Visually emotive stimuli modulate postural control via cognitive pathways, and while colored lenses alter emotional responses, their impact on postural control remains uncertain. Previous studies showed that individually optimized colored glasses enhanced reading performance. However, it remains unclear if these effects extend to postural control. This study aimed to examine the relationship between colors and postural control with colored lenses against a white background, hypothesizing that postural control may be affected by individually different colors. Twelve healthy adults performed a single-leg stance test on a force plate under 26 color conditions, with each condition repeated six times in a non-consecutive manner. Three color conditions with the smallest, 2nd smallest and 3rd smallest environmental area (ENV) of center of pressure (COP) changes in 10 s were individually selected as the participant's best colors. Individual worst colors were selected as those with the largest, 2nd largest and 3rd largest ENV. COP changes in the front hop landing test were examined for the selected 6 color conditions with the transparent condition as a control. The average ENV of the selected best color was significantly smaller than the transparent condition, and that of the selected worst color was significantly larger than the transparent condition in the single-leg stance test. The best or worst colors were individually different, and there were no specific trends in colors or concentrations. The selected color conditions tested in the front hop test revealed that the worst colors had larger ENV than the transparent condition, but the best color conditions had no advantage in postural control. In conclusion, visual color conditions provided by colored lenses have significant impact on postural control both in favorable and unfavorable way, and the color conditions were individually different.

BACKGROUND: Drug rehabilitation is a challenging process that impacts both the physical and mental health of individuals. Traditional martial arts, such as Health Qigong, and closed motor exercises, such as power cycling, have shown potential benefits in improving health outcomes. This study aims to compare the effects of Health Qigong, closed motor exercises, and their combination on the physical and mental health of female drug rehabilitation participants. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, female participants from the Jilin Province Women's Compulsory Isolation Drug Rehabilitation Center were randomly assigned to three groups: Health Qigong (QigongG), Closed Motor Exercise (ClosedG), and Combined Health Qigong and Closed Motor Exercise (CombinedG). Measurements were taken at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention and included resting heart rate, vital capacity, choice reaction time, sleep quality, and relapse tendency. RESULTS: At the study's conclusion, the ClosedG group showed significant improvements in relapse tendency, vital capacity, and sleep quality compared to baseline. The QigongG showed significant improvements in relapse tendency, sleep quality, and choice reaction compared to baseline. The CombinedG group demonstrated significant improvements in relapse tendency, vital capacity, sleep quality, and choice reaction time, outperforming the ClosedG groups in reaction time, and outperforming QigongG groups in vital capacity. The CombinedG group exhibited the most notable overall improvements. CONCLUSION: The combined intervention of Health Qigong and closed motor exercises is more effective in improving physical and mental health metrics among female drug rehabilitation participants than either intervention alone. These findings suggest that incorporating a combination of traditional martial arts and closed motor exercises could enhance rehabilitation programs for drug rehabilitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06454565. The date of registration is 2024.07.11 (Retrospectively registered).

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the effectiveness of 3D pose estimation technology in Yi Jin Jing (a traditional Chinese exercise) interventions for sarcopenic older individuals. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial involving 93 participants (mean age: 71.64 ± 7.09 years; 41 males and 52 females) divided into three groups: a face-to-face offline traditional training group (OFFG), a general remote online training group (ONG), and an AI-based online remote training group (AIONG). METHODS: Participants in each group underwent their respective training programs. The effectiveness of the interventions was measured using Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index, Grip Strength, 6-meter Walking Speed, Timed-Up-and-Go Test, and Quality of Life assessments. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed across all groups in ASMI, Grip Strength, 6-meter Walking Speed, TUGT, and QoL. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the magnitude of these improvements. AIONG showed outcomes comparable to OFFG and ONG methods. CONCLUSIONS: AI-based telerehabilitation with 3D pose estimation is a viable and effective alternative for remote exercise interventions. It offers precise guidance and enhances the quality of rehabilitation training, demonstrating outcomes comparable to traditional and general online methods.

