No abstract

Enhanced exercise performance and anti-fatigue effects following L-citrulline (Cit) intake have been reported in resistance training and endurance exercise, but not in intermittent short-time high-intensity exercise. Therefore, the effect of Cit intake on intermittent short-time high-intensity exercise performance in collegiate athletes was investigated. A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial was performed using nine male collegiate track athletes (age 20.9 ± 1.6 years). Each participant ingested either Cit or a placebo (3 g [grams]/day) for 7 days and underwent Wingate test using a bicycle ergometer on days 0 and 7 performed three times using a pedaling load of 7.5% of the participant's weight for 30 s (seconds) at full power. As for the results, Cit intake significantly increased the change in mean power output, pedaling speed per 5 s, and power output per 5 s (Δday 7 -0) during pedaling as well as the change in oxygen consumption derived by analysis of expired gas. The amount of change in the rate of perceived exertion during exercise significantly decreased, and the amount of change in serum nitrite/nitrate (NOx) (Δday 7 -0) post-exercise was significantly increased compared to that of pre-exercise by Cit intake. These results suggested that Cit intake of 3 g/day for 7 days may have enhanced exercise performance and anti-fatigue effects on intermittent short-time highintensity exercise in male collegiate track athletes.

Pain behavior observation is recommended for pain assessment in the elderly with dementia. Pain behavior observation may be useful not only in patients with dementia but also those with cognitive impairment in general. However, the characteristics of pain behavior may differ depending on the degree of cognitive decline. This study examined the characteristics of pain behavior using the verbal rating scale (VRS) and the Abbey pain scale (APS) in elderly adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.This study enrolled 199 participants with MCI (n=41) and dementia (n=158). VRS and APS were used to assess the patient's pain during walking or transferring by one assessor. VRS and APS were compared in both groups. The kappa coefficient was calculat ed to determine the degree of agreement between VRS and APS. The item response theory was used to analyze the APS items and extract variables that reflect the presence of pain.There were no significant differences in the demographic data, VRS, or APS between the two groups. The kappa coefficient was 0.109 (p=0.387) for the MCI group and 0.282 (p<0.001) for the dementia group. Using the item response theory, "Vocalization", "Facial expression", and "Change in body language" were commonly identified as characteristics of pain behavior in both patients with MCI and those with dementia.The results indicated that among elderly adults with MCI, there are discrepancies between self-reported and observed pain behaviors. The results suggest that for the elderly with suspected cognitive decline, a combined assessment of pain behavior observation and patient-reported outcomes, such as VRS, is recommended. Moreover, pain assessment that focuses on the three behaviors of "Vocalization", "Facial expression", and "Change in body language" may improve pain assessment in elderly patients with cognitive decline.