Healthy College Research Articles

Validity and intrarater reliability of a novel device for assessing Plantar flexor strength.

Plantar flexor weakness is an identified prospective factor for developing Achilles tendinopathy. Various authors have reported relationships between symptoms and weakness of this muscle group. Despite this relationship, many clinicians and researchers fail to examine Plantar flexor strength due to the cumbersome, stationary and expensive nature of an isokinetic dynamometer (IKD), known as the "Gold Standard". This study examined the validity and reliability of a fast, easy and portable device for assessing plantarflexion. Validity between the Cybex NORM® by Humac and the C-Station by Fysiometer was explored using Pearson correlation coefficient. Participants were randomly selected to start in the Cybex NORM® or the FysioMeter C-Station. Intra-rater reliability on the C-station was investigated by test-retest two days apart using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). All testing involved isometric maximal force of the soleus muscle with the knee at 90 degrees flexion. 40 healthy university students were recruited for the validity part, while 65 healthy university students were recruited for the reliability part of the study. The mean peak torque on the IKD was 198.55Nm (SD 94.45) versus 1443.88 (412.82)N on the C-Station. The results of the Pearson correlation revealed an r-value of r = 0.72 with a 95%CI 0.52-0.84. The test re-test reliability was calculated as an ICC of 0.91 with a (95%CI 0.86-0.94). The C-Station by Fysiometer appears to provide valid measures and have excellent reliability for Plantar flexor isometric strength. It would appear suitable for both clinical and research work.

Electroencephalography Based Microstate Functional Connectivity Analysis in Emotional Cognitive Reappraisal Combined with Happy Music.

Currently, research mainly focuses on the effects of happy music on the subjective assessment of cognitive reappraisal, but relevant results of the neural mechanism are lacking. By analysing the functional connectivity of microstates based on electroencephalography (EEG), we investigated the effect of cognitive reappraisal combined with happy music on emotional regulation and the dynamic characteristics of brain functional activities. A total of 52 healthy college students were divided into music group and control group. EEG data and behavioural scores were collected during an experiment of cognitive reappraisal combined with happy music. The dynamic time window of the brain functional network was determined by microstate analysis, and the metrics of functional connectivity, clustering coefficient (Cp) and characteristic path length (Lp), were calculated based on the phase-locked value. The arousal of cognitive reappraisal significantly increased (p = 0.005) in music group, but the valence did not change significantly. This suggested that happy music did not affect emotional regulation from the behavioural perspective. Four microstate global templates (A-D) were determined. With happy music, the duration (p = 0.043) and Lp (p = 0.033) of microstate B increased significantly, indicating that the transfection efficiency of the brain network decreased, reflecting a negative effect on cognitive reappraisal. The duration (p = 0.017) of microstate D decreased and of Cp (p < 0.001) increased significantly, indicating that the local information-processing ability of the brain network increased. We conclude that happy music can change the characteristics of brain functional networks and have a positive effect on cognitive reappraisal in specific period. The research provides a certain electrophysiological basis for applying happy music to cognitive reappraisal.

Comparison of physical performance measures of flexibility, strength &amp; balance of school students with university students

Aim: To find out variation in flexibility, strength and balance of university and school students on their dominant and non-dominant sides. Study Design: A Cross section study. Place and duration of study: Data was collected from Lahore grammar school (LGS), Al’Ala school and university of management and technology (UMT), Lahore. After approval of synopsis (RE-092-2021) the data collection was done from the duration of 10th November 2021 to 15th February 2022. Methodology: A cross section study conducted on healthy school and university students. The data was collected by non-probability convenient sampling. After verbal Informed consent the data was obtained from school students of grade 7-10 from Lahore Grammar school and Al’Ala international Islamic school and undergraduate’s students of UMT by using convenient sampling. Physical performance tests for measuring strength (sit-ups), flexibility (Zipper, sit and reach, dorsiflexion) and balance (Flamingo test) were demonstrated and were asked to perform. Readings were taken of each test. Results: Sit ups excellent results were reported in majority of university students (36%). Sit and reach test was found better in university (32%), zipper test positive results were better in school students. Dorsiflexion test normal values were more in university (18%). Flamingo test showed 45% university students had good balance. There was statistically significant difference in zipper (P=0.004), flamingo (P=0.036) on non-dominant side and sit and reach dominant (P=0.006) and non-dominant side (P=0.031). Practical implication: The normative data of physical performance measures can help prevent injuries, as these can be used as a reference to detect poor health and lethargy at school and university level. These measures can be used as a reference for primary prevention among university going and school going students. Furthermore, to increase awareness about physical fitness among young population. Conclusion: Both groups showed good physical performance measures. Flexibility test showed better results in School students. Strength test showed better result in university students whereas, balance test reported better in school students. Keywords: Balance, Flexibility, Limb dominance, musculoskeletal injuries, Physical activity, Strength,