BACKGROUND: Knock-knee, a prevalent postural deformity problem among adolescents, poses significant challenges to traditional diagnostic methods in terms of complexity, high cost, and radiation risk. Therefore, there is a demand for diagnostic techniques that are more accessible, safe, and non-invasive for knock-knee. METHODS: We collected 1519 clear whole-body images from 1689 Chinese adolescents aged 10-19 years as image data, and obtained expert annotations on the presence or absence of knock-knee from three orthopedic surgeons. Utilizing Real-Time Multi-Person Pose Estimation (RTMpose), we manually extracted ten features related Knock-knee to construct the dataset. Regard to model, we employed a defense strategy called BitSqueezing. RESULTS: The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 72.81%, a recall of 62.12%, and an AUC of 76.12%, outperforming the benchmark model that achieved an accuracy of 62.45%, a recall of 43.35%, and an AUC of 76.17%. CONCLUSION: The proposed model is a promising non-contact, high-performance knock-knee detection method that can overcome the limitations of traditional diagnostic methods. The proposed model can facilitate more accurate and efficient deformity detection and postural correction in adolescents. The proposed model also demonstrates the effectiveness of adversarial defense in improving the reliability and accuracy of pose estimation tasks. Future work should validate the proposed model in larger and more diverse populations, and explore other applications of pose estimation and adversarial defense in deformity detection.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the effects of open and closed exercise interventions on the physical and mental health of individuals undergoing substance use disorder (SUD). We examined changes in tendency of recurrence of use, vital capacity (VC), resting heart rate (RHR), sleep quality, and choice reaction time. METHODS: Conducted over six months at the drug rehabilitation center, 95 participants were randomly assigned to closed exercise, open exercise, or control group. Outcome measures were taken at baseline, three months, and six months. RESULTS: Both exercise groups showed significant improvements in reduction of return-to-use risk and VC compared to baseline. Open exercise groups showed earlier significant improvements in risk of return to use at three months. No significant changes were observed in RHR. Both exercise groups showed significant improvements in sleep quality, with the open exercise group also showing significant improvements in choice reaction time. At six months, both exercise groups showed significant improvements over the control group in tendency of recurrence of use, VC, and sleep quality, with no significant differences between the exercise groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both exercise interventions led to significant improvements in reducing the risk of return to substance use, VC, sleep quality, and choice reaction time, with the open exercise group showing the most pronounced effects in choice reaction time.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of skeletal muscle mass and muscle function with increasing age. The skeletal muscle mass of older people who endure sarcopenia may be improved via the practice of strength training and tai chi. However, it remains unclear if the hybridization of strength exercise training and traditional Chinese exercise will have a better effect. OBJECTIVE: We designed a strength training and tai chi exercise hybrid program to improve sarcopenia in older people. Moreover, explainable artificial intelligence was used to predict postintervention sarcopenic status and quantify the feature contribution. METHODS: To assess the influence of sarcopenia in the older people group, 93 participated as experimental participants in a 24-week randomized controlled trial and were randomized into 3 intervention groups, namely the tai chi exercise and strength training hybrid group (TCSG; n=33), the strength training group (STG; n=30), and the control group (n=30). Abdominal computed tomography was used to evaluate the skeletal muscle mass at the third lumbar (L3) vertebra. Analysis of demographic characteristics of participants at baseline used 1-way ANOVA and χ2 tests, and repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze experimental data. In addition, 10 machine-learning classification models were used to calculate if these participants could reverse the degree of sarcopenia after the intervention. RESULTS: A significant interaction effect was found in skeletal muscle density at the L3 vertebra, skeletal muscle area at the L3 vertebra (L3 SMA), grip strength, muscle fat infiltration, and relative skeletal muscle mass index (all P values were <.05). Grip strength, relative skeletal muscle mass index, and L3 SMA were significantly improved after the intervention for participants in the TCSG and STG (all P values were <.05). After post hoc tests, we found that participants in the TCSG experienced a better effect on L3 SMA than those in the STG and participants in the control group. The LightGBM classification model had the greatest performance in accuracy (88.4%), recall score (74%), and F1-score (76.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The skeletal muscle area of older adults with sarcopenia may be improved by a hybrid exercise program composed of strength training and tai chi. In addition, we identified that the LightGBM classification model had the best performance to predict the reversion of sarcopenia.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence, influenced by physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior, lacks clear causal clarity. This study aims to clarify causal relationships by estimating these effects using bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: A bidirectional multivariable two-sample MR framework was employed to assess the causal effects of PA and sedentary behavior on alcohol dependence. Summarized genetic association data were analyzed for four PA-related activity patterns-moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), vigorous physical activity (VPA), accelerometer-based physical activity with average acceleration (AccAve), and accelerometer-based physical activity with accelerations greater than 425 milli-gravities (Acc425)-and three sedentary behavior patterns-sedentary, TV watching, and computer use. The study was expanded to include the examination of the relationship between sedentary behavior or PA and general drinking behavior, quantified as drinks per week (DPW). We obtained summarized data on genetic associations with four PA related activity patterns (MVPA, VPA, AccAve and Acc425) and three sedentary behavior related behavior patterns (sedentary, TV watching and computer use). RESULTS: MR analysis found AccAve inversely associated with alcohol dependence risk (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.80-0.95; p < 0.001), MVPA positively associated (OR: 2.86; 95%CI: 1.45-5.66; p = 0.002). For sedentary behavior and alcohol dependence, only TV watching was positively associated with the risk of alcohol dependence (OR: 1.43; 95%CI: 1.09-1.88; p = 0.009). No causal links found for other physical or sedentary activities. Reverse analysis and sensitivity tests showed consistent findings without pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Multivariate MR analyses indicated that while MVPA, AccAve and TV watching are independently associated with alcohol dependence, DPW did not show a significant causal relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that AccAve is considered a protective factor against alcohol dependence, while MVPA and TV watching are considered risk factors for alcohol dependence. Conversely, alcohol dependence serves as a protective factor against TV watching. Only TV watching and alcohol dependence might mutually have a significant causal effect on each other.

