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Abstract Purpose This study investigates the applicability of optimized machine learning (ML) approach for the prediction of Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) using anatomic and anthropometric predictors. Method To this end, 180 recruits were enrolled in a cross-sectional study of 30 MTSS (30.36 ± 4.80 years) and 150 normal (29.70 ± 3.81 years). Twenty-five predictors/features, including demographic, anatomic, and anthropometric variables, were selected as risk factors. Bayesian optimization method was used to evaluate the most applicable machine learning algorithm with tuned hyperparameters on the training data. Three experiments were performed to handle the imbalances in the data set. The validation criteria were accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Results The highest performance (even 100%) was observed for the Ensemble and SVM classification models while using at least 6 and 10 most important predictors in undersampling and oversampling experiments, respectively. In the no-resampling experiment, the best performance (accuracy = 88.89%, sensitivity = 66.67%, specificity = 95.24%, and AUC = 0.8571) was achieved for the Naive Bayes classifier with the 12 most important features. Conclusion The Naive Bayes, Ensemble, and SVM methods could be the primary choices to apply the machine learning approach in MTSS risk prediction. These predictive methods, alongside the eight common proposed predictors, might help to more accurately calculate the individual risk of developing MTSS at the point of care.

BackgroundThe effects of a high protein diet in combination with chronic resistance training (RT) on skeletal muscle adaptation responses in untrained older ex-military men is unknown. Therefore, we compared the effects of 8 weeks of RT in combination with either a high (1.6 g/kg/d) or low protein diet (0.8 g/kg/d) on body composition [skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and body fat percentage (BFP)], muscular strength, power, and endurance (upper and lower body), markers of liver [alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] and kidney (creatinine and urea) function, and lipid profile low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and cholesterol levels in a cohort of healthy, untrained older ex-military males.MethodsForty healthy untrained older ex-military males (age: 61 ± 2 yr, body mass index: 23.2 ± 1.3 kg.m−2) performed 8 weeks (three sessions·w−1) of RT with either 1.6 g/kg/d (RHP; n = 20) or 0.8 g/kg/d of protein (RLP; n = 20). Body composition (assessed by Inbody 720), muscular strength (1-RM for chest and leg press), power (Wingate test), endurance (75% 1-RM for chest and leg press), and markers of liver and kidney function (biochemical kits) were assessed pre and post-intervention.ResultsSMM and muscular strength (upper and lower body) increased post-intervention in both groups and were significantly greater in RHP compared to RLP, while muscular power increased to the same extent in both groups (p < 0.05) with no between-group differences (p > 0.05). In contrast, there were no post-intervention changes in muscular endurance, HDL, and BFP remained in either group (p > 0.05). ALT and creatinine significantly increased in RHP compared to RLP while GGT, AST, and urea only increased in the RLP group (p < 0.05). LDL and cholesterol significantly decreased in both groups (p < 0.05).ConclusionA daily intake of 1.6 g/kg/d protein was superior to 0.8 g/kg/d (current recommended daily intake) for promoting greater improvements in SMM and muscle strength and thus may be a more suitable level of intake for promoting such adaptive responses. Notwithstanding observed between-group differences in ALT and creatinine and the fact that levels remained within normal ranges, it is feasible to conclude that this daily protein intake is efficacious and well tolerated by healthy, untrained older ex-military males.

