مهدی روزبهانی

The present study investigated the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and pollen (PO) on tyrosine kinase receptor B (TRKb) in mice exposed to cadmium. Studies have shown that cadmium causes a decrease in BDNF and inactivation of TRKb.

25 male Sprague-Dawley mice were selected at the age of 8 weeks, and were randomly replaced in five groups of five, which included the healthy control group (HC), the cadmium control group CD), cadmium + pollen group (PO), cadmium group + intense intermittent exercise (HIIT), cadmium + pollen group + intense intermittent exercise (HIIT-PO) group. Cadmium was administered as cadmium chloride 400 mg/kg.l dissolved in water to all groups except the healthy control. Daily, 200 mg of flower pollen in 2.4 cc of normal saline was given by gavage to groups (PO/HIIT-PO). To determine the maximum intensity of exercise, the standard Bedford incremental test was used for the HIIT-PO and HIIT groups. 48 hours after the final training session and supplementation, the mice were anesthetized using ketamine (50 mg/kg) and xylosine (20 mg/kg) after a 12-hour fasting period. The hippocampus of the brain was extracted and the data were analyzed using independent T-test and two-way ANOVA with SPSS 16 software.

Cadmium significantly decreased TRKb (P≤0.05), HIIT training and pollen supplementation significantly increased TRKb, and the interaction effect of HIIT training and pollen supplementation was also significant (P≤0.05).

It is possible that the antioxidant effects of pollen can increase TRKb levels, HIIT training increases the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the brain, which can facilitate the synthesis of BDNF and therefore increase TRKb levels.

Exposure to heavy metals like cadmium leads to toxicity in the body, and these toxins trigger the production of reactive oxygen species, or free radicals. Even small exposures to these substances can impair brain function. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and bee pollen have been shown to combat these free radicals. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of HIIT and bee pollen on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in rats exposed to cadmium.

In this experimental study, 25 Sprague-Dawley male rats, 8 weeks old with an average weight of  258 g, were randomly divided into five groups of five: (1) healthy control (HC), (2) cadmium (CD), (3) cadmium + bee pollen (PO), (4) cadmium + training (HIIT) and (5) cadmium + bee pollen + training (HIIT-PO). The cadmium-treated groups (CD, PO, HIIT, and HIIT-PO) were exposed to cadmium administered as CdCl2 at a concentration of 400 mg/kg.L dissolved in water. Additionally, the PO and HIIT-PO groups received a daily oral gavage of 200 mg of bee pollen dissolved in 2.4 cc of normal saline. Prior to the training intervention, a VO2max test was conducted to determine the maximum intensity of the training sessions. Following this, an eight-week HIIT program was performed using the incremental Bedford protocol. Forty-eight hours after the final training and supplementation session, and following a 12-hour fasting period, the rats were anesthetized with ketamine (50 mg/kg) and xylazine (20 mg/kg). The hippocampal tissue of the brain was carefully extracted and BDNF levels were measured using an ELISA kit. The experimental data were analyzed using an independent t-test and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Cadmium caused a significant decrease in BNDF levels (P≤0.05). Both HIIT training and bee pollen individually demonstrated significant effects, increasing BDNF levels (P≤0.05). However, the interaction between HIIT training and bee pollen did not have a significant effect on BDNF levels in the mice (P≥0.05).

Bee pollen, due to its antioxidant properties, increases BDNF levels in rats exposed to cadmium. Similarly, HIIT training enhances BDNF production in the hippocampus of cadmium-exposed rats exposed by influencing the angiogenesis system. However, the combined interaction of bee pollen and HIIT training does not produce a significant effect on BDNF levels in the hippocampus of these rats.

One of the most important anxiety disorders that disrupt people's lives is social anxiety disorder. This anxiety is caused by concerns related to negative evaluation and fear of adverse reactions from others, an expectation of failure in socialization, or rejection of their weakened social skills. One of these psychological variables that may be affected by social anxiety in people, especially in teenage students, is social skills. Adolescents with social anxiety are at risk of social immaturity and social dysfunction. Various research studies have proven the effectiveness of treatment protocols such as endurance exercises, metacognitive therapy, and solution-oriented therapy in improving social skills. However, in the review of the effectiveness of the mentioned treatment protocols, no study examined the differences between these treatments. So, the purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of metacognitive therapy, solution-focused therapy, and endurance exercises on the social skills of female students with social anxiety disorder.

