ina shaw

Fibromyalgia is marked by widespread chronic pain, fatigue, and disrupted sleep, significantly impacting quality of life. This study aimed to explore the effect of Baduanjin Qigong (BQ) on impact of the disease and quality of sleep in elderly patients with fibromyalgia.

The study employed a semi-experimental design. A total of thirty-four elderly female patients with fibromyalgia were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated into two intervention groups: BQ group (n = 17) and a walking group (n = 17). The BQ protocol was conducted for 12 weeks, with sessions held three times a week. The walking group participated in a 12 week fitness walking program. Impact of the disease and quality of sleep were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks using The Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed using paired t-test and independent t-test.

The significant improvements were observed in PSQI total (t (16) = 3.65, p = 0.002), FIQR (t (16) = 3.76, p = 0.002), FIQR function (t (16) = 2.16, p = 0.04), FIQR symptoms (t (16) = 2.957, p = 0.009) in BQ group. There was a significant difference between the average post-test data of the walking group and BQ group in daytime dysfunction, with the BQ group performing better than the walking group (p ≤ 0.05).

BQ significantly improves fibromyalgia impact and sleep quality in elderly patients and reduces daytime dysfunction more effectively than walking. However, it is not superior to walking in other aspects of disease impact and sleep quality enhancement.

There is a pressing need for effective and sustainable exercise training methods that enhance balance and lower limb strength in elderly patients suffering from fibromyalgia. This study aimed to explore the effect of Baduanjin Qigong on balance and lower limb strength in this demographic.

A total of thirty-four elderly female patients with fibromyalgia were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated into two intervention groups: Baduanjin Qigong (BQG) and a walking group. Physical performance was assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks using the Berg Balance Scale and measurements of muscle strength.

The results showed that Hip Flexion Strength, Hip extension strength, plantar flexion strength, and balance were more in the BQG group than in the walking group, but ankle dorsiflexion Strength was more in the walking group compared to the BQG group.

The findings of this study suggest that Baduanjin Qigong exercises are beneficial for enhancing balance and lower limb strength, offering a secure and sustainable exercise option for elderly individuals with fibromyalgia. Nonetheless, further research is required to substantiate the effects of Baduanjin Qigong.

Despite it being purported that acute, prolonged maximal periods of exercise may impair visual performance, little/no research on this topic is forthcoming. In fact, research has demonstrated that sub-maximal and maximal acute exercise may actually improve cognitive and sensory tasks and thus possibly improve visual performance.

This study aimed to ascertain the influence of an acute, prolonged maximal bout of exercise on visual performance.

A quantitative study was undertaken with 60 untrained males being divided into a control group (CON; n = 30) or treatment group (TRE; n = 30). Both groups completed a baseline vision test battery consisting of accommodation facility, saccadic eye movement, speed of recognition, peripheral awareness, visual memory, and hand-eye coordination using the following tests; Hart Near Far Rock, saccadic eye movement, evasion, accumulator, flash memory and Ball Wall Toss tests. Two weeks later, participants returned for follow-up testing using the same vision test battery, with the TRE participants first engaging in a standardized incremental maximal treadmill protocol immediately prior to their vision testing.

Following the incremental maximal treadmill protocol, statistical analyses indicated that statistically significant (P≤0.05) differences existed for accommodation facility, saccadic eye movements, speed of recognition, hand-eye coordination, peripheral awareness, and visual memory between pre-test and after the aerobic treatment (P = 0.00 for all measures).

This study indicates that an acute, prolonged maximal bout of running improves visual performance. As such, an appropriate prolonged maximal warm-up may be required as opposed to a standardized and general warm-up when preparing an athlete for visual skills training or for participation in an athletic event that requires optimal visual performance.

Various training protocols have been used in combat sports, including Taekwondo (TKD), to rapidly improve performance and to avoid injury by balancing the exercise intensity and the athletes’ metabolic tolerance and hormonal response. However, little is known about such metabolic responses in previously-trained individuals.

To investigate the effects of a concurrent TKD plus resistance (RT) training program on post-exercise blood biomarkers of physiological stress in previously-trained individuals.

