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Background and aims: Resistance training is associated with certain cardiovascular adaptations. However, a lack of exercise may affect it. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a period of detraining followed by resistance training on the fibrosis, angiogenesis, and cardiac dimensions of male Wistar rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 20 male Wistar rats at the age of five weeks were randomly divided into control, training, control+detraining, and training+detraining groups. The control (8 weeks) and control+detraining (11 weeks) groups were placed in their respective cages with 24-hour free access to food and water and did not exercise for eight weeks. The resistance training+detraining and resistance training groups performed eight weeks of the resistance training protocol. The resistance training+detraining group did not do any type of training after the training period of 3 weeks. The results were analyzed by SPSS version 18. Results: In terms of fibrosis, there was a significant difference between the control and control+detraining groups (P=0.001), between control and training groups (P=0.001), and between control+detraining and training+detraining groups (P=0.001). In addition, a significant difference was found between the training and training+detraining groups in terms of fibrosis (P=0.001). In terms of angiogenesis, a significant difference was observed between the control and training groups (P=0.001) and between the training and training+detraining groups (P=0.007). Conclusion: Resistance training could reduce fibrosis and increase cardiac angiogenesis in rats. Based on the findings, fibrosis increased significantly in the detraining period compared to the active period, and angiogenesis was also reduced due to detraining.

Background: Exercise and dietary supplements can partially mitigate the negative effects of cadmium. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of swimming and silymarin on placental growth factor (PLGF) in pregnant mice exposed to cadmium. Methods: Seventy-two 8-week-old pregnant Wistar rats (weighing 20 ± 200 g) were divided into 9 groups, with 8 rats in each group. Cadmium chloride at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight was fed to rats by drinking a water solution. Silymarin (100 mg/kg body weight) was injected subcutaneously 3 times a week. The exercise program during pregnancy consisted of 60 minutes of swimming per day, conducted for 5 days a week. The microscopic sections of samples were taken 2 days after birth using the usual method of tissue sectioning. A 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test at the error level of 0.05 were used to analyze the data. Results: The PLGF index in the cadmium group showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001) compared to the cadmium + silymarin and cadmium + silymarin and swimming groups. However, swimming training alone had no effect on PLGF index (P = 0.162). Conclusion: Cadmium significantly reduced PLGF levels in neonatal lung tissue, and regular swimming endurance exercises and silymarin supplementation inhibited the effects of cadmium chloride.

Commensal human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are responsible for persistent asymptomatic infection in the human population by maintaining low levels of the episomal genome in the stratified epithelia. Herein, we examined the immunogenicity of cutaneotropic HPVs that are commonly found in the skin. Using an in silico platform to determine human leukocyte antigen (HLA)–peptide complex binding affinity, we observed that early genes of cutaneotropic HPV types within the same species can generate multiple conserved, homologous peptides that bind with high affinity to HLA class I alleles. Interestingly, we discovered that commensal β, γ, μ, and ν HPVs contain significantly more immunogenic peptides compared with α-HPVs, which include high-risk, oncogenic HPV types. Our findings indicate that commensal HPV proteins have evolved to generate peptides that better complement their host’s HLA repertoire. Promoting higher control by host T cell immunity in this way could be a mechanism by which HPVs achieve widespread asymptomatic colonization in humans. This work supports the role of commensal HPVs as immunogenic targets within epithelial cells, which may contribute to the immune regulation of the skin and mucosa.

Introduction: The study aimed to investigate the effects of deep neck flexor (DNF) and deep neck extensor (DNE) muscle exercises on pain, passive range of motion (PROM), craniovertebral angle (CVA), neck flexor endurance (NFE), neck extensor endurance (NEE), and the number of weekly painkiller usage (NWPKU) in chronic non-specific neck pain (CNNP) patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 27 CNNP patients, incuding intervention group (n=15) and control group (n=12), were recruited for this study. Patients in the intervention group participated in 6 weeks of DNF and DNE exercises plus traditional physiotherapy. After 10 sessions (3 weeks), the exercise protocol was followed for 3 weeks of the home-based exercise form. Control group patients received traditional physiotherapy alone. The numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), PROM, CVA, NFE, NEE, and NWPKU were examined and compared between groups, at the baseline and after six weeks. Results: Numeric pain rating scale, PROM, CVA, NFE, NEE, and NWPKU improved significantly in both groups after treatment (P

