Yongzhao Fan

Background: Taurine (TAU) and creatine (Cr) are common ergogenic aids used by athletes to enhance performance; however, the effect of their combined supplementation, and on recovery in high temperature and humidity environments, has not been studied. Hypothesis: Combined TUA and Cr will have greater effect on physiological indicators and repetitive sprint performance recovery after exhaustive exercise under hot and humid conditions than single supplementation or placebo. Study Design: Single-blind crossover randomized controlled study. Level of Evidence: Level 2. Methods: Participants (12 sports students) were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 supplementation intervention groups: placebo (P), taurine (T), creatine (C), or taurine + creatine (T+C). Exercise protocol included exhaustion tests and repeated sprinting exercises were conducted in a laboratory environment at 35 °C/65% relative humidity. Heartrate, blood lactate (BLa), tympanic temperature, thermal sensation, and rating of perceived exertion were monitored throughout. Heartrate variability, time to exhaustion (TTE), reaction time, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height were tracked before and after exhaustion exercise and before sprint exercise. Results: TTE was significantly higher in the T+C group than in the P group ( P = 0.04). BLa and tympanic temperature increased rapidly in all 4 conditions, then decreased gradually, and T group peak values were higher than those of P group ( P = 0.04; P < 0.01). CMJ decreased in the C and T+C groups ( P = 0.04; P = 0.04) after exhaustive exercise, unlike other groups ( P > 0.05). Indicators of repeated sprint exercise, peak power, mean power, and power decrement showed a decreasing trend within groups but no difference between groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: In this small student group, under hot and humid conditions, T+C supplementation significantly enhanced TTE. Clinical Relevance: TAU, Cr, and their combined supplementation do not significantly improve repeated sprint performance after exhaustive exercise under hot and humid conditions.

This study aimed to compare the effects of 8 weeks (24 sessions) between flywheel complex training with eccentric overload and traditional complex training of well-trained volleyball players on muscle adaptation, including hypertrophy, strength, and power variables. Fourteen athletes were recruited and randomly divided into the flywheel complex training with an eccentric-overload group (FCTEO, n = 7) and the control group (the traditional complex training group, TCT, n = 7). Participants performed half-squats using a flywheel device or Smith machine and drop jumps, with three sets of eight repetitions and three sets of 12 repetitions, respectively. The variables assessed included the muscle thickness at the proximal, mid, and distal sections of the quadriceps femoris, maximal half-squats strength (1RM-SS), squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and three-step approach jump (AJ). In addition, a two-way repeated ANOVA analysis was used to find differences between the two groups and between the two testing times (pre-test vs. post-test). The indicators of the FCTEO group showed a significantly better improvement (p < 0.05) in CMJ (height: ES = 0.648, peak power: ES = 0.750), AJ (height: ES = 0.537, peak power: ES = 0.441), 1RM-SS (ES = 0.671) compared to the TCT group and the muscle thicknes at the mid of the quadriceps femoris (ES = 0.504) after FCTEO training. Since volleyball requires lower limb strength and explosive effort during repeated jumps and spiking, these results suggest that FCTEO affects muscular adaptation in a way that improves performance in well-trained female volleyball players.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is ranked as the third-most expensive illness and sixth leading cause of mortality. It is associated with the deposition of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) in neural plaques (NPs), as well as intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau proteins that form neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). As a new target in regulating neuroinflammation in AD, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is highly and exclusively expressed on the microglial surface. TREM2 interacts with adaptor protein DAP12 to initiate signal pathways that mainly dominant microglia phenotype and phagocytosis mobility. Furthermore, TREM2 gene mutations confer increased AD risk, and TREM2 deficiency exhibits more dendritic spine loss around neural plaques. Mechanisms for regulating TREM2 to alleviate AD has evolved as an area of AD research in recent years. Current medications targeting Aβ or tau proteins are unable to reverse AD progression. Emerging evidence implicating neuroinflammation may provide novel insights, as early microglia-related inflammation can be induced decades prior to the commencement of AD-related cognitive damage. Physical exercise can exert a neuroprotective effect over the course of AD progression. This review aims to (1) summarize the pathogenesis of AD and recent updates in the field, (2) assess the concept that AD cognitive impairment is closely correlated with microglia-related inflammation, and (3) review TREM2 functions and its role between exercise and AD, which is likely to be an ideal candidate target.

Previous studies have demonstrated that exercise improves cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease mice but the exact mechanism needs further studies. This research aimed to study the effects of aerobic treadmill exercise on epidermal growth factor (EGF) levels and learning and memory in d-galactose-induced aging in a mouse model. Forty male Kunming mice were analyzed in this study and randomly divided into 4 groups: control (C group), aerobic exercise (AE group), d-galactose (D-gal group), and d-galactose + aerobic exercise (D-gal + AE group). The C and AE groups received a daily mid-scapular subcutaneous injection of .9% saline for 40 days. Mice in the D-gal and D-gal + AE groups were subcutaneously injected with d-galactose (1.25 mg/kg) once daily for 40 days. The mice in the AE group and D-gal + AE group completed 40 days of aerobic treadmill exercise. Learning and memory were evaluated by step-down tests. Specifically, 24 h after the behavioral test, blood was collected and brain tissue was extracted, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acetylcholinesterase activities were detected. The neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus were counted by Nissl staining. The number of EGF-positive cells was observed by immunohistochemical methods. In the learning test, the reaction time in the D-gal group increased significantly ( P < .05), while the error numbers in the D-gal group tended to decrease compared with AE, D-gal + AE, and C groups. In the memory test, the latency of mice in the D-gal group was lower, while the error in this group was higher than in the other groups ( P < .05). The activities of SOD and acetylcholinesterase were lower in the D-gal group than in the other groups ( P < .05). The number of EGF-positive cells and neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions in the D-gal + AE group was higher compared to those in the D-gal group ( P < .05), and lower in groups with mice that were not injected with d-galactose. Aerobic treadmill exercise inhibited SOD activity, increased EGF-positive cells, and decreased neuronal death and apoptosis, thereby improving learning and memory in the mouse model of d-galactose-induced aging.