Twenty-eight (16 males: 12 females) previously-trained individuals aged 20 - 26 years were matched by gender and randomly divided into either moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercising group (MODG) or a high-intensity exercising group (HIG). The MODG performed TKD training at a target training intensity of 55 - 70% (weeks 1 - 2) and 70 - 85% (weeks 3 - 4) maximum heart rate (HRmax) and RT training for four sets of 10 - 15 repetitions for each of the 13 whole-body RT exercises. The HIG performed TKD training at a target training intensity of 85 - 100% (weeks 1 - 2) and 95 - 100% (weeks 3 - 4) HRmax and RT training for five sets of 10 - 15 repetitions for each of the 13 whole-body RT exercises. A structured taekwondo tasks (sTT) test was conducted before and after the training period.

Significant post-exercise improvements were found for total testosterone (P = 0.02), free testosterone (P = 0.01), C/T ratio (P = 0.03) and lactate (P = 0.03) in the mixed gender HIG. With regards to the specific gender effects, post-exercise improvements were found in S-CPK in the male MODG and HIG, with improvements in uric acid only in the male HIG. In turn, post-exercise improvements were found for total testosterone, testosterone binding globulin, free testosterone in the female MODG and HIG, with post-exercise improvements in S-CPK and uric acid in the female HIG only.

This study demonstrates that even a short period of concurrent taekwondo and resistance training improves adaptation and post-exercise responses to physiological stress, and such adaptation may even be more marked in previously-trained female athletes. Thus, this mode of training may provide a novel exercise training modality to rapidly improve an individuals’ capacity to exercise, especially in situations of plateau, while avoiding overtraining and an increased concomitant chance of illness and musculoskeletal injury.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) exemplifies a major medical problem as it is the most considerable cause of morbidity and mortality. While sport conditioning specialists understand and differentiate the different benefits of resistance training (RT) subtypes on athletic performance, this distinction is less clear for health professionals when designing CVD risk reduction programs.

This study attempted to investigate and compare the effects of hypertrophy and muscular endurance RT on CVD risk in sedentary males.

Sedentary male smokers were randomly assigned to either an eight-week hypertrophy RT group (HTG) (n = 15), muscular endurance RT groups (METG) (n = 15), or a non-exercising control group (CON) (n = 15) to assess their impact on smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) variables associated with the four most prominent CVD risk factors. Data were analyzed using SPSS-25 software using a paired sample t-test and ANOVA.

Significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvements were found in three of the 15 measured variables in the HTG (resting mean arterial pressure (RMAP) (P = 0.024); total cholesterol (TC): HDL-C ratio (P = 0.009), and HDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ratio (P = 0.038), with a deleterious decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.027). In turn, significant improvements were found in theMETG in 10 of the 15measured variables, namely; cigarettes smoked per day (P = 0.037), resting systolic blood pressure (RSBP) (P = 0.002), resting diastolic blood pressure (RDBP) (P = 0.006), RMAP (P = 0.000), TC (P = 0.010), triglycerides (TG) (P = 0.010), LDL-C (P = 0.007), HDL-C: LDL-C (P = 0.018), non-HDL-C (n-HDL-C) (P = 0.010), and VO2max (P = 0.001), and a deleterious decrease in HDL-C (P = 0.026).

While the oversimplification of RT design for CVD reduction has resulted in cardio-centric CVD training programs, this study demonstrates that some subtypes of RT (i.e. muscular endurance training)may provemore useful than others in reducing multiple CVD risk factors simultaneously.

Obesity is currently one of the most dominating diseases affecting younger adults in South Africa. This is commonly caused by a poor lifestyle, which may lead to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases.

The aim of the study was to examine if a six-week concurrent resistance and aerobic training program could elicit body composition and cardiorespiratory changes in rural black college women.

Forty sedentary black females (aged 18 - 25 years) were randomly assigned to a combined resistance and aerobic training (COM) group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). The COM group participated in four times weekly aerobic and resistance training. Aerobic training consisted of 30 minutes a session (week 1 - 3: cycling for 3 minutes at 60% heart rate reserve (HRR), followed by 2 minutes at 50% HRR; week 4 - 6: 3 minutes at 70% HRR, followed by 2 minutes at 60% HRR). Resistance training consisted of participants training at 50% of their one-repetition maximum (1-RM) for week 1 - 3, doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions; for week 4 - 6 at 60% 1-RM, doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Following the intervention, the COM group significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased their body fat percentage when compared to the control group (P = 0.006; d = 0.9), while no significant changes were observed in waist-to-hip ratio (P = 0.223) and cardiorespiratory endurance (P = 0.260) in either group.

