UNASSIGNED: There is scarcity of data exploring the dynamics of barriers to changing physical activity (PA) and eating habits during a lifestyle intervention in a primary care setting. The aim of the present study was to investigate barriers to lifestyle change before and during a primary care lifestyle intervention in adults with different sociodemographic backgrounds.
UNASSIGNED: Barriers to healthy eating and PA were assessed in 114 adults (age = 55 ± 9 years) using a questionnaire before inclusion in the intervention. During the lifestyle intervention, factors perceived as obstacles to reach goals for PA and healthy eating habits were collected using focus group interviews in a sub-sample of 25 adults and analyzed using thematic analysis.
UNASSIGNED: At least 1 barrier to changing eating and PA habits was reported in 65% and 67% of the population, respectively, without differences due to sex, place of birth, and educational level. Before entering the lifestyle intervention, intrapersonal factors including lack of willpower and lack of enjoyment were the dominant barriers to PA and healthy eating, irrespective of place of birth, sex, and education level. In contrast, environmental factors such as lack of support from family and work-related constraints emerged as important barriers to overcome during the action phase of the lifestyle intervention.
UNASSIGNED: The present study highlights the dynamics of barriers to changing PA and eating habits in a primary care lifestyle intervention, emphasizing the need for barrier assessment during the different phases of an intervention to tailor support activities for successful lifestyle behavioral change.

Exercise increases peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) expression, which in turn causes the fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (FNDC5) protein to be produced. This protein is then cleaved, primarily in skeletal muscle fibers, to produce irisin. When the mature FNDC5 is cleaved by proteases, Irisin - which is the fibronectin III domain without the signal sequence - is released. Resistance, aerobic, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are recognized as forms of physical exercise that raise irisin levels, and insulin receptor phosphorylation in tyrosine residues, favoring an increase in the activity of the insulin-dependent pathway (PI3K pathway) and assisting in the fight against insulin resistance, inflammation, and cognitive decline. Irisin may represent a promising option for the therapeutic targeting in several brain-related pathological conditions, like Alzheimer\'s disease (AD), Parkinson\'s disease (PD), epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Exercise protocols are healthy and inexpensive interventions that can help find cellular and molecular changes in several brain-related pathological conditions. Here, it was reviewed what is known about exercise-produced irisin studies involving AD, PD, epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

UNASSIGNED: Breast cancer ranks as one of the most prevalent malignancies among women globally, with increasing incidence rates. Physical activity, particularly exercise, has emerged as a potentially significant modifier of cancer prognosis, influencing tumor biology and patient outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: Using a murine breast cancer model, we established a control and an exercise group, where the latter was subjected to 21 days of voluntary running. RNA Sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, pan-cancer analysis, and cell experiments were performed to validate the underlying mechanisms.
UNASSIGNED: We observed that exercise significantly reduced tumor size and weight, without notable changes in body weight, suggesting that physical activity can modulate tumor dynamics. mRNA sequencing post-exercise revealed substantial downregulation of CD300E in the exercise group, accompanied by alterations in critical pathways such as MicroRNAs in cancers and the Calcium signaling pathway. Expanding our analysis to a broader cancer spectrum, CD300E demonstrated significant expression variability across multiple cancer types, with pronounced upregulation in myeloma, ovarian, lung, and colorectal cancers. This upregulation was correlated with poorer prognostic outcomes, emphasizing CD300E\'s potential role as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target. Moreover, CD300E expression was associated with cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis.
UNASSIGNED: The study highlights the dual role of exercise in modulating gene expression relevant to tumor growth and the potential of CD300E as a target in cancer therapeutics. Further research is encouraged to explore the mechanisms by which exercise and CD300E influence cancer progression and to develop targeted strategies that could enhance patient outcomes in clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a prevalent form of cancer among women worldwide, often accompanied by physical and psychological side effects due to the disease and the treatment\'s aggressiveness. Regular physical exercise has emerged as a non-pharmacological approach to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. We herein report the protocol of the WaterMama Study, which aims to evaluate the effects of land- or water-based aerobic exercise programs, compared to a health education program, on cancer-related fatigue and other health-related outcomes in breast cancer survivors.
METHODS: The WaterMama trial is a randomized, single-blinded, three-arm, parallel, superiority trial. We aim to recruit 48 women ≥ 18 years of age who have completed primary treatment for stage I-III breast cancer. Participants are randomly allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to 12-week interventions of aerobic exercise training programs either in the aquatic or land environment (two weekly 45-min sessions) plus health education (a weekly 45-min session), or an active-control group receiving health education alone (a weekly 45-min session). The primary outcome is cancer-related fatigue, and the secondary outcomes include cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular performance, muscle morphology, functional capacity, mental health, cognitive function, pain, and quality of life. Outcomes assessments are conducted before and after the 12-week intervention period. The analysis plan will employ an intention-to-treat approach and per protocol criteria.
CONCLUSIONS: Our conceptual hypothesis is that both aerobic exercise programs will positively impact primary and secondary outcomes compared to the health education group alone. Additionally, due to its multi-component nature, we expect the aquatic exercise program promote more significant effects than the land exercise program on cancer-related fatigue, muscular outcomes, and pain.
BACKGROUND: The study was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05520515. Registered on August 26, 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05520515.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of combined intermittent fasting (IF) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on morphology, caspase-independent apoptosis signaling pathway, and myostatin expression in soleus and gastrocnemius (white portion) muscles from healthy rats. Sixty-day-old male Wistar rats (n = 60) were divided into four groups: control (C), IF, high-intensity-interval training (T), and high-intensity-interval training and intermittent fasting (T-IF). The C and T groups received ad libitum chow daily; IF and T-IF received the same standard chow every other day. Animals from T and T-IF underwent a HIIT protocol five times a week for 12 weeks. IF reduced gastrocnemius mass and increased pro-apoptotic proteins apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (EndoG) in soleus and cleaved-to-non-cleaved PARP-1 ratio and myostatin expression in gastrocnemius white portion. HIIT increased AIF and apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain expression in soleus and cleaved-to-total PARP-1 ratio in gastrocnemius muscle white portion. The combination of IF and HIIT reduced fiber cross-sectional area in both muscles, increased EndoG and AIF expression, and decreased cleaved-to-non-cleaved PARP-1 ratio in gastrocnemius muscle white portion. Muscle responses to IF and HIIT are directly impacted by the muscle fiber type composition and are modulated, at least in part, by myostatin and caspase-independent apoptosis signaling.