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the postcentral gyrus reduces malevolent creative ideation.

Malevolent creativity (MC) is defined as a manifestation in which people propose to materially, mentally or physically harm themselves or others in a novel manner. Malevolent creative ideation can be inhibited by high moral emotions (i.e. sympathy, guilt and shame) and low negative emotions, which promote prosocial behaviors. Given that the right postcentral gyrus (PCG) is involved in generating sympathy and emotional recognition for others and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) is involved in emotional regulation, we suggest that the right PCG and right MFG may play important roles in malevolent creative ideation. In Study 1, we recruited 98 healthy and right-handed college participants (80 females, age = 21.11 ± 2.00 years) and examined the role of the right PCG in malevolent creative ideation using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The results showed that the accuracy of emotional recognition changed when the right PCG received electrical stimulation. Enhancing the activation of the right PCG reduced MC originality and fluency, whereas inhibiting it increased MC originality and fluency. In Study 2, we recruited 91 healthy and right-handed college participants (74 females, age = 21.22 ± 2.28 years) and examined the role of the right MFG in malevolent creative ideation using tDCS. The results showed no significant difference in malevolent creative performance between the pre- and post-test when electrical stimulation was applied over the right MFG. These findings indicate that enhancing the activation of the right PCG, which is closely correlated with emotional recognition, reduces an individual's malevolent creative ideation.

Changes in motor unit activity in the biceps brachii muscle under different intensities of isometric loading

In patients with cancer, loss of muscle mass is observed in many cases and tumour types. This can lead to a drastic deterioration in the patient's quality of life, with the inability to support themselves. Nowadays, in addition to primary treatment of the tumour, physical training of patients has become a priority in order to maintain their quality of life. One key to this is resistance training to prevent sudden muscle loss, which the patient can do alongside primary treatment, and isometric training may be one option. Our aim was to measure the activation frequency characteristics of the biceps brachii muscle in our subjects during a fatigue protocol while creating a constant controlled isometric tension in the muscle. 19 healthy university students participated in our study. After determining the dominant side, the subjects' single repetition maximum was assessed using the GymAware RS tool and then 65% and 85% of this was calculated. We placed electrodes on the biceps brachii muscle and had them hold the weight at 65% and 85% until full fatigue. Immediately afterwards, subjects performed an isometric maximal contraction (Imax). The measured electromyography recordings were divided into 3 equal parts, then the first, middle and last 3 s (W1, W2, W3) were analyzed. Our results show that, consistent with fatigue, at both 1RM 65% and 1RM 85% load, the activity of the low-frequency motor units increases, while the activation of the high-frequency motor units decreases. The present study is consistent with our previous study. Our test protocol is not suitable for prolonged activation of high-frequency motor units because the activity of high-frequency motor units decreases over time. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(10): 376-382.

Long-term effects of repeated multitarget high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation combined with cognitive training on response inhibition gains.