Although body composition (especially waist circumference and body fat percentage) and cardiorespiratory fitness are recommended as the main targets of physical activity programs aimed at preventing CVD in college students, this study demonstrated that a six-week concurrent program improved body fat percentage, and not WHR and cardiorespiratory fitness, in sedentary rural college-aged females. Further, these findings suggest that one method of program design does not fit all populations and that exercise prescription should be targeted and not generalized.

 Childhood overweightness/obesity is likely to further challenge worldwide public health if effective preventative measures, such as physical activity interventions, are not put in place as prescribed by public health organizations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 This study attempted to determine and compare the efficacy of home-based callisthenic resistance training on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in overweight children compared to normal-weight children.

 A quantitative study was undertaken, and 15 previously sedentary overweight/obese children (OOC) and 15 previously sedentary normal-weight children (NWC), aged 9 - 11 years, were assigned to a six-week, 45-minute, non-consecutive callisthenic resistance training program consisting of six exercises. An additional 15 previously sedentary normal-weight children were assigned to a non-exercising control group (NON).

 In the OOC, the six-week callisthenic resistance training program significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased body mass (from 44.54 ± 10.53 to 43.77 ± 10.38 kg, P = 0.002), BMI (23.27 ± 5.05 to 22.85 ± 5.00 kg.m-2, P = 0.002), percentage body fat (from 33.01 ± 5.15 to 31.94 ± 5.55%, P = 0.042), fat mass (from 15.01 ± 5.45 to 14.30 ± 5.33 kg, P = 0.001), sum of skinfolds (from 46.46 ± 11.65 to 44.38 ± 11.61 mm, P = 0.032), and run/walk time (from 21.70 ± 5.06 to 20.71 ± 4.96 min; P = 0.003). In the NWC, hip circumference was found to be decreased (from 73.26 ± 5.84 to 72.76 ± 5.88 cm, P = 0.031), as was the sum of skinfolds (from 29.38 ± 10.18 to 25.84 ± 8.11mm, P = 0.035).

 This study demonstrated that home-based callisthenic resistance training can have positive impacts on overall body composition and may prove to be a cost-effective and essential tool in the fight against childhood overweight/obesity whether in normal weight or even overweight/obese children.

 Exergaming is an ideal vehicle for promoting regular physical activity among children who may be reluctant to participate in traditional types of exercise.

 The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of six weeks of exergaming and traditional video gaming on body composition and cardiovascular fitness variables among overweight and obese children.

 Thirty-one overweight and obese children (11.40 ± 0.86 years) were recruited from three primary schools in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Participants were assigned to either an exergaming group (n = 11), traditional gaming group (n = 10) or control group (n = 10). Body composition variables (body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) and cardiovascular fitness variables (resting heart rate (RHR), resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak)) were measured. A paired sample t-test was used to determine changes from baseline to post-assessment within each group.

 No significant improvements were observed in BMI percentile among the exergaming group (P = 0.25), traditional gaming group (P = 0.06) and control group (P = 0.25). Waist-to-hip ratio significantly decreased following exergaming (P = 0.050), but not following traditional gaming (P = 0.060) and in control group (P = 0.200). Significant improvement in RHR was found in the exergaming group (P = 0.010), but none in the traditional gaming group (P = 0.280) and control group (P = 0.720). No significant improvements were noted in resting SBP following exergaming (P = 0.790), traditional video gaming (P = 0.730) and in the control group (P = 0.610). Diastolic blood pressure did not significantly improve in the exergaming group (P = 0.070), traditional video gaming group (P = 0.360) or control group (P = 0.100). Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) did not significantly improve in the exergaming group (P = 0.830), traditional gaming group (P = 0.710) or control group (P = 0.450).

 Findings indicate that six weeks of exergaming induced favorable changes in waist-to-hip ratio and RHR among overweight and obese children. Thereby demonstrating that non-traditional modes of exercise such as exergaming can be used as an alternative to traditional modes of exercise to induce somebody composition and cardiovascular changes.

 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 60% of global deaths. Of these NCD-attributable deaths, about 80% are in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). The role of exercise in major NCDs is evident; however, popular and cost-effective aerobic modes of exercise, such as walking, consistently do not meet minimum intensity guidelines for health improvement. Interestingly, low-cost resistance training (using callisthenics, Pilates, elastic tubing, etc.) has proven equally effective to conventional resistance training using weight machines in improving several health parameters related to NCDs, although their effectiveness in LMICs is not as well documented as in high-income countries (HICs).

 This review aimed to examine low-cost approaches of resistance training to health promotion, NCD risk reduction, and NCD rehabilitation/management to mitigate the epidemic of NCDs in lower-resource settings.