Falls are among the top 10 causes of years lived with disability in people aged 75 and over. Preventive programs like case management (CM) are crucial.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a multifactorial fall prevention program based on CM on physical performance, the presence of pain, and the risk of falls and fractures in older people who have suffered falls.
METHODS: This randomized, single-blind clinical trial with parallel groups, Intervention Group (IG) and Control Group (CG), was composed of 55 older people with a history of falling, living in the community. All participants underwent an initial assessment via video call (containing anamnesis, timed up-and-go test, falls risk score, short physical performance battery, and clinical frax). The IG underwent CM, the physical exercise protocol, and the cognitive stimulation protocol. The CG was monitored through telephone calls and received general health and fall guidance.
RESULTS: No significant results were found in the physical capacity, the presence of pain, the risk of falls, or the fractures between the Intervention and Control Groups and between assessments.
CONCLUSIONS: This program was not effective in improving functional performance, but it was important for characterizing pain and the probability of fracture in the next 10 years in this population.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are a class of neurological disorders marked by the progressive loss of neurons that afflict millions of people worldwide. These illnesses affect brain connection, impairing memory, cognition, behavior, sensory perception, and motor function. Alzheimer\'s, Parkinson\'s, and Huntington\'s diseases are examples of common NDDs, which frequently include the buildup of misfolded proteins. Cognitive-behavioral impairments are early markers of neurodevelopmental disorders, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention. Neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are critical for neuron survival and synaptic plasticity, which is required for learning and memory. NDDs have been associated with decreased BDNF levels. Physical exercise, a non-pharmacological intervention, benefits brain health by increasing BDNF levels, lowering cognitive deficits, and slowing brain degradation. Exercise advantages include increased well-being, reduced depression, improved cognitive skills, and neuroprotection by lowering amyloid accumulation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. This study examines the effects of physical exercise on cognitive-behavioral deficits and BDNF levels in the limbic system impacted by neurodegeneration. The findings highlight the necessity of including exercise into NDD treatment to improve brain structure, function, and total BDNF levels. As research advances, exercise is becoming increasingly acknowledged as an important technique for treating cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders.

