Living in urban or rural environments affect the sleep quality of the elderly in Bushehr (Southern Iran): emphasizing the active and inactive of the elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders have a significant negative impact on mental and physical health, especially among the elderly. Various factors can affect the sleep quality of elderly people. The aim of this research to investigate the effect of urban and rural environments on the sleep quality of elderly people with emphasis on physical activity. METHOD: Four hundred and thirty-nine elderly people (226 city residents and 213 village residents) in urban and rural areas of Bushehr (Southern Iran), volunteered to participate in the present study. Information was collected via the General information questionnaire and Petersburg Sleep Questionnaire. RESULT: The results showed that active elderly women (p < 0.001), and total active elderly (male + female) (p < 0.001) living in urban areas compared to inactive elderly and also in rural areas active elderly women (p < 0.001), active elderly men (p < 0.001) and total active elderly (male + female) (p < 0.001) had better overall sleep quality in compared to inactive elderly. Also, elderly men (p < 0.001) and the total elderly (male + female) (p < 0.001) living in urban areas had better sleep quality than the elderly in rural areas. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the way of life (being active) as well as the living environment can affect the sleep quality of elderly people, so that active elderly people and also elderly people living in urban environments had better sleep quality.

Evaluation of health-related quality of life in physically active and physically inactive students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.

Covid-19 is an acute respiratory syndrome that can effect on lifestyles. The aim of the present study was to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores in physically active (PA) and physically inactive (PI) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Three hundred and twenty-six (182 women; 144 men) studying at the Persian Gulf University participated in the study. The HRQoL Questionnaire (SF-12) was used to collect information. Significant differences in HRQoL score, MCS score and PCS score were observed between physically active and inactive men and women, as well as between physically active and inactive men, and finally between physically active and inactive women (P < 0.01). Data from the present study suggests higher levels of physical activity, even during social restrictions imposed by the current global pandemic, results in significantly greater scores for HRQoL.

Musculoskeletal health profile for elite female footballers versus untrained young women before and after 16 weeks of football training.

We investigated the musculoskeletal health profile of elite female football players (ET) in comparison to untrained (UT) young women subjected to 16 weeks of football training (2 × 1 h per week). DXA scans, blood sampling, sprint testing and Flamingo postural balance testing were carried out for 27 Danish national team players and 28 untrained women, with eight women being tested after training. At baseline total BMD and BMC were 13% (1.305 ± 0.050 versus 1.159 ± 0.056 g · cm(-2)) and 23% (3047 ± 235 versus 2477 ± 526 g) higher (P <0.001) and leg BMD and BMC were 24 and 28% higher (P <0.01) in ET than in UT. Resting plasma osteocalcin was 45% higher in ET than in UT (28.8 ± 10.9 versus 19.9 ± 9.9 µg · L(-1), P <0.05). Total lean body mass was 14% higher (50.4 ± 3.3 versus 44.3 ± 4.0 kg) in ET compared with UT, with no difference in total body mass. The number of Flamingo test falls was 56-63% less (P <0.01) and 30 m sprinting speed was 31% faster (P <0.001) in ET than UT. After 16 weeks of football training for UT, lean body mass increased by 1.4 ± 0.5 kg and the number of left leg falls decreased by 29% (P <0.05). No significant changes occurred in BMD or BMC, but plasma osteocalcin increased (P <0.05) by 37%. In summary, elite women footballers have an impressive musculoskeletal health profile compared with untrained controls, but short-term football training seems to reduce the risk of falls and increase bone formation.

The effect of 4-week endurance training on serum levels of irisin and betatrophin in streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats.

Betatrophin known as pancreatic ß-cell proliferation marker is secreted as a result of the muscle irisin's expression induced by exercise. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of endurance training on serum levels of irisin and betatrophin in diabetic rats. Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of (1) healthy control group (H-CG), (2) diabetic control group (D-CG), and diabetic group submitted to endurance training (D-ETG). The D-ETG performed endurance exercise (4 week/5 days) on the rodent treadmill. For data analysis we used one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Irisin (p = .04) and betatrophin (p = .005) levels were significantly decreased in the D-CG. Endurance exercise only increased serum levels of irisin significantly (p = .03). There was a significant correlation was shown between serum betatrophin and beta-cell function (p = .03). It appears that a specific exercise training can increase irisin hormone, with possible impact on betatrophin expression in diabetic individuals.

Investigating the Relationship between Big Five Personality Traits and Sports Performance among Disabled Athletes.

