Background and Objectives: The effects of face yoga, which continues to be popular as an anti-aging technique, on facial muscles in relation to aging represent an area of interest. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of intensive face yoga on facial muscles’ tonus, stiffness, and elasticity in middle-aged women. Materials and Methods: Twelve female participants with a mean age of 49.75 ± 3.76 were included in this pre-experimental clinical trial. Face yoga was applied to the participants for 8 weeks, 2 days a week face-to-face, and 5 days a week as a home program. At the beginning and the end of 8 weeks, the tonus, stiffness, and elasticity of the participants’ facial muscles were evaluated with the Myoton^®PRO device. Results: Following the face yoga program, the tonus and stiffness of the frontalis (p = 0.008, p = 0.002), corrugator supercilii (p = 0.008, p = 0.019), orbicularis oculi (p = 0.023, p = 0.034), and orbicularis oris (p = 0.007, p = 0.015) muscles decreased significantly, while the tonus and stiffness of the buccinator (p = 0.008, p = 0.002) and digastric (p = 0.008, p = 0.023) muscles increased. Elasticity values increased in all evaluated facial muscles (p = 0.045, p = 0.045, p = 0.034, p = 0.023, p = 0.028, p = 0.005, respectively). Conclusions: The results reveal that face yoga has different effects depending on the physiological structure and function of the muscles and positively affects connective tissue. Future studies should reproduce the results presented here to further our understanding of the effects of face yoga.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) involve complex interactions among behavioral and musculoskeletal factors, and machine learning (ML) has increasingly been used to model these multidimensional relationships. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and TMD symptoms by evaluating the possible contributions of clinical variables such as head posture, cervical dysfunction, and masseter muscle sensitivity to this relationship and by examining the multivariate structure using ML methods. A single-blind, cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in Turkey. Participants completed several assessments: Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Fonseca Anamnestic Index for TMD severity, Neck Disability Index, Numerical Rating Scale, forward head posture, and masseter muscle pressure pain threshold using algometry. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, logistic regression, and various ML classification algorithms (e.g., extreme gradient boosting [XGBoost], support vector machines). Shapley additive explanations analysis was applied to determine variable importance in ML models. In this study, XGBoost demonstrated the most successful performance in determining the relationships between smartphone addiction and TMD symptoms, while the support vector machines model showed the most successful performance in classifying participants. The findings suggest that this ML based approach, taking into account postural abnormalities and masseter muscle sensitivity, could contribute to the early identification of individuals at risk for TMD and the planning of targeted intervention strategies. Research findings have revealed complex relationships between SAS-SV and TMD symptoms among university students. In analyses conducted using ML algorithms, the support vector machines model stood out with the highest classification accuracy (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.94) and performance indicators. Shapley additive explanations analyses showed that smartphone usage time, masseter muscle sensitivity, and Fonseca Anamnestic Index score were the most decisive variables on SAS-SV. In TMD prediction, the highest predictive power was explained by temporomandibular joint pain. Ensemble models such as random forest and gradient boosting yielded more successful results with lower error rates and higher R ² values compared to classical regression methods. The findings indicate that smartphone use indirectly affects TMD through postural disorders and muscle sensitivity.

Amaç: Çalışmamızda COVID-19'un ulusal düzeyde fiziksel aktivite, algılanan stres, fiziksel aktivite farkındalığı ve egzersiz yapmama nedenleri üzerindeki etkisini araştırmak amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Anket on-line olarak gönderilmiş ve veriler 8 Mayıs - 31 Mayıs 2020 tarihleri arasında 1087 gönüllünün katılımı ile toplandı. Katılımcıların fiziksel aktivite düzeyleri Fiziksel Aktivite (FA) Anketi-Kısa Formu ile, stres düzeyleri Algılanan Stres Ölçeği ile değerlendirildi. Egzersiz farkındalığı ve egzersiz yapmama nedenleri ise nitel sorularla sorgulandı. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde tek yönlü ANOVA, Ki-kare testi ve Pearson Korelasyon analizi kullanıldı. Sonuçlar: COVID-19 salgını sırasında, yetişkinlerin % 70'inin yetersiz FA değerlerine sahip olduğu saptandı. Farklı FA düzeylerine sahip bireylerin stres düzeyinin de farklılık gösterdiği (p <0.001) ve düşük şiddetli FA düzeyine sahip bireylerin daha yüksek stres düzeylerine sahip olduğu bulundu. Kadınların erkeklere göre daha yüksek stres ve inaktivite düzeyine, 18-29 yaşları arasındaki bireylerin ise diğer yaş gruplarına göre daha yüksek stres düzeyine sahip olduğu saptandı (p <0.001). Stres seviyesi ile FA arasında ve FA ile oturma zamanı arasında zayıf negatif korelasyona rastlanırken (p <0.001), stres düzeyi ile oturma zamanı arasında zayıf pozitif korelasyona rastlandı (p <0.001). Tartışma: Türkiye'de COVID-19 salgını sırasında alınan önlemlerin fiziksel aktivite ve stres düzeylerini olumsuz etkilediği görüldü ve bu salgından en çok etkilenen grupların kadınlar ve genç yetişkinler olduğu saptandı. COVID-19 salgını sırasında ev egzersiz programları, fiziksel ve zihinsel sağlığın korunmasını destekleyebilir ve hareketsizlikle ilişkili sağlık sorunlarının oluşma riskini önleyebilir. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on physical activity, perceived stress, awareness of physical activity, and exercise barriers nationally. Methods: The survey was sent on-line and data were collected from 1087 volunteers between May 8 and May 31, 2020. The physical activity levels of the respondents were evaluated with the Physical Activity (PA) Questionnaire-Short Form and stress levels with the Perceived Stress Scale. The awareness of exercise and barriers to exercise were questioned with qualitative questions. One-way ANOVA, the Chi-squared test, and Pearson Correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. Results: During the COVID-19, 70% of adults had inadequate PA. It was observed that the stress level was different in terms of PA levels (p<0.001), and individuals with low-intensity PA levels had higher stress levels. The stress levels and inactivity levels of females were higher than those of males, and the 18-29 age group had a higher stress level (p<0.001). There was a weak negative correlation between stress level and PA (p<0.001), and between PA and sitting time, whereas a weak positive correlation was found between stress level and sitting time (p<0.001). Conclusion: The precautions taken during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey were seen to have a negative effect on physical activity and stress levels, and the most affected groups in this outbreak were females and young adults. Home-based exercises can support the protection of physical and mental health, and avoid the risk of inactivity-related health problems during the COVID-19 outbreak.

