Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients show learning difficulty and impulsiveness. Exercise is known to improve learning ability and memory function. In the present study, we investigated the duration-dependence of the effect of treadmill exercise on spatial learning ability in relation with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in ADHD rats. For this study, radial 8-arm maze test and western blot for BDNF and tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) were performed. Spontaneous hypertensive rats were used as the ADHD rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the control rats. The rats in the exercise groups were forced to run on a treadmill for 10 min, 30 min, and 60 min once a day for 28 consecutive days. ADHD rats displayed impairment of spatial learning ability, in contrast treadmill exercise ameliorated impairment of spatial learning ability. Treadmill exercise for 30 min per day showed most potent ameliorating effect on impairment of spatial learning ability. BDNF and TrkB expressions in the hippocampus were decreased in the ADHD rats, in contrast treadmill exercise enhanced BDNF and TrkB expressions. Treadmill exercise for 30 min and for 60 min per day showed enhancing effects on BDNF and TrkB expressions. Treadmill exercise alleviated deficits in the spatial learning ability through enhancing BDNF and TrkB expressions in the ADHD rats. Treadmill exercise for 30 min per day can be considered as the most effective therapeutic modality for the ADHD symptoms.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effect of exercise on completion rates of adjuvant treatment, which is one of the major prognostic factors among patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer after undergoing curative resection followed by adjuvant treatment. Design: Prospective pilot study Methods: We assigned patients who were scheduled to undergo adjuvant treatment (N=39) to the exercise group or the control group in a 2:1 ratio in the order of enrollment. Patients completed questionnaires and underwent assessment of the outcome variables at the start of chemotherapy and upon completion of treatment. Results: A fivefold lower possibility of dose adjustment in the exercise group compared to the control group was demonstrated (OR, 0.188; p=0.023; 95% CI, 0.044–0.793). A significantly smaller proportion of the exercise group had grade 3 or 4 nausea (p=0.018) and neurotoxicity (P=0.024) symptoms. Muscle to fat ratios were significantly reduced in the control group (p=0.039), but not in the exercise group (p=0.742). Serum levels of leptin were significantly increased in the control group (p=0.038), but not in the exercise group (p=0.073). Serum levels of adiponectin were significantly increased in the exercise group (p=0.026) but tended to be decreased in the control group with no statistical significance (p=0.418). Conclusions: Exercise training among patients with colorectal cancer was found to have a beneficial impact on adjuvant treatment completion rates and treatment-associated toxicities. This program was also shown to be beneficial to patients’ body compositions and serum levels of adipokines.

Background: During a golf swing, analysis of the movement in upper torso and pelvis is a key step to determine a motion control strategy for accurate and consistent shots. However, a majority of previous studies that have evaluated this movement limited their analysis only to the rotational movement of segments, and translational motions were not examined. Therefore, in this study, correlations between translational motions in the 3 axes, which occur between the upper torso and pelvis, were also examined. Methods: The experiments were carried out with 14 male pro-golfers (age: 29 ± 8 years, career: 8.2 ± 4.8years) who registered in the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA). Six infrared cameras (VICON; Oxford Metrics, Oxford, UK) and SB-Clinc software (SWINGBANK Ltd, Korea) were used to collect optical marker trajectories. The center of mass (CoM) of each segment was calculated based on kinematic principal. In addition, peak value of CoM velocity and the time that each peak occurred in each segment during downswing was calculated. Also, using cross-correlation analysis, the degree of coupling and time lags of peak values occurred between and within segments (pelvis and upper torso) were investigated. Results: As a result, a high coupling strength between upper torso and pelvis with an average correlation coefficient = 0.86 was observed, and the coupling between segments was higher than that within segments (correlation coefficient = 0.81 and 0.77, respectively). Conclusions: Such a high coupling at the upper torso and pelvis can be used to reduce the degree of motion control in the central nervous system and maintain consistent patterns in the movement. The result of this study provides important information for the development of optimal golf swing movement control strategies in the future.