BACKGROUND: Societal measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 (eg, lockdown and contact restrictions) have been associated with decreased health and well-being. A multitude of prepandemic studies identified the beneficial effects of physical exercise on both physical and mental health.
OBJECTIVE: We report on the feasibility of a remote physical exercise intervention and its stress-buffering potential in 2 untrained cohorts: a pre-COVID-19 cohort that completed the intervention in 2019 and a lockdown cohort that started the intervention shortly before pandemic-related restrictions were implemented.
METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, participants were assigned to either an intervention group (IG; pre-COVID-19 cohort: n=7 and lockdown cohort: n=9) or a control group (CG; pre-COVID-19 cohort: n=6 and lockdown cohort: n=6). IG participants received weekly individualized training recommendations delivered via web-based support. The intervention period was initially planned for 8 weeks, which was adhered to in the pre-COVID-19 cohort (mean 8.3, SD 0.5 weeks) but was extended to an average of 17.7 (SD 2.0) weeks in the lockdown cohort. Participants\' health parameters were assessed before and after the intervention: aerobic capacity was measured as peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) via cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Depressive symptoms were scored via the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18.
RESULTS: Dropout rates were low in both cohorts in the IG (pre-COVID-19 cohort: n=0, 0% and lockdown cohort: n=2, 16.7%) and the CG (pre-COVID-19 cohort: n=0, 0% and lockdown cohort: n=2, 20%). The mean adherence to the training sessions of the IG for both cohorts was 84% (pre-COVID-19 cohort: SD 5.5% and lockdown cohort: SD 11.6%). Aligned rank transform ANOVAs in the lockdown cohort indicated deterioration of VO2peak and depressive symptoms from before to after the intervention in the CG but no longitudinal changes in the IG. Analyses in the pre-COVID-19 cohort revealed significant increases in VO2peak for the IG compared to the CG (P=.04) but no intervention effects on depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: With low dropout rates and high adherence, the remote intervention was feasible for healthy adults under regular conditions and in the face of pandemic-related stressors. Moreover, our results hint at a stress-buffering effect as well as a buffering of a lockdown-induced deconditioning of remote physical exercise interventions in the pandemic scenario, which can be used in future studies to overcome equally stressful periods of life. However, due to limited statistical power, these findings should be replicated in similar scenarios.
BACKGROUND: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00018078; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00018078.

UNASSIGNED: The mental health (MH) of college students has long been a crucial concern for families, educational institutions, and society. Extensive research has demonstrated the influential role of exercise motivation in shaping MH. However, further investigation is warranted to ascertain which types of exercise motivation may have more influence on the MH of college students. The present study examined the direct effects of five distinct types of exercise motivation, namely health motivation (HM), appearance motivation (APM), fun motivation (FM), ability motivation (ABM), and social motivation (SM) on MH. Additionally, the study explored the potential mediating role of physical exercise (PE) in these relationships.
UNASSIGNED: An cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 433 Chinese college students participated in the study and completed our questionnaires, which included the Exercise motivation scale (EM scale), the Physical exercise scale (PE scale), and the Mental health scale (MH scale).
UNASSIGNED: The findings revealed a significant and positive relationship between all five categories of exercise motivation and the MH of college students. Specifically, FM was found to have the most pronounced impact on MH, followed by HM, ABM, SM, and APM, in descending order of influence. Furthermore, the impacts of HM, FM, ABM, and SM on MH were found to be partially mediated by PE. However, the association between APM and MH was entirely mediated by PE.
UNASSIGNED: The present study contributes to enhancing the comprehension of the underlying mechanisms behind different exercise motivations in relation to PE and MH. Additionally, it offers practical implications for developing intervention strategies for improving the MH of college students.

Strict social isolation and physical distancing measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic had significant implications for the psychological well-being of middle-aged and older adults. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with depressive symptoms during the pandemic period among individuals who reported no significant depressive symptoms before the pandemic. Individuals from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging without a previous report of significant depressive symptoms across Waves 6 (2016) and 7 (2018) were investigated for the development of depressive symptoms in Wave 8 (2020). The multivariable logistic regression results revealed that both men and women who participated in social gatherings and physical exercise less than once a week were associated with an increase in the likelihood of depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 2.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.80-4.61 and OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.64-4.15, respectively for men and OR 2.58; 95% CI 1.80-3.70 and OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.02-2.23, respectively for women). In addition, unmarried men (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.37-4.14) and women with one chronic disease (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.14-3.43) or two or more chronic diseases (OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.31-3.99) reported a significant increase in the likelihood of depressive symptoms. Regular social gatherings and physical exercise were identified as key factors in mitigating depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults. The findings can inform the development of public health strategies that promote regular social interactions and physical activity to enhance the psychological resilience and overall well-being of middle-aged and older adults in the endemic era.