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Wearing a facemask affects physiological responses to exercise. We explored how exercising with a facemask affects the expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, ACE2,) and some associated genes (angiotensin type-1 receptors, AT1R; Mas receptor, MasR; hypoxia inducible factor 1α, HIF-1α; endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS), among healthy males and females.One hundred forty-four apparently healthy individuals (72 females; age = 30 ± 6) allocated to three mask groups of 48 (N95, SURGICAL, NO MASK) with two exercise subgroups for each mask for both sexes. Participated in each experimental group performed either a submaximal (walking with no grade) or maximal (a modified Bruce protocol) treadmill exercise test. Blood samples were collected before and after each exercise test and used to analyze the mRNA expression of genes studied.The post-exercise expression of genes examined were comparable between SURGICAL, N95, and NO MASK (P0.05). ACE2 was significantly greater in SURGICAL and N95 against NO MASK at baseline and following moderate-intensity exercise (P0.05). Whilst similar expressions were noted for MasR and eNOS (P0.05), AT1R was greater in N95 than SURGICAL following high-intensity exercise (P0.05). HIF-1α following either exercise intensity was significantly lower in N95 than SURGICAL (P0.05). AT1R and HIF-1α were similar between SURGICAL and N95 against NO MASK (P0.05). ACE2 and AT1R were significantly higher in either mask modality than NO MASK in males at baseline and post-exercise (P0.05). HIF-1α, MasR, and eNOS expressions were comparable between all mask groups in either sex (P0.05).Our findings suggest that wearing a facemask does not differentiate the gene expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor following exercise among both sexes.

As consequences of industrial processes, air pollution has led to increased cardiovascular diseases resulting in mortality. However, there are few pieces of evidence expressing physical fitness and gender impacts in such environments. Regarding long-term exposure to air pollution, this study aimed to determine the effect of physical fitness on post-exercise cardiac parasympathetic reactivation among healthy males and females.120 individuals (46 ± 5 years) participated and were categorized into two main groups (The heart rate recovery values were substantially lower in EG in comparison to CG (Based on our findings, although physical fitness modifies the adverse impacts of long-term exposure to air pollution on post-exercise cardio-parasympathetic reactivation, it appears to parallel the acute/intermediate recovery of the thermoregulatory and vascular systems, among both sexes, it does not prevent them.

We investigated how wearing a mask - and its modality (surgical vs. N95) - affect hemodynamic and hematologic function in males and females across two exercise intensities (submaximal (SUB) and maximal (MAX)).144 individuals participated in the present study and were randomly allocated to three mask groups of 48 (N95, SURGICAL, and NO MASK) with two exercise subgroups for each mask group (MAX,No significant differences were noted for either hemodynamic or hematologic function at post-exercise as compared to baseline with regard to mask modality (P 0.05). Heart rate (HR) for maximal intensity were significantly greater at 1 min post-exercise in N95 as compared to SURGICAL (P 0.05). No differences were noted for hemodynamic and hematologic function with N95 and SURGICAL compared to NOMASK for either intensity (P 0.05). Females showed significantly greater HR values at 1 min post-exercise in N95 as compared to NO MASK, but no significant differences were noted for hematological function between sexes (P 0.05).Our findings show that wearing a face mask (N95/surgical) while exercising has no detrimental effects on hemodynamic/hematologic function in both males and females, and suggest that wearing a mask, particularly a surgical mask, while exercising during the ongoing pandemic is safe and poses no risk to individual's health. Future studies examining physiological responses to chronic exercise with masks are warranted.

