Accelerated skeletal muscle wasting is a shared trait among many pathologies and aging. Acupuncture has been used as a therapeutic intervention to control pain; however, little is known about its effects on skeletal muscle atrophy and function. The study's purpose was to compare the effects of acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, and electrical stimulation on cast-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. Forty female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into groups: Control, casted (CAST), CAST+Acupuncture (CAST-A), 4) CAST+Electro-acupuncture (CAST-EA), and CAST+Electrical stimulation (CAST-ES) (n = 8). Plaster casting material was wrapped around the left hind limb. Acupuncture and electro-acupuncture (10 Hz, 6.4 mA) treatments were applied by needling acupoints (stomach-36 and gallbladder-34). Electrical stimulation (10 Hz, 6.4 mA) was conducted by needling the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles. Treatments were conducted for 15 min, three times/week for 14 days. Muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1), and contractile properties were assessed. Fourteen days of cast-immobilization decreased muscle fiber CSA by 56% in the CAST group (p = 0.00); whereas, all treatment groups demonstrated greater muscle fiber CSA than the CAST group (p = 0.00). Cast-immobilization increased MAFbx and MuRF1 protein expression in the CAST group (p<0.01) while the CAST-A, CAST-EA, and CAST-ES groups demonstrated lower levels of MAFbx and MuRF1 protein expression (p<0.02) compared to the CAST group. Following fourteen days of cast-immobilization, peak twitch tension did not differ between the CAST-A and CON groups (p = 0.12). Skeletal muscle atrophy, induced by 14 days of cast-immobilization, was significantly attenuated by acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, or electrical stimulation.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and physical activity in adolescents using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). The serum vitamin D concentrations were measured between 2008 and 2014 and analyzed. Adolescents aged 13 to 18 years comprised 4527 of the 61,370 participants surveyed. A final dataset including 2811 adolescents was obtained after those with missing data were excluded. Those who did not participate or only participated in 1–3 days of intense physical activity (p < 0.001), moderate physical activity (p = 0.002), and muscular exercise (weight training) (p < 0.001) showed a higher level of vitamin D deficiency than those who performed the same activities 4–7 days per week. Our results showed that most of the adolescents (76%) were vitamin D-deficient, and the risk was higher among high school than middle school students (odds ratio (OR) = 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40–2.06; p < 0.001) and higher in girls than boys (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.18–1.72; p < 0.001). Reduced participation in physical activity was correlated with vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a lower frequency of participation in all forms of physical activity, and the association increased significantly with an increase in body mass index.

Exercise rehabilitation services connecting hospitals and communities increase patient participation and improve quality of life by reducing medical expenses. South Korea’s multi-ministerial governments have been working together to develop ICT-based hospital-community-linked services to create an exercise program that the public can easily use. This study aims to develop the exercise rehabilitation service components for the application and prescription of ICT-based exercise programs implemented in hospitals and communities. A literature review was conducted, and an expert committee was comprised to classify the components of exercise rehabilitation services. As a result, we classified the first components as functional classification, rehabilitation area, equipment uses, exercise type, frequency, and intensity. Subsequently, exercise programs were developed by applying the first components. Based on the purpose of exercise rehabilitation, we classified the representative standard exercise and grouped the same exercise movements using tools and exercise machines. The finding of this study will help to give the correct exercise prescription and manage patients’ improvement process for exercise instructors. In addition, it guides patients in need of exercise rehabilitation to participate in an accurate and safe exercise in the community. This study is a novel attempt to develop ICT based hospital-community-linked exercise rehabilitation service for patients.