In Korea, the prevalence rate of hypertension among people aged over 30 is on an upward trend, which increased from 26.2% in 2008 to 28.3% in 2018. This hovers above the global morbidity rate of hypertension. As hypertension is the cause of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases, early treatment and management are critical. Also, while there has been numerous research conducted on exercise intervention, the number of studies done on hypertension and physical fitness falls far below. To identify the relationship between health and physical fitness depending on the blood pressure levels of Korean seniors, the physical fitness test results of the National Fitness Award 100 conducted in 2017 were used, and blood pressure level, physique, and physical fitness data of 17,110 elderly population aged above 65 were analyzed. IBM Statistics SPSS 25.0 was used to process the collected data. Due to the gender difference in blood pressure levels, physique, and physical strength, the analysis was conducted by each gender, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to identify the differences in physique and physical strength depending on the blood pressure level. Also, Tukey’s HDS test was conducted if such differences were found. All analyzes were tested at the significance level (α) of 0.05. As a result of comparing the physique factors by blood pressure level, only males showed a significant difference between groups in terms of height(p = .019), and higher blood pressure implied greater height. Also, for both genders, those with high blood pressure appeared to have greater body weight(p < .001), body fat percentage(p < .001), BMI(p < .001), waist circumference(p < .001), and waist-to-height ratio(p < .001),. In addition, as the result of comparing health-related physical strength and skill-related physical strength by blood pressure level, males showed a significant difference only in muscular strength(p = .026) and flexibility(p < .001), while females showed a significant difference between groups in terms of cardiovascular endurance(p < .001), muscular strength(p = .025), muscular endurance(p < .001), balance, and motor coordination except for flexibility. Holistically, males only showed a significant difference in muscular strength and flexibility while females appeared to have a significant difference between groups in all categories except flexibility, which can be considered that physical fitness factors influence the blood pressure of females more than males.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cold-water immersion (CWI) on lipid peroxides and antioxidant enzymes in adult Taekwondo athletes after a match. A cross-sectional study was performed. After a Taekwondo match, the control group remained seated passively, while the treatment group immersed their legs below the knee joint in cold water at 10 °C. Blood samples were taken at pre-match, post-match, post-treatment, and post-rest, and changes in malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) concentrations were analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant difference in MDA between the two groups, and while the CWI group had 19% lower SOD concentration compared to the control group, and the difference was not significant. However, in case of interaction for GPx concentration (p < 0.001), a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, CWI after a Taekwondo match elevates the concentration of antioxidant enzymes.

Korea already entered the aging society (August 2017), in which 14% of the population is 65 years or older, and it is expected to enter as a super-aged society, in which 20% of the population is elderly at the world’s fastest rate by 2025. This means that a health management plan is needed to effectively manage the health of the elderly in preparation for the upcoming super-aging society. Therefore, this study analyzed the effects of exercise on serum osteocalcin, bone ALP, and estradiol, which are representative indicators of bone formation after six months of complex exercise, and confirmed the usefulness of exercise programs and biochemical indicators for the elderly in late years to provide basic data for the prevention of osteoporosis. The subjects of this study were the elderly in late years (exercise group = 14, control group = 15), those 75 years or older in Korea, who performed complex exercises twice a week for six months. As a result of analyzing the effect of exercise performance on osteocalcin in the elderly in late years for six months in this study, no significant difference was found. However, osteocalcin decreased by 7.7% in the control group and increased by 18.66% in the exercise group, while ALP increased by 18.92% in the control group and significantly increased by 69.81% in the exercise group. As a result of analyzing the effect on estradiol, there was no significant difference, but it decreased by 55.09% in the control group and decreased by 1.85% in the exercise group. Based on the results showing that exercise clearly plays a positive role in improving bone density even for middle- and late-aged elderly people, in the future, the exercise will be useful to maintain and improve health related to the skeleton of the elderly through the combined participation of aerobic, resistance, and balance exercises. In addition, it is necessary to conduct repeated studies targeting the elderly of various age groups to evaluate the effects of exercise according to period and gender.