Exercise interventions for the effect of endothelial function in hypertensive patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Endothelial dysfunction is crucial factor to the hypertension occurrence, and controversy remains regarding the effect of exercise on improving endothelial function in hypertensive patients. The authors used meta-analysis to evaluate the intervention effect of exercise on endothelial function in hypertensive patients and to investigate exercise protocols that may have a greater intervention effect. A total of 37 studies and a total of 2801 participants were included. The results were as follows: endogenous nitric oxide (NO)[SMD = .89, 95% CI (.48, 1.30), p < .0001], endothelin-1 (ET-1): [SMD = -.94, 95% CI (-1.15, -.73), p <. 0001], flow-mediated dilation (FMD) [SMD = -.57, 95% CI (.36, .79), p < .000001]. In subgroup analysis, high-intensity aerobic exercise, with a single exercise duration of 35-50 min, 3-4 times/week for a total of 10-12 weeks, had the largest amount of intervention effect on NO, and moderate-intensity resistance exercise, with a single exercise duration of ≥60 min, 6 times/week for a total of 15-18 weeks, had the largest amount of intervention effect on ET-1. In conclusion, exercise can improve NO levels, FDM levels, and reduce ET-1 secretion of hypertension patients, thereby improve their endothelial function. The ideal intervention effect of improving NO level was more likely to be obtained by taking the exercise prescription of high-intensity aerobic exercise with a single exercise duration of 35-50 min, 3-4 times/week for 10-12 weeks; the ideal intervention effect of improving ET-1 was more likely to be obtained by taking the exercise prescription of oderate -intensity resistance exercise with a single exercise duration of ≥60 min, 6 times/week for 15-18 weeks.

Prevalence and correlates of mental disorders among Chinese overseas students during the COVID-19: A multi-regional cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic extends beyond physical health, significantly affecting mental health. Chinese overseas students are particularly susceptible to the adverse psychological effects of the pandemic. Understanding the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in this population is essential for developing targeted interventions and support systems. METHODS: Employing a snowball sampling technique, this study recruited Chinese overseas students from diverse regions. The 50-item Self-evaluation Table was utilized to assess the presence of mental disorders. Descriptive statistics, including percentages, 95% confidence intervals, means, and standard deviations, characterized the survey population. The chi-square test identified disparities among categorical variables, while logistic regression explored risk factors for mental disorders among Chinese overseas students. RESULTS: Out of the total sample size of 10,864 Chinese overseas students, a staggering 7,090 (65.4%) met the diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. Furthermore, the degree of mental disorder varied significantly across different regions (p < 0.001), education levels (p < 0.05), the duration of anti-epidemic measures (p < 0.05), and age (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in terms of gender (p > 0.05). Several risk factors contributing to the mental disorder burden among Chinese overseas students during the pandemic were identified, including the seriousness of the epidemic in their residential area, the apprehension of getting infected, anxieties regarding academic performance, the infection control policies implemented by the host government, preventive measures taken locally to counter the epidemic, and challenges encountered in returning to their home country. CONCLUSION: Given the significant challenges in mental health faced by Chinese overseas students during the COVID-19 crisis, addressing their specific needs and implementing tailored measures is imperative. Future public health emergencies should consider the potential mental disorders and disease risks faced by Chinese overseas students. By providing comprehensive support and targeted interventions, policymakers, educational institutions, and healthcare providers can help mitigate the adverse psychological effects and promote the well-being of this vulnerable population.

Run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force of male elite gymnasts on vault in China.

Background: A high run-up speed and a big jumping ground reaction force are crucial to perform difficult movements and improving the quality of movement performance in the competition vault. However, the relationship between performance in the competition vault and run-up speeds, as well as jumping ground reaction force, still needs to be discovered in detail. Objective: We aimed to investigate the interrelations between different run-up speeds and jumping ground reaction force, and to explore the different requirements of performing different vault styles as well as difficult movements on run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force. Methods: The data, including vaulting run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force of 30 Chinese male elite gymnasts of performance testing, were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and Binary logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: There was no significant difference in the pedaling run-up speed between the Front handspring types and Cartwheel types (p > 0.05). The comparison between interval run-up speeds revealed that the last 5 m run-up speeds were faster during the 25 m run-up distance, and 30 m sprint speed was strongly associated with the 25 m vaulting run-up speed of Handspring and Cartwheel (r = 0.81, p < 0.01). There are significant differences in the jumping ground reaction force of different types and difficult movements (p < 0.01). When the D-score is greater than 4.6, the jumping ground reaction force will increase significantly. Jumping ground reaction force was strongly correlated with 25 m run-up speed (r = 0.715, p < 0.01), last 5 m run-up speed (r = 0.718, p < 0.01), and 30 m sprint speed (r = 0.704, p < 0.01) respectively, but not significantly associated with last 10-5 m run-up speed as well as before the last 10 m run-up speed (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The special requirement for run-up speed and jumping ground reaction force may vary as the difficult vault. Moreover, the optimization of interval run-up speeds and improvement of the 25 m run-up speed may contribute to the bigger jumping ground reaction force and increase the potential to perform more difficult Handspring/Cartwheel vaults. The topic may merit an interventional study to optimize run-up rhythm and improve lower limb strength for achieving higher run-up speeds and bigger jumping ground reaction force within the limited run-up distance to perform more difficult vaults for male elite gymnasts in China.

Effects of physical activity on Chinese overseas students' mental health during the COVID-19: A multi-country cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 caused severe effects on the psychological well-being of Chinese students overseas (COS). Physical activity (PA) is critical to strengthen immunity, prevent infection, and reduce the psychological burden caused by COVID-19. However, there is a severe lack of effective PA intervention for mental health in most countries, and COS have limited access to mental healthcare during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aim to examine the effects of PA on COS' mental health during the pandemic abroad and to better understand that certain types of PA might be associated with a greater reduction in psychological burdens during the pandemic. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a multi-country cross-sectional analysis, a questionnaire was distributed to COS living in 37 foreign countries via WeChat Subscription using a snowball sampling strategy. A total of 10,846 participants were included. Descriptive statistics and Binary logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. We found that COS had negative psychology during the pandemic, especially with fear (2.90, 95% CI 2.88-2.92), anxiety (2.84, 95% CI 2.82-2.85), and stress (2.71, 95% CI 2.69-2.73). PA had meaningful effects on reducing COS self-reported mental health burdens (3.42, 95% CI 3.41-3.44) during the pandemic. The largest associations were seen for recreational and home-based PA (i.e., family games, home aerobic exercise), individual outdoor PA (i.e., walking or running, rope skipping), and PA with a duration of 30 to 70 min per session at frequencies of 4 to 6 times and a total of 150 to 330 min of moderate and vigorous intensity per week tends to be an optimal choice during social distancing times. CONCLUSIONS: COS had several poor mental health conditions during the pandemic. The improvement of PA on COS' psychology was positively effective during the pandemic. Specific types, intensities, durations, and frequencies of PA might have advantages over others for improving COS' mental health during periods of public health emergencies, and the topic may merit interventional study to reveal multiple factors causing COS' psychological burdens and enrich the PA forms for all COS' mental health improvement (i.e., infected, recovered, and asymptomatic COS).