Introduction: Forward head posture (FHP) is one of the most common positional deviations. Frequent users often exhibit incorrect posture because of the rising popularity of media devices, such as smartphones and computers. This posture leads to changes in muscle activity in cervical flexion and extension. It is defined by hyperextension of the upper cervical vertebrae and forward translation of the cervical vertebrae. This study evaluates the effect of dry needles as a new method in the upper trapezius muscle on the neck’s angles and range of motion (ROM) in individuals with FHP. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental interventional study, 18 women with FHP underwent a dry needle session. The photogrammetry of the cranio-vertebral angle measured the degree of FHP. Visual analog scale (VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) and cranio-horizontal angles (CHA), ROM, scapular index (SI), and forward shoulder translation (FST) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: The results demonstrated that after the intervention, right and left PPT, flexion, and proper neck rotation, right and left SI, CVA, and CHA were significantly improved (P

Our decisions are guided by how we perceive the value of an option, but this evaluation also affects how we move to acquire that option. Why should economic variables such as reward and effort alter the vigor of our movements? In theory, both the option that we choose and the vigor with which we move contribute to a measure of fitness in which the objective is to maximize rewards minus efforts, divided by time. To explore this idea, we engaged marmosets in a foraging task in which on each trial they decided whether to work by making saccades to visual targets, thus accumulating food, or to harvest by licking what they had earned. We varied the effort cost of harvest by moving the food tube with respect to the mouth. Theory predicted that the subjects should respond to the increased effort costs by choosing to work longer, stockpiling food before commencing harvest, but reduce their movement vigor to conserve energy. Indeed, in response to an increased effort cost of harvest, marmosets extended their work duration, but slowed their movements. These changes in decisions and movements coincided with changes in pupil size. As the effort cost of harvest declined, work duration decreased, the pupils dilated, and the vigor of licks and saccades increased. Thus, when acquisition of reward became effortful, the pupils constricted, the decisions exhibited delayed gratification, and the movements displayed reduced vigor.

Introduction: Flexibility or the ability of a muscle to increase in length is an integral part of musculoskeletal characteristics and is essential in preventing musculoskeletal injuries and increasing functional levels. Hamstring muscles rupture is a common injury. One of the important factors in the occurrence of this injury is poor hamstring muscle flexibility, which because of its stiffened structure, has less ability to quickly increase in length. Some researchers have recently suggested that the dry needling technique could reduce the number of treatment sessions for hamstring muscle tightness and bring faster and more effective results. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the effect of the application of dry needling through an acupuncture technique on hamstring muscle flexibility. Materials and Methods: The present study is a single-blinded randomized controlled trial in which 16 individuals with bilateral hamstring muscle shortness were randomly allocated into dry-needling and sham-needling groups. The sampling method was non-probability convenience. The outcome measures were the right and left active knee extension range of motion, assessed before and after the first, third, and fifth sessions of intervention. A 2-factor mixed analysis of variance was applied to determine the differences between and within the two groups. Results: Except for the group main effect, time main effect and interaction effect were statistically significant for the right and left active knee extension range of motion (P

Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease whose inflammatory processes are involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction, and increases the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of interval training on some of the effective factors in atherosclerosis in heart tissue of asthmatic rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 15 rats were randomly divided into three groups of sham, asthma, and asthmatic-interval training. The model of asthma was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 1 ml ovalbumin for 2 weeks, and then asthmatic-interval training rats for 8 weeks participated in interval training. During the training protocol period, twice weekly intraperitoneal injections of ovalbumin 1 ml, and were placed into a glass container exposed to 5% ovalbumin spray. 48 hours after the last training session, the rats were anesthetized and their hearts were ejected. The levels of proteins expression of ICAM, VCAM, and galectin-3 were measured by immunohistochemistry, and western blotting, respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA in SPSS at the significant level α=0.05. Results: The results of this study showed that the expression of ICAM (P=0.001), VCAM (P=0.001), and galectin-3 (P=0.001) was significantly increased in heart tissue of asthma rats. Whereas, interval training decreased the expression of ICAM (P=0.001), VCAM (P=0.001), and galectin-3 (P=0.01) proteins in the asthmatic-interval training group compared to the asthma group. Conclusions: It seems that, interval training is effective in preventing atherosclerosis in patients with asthma.

