Short-term effects of a new resistance exercise approach on physical function during chemotherapy after radical breast cancer surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 30% of post-operative breast cancer patients develop shoulder joint movement disorders affecting routine upper limb movement. This study discusses the impact of a neuromuscular joint facilitation (NJF) method on the physical function of breast cancer patients experiencing shoulder dysfunction during chemotherapy after radical surgery. METHODS: This study included 162 female patients who have unilateral breast cancer in a cancer hospital in China. They developed shoulder joint mobility disorders during chemotherapy within 1-3 months postoperatively. These patients were divided into three groups: NJF, conventional rehabilitation (conventional group), and control groups. The clinical examination included the maximum passive and active range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external and internal rotation). Other evaluations included a pain score using a visual analog scale (VAS), grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness. All tests were evaluated pre-and post-intervention. RESULTS: The NJF group showed a significant increase in all shoulder ROM angles post-intervention. In the conventional group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive external rotation ROM. In the control group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive and active external rotation ROM. All three groups had decreased VAS scores, increased grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness post-intervention during active abduction. In the control group, the supraspinatus contraction rate decreased significantly at 60° and 90° abduction post-intervention compared to that at pre-intervention. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that NJF during chemotherapy had positive clinical intervention effects, improving shoulder joint mobility disorders, pain, grip strength, and external rotation following radical breast cancer surgery. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; https://www.chictr.org.cn/ (ChiCTR2300073170), registered (03/07/2023).

Gaming Motivation and Negative Psychosocial Outcomes in Male Adolescents: An Individual-Centered 1-Year Longitudinal Study.

"Gaming motivation" is a useful concept to draw upon when considering inconsistencies in the effects of online gaming on psychosocial wellbeing. However, most prior studies that utilize it are cross-sectional and do not allow that individuals can be driven by multiple motives. The present study uses an individual-centered method to classify gaming motivation styles of male adolescents and longitudinally observes the relationship between gaming motivations and psychosocial outcomes. A total of 929 healthy, male, adolescent gamers were recruited in October 2019 and classified into "recreational" "achiever," and "escaper" categories according to their baseline gaming motivations and self-esteem levels. Then, 1-year incidence rates of players and relative risks (RRs) of social withdrawal problems, anxiety/depression syndrome, and self-destructive/identity problems were assessed. Recreational players were found to have the lowest incidence of all the three psychosocial problems among the three categories, achievers only had a moderate risk of social withdrawal, compared to recreational players, while escapers showed a strong risk for social withdrawal, anxiety/depression, and self-destructive/identity problems, relative to recreational gamers. Overall, the different motivation subgroups were associated with different psychosocial problems. Both achievers and escapers were found to be maladaptive, but their psychosocial outcomes were different, a finding that provides further insight into the psychological mechanisms underlying these subgroups.

Measurement reliability and cooperative movement of the pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles.

[Purpose] This study examined the measurement reliability and cooperative movement of the pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles. [Participants and Methods] The participants were seven healthy adult females. Transverse abdominal muscle thickness and bladder floor elevation were measured under the following conditions during active exercise and during resistance exercise: the resting state, maximum contraction of the transverse abdominal muscle, maximum contraction of the pelvic floor muscle, and maximum co-contraction of the transverse abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Measurements were taken at rest and under each exercise condition. [Results] The intraclass correlation coefficients of transverse abdominal muscle thickness and bladder floor elevation showed high reproducibility under all conditions. The maximum contraction of the pelvic floor muscle showed a high correlation with the maximum co-contraction of the transverse abdominal muscle and pelvic floor muscle during resistance exercise. A significant regression line was found between transverse abdominal muscle thickness and bladder floor elevation under all conditions. The regression equation was as follows: transverse abdominal muscle thickness=0.113 bladder floor elevation+0.377 (r2=0.21). [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that the measurement reliability of the transverse abdominal and pelvic floor muscles is high, and that both muscles exhibit cooperative movement.