Background: cardiac rehabilitation is a structured program to prevent secondary cardiovascular diseases. Objective: to investigate and compare the effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation program (HBCRP) on improving cardiovascular stress indices in men and women who had experienced myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: in this randomized controlled clinical trial, 80 patients with MI were divided into two groups of intervention and control (n = 40 per group). Analyses were erformed separately in females and males in the both groups. The HBCRP included receiving routine medications along with walking for 8 weeks. The control group only received the routine care along with counseling about having adequate physical activity. Cardiovascular stress indicators including heart rate at rest (HRrest), maximum heart rate (HRmax), recovery heart rate (RHR)at 1 and 2 minutes after the exercise test (i.e. RHR1 and RHR2), systolic and diastolic blood pressures at rest (SBPR and DBPR), and rate pressure product (RPP) were measured by a researcher blinded to the intervention before and after the test. Results: the results showed significant reductions in RHR1 (p

Background: Exercise can improve coronary blood flow in a healthy heart, but the vascular response of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is different. The aim of this study was to systematically review the chronic effects of exercise on coronary arterial function in CAD patients. Materials and Methods: Six electronic databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, “Scopus,” Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar) covering publications from 1986 to 2019 were systematically searched with related keywords. Studies were included if they investigated changes in blood flow and coronary artery diameter in response to chronic exercise training in patients with CAD. A total of 5421 studies were assessed for quality and outcomes, and finally five studies met criteria for inclusion. For metaanalysis, the results of the studies were pooled using the randomeffects model. The heterogeneity between the studies was checked using I2 index. Results: The total sample population consisted of 108 CAD patients. According to the findings of this study, coronary artery function in adaptation with exercise showed that a period of exercise leads to statistically significant improvement in coronary flow velocity reserve (z = 3.15, P = 0.002; standardized mean difference [SMD] =2.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88–3.78) (containing six trials). In addition, vasodilatory response of coronary arteries in response to endothelium-independent vasodilator nitroglycerin was investigated in three studies (containing four trials). A meta-analysis showed that performing chronic aerobic exercises did not make a significant change in the endothelium-independent vasodilator (z = 0.83, P = 0.40; SMD = −0.36, 95% CI: −1.21–0.49). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, aerobic exercises improve the endothelial function of coronary arteries and thereby the vascular vasomotion function, while the results of this meta-analysis showed no change in arterial smooth muscle's function by chronic aerobic exercises. This study reflects the lack of high- and medium-quality reports about the chronic effects of anaerobic and resistance exercises and the various methods of aerobic exercise on cardiovascular function.

Background: Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) and its associated modifiable and non-modifiable health risk factors are very important in clinical studies. Objectives: This study aimed to compare health risk factors affecting CRF between Iranian and Italian male and female exercise science students. The correlation between VO2max and these factors was also evaluated. Methods: The sample consisted of 87 sport science students from the University of Milan (25 males and 17 females) and the University of Mazandaran (20 males and 25 females) aged 23.69 ± 1.95 years. The level of Physical Activity (PA) and body composition indices were obtained as health risk factors. Then, CRF was assessed by the Bruce test. Rate Pressure Product (RPP), blood pressure, and Heart Rate (HR) were measured before, in the end, and six minutes after the end of the test. Results: Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in RPP, Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) during exercise, resting SBP, and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) between Iranian and Italian males and significant differences in Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and body fat percentage between Iranian and Italian females (P < 0.05). The relationships between VO2max and resting RPP, resting HR, heart rate recovery, step counts, and vigorous PA were significant in all groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: As an assessment of VO2max, CRF is associated with hemodynamics and health risk factors. Age, sex, ethnicity, lifestyle, and culture of people in different geographical regions can affect health risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Asthma and obesity are becoming increasingly common among children. Such conditions are known to negatively affect both cardiac autonomic function and oxidative stress. We therefore investigated the heart rate variability (HRV) and oxidative (malondialdehyde, MDA) response to exercise within a high humidity environment (similar to 65%) in obese and lightweight asthmatic children. METHODS: Forty-two children participated in this study and were categorized into four groups: obese asthmatic (OA, N.=10), obese non-asthmatic (ONA, N.=15), lightweight asthmatic (LA, N.=10), and lightweight non-asthmatic (LNA, N.=7). Time-domain and nonlinear indices of HRV were assessed at rest, during, and immediately after exercise. Further, saliva samples were collected immediately before and after exercise and analyzed for the determination of MDA. RESULTS: HRV significantly decreased during and after exercise compared to baseline (P