OBJECTIVE: Through a randomized controlled trial on older adults with sarcopenia, this study compared the training effects of an AI-based remote training group using deep learning-based 3D human pose estimation technology with those of a face-to-face traditional training group and a general remote training group. METHODS: Seventy five older adults with sarcopenia aged 60-75 from community organizations in Changchun city were randomly divided into a face-to-face traditional training group (TRHG), a general remote training group (GTHG), and an AI-based remote training group (AITHG). All groups underwent a 3-month program consisting of 24-form Taichi exercises, with a frequency of 3 sessions per week and each session lasting 40 min. The participants underwent Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (ASMI), grip strength, 6-meter walking pace, Timed Up and Go test (TUGT), and quality of life score (QoL) tests before the experiment, during the mid-term, and after the experiment. This study used SPSS26.0 software to perform one-way ANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA tests to compare the differences among the three groups. A significance level of p < 0.05 was defined as having significant difference, while p < 0.01 was defined as having a highly significant difference. RESULTS: (1) The comparison between the mid-term and pre-term indicators showed that TRHG experienced significant improvements in ASMI, 6-meter walking pace, and QoL (p < 0.01), and a significant improvement in TUGT timing test (p < 0.05); GTHG experienced extremely significant improvements in 6-meter walking pace and QoL (p < 0.01); AITHG experienced extremely significant improvements in ASMI, 6-meter walking pace, and QoL (p < 0.01), and a significant improvement in TUGT timing test (p < 0.05). (2) The comparison between the post-term and pre-term indicators showed that TRHG experienced extremely significant improvements in TUGT timing test (p < 0.01); GTHG experienced significant improvements in ASMI and TUGT timing test (p < 0.05); and AITHG experienced extremely significant improvements in TUGT timing test (p < 0.01). (3) During the mid-term, there was no significant difference among the groups in all tests (p > 0.05). The same was in post-term tests (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared to the pre-experiment, there was no significant difference at the post- experiment in the recovery effects on the muscle quality, physical activity ability, and life quality of patients with sarcopenia between the AI-based remote training group and the face-to-face traditional training group. 3D pose estimation is equally as effective as traditional rehabilitation methods in enhancing muscle quality, functionality and life quality in older adults with sarcopenia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05767710).