Despite numerous studies, the association between osteoporosis and aortic valve calcification is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between aortic valve calcification and osteoporosis in an Iranian population over 60. In this cross-sectional study, patients aged over 60 years referring to the Bone Mineral Densitometry center of Baqiyatallah Hospital (Tehran, Iran) during 2019-2020 were evaluated. Trans-thoracic echocardiography was done for all patients to evaluate the existence of aortic valve calcification. Patients were compared in two groups with and without osteoporosis (T-score < -2.5) as well as in two groups with and without aortic calcification. Two-hundred patients with a mean age of 65.92 ± 5.59 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.73 ± 4.08 kg/m2 were studied (84.5% female). Patients with osteoporosis (n=104) had lower BMI and greater frequency of aortic calcification compared to the patients without osteoporosis (n = 96). Patients with aortic calcification had higher age, lower BMI, and higher proportion of osteoporosis compared to the patients without aortic calcification (P

Background: Recent evidence suggests a negative correlation between physical activity and the incidence and severity of noncommunicable chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory infections. This study explores the potential influence of physical activity levels on the mortality rate and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recovery. Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical cross-sectional study evaluated 175 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)–confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Baqiyatallah Hospital. The participants' hospitalization data and physical activity levels were assessed. The Mann–Whitney U test explored the association between physical activity and COVID-19 outcomes. Results: Findings revealed that COVID-19 patients had a mean (SD) physical activity score of 6.55 (1.76) out of a possible 15. The mean scores for physical activity in work, sport, and leisure environments were 2.69 (0.49), 1.37 (1.45), and 2.49 (0.59) out of 5, respectively. Surviving patients exhibited significantly higher sports-specific and overall physical activity levels than those who succumbed to the disease. A Man–Whitney U test results noted statistically significant relationship between total and sports-specific physical activity, hospitalization (interquartile range (IQR) 2.3-3.06, p = 0.020 and IQR 2.5-3, p = 0.010, respectively), and mortality (IQR 0.44-2.75, p = 0.020 and IQR 1.47-2.97, p = 0.020). Conclusions: In summary, increased total physical activity, particularly in a sports environment, appears to be linked with reduced COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Comparators play a critical role in the analog to digital converters (ADCs) and digital to analog converters (DACs). So, different structures have been proposed to improve their performance. Power, delay, offset, and noise are the important factors that have significantly affect the comparator’s performance. In low power applications, power consumption and delay are the critical concerns that should be minimized to obtain better performance. In this work, a low-power and high-speed comparator has been proposed, which is suitable for applications operating at a low power supply.Methods: Based on the conventional structure of the comparator, some modifications are implemented to achieve better performance in terms of power consumption and delay. Additionally, the proposed structure gives great performance when the difference of inputs is very small. To verify the proposed structure, it is designed and simulated in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology with a power supply of 1 V and sampling frequency of 2 MHz.Results: To draw a fair comparison, the conventional and proposed structure is simulated in equal circumstance. The size of transistors is designed with appropriate W/L ratios to achieve appropriate performance. The proposed structure not only reduces the power consumption by 44%, but also it decreases the delay by 9.1%. The power consumption of the proposed structure is around 0.12 µw. The total occupied area by the proposed structure is approximately 127.44 µm2.Conclusion: In this paper, we presented a delay analysis for the proposed dynamic comparator. Also, based on theoretical analyses, a new dynamic comparator consumes less power and operates faster compared with the conventional structure. The simulation results verify the theoretical analysis.

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric condition that affects approximately 1% of the global population. Over the last decade, the efficacy of berberine as a complementary therapy in psychiatric diseases without significant side effects has been demonstrated. Therefore, this study assessed the effect of alkaloid berberine on the positive and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. From December 2020 to March 2021, a total of 86 patients with schizophrenia who were referred to Shiraz Ebne Sina Hospital in South of Iran were divided into two groups; 42 patients with schizophrenia in the placebo group received risperidone at a dosage of 4-6 mg per day, and 44 patients in the treatment group, in addition to risperidone, received berberine at a dosage of 500 mg per day. This treatment regimen was followed for 30 days. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the patients’ symptoms. According to data analysis, The PANSS score in both groups showed a statistically significant decrease after 30 days (p < 0.05); however, this decreasing trend was not statistically significant between the groups (p > 0.05). The current study showed that complementary use of alkaloid berberine capsule with a dose of 500 mg per day did not show better outcomes compared with the placebo in patients with schizophrenia.