OBJECTIVE: Dexterity is one of the abilities required for different types of work and is divided into manual and finger dexterity. The aim of this study was to examine whether there was a difference in manual and finger dexterity between musicians and nonmusicians, and between musicians divided by instrument groups and nonmusicians. METHODS: The study included 128 participants (96 musicians, 32 nonmusicians). Musicians were divided into three groups as wind, string, and keyboard instrument players. The Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT) for manual dexterity and Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) for finger dexterity were used. Independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for MMDT, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for PPT between musicians and nonmusicians. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and one-way ANOVA were used for comparisons of the MMDT and PPT between nonmusicians and musicians divided by instrument groups. RESULTS: There were no differences between musicians and nonmusicians in terms of MMDT and PPT (p>0.05). When musicians were divided by instrument groups, there was a statistically significant difference in only the left-hand subtest of PPT (p=0.038). In pairwise comparisons, significant differences were found between wind and string instrument players (p=0.036), keyboard and string players (p=0.012), and nonmusicians and string players (p=0.015). Wind and keyboard players and nonmusicians were more successful than string players in terms of left-hand finger dexterity. CONCLUSION: Future studies can be designed that investigate the effects of bilateral asymmetrical-symmetrical training on finger dexterity of the left hand and evaluate the performances of musicians in areas other than music.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between static and dynamic core stabilization with agility and speed among female basketball players. Core stability, encompassing static and dynamic components, is fundamental for maintaining balance and enhancing athletic performance. Materials and Methods: Fifteen female athletes from the Bandırma Basketball Team participated, undergoing a series of core stability, agility, and speed assessments. These included the plank and double leg lowering test for static core stability, back extensions for dynamic core stability, the Hexagonal Obstacle Test (HOT) for agility, and a 20-meter sprint test for speed. Results: The results revealed a significant positive correlation between static core stability (plank test) and speed performance (r=0.576, p=0.025), suggesting that greater static core stability enhances sprinting capability. However, no significant correlations were observed between dynamic core stability (back extensions) and either agility or speed. Additionally, agility and speed showed a moderate correlation (r=0.569, p=0.027), indicating a mutual influence. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of static core stability for speed performance and suggest that training programs for basketball athletes could benefit from emphasizing static core exercises to enhance sprinting ability.

Amaç: Fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı eğitiminin 10-11 yaş dönemi çocuklarda fiziksel aktivite düzeyi ile fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı üzerine etkisini incelemekti. Gereç ve Yöntem: Öncesi-sonrası yarı deneysel olarak tasarlanan bu çalışmaya, yaş ortalaması 10.59  0.50 olan toplam 37 öğrenci dahil edildi. Öğrencilerin fiziksel aktivite düzeyi İlköğretim Öğrencileri İçin Fiziksel Aktivite Soru Formu ile, fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı Çocuklarda Fiziksel Aktivite ve Postür Farkındalığı Soruları ile değerlendirildi. Öğrencilerin ilk değerlendirmelerinin ardından fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı eğitimi verildi. Eğitimden sonraki haftalarda öğrencilere postürle ilgili hatırlatmalar yapıldı ve fiziksel aktiviteye yönelik çeşitli etkinlikler düzenlendi. Eğitimden 12 hafta sonra başlangıçtaki değerlendirmeler tekrar edildi. Bulgular: Eğitim sonrasında fiziksel aktivite düzeyinde orta etki büyüklüğü ile istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark varken (p=0.005; Cohen’s d= 0.49), fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığında anlamlı fark yoktu (p>0.05). Araştırılan parametreler açısından cinsiyetler arasında da anlamlı fark yoktu (p>0.05). Sonuç: Fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı eğitimi 10-11 yaş dönemi çocukların fiziksel aktivite düzeyini artırabilir. Gelecekte fiziksel aktivite ve postür farkındalığı için farklı eğitim programları oluşturulabilir.