Numerous studies have investigated the effects of exercise on post-stroke depression (PSD), yet the findings remain inconclusive. This study aims to evaluate the impact of exercise on depressive symptoms in stroke patients and to identify the most effective exercise protocols for this population. A systematic review of the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was conducted, with a search cutoff date of 13 September 2024. Quantitative synthesis was employed to assess the intervention effects, with effect sizes expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals to evaluate the efficacy of exercise in alleviating PSD. A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that exercise significantly alleviated depressive symptoms in stroke patients (SMD = −0.18; p = 0.007). Specifically, multicomponent training emerged as the most effective intervention for reducing depression (SMD = −0.24; p = 0.008). Additionally, exercise programs with a duration of ≥12 weeks (SMD, −0.17; p = 0.04), ≥3 sessions per week (SMD, −0.20; p = 0.02), <60 min per session (SMD, −0.19; p = 0.05), and <180 min per week (SMD, −0.27; p = 0.02) were found to be the most effective in alleviating PSD. Exercise represents an effective strategy for managing PSD, with multicomponent training potentially serving as the optimal intervention. These findings provide evidence for clinicians, recommending that stroke patients engage in exercise at least three times weekly, with individual sessions not exceeding 60 min. By increasing the frequency of exercise, the cumulative weekly time should ideally remain below 180 min for optimal outcomes.

This study aims to investigate the effects of exercise on depression and anxiety in lung cancer survivors and identify the optimal exercise prescription for this population. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang Data up to 7 January 2024. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval. Thirteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Exercise significantly alleviated depression (SMD, −0.54; p = 0.002) and anxiety (SMD, −0.66; p = 0.0002) in lung cancer survivors. Subgroup analyses showed that aerobic exercise, exercise conducted >3 times per week, <60 min per session, and ≥180 min per week, were more effective in alleviating depression and anxiety, particularly in middle-aged individuals. In conclusion, exercise alleviates depression and anxiety in lung cancer survivors, particularly those who are middle-aged, and aerobic exercise may be the most effective intervention. This meta-analysis provides clinicians with evidence to recommend that lung cancer survivors engage in exercise more than three times per week, with each session lasting less than 60 min, aiming to achieve a total of 180 min per week by increasing the frequency of exercise.

This study investigated the effects of compression garments on mitigating the decline in muscle strength and power resulting from exercise-induced muscle fatigue. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, and Scopus databases. The three-level restricted maximum likelihood random effects model was used to synthesize the data. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Compression garments had significant restorative effects on muscle strength (Hedges’s g = −0.21, p < 0.01) and power (Hedges’s g = −0.23, p < 0.01) after exercise-induced muscle fatigue. Subgroup analysis revealed that compression garments were effective in mitigating the decline in muscle strength when the rest intervals were 1–48 h and over 72 h and in mitigating the decline in power when the resting interval was 1–24 h. In addition, compression garments significantly mitigated the decline in muscle strength, during rest intervals of 1–24 h for trained individuals and over 72 h for both trained and untrained individuals, after exercise-induced muscle fatigue. In conclusion, compression garments significantly mitigated the decline in muscle strength after exercise-induced muscle fatigue. Both trained and untrained individuals could benefit from compression garments, with the effectiveness of compression garments being more pronounced in trained individuals compared to untrained ones.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on cognitive function in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and to identify the optimal exercise prescription. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, and Scopus was conducted through 13 May 2025. The Cochrane risk assessment tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Results: Twenty studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, of which six were rated as high quality and eleven as moderate quality. A meta-analytic synthesis of 14 eligible studies demonstrated that exercise elicited a significant improvement of cognitive function in ID patients (Hedges’ g = 0.85, p < 0.001), with the greatest effect observed for cognitive speed (Hedges’ g = 0.93, p < 0.01). Subgroup analyses indicated that interventions lasting ≥12 weeks (Hedges’ g = 0.92, p < 0.001), performed <3 times per week (Hedges’ g = 1.22, p < 0.01), with sessions ≥60 min (Hedges’ g = 1.91, p < 0.01), and >180 min per week in total (Hedges’ g = 3.10, p < 0.01) yielded the most pronounced benefits. Adolescents with ID exhibited greater cognitive gains (Hedges’ g = 1.01, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Exercise significantly improved cognitive function in ID patients. Our findings suggested that ID patients may benefit from exercise sessions lasting at least 60 min, performed fewer than three times per week, and sustained for at least 12 weeks. Achieving an exercise target of more than 180 min per week may further enhance cognitive function. Moreover, younger ID patients may experience greater improvements in cognitive function. Future studies should focus on standardizing exercise protocols and cognitive assessment tools to ensure consistency and comparability of findings in this population.

Obesity is a major global health challenge. While aerobic and resistance exercises are commonly used for obesity management, the effects of concurrent trai