Effectiveness of social media with or without wearable devices to improve physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior: A randomized controlled trial of Chinese postgraduates.

The present study was aimed to verify whether an integrating of wearable activity tracker device and a social media intervention strategy would be better than a standalone social media intervention for improving physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary time for Chinese postgraduate population. A total of 42 full-time postgraduate students participated in this study, which were randomized to receive a 4-week social media intervention through WeChat either with (Wearable Device group) or without (control group) a wearable activity tracker device. Energy expenditure, step counts, moderate to vigorous physical activity time (MVPA) and sedentary time were assessed before and after the intervention. Besides, anthropometric parameters of body weight, body mass index, body fat rate, waist-to-hip ratio, as well as self-reported quality of life were also evaluated. It was found that both energy expenditure and step counts were significantly increased, while sedentary time was significantly reduced during the post-intervention test compared to the baseline test for Wearable Device group. No significant difference of PA was found for the control group. The results demonstrated that the integrating of wearable activity tracker device and a social media intervention was effective in promoting PA, while a standalone social media intervention may have no effect on the influence of PA for Chinese postgraduates.

Are the antagonist muscle fatigued during a prolonged isometric fatiguing elbow flexion at very low forces for young adults?

The aim of this study was to examine whether antagonist muscles may be fatigued during a prolonged isometric fatiguing elbow flexion at very low forces. Twelve healthy male subjects sustained an isometric elbow flexion at 10% maximal voluntary contraction torque until exhaustion while multichannel electromyographic signals were collected from the biceps brachii (BB) and triceps brachii (TB). Muscle fiber conduction velocity (CV) and fractal dimension (FD) of both muscles were calculated to reflect peripheral and central fatigue. CV and FD of TB as well as FD of BB decreased progressively during the sustained fatiguing contraction, while the CV of BB declined at the beginning of the contraction and then increased progressively until the end of the contraction. The result may indicate that during the sustained low-force isometric fatiguing contraction, antagonist muscle may be peripherally fatigued, and changes in coactivation activities were modulated not only by central neuronal mechanisms of common drive but also by peripheral metabolic factors.

A comparison of muscle activation and concomitant intermuscular coupling of antagonist muscles among bench presses with different instability degrees in untrained men.

The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the muscle activation and concomitant intermuscular coupling of antagonist muscles among bench presses with different instability degrees. Twenty-nine untrained male college students performed bench press exercises at an intensity of 60% 1 RM on three conditions: small unstable bench press with Smith machine (SBP), medium unstable bench press of free weight (FWBP), and large unstable bench press with increased instability by suspending the load with elastic bands (IIBP). One-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare integrated EMG activity values of the biceps brachii (BB), posterior deltoid (PD), long head of the triceps brachii (TB), anterior deltoid (AD), upper portion of the pectoralis major (PM) muscles, and phase synchronization index (PSI) of BB-TB and PD-AD antagonist muscle pairs. A higher integrated EMG of BB muscle was found during bench press with a more unstable condition. IIBP showed a higher integrated EMG of prime movers (TB, AD, and PM) and stabilizing of BB than SBP and FWBP. PSI between muscle pairs of BB-TB in the gamma frequency band was higher in SBP than the other bench presses with unstable conditions, which may be related to the optimal "internal model" for antagonist muscles during bench press exercise. Therefore, IIBP training may be an effective accessory exercise to maintain a higher level of muscle activation across primary and stabilizing muscles with a lighter load for untrained men, while SBP may be a suitable bench press exercise for untrained participants who have not developed the neuromuscular adaptations necessary for correct stabilization of the elbow joint.