Objectives: Muscle energy technique (MET) is one of the alternatives for the treatment of joint dysfunctions. Previous studies investigated this technique without considering the kind of dysfunctions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of MET by considering the type of dysfunction and the direction of the corrective maneuver in women with iliosacral joint dysfunctions. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial included 60 women with anterior innominate or posterior innominate dysfunctions and were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=30) receiving a session of MET and the control group (n=30). The range of flexion and extension of the lumbar, visual analogue scale (VAS), active straight leg raising (ASLR), and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at five points were measured before, after, and 24 hours after MET. Results: Before, after, and 24 hours after the intervention, the mean change of the range of lumbar flexion and extension showed an increase. However, the mean change of the level of VAS and ASLR decreased significantly (P

Sensorimotor learning is supported by at least two parallel systems: a strategic process that benefits from explicit knowledge and an implicit process that adapts subconsciously. How do these systems interact? Does one system’s contributions suppress the other, or do they operate independently? Here, we illustrate that during reaching, implicit and explicit systems both learn from visual target errors. This shared error leads to competition such that an increase in the explicit system’s response siphons away resources that are needed for implicit adaptation, thus reducing its learning. As a result, steady-state implicit learning can vary across experimental conditions, due to changes in strategy. Furthermore, strategies can mask changes in implicit learning properties, such as its error sensitivity. These ideas, however, become more complex in conditions where subjects adapt using multiple visual landmarks, a situation which introduces learning from sensory prediction errors in addition to target errors. These two types of implicit errors can oppose each other, leading to another type of competition. Thus, during sensorimotor adaptation, implicit and explicit learning systems compete for a common resource: error.

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Myofascial Release Therapy (MRT) on cardiorespiratory functions in patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 patients with COVID-19 (intervention group=20, controls=16) were included in the present study. The patients in the intervention group participated in a single session of suboccipital, anterior thoracic and sternal, anterior cervical, and diaphragm myofascial release techniques, plus respiratory physiotherapy. The controls just received respiratory physiotherapy. Before-after assessments included recording heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, chest expansion, and breathing comfort. Results: There was a significant reduction in the heart rate and ease of breathing in the intervention group (P=0.04, P=0.02; respectively); also, the diastolic blood pressure increased significantly in the control group (P=0.02). Compared to the controls, the ease of breathing decreased significantly in the intervention group (P=0.03). Conclusion: Myofascial release techniques of the neck, thoracic, and diaphragm, along with respiratory physiotherapy, could immediately affect heart rate and ease of breathing and prevent increasing diastolic blood pressure. If a patient with COVID-19 is stable, pulmonary physiotherapists may consider using these techniques while monitoring cardiopulmonary function.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are among the main causes of disability in modern life. Myofascial trigger points are very common among musculoskeletal disorders and may occur through ordinary common activities. This study aimed to determine the combined effects of laser therapy and Ischemic Compression (IC) on the treatment of Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) at the upper trapezius muscle. Materials and Methods: Twenty men with at least one active trigger point at their upper trapezius muscle voluntarily participated in this study. Trigger points were under treatment of laser irradiation (6 Joules per point) and also ischemic compression. Treatment approaches were applied over the pain point every other day for 5 sessions in 10 days. Neck disability index, pain intensity by visual analog scale, pressure pain threshold by algometry, and cervical lateral flexion by goniometer were assessed and recorded before the intervention, and immediately after the last session. Results: At the end of treatment, statistically significant improvements were seen in the neck disability index, VAS value, pressure pain threshold, and cervical lateral flexion. VAS values of the treatment and control groups were compared with the baseline (P

Every movement ends in a period of stillness. Current models assume that commands that hold the limb at a target location do not depend on the commands that moved the limb to that location. Here, we report a surprising relationship between movement and posture in primates: on a within-trial basis, the commands that hold the arm and finger at a target location depend on the mathematical integration of the commands that moved the limb to that location. Following damage to the corticospinal tract, both the move and hold period commands become more variable. However, the hold period commands retain their dependence on the integral of the move period commands. Thus, our data suggest that the postural controller possesses a feedforward module that uses move commands to calculate a component of hold commands. This computation may arise within an unknown subcortical system that integrates cortical commands to stabilize limb posture.