COPD is an inflammatory disorder caused by prolonged inhalation of harmful substances such as cigarette smoke that leads to an irreversible respiratory disorder. Airway obstruction usually has a progressive period characterized by chronic cough, sputum production, and dyspnea, resulting in decreased physical activity. Two hypotheses have been proposed for the pathogenesis of lung diseases, especially COPD, including the oxidant-antioxidant imbalance hypothesis and the protease-antioxidant imbalance hypothesis. Oxidants can cause irreversible damage to lung cells. Oxidants activate inflammatory gene expression primarily through NFκB signaling. Increase inflammation promotes apoptosis in the epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and airways, that resulting Emphysema. This pathological period causes progress the disease. Recently, has been shown that decreased physical activity is associated with COPD injuries, and the level of physical activity is most associated with COPD mortality. Therefore, the tendency to maintain and improve the physical activity of pulmonary patients, especially COPD was increased. In lung diseases, muscle mass usually decreases and severe atrophy occurs. Most studies suggest increased mobility and exercise to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance and decrease atrophy. However, the exact biological mechanism for the recovery of patients with COPD after a physical activity has not been explained. Exercise can produce Irisin and Semaphorin-3A by stimulating muscle and nerve cell, which have positive effects on other tissues, including the lungs. Limited studies have examined the role of these factors in lung tissue. Therefore, in this mini-review, the lung muscle cross-talk is examined by evaluating the role of Irisin and Semaphorin-3A.

Dear Editor-in-ChiefThe world has recently experienced one of the hardest pandemics, COVID-19. Clinical signs of this disease include fever, dry cough, and diarrhea, or different symptoms that lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome with a further increase in the severity of the disease. Although the first observations of this disease are the involvement of symptoms and respiratory and heart injuries, various studies have also shown the nerve damage caused by this disease. Common neurological symptoms include headache, dizziness, anosmia, seizures, or paralysis. The elderly and critically ill are in the high-risk group and have shown severe neurological symptoms after COVID-19. Apart from COVID-19-induced cellular and neurological damage, this disease has a profound effect on the mental health of people around the world. Increasing the duration of this disease and staying at home causes social and economic problems and as a result mental health problems (Verma et al., 2020). Neurological and mental illnesses are very common all over the world.Psychological resilience was an important issue during COVID-19 epidemic. In other words, during an epidemic, mental health of people should be consider and cheeked, and entertainment programs should be prevented from causing psychological damage. Research during the COVID-19 epidemic found that because of the psychological pressures to increase psychological resilience, people tended to be more exposed to the outdoors, exercise more, receive more social support from family, friends and important people, sleep better, and pray more, that these factors were effective in mitigating psychological trauma. In most studies, spiritual health affects mental health, because repeated prayers and worships have been more independently associated with psychological resilience (Killgore et al., 2020). In other words, those who actively participate in these spiritual activities and strengthen their relationship with God are found to have the most psychological resilience to the mental health challenges imposed by COVID-19. In addition, the effects of exercise at the cellular level can help improve memory and psyche and be effective in improving psychological resilience. To date, no studies have been performed on secretions due to muscle contraction and its effect on the brain and psychological function, and psychological resilience especially to control the psychological damage caused by an epidemic.Exercise has many beneficial effects on brain health and helps reduce the risks of dementia, depression, and stress, and is involved in restoring and maintaining cognitive function and metabolic control. The fact that exercise is sensed by the brain suggests that environmental factors induced by the muscle allow a direct link between muscle function and the brain. Muscles secrete myokines that help regulate hippocampal function. Evidence is accumulating that myokine cathepsin B crosses the blood-brain barrier to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor production, resulting in neurogenesis, memory, and learning. In addition, the muscle tissue itself can affect the central nervous system, memory, and psyche in form of endocrine by increasing BDNF expression. Exercise also increases the expression of the neurogenic gene FNDC5 (which encodes myogenic FNDC5-dependent PGC1α), which in turn can help increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Pedersen, 2019).Serum levels of myokine, IL-6, increase with exercise and may have beneficial effects on the central nervous system. Exercise also increases PGC1α-dependent muscle expression and the enzymes kynurenine aminotransferase, which beneficially alters the balance between the neurotoxic kynurenine and the neuroprotective Kynurenic acid, thereby reducing depressive symptoms. Signaling myokine and other muscle factors and exercise-induced hepatokines and adipokines play a role in the beneficial effects of exercise on neurogenesis, cognitive function, appetite, and metabolism, thus supporting the existence of a muscle-brain endocrine axis. Also, it can affect psychological resilience which needs more studies.