Background: Different training methods have been presented to reduce the side effects of doxorubicin and it seems that according to patient's condition, the time to start exercises, and the duration and stress of exercise should be considered. This study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of voluntary exercise on liver apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in aging model rats. Methods: 42 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 6 equal groups of young, aging, aging + saline, aging + doxorubicin, aging + doxorubicin + voluntary training, and aging + saline+ voluntary training. Voluntary training was performed in cages equipped with a running wheel for six weeks individually and freely. At the same time, as the end of the training, doxorubicin or saline solution was injected with a cumulative dose (1 mg/kg). 48 hours after completion of the training, liver tissue sampling was performed to assess the apoptosis via examining the expression of Bax and B-cell leukemia 2 (Bcl-2) proteins using western blot method. Findings: One-way analysis of variance showed that in the training groups, the expression level of Bax protein and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio decreased significantly, and the expression of Bcl-2 protein was significantly increased in comparison to the control groups. Conclusion: Voluntary exercises prior to treatment with doxorubicin can reduce apoptosis and increase survival in healthy elderly hepatocytes via reducing the Bax protein and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, thereby reducing the side effects of doxorubicin.

Background: Waterpipe (WP) smoking has been linked to reduced birth weight, genetic damage, and respiratory and cardiovascular disease, possibly via enhanced exposure to carbon monoxide and volatile aldehydes. Objective: The effect of long-term WP smoking on cardiac autonomic function at rest and following exercise was investigated. Methods: Twenty males volunteered and were divided into two groups: WP smokers (WPS) and non-smokers (NSmk). Heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and following (10 mins) Wingate test was examined. Additionally, heart rate recovery (HRR) at 1 (HRR1), 2 (HRR2) and 5 mins (HRR5) post-Wingate test were considered. Results: At rest, the WPS group exhibited a significantly greater heart rate and lower standard deviation of RR intervals. The WPS group experienced a significantly greater peak heart rate while the post-Wingate recovery of HRV, HRR1, and HRR2 were similar between groups. In contrast, HRR5 for the WPS group was significantly greater than for the NSmk group. Conclusions: Long-term WP smoking resulted in an altered resting cardiac autonomic state exemplified by reduced overall HRV, specifically, a decline in vagal activity and/or relative increase in sympathetic activity that may persist during anaerobic exercise but not during early recovery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effect of supplemental taurine prior to and following incremental exercise in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: Patients with HF and left ventricle ejection fraction less than 50%, and placed in functional class II or III according to the New York Heart Association classification, were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) taurine supplementation; or (2) placebo. The taurine group received oral taurine (500 mg) 3 times a day for 2 weeks, and performed exercise before and after the supplementation period. The placebo group followed the same protocol, but with a starch supplement (500 mg) rather than taurine. The incremental multilevel treadmill test was done using a modified Bruce protocol. Results: Our results indicate that inflammatory indices [C-reactive protein (CRP), platelets] decreased in the taurine group in pre-exercise, post-supplementation and post-exercise, post-supplementation as compared with pre-exercise, pre-supplementation ( p < 0.05) whereas these indices increased in pre-exercise, post-supplementation and post-exercise, post-supplementation as compared with pre-exercise, pre-supplementation in the placebo group ( p < 0.05). Our results also show that atherogenic indices [Castelli’s Risk Index-I (CRI-I), Castelli’s Risk Index-II (CRI-II) and Atherogenic Coefficient (AC)] decreased in the taurine group in pre-exercise, post-supplementation and post-exercise, post-supplementation as compared with pre-exercise, pre-supplementation ( p < 0.05). No such changes were noted in the placebo group ( p > 0.05). Conclusions: our results suggest that 2 weeks of oral taurine supplementation increases the taurine levels and has anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects prior to and following incremental exercise in HF patients.

The aim of study was to determine the relationship between time-span of heart rate recovery (HRR) and selected body composition factors following two types of exercise among male with different ages. Thirty-six healthy male were assigned to three groups: children, adult, and elderly and performed a continuous incremental exercise on arm and cycle ergometers. HRR was calculated as the difference between peak HR during the test and HR in 1 min and HR in 2 min after exercise protocols. A body composition analysis system provides a display of averaged data for selected body composition factors including body fat percentage, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. The present data showed that HRR was faster in children than adult following exercise protocols and also HRR was higher in arm cranking compared to cycling protocol. In addition, HRR is negatively related to selected body composition factors among male in all ages. The different exercise protocols for upper and lower body (arm cranking and cycling), had no effect on this negative correlation. Finally, the finding of current study suggests that higher body composition factors (BMI, BF %, and WHR) may contribute to poorer parasympathetic function in adult and elderly than children.