Abstract Background: It is believed that sports exercises have minimal impacts on the pathological changes in the lung tissue exposed to chemical carcinogens in cigarette smoke. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 12 weeks of swimming exercises on IL-6 concentration in the lung tissue of rats following the injection of carcinogen NNK. Materials and Methods: This study is experimental in terms of the design. Forty-six Wistar rats were divided into five groups: A) Exercise (E), B) Exercise-NNK (EN), C) NNK (N), D) Control (C) and E) Vehicle (V). Exercise groups completed the swimming exercises for twelve weeks, five days per week (25-60min). Rats of vehicle and NNK treatment groups were respectively administered subcutaneous injections of distilled water and NNK (12.5mg/kg, once a week, 12weeks). Then, samples of the lung tissue were collected and IL-6 concentration was measured by ELISA technique. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test were used for data analysis at the level of p ≤ 0.05. Results: The results indicated a significant decrease of IL-6 concentration in exercise (p=0.009), exercise-NKK (p=0.006) groups and vehicle (p=0.006) with NKK groups; while there was no significant difference between exercise groups and the control groups. The swimming exercises can reduce IL-6 concentration significantly in lung tissue of rats following the injection of carcinogen NNK. Conclusion: It seems that endurance exercises, along with other therapeutic methods, can play a role in reducing the effects of carcinogen NNK and negative effects of smoking by decreasing the inflammatory factor of IL-6.

Objectives This study was conducted to compare the reaction time & anticipation skills of football players with non-athletes. Methods Participants of the study were 10 male soccer players and 10 male non-athletes. Auditory choice reaction time, auditory complex choice reaction time, visual choice reaction time, visual complex choice reaction time, ball anticipation skills with high & low speed individuals were assessed by using Speed Anticipation and Reaction Time (SART) Tester software. Results Results showed significant differences (P = 0.000) between healthy athletes and healthy non-athletes males in the tests of auditory choice reaction time, auditory complex choice reaction, visual choice reaction time, visual complex choice reaction time as well as anticipation skills. Athlete males had higher cognitive abilities as compared to the non-athlete healthy individuals. Conclusion Soccer players gain extensive knowledge regarding specific neurocognitive model of soccer during their vast exercise sessions and show better cognitive abilities in comparison with non-athletes in similar sport circumstances (like SART).

Introduction: Lumbar stiffness is a common complaint of patients with low back pain. The Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a common intervention to treat the spine and sacroiliac joint dysfunctions and their resulting disability in daily activities. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of MET on pain, functional disability, and lumbar stiffness of patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunctions by considering the type of dysfunction and the orientation of the correcting maneuver. Materials and Methods: Fifty women with ant innominate or post innominate dysfunctions were recruited for the research and randomly divided into two groups (n=25). One group received one session of MET, and the other group received the sham position. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), lumbar Stiffness Disability Index (SDI) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used for the evaluation of the participants before, 24 hours after and one week after the intervention. Results: According to the results, MET significantly decreased the mean range of VAS and ODI, 24 hours, and a week after the intervention (P0.01). Conclusion: Applying MET regarding the kind of dysfunction may reduce the patient’s pain and disability.

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is an overuse syndrome as it develops over time. It is most frequently seen in both the non-athletic and athletic populations. PF is a multifactorial and self-limiting disorder that several factors are involved in its onset. Many well-established treatments are available for plantar heel pain. The purpose of this review is to determine the effectiveness of dry needling for the management of PF. Materials and Methods: This article is a review study, in which we present the studies that compare dry needling with other treatments for the management of plantar heel pain. We included all of the studies on patients with plantar heel pain and plantar fasciitis that investigated the effects of dry needling. Finally, seven articles were included in this review. The study designs were randomized controlled, quasi-experimental, and case-control. The Physiotherapy Evidence-based Database (PED) scale was used to measure the methodological quality of the studies. Results: The PEDro scoring of the articles ranged between 2.10-7.10. The results of this review show that dry needling may be useful in improving the pain of individuals with plantar heel pain and plantar fasciitis. Conclusion: Further high-quality research studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of dry needling in the management of plantar heel pain. Because a variety of protocol treatments of dry needling were used in the studies, we cannot recommend dry needling schedule prescriptions for the management of individuals with plantar heel pain and plantar fasciitis.