Dear Editor-in-Chief Recently, telocytes (TCs) have been identified in various organs of the body, which are unique stromal cells (Manetti et al., 2019). Telopodes (very long and thin cytoplasmic projections) in TCs connect directly with other TCs and adjacent structures (including blood vessels, nerve endings, smooth muscles, glandular elements) through direct homo- and heterocellular junctions, or extracellular vesicles. Studies also show that TC damage and dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, especially aging, and may be considered as therapeutic agents in the future (Chaitow, 2017). On the other hand, the evidence suggests that sarcopenia and fertility-related aging syndromes, due to their complex etiology, make pharmacological or nutritional prescriptions ineffective in their prevention and treatment (Kwak & Kwon, 2019). Therefore, the use of multidimensional strategies such as exercise programs with nutritional interventions may be more effective in preventing these age-related diseases (Nascimento et al., 2019; Pascual-Fernández et al., 2020). Research suggests that TCs may play a critical role in such matters as cross-talk preservation, regenerative mechanisms, and support for localized stem cell differentiation. In 2021, Ravalli et al. examined the presence of TCs in the anterior tibialis muscle of healthy rats under the endurance training protocol compared with sedentary rats. TCs in this study included CD34/CD117 and CD34/vimentin, which were identified by double-positive immunofluorescence staining technique. They showed that TCs in sedentary rats decreased significantly after 16 weeks. In contrast, trained rats showed a constant number of TCs after 16 weeks. In short, it can be stated that the protective relationship between TCs and regular sports activity may present new opportunities in the field of regenerative medicine and supports the hypothesis that a possible adaptative stimulus for TCs in sarcopenia and other musculoskeletal disorders is the promotion of physical activity (Ravalli et al., 2021; Rocha et al., 2021).In order to support the repair and reconstruction of skeletal muscle, studies performed by transmission electron microscopy also show that there is a close spatial relationship between TCs and satellite cells in adult skeletal muscle. This association is probably due to the intracellular signaling mechanism of endocrine and paracrine, and although their exact function in skeletal muscle regeneration has not yet been fully understood, TCs containing vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta has been discovered in the interstitial part of skeletal muscle. In this way, TCs play an important role in promoting satellite cell self-renewal, vascular stability, facilitating angiogenesis, and preventing fibrosis (Cretoiu & Popescu, 2014; Manetti et al., 2019; Yin et al., 2013).It is important to note that as age increases, skeletal muscle mass and potential for post-injury regeneration decrease. However, the role of intrinsic changes in satellite cells in these reductions has been controversial because studies have documented a decrease in the number of satellite cells with increasing age in mice. On the other hand, some results indicate that there is not significant reduction in this case. Moreover, evidence suggests that the potential for innate regeneration of satellite cell pools is impaired with age. Although the number of satellite cells in old muscle decreases, the inherent myogenic potential and self-renewal capacity of satellite cells remain unchanged. Factors that can play a role in the activation and differentiation of satellite cells are: paired/homeodomain box transcription factors PAX3 and PAX7 and basic helix-loop-helix myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) such as MYF5, MRF4, MYOD (Myogenic determination gene number 1) and myogenin (Arpke et al., 2021; Mierzejewski et al., 2020).Unlike satellite cells and fibroblasts, skeletal muscle TCs express the c-kit cell surface marker. TC-specific antigenic markers are not yet fully understood; however, CD34 is currently used as the most reliable marker to detect TCs at the site of light microscopy, also known as TCs/CD34 + stromal cells (Manetti et al., 2019; Yin et al., 2013). The positive effects of regular physical activity on the number of satellite cells have been expressed, at the same time, skeletal muscle that contracts and relaxes is likely to be affected by the mechanical support of TCs during exercise (Ceccarelli et al., 2017; Kondo & Kaestner, 2019). Studies have shown evidence and conclusions about TCs, although, little research has been done on TCs in mammalian skeletal muscle tissue. At present, there is no direct experimental evidence and results that conclusively support a TCs-satellite cells morpho-functional interaction following skeletal muscle injury (Manetti et al., 2019). However, due to the beneficial role of exercise on satellite cells and TCs in the prevention of age-related muscle disorders, there are still many issues that need to be addressed, including identifying TC-specific biomarkers and their role in sarcopenia. Therefore, the role of regular physical activity on new interstitial cells such as TCs will be a new treatment for age-related diseases such as sarcopenia, which requires further investigations (Ravalli et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2016).