The current research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest and a one-month follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all female students of the second high school level in the three educational districts of Kermanshah City, Iran, in the academic year 2022-2023. From this population, 60 students were selected according to the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 15 students each (three experimental and one control). The inclusion criteria were personal satisfaction with attending training sessions, diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (getting a score of 19 and above on the social anxiety questionnaire), not having a medical history related to social anxiety, and not suffering from other psychological disorders. The exclusion criteria were the use of psychiatric and psychoactive drugs, the absence of more than two sessions, and participation in other courses and therapeutic interventions at the same time as the present study. The therapeutic interventions of endurance exercises, metacognitive therapy, and solution-focused therapy were applied to the experimental groups. The control group remained waiting (the group awaiting treatment), and no intervention was used. To collect information, the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) (Konnor et al., 2000) and the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS) (Inderbitzen & Foster, 1992) were used. Data analysis was done in SPSS 23 software with the analysis of variance with repeated measurements and Bonferroni's post hoc test at a significance level of 0.05.

The findings showed that, in the posttest and follow-up stages, all three treatments increased appropriate social behavior and decreased inappropriate social behavior of female students with social anxiety disorder (p<0.001). Also, among the three treatments, the solution-focused treatment was more effective in the posttest of the appropriate social behavior variable than the endurance exercises (p<0.001). In the posttest of the inappropriate social behavior variable, the solution-focused treatment compared to endurance exercises (p=0.021), and in the follow-up of the inappropriate social behavior variable, metacognitive therapy (p=0.008) and solution-focused treatment (p<0.001) compared to the endurance exercises was more effective.

The results showed that all three treatment models can be used in the Iranian clinical sample. However, solution-focused treatment is more effective in appropriate social behavior than endurance exercises. In addition, this treatment is more effective in inappropriate social behavior than two metacognitive treatments and endurance exercises.

Obesity is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, and its control and treatment are outside the scope of a single discipline. Emotion regulation is considered one of the dimensions of obesity pathology. The inability to regulate emotion also affects eating behavior. Emotion is one of the most important psychological factors in eating. Emotion regulation refers to people's efforts to influence and express their emotions. Another psychological factor that may play an important role in obesity among obese women is life orientation. Mindfulness–based stress reduction is effective in the psychological and behavioral characteristics of obese women. Mindfulness–based stress reduction is how mental skills are developed. This approach combines mental meditation, body cognition, and Yoga. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness–based stress reduction therapy in emotion regulation and life orientation among obese women.

The present research was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest and follow–up design and a control group. The statistical population included all obese women referred to counseling centers for 12 months from March 2018 to March 2019 in Malayer City, Iran (n=492). The sample size was selected based on the minimum sample size in experimental studies. A total of 30 people (2 groups of 15 people, including one experimental and one control group) were selected as the study sample using the available sampling. The inclusion criteria were body mass index of 30 kg/m2 and above, satisfaction with participating in the counseling course, and not receiving psychological treatment. Subjects responded to the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Granefski et al., 2002) and Life Orientation Test–Revised (Scheier et al., 1994) before and after the interventions and in the follow–up phase (after three months). The experimental group received a mindfulness program in 8 90–minute sessions. The study data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and LSD post hoc test at a significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that mindfulness–based stress reduction significantly improved the regulation of positive and negative emotions and life orientation of obese women (p<0.001). Also, after three months, the average follow–up scores showed the stability of changes over time.

Mindfulness–based stress reduction by changing people's lifestyles, thoughts, and cognition leads to an increase in positive emotion and life orientation and a decrease in negative emotion in obese women.

The coronavirus caused a new disease worldwide called COVID–19. Because this disease led to the death of many people, it was accompanied by anxiety and panic, especially in older people. Psychological wellbeing in older adults is influenced by socioeconomic conditions; social network membership; and social, recreational, physical, and mental activities. Paying attention to older people's interactions and communication patterns with family members is very important. According to the World Health Organization, quality of life is related to a person's understanding of life, values, goals, standards, and interests. The quality of life, psychological health and communication of all humans faced a fundamental challenge. For this reason, World Health authorities recommended prevention by following health protocols as the only way to deal with this disease. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the causal model of Corona anxiety in elderly educators based on psychological wellbeing and communication patterns with the mediation of quality of life.

