Association between physical activity and risk of COVID-19 infection or clinical outcomes of the patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious consequences for global health and economy. The important question is whether the level of physical activity might influence the risk of COVID-19 incidence or clinical outcomes, including the severity or mortality of infected patients. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between sufficient physical activity and incidence, hospitalization, severity, recovery, and mortality of COVID-19. Methods: A systematic search of Web of Sciences, PubMed, and Scopus between December 2019 and November 2021 was conducted. Studies were screened based on the inclusion criteria, i.e. observational studies (case-control, prospective or retrospective longitudinal designs, and cross-sectional studies) which have determined the association of physical activity, exercise, sports participation, or sedentary behavior with COVID-19 incidence or outcomes, including mortality, severity, recovery and hospitalization in healthy population or population with any specific comorbidity. Results: Based on eligibility criteria, 27 articles were finally included in the qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis of five studies evaluating the association of physical activity and COVID-19 mortality showed a weighted OR of OR of 0.61 (CI 95%: 0.50-0.75) with heterogeneity (I2 = 45.8%, P < 0.001) and in seven studies regarding physical activity and COVID-19 hospitalization, weighted OR was 0.541 (CI 95%: 0.491-0.595) with heterogeneity (I2 = 81.7%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Participating in sufficient physical activity might decrease COVID-19 related COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality. Developing programs to increase physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic might be an appropriate health strategy.

The effect of exercise rehabilitation on COVID-19 outcomes: a systematic review of observational and intervention studies.

Purpose: Disturbance to physical and psychological characteristics among COVID-19 survivors are not uncommon complications. In the current systematic review, we aimed to investigate the role of exercise rehabilitation programs, either in acute or post-acute phase, on COVID-19 patients' outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in November 2021 of Web of Sciences, PubMed-Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Observational and intervention studies on COVID-19-infected patients undergoing a rehabilitation program including any type of exercise were included if they reported physical or psychological factors as outcomes. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist were used by two independent reviewers. Results: A total number of 469, and 957 patients were included in 9 intervention studies, and 14 observational studies, respectively. Most factors reported by studies as outcomes fell in the categories of exercise capacity, respiratory function, as well as psychological aspects. The reported outcomes in almost all studies, disclosed the overall beneficial role of exercise rehabilitation in improving the outcomes. Conclusion: The current review demonstrated that exercise rehabilitation generally could have a beneficial role in improvement of both physical and psychological related outcomes. As the best onset time, and FITT components are not yet completely clear, further large, well-designed RCTs are suggested to provide details of exercise rehabilitation program.

Dual-Task Training Affect Cognitive and Physical Performances and Brain Oscillation Ratio of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of dual-task training on cognitive status, physical performance, and brain oscillation of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty-six AD patients were randomly assigned to two groups, the training group (TG) and control group (CG). TG executed progressive combined exercises with visual stimulation twice a week for 12 weeks. Training included muscle endurance, balance, flexibility, and aerobic exercises with eyes closed and opened. Brain oscillation on electroencephalography (EEG) and a series of physical, cognitive, and mental tests were taken before and post-intervention. There was a significant improvement after training protocol in cognitive function, particularly in short-term and working memory, attention, and executive function (p < 0.01). Besides, there were substantial improvements in depression status (GDS scale), aerobic fitness (6 min walking), flexibility (chair sit and reach) functional ability (chair stand, timed up and go test), strength (knee extensions, preacher biceps curl, handgrip) in TG compared to CG. These signs of progress were associated with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the frequency of brain oscillation and a decrease in the theta/alpha ratio. In addition to physical performance, the regular combined training with visual stimulation improves brain health as indicated by improving cognitive function and reducing the theta/alpha ratio. Clinical Trial Registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) https://www.irct.ir/, identifier IRCT20190504043468N1-August 5, 2020.

The Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis and It's Relationship With Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke Among Adults in Iran.

To determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) among adult residents and investigate whether second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is correlated with AR as one of the global health problems and one of the most common respiratory disorders reducing the quality of life. A telephone interview survey was conducted by calling 16500 randomly selected telephone numbers from 22 regional telecommunications of Tehran (capital city of Iran) in 2010. A modified European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaire was completed for adults aged between 20 to 44-year-old. Two questions about active smoking and being exposed to SHS were added to the questionnaire. five thousands five hundred cases (76.92%) responded to our calls among 7150 eligible telephone numbers. The gender of study population included 3412 female (62%) and 2088 male (38%) with the mean±SD age of 31.15±7.33. The prevalence of AR was 26.7%. There were no significant relationship between active smoking and AR; while a significant relationship was detected between SHS and AR among our participants (P=0.02). However, no significant difference was found between men and women. In addition, more than 50% of adults suffering from AR, showed significant symptoms of asthma (P<0.001). The results of the current study revealed that the prevalence of AR was higher in Iran compared to other countries worldwide and SHS may be considered as a serious risk factor for AR.

The Most Common Cow's Milk Allergenic Proteins with Respect to Allergic Symptoms in Iranian Patients.

Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is an immunological response to cow's milk proteins such as casein, α-lactalbumin and ß lactoglobulin. The aim of this study was to determine the most common cow's milk allergenic proteins in patients with CMA and identify the most effective proteins in different allergic symptoms. Eighty seven patients (≤18 years) with allergy to cow's milk from 2006 to 2013 entered this study. They had a positive history of allergic reactions to cow's milk and a positive specific IgE test to whole cow's milk. The patients' symptoms were divided into four groups. Serum specific IgEs against four different main proteins of cow's milk were measured using RIDA Allergy Screen. Among 87 patients, 53 (60.5%) were male and the median age was 2.5 years. The frequency of respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal symptoms, and anaphylaxis were 63.3%, 55.7%, 20.3%, and 13.4%, respectively. Specific IgEs to total cow's milk protein (n=75, 89.3%), and the main Cow's Milk Proteins including α-lactalbumin (n=65, 77.4%), casein (n=64, 75.3%), ß-lactoglobulin (n=52, 62.7%), and bovine serum albumin (n=35, 44.9%) were detected. Specific IgE tests to ß-lactoglobulin were positive in 90% of the patients with anaphylaxis. Moreover, significant relationship was found between specific IgE to ß-lactoglobulin and anaphylaxis (p=0.04). Although it is presumed that α-lactalbumin and casein are the most common allergenic proteins of cow's milk, in this study there is a significant relationship between the anaphylaxis and the presence of ß-lactoglobulin-specific IgE. Therefore, more precautions are recommended due to possible anaphylactic reactions in patients with a positive test history for ß-lactoglobulin specific IgE.