Introduction: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a common muscular disorder characterized by a referral pain to a particular area after irritating the myofascial trigger point. This study aimed to determine the combined treatment effect of laser therapy and ischemic compression of an active myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle. Materials and Methods: This is a clinical trial study conducted on 15 subjects with Active Trigger Points (ATPs). In one session, 15 subjects received laser therapy and ischemic compression. The assessment was done immediately after the treatment. We used the visual analog scale for the measurement of pain intensity, algometry (FG-5020, Taiwan made) for pressure pain threshold, and goniometer for cervical lateral flexion. Results: The cervical lateral flexion after the intervention was significantly higher than that before the intervention (P

Introduction: Previous studies showed that Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is an effective modality for strength and power. WBV has many usages in training and rehabilitation. Core muscles have the central role in the stability of the spine and our daily activity; so, strengthening core muscles is essential. This study aimed to investigate the immediate effect of WBV on strength, endurance, and performance of core muscles in young, healthy females. Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental interventional study. Twelve young, healthy females (18-28 years old) participated in this study; they received WBV in semi-squat position 5 times in 60 seconds separated by 30-second rest. The parameters of WBV included the frequency of 30Hz and an amplitude of 4mm. The tests used for the evaluation of core stability included Vertical Jump (VJ), pressure biofeedback, front abdominal power, trunk extensor endurance, and trunk flexor endurance tests. The tests were performed before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after the intervention. Results: According to the results, the trunk extensor endurance test, front abdominal power test, and pressure biofeedback had a significant effect (P0.05). Conclusion: This study indicated that WBV could be useful in core stability, specifically for trunk extensor endurance, lumbar strength, and front abdominal power. More studies are required to prove the effect of WBV on VJ and trunk flexor endurance.

Introduction: Latent Myofascial Trigger Points (LMTrPs) are defined as certain pain-free hyperirritable spots in a taut band of muscle, which lead to alternation in muscle activation pattern in both loaded and unloaded conditions. Fatigue can alter the stability of the cervical spine because of transferring loads to the passive connective tissues and also increasing muscle activity. Few studies have investigated the effects of fatigue on the parameters of the upper trapezius muscle as a more common muscle to MTrPs. This study attempts to examine the electromyographic activity of the upper trapezius muscle fatigue during shoulder elevation. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six right-handed subjects without upper extremity disorders took part in this study. The highest measured force level was assumed to be the Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) of the trapezius. A sustained submaximal contraction of the trapezius was performed. The subjects were asked to sustain a unilateral (80%) MVC isometric shoulder elevation until the force gauge monitor showed (50%) of MVC in at least three minutes. Results: The Root Mean Square (RMS norm) of the sustained trapezius contractions showed differences between the groups. The Myocardial Depressant Factor (MDF) parameters of the left and right sides of both healthy subjects and patients were significantly different (P

Introduction: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical procedure for the treatment of Coronary Artery Diseases (CADs). One of the most common disorders associated with these procedures is the occurrence of Cognitive Impairments (CIs). This study aimed to assess the Reaction Time (RT) and anticipatory skill of PCI patients and healthy subjects, using computer-based software as a safe and easy method. Materials and Methods: Ten male PCI patients and ten healthy male individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. Auditory choice and complex choice RT, visual choice and complex choice RT, and anticipatory skill of the low and high speed of the ball of both groups were analyzed by Speed Anticipation Reaction Test (SART) software. Results: No significant difference was seen between two groups in terms of simple auditory RT (P=0.15), auditory complex choice of RT (P=0.19), and anticipatory skills of the low speed of the ball (P=0.16). However, the performance of PCI patients was significantly worse on the simple visual RT (P=0.01), visual complex choice RT (P=0.05), and anticipatory skill of the high speed of the ball (P=0.04) compared to those of the healthy controls. Conclusion: The assessment of RT and anticipatory skill as neurocognitive tests is considered to be one of the useful methods for evaluating the cognition function of patients, who have cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the pilot study suggests that PCI patients had a similar or even poorer performance in cognitive function compared with healthy people.