The research method was analytical using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the present study comprised all cultural seniors, whose number was reported to be 1460 in the academic year of 2021–2022, according to the information of the General Department of Education of Lorestan Province, Iran. Sampling was done by the available method. According to the number of research variables, the statistical sample of the research was 260 older people (148 men, 112 women) selected from the statistical population. The inclusion criteria were retired and elderly teachers in 2020–2021. The exclusion criterion was the incomplete answers to all the questionnaire questions. Data were collected through the Psychological Wellbeing Scale (Ryff, 1989), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL–BREF) (WHO, 1996), the Family Communication Patterns Scale (Ritchie & Fitzpatrick, 1990) and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (Alipour et al., 2020). Data analysis was done using the descriptive (mean, standard deviation, lowest and highest score) and inferential statistics (the Pearson correlation coefficient, structural equation modeling) in SPSS and AMOS version 25 software. The significance level for all tests was considered 0.05.

In examining the coefficients of the direct path between different paths, the results showed that between communication patterns and quality of life (Beta=0.379, p<0.001), between psychological wellbeing and quality of life (Beta=0.641, p=0.033), between the quality of life and corona anxiety (Beta=–0.157, p=0.010) and between psychological wellbeing and corona anxiety (Beta=–0.058, p=0.031) there was a significant direct relationship. There is no significant direct relationship between communication patterns and corona anxiety (Beta=–0.025, p=0.077). In examining the coefficients of the total effect, the results showed that the total impact of psychological wellbeing and corona anxiety (Beta= –0.159, p<0.001) and the total effect of communication patterns and corona anxiety (Beta=–0.084, p=0.023) were significant.
The indirect effect of psychological wellbeing on corona anxiety with the mediating role of quality of life (B=–0.504, p=0.032) and the indirect impact of communication patterns on corona anxiety with the mediating role of quality of life (B=–0.124, p=0.040) were significant. The goodness of fit indices also supports the good fit of the model with the collected data (CMIN/df=2.325, GFI=0.946, NFI=0.967, CFI=0.916, RFI=0.921, IFI=0.908, PNFI=0.761, RMSEA=0.093).

According to research findings, psychological wellbeing and communication patterns affect corona anxiety. In the meantime, the quality of life has a mediating and influential role.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and self-compassion-focused therapy on self-esteem and shame experienced in women with binge eating. The present study is a semi-experimental pre-test post-test design with a two-month follow-up. The statistical population was all women with binge eating disorder in Tehran city in the year 2023. First 45 people were selected and then replaced by a simple random method in 2 experimental groups and 1 control group. The tools of this research included Gomali et al.'s binge eating severity (BES, 1982), Rosenberg's self-esteem (RSEs, 1989), Cook's internal shame (1998), and Goss' external shame (1994) scales. Variance analysis with repeated measures was used for data analysis. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean of self-esteem and the shame experience in both emotion-focused and self-compassion groups in the post-test and control groups (P<0.05). That is, two interventions have significantly increased self-esteem and reduced shame experience compared to the control group. Also, the results of the Bonferroni test for comparing the mean effectiveness of the two groups showed no significant difference between them in increasing self-esteem and reducing shame in these individuals (P>0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that despite the effectiveness of both interventions in increasing self-esteem and reducing shame in women with binge eating disorders, the superiority of one intervention over the other is not statistically significant.

The purpose of this research is to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy, solution-oriented therapy, and endurance exercises on the problem-solving styles of female students with social anxiety disorder. The design of this research is a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a heterogeneous control group and a one-month follow-up. The statistical population was female students of the second level of high school in the three educational districts of Kermanshah in the academic year 1401-1402. From this population, 60 students with social anxiety were selected by screening and according to the criteria for entering the study. They were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 15 people (three experimental and one control). The research tools included social anxiety questionnaires (Kanor, 2000) and problem-solving styles (Dzurila et al., 2002). The data were analyzed with SPSS23 software and analysis of variance and Benferoni's post hoc test. The findings showed that metacognitive therapy, solution-oriented therapy, and endurance exercises increased efficient problem-solving styles and decreased ineffective problem-solving styles in people with social anxiety (P≤0.05) and among the three treatments, metacognitive therapy in efficient problem-solving styles and metacognitive and solution-oriented treatment in ineffective problem-solving styles were more effective than endurance exercises (P≤0.05). Based on these findings, it can be said that all three treatment models can be used in the Iranian clinical sample.