BACKGROUND: The use of individually preferred colored glasses has gained popularity with the expectation that it may improve balance control and sports performance, however, the results of previous studies remain inconclusive. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present pilot study, we aimed to determine the association between participants' subjective preference and standing balance performance when wearing five different colored glasses. METHODS: Thirteen participants stood on one or two legs on a pair of synchronized force platforms for 30 seconds with 60 seconds rest between the five-five randomized stance trials, while wearing red, blue, yellow, green, or transparent colored glasses. In addition to 7 CoP-related variables, we analyzed five features of EMG data from three lower limb muscles on both legs. RESULTS: No significant effect of colored glasses was found. Some CoP (velocity: χ²(4, 13) = 10.086; p = 0.039; Kendall's W = 0.194, root mean square [RMS]: χ²(4, 13) = 12.278; p = 0.015; Kendall's W = 0.236) and EMG-related (RMS of biceps femoris: χ²(4, 13) = 13.006; p = 0.011; Kendall's W = 0.250) variables showed differences between the colored glass conditions during dominant-leg stance, however, participants failed to consecutively determine these differences in standing stability. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results may suggest that lens color preference, irrespective of the color itself, may influence dominant leg standing balance most probably due to psychological factors, however, only subjective determination have no potential to determine the color of the glasses that would support the individual's standing balance the most.

To improve and even reverse sarcopenia in elderly people, this study developed a self-determined sequence exercise program consisting of strength training exercise, Yijinjing exercise (a traditional Chinese exercise), and hybrid strength training with Yijinjing exercise. Ninety-four community-dwelling older adults screened for sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria were randomly assigned to 24 weeks of a control group (CG, n = 30), self-determined sequence exercise program group (SDSG, n = 34) or strength training group (STG, n = 30). The study examined the effects of three interventions on participantsL3 skeletal muscle fat density, L3 skeletal muscle fat area, L3 skeletal muscle density, L3 skeletal muscle area, muscle fat infiltration, relative skeletal muscle mass index, and grip strength using a repeated-measures ANOVA to evaluate the experimental data. To evaluate the real effect of this model in reversing sarcopenia after the intervention, nine classification models were trained. Significant interaction effects were observed with grip strength, RSMI, L3 SMD, and L3 SMA. At the 24th week, participants' grip strength, L3 SMFA, L3 SMA, and RSMI were improved significantly in the SDSG and STG. The SDSG achieved significantly greater RSMI and grip strength than the STG and CG after the intervention. The self-determined sequence exercise program exhibited better performance than the single type of exercise modality in reversing sarcopenia and improving older adults' skeletal muscle area. Consequently, the stacking model is feasible to make a prediction as to whether or not sarcopenia may be reversed in older adults.

Addressing the current complexities, costs, and adherence issues in the detection of forward head posture (FHP), our study conducted an exhaustive epidemiologic investigation, incorporating a comprehensive posture screening process for each participant in China. This research introduces an avant-garde, machine learning-based non-contact method for the accurate discernment of FHP. Our approach elevates detection accuracy by leveraging body landmarks identified from human images, followed by the application of a genetic algorithm for precise feature identification and posture estimation. Observational data corroborates the superior efficacy of the Extra Tree Classifier technique in FHP detection, attaining an accuracy of 82.4%, a specificity of 85.5%, and a positive predictive value of 90.2%. Our model affords a rapid, effective solution for FHP identification, spotlighting the transformative potential of the convergence of feature point recognition and genetic algorithms in non-contact posture detection. The expansive potential and paramount importance of these applications in this niche field are therefore underscored.