Few studies have investigated the effects of repeated sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with concurrent cognitive training on improving response inhibition, and the findings have been heterogeneous in the limited research. This study investigated the long-lasting and transfer effects of 10 consecutive sessions of multitarget anodal HD-tDCS combined with concurrent cognitive training on improving response inhibition compared with multitarget stimulation or training alone. Ninety-four healthy university students aged 18-25 were randomly assigned to undergo different interventions, including real stimulation combined with stop-signal task (SST) training, real stimulation, sham stimulation combined with SST training, and sham stimulation. Each intervention lasted 20 min daily for 10 consecutive days, and the stimulation protocol targeted right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) simultaneously with a total current intensity of 2.5 mA. Performance on SST and possible transfer effects to Stroop task, attention network test, and N-back task were measured before and 1 day and 1 month after completing the intervention course. The main findings showed that the combined protocol and the stimulation alone significantly reduced stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) in the post-intervention and follow-up tests compared to the pre-intervention test. However, training alone only decreased SSRT in the post-test. The sham control exhibited no changes. Subgroup analysis revealed that the combined protocol and the stimulation alone induced a decrease in the SSRT of the low-performance subgroup at the post-test and follow-up test compared with the pre-test. However, only the combined protocol, but not the stimulation alone, improved the SSRT of the high-performance subgroup. The transfer effects were absent. This study provides supportive evidence for the synergistic effect of the combined protocol, indicating its superiority over the single intervention method. In addition, the long-term after-effects can persist for up to at least 1 month. Our findings also provide insights into the clinical application and strategy for treating response inhibition deficits.

Physiological aspect of apoptosis-regulating microRNAs expressions during fasting.

Fasting is an activity that requires a certain calorie restriction without consuming food or drinks for a certain period of daytime. However, fasting triggers many complex events, including activating cellular stress response pathways, autophagy promotion, apoptosis pathways, and a change in hormonal balance. Among the many events affecting the regulation of apoptosis, the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays an important role. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the levels and importance of miRNA expression in fasting. The expressions of 19 miRNAs regulating different pathways from saliva samples, isolated by matching healthy university students (n = 34) as group 1 (fasting for 17 consecutive hours) and group 2 (testing 70 minutes after meal consumption), were examined using the real-time PCR method. In fasting, modulation of apoptotic pathways by miRNAs triggers anti-pathogenic effects, and the adaptation of abnormal cells in the body decreases. For this reason, vital diseases, such as cancer, can be treated by preventing the proliferation and growth of cancerous cells by increasing programmed cell death due to the downregulation expression mechanism of miRNAs. Our study aims to improve the knowledge about the mechanisms and functions of miRNAs in various apoptosis pathways during fasting and may be a model for further future physiological and pathological studies.

Poorer decision making among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence for “pandemic-brain”

Objective Did living through the COVID-19 pandemic cause healthy college students to experience “pandemic-brain,” a phenomenon characterized by difficulties with various cognitive abilities? Did students shift from deliberative to more impulsive decision making? Participants We compared a pre-pandemic sample of 722 undergraduate students to 161 undergraduate students recruited in Fall 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method We compared scores on the Adult Decision Making Competence scale among participants who completed the task pre-pandemic or across two time points in Fall 2020, during the pandemic. Results Decision making was less consistent and more reliant on gain/loss framing during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic, but college students were no less confident in their decisions. No significant changes in decision making occurred during the pandemic. Conclusions These decision making changes could increase the risk of making an impulsive choice with negative health consequences affecting demands on student health centers and imperiling learning environments.

The long-term impact of early adverse experience on adaptive functioning: a pilot study integrating measures of mental status, nonverbal communication, and heart rate variability