Parkinson's disease is associated with a dysfunction in the inflammatory system. This study aims to evaluate the effects of eight weeks of aerobic training combined with garlic supplementation on the expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) genes in the brain tissue of reserpine-induced parkinsonian rats.

In this experimental study, 32 reserpine-induced parkinsonian rats (administered an intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg reserpine) were divided into four groups: 1) reserpine, 2) aerobic training (AT) for eight weeks, 3) garlic supplementation (G), and 4) AT + G. Additionally, eight healthy rats were included in a healthy control group. The aerobic training regimen consisted of five sessions per week for eight weeks, with each session lasting between 15 and 48 minutes at a speed of 10 to 24 m/min. Rats received 500 mg/kg/day of aqueous garlic extract via gavage. The gene expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in the brain tissue were measured using the RT-PCR method. Motor balance was assessed using a rotarod device.

IFN-γ gene expression was significantly lower in the G, AT, and AT + G groups compared to the reserpine group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, IL-4 levels and motor balance scores were significantly higher in these groups than in the reserpine group (P < 0.001). Notably, the combined effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise (AT) with garlic supplementation (G) on reducing IFN-γ gene expression levels and enhancing motor balance was significantly more favorable than that of garlic supplementation alone (P ≥ 0.05).

Both aerobic exercise and garlic supplementation seem to exert beneficial effects on the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory systems in the brain tissue, as well as on motor balance in neurological diseases. These findings suggest that integrating aerobic training with garlic supplementation may enhance therapeutic approaches for managing Parkinson's disease.

One of the most common disorders that negatively impacts all aspects of individuals' lives is social phobia disorder. In recent decades, there has been an increasing trend towards investigating the effectiveness of new therapeutic approaches in reducing social anxiety disorder among adolescents, and treatment protocols such as endurance training, metacognitive therapy, and solution-focused therapy have been examined for their efficacy in various studies. However, a research gap exists as no study has focused on comparing the differences between these treatments.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy, solution-focused therapy, and endurance training on self-efficacy beliefs of female students with social anxiety disorder.

The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Sixty female students from the second grade of secondary school in three educational districts of Kermanshah city in the academic year 1401-1402 were selected as the research sample based on accessibility and inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to four groups of 15 (three experimental and one control). The research instruments included the Social Anxiety Scale (Connor, 2000) and General Self-Efficacy Scale (Sherer, 1982). The data were analyzed using SPSS23 software and mixed analysis of variance.

The findings indicated that all three treatments led to an increase in self-efficacy beliefs of students with social anxiety disorder (p< 0.05), and no significant differences in effectiveness were observed among the three intervention groups of metacognitive therapy, solution-focused therapy, and endurance training (p> 0.05).

Given that metacognitive therapy, solution-focused therapy, and endurance training were effective in enhancing self-efficacy beliefs of individuals with social anxiety disorder, it is recommended to utilize these two approaches to reduce social anxiety symptoms and improve the quality of life and other problems in private counseling centers.

Sports training is considered as a tool to increase the protective power of the heart against stress.The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-training with intense intermittent exercise on myocardial Hsp70 and SOD following acute myocardial infarction in male rats. 20 8-week-old male Wistar rats (with an average weight of 224.41±5.1 grams) were divided into 4 groups: control, exercise, stroke, and stroke-exercise. The training groups did two weeks of intense interval training in four sections. The first part, three days of training every day, two sessions, each day, and each session includes 4 intense intervals of two minutes at a speed of 35 to 40 meters per minute, and between each interval, a 2 minute active rest period at a speed of 25 to 30 meters per minute. Considered in the second part, two days of training, each day consisted of two training sessions containing 4 periods of intense activity of 2 minutes (40 to 45 m/min) and 3 periods of active rest of 2 minutes (28 to 32 m/min). The third part also included 5 intense periods (40 to 45 m/min) and 4 active rest periods (28 to 32 m/min) in three training days. The fourth part included two training days with the same intensity as the third part, but with an increase in activity and active rest in each session. Finally, Hsp70 and SOD were measured along with the amount of infarcted area. Heart damage enzymes (CK and LDH) were also measured in serum. The one-way analysis of variance test showed that two weeks of intense intermittent exercise, although it reduces the infarcted area of the heart of rats, but there were significant changes in Hsp70 and SOD after acute myocardial infarction between the stroke-exercise and stroke groups. Does not cause, while the measured heart damage enzymes (CK and LDH) showed a significant decrease in the stroke-exercise group compared to the stroke group. Therefore, two weeks of HIIT training can protect the heart from acute ischemia-induced damage through signaling pathways.