Protein ingestion is known to enhance post-exercise hydration. Whether the type of protein (i.e., whey, casein) can alter this response is unknown. Accordingly, this study aimed to compare the effects of the addition of milk-derived whey isolate or casein protein to carbohydrate-electrolyte (CE) drinks on post-exercise rehydration and endurance capacity. Thirty male soldiers (age: 24 ± 2.1 y; VO2max: 49.3 ± 4.7 mL/kg/min) were recruited. Upon losing ~2.2% of body mass by running in warm and humid conditions (32.3 °C, 76% relative humidity [RH]), participants ingested either a CE solution (66 g/L carbohydrate [CHO]), or CE plus isolate whey protein (CEW, 44 g/L CHO, 22 g/L isolate whey), or CE plus isolate casein protein (CEC, 44 g/L CHO, 22 g/L isolate casein) beverage in a volume equal to 150% of body mass loss. At the end of the 3 h rehydration period, a positive fluid balance was higher with CEW (0.22 L) compared to CEC (0.19 L) and CE (0.12 L). Overall mean fluid retention was higher in CEW (80.35%) compared with the CE (76.67%) and CEC trials (78.65%). The time of the endurance capacity test [Cooper 2.4 km (1.5 miles) run test] was significantly higher in CEC (14.25 ± 1.58 min) and CE [(12.90 ± 1.01 min; (p = 0.035)] than in CEW [(11.40 ± 1.41 min); (p = 0.001)]. The findings of this study indicate that the inclusion of isolate whey protein in a CE solution yields superior outcomes in terms of rehydration and enhanced endurance capacity, as compared to consuming the CE solution alone or in conjunction with isolate casein protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myofascial trigger points (MTrP), especially in the upper trapezius (UT) muscle, are one of the main reasons for the referral of patients to physiotherapy clinics. Kinesiotaping (KT) and dry needling (DN) have been proposed to treat this disorder. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of DN and KT on latent MTrP in UT muscle. Methods: In this randomized single-blind clinical trial, thirty-three patients with MTrP in UT were randomly divided into two DN (N = 17) and KT (N = 16) groups. The assessed included pain intensity as the main one, physical disability, and flexion, extension, right and left side flexion range of motion (ROM) of the cervical spine as the secondary outcomes. using the Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Disability Index, and the measurements of the distance between specific points, respectively. Results: Both KT and DN methods can significantly decrease pain, improve physical disability, and increase cervical spine flexion ROM in patients with UT MTrP(P < 0.05); while both methods had no significant effects on the extension, right and left lateral flexion cervical ROM (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Both DN and KT methods can reduce pain, physical disability, and improve active cervical spine flexion ROM in patients with MTrP in UT muscle; however, it seems that KT application is more effective to diminish pain than DN intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Chemically injured veterans are very vulnerable because of their special situation, and they may confront numerous difficulties. Body composition is one of the effective factors in mental health in adults. So, this study aimed to survey the correlation between body composition and body mass index with mental health and sleepiness in chemically injured veterans. Instruments & Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on chemical veterans referred to the rheumatology ward in Karaj province. 131 patients were selected through the available sampling method. The body composition and body mass index of veterans were determined, and General Health Questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were answered. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient by SPSS 19 software. Findings There was a significant correlation between body fat percent and fat mass with total general health (p=0.004). The correlation between body composition and sleepiness was not significant (p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between body mass index with mental health and sleepiness (p>0.05). Conclusion Body composition, particularly fat percent and fat mass, is associated with general health in chemically injured veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A power‐efficient successive approximation analogue‐to‐digital converter (SA‐ADC) is proposed. In order to reduce the energy consumption