Journal of Exercise Physiology and Performance
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Spring 2023

Aging is related to a decrease in physiological and functional capacity which can increase disability, decrease balance and fall. The widespread problems in the elderly that occur as a result of the aging process are the loss of balance, increase in vertical fluctuations, and the possibility of falling. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of RNT exercises on balance, strength, and quality of life of elderly women.  The statistical population of the present study included 18 elderly women living in Isfahan selected as available sampling and after taking the pre-test, they were randomly divided into two experimental (9 people) and control (9 people) groups. The subjects were trained for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week for 1 hour at Parsia Clinic. The research tools included functional reach test to measure static balance, timed back and forth test to measure dynamic balance, sit-to-stand test to measure lower limb muscle strength, and Lipad quality of life questionnaire. After the end of the training period, both groups were tested again by SPSS software version 24. The results were analyzed using the ANOVA statistical test for repeated measurements to check the research hypotheses. According to the results, eight weeks of dynamic neuromuscular stability exercises significantly improved the static balance and dynamic balance of elderly women(05/0>p). Also, eight weeks of RNT exercises significantly improved the strength of the lower limb muscles of elderly women and improved the quality of life of elderly women (P<0.05). The present study showed that eight weeks of RNT exercises can be effective in improving static balance, dynamic balance, lower limb muscle strength and quality of life of elderly women. These factors are among the most important factors related to the health of the elderly. Therefore, RNT exercises can be effective for treatment and rehabilitation and are recommended as an effective method to improve these components in elderly women.

Central fatigue is the most important factor in a person's inability to functionbetter, especially in short periods of time, high intensity exercises normally limit athlete performance and delay the desired result. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Fluoxetine consumption (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) when reaching fatigue in elite male basketball players. In this study, 24 healthy elite basketball players with mean and standard deviation of age, weight, height and BMI were 21.5±.16 years, 43.7±76 kg, 28.3±80 cm and 16.1±81.19 kg/m2 participated purposefully and voluntarily.  All the subjects completed and signed the consent form of participation in the study, then were randomly assigned to two groups of 12 people. Six hours before the exercise, one group was given 20 mg Fluoxetine capsules and the other group was given a placebo. Also, half an hour before the start of the exercise, 5 ml of blood was taken from the subjects in order to determine the level of lactate and serotonin levels, and then the subjects ran on a carometer bike with 70% maximum oxygen consumption to the head of fatigue and immediately after Bruce test, 5 ml of blood was taken again from all subjects. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test at the level of (p≤0.05) The results showed that the time to achieve fatigue in the group that had taken Fluoxetine was lower than the placebo group and they reached fatigue earlier than the group that had taken the placebo. These results show that there are central parts of fatigue that are regulated and adjusted by serotonergic neuron activity.

Rapid outbreak of the corona virus disease, constant contact with contaminated and high-risk environments, and increasing numbers of mortality from coronavirus have affected anxiety level, increasing the medical staff stress and anxiety that not only weaken the immune system and make them vulnerable to coronavirus disease but also it may prevent the treatment staff from fighting with coronavirus. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effect of exercise, following the religious beliefs and listening to music on anxiety level due to treatment staff coronavirus . This quasi-experimental study is performed with pre-test and post-test with 6 experimental groups and a control group. The study’s population was all the hospitals’ treatment staff in the southern part of Iran (Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Khuzestan provinces) that provided services to Corona virus patients. The sample size was 77 people who were randomly and purposefully selected. The results of the dependent t-test showed that there is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores in the exercise volunteers groups, following religious beliefs volunteers, listening to music volunteers and random exercise, which showed their effect on reducing Corona virus anxiety level in the treatment staff. There is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the control group, the following religious random group and the listening to music random group. Exercise and physical activity due to the predominance of physical and physiological aspects, whether it is the desire of the treatment staff or not according to their desire, reduces anxiety level in the treatment staff. However, following religious beliefs and listening to music, due to the predominance of its spiritual and doctrinal dimension, reduces the anxiety level of the medical staff only when it is based on one's wishes and desires.