ABSTRACT Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) can disrupt the development of behavioural and physiological systems, increasing the risk of physical and psychological adverse outcomes across the lifespan. CM may cause interpersonal dysfunctions that impair social communication and lead to dysfunctional activation of the autonomic nervous system. The present exploratory study analyzed the long-term impact of CM from an integrated perspective through the simultaneous assessment of psychological symptoms, social and behavioural communication, and physiological regulation. Methods: Participants were 55 healthy university students (9 males and 46 females; mean age ± SD = 25.26 ± 2.83 years), who filled out a battery of questionnaires to assess the presence of CM (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and psychopathological symptoms (Symptom Check-List-90 Item Revised). Participants were then subjected to a videotaped interview for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour (Ethological Coding System for Interviews) and measurement of tonic heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of physiological adaptability to the environment. We performed Pearson's correlation analysis to evaluate the associations between non-verbal behaviour, HRV, and CM variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent associations between CM variables on HRV and nonverbal behaviour. Results: We found an association between more severe CM, increased symptoms-related distress (ps < .001), less submissive behaviour (ps < .018), and decreased tonic HRV (ps < .028). As a result of multiple regression analysis, participants with a history of emotional abuse (R² = .18, p = .002) and neglect (R² = .10, p = .03) were more likely to display decreased submissive behaviour during the dyadic interview. Moreover, early experience of emotional (R² = .21, p = .005) and sexual abuse (R² = .14, p = .04) was associated with decreased tonic HRV. Conclusion: Our preliminary findings show the utility of analyzing the long-term effects of adverse early experiences at different levels of ‘adaptive functioning’ (the capabilities needed to respond effectively to environmental demands).

The role of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in the association of particulate air pollution metal content and early cardiovascular damage: A panel study in healthy college students

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, the effects of toxic metals in PM2.5 on cardiovascular health remain unknown. To investigate the early cardiovascular effects of specific PM2.5 metal constituents at the personal level, we conducted a panel study on 45 healthy college students in Caofeidian, China. Personal exposure concentrations and cardiovascular effect markers were monitored simultaneously within one year in four study periods. Four linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the relationship between personal exposure to PM2.5 and 15 metal fractions (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, and Pb) with soluble CD36 (sCD36), C-reactive protein (CRP), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OX-LDL) levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. The concentrations of most individual metals (Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb and Pb) were the highest in winter. Meanwhile, there were significant differences in inflammatory (sCD36 and CRP) and oxidative stress (OX-LDL) markers in the serum of participants over the four seasons. In particular, the estimated effects of personal metal exposure (such as V, As, Se, Cd, and Pb) on sCD36 and pulse pressure (PP) levels were consistently significant across the four LME models. A significant mediating role of sCD36 was also found in the relationship between personal exposure to Zn and Cr and changes in PP levels. Our findings provide clues and potential mechanisms regarding the cardiovascular effects of specific toxic constituents of PM2.5 in healthy young adults.

The Effect of Correlated Color Temperature and Illumination Level of LED Lighting on Visual Comfort during Sustained Attention Activities

LED lighting has been widely used in various scenes, but there are few studies on the impact of LED lighting on visual comfort in sustained attention tasks. This paper aims to explore the influence of correlated color temperature (CCT) and illuminance level in LED lighting parameters on human visual comfort. We selected 46 healthy college students (23 male and 23 female). The ages ranged from 22 to 26 years old (average age was 24.2 years). Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, sustained attention to response test (SART) parameters and subjective evaluation parameters of subjects performing sustained attention tasks under LED lighting were obtained. The results under different conditions were compared, and the effects of experimental lighting parameters on visual comfort were discussed. The results showed that the LED lighting with CCT of 3300 K and illuminance of 300 lx was more comfortable than other combined conditions. In the subjective perception of subjects, 4000 K CCT also had good visual comfort evaluation and caused good task performance. Therefore, our study showed that in sustained attention tasks, when LED lighting conditions were CCT of 3300 and 4300 K and illuminance level was 300 lx, the visual comfort of the subjects was better.

Association Among Body Mass Index, Q-angle and Flat Foot in Students of University of Lahore

Abstract: The objective of this study is to find association between Body Mass Index, Q-Angle and flat foot in university students. Flatfoot, also known as: ‘Pes Planus’ causes mechanical compression in the knee and upsurges interaction amid to the patellar enunciation exteriors. As a result, most problematic flat foot cases are discovered through complaints of knee pain. Even while obesity and flat feet have frequently been linked before, not all researchers have discussed the relationship of flat feet through age, sexual category, and Body Mass Index.&#x0D; Materials and techniques: Cross sectional study design was followed. 200 healthy university students, aged between 18-25 years were selected from different universities of Lahore Pakistan on the basis of Non Probability Sampling Technique. 49.5% of which was females while 50.5% were males. BMI, Q-angle and Foot Disability Index tools were used and records were examined on SPSS version 25.0.Results:&#x0D; The current study showed that the Q-angle of group A, which was made up of healthy male high school students, went up more than that of group B, which was made up of male high school students with flat feet.&#x0D; Therefore, there is a strong connection between flat feet and a rising Q angle.Conclusion: This study concluded that greater BMI had a significant effect on flat foot as well as plantar arch index and Q angle.