The aims of the current study were to investigate the oxidant and antioxidant status of liver tissue challenged by doxorubicin and to examine the possible protective effects of aerobic exercise on doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress. Seventy-two rats were divided into three age groups (Young, Adult, and Elderly) with three treatment subgroups consisting of eight rats per age group: doxorubicin, aerobic exercise + doxorubicin, and aerobic exercise + saline. The experimental groups performed regular treadmill running for 3 weeks. Doxorubicin was administered by i.p. injection at a dosage of 20 mg kg−1 while the aerobic exercise + saline group received saline of a comparable volume. Heat shock protein 70, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, and protein carbonyl were determined from the liver homogenates following the intervention period. Treatment with doxorubicin induced hepatotoxicity in all groups with lower values of oxidative stress in young compared with the older groups. The inclusion of...

PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of various modes of exercise on parasympathetic reactivation in children.METHODS: Twelve healthy boys volunteered for this study. Time domain measurement of heart rate variability in 5 and 10 min and heart rate recovery (HRR) in 1 (HRR1) and 2 min (HRR2) were measured during recovery after incremental exercise tests by a 12-lead ECG. Incremental exercise tests were performed using either upper (arm cranking) or lower body (cycling) ergometers.RESULTS: The amounts of increase in RMSSD and PNN50 in 5 and 10 min of recovery were higher in arm cranking compared to cycling. HRR1 and HRR2 were significantly higher after arm cranking compared to cycling.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that parasympathetic reactivation is likely greater following exercises that use smaller muscle mass (arm cranking) rather than larger muscle mass (cycling) in healthy boys.

Background: We have investigated the effect of 8 weeks aerobic training (AT) and Ferula gummosis supplement (FG) on apelin and apelin receptor (APJ), nitric oxide (NO) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) of hypertensive rats. Materials and Methods: In a experimental study, 50 adult male wistar rats were classified into five groups; 1- AT, 2- FG, 3- combination of aerobic training + Ferula Gummosa supplement (TFG), 4- nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME), 5- shame (control) groups (SH). The rats in the 1 to 4 groups received L-NAME (10 mg/kg, 6 times a week for 8 weeks). Also, the 1 and 3 groups experienced the training of 15 to 22 m/min for 25 to 64 minutes, 5 times a week for 8 weeks, whereas, the 2 and 3 groups received Ferula gummosis supplement (90 mg/kg, 6 times a week for 8 weeks). However, rats in 5 groups received NaCl solution. Results: At protocols resulted in a significant increase in apelin and APJ as compared to control and L-NAME groups. The TFG protocols resulted in a markedly increase in apelin, APJ and significantly decrease of ACE levels as compared to L-NAME group. Chronically administration of L-NAME resulted increased, ACE, and reduced the levels of apelin, APJ and NO, as compared to control group. Conclusion: The results in this study show that physical regular activity with and without herbal treatment induce amplification in apelin/APJ system and down-regulation blood pressure in L-NAME induced hypertension in the rat kidney tissue.

Purpose This investigation was carried out to study the relationship between resting heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) after upper body exercise test (arm cranking) in some healthy men with different ages.

We tested the hypothesis that aerobic exercise training (AET) would modulate doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats of various ages. Wistar male rats (n = 72) were assigned to three groups (young, adult, and elderly) with three subgroups for each age: doxorubicin (DG, n = 8), AET + doxorubicin (AETDG, n = 8), AET + Saline (AETSG, n = 8). Following the AET intervention, rats were anesthetized and killed to collect heart tissues in order to determine heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-10 (IL10), and c-reactive protein (CRP). Greater levels of SOD and lower levels of MDA were found in young as compared to elderly rats (P

Taurine is an amino acid found abundantly in the heart in very high concentrations. It is assumed that taurine contributes to several physiological functions of mammalian cells, such as osmoregulation, anti