Effects of endurance exercise and half-bath on body composition, cardiorespiratory system, and arterial pulse wave velocity in men with intellectual disabilities.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of endurance exercise and half-bath on body composition, cardiorespiratory system, and arterial pulse wave velocity of men with intellectual disabilities. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four men with intellectual disabilities, but capable of learning, were randomly assigned to aerobic exercise (N=8), half-bath (N=8), or control (N=8) treatment groups. Over the 12-week treatment period, the aerobic exercise group did treadmill and stationary bicycle. The half-bath treatment group was placed in a sitting position in a 39-40°C bath for 10 minutes. [Results] The aerobic exercise group showed a significant decrease in body fat than those in the half-bath and control groups. In addition, there was an increase in the respiratory system of the aerobic exercise group but no increase in the half-bath and control groups. The arterial pulse wave velocity change was greatest in the aerobic exercise group, but the half-bath group also showed a velocity change from that in the control group. [Conclusion] Aerobic exercise and a half-bath can have positive effects on improving body composition, respiratory system, and vascular function of people with intellectual disabilities.

Effect of belly dancing on urinary incontinence-related muscles and vaginal pressure in middle-aged women.

[Purpose] This study examined the effect of belly dancing on the urinary incontinence-related muscles and vaginal pressure in middle-aged women to provide fundamental data for establishing an effective training program focusing on mitigating and preventing urinary incontinence. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects included 24 middle-aged women, who have been diagnosed with urinary incontinence. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, viz. the experimental group (N=12) and control group (N=12). The experimental group underwent a belly dancing program focusing on pelvis moves. [Results] In the experimental group, the urinary incontinence-related muscle strength and vaginal pressure were increased, while the control group showed no significant change. [Conclusion] Belly dancing focusing on pelvis moves had a positive effect on the urinary incontinence-related muscle strength and vaginal pressure, suggesting that a recreational dance program focusing on pelvic exercise can be used to prevent and relieve the symptoms of urinary incontinence as a non-surgical treatment.

Exercise training and selenium or a combined treatment ameliorates aberrant expression of glucose and lactate metabolic proteins in skeletal muscle in a rodent model of diabetes.

Exercise training (ET) and selenium (SEL) were evaluated either individually or in combination (COMBI) for their effects on expression of glucose (AMPK, PGC-1α, GLUT-4) and lactate metabolic proteins (LDH, MCT-1, MCT-4, COX-IV) in heart and skeletal muscles in a rodent model (Goto-Kakisaki, GK) of diabetes. Forty GK rats either remained sedentary (SED), performed ET, received SEL, (5 µmol·kg body wt(-1)·day(-1)) or underwent both ET and SEL treatment for 6 wk. ET alone, SEL alone, or COMBI resulted in a significant lowering of lactate, glucose, and insulin levels as well as a reduction in HOMA-IR and AUC for glucose relative to SED. Additionally, ET alone, SEL alone, or COMBI increased glycogen content and citrate synthase (CS) activities in liver and muscles. However, their effects on glycogen content and CS activity were tissue-specific. In particular, ET alone, SEL alone, or COMBI induced upregulation of glucose (AMPK, PGC-1α, GLUT-4) and lactate (LDH, MCT-1, MCT-4, COX-IV) metabolic proteins relative to SED. However, their effects on glucose and lactate metabolic proteins also appeared to be tissue-specific. It seemed that glucose and lactate metabolic protein expression was not further enhanced with COMBI compared to that of ET alone or SEL alone. These data suggest that ET alone or SEL alone or COMBI represent a practical strategy for ameliorating aberrant expression of glucose and lactate metabolic proteins in diabetic GK rats.