This study studied the interactive effect of 12 weeks of aerobic training and the intake of multivitamin-mineral supplementation on the indicators of male pulmonary function in the exposure of urban polluted air. 46 subjects, with an average age of 25 ± 1.2, took part voluntarily and were completely satisfied in this quasi-experimental study. They were randomly assigned to 4 groups: supplement and exercise (11 subjects), exercise (N = 11), supplement (N = 12), and control (N = 12). This Aerobic exercise was carried out with the same and increasing practice protocol for the first and second groups (including the first week of 12 minutes running with 60% heart rate up to the 12th week, progressively 30 minutes running with 85% heart rate reserve) and with supplementation of multivitamin - minerals which were taken as one capsule each day for the first and third groups of the research. In addition, the variables, including FEV1, FVC, FVC/FEV1, PEF, and FEF50 were measured once before and after 12 weeks using a spirometry device connected to the computer, and Respiratory symptoms were measured by the Respiratory Standard Questionnaire. After 12 weeks of intervention, there was a significant increase in the level of functional parameters of the lung in the combined and supplementary groups and a significant decrease in the exercise group compared with the before the time of the study (p<0.05). The results showed a significant difference between the groups in the measured variables, which was insignificant between the combined group and the exercise. The study results showed that 12 weeks of aerobic exercise and consumption of multivitamin-mineral supplementation leads to a significant increase in the levels of male pulmonary function in urban polluted air. Therefore, using the same amount of vitamins and necessary minerals is recommended to improve pulmonary function, and in case of shortage, use antioxidant supplements, such as the multivitamin-mineral supplement.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system disorder that can impair the sensory and motor-nerve system by destroying the myelin sheath. These may lead to fatigue and Quality of Life (QoL). This study investigated the effect of eight-week massage as a complementary therapy on fatigue, Physical Component Health (PhCH), Psychological Component Health (PsCH), and QoL in MS female patients. In this quasi-experimental study, 20 MS females with EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Score) = 2 – 5 were enrolled. After a briefing and obtaining consent, the subjects were pre-tested. The subjects were randomly divided into Control (n= 10) and experimental (n= 10) groups. The massage therapy was performed for eight-week (two sessions of 30 minutes per week). Fatigue and Quality of Life were assessed at the beginning and end of the protocol using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and Quality of Life Short Form Questionnaire (SF-36), respectively. Twenty females MS patients (age= 26-44 yr., weight= 53.-87 Kg, BMI (Body Mass Index) =24. 32 Kg.m-1) completed the study period. Data demonstrated a significant decrease in fatigue (F= 45.38, p= 0.001), a significant increase in PhCH (F= 21.60, P= 0.001), PsCH (F= 5.42, P= 0.001), and QoL (F= 22.67, P= 0.001). Massage can be a non-invasive, safe, low-cost, and complementary intervention to improve fatigue and quality of life in MS patients.

Obesity harmfully affects all physiological functions of the body and public health. Valine(Valine) are crucial amino acids, including leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Isoleucine could influence protein metabolism, apoptosis, regeneration of hepatocytes, and insulin resistance. Previous studies demonstrated that elevated circulating isoleucine are strongly associated with metabolic disorders, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study examines the effect of Isoleucine supplements on hepatic lipogenesis and obesity following an acute bout of exercise in adult mice. Thirty male mice of type C57BL/6 were distributed randomly into five groups: Regular diet group, High-fat diet group, Exercise group, Regular diet+20% Isoleucine diet group, and 20% Isoleucine diet+Exercise group. Next, each group was sacrificed and then, the liver was collected; Real-time qPCR investigated the expression of mRNA levels. Our data indicated that the Exercise group, 20%VALINE, and 20% VALINE+Exercise groups, significantly amplified the levels of Ucp2, Ppar-γ, Ppar-α, and Pgc1-α mRNA compared to the control group. In contrast, the expression level of Ppar-α in the high-fat diet group compared to the control group was decreased. Interestingly, a high-fat diet was due to down-regulated expression levels of Pgc1-α, Ppar-γ, and Ucp2 in the liver, but Ppar-α increased.

The purpose of this research was to compare the velocity of the dominant hand and the non-dominant hand in the Gyakozuki technique (with hit and without hit) of elite karate men. 16 Iranian male karatekas with individual characteristics from the national karate team camp participated in this study. The subjects were asked to perform the Gyakuzuki technique with the dominant hand and the non-dominant hand five times with maximum intensity and strength, hit the shoot fist device. The distance of standing from the device was equal to the length of the upper limb, and the best record of all five performances was considered. It was recorded using a Hero3 digital camera made in the United States (240Hz) in two dimensions. It was filmed at a perpendicular angle to the subject. The peak velocity of the joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist) and the velocity at the moment of the collision were evaluated using Skillspector software. After ensuring the normality of the data using the Shapiro–Wilk test, independent t-tests were used at the level of (p ≤ 0.05) with spss version 22 software. The test results showed a significant difference between peak joint velocity shoulder, elbow, and wrist withthe dominant and non-dominant hand in the with-hit and without-hit method ( p ≤0.05). Also, there was a significant relationship between the velocity of the wrist in contact moment with the dominant and non-dominant hand in the with-hit and without-hit methods ( p ≤0.05). According to the fest result, if a karate man wants to reach to velocity peak with the dominant hand in Gyakuzuki Techniques, he should reinforce the antagonist and stabilizer muscles in the non-dominant hand.

Depression and anxiety are disabling conditions with side effects on cognition, quality of life, memory, and mood. Anxiety is a dysregulated mood condition that could disturb cognition. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary interventions and endurance training in managing anxiety and depressive symptoms. In this study, 30 rats were divided into five groups: Normal group, anxiety/ depression group, rat model of anxiety/depression who consumed valine 3.0 μmol/500 μl intraperitoneal injection once/day for eight weeks, rat model of anxiety/depression who conducted endurance training (32 m/min for 45 minutes/session, six days a week for eight weeks), and rat model of anxiety/depression who conducted endurance training (75% VO2max) and consumed valine (3.0 μmol/500 μl). The level of anxiety/depression was evaluated by behavior open field tests and relative expression assay of the genes related to the inflammation. Findings indicated that the expression level of the NF-κB and TNFα significantly increased in the anxiety/depression group. Moreover, the endurance training and consumed valine  improved the NF-κB and TNFα expression in the brain of the rat  model of anxiety/depression. In addition, endurance training and consuming valine  decreased the anxiety/depression level. Endurance training and consuming valine  reduced the brain's inflammation level and improved the anxiety/depression level.