of the employed capacitive digital‐to‐analogue converter (DAC), a new low‐energy capacitor switching technique is proposed which consumes no switching energy during the first three comparison steps. Moreover, an energy‐efficient split‐monotonic technique is utilised for the rest of the operations. Compared with the capacitor switching technique used in the conventional SA‐ADC, the proposed scheme not only reduces the switching energy by 99.23% but also it has lowered the total capacitor size by 75%. Furthermore, in order to realise the proposed capacitor switching scheme, a power‐efficient logic circuit is designed which reduces the power consumption of the required control logic circuit by reducing the activity of the employed D‐type flip‐flops. Based on the proposed scheme, a 10 bit 40 kS/s SA‐ADC has been designed and simulated in a 0.18 µm complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor technology with a supply voltage of 1 V. Post‐layout simulation results show that the proposed ADC circuit achieves a signal‐to‐noise‐and‐distortion ratio of 60.8 dB at the cost of 270 nW power consumption, resulting in a figure‐of‐merit of 7.6 fJ/conversion step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment process in a firm requires the analysis of decision-makings. Moreover, effective factors in investment decision-makings should be assessed. Firm age and size are effective factors which are of great importance and can be regarded as predicting variables. The present study mainly aims to examine the relationship between firm size, age and financial performance in listed companies on Tehran Stock Exchange. A sample of 96 companies, members of Tehran Stock Exchange was selected to be investigated over a period from 2008 to 2011. Linear regression analysis and SPSS software were employed to test research hypotheses. The achieved findings show that there is a significant relationship between firm size, age and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effects of a high protein diet in combination with chronic resistance training (RT) on skeletal muscle adaptation responses in untrained older ex-military men is unknown. Therefore, we compared the effects of 8 weeks of RT in combination with either a high (1.6 g/kg/d) or low protein diet (0.8 g/kg/d) on body composition [skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and body fat percentage (BFP)], muscular strength, power, and endurance (upper and lower body), markers of liver [alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] and kidney (creatinine and urea) function, and lipid profile low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and cholesterol levels in a cohort of healthy, untrained older ex-military males., Methods: Forty healthy untrained older ex-military males (age: 61 ± 2 yr, body mass index: 23.2 ± 1.3 kg.m -2 ) performed 8 weeks (three sessions·w -1 ) of RT with either 1.6 g/kg/d (RHP; n  = 20) or 0.8 g/kg/d of protein (RLP; n  = 20). Body composition (assessed by Inbody 720), muscular strength (1-RM for chest and leg press), power (Wingate test), endurance (75% 1-RM for chest and leg press), and markers of liver and kidney function (biochemical kits) were assessed pre and post-intervention., Results: SMM and muscular strength (upper and lower body) increased post-intervention in both groups and were significantly greater in RHP compared to RLP, while muscular power increased to the same extent in both groups ( p < 0.05) with no between-group differences ( p > 0.05). In contrast, there were no post-intervention changes in muscular endurance, HDL, and BFP remained in either group ( p > 0.05). ALT and creatinine significantly increased in RHP compared to RLP while GGT, AST, and urea only increased in the RLP group ( p < 0.05). LDL and cholesterol significantly decreased in both groups ( p < 0.05)., Conclusion: A daily intake of 1.6 g/kg/d protein was superior to 0.8 g/kg/d (current recommended daily intake) for promoting greater improvements in SMM and muscle strength and thus may be a more suitable level of intake for promoting such adaptive responses. Notwithstanding observed between-group differences in ALT and creatinine and the fact that levels remained within normal ranges, it is feasible to conclude that this daily protein intake is efficacious and well tolerated by healthy, untrained older ex-military males., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Bagheri, Shakibaee, Camera, Sobhani, Ghobadi, Nazar, Fakhari and Dutheil.)