Reliability, Concurrent Validity, and Minimal Detectable Change of a Smartphone Application for Measuring Thoracic Kyphosis

Objective: To assess the intra- and inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity, and to estimate minimal detectable change of a smartphone application for measuring thoracic kyphosis angle.&#x0D; Methods: A total of 80 healthy university students were evaluated. Two raters measured the thoracic kyphosis angle using a digital inclinometer and the smartphone application. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence interval. The standard error of measurement (SEM) and the minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level (MDC95) were also calculated. The concurrent validity between the digital inclinometer and the smartphone application was assessed by the linear regression analysis and Bland and Altman's 95% limits of agreement method.&#x0D; Results: The intra- and inter-rater reliability were excellent for the digital inclinometer and the smartphone application (ICC &gt; 0.75). The SEM values for the digital inclinometer and the smartphone application were close together. The MDC95 values for the smartphone application were 5.11 and 6.30 degrees, and 9.02 degrees for intra- and inter-rater, respectively. The digital inclinometer and the smartphone application showed a positive correlation (R2 = 0.85). The Bland-Altman plot showed a good agreement between the instruments.&#x0D; Conclusion: The smartphone application used in this study is a cost-effective, practical, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring the thoracic kyphosis angle. More than 9 degrees in the value of the thoracic kyphosis angle measured by the smartphone application can be considered as a true change.

Effects of indoor exposure to low level toluene on neural network alterations during working memory encoding

ObjectiveWhile high concentrations of toluene are known to affect multiple human organ systems, research concerning the influence of immediate, short-term exposure to toluene indoors and at low concentrations is scarce. Here, we studied effects of indoor toluene exposure on neural network alterations during working memory (WM) encoding. MethodsA total of 23 healthy college students were recruited. All participants were situated in a closed environmental chamber with a full fresh air system. Each participant was subjected to four exposure experiments with different toluene concentrations (0, 17.5, 35, and 70 ppb, named Group A, B, C and D, respectively), with at least one week between each experiment. WM Behavioral and 19-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings in a pre-set environmental chamber were conducted simultaneously during each toluene exposure experiment. Neural networks relevant to WM encoding were visualized analyzing the obtained data. Results1. No significant difference in WM behavioral performance among the four groups was found. However, a significant increase in whole brain neural network functional connectivity was noted, especially in the frontal region.2. An outflow directional transfer function (DTFoutflow) revealed higher frontal region values among Group D (the 70 ppb group) as compared to Group A, B and C (the0, 17.5 ppb and 35 ppb groups, respectively), although no differences in frontal region DTFinflow values among the four groups were noted.3. The DTFFZ-F7, DTFFZ-T5, DTFFZ-P4, DTFFZ-P3, DTFFP2-O2, DTFP3-T4, DTFP3-F4, DTFP4-CZ and DTFP4-T4 values of Group D were found to be higher as compared to those of Group A and B. Furthermore, DTFFZ-F7 and DTFP4-T4 values of Group C were higher as compared to those of Group A. The DTFFZ-F7 values of Group D were higher as compared to those of the Group C. ConclusionShort-term toluene exposure significantly influences neural networks during cognitive processes such as WM encoding, even at low concentration.

Exercise health belief model mediates the relationship between physical activity and peer support among Chinese college students: A cross-sectional survey.