Introduction: Flexibility is considered as one of the most significant components of rehabilitation protocols including two definitions: static flexibility measured by the Range of Motion, and dynamic flexibility measured by stiffness. Generally, a normal flexibility is necessary for an appropriate posture and flawless activity in daily life. With regard to various methods that contribute to increasing flexibility of hamstring muscles, the current study aimed at investigating immediate effects of Muscle Energy Technique (MET) on hamstring flexibility and stiffness in healthy young females Materials and Methods: Ten healthy young females with the mean age of 22.5±2.67 years old participated in the study. Flexibility was measured via active knee extension and modified sit-and-reach test, and stiffness was measured based on the ratio of torque to angular changes via Biodex System 3 before and after MET interventions by post-isometric relaxation method. Results: The amounts of active knee extension and modified sit-and-reach tests significantly increased after MET intervention; the amounts of active knee extension and modified sit-and-reach increased significantly (P

Introduction: The prevalence of lumbar hyperlordosis is high in young women. Considering the previous studies on the role of neuro-cognitive skills in preventing musculoskeletal injuries, the goal of the present study was to examine these skills in women with lumbar hyperlordosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 15 women with normal lumbar lordosis and 15 women with lumbar hyperlordosis participated in this study. Measurements of the visual and auditory reaction time and anticipatory skills were performed by using Speed Anticipation Reaction Time (SART) test. The Independent t-test was used to compare between two groups. Results: The distribution of all variables in both groups was normal, according to the result of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The participants of our study had no pain, movement limitations or disability. Our study results were not consistent with the findings of previous studies in this topic. It is suggested that in the future studies the individuals with severe malalignments (that affected their lifestyle) be assessed to clarify the reason for these discrepancies among study results.

Objective (s): Physiological edema of pregnancy is a common finding in pregnancy and there are several interventions to control it. As such the feet elevation is one of the most common approaches. However, this approach may cause some limitations. Thus, the use of massage as a new therapy is increasing. The present study was performed to compare the effectiveness of massage and feet elevation on physiological edema of pregnancy. Methods: In this study, 180 healthy pregnant women non-randomly assigned to 3 groups: massage group, feet elevation group and control group. Massage group received 20 minutes feet massage and the feet elevation group received feet elevation for 20 minutes. The study was performed during 5 days. Edema was measured before and after interventions and was compared among three groups. Results: There were significant differences among three groups in terms of the mean rate of change of the circumferences. However, this change was greater for the massage group. Conclusion: The results indicated that compared with feet elevation, massage has greater impact on pregnancy edema.

The nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK; nicotine derived nitrosamine ketone) is one of the strongest carcinogens in tobacco which is involved in induction of lung cancer by changing the stimulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and annexin A2 expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in resting levels of annexin A2 and VEGF in lung tissues of rats exposed NNK after 12 weeks of aerobic submaximal swimming training. For this purpose, 46 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups consist of training, training + NNK, NNK, saline and control. NNK-induced groups received NNK subcutaneously one day per week at a rate of 12/5 mg per kg body weight and the training groups performed submaximal swimming training for 12 weeks. The levels of VEGF and annexin A2 in lung tissue were measured respectively by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. To analyze the data; ANOVA and Tukey's test were used at a significance level of p

Rabbits can learn the biological analogue of a simple recursive function by relying only on the neurons of the cerebellum.

Background and Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of whole-body vibration on postural control. The literature of the past 10 years were reviewed to find evidence in the recent literature for a causal association between whole-body vibration and balance disorders, and a dose-response relationship between whole-body vibration and balance disorders. Methods: Literature search was performed on PubMed, CINAHL, ISI web of science, Scopus, and Magiran databases for literature from 2002 to 2012. Conclusion: Numerous randomized-controlled clinical trials of high to moderate quality showed similar improvements in postural control after a period of whole-body vibration. Despite the lack of definite evidence, we found a sufficient number of reasons for the use of whole-body vibration in balance disorders. Future research in this field should aim to clarify the most effective dosage of whole-body vibration.