Background: The body composition varies according to different life styles (i.e. intake calories and caloric expenditure). Therefore, it is wise to record military personnel's body composition periodically and encourage those who abide to the regulations. Different methods have been introduced for body composition assessment: invasive and non-invasive. Amongst them, the Jackson and Pollock equation is most popular., Objectives: The recommended anthropometric prediction equations for assessing men's body composition were compared with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) gold standard to develop a modified equation to assess body composition and obesity quantitatively among Iranian military men., Patients and Methods: A total of 101 military men aged 23 - 52 years old with a mean age of 35.5 years were recruited and evaluated in the present study (average height, 173.9 cm and weight, 81.5 kg). The body-fat percentages of subjects were assessed both with anthropometric assessment and DEXA scan. The data obtained from these two methods were then compared using multiple regression analysis., Results: The mean and standard deviation of body fat percentage of the DEXA assessment was 21.2 ± 4.3 and body fat percentage obtained from three Jackson and Pollock 3-, 4- and 7-site equations were 21.1 ± 5.8, 22.2 ± 6.0 and 20.9 ± 5.7, respectively. There was a strong correlation between these three equations and DEXA (R² = 0.98)., Conclusions: The mean percentage of body fat obtained from the three equations of Jackson and Pollock was very close to that of body fat obtained from DEXA; however, we suggest using a modified Jackson-Pollock 3-site equation for volunteer military men because the 3-site equation analysis method is simpler and faster than other methods.

Background: Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) is common among military recruits and to our knowledge; the factors that might put the military recruits at higher risk of incidence of MTSS are not well known., Objectives: This study was done to investigate the association between some anthropometric and anatomical factors and the prevalence of MTSS among military recruits., Patients and Methods: One hundred and eighty one randomly selected military recruits were included in this cross sectional study. Using history taking and physical examinations they were tested for MTSS. Accordingly the subjects were assigned to the case (those with MTSS) and control groups (normal healthy subjects). Using standard guidelines, the anthropometric and anatomical criteria of the subjects were measured. The correlation between the measurements and the prevalence of MTSS was tested using statistical analysis., Results: Data of all the 181 subjects with the mean age of 30.7 ± 4.68 years were Included in the final analysis. The prevalence of MTSS was found to be 16.6% (30 people). Internal and external rotation range of motion, iliospinale height, the score of navicular drop test, and the trochanteric tibial lateral length were significantly different between healthy subjects and patients with MTSS (P < 0.05)., Discussion: The prevalence of MTSS was relatively lower in this study comparing to other studies on military personnel. It was not probably due to type of military shoes or exercise area surface (none of them were standardized); it could be due to low intensity trainings and the long intervals between training sessions.

Objective: Neurodevelopmental treatments are an advanced therapeutic approach practiced by experienced occupational therapists for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. The primary challenge in children with cerebral palsy is gross motor dysfunction. We studied the effects of neurodevelopmental therapy on gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy., Materials & Methods: In a quasi-experimental design, 28 children with cerebral palsy were randomly divided into two groups. Neurodevelopmental therapy was given to a first group (n=15) with a mean age of 4.9 years; and a second group with a mean age 4.4 years (n=13) who were the control group. All children were evaluated with the Gross Motor Function Measure. Treatments were scheduled for three - one-hour sessions per week for 3 months., Results: We obtained statistically significant differences in the values between the baseline and post treatment in two groups. The groups were significantly different in laying and rolling (P=0.000), sitting (0.002), crawling and kneeling (0.004), and standing abilities (P=0.005). However, there were no significant differences in walking, running, and jumping abilities between the two groups (0.090)., Conclusion: We concluded that the neurodevelopmental treatment improved gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy in four dimensions (laying and rolling, sitting, crawling and kneeling, and standing). However, walking, running, and jumping did not improve significantly.