Physical activity and sedentary behavior, both distinct lifestyle behaviors associated with brain health, have an unclear potential relationship with brain cortical structure. This study aimed to determine the causal link between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and brain cortical structure (cortical surface area and thickness) through Mendelian randomization analysis. The inverse-variance weighted method was primarily utilized, accompanied by sensitivity analyses, to confirm the results’ robustness and accuracy. Analysis revealed nominally significant findings, indicating a potential positive influence of physical activity on cortical thickness in the bankssts (β = 0.002 mm, P = 0.043) and the fusiform (β = 0.002 mm, P = 0.018), and a potential negative association of sedentary behavior with cortical surface area in the caudal middle frontal (β = −34.181 mm², P = 0.038) and the pars opercularis (β = −33.069 mm², P = 0.002), alongside a nominally positive correlation with the cortical surface area of the inferior parietal (β = 58.332 mm², P = 0.035). Additionally, a nominally significant negative correlation was observed between sedentary behavior and cortical thickness in the paracentral (β = −0.014 mm, P = 0.042). These findings offer insights into how lifestyle behaviors may influence brain cortical structures, advancing our understanding of their interaction with brain health.

"Exercise is the best medicine" is well known, but the optimal dose of physical activity (PA) for males and females across different age groups is still unknown. This study, using data from the four waves of CHARLS, aimed to determine the optimal PA dose that reduces frailty risks among older adults across various age groups and both sexes. We created a frailty index score using 63 health-related variables and used 0.21 as the frailty cut point. Binary logistic regression was used to compare the effect of vigorous, moderate, and light intensity PA under IPAQ criteria on frailty risk. The study found that regardless of whether males or females, the optimal effect of vigorous-intensity PA in reducing the risk of frailty is consistently observed throughout the entire old age career. Moreover, the age groups at which moderate-intensity PA reduces the risk of frailty were from age 70 for males and from age 80 for females. And light-intensity PA had no effect on reducing the risk of frailty. Moderate and vigorous intensity of PA in older adults should be promoted, but guidelines and recommendations must account for optimal associations with PA dose across genders and age groups.

Objectives: With the advancement of digital technologies, digital health-supported physical activity has attracted considerable attention for its potential to enhance cognitive function in older adults. To systematically review the research progress and trends in this field, this study utilized CiteSpace 6.3 R2 for bibliometric analysis of relevant literature. Methods: Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, and after screening and merging, a total of 201 publications were included for analysis. CiteSpace 6.3 R2 was used to conduct bibliometric analysis from dimensions such as keyword, country, and institution. Results: The annual publication counts showed an overall increasing trend, with Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience having the highest number of publications, and the coverage of the two databases being partially overlapping yet complementary. Co-occurrence analysis revealed that the United States, Harvard Medical School, and Eling D. De Bruin were the most active at the national, institutional, and author levels. In terms of co-citation analysis, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience , “Unknown,” and Ying-Yi Liao (2019) had the highest citation frequencies across journals, authors, and references. High co-occurrence keywords included “virtual reality,” “older adults,” and “exercise.” Keyword clustering revealed major clusters such as “rct,” “multiple sclerosis,” and “digital health,” with recent burst keywords including “age,” “care,” “digital health,” and “physical exercise.” Conclusion: Research in this field is rapidly advancing, showing a clear trend toward multidisciplinary integration. Collaboration networks have formed across regions, institutions, and authors, but remain relatively fragmented. Core journals, influential authors, and highly cited publications have collectively shaped the foundational knowledge base of the field. Recent studies have focused on integration models and collaborative mechanisms between digital health technologies and physical activity. Future research should emphasize interdisciplinary and international collaboration, prioritizing the development of personalized, real-world-oriented digital health interventions to enhance the quality of life for older adults.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a major public health concern globally, being one of the leading causes of illness and death across populations. While physical activity is widely recognized as a protective factor against these diseases, the exact biological mechanisms that explain this relationship are still not fully understood. This study utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to investigate the potential role of circulating cytokines in mediating the effects of physical activity on major CVD outcomes, including coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Our primary MR analysis revealed an inverse association between physical activity and IHD risk. Moreover, a two-step MR mediation approach identified IL10RB (Interleukin-10 receptor subunit beta) as an intermediate mediator, explaining about 6.65% of the observed contribution of physical activity to IHD. These results indicate that physical activity may mitigate CVD risk through modulation of immune pathways, particularly via IL10RB signaling. Our findings underscore the significance of cytokine networks in mediating the cardiovascular benefits of exercise and suggest potential therapeutic strategies for CVD risk reduction through immune system modulation.

Physical activity reduces chronic disease risk and enhances immune function, but its causal relationship with thymic tumors—rare neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum—remains unclear. This study investigated whether physical activity reduces thymic tumor risk and whether circulating cytokines mediate this effect. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genetic variants as instrumental variables for physical activity and cytokines. Data were obtained from large genome-wide association studies of Europeans, and included the following: physical activity (91,084 individuals), thymic tumors (473,681 individuals with 58 benign and 93 malignant cases), and cytokines (14,824 individuals). The inverse-variance weighted method served as the primary analysis. Genetically predicted physical activity was associated with reduced risks of benign (odds ratio [OR] = 0.381; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.158 to 0.921; p = 0.032) and malignant thymic tumors (OR = 0.312; 95% CI: 0.155 to 0.628; p = 0.001). Mediation analysis identified interleukin-10 receptor subunit β (IL10RB) as a partial mediator, accounting for 5.95% of the protective effect on benign tumors. Sensitivity analyses indicated no pleiotropy or heterogeneity. In conclusion, physical activity causally reduces the risk of thymic tumors, partially mediated by IL10RB, highlighting its potential role in cancer prevention through immunomodulation.

Background: Return-to-play decisions are usually framed as matters of medical clearance, functional recovery, risk management, and athlete welfare. Although sports medicine ethics already addresses athlete health, professional autonomy, and third-party pressure, return-to-play can also be examined through nursing ethics where sustained caregiving responsibility coexists with limited procedural influence. Research aim: This article clarifies how return-to-play decisions may generate moral distress and constrained professional agency for nurses or other sustained caregivers, and what nursing ethics adds to interprofessional debate. Research design: This is a philosophical and theoretical analysis drawing on nursing ethics scholarship on moral distress, relational autonomy, advocacy, ethical climate, and professional agency, in dialogue with sports medicine ethics and return-to-play frameworks. Participants and research context: No human participants were recruited. The article focuses on competitive sport and athlete-care settings involving injured athletes and sustained caregiving relationships. Ethical considerations: No empirical data were collected, and formal ethics approval was not required. A composite vignette is used only for illustration and does not report an identifiable case. Findings: The analysis develops three claims. First, return-to-play may become ethically pressurized when organizational urgency, athlete dependency, and professional hierarchy shape interpretations of readiness. Second, athlete agreement may involve pressured choice, in which refusal carries relational, occupational, or identity-related costs. Third, sustained caregiving concerns require procedural standing rather than symbolic inclusion. Conclusions: Nursing ethics does not make return-to-play a nursing-exclusive problem, but it offers a useful lens for analyzing moral distress, vulnerability, advocacy, and constrained agency. Documentation, reason-giving, escalation pathways, and interprofessional debriefing can strengthen return-to-play governance.