The most common type of diabetes among children and adolescents is type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are linked to an increased risk of CVD. Regular exercise is associated with a decreased risk of CVD and improved CRF. We conducted this scoping review to assess the effects of exercise on CRF in youth with T1DM. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were used to search for the relevant literature. In this analysis, the PICOS method was used to select studies and was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines scoping review guidelines for the evaluation of the effects of physical activity and cardiac function; the criteria may include the type and intensity of physical activity, the duration of the intervention, peak oxygen consumption (VO2), peak minute ventilation (VE), and peak heart rate of cardiorespiratory fitness. Screening resulted in 434 records. Of these, nine articles were included in our study. These nine studies were experimental (noncontrolled trials or randomized controlled trials) (n = 7) and observational (cross-sectional) (n = 2), and could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on cardiac function. The effects of exercise on CRF in youth with T1DM vary according to the type, frequency, and intensity of the exercise. According to our review, the duration of exercise included in the studies did not meet the recommendations of the guidelines for youth with T1DM. Additionally, half of the studies revealed that exercise could optimize the lipid profile in youth with T1DM. Hence, this research is to provide an overview of the effects of physical activity and exercise on CRF, cardiovascular fitness, lipid profile, and blood pressure in youth with T1DM, as well as identified potential limitations of the existing studies. Nevertheless, the limited number of clinical studies employing exercise interventions for children and adolescents with T1DM emphasize the need for more studies in this area, and more specific modes of exercise should be developed in the future.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a serious physical disorder affecting the elderly all over the world. However, the frail elderly have low physical fitness, which limits the effectiveness of current exercise programs. Inspired by this, we attempted to integrate Baduanjin and strength and endurance exercises into an exercise program to improve the physical fitness and alleviate frailty among the elderly. Additionally, to achieve the goals of personalized medicine, machine learning simulations were performed to predict post-intervention frailty. METHODS: A total of 171 frail elderly individuals completed the experiment, including a Baduanjin group (BDJ), a strength and endurance training group (SE), and a combination of Baduanjin and strength and endurance training group (BDJSE), which lasted for 24 weeks. Physical fitness was evaluated by 10-meter maximum walk speed (10 m MWS), grip strength, the timed up-and-go test (TUGT), and the 6 min walk test (6 min WT). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square test, and two-way repeated-measures ANOVA were carried out to analyze the experimental data. In addition, nine machine learning models were utilized to predict the frailty status after the intervention. RESULTS: In 10 m MWS and TUGT, there was a significant interactive influence between group and time. When comparing the BDJ group and the SE group, participants in the BDJSE group demonstrated the maximum gains in 10 m MWS and TUGT after 24 weeks of intervention. The stacking model surpassed other algorithms in performance. The accuracy and precision rates were 75.5% and 77.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The hybrid exercise program that combined Baduanjin with strength and endurance training proved more effective at improving fitness and reversing frailty in elderly individuals. Based on the stacking model, it is possible to predict whether an elderly person will exhibit reversed frailty following an exercise program.

Background: Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by decreased skeletal muscle mass and function with age. It is well-established that resistance exercise and Yi Jin Jing improve the skeletal muscle mass of older adults with sarcopenia. Accordingly, we designed an exercise program incorporating resistance exercise and Yi Jin Jing to increase skeletal muscle mass and reverse sarcopenia in older adults. Additionally, machine learning simulations were used to predict the sarcopenia status after the intervention. Method: This randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of sarcopenia in older adults. For 24 weeks, 90 older adults with sarcopenia were divided into intervention groups, including the Yi Jin Jing and resistance training group (YR, n = 30), the resistance training group (RT, n = 30), and the control group (CG, n = 30). Computed tomography (CT) scans of the abdomen were used to quantify the skeletal muscle cross-sectional area at the third lumbar vertebra (L3 SMA). Participants’ age, body mass, stature, and BMI characteristics were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and the chi-squared test for categorical data. This study explored the improvement effect of three interventions on participants’ L3 SMA, skeletal muscle density at the third lumbar vertebra (L3 SMD), skeletal muscle interstitial fat area at the third lumbar vertebra region of interest (L3 SMFA), skeletal muscle interstitial fat density at the third lumbar vertebra (L3 SMFD), relative skeletal muscle mass index (RSMI), muscle fat infiltration (MFI), and handgrip strength. Experimental data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Eleven machine learning models were trained and tested 100 times to assess the model’s performance in predicting whether sarcopenia could be reversed following the intervention. Results: There was a significant interaction in L3 SMA (p < 0.05), RSMI (p < 0.05), MFI (p < 0.05), and handgrip strength (p < 0.05). After the intervention, participants in the YR and RT groups showed significant improvements in L3 SMA, RSMI, and handgrip strength. Post hoc tests showed that the YR group (p < 0.05) yielded significantly better L3 SMA and RSMI than the RT group (p < 0.05) and CG group (p < 0.05) after the intervention. Compared with other models, the stacking model exhibits the best performance in terms of accuracy (85.7%) and F1 (75.3%). Conclusion: One hybrid exercise program with Yi Jin Jing and resistance exercise training can improve skeletal muscle area among older adults with sarcopenia. Accordingly, it is possible to predict whether sarcopenia can be reversed in older adults based on our stacking model.