 An electronic search was performed on the following databases from inception until December 2019: PubMed/Medline, Sport Discuss, Embase, Science Direct, Current Contents, CISTI Source, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL EBM Reviews, and international e-catalogues.

 Data on resistance training provision cost in low-resource settings indicates that it is not reasonable to use this mode of training in low-resource settings in the same way as it is used in high-resource ones. This review summarized some strategies which can be employed to ensure the delivery of all core resistance training components in low-resource settings. The data suggests that resistance training be adapted for delivery in non-clinical settings in LMICs.

 Program design variables of resistance training are similar in low- and well-resourced settings. However, only individuals with low-risk will be able to perform exercise without adverse consequences in home-based settings. Health care practitioners in LMICs should take an active role in promoting resistance training when promoting health, reducing NCD risk, and NCD rehabilitation.

 Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that can result in micro- and macrovascular complications and is complicated by an impaired healing process. Research suggests that both dietary factors and habitual physical activity influence the hemostatic system through several pathways.

 The study attempted to investigate if a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (LCHFD), on its own or in conjunction with physical activity, could alter hematologic variables in patients with type 2 diabetes.

 Participants (n = 39; 31 - 71 y.) were assigned into three groups, which included either a 16 week continuous physical activity program with the consumption of an LCHFD (ExDG) (n = 13; 41 - 71 y), consuming only a LCHFD group (DietG) (n = 13; 31 - 71 y.), or a control group (ConG) (n = 13; 44 - 69 y). Participants in the ExDG were advised only to consume a diet high in fat and not consume more than 50 g of carbohydrates per day. Furthermore, participants had to walk a minimum of 10000 steps per day. The DietG were instructed to only consume a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates, where the ConG continued with their normal daily routine.

 No significant changes (P > 0.05) were observed in white blood cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, platelets, red blood cell distribution width, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and C-reactive protein following ExDG, DietG or in the ConG.

 A LCHFD on its own or in conjunction with physical activity does not have any effect on the measured hematologic variables in patients with type 2 diabetes. This may be due to the current popular recommendation of LCHFD not being useful in type 2 diabetics and 10000 steps being of insufficient intensity to improve hematologic parameters in type 2 diabetics.

 Studies have demonstrated that young adults, especially in low- to middle-income countries, are increasingly susceptible to unfavorable alterations in body composition during their transition from adolescence to adulthood. This places young adults at an increased risk for numerous chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, and/or pulmonary diseases.

 This study aimed to determine if concurrent aerobic and resistance calisthenic training could reduce cardiopulmonary disease risk in young adults in a low resource setting.

 Thirty young adult males were randomly assigned to either a six-week non-exercising control group (NON) or concurrent aerobic or resistance training group (CON) that engaged in three, non-consecutive, 60-minute exercise sessions using a combination of 4 - 5 progressive resistance training exercises for two sets of 15 - 20 repetitions and 30 minutes of aerobic exercises at a rating of perceived exertion of 9 - 15. This study assessed anthropometry (body mass, stature, body mass index waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-stature ratio, sum of skinfolds, percentage body fat, fat mass, fat free mass and conicity index) and lung function (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in one second (FEV1), forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory flow at 75% (MEF75%), maximal expiratory flow at 50% (MEF50%) and maximal expiratory flow at 25 (MEF25%).

 Concurrent training resulted in significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvements in waist-to-hip ratio (0.94 ± 0.04 to 0.92 ± 0.05; P = 0.042), fat free mass (57.46 ± 9.16 to 58.21 ± 8.65 kg; P = 0.018), percentage body fat (14.56 ± 5.96 to 13.24 ± 5.77%, P = 0.006), fat mass (10.22 ± 5.31 to 9.29 ± 5.17 kg; P = 0.008), sum of skinfolds (96.22 ± 35.64 to 87.67 ± 32.15 mm; P = 0.004), PEF (5.06 ± 2.04 to 6.57 ± 2.51 L; P = 0.018), MEF75% (4.78 ± 2.01 to 6.24 ± 1.99 L.sec-1; P = 0.026), MEF50% (4.08 ± 1.20 to 5.24 ± 1.44 L.sec-1; P = 0.043) and MEF25% (2.66 ± 0.63 to 3.31 ± 1.87 L.sec-1; P = 0.038).

