration was also achieved upon BMP7-eBMSC transplantation, which was evaluated by calculating the modified relative connective tissue attachment. The amount of connective tissue attachment in the BMP7-eBMSC transplantation group was significantly higher than that in the ligature-induced periodontitis group, although the increase was comparable between the BMP7-eBMSC and human PDL stem cell transplantation groups. Taken together, our results suggested that sustainable release of BMP7 induces periodontal tissue regeneration and that transplantation of BMP7-eBMSCs is a feasible treatment option for periodontal regeneration. Impact Statement Periodontitis is the second most common human dental disease affecting chronic systemic diseases. Despite the tremendous efforts trying to cure the damaged periodontal tissues using tissue engineering technologies, a definitive regenerative method has not been in consensus. Researchers are seeking more feasible and abundant source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and furthermore, how to use reliable growth factors under more efficient control are the issues to be solved. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) gene delivering bone marrow-derived MSCs on periodontal tissue regeneration to evaluate the efficacy of BMP7 and engineered BMSCs for periodontal tissue regeneration.

Effects of Service Quality Characteristics of Neighborhood Sports Facilities on User Satisfaction and Reuse Intention of the Elderly during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: this study aimed to examine the user satisfaction and reuse intention of the elderly for neighborhood sports facilities in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: this study surveyed 386 Korean elderly individuals aged ≥ 65 years, who were users of neighborhood sports facilities, from 1 May to 31 August 2022. A total of 386 questionnaires were used for data analysis, which was carried out using SPSS 23.0 statistical software. Descriptive statistics of the mean, standard deviation, and frequency distribution were used at the descriptive level. Moreover, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Scheffe's post hoc pair-wise comparison analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were used at the inferential level. The significance level of these tests was considered for less than 0.05. RESULTS: the mechanistic and humanistic service factors of neighborhood sports facilities affected user satisfaction and reuse intention. Furthermore, user satisfaction of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive effect on reuse intention. CONCLUSION: this study confirmed that the service quality characteristics of neighborhood sports facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive effect on user satisfaction and intention to continue to exercise among the elderly.

Surface engineering of titanium alloy using metal-polyphenol network coating with magnesium ions for improved osseointegration.

Although titanium-based implants are widely used in orthopedic and dental clinics, improved osseointegration at the bone-implant interface is still required. In this study, we developed a titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V, Ti) coated with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and magnesium ions (Mg2+) in a metal-polyphenol network (MPN) formation. Specifically, Ti discs were coated with EGCG in MgCl2 by controlling their concentrations and pH, with the amount of coating increasing with the coating time. An in vitro culture of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) on the EGCG-Mg2+-coated Ti showed significantly enhanced ALP activity and mRNA expression of osteogenic markers. In addition, the EGCG-Mg2+-coated Ti enhanced the mineralization of hADSCs, significantly increasing the calcium content (22.2 ± 5.0 µg) compared with cells grown on Ti (13.5 ± 0.3 µg). Treatment with 2-APB, an inhibitor of Mg2+ signaling, confirmed that the enhancement of osteogenic differentiation in the hADSCs was caused by the synergistic influence of EGCG and Mg2+. The EGCG-Mg2+ coating significantly reduced the osteoclastic maturation of Raw264.7 cells, reducing tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity (5.4 ± 0.4) compared with that of cells grown on Ti (1.0 ± 0.5). When we placed Ti implants onto rabbit tibias, the bone-implant contact (%) was greater on the EGCG-Mg2+-coated Ti implants (8.1 ± 4.3) than on the uncoated implants (4.4 ± 2.0). Therefore, our MPN coating could be a reliable surface modification for orthopedic implants to enable the delivery of an osteoinductive metal ion (Mg2+) with the synergistic benefits of a polyphenol (EGCG).