Athletes and people participating in sports activities are at risk due to the inhalation of pollutants. This study aimed to compare the effect of one session of aerobic exercise in clean and polluted air on the response of some inflammatory factors in active people. 10 active men with at least three years of regular exercise training were selected. Their blood samples were collected on two separate days, in polluted air with an air quality index (Air quality index, or AQI) of 120 in the alert state (orange) and 59 days later in clean air with an AQI of 52 in a clean state (yellow), before, immediately after conducting a block field test, with an intensity of 69-55% of maximal heart ratem, and 24 hours after the activity in a sitting position, on the chair and from a left brachial vein, to determine the amounts of IL-6 and C-reactive protein by ELISA method. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used. The levels of IL-6 immediately after exercise and 24 hours after exercise in polluted air showed a significant increase compared to clean air. Although C-reactive protein levels increased after exercise with exposure to high concentrations of pollutants, this increase was not statistically significant. Aerobic exercise subjected to a high concentration of pollutants compared to clean air causes a significant increase in serum levels of some cardiovascular disease predictive factors, such as interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.

Metabolic dysregulation may cause tissue damage in obesity-related diseases. The effects of SIRT1 on metabolism may provide a therapeutic target for treating obesity-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic training and Capsaicin (Cap) on visceral adipose tissue SIRT1 gene expression and insulin resistance in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). 40 male Wistar rats were fed a normal diet (ND, n = 8) or HFD (n = 32) for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, all rats were divided into five groups: ND, HFD, high-fat diet-training (HFDT), high-fat diet-capsaicin (HFDCap), and high-fat diet-training-capsaicin (HFDTCap). Training groups performed a progressive aerobic running program (at 15-25 m/min, 30-60 min/day, and 5 days/week) on a motor-driven treadmill for eight weeks. Capsaicin (4 mg/kg/day) was administered orally, by gavage, once a day. This study showed that SIRT1 expression decreased and HOMA-IR increased in the HFD group compared to the ND group. Also, the expression of SIRT1 in HFDT, HFDCap, and HFDTCap groups significantly increased compared to HFD. The expression of SIRT1 in HFDTCap also significantly increased compared to HFDT and HFDCap groups. There was a significant decrease in HOMA-IR levels in all experimental groups. Possibly, eight weeks of progressive training combined with capsaicin administration has an effect on the glucose homeostasis of HFD rats by increasing the expression of SIRT1 and decreasing HOMA-IR.

Obesity is the result of accumulation of excess adipose tissue due to an imbalance between food intake and energy intake. Exercise can play an effective role in reducing adipose tissue due to increased energy consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high intensity training (HIIT) on adiponectin levels in adipose tissue in rats on a high fat diet. For this purpose, 32 rats with a lifespan of 8 weeks were randomly divided into 3 groups: obese and HIIT, obese without HIIT and normal weight. The HIIT training program was performed for eight weeks. At the end of the training period, the rats were anesthetized. The subcutaneous adipose tissue of the animal was also sampled and qRT-PCR analysis was performed to evaluate the expression of adiponectin gene. The results showed that adiponectin gene expression decreases under the influence of obesity. But with HIIT training and reduced obesity, its expression increases. In general, the results of this study showed that HIIT training can reduce obesity, increase adiponectin gene expression in animals with high fat diet.

Investigating and understanding the relationship and correlation between functional movement screening (FMS) and anthropometric characteristics play a significant role in predicting and preventing injury. This study investigated the relationship between FMS and anthropometric characteristics in the Iranian national team's teenage volleyball players. 22 elite youth volleyball players who were members of the national adolescent volleyball team of the Islamic Republic of Iran participated in this research. Also, two demographic characteristics and FMS were examined. The Pearson correlation test was used to investigate the relationship between the demographic variables and the FMS score. There was a significant positive relationship between "in-line lunge with upper limb balance, shoulder mobility with active straight leg raise, fat mass index with fat ratio to SM, Body Mass Index (BMI), Total Body Fat (TBF%), Visceral Fat Index (VFI), fat-free mass with fat-free mass index. Bone Mineral Content (BMC), Basal Metabolic Ratio (BMR), the ratio of fat to SM with TBF% and VFI" and “weight with BMI, BMC, and BMR, and BMI with VFI, BMR, and Upper Limb Balance" and "TBF% with VFI" and "BMC with BMR" and "TBW% with SM%" and "body balance with TBW%, SM%, and Upper Limb Balance”. Based on the analysis of the obtained results, it can be suggested that FMS test results and anthropometric indices can be useful in the initial assessment and prediction of people's susceptibility to functional-motor injuries. Also, athletes' functional movement patterns and body composition are different according to their sport and position. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the positive points of the athlete's performance in his specialized sports field and functional movement disorders in young people, which may help to reduce injuries and improve sports performance.