 The findings support the feasibility and efficacy of a simple and inexpensive concurrent aerobic and resistance training program to simultaneously improve body composition and lung function in an attempt to curb the increasing incidence of overweight/obesity and associated lung dysfunction in young adults in a low resource setting.

 Exercise is related to enhanced cognitive functioning and brain plasticity. Exercise might represent a potential adjunctive treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, group exercise may prove especially useful due to its additional benefits.

 This study aimed to determine the effect of low-cost, group-based exercise on mental outcomes in patients with mild to moderate AD.

 Participants with mild to moderate AD were randomized to either a non-exercising control (CON) group or a group-exercise (GEX) group (n = 20 each). The GEX participated in eight weeks of three-times-weekly non-consecutive 45-minute sessions consisting of balance, resistance, aerobic, and flexibility exercises to determine their effect on mental outcomes, namely, cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADLs), and quality of life (QOL).

 The intervention program showed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (P = 0.023). While the GEX were found to have no change in their (Alzheimer’s disease cooperative study activities of daily living) ADCS-ADL scores (P = 0.574). The CON demonstrated a significant, but deleterious 13.77% decrease in their ADCS-ADL scores from pre- to mid-test (P = 0.023) and from pre- to post-test (P = 0.038). Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD) scores were unchanged in both the GEX and CON.

 Our results indicate that a low-cost, multidimensional group exercise intervention can positively influence cognitive function and improve patients with mild to moderate AD ability to perform ADLs.

Millions of South African youths participate in team sports, with netball and rugby being two of the largest worldwide. This increased participation and professionalism has resulted in an increase in the number of musculoskeletal injuries.

This study examined the extent to which sport coaching knowledge translates to the injuries and prevention of injuries in adolescents participating in netball and rugby.

Thirty-four South African sport coaches participated in the study. Eighteen netball coaches and 16 rugby coaches with varying levels of coaching experience were selected to participate. An adapted version of Nash and Sproule’s questionnaire was used to investigate the coaches’ knowledge with regards to sport specific common injuries, injury prevention, fitness/conditioning, individual technique development, training programs, mental training, and preparation of players. The analysis of data was carried out using a number of different techniques, outlined by Nash and Sproule (2012). These techniques were determined by the type of data. Descriptive data was used to provide statistical analysis. Quantitative data was used to determine the educational framework and knowledge of sport coaches on injury prevention. Numerical data was obtained through questions on sport injuries, as well as coaches’ sport knowledge level. Participants’ knowledge was measured using a standardized scoring system.

For the 0-4 years of netball coaching experience, 76.4% of the coaches had knowledge and experience and 33.3% appropriate first aid knowledge, while for the 9-12 years and 13-16 years, 100% of the coaches had knowledge and experience and first aid knowledge. For the 0 - 4 years in rugby coaching experience, 59.1% had knowledge and experience and 71% the appropriate first aid knowledge, for the 17 - 20 years 100% had knowledge and experience and first aid, while for higher or equal to 25 years, 45.5% had knowledge and experience. In netball, 90% of injuries consisted of ankle injuries, followed by 70% for knee, 50% for shoulder, 20% for lower leg, and 15% for finger injuries. In rugby, 81% of the injuries occurred at the knee, followed by 50% for shoulder, 40% for ankle, 31% for head and neck, and 25% for hamstring injuries. Six hours of training resulted in a 13% chance of injuries in netball and a 32% chance in rugby. For 10 hours of training, the injury prevalence was 10% in netball and 17% in rugby, while 15 hours resulted in an injury incidence of 58% in netball players and a 25% chance in rugby players.

This study highlights the need for coaches to improve their knowledge in relation to injuries and injury prevention, along with factors that act as a preventative measure and promote players’ well-being

Novices in sport possesses similar visual skills to that of experts, however there may be major differences in magnitude of performance in these skills, with expert athletes only demonstrating superiority in specific vision skills and not all aspects of vision.

In this vain, the aim of this study was to discern whether Premier League rugby players has enhanced visio-spatial skills in comparison to First Division rugby players.

Thus, the present study compared the performance of Premier League rugby players (n = 40) and First Division rugby players (n = 40) on six specific components of vision, namely; accommodation facility, saccadic eye movement, speed of recognition, peripheral awareness, visual memory, and hand-eye coordination.

Premier League rugby players performed significantly (p = 0.001) better than the First Division rugby players in five of the six tests. but were found to be similar in visual memory performance (p = 0.810).