 Increased nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in neuroblastoma cells may represent an autocrine system to support cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the simultaneous effect of aerobic exercise and nano curcumin supplementation on the expression of BDNF and NGF genes in rats with brain tumors.

 A total of 35 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to seven groups of five: healthy base control, healthy control of 4 weeks, base cancer control, four weeks of cancer control, cancer+nanocolumns, cancer+aerobic, and cancer exercise+aerobic exercise+nanocolumns. After injecting cancer cells into the mice's forehead cortex, with 80 mg/kg supplement gauges for 28 days, five days a week, enter the main aerobic exercise program on the rotating tape for four weeks, three days a week. At 18 m/min, they were 25-40 minutes. In the end, the mice were sacrificed, and data were collected.

The expression of the BDNF gene in the training+nano curcumin group was significantly decreased compared to the baseline cancer control and 4-week cancer (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of the NGF gene in the exercise group showed a significant decrease compared to the baseline cancer control and 4-week cancer (P<0.05). Nonetheless, no significant difference was observed in the nano curcumin group and nanocurcumin +exercise (P>0.05).

It seems that aerobic exercise along with nanocurcumin can possibly increase neurogenesis in rats with brain cancer by reducing BDNF and NGF gene expression through receptors.

Today, in all human societies, special attention is given to exceptional children, especially mentally retarded children. Serious attention to Down syndrome children due to growth failure implies significant investments by governments, especially in the field of rehabilitation. Therefore, it is necessary to consider appropriate exercises, encouragement and feedback for the development of motor skills of these children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of normative feedback on Learning in adolescent with Down syndrome.

Methods and Materials: 

Thirty boy adolescent syndrome are participated as volunteer and they are classified in three groups of control, positive and negative normative feedback randomly. The necessary information for this research was collected in 4 stages of pre-test, acquisition test, retention and transfer. The acquisition phase consisted of 7 blocks of 10 trials. In this phase, all groups received real feedback after each trial and positive and negative normative feedback groups received normative feedback about their performance after each block of 7 trials. One day after the practice phase retention and transfer test without feedback was performed to assess learning. One-Way ANOVA with Repeated Measures, ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to data analysis (P≤0.05).

Positive normative feedback improved their accuracy and consistency score across practice trials, retention and transfer test, but other groups didn't improve their accuracy and consistency score. There were significant difference between control and negative normative feedback groups with positive normative feedback but there were no significant difference between control and negative normative feedback groups.

The findings highlight the importance of motivational influences on motor learning in adolescent with Down syndrome and was concluded that motor learning of such children could be improved using cheer, in such a way that punishment is eliminated

Diabetes has harmful effects on the vascular structure and angiogenesis of various organs, including the hippocampus. In this regard, this study was designed to investigate the effect of non-pharmacological interventions of endurance training (Ex) and Urtica dioica (UD)  plant hydroalcoholic extract on the stereological changes of the hippocampal capillaries of diabetic rats. 35 Wistar male rats were divided into 5 groups: Healthy control, Diabetes control, Diabetes+Ex, Diabetes+UD, Diabetes+Ex+UD. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. The Ex protocol with moderate intensity and daily gavage of UD hydroalcoholic extract was implemented for six weeks. 48-h after the last session, the rats was sacrificed, and then the hippocampal tissue was removed and placed in 10% formalin for hematoxylin-eosin staining. The stereological changes of the hippocampal tissue were investigated in the parameters of the number of vascular sections, length, volume and area of capillaries. Data analysis was done using repeated measures ANOVA tests for blood glucose variable and Kruskal-Wallis test for stereological studies of hippocampal tissue. Diabetes caused a significant decrease in the number of vascular sections, length, volume and area of hippocampal capillaries (P<0.001). Thus, all stereological parameters in the combined group of Ex+UD were better than the groups that implemented only one of the interventions (P<0.05). The changes of Ex and UD groups in stereological parameters of hippocampal tissue after 6 weeks were not significant. The results obtained in  combination effectiveness of Ex and UD on the stereological parameters of the hippocampal tissue of diabetic rats promise to improve the health of the vessels and angiogenesis of the hippocampal tissue by changing the lifestyle of diabetic people.