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine the immediate effects of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) on Rounded Shoulder Posture (RSP) in healthy women. Materials and Methods: Thirty female students aged between 18 to 30 years with RSP participated in this study. First, the examiner measured the RSP (in supine position), Pectoralis Minor Length (PML) and Total Scapular Distance (TSD). Then, the subjects performed 5 sets of 1-min WBV (frequency=30 Hz, amplitude=5 mm) with 1 min rest between each set. After intervention, the examiner immediately measured the above mentioned variables. The paired t test was used for data analysis. Results: The analysis showed that WBV significantly decreased the supine measurement of RSP (P

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the effects of 4-week postural corrective exercise program on forward head posture in college-aged females. Materials and Methods: This is a randomized controlled study. Twenty-one female students with craniovertebral angle measured less than or equal to 50 degrees were selected and randomly assigned to intervention (n=12) or control (n=9) group. Intervention group performed forward head posture corrective exercises in the form of stretching and strengthening exercises. The craniovertebral angle, active neck flexion range of motion and strength of lower and middle trapezius were measured before and after 4 weeks exercise program. Results: After four weeks, significant increases were observed in the intervention group regarding the means of craniovertebral angle (P=0.0001), active neck flexion range of motion (P=0.04) and lower trapezius strength (P=0.03), while the mean strength of middle trapezius had not changed significantly (P>0.05). Conclusion: Four week intervention protocol successfully improved postural alignment related to forward head posture. Thus, corrective exercise program for 4 weeks is effective to decrease forward head posture.

Ablative fractional photothermolysis (aFP) using a CO2 laser generates multiple small diameter tissue lesions within the irradiation field. aFP is commonly used for a wide variety of dermatological indications, including treatment of photodamaged skin and dyschromia, drug delivery and modification of scars due to acne, surgical procedures and burns. In this study we explore the utility of aFP for treating oncological indications, including induction of local tumor regression and inducing anti-tumor immunity, which is in marked contrast to current indications of aFP.We used a fractional CO2 laser to treat a tumor established by BALB/c colon carcinoma cell line (CT26.CL25), which expressed a tumor antigen, beta-galactosidase (beta-gal). aFP treated tumors grew significantly slower as compared to untreated controls. Complete remission after a single aFP treatment was observed in 47% of the mice. All survival mice from the tumor inoculation rejected re-inoculation of the CT26.CL25 colon carcinoma cells and moreover 80% of the survival mice rejected CT26 wild type colon carcinoma cells, which are parental cells of CT26.CL25 cells. Histologic section of the FP-treated tumors showed infiltrating neutrophil in the tumor early after aFP treatment. Flow cytometric analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed aFP treatment abrogated the increase in regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg), which suppresses anti-tumor immunity and elicited the expansion of epitope-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes, which were required to mediate the tumor-suppressing effect of aFP.We have demonstrated that aFP is able to induce a systemic anti-tumor adaptive immunity preventing tumor recurrence in a murine colon carcinoma in a mouse model. This study demonstrates a potential role of aFP treatments in oncology and further studies should be performed.

Purpose: Scapular dyskinesia is a change in position or movement of scapula, which is highly prevalent in athletes with overhead activities. In addition to biomechanical changes in shoulder complex, neurocognitive impairments can have a significant role in its creation. Thus, this study aimed to compare neurocognitive scores between athletes with and without scapular dyskinesia. Methods: In this study, 30 athletes with overhead activities participated. Caliper and SART (Speed Anticipation and Reaction Time) sets were used for assessing subjects’ scapular dyskinesia, reaction time, and anticipation skill. Results: Athletes with scapular dyskinesia had significantly a slower visual and auditory complex choice of reaction time, and a lower auditory choice of reaction time compared to athletes without scapular dyskinesia. Conclusion: No significant difference was seen between two groups in terms of visual choice of react i on time and anticipation skill. Thus, athletes with scapular dyskinesia had poorer performance in more complex neurocognitive tests compared to athletes without it.