This study explored the influence of the exercise health belief model and peer support on university students' physical activity PA and clarified the related mechanism. Three hundred and thirty-six healthy university students (aged 19.4 ± 1.3 years, 166 male and 170 female) from Sichuan University of Arts and Science in China were evaluated by the peer support scale, the health belief model scale for exercise, and the physical activity scale (short volume). The results showed that the male students' exercise self-efficacy and PA were markedly higher than female university students. Peer support was positively correlated with perceived benefits, exercise self-efficacy, perceived severity, and cues to action, and was adversely associated with perceived objective and subjective barriers. PA was positively correlated with perceived benefits and exercise self-efficacy, and negatively correlated with perceived objective and subjective barriers. Among the components of the exercise health belief model, only exercise self-efficacy was suitable for constructing a structural equation model (SEM) with peer support and PA. The analysis showed that the predictive effect of exercise self-efficacy on PA was more significant than peer support, and exercise self-efficacy played a critical intermediary role. It is worth noting that, in the grouping model, the effect of male college students' exercise self-efficacy on PA was greater than that of female students, and the model fit of male peer support was better than that of female students. Although the impact of peer support on PA was less than that of exercise self-efficacy and the direct effect of peer support was less than the indirect effect, the impact of peer support on the PA of female university students was higher than that of male university students. This study revealed the impact of exercise self-efficacy and peer support on university students' PA and suggested that exercise self-efficacy is the main path to promoting university students' PA, followed by peer support. Peer support could affect university students' PA not only through direct effects but also through indirect effects. This study also suggested that female university students' peer support has a higher impact on PA than male students. Therefore, when formulating physical exercise courses in the future, it is necessary to give more peer support to female university students to compensate for their low exercise self-efficacy.

Spatial characteristics of closed-loop TMS-EEG with occipital alpha-phase synchronized

ObjectiveIn a previous study, we designed a closed-loop TMS-EEG system synchronized with occipital alpha-phase, verified its phase prediction accuracy and discussed the reactivity indicators of the closed-loop system. However, the research on connectivity indicators of closed-loop TMS-EEG was remained lacking. In this study, the purpose of our research is to discuss the spatial characteristics of closed-loop TMS-EEG data with occipital alpha-phase synchronization. MethodWe collected 30 healthy college students’ closed-loop TMS-EEG data (15 men and 15 women, age 25.23 ± 2.74 years old) with 3–4 s as the stimulation interval, 100 % of the resting motor threshold (RMT) as the stimulation strength, and the left primary motor cortex (M1) as the target area, and calculated each frequency-band connectivity and brain network difference of these data under different alpha phase conditions (rising edge, falling edge, peak and trough). In addition, we also calculated the spatial complexity characterized by the perturbational complexity index (PCI) of the closed-loop TMS-EEG data. ResultsThe occipital lobe alpha phase EEG had a significant modulation effect on the gamma network, with the connectivity of the many channels under the phase180 condition being stronger than that under the phase 0 condition. Similarly, under the condition of phase 0, the gamma network had the lowest clustering coefficient (F = 7.592, df = 2.079, p = 0.001), the longest shortest path length (F = 7.638, df = 2.163, p = 0.001), and the largest small world attribute (F = 6.195, df = 2.422, p = 0.020), while the results were opposite under the phase180 condition. There were no significant differences in PCI values (F = 2.231, df = 2.538, p = 0.103) among the four phase conditions, but there was a smaller coefficient of intertrial PCI variation when stimulated at the phase90 condition (F = 3.275, df = 2.793, p = 0.029). ConclusionWe have comprehensively discussed the spatial characteristics of closed-loop TMS-EEG with occipital alpha-phase synchronization and hope that our research will be instructive for future work on closed-loop TMS.

No sex differences in the acute effects of caffeine on mental calculation and pulse rate in healthy college students

No sex differences in the acute effects of caffeine on mental calculation and pulse rate in healthy college students

Effect of acute high-intensity intermittent exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations.