Background: Due to the low physical fitness of the frail elderly, current exercise program strategies have a limited impact. Eight-form Tai Chi has a low intensity, but high effectiveness in the elderly. Inspired by it, we designed an exercise program that incorporates eight-form Tai Chi, strength, and endurance exercises, to improve physical fitness and reverse frailty in the elderly. Additionally, for the ease of use in clinical practice, machine learning simulations were used to predict the frailty status after the intervention. Methods: For 24 weeks, 150 frail elderly people completed the experiment, which comprised the eight-form Tai Chi group (TC), the strength and endurance training group (SE), and a comprehensive intervention combining both TC and SE (TCSE). The comparison of the demographic variables used one-way ANOVA for continuous data and the chi-squared test for categorical data. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine significant main effects and interaction effects. Eleven machine learning models were used to predict the frailty status of the elderly following the intervention. Results: Two-way repeated measures ANOVA results before the intervention, group effects of ten-meter maximum walking speed (10 m MWS), grip strength (GS), timed up and go test (TUGT), and the six-minute walk test (6 min WT) were not significant. There was a significant interaction effect of group × time in ten-meter maximum walking speed, grip strength, and the six-minute walk test. Post hoc tests showed that after 24 weeks of intervention, subjects in the TCSE group showed the greatest significant improvements in ten-meter maximum walking speed (p < 0.05) and the six-minute walk test (p < 0.05) compared to the TC group and SE group. The improvement in grip strength in the TCSE group (4.29 kg) was slightly less than that in the SE group (5.16 kg). There was neither a significant main effect nor a significant interaction effect for TUGT in subjects. The stacking model outperformed other algorithms. Accuracy and the F1-score were 67.8% and 71.3%, respectively. Conclusion: A hybrid exercise program consisting of eight-form Tai Chi and strength and endurance exercises can more effectively improve physical fitness and reduce frailty among the elderly. It is possible to predict whether an elderly person will reverse frailty following an exercise program based on the stacking model.

We examined the effects of side-dominance on the laterality of standing stability using ground reaction force, motion capture (MoCap), and EMG data in healthy young adults. We recruited participants with strong right (n = 15) and left (n = 9) hand and leg dominance (side-dominance). They stood on one or two legs on a pair of synchronized force platforms for 50 s with 60 s rest between three randomized stance trials. In addition to 23 CoP-related variables, we also computed six MoCap variables representing each lower-limb joint motion time series. Moreover, 39 time- and frequency-domain features of EMG data from five muscles in three muscle groups were analyzed. Data from the multitude of biosignals converged and revealed concordant patterns: no differences occurred between left- and right-side dominant participants in kinetic, kinematic, or EMG outcomes during bipedal stance. Regarding single leg stance, larger knee but lower ankle joint kinematic values appeared in left vs right-sided participants during non-dominant stance. Left-vs right-sided participants also had lower medial gastrocnemius EMG activation during non-dominant stance. While right-side dominant participants always produced larger values for kinematic data of ankle joint and medial gastrocnemius EMG activation during non-dominant vs dominant unilateral stance, this pattern was the opposite for left-sided participants, showing larger values when standing on their dominant vs non-dominant leg, i.e., participants had a more stable balance when standing on their right leg. Our results suggest that side-dominance affects biomechanical and neuromuscular control strategies during unilateral standing.

BACKGROUND: The physical and mental health of college students tends to continuously decline worldwide. Thus, improving their health is necessary. Jazz dance may be one of the effective exercises to improve one's health. However, the effect of jazz dance exercise on different physical fitness level and whether the intensity of jazz dance exercises can improve physical and mental health simultaneously and efficiently need to be investigated. In this study, we systematically assessed the effect of jazz dance on physical and mental health of college students by a rigorous randomized, parallel-controlled design. METHODS: An experimental study including 90 Chinese female college students (junior and senior) was performed. They completed an 8-week jazz dance class (two times/week for 70 min per session). Data on psychological status were obtained using the Subjective Exercise Experiences Scale after every class. Based on the Japanese national physical fitness test method, we identified the body weight and Body Mass Index and the students performed 30-s sit ups, standing long jump, 20s repeated across the body, and seated forward flexion to determine their physical fitness at baseline and after 8 weeks. Repeated measures analyses of variance and paired samples t-tests were used to compare the means of the participants' data. RESULTS: Differences in the mean of mental health scores over time were significant and showed an increasing trend (P<0.005) in all groups. Physical fitness showed an increasing trend in the low fitness level group. Most of the variables decreased slightly in the high fitness level group; however, flexibility significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Among the participants with different physical fitness, a similar training has different training effects. This study demonstrates that appropriate training intensity and content are vital to improve physical and mental health.