While this study substantiates the proposal that expert athletes, and specifically rugby players, have superior visual expertise to novice athletes, this study also found that this is not the case with all vision skills. The present study’s findings suggest that sport-specific vision testing batteries may be required to distinguish high performers from low performers in the same vein as physical tests are utilised in the selection and recruitment of athletes.

Sport has become increasingly competitive, prompting the need to determine, as far as possible, any likely performance advantage. While the focus of athletic research, testing, and training is on the physiological and physical characteristics of the sport, visual abilities not only affect sport performance directly, but also affect the acquisition of motor skills. Vision, and visual-spatial intelligence (VSI), are a relatively new and underexplored area of athletic performance. As with physiological and physical parameters, a range of factors affect vision and VSI in sporting activities. This review of the literature is a first attempt to summarize and compile an overview of the factors affecting vision and VSI in athletes, covering those previously connected with sport, as well as those hitherto not associated with athletic activities, but that could also play a part in sports performance. The evidence from this review suggests that while current research still tends to focus on single factors affecting vision and VSI, a large number of such factors have been identified that could affect vision and VSI. This offers new opportunities for researchers to investigate the effects of a combination of factors, and for conditioning and/or sports vision specialists to explore further possibilities for competitive advantage.

With atherosclerosis first being demonstrated to be as a result of diet in 1909, epidemiological studies have examined the role of diet on cardiovascular disease (CVD). This has led to diet’s inclusion as a secondary CVD risk factor not only for its direct association with CVD, but also due to its important role to play in other risk factors, such as dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The low carbohydrate, high fat diet (LCHFD) is a contentious topic. Its efficacy is much-debated, with opponents proposing that LCHFDs increase the risk of developing CVD.

This study’s aim was to determine if a LCHFD alters lipoprotein-lipids, either unaccompanied or in combination with physical activity in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Participants (N = 39) were allocated to either 16 weeks of simultaneous physical activity and LCHFD (DiExG), LCHFD only (DietG) or 16 weeks of blind control (ConG). Participants in the DiExG were required to eat a high fat diet and not more than 50 g of carbohydrates per day in addition to walking a minimum of 10,000 steps daily. The DietG too followed a LCHFD but were not prescribed any physical activity while the ConG continued with their normal daily activities. Data were analyzed by SPSS 25 software using a paired sample t-test and ANOVA. A confidence level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

No significant (P > 0.05) changes were observed in blood total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) in either the DiExG (TC: P = 0.791; 2.0% increase, TG: P = 0.477; 9.5% decrease, LDLC: P = 0.704; 7.4% increase and HDLC: P = 0.989; 0% change) or DietG (TC: P = 0.881; 0% change, TG: P = 0.677; 17.9% increase, LDLC: P = 0.744; 13.8% decrease and HDLC: P = 0.844; 0% change).

It appears that a LCHFD with or without physical activity does not have any benefit on lipoprotein-lipids in type 2 diabetics, and may actually result in unfavorable, albeit insignificant, adaptations

Stroke is a primary source of disability and mortality globally. The incidence of stroke is dramatically increasing in both developed and developing countries and the age at which those that are afflicted is becoming younger. Studies have shown that 33 million individuals suffer a stroke on an annual basis and approximately half will experience problems performing their activities of daily living (ADL). Practical solutions with a focus on neurorehabilitation are vital. Functional electrical stimulation (FES), and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be two advantageous treatments for reducing disability post-stroke. We propose that rTMS would activate cortical regions especially areas related to the primary motor cortex and FES would activate peripheral nerves that can lead to improvements in motor function of both the upper and lower limbs in patients post-stroke. It is proposing that this concurrent use of rTMS and FES will be of benefit in improving the motor function of this population.

Obesity, as a chronic disease, is becoming increasingly prevalent especially among women.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of resistance training (RT), concurrent resistance training and aerobic training (RT AT) on visfatin concentrations and body composition in overweight and obese women.
An eight-week pretest-posttest design with two experimental exercising groups and one control group was used. 45 overweight and obese women were randomized into resistance training (RT), concurrent resistance and aerobic training (RT AT) or an education-only groups (EDU). All participants received a dietary and education/counselling intervention. However, only the RT and RT AT group participated in the eight-week exercise training.
Repeated measures analysis showed that visfatin was significantly decreased by 8.5% in the RT (P = 0.02) and 29.2% in the RT AT (P While RT and education-alone improved body composition and aerobic capacity, structured regular exercise incorporating both RT and AT may be required to improve visfatin and VO2max in overweight and obese females.