Children with autism benefit from use of video games

A University of Delaware lab is now pioneering the use of video games – specifically Nintendo Switch’s Ring Fit – as an intervention to enhance movement and motor skills for children with autism. The research further demonstrates the positive impact of exercise-based games on cognition and social interactions.

Heat Stress May Affect the Muscles for Longer Than We Think

People who experience heat stress during exercise may need more recovery time to let their muscles heal, according to a new mouse study published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

Wintertime blues? Health expert offers tips to combat seasonal affective disorder

Millions are affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD) every year. The annual pattern of winter depression and melancholy suggests a strong link between your mood and the amount of light you get during the day, says Lina Begdache, assistant professor…

These Screen-printed, Flexible Sensors Allow Earbuds to Record Brain Activity and Exercise Levels

Earbuds can be turned into a tool to record the electrical activity of the brain and levels of lactate in the body with two flexible sensors screen-printed onto a flexible surface.

Exercise boosts anti-cancer immunity and reduces inflammation in Lynch Syndrome patients

Regular and intense aerobic exercise may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with Lynch Syndrome (LS) by improving the immune system’s ability to detect and remove potentially harmful cells, according to researchers at
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Preschoolers From Low-Income Families May Have Worse Health and Benefit Less From Health Promotion Interventions Than Children With Higher Socioeconomic Status

Mount Sinai study focused on Harlem preschools emphasizes the need for specialized health promotion programs in classrooms starting at an early age

Can a Blood Test Detect Alzheimer’s Disease?

In July, the first direct-to-consumer blood test designed to assess a user’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease hit the market.

MD Anderson receives nearly $4.9 million in CPRIT funding for cancer prevention programs and recruitment

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded four grants totaling nearly $4.9 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support the expansion of physical activity programs for survivors, the dissemination of targeted tobacco cessation programs and the recruitment of a first-time, tenure-track faculty member.

Exercise May Induce Strokes for People with Blocked Arteries

Certain conditions can make the increased heart rate associated with exercise dangerous: Researchers found that an elevated heart rate can induce a stroke in patients with highly blocked carotid arteries. Contrastingly, for healthy patients and those with only slightly blocked arteries, exercise is beneficial for maintaining healthy blood flow. In healthy patients, an elevated heart rate increases and stabilizes the drag force blood exerts on the vessel wall, reducing stenosis risk. But for patients already experiencing stenosis, it may not be as beneficial.

Climate Change Threatens Military Readiness

The growing frequency and intensity of heat waves around the globe pose “a substantial, persistent ‘non-combat threat’” to military training and operations, according to experts in environmental, thermoregulatory and cardiovascular physiology.

Sex Differences in Fat Storage during Military Training Help Women Preserve Lean Mass

Article title: Sex differences in body composition and serum metabolome responses to sustained, physical training suggest enhanced fat oxidation in women compared with men Authors: Meaghan E. Beckner, Lauren Thompson, Patrick N. Radcliffe, Rebecca Cherian, Marques Wilson, Nicholas Barringer, Lee…

Roswell Park Study is First to Show That Exercise Strengthens Immune System in Multiple Myeloma Patients

Research has shown that the immune system doesn’t function properly in patients with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that occurs when plasma cells — a type of white blood cell — multiply out of control. But a clinical trial led by Jens Hillengass, MD, PhD, Chief of Myeloma at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, shows that exercise may have the power to strengthen the immune system in those patients, providing a non-pharmaceutical method of helping control the disease.

Running Throughout Middle Age Keeps ‘Old’ Adult-born Neurons ‘Wired’

A new study provides novel insight into the benefits of exercise, which should motivate adults to keep moving throughout their lifetime, especially during middle age. Long-term exercise profoundly benefits the aging brain and may prevent aging-related memory function decline by increasing the survival and modifying the network of the adult-born neurons born during early adulthood, and thereby facilitating their participation in cognitive processes.

Why Do Some Long Covid Patients Continue to Have Difficulty Exercising?

In a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of researchers from UC San Francisco found that lower than expected exercise capacity was common among people with Long COVID and chronotropic incompetence (inadequate heart rate increase during exercise) was the most common reason. They also found reduced exercise capacity to be correlated with early post-Covid elevations of inflammatory biomarkers. In addition, they found that reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may be related to reduced heart rate while exercising.

Exercise May Prevent Stress-induced Hypertension through Regulation of Brain-bone Marrow Interaction

Article title: Impact of exercise on brain-bone marrow interactions in chronic stress: potential mechanisms preventing stress-induced hypertension Authors: Thu Van Nguyen, Ko Yamanaka, Keisuke Tomita, Jasenka Zubcevic, Sabine S. S. Gouraud,  Hidefumi Waki From the authors: “Our findings provide new…

Dr. Bill Roberts Named ACSM Chief Medical Officer

The American College of Sports Medicine® (ACSM) has named William Roberts, M.D., FACSM, as the organization’s new chief medical officer. The move was announced by ACSM Chief Executive Officer Kristin Belleson. “Bill is an excellent choice for this critical role and was selected from a deep and impressive pool of candidates,” Belleson said.

Slow Recovery from Concussion? Exercise, Breathing Practice May Improve Symptoms

Breathing practice as well as gradual aerobic exercise may help improve concussion symptoms in teens experiencing slow recovery, according to a preliminary study released today, February 21, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023. The study found that while the two therapies are each beneficial separately, when combined they resulted in even greater improvement in thinking and memory skills, depression and mood.

More Steps, Moderate Physical Activity Cuts Dementia, Cognitive Impairment Risk

UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science study: senior women were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia if they did more daily walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Both high- and low-intensity exercise therapy beneficial for knee osteoarthritis

A randomized controlled trial comparing high- and low-dose exercise therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis found that both types of exercise therapy produced similar outcomes in pain, function, and quality of life. High-dose therapy provided superior outcomes related to function in sports and recreation in the short term, with results subsiding after 6 months. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Study Explores Effects of Resistance Training in Older Adults at the Cellular Level

Aging and related diseases are associated with alterations in oxidative status and low-grade inflammation, as well as a decreased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is a functional mechanism by which cells attempt to protect themselves against ER stress. Researchers analyzed these proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of elderly subjects and used computer simulation to predict the key proteins associated with these biomolecules underlying physiological adaptations to exercise. They collected blood samples about five to six days before and after the training period and analyzed various oxidative stress biomarkers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The study takes research one step further in helping to elucidate the benefits of exercise in this population.

Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and Harrington Discovery Institute to Support Promising Research to Protect the Alzheimer’s Brain

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland have granted an ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award to Christiane Wrann, PhD, DVM, Associate Professor in Medicine at the Cardiovascular Research Center and the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Wrann will receive funding and drug development guidance to help advance her research towards potential new therapies for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

New Year, New Habits: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Experts Weigh in on Tips to Kick-start Healthy Habits in 2023

The year 2023 is here. A new year symbolizes a fresh start and offers a renewed focus on health and well-being. Many people make resolutions regarding their health — and resolutions aren’t just for adults. They are for kids, too. Johns Hopkins Children’s Center experts are available to help parents kick-start healthy habits for their children and families in 2023.