Background: Tai Ji (TJ) can improve cognitive function, which in turn brings life quality to Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Cognitive function is thus important for PD patients. Analyzing the cognitive function and obtaining precise TJ exercise prescriptions are effective in treating PD patients. Objectives: The purpose of this review was to discuss the current Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of TJ and cognitive function improvement in PD. Materials and Methods: Databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, Wan Fang, and CNKI, were searched. Cochrane systematic evaluation method was adopted wherein 6 RCTs met the final inclusion criteria. Results: Among the 6 included RCTs, 3 were of high quality, and the rest were of medium quality. Quantitative analysis exhibited that TJ intervention improved the cognitive function of PD patients. TJ promoted the global cognitive function (p < 0.05) and the executive function (p = 0.09) compared with the control. However there was no significant improvement in cognitive motor. TJ training intervention doses of two times a week with 45–60 min sessions over ≤12 weeks could improve the cognitive function of PD patients. Conclusions: TJ affects the cognitive function of PD patients. However, this effect may have a reduced or no significant impact as the disease increases. PD patients can choose TJ as an intervention for 45–60 min twice a week for at least 12 weeks to accomplish maximum improvement in cognitive function.

In vascular dementia (VD), memory impairment caused by the damage of synaptic plasticity is the most prominent feature that afflicts patients and their families. Treadmill exercise has proven beneficial for memory by enhancing synaptic plasticity in animal models including stroke, dementia, and mental disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of treadmill exercise on recognition memory, and structural synaptic plasticity in VD rat model. Here, our study demonstrated that VD rat exhibited significantly recognition impairment, while treadmill exercise improved recognition memory in VD rat. To further investigate potential mechanisms for the treadmill exercise-induced improvement of recognition memory, we examined hippocampal structural synaptic plasticity by means of transmission electron microscopy and golgi staining in VD rat that had undergone 4 weeks of treadmill exercise. The results demonstrated that VD rat causes the damage of structural synaptic plasticity. However, treadmill exercise led to increases in synapse numbers and the number of dendritic spines in VD rat. Together, the improvement of VD-associated recognition memory by treadmill exercises is associated with enhanced structural synaptic plasticity in VD rat model.

Purpose: To examine the effect of blood flow restriction resistance training under different external loads on the muscle strength and vertical jumping performance in volleyball players. Methods: 18 well-trained collegiate male volleyball players were randomly divided into 3 groups: high-load resistance training group (HL-RT, 70% 1RM, n = 6), low-load blood flow restriction resistance training group (LL-BFR-RT, 30% 1RM, 50% arterial occlusion, n = 6), and high-load blood flow restriction resistance training group (HL-BFR-RT, 70% 1RM, 50% arterial occlusion, n = 6). Participants performed leg half-squat exercise 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Measurements of Isokinetic peak torque of knee extension and flexion, 1RM leg half-squat, squat jump, and 3 footed take-off were obtained before and after training. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences among the 3 groups and between the 2 testing time (pre-test vs post-test). Results: (1) The HL-RT group was significantly greater in muscle strength than that in the LL-BFR-RT group ( P < .05), but no improvement in vertical jumping performance ( P >.05). (2) Improvement in muscle strength and vertical jumping performance was significantly greater in the HL-BFR-RT group than that in the LL-BFR-RT group ( P <.05). (3) The HL-BFR-RT group had greater but not significant improvement in muscle strength and vertical jumping performance than that in the HL-RT group. Conclusions: Although increases in muscle strength were observed between training groups, HL-BFR-RT increased not only muscle strength but vertical jumping performance to a greater extent compared to LL-BFR-RT and HL-RT.

The purpose of this study was to discuss the effect of voluntary wheel running on striatal dopamine levels and anxiety-like behavior in rats with global cerebral ischemia. The male Sprague-Dawley rats were signed on in this study and randomly divided into following 4 groups: Control group (C group), Sham group (S group), ischemia group (I group), and 3 weeks physical exercise before ischemia group (3RI group). The rats in the 3RI group were placed in a voluntary running wheel for three weeks to exercise. Then, the rats in I and 3RI groups received bilateral carotid artery ligation (2-VO) operation. The C and S group did not perform voluntary running exercise and the bilateral common carotid arteries of S group were exposed without ligation. In vivo microdialysis was used in conjunction with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemical detection to ascertain the level of dopamine in the striatum. Elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field (OF) were used to test anxiety status at 24 hours and 7days after 2-VO cerebral ischemia. Meanwhile, gait and motor coordination evaluations were carried out to eliminate the influence of non-specific motor problems. The results indicated that cerebral ischemia instigate the increase of striatal dopamine in I group rats during acute cerebral ischemia. A 3-week voluntary wheel running significantly enhances the striatal dopamine before ischemia and obstructs a further increase of dopamine during acute cerebral ischemia in 3RI group rats. At 24 hours after ischemia, striatal dopamine returned to pre-ischemic levels in 3RI group. Striatal dopamine in I group were less than pre-ischemic levels at 7 days. Behavioral data indicated that 3-week voluntary wheel running promoted recovery of anxiety-like behavior and gait were not affected by 2-VO cerebral ischemia at 24 hours post-ischemia rats. Therefore, it can be concluded that 3-week physical exercise significantly increased the striatal dopamine and improved anxiety-like behavior by inhibiting the increase of dopamine during acute cerebral ischemia and suppressing the decrease of dopamine after 24 hours and 7 days cerebral ischemia.