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There is a need to broaden the knowledge of oncology nurses about exercise prescription and recommendations for the improvement of quality of life and physical and mental health of patients with cancer and survivors. In addition, oncology nurses need to have comprehensive knowledge regarding the physiological mechanisms underlying these improvements. Through this mini review, we aimed to describe the level of expertise of nurses in the field of exercise oncology and identify appropriate solutions to improve this knowledge. Articles concerning exercise and oncology nursing practices published between January 1996 and September 2020 were searched in the PubMed electronic database; relevant articles were selected, full-text articles were assessed, and important information was extracted. A standard exercise oncology curriculum needs to be developed and implemented for oncology nursing practitioners and those training in oncology nursing. Oncology nurses should be trained in exercise oncology, rehabilitation, and exercise prescription and follow-up. This could boost the rate of adherence to self-managed/home-based exercise routine among cancer survivors.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is an effective method for the assessment of cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular reaction to physical stress. It offers an independent assessment of cardiopulmonary fitness and functional capacity in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. The 6-min walk test (6MWT) can be used for the assessment of functional capacity when CPET is unavailable. Through this review, we aim to emphasize the importance of utilizing both CPET and 6MWT in the assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness/functional capacity in patients with lung cancer undergoing major thoracic oncological resections. We searched the PubMed electronic database using the MeSH system for articles reporting the use of CPET and 6MWT in cardiopulmonary fitness/functional capacity evaluation during cancer treatment. The full-text articles were assessed, and significant evidence was extracted. Only the articles written in the English language were selected. Using a combination of CPET and 6MWT for the assessment of cardiopulmonary fitness/functional capacity in patients with lung cancer undergoing complex oncological resections, could give a definite prediction of the possibility of postoperative cardiopulmonary complications in these patients.

Physical activity (PA) is associated with a clear decrease in blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular mortality in both men and women. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of PA as an adjunct therapy in support of the prevention and pharmacological treatment of hypertension. Studies that reported on the correlation of PA and exercise on BP control among hypertensive patients from 1994 to 2019 were evaluated. PubMed electronic database was utilized. The MeSH system was used to extract relevant research studies from PubMed using the following keywords: “Exercise,” “training,” “hypertension,” “blood pressure,” “systematic review,” and “meta-analysis,” All selected articles were published in English. Sedentariness negatively affects cardiometabolic health, body composition, and BP among hypertensive patients, whereas PA significantly improves cardiometabolic parameters and body composition and leads to an overall improvement in cardiac parasympathetic system by increasing vagal tone, causing a reduction in resting heart rate, and systolic BP in hypertensive adults. Exercise should be tailored according to patient's clinical and functional status to avoid imposing variable internal training load on the patients. Moderate intensity aerobic, isometric and dynamic resistance exercise training alone, or a combination was equally effective in lowering BP among hypertensive adults.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a significant negative impact on emotions and feelings of loneliness in terms of lack of companionship, social isolation, and connections in older adults. Compulsive loneliness can negatively alter cognition, mental, and physical health and lifespan in the elderly. Isolation and restricted social interaction in the time of COVID-19 pandemic was clearly connected with the symptoms of mood and behavioral disorders in older adults. The aim of this narrative review was to evaluate the impact of loneliness caused by the public health social isolation measures aimed to curtail the prevalence of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health in older adults. Articles regarding the effect of loneliness caused by the public health social isolation measures aimed to curtail the prevalence of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of older adults were searched on PubMed electronic database. Relevant articles were selected; full-text articles were assessed; and significant evidence were extracted. To avoid the negative impact of social isolation on older adults during the era of COVID-19, it is essential to involve older adults in the activities such as physical activity, playing games with their peers, and sightseeing.

Children have several worries concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, such as fear of contracting COVID-19, play deprivation and lack of recreational activities. Anxieties about COVID-19 and its containment measures have adversely affected the mental health and well-being of children. Moreover, parents' economic hardship/financial distress, school closures, lack of peer interactions, loneliness, and home confinement may affect a child's mood state and emotional well-being in the COVID-19 era. Setting up lifestyle intervention as early as possible might mitigate the long-term mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among children. A Lifestyle intervention comprising various types of physical activity (PA) designed for improving cognitive functioning, and mood states are required to improve mental health and well-being among children in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to emphasize the association between PA, which is an avenue for social interactions, and mental health among children in the era of COVID-19. PA has a positive impact on child mental health and well-being. On the other hand, sedentariness and loneliness are detrimental to a child's mental health and psychological well-being in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for various community health agencies to promote PA among children through family-based intervention. Parents should encourage their children to engage regularly in moderate-intensity PA at home or in a safe green space (e.g. parks and community gardens).