Physical Activity Level and Social-Ecological Influence Factors in Chinese Information Technology Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Information technology (IT) population in China has expanded rapidly in recent decades, which has suffered severe health problems due to a lack of physical activity (PA). However, little is known about the influence and solutions of PA deficiency. The current research was designed to explore the associations between the amount of PA and potential influenced factors based on the social-ecological model (SEM) and thus to provide rationales for PA promotion. Method: Six hundred and five IT professionals from five cities of China were surveyed in terms of PA in daily life as well as the potential PA influence factors based on SEM models that consisted of individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political levels in the current study. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of the potential PA influence factors and PA amount. Result: About 54.7% of the sample did not fulfill the PA recommendation of 600 MET per week, and there are significant gender differences in PA participation. Factors related to the individual (self-efficacy and value recognition), interpersonal (social support), environmental (workplace and community environment), and polity-level factors (policy advocacy) were found to be significantly associated with Chinese IT professionals' participation in PA. Conclusion: Numerous correlates from individual-level to political-level factors are all important predictors of PA. Exercise value recognition and self-efficacy accounted for much of the association. Environmental variables may further influence exercise behavior. Therefore, conducting intervention efforts for individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political change of Chinese IT professionals is recommended.

[Apllication of nasal synchronous intermittent mandatory ventilation in premature infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome after extubation].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical efficacy of nasal synchronous intermittent mandatory ventilation (nSIMV) in premature infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) after extubation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis on the clinical date of 126 premature infants with severe RDS who were hospitalized in the NICU between January 2013 and May 2015 was performed. Sixty-one premature infants who were hospitalized in the NICU between January 2013 and March 2014 received nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) (nCPAP group) and 65 premature infants who were hospitalized in the NICU between April 2014 and May 2015 received nSIMV (nSIMV group). The blood gas analysis indexes, the rate of extubation failure, the causes of extubation failure and the incidence of complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After 4 hours of treatment, the pH value, PaO2, SaO2 and oxygenation index in the nSIMV group were significantly higher than in the nCPAP group (P<0.05), meanwhile, the PaCO2 in the nSIMV group were significantly lower than in the nCPAP group (P<0.05). The rates of extubation failure in the nSIMV and nCPAP groups were 9% (6/65) and 30% (18/61) respectively (P<0.05). The extubation failure in the nSIMV and nCPAP groups was caused by hyoxemia (2% vs 5%; P>0.05), hypercapnia (6% vs 11%; P>0.05) and apnea (2% vs 13%; P<0.05). There were no differences in respirator support time, full enteral feeding time, the time to regain birth weight and the length of hospitalization between two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the incidence of abdominal distension in the nSIMV group was significantly lower than in the nCPAP group (9% vs 30%; P<0.05) and there were no differences in the incidences of feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity and bronchopulmonory dysplasia between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: nSIMV for premature infants with severe RDS after extubation not only significantly improves lung function and reduces the rate of extubation failure, also results in a lower incidence of gastrointestinal side effects and does not increase the incidence of complications.

Sublingual Immunotherapy for Asthmatic Children Sensitized to House Dust Mite: A Meta-Analysis.

The house dust mite is one of the most common allergens worldwide. There is good evidence that house dust mite subcutaneous immunotherapy is efficacious and has long-term benefit in children. However, the evidence of the benefit of house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is less convincing. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate that efficacy and safety of dust mite SLIT in children with asthma. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases until February 2014 were searched. The primary outcome was mean change in asthma symptom score. Secondary outcomes included mean change in serum immunoglobulin G4 (sIgG4), specific Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and medication score. Safety was also assessed. We found that SLIT significantly decreased asthma symptom score (P = 0.007) and increased sIgG4 levels (P = 0.011) greater than control in children (<18 years of age) with asthma. There was no difference between SLIT and control groups in specific D pteronyssinus IgE levels (P = 0.076) and medication score (P = 0.408). The safety profile was similar between groups. Our study indicates that dust mite SLIT therapy was effective in reducing asthma symptoms and in increasing sIgG4 but did not significantly reduce medication scores or specific D pteronyssinus IgE levels. Our findings are not enough to support the use of dust mite SLIT in children with asthma.