Effect of regular swimming exercise to duration-intensity on neurocognitive function in cerebral infarction rat model

Objective: This study investigated the effect of regular swimming exercise according to the duration-intensity on neurocognitive function in a cerebral infarction rat model.

Methods: Forty male Sprague–Dawley 10-week-old rats, weighing 300 ± 50 g, were subjected to photothrombotic cerebral infarction. The remaining 36 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 9 per group: non-exercise (group A); swimming exercise of short duration-intensity (5 min/day, group B); swimming exercise of moderate duration-intensity (10 min/day, group C); and swimming exercise of long duration-intensity (20 min/day, group D). Exercise was performed five times a week for 4 weeks, beginning the day after cerebral infarction. Neurocognitive function was evaluated with the Morris water maze test. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis examined brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at 4 weeks postinfarction.

Results: At 4 weeks postinfarction, escape latency was found to be shorter in group C than in any of groups A, B, or D. Immunohistochemistry revealed the most significant immunoreactivity for BDNF and VEGF in group C. Western blot analysis demonstrated that BDNF and VEGF proteins were markedly expressed in group C.

Conclusions: Regular swimming exercise of moderate duration-intensity may be the most effective exercise protocol for the recovery of neurocognitive function in cerebral infarction rat model.     

Effects of a summer school-readiness programme on measures of literacy and behaviour growth: a pilot study

Young children enter kindergarten with varying levels of readiness and abilities to learn. One factor that contributes to lower levels of school readiness is poverty. One timely, cost-effective, and feasible strategy to boost school readiness, regardless of exposure to high-quality preschool is to leverage the summer months prior to kindergarten entry and provide comprehensive, evidence-based programming immediately before the school year begins. The current study implemented a community-based summer programme targeted at improving school readiness for 25 four- and five-year-old children in a low-income community. Across the 9-week study, children participated in two types of early literacy activities and the Incredible Years social/emotional learning curriculum. Results indicate that participants demonstrated significant growth across three early literacy skills and were rated as overall stable regarding their behaviour across the summer. These results are discussed along with implications and future directions in this line of research.     

OSAHS患儿扁桃体和腺样体术后免疫功能的变化

目的 阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征(OSAHS)是耳鼻咽喉科的一种常见病，儿童发病率呈上升趋势，调查显示儿童OSAHS发生率为4%~5%，2~6岁是发病的高峰期。OSAHS不仅严重影响儿童的睡眠质量，还会引起儿童生长发育迟缓、智力缺陷等一系列不良反应，OSAHS患儿的主要病因是扁桃体和/或腺样体肥大，因此最有效的治疗方法是扁桃体切除术和腺样体切除术。而扁桃体和腺样体是儿童淋巴组织系统的重要组成部分，在机体的防御和保护功能中发挥着重要作用。手术治疗OSAHS是否影响儿童的免疫功能目前存在争议。一些学者认为扁桃体切除和腺样体切除后儿童的免疫力降低，而另一些学者认为OSAHS儿童的免疫力在手术后保持不变，甚至比手术前有所提高。本文就儿童OSAHS手术前后免疫指标的变化作一综述。