This study aimed to examine changes in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations after exhaustive high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) and non-exhaustive HIIE, and to compare the two conditions. Eight healthy male college students (age: 22±1 year) participated in exhaustive (sets: 6-7) and non-exhaustive (sets: 5) HIIE. In both conditions, participants repeated sets of 20 seconds of exercise at 170% V̇O<inf>2</inf>max with 10 seconds of rest between sets. Serum BDNF was measured 8 times in each condition: 30 minutes after resting, 10 minutes after sitting, immediately after HIIE, and 5, 10, 30, 60, and 90 minutes after main exercise. Changes in serum BDNF concentrations over time and between measurement points in both conditions were measured using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA. Serum BDNF concentrations were measured, revealing significant interaction between two factors (conditions and measurement points) (F=3.482, P=0.027). In the exhaustive HIIE, there were significant increases at 5 minutes (P<0.01) and 10 minutes (P<0.01) after exercise compared to after resting. In the non-exhaustive HIIE, there was a significant increase immediately after (P<0.01) and 5 minutes after (P<0.01) exercise compared to resting. Comparison of the serum BDNF concentrations at each measurement point showed a significant difference at 10 minutes after exercise, with significantly higher values for the exhaustive HIIE condition (P<0.01, r=0.60). Exhaustive and non-exhaustive HIIE are time-efficient exercises that increase serum BDNF concentrations in healthy adults.

Effect of sympathetic auricular acupoint in orthostatic response

Objective: To elucidate the effect of auriculopuncture in Sympathetic points on autonomic function, we investigated the heart rate (HR) response to orthostatic challenge in healthy subjects. Design and setting: An experimental and cross-sectional study was conducted at Acupuncture Clinic, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, and México. Participants. Twenty healthy university students (twelve women) aged 22.7 ± 1.5 (mean ± SD) participated in the study. Interventions and outcomes: The study consisted of two sessions of auricular acupuncture in the Sympathetic point in the right or left ear. The data for continuous normal beat-to-beat recording to derive the statistical parameters of the normal R-R intervals of the electrocardiogram was obtained using the SphygmoCor equipment (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd, Sidney, Australia). The registration periods were computed in a supine position and then after standing. The primary outcomes were the changes in the velocities of the primary HR increase, bradycardia secondary response, and interval between the times of maximum increase in HR and minimum in secondary response. Results: Acupuncture at the Sympathetic point in the right ear raises the velocity of the initial HR increase and decreases the velocity of bradycardia secondary response and elicits a shortening of the period between the maximum increase and minimum in the secondary response in HR, in all cases significant. Otherwise, auriculopuncture in the Sympathetic point of the left ear did not produce significant changes in the outcomes studied. Conclusion: Data suggest that auriculopuncture in the Sympathetic right point elicits a vagal suppression in the initial orthostatic response to active standing.

Smoking, alcohol consumption and corneal biomechanical parameters among Chinese university students.

Smoking and alcohol consumption are important risk factors for several ocular disorders, but their effects on corneal biomechanics remain unclear. Our study aims to explore the association between smoking and alcohol consumption with corneal biomechanical parameters measured by Corvis-ST (CST) among university students. A total of 1645 healthy university students from a university-based study were included, and all participants underwent corneal biomechanical parameters measurement by CST. We selected 10 reliable parameters that can reflect the corneal deformation response. All participants had a standardised interview to determine their smoking and alcohol consumption status. The mean age of the participants was 19.0 ± 0.9 years, and 1132 (68.8%) were women. Smoking was significantly associated with stiffer corneas. Smokers showed significantly slower second applanation velocity (A2v) (β = 0.007 m/s, 95% confidence interval 0.001 to 0.014, P = 0.032) and lower integrated radius (IR) (β = -0.214 mm-1, 95% confidence interval -0.420 to -0.007, P = 0.043) than non-smokers after adjusting for age, gender, eye-rubbing, myopia, and body mass index (BMI). Smokers with BMI no less than 24.0 showed slower A2v and lower IR. Alcohol consumption and passive smoking were found no significant association with corneal biomechanics. Smokers had less deformable corneas, especially those with BMI no less than 24.0. Our findings provide new evidence for the association between smoking and ocular disorders associated with corneal biomechanics like glaucoma.