Awareness of the psychological issues of different groups of society can help in the management of sports programs and thus improve their athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the big five personality traits and the sports performance of disabled athletes in team sports. Three hundred and seventy-six team athletes participated in the study. Subjects completed a questionnaire of five major personality factors, and based on the information available on the provincial boards and the Veterans and Disabled Federation, the positions obtained by each athlete were considered as a criterion for sports performance. There was a significant relationship between the flexibility factor for men and women (r = 0.123, p = 0.017), neuroticism (r = 0.114, p = 0.027), adaptation (r = 0.171, p = 0.001), extraversion (r = 0.157, p = 0.002), duty orientation (r = 0.104, p = 0.045), and sports performance at a national level. There was a significant relationship between neuroticism (r = 0.142, p = 0.006), adaptation (r = 0.133, p = 0.010), extraversion (r = 0.163, p = 0.002), and duty orientation (r = 0.130, p = 0.011) with sports performance at a provincial level. There was a significant relationship between neuroticism (r = 0.156, p = 0.002), extraversion (r = 0.168, p = 0.001), duty orientation (r = 0.182, p = 0.001), and sports performance at international level. Disabled athletes seem to have above-average performance scores in most personality factors, which can improve their physical health and increase their success in sports.

Acute effect of intermittent and continuous aerobic exercise on release of cardiac troponin T in sedentary men.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that acute exercise can increase serum concentrations of cardiac biomarkers, including cardiac troponin T (cTnT). We investigated the acute effects of intermittent (IE) and continuous (CE) exercise at the same cardiac workload on myocardial necrosis biomarkers in sedentary men. METHODS: Eleven sedentary healthy men aged 22.3±1.9years completed the study. The subjects were divided into two groups and performed, in random order, IE (intensity alternating between 50% (2min) and 80% (1min) HRreserve) or CE (60% HRreserve). The study was designed as a single-blinded randomised crossover trial performed on two distinct experimental days separated by a 1-week washout period. Each session consisted of 40min of aerobic exercise, either IE or CE, on a treadmill. Blood samples were taken before (PRE), immediately after (POST) and 1h after (POST-1) each exercise session. RESULTS: hs-cTnT significantly increased immediately after exercise in both protocols and remained elevated at POST-1 (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between POST and POST-1 values(P>0.05). Neither CE nor IE caused any significant change in CK-MB (P>0.05). The results also showed that HR and RPP increased significantly following both exercise protocols (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, both CE and IE results in increased serum concentrations of hs-cTnT in sedentary men. However, this increase does not seem to be caused by the irreversible death of cardiomyocytes. CE resulted in a greater hs-cTnT concentration than IE.

Cytokine Pattern is Affected by Training Intensity in Women Futsal Players.

To find the relation between exercise and cytokines, we examined the effect of the training intensity on the levels of cytokines, including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interlukine-4 (IL-4) and interlukine-4/interferon-gamma ratio (IL-4/IFN-γ ratio) in female Futsal players. Twelve well-trained female college Futsal players aged 19~22 participated in this study. The athletes completed 30-min of running at 60~65% maximal heart rate [moderate-intensity exercise], and 30-min of running at 75~80% maximal heart rate [high-intensity exercise]. peripheral blood samples were collected 24 h before and 24 h and 48 h after each of the exercise bouts. finding showed that The 30-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise induced a significant increase in IFN-γ (p=0.01) and significant decreases in IL-4 (p=0.001) and IL-4/IFN-γ ratio (p=0.003). And also, 30-min of running at 75~80% maximal heart rate induced increase in IFN-γ (p=0.07) and decreased in IL-4 (p=0.01) and IL-4/IFN-γ ratio (p=0.06) that these changes not significantly. In summary, exercise intensity can effect on the magnitude of changes in cytokines. It seems that moderate intensity exercise enhances cytokine pattern in female college Futsal players.

Effects of Endurance Training on the Serum Levels of Tumour Necrosis Factor-α and Interferon-γ in Sedentary Men.

Physical activity could be considered one of the factors that affect the immune system status and function. To find the relation between exercise and cytokines, we examined the possible effects of an 8-week endurance training program on the serum levels of cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in sedentary men. A total of 30 healthy young male volunteers were randomly divided into an endurance training group and a control group. The training group followed a specific exercise protocol (running on a treadmill for 15~30 min at 50~70% maximal heart rate) for 8 weeks and the control group did not participate in any exercise program. Venous blood samples were collected from both the groups 24 h before and 24 h and 48 h after the exercise. Repeated ANOVA was used for statistical purposes. The serum levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ were determined by ELISA. Significant (p<0.05) and non-significant (p>0.05) decreases were observed in the serum levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α, respectively, after the 8-week endurance training program. Our findings indicated that an 8-week endurance exercise may affect the serum levels of some inflammatory cytokines, suggesting the beneficial role of this training protocol in elderly population and people with certain conditions (inflammation of the vertebrae or other inflammatory diseases).