Exercise oncology is a growing field in cancer care that deals with the use of various types of exercise (eg, aerobic exercise, resistance training and mind body exercise) in the management of patients with cancer.1 The progress of research in the field of exercise oncology has resulted to a broad and substantial evidence on the role of physical activity (PA) in cancer prevention and management. The growing field of exercise oncology is divided into three major areas (1) cellular and molecular exercise oncology, (2) clinical exercise oncology and (3) behavioural exercise oncology.1 Advancements and discoveries in cellular and molecular exercise oncology assist in the design and personalisation of exercise prescriptions for certain cancers in diverse populations, which have been successfully incorporated into clinical practice. Evidence showed that certain amount of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined aerobic and resistance exercise can mitigate cancer-related health burdens (eg, anxiety, depressive symptoms and fatigue) and adverse effects associated with cancer treatment (such as cardiovascular toxicity and cognitive impairment).2 However, there is a need to improve the knowledge of medical oncologists on exercise prescription and tailoring exercise regimen according to patient’s health status and functional capacity. Currently, the 11th edition of the American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (ACSM) is the most recommended handbook for developing expertise in exercise testing, safety, prescription and monitoring, which can be applied in clinical exercise oncology. The handbook covers technically established standards on clinical exercise testing and prescription, interpretation of clinical exercise test results and reviews of recommended methods for exercise testing and exercise prescription in healthy and diseased patients. Moreover, the handbook also contains important evidence on …

Koro syndrome is a psychiatric disorder characterized, by severe anxiety, with grievances of a shrinking penis in men and fear of its retraction into the abdomen and consequent death. Koro is also identified as genital retraction syndrome or shrinking penis syndrome, and it was recognized in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition in the section of culture-bound syndromes. There are numerous reported cases of penis loss in Nigeria, the suspicion associated with penile retraction usually transforms into a severe panic attack concerning fear of loss of potency and virility in men. Psychosocial factors, cultural belief, religious doctrine, strong confidence in the mystical powers of voodoo, and present mental condition of an individual often act as stimulus in the reported cases of male genital retraction and mysterious penis theft in West Africa. Moreover, in Nigeria, it is often believed that individual genitals were stolen for ritual and occultic purposes. Patients with Koro can be treated using psychotherapy with reference to the underlying symptoms and mental disorder.

Gambling disorder (GD) is characterized by a pattern of continual or persistent gambling behavior, which may be online or offline, demonstrated by impaired control over gambling (e.g., inception, rate, passion, duration, cessation, and perspective). GD entails growing precedence given to gambling activities to the point that gambling takes priority over other daily activities and continuation and intensification of gambling despite the rate of negative consequences. The pattern of gambling behavior may be constant or episodic and recurrent. With regard to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, gambling behavior and associated characteristics are usually apparent over at least 12 months for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required period may be reduced if all the diagnostic criteria are met and the symptoms are severe.

Gambling disorder(GD)is a behavioral addiction recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5th version and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 10th version (ICD-10). GD according to the ICD-10 is characterized by maladaptive and recurrent pattern of gambling behavior that persists despite the negative consequences for the individual and his family. GD is a rising global health issue, and its consequences are family problems, substance abuse, suicide ideation, suicide attempts, suicide, and criminal behaviors such as theft and drug trafficking to raise money for gambling activities. Mood disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety, obsessions, and personality disorders are comorbid with GD. Papers were searched using key terms indicating addiction, exercise, physical activity, and GD on PubMed, Science Direct, Psych INFO, Medline, and Google Scholar database. Exercise is effective in the prevention and treatment of depression in addition to psychotherapy and antidepressant drug therapies. Pathological gamblers who are not physically active are expected to have poor cardiovascular and mental health, lack of physical fitness, and low quality of life compared to healthy controls who exercise regularly. There is a need to include a standard exercise program in support of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment of GD because of the benefits of regular exercise in the improvement of cardiovascular and mental health, lifestyle modification, and in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases. Exercise was found to be effective as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of GD and co-occurring psychiatric disorders.