Background and objective While there are many studies done on goalball and judo athletes, our study focuses on comparing and identifying the upper and lower body’s anaerobic power in world-class visually impaired goalball and judo athletes. Material and methods The subjects of this study were visually impaired male athletes who had earned a medal in judo (n = 4) and goalball (n = 5). Anaerobic power of the upper and lower body was measured with the Wingate test. We measured the peak power, peak power/body weight, mean power, mean power/body weight, rate of fatigue, and blood lactate concentration. Results Goalball athletes showed a significantly lower all-out lactate concentration than judo athletes (2.80 ± 0.33/9.18 ± 1.18, P < 0.05). Goalball athletes showed a significantly lower rate of fatigue than judo athletes in the upper body (58.1 ±1.61, P < 0.05), while judo athletes showed a significantly lower rate of fatigue than goalball athletes in the lower body (60.5 ± 1.04, P < 0.05). Goalball athletes showed a significantly higher upper and lower body ratio in the mean power than judo athletes (0.76 ± 0.01/0.67 ± 0.04, P < 0.05). In the upper and lower body ratio on the rate of fatigue, judo athletes showed high fatigue in the upper body, while goalball athletes showed low fatigue (1.24 ± 0.09, P < 0.05). Conclusions Visually impaired goalball athletes have higher anaerobic power in the upper body than the lower body whereas visually impaired judo athletes have higher anaerobic power in the lower body than the upper body.

The Association between Maternal Folate Status and Childhood Obesity-Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysiPURPOSE: Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in fetal growth and lifelong health outcomes. Folate is an essential methyl donor in the epigenetic programming of offspring. This review and meta-analysis was conducted to compile the evidence reported thus far to identify associations between maternal folate status and childhood obesity.METHODS: A keyword/reference search was performed in EBSCOhost and Web of Science databases. A CMA program was used for a meta-analysis to estimate the pooled effect of maternal folate status on childhood obesity in offspring and to examine the influence of moderating variables on the overall effect.RESULTS: Better maternal folate intake was associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity: the overall effect size (ES; Hedges’ g) was 0.168 (95% CI=0.075 to 0.260, p<.001; small effects; cf., Cohen’s criteria). Moderator analysis revealed that the ≥Q statistic for the age group was statistically significant (Qb=4.730, df=1. p=.030; heterogeneity of ES). In offspring 7 years, the ES was 0.277 (95% CI=0.151, 0.404) and 0.089 (95% CI=-0.025, 0.202), respectively. The study design was a statistically significant variable (Qb=4.310, df=1. p=.038; heterogeneity of ES). In cohort studies, ES was 0.251 (95% CI=0.135, 0.367), whereas in randomized controlled trial group, ES was 0.062 (95% CI=-0.073, 0.197).CONCLUSIONS: Maternal folate intake significantly affects childhood obesity, and the effect of maternal folate status is stronger inchildren younger than 7 years.

Muscle atrophy leads to debilitating loss of physical capacity, particularly when alternative treatments are needed. Acupuncture is proposed as a potential therapy for disuse atrophy, but its effects on muscle biology remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of acupuncture on soleus muscle mass and mitochondrial function in a rat model of immobilization-induced atrophy. Female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to three groups: Control (CON), casting-induced immobilization (CT), and CT with acupuncture (CT-A) (n = 8). Immobilization of the left hindlimb lasted for 14 days, and acupuncture was performed at specific acupoints (stomach-36, gallbladder-34) three times per week for 15 min. Mitochondrial function was assessed in saponin-permeabilized fibers, and signaling molecules regulating muscle mass were analyzed by Western blot. CT-A attenuated soleus muscle atrophy compared to CT. Under fatty acid substrate conditions, CT reduced complex I and II-supported oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) compared to CON, while CT-A decreased respiratory leak and enhanced OXPHOS coupling relative to CT. Without fatty acids, CT-A decreased both respiratory leak and complex I and II-supported OXPHOS compared to CON, but differences between CT and CT-A were not significant. AMPKα activity (p-AMPKα/AMPKα) was significantly elevated in the CT group compared to the CON group, but returned to CON levels in the CT-A group. However, there were no changes in proteins associated with muscle atrophy or autophagy markers among the groups. Acupuncture mitigates immobilization-induced muscle atrophy and preserves mitochondrial function, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic approach for muscle disuse conditions.