Objective: Athletes have the high potential to positional and kinematics alternations in scapula. Various factors such as body mass index and sports experience can affect the scapular position and kinematics in athletes. Therefore, we discussed, in this research, the effect of body mass index and sports experience on scapular kinematics in basketball players. Materials and Methods: Thirty healthy male basketball players aged between 20 to 31 years old were simple non-randomly tested. One examiner measured the minimum distance between inferior angle of scapula and spinous process of T7 (scapular index) using digital caliper in neutral, 90 degrees of abduction, 90 degrees of scaption and 180 degrees of elevation of shoulder. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship of body mass index and sports experience with scapular kinematics. Results: BMI had a significant correlation with the index of scapula in neutral position (r=0.38, p=0.04 in right side and r=0.39, p=0.03 in left side) and 180 degrees of elevation (r=0.48, p=0.007 in right side and r=0.45, p=0.01 in left side). Basketball sports experience also showed a significant correlation with scapular index only in180 degrees of elevation of shoulder. (r=0.49, p=0.006 in right side and r=0.38, p=0.03 in left side) Of course, the correlation was not seen in 90 degrees of abduction and scaption. Conclusion: The positive relationship of scapular kinematics with body mass index and sports experience can be know as a compensatory positional strategy over time in basketball players.

Background: During recent years, there have been many advances in different types of pharmacological and non-pharmacological tobacco control treatments. In this study, we aimed to identify the most effective smoking cessation methods used in quit based upon a review of the literature. Methods: We did a search of PubMed, limited to English publications from 2000 to 2012. Two trained reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts and full texts of articles after a pilot inter-rater reliability assessment which was conducted by the author (GH). The total number of papers and their conclusions including recommendation of that method (positive) or not supporting (negative) was computed for each method. The number of negative papers was subtracted from the number of positive ones for each method. In cases of inconsistency between the two reviewers, these were adjudicated by author. Results: Of the 932 articles that were critically assessed, 780 studies supported quit smoking methods. In 90 studies, the methods were not supported or rejected and in 62 cases the methods were not supported. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), Champix and Zyban with 352, 117 and 71 studies respectively were the most supported methods and e-cigarettes and non-Nicotine medications with one case were the least supported methods. Finally, NRT with 39 and Champix and education with 36 scores were the most supported methods. Conclusions: Results of this review indicate that the scientific papers in the most recent decade recommend the use of NRT and Champix in combination with educational interventions. Additional research is needed to compare qualitative and quantitative studies for smoking cessation.

Introduction: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are one of the main characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders. The main purpose of this study was to compare the long-term effects of dry needling (DN) and physical therapy modalities (PT) on the MTrPs of upper trapezius muscle. Material and Methods: A total of 34 subjects with upper trapezius MTrP participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups of DN (N = 17) and PT (N = 17). DN group was treated two sessions per week, and PT group was treated three sessions per week. Pain intensity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), cervical range of motion (CROM), and function of upper limbs were assessed every session. Results: Significant decrease of pain (P = 0.002), increase of CROM (P = 0.002), PPT (P = 0.003), and functional improvement of upper limbs (P = 0.001) after treatment occurred in both groups. DN group revealed more improvement than the PT group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Although both of PT and DN are effective treatments for MTrP, the DN seems to be more effective.

Background and Aim: Falls are the leading cause of accidental death among older adults. Recent studies have demonstrated that an impaired ability to maintain balance while simultaneously performing cognitive tasks is associated with increased rates of adverse outcomes, such as falls in elderly people. Because interventions designed to improve dual-task balance performance have the potential to reduce falling rate and functional decline, they are a critical health care need.Material & Methods: 60 healthy adults in four equal groups (mean age in: young men=22.1±1.9, old men =68.3±4.1, young women =22.6±1.8, old women =66.9±2.6) participated in this study. All subjects experienced four test conditions including: single- task with eyes open (O1), single- task with eyes closed (C1), dual-task with eyes open (O2) and dual-task with eyes closed (C2). Postural task in this study included standing on 8 instability level of biodex balance SD machine plate and cognitive task was backward counting by three.Results: balance index mean in older group was significantly higher in comparison with young group in all test conditions (O1 P=.000, C1 P=.003, O2 P=.000, C2 P=.000). There are not any significant differences between gender groups balance index mean, in test conditions. In Young women group O2 overall (OL), antroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) balance indexes means were significantly higher than corresponding amounts in C2 (OL P=.014, AP P=.030, ML P=.017). In old women group C2 ML balance index mean was significantly higher than O2 ML balance index mean (P=.034). There are not significant differences between single- and dual-task conditions in other within group comparisons.Conclusion: In young men, young women and old women balance index means are different between single and dual eyes closed condition. Older adults balance index in single- and dual-task conditions is higher than young adults balance index. There is not any difference between men and women balance index in single and dual-task conditions.