Effect of physical exercise on sleep quality in college students: Mediating role of smartphone use.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of physical exercise on sleep quality and the mediating effect of smartphone use behavior in college students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was adopted. An online survey of 5,075 college students was conducted using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale. RESULTS: The sleep quality of college students was poor, and the proportion of college students with good sleep quality was 23.567%. A significant correlation existed between sleep quality and physical exercise (r = -0.159, P < 0.001) and mobile phone addiction (r = 0.355, P < 0.001). Physical exercise can predict sleep quality in college students (ß = -0.011, P < 0.001). Smartphone use plays a part in mediating the process by which physical exercise affects sleep quality. CONCLUSION: Chinese college students have poor sleep quality. Physical exercise and smartphone use behavior are important factors affecting the sleep quality of college students. Physical exercise can directly predict the sleep quality of college students and can predict the sleep quality of college students through the mediating effect of smartphone use behavior.

[Survey on characteristics of menopause of Chinese women with the age of 40-60 years at gynecological clinic from 14 hospitals].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of menopause of Chinese women with the age of 40-60 years concerning gynecologic clinics in China. METHODS: From Mar.2008 to Sept.2008, a face-to-face questionnaire was conducted in gynecological clinic in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in 14 hospitals in China, which included general demographic data, menstrual change process, climacteric symptoms and knowledge about menopause. Modified Kupperman index were used to evaluate climacteric symptoms during the recent week and awareness of hormonal replacement therapy were studied. RESULTS: A total of 1641 women were investigated. The ages of onset of menopause transition, climacteric symptoms and natural menopause were (47 ± 4), (46 ± 4), (49 ± 3) years old respectively. Climacteric symptoms could be found in 78.43% (1287/1641) women during menopausal transition, which were mainly mild to moderate symptoms. The top 5 symptoms were fatigue and weakness (71.48%, 1173/1641), irritability (68.68%, 1127/1641), insomnia (67.65%, 1110/1641), muscle and joint pain (64.11%, 1052/1641) and hot flush (57.90%, 950/1641). The climacteric symptoms were not constant during menopausal transition, usually more severe in late transition and postmenopausal periods, during which the moderate and severe symptoms were 59.1% (189/320) and 51.1% (291/570) respectively. Although most symptoms primarily appeared along with menstruation change, there are about 17.5% (172/981) patients experienced climacteric symptoms before menstruation change occurrence. There were 56.39% (733/1300) women had ever heard (mostly from gynecologist) about hormone replacement therapy from Obstetrician and Gynecologist. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the women during menopausal transition had climacteric symptoms, usually mild and moderate ones. Although most symptoms primarily appeared along with menstruation change, there are other patients' experienced climacteric symptoms before menstruation change occurrence.

Effects of vibration therapy on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: Jaw osteonecrosis possibly associated with the administration of bisphosphonates is expected to be treated with a non-pharmacologic approach. This study aimed to determine whether noninvasive, mechanically mediated vibration would inhibit the decline in bone mineral density (BMD) that follows menopause, enhance the BMD of the lumbar and femoral neck, and reduce chronic back pain in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. METHODS: A total of 116 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis participated in this study, and they were divided into groups A (66 patients) and B (50). Group A received vibration treatment (Subjects vertically stand on the vibration platform, with a vibration frequency of 30 Hz, amplitude of 5 mm; they received the treatment five times per week, ten minutes each time and totally for six months), whereas women of group B served as controls without any treatment. L2 - 4 BMD, bilateral femoral neck BMD, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded before the treatment or at the third and sixth months of the treatment respectively. After the ending of the treatment, the change of BMD in each group was compared and analyzed. Chronic back pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline and the third and sixth months of the treatment. RESULTS: Of the 116 women, 94 including 51 women from group A ((61.23 +/- 8.20) years) and 43 women from group B ((63.73 +/- 5.45) years), completed the study. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics including age, BMI, menopausal years, lumbar BMD, femoral neck BMD, and VAS between the two groups. The lumbar BMD of the 51 women in group A increased by 1.3% (P = 0.034) after vibration treatment for 3 months and by 4.3% at the sixth month (P = 0.000). The lumbar BMD in group B was decreased at the third month, but there was not statistical significance (P > 0.05). At the sixth month, it was decreased by 1.9% (P < 0.05). The femoral neck BMD of the 51 women in group A was slightly increased after vibration treatment for 3 months, but without statistical significance (P > 0.05). At the sixth month, the BMD was increased by 3.2% (P < 0.05). In group B, the BMD was not decreased significantly (P = 0.185) at the third month, but decreased significantly at the sixth month (1.7%) (P < 0.05) compared with the baseline. Chronic back pain (VAS) reduced more significantly in group A at the third and the sixth months (P < 0.05) after vibration therapy in comparison with the baseline. The BMI was not significantly changed in the two groups during the period of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Vibration therapy appears to be useful in reducing chronic back pain and increasing the femoral neck and lumbar BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Estimating whole body intermuscular adipose tissue from single cross-sectional magnetic resonance images.

Intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), a novel fat depot linked with metabolic abnormalities, has been measured by whole body MRI. The cross-sectional slice location with the strongest relation to total body IMAT volume has not been established. The aim was to determine the predictive value of each slice location and which slice locations provide the best estimates of whole body IMAT. MRI quantified total adipose tissue of which IMAT, defined as adipose tissue visible within the boundary of the muscle fascia, is a subcomponent. Single-slice IMAT areas were calculated for the calf, thigh, buttock, waist, shoulders, upper arm, and forearm locations in a sample of healthy adult women, African-American [n = 39; body mass index (BMI) 28.5 +/- 5.4 kg/m2; 41.8 +/- 14.8 yr], Asian (n = 21; BMI 21.6 +/- 3.2 kg/m2; 40.9 +/- 16.3 yr), and Caucasian (n = 43; BMI 25.6 +/- 5.3 kg/m2; 43.2 +/- 15.3 yr), and Caucasian men (n = 39; BMI 27.1 +/- 3.8 kg/m2; 45.2 +/- 14.6 yr) and used to estimate total IMAT groups using multiple-regression equations. Midthigh was the best, or near best, single predictor in all groups with adjusted R2 ranging from 0.49 to 0.84. Adding a second and third slice further increased R2 and reduced the error of the estimate. Menopausal status and degree of obesity did not affect the location of the best single slice. The contributions of other slice locations varied by sex and race, but additional slices improved predictions. For group studies, it may be more cost-effective to estimate IMAT based on one or more slices than to acquire and segment for each subject the numerous images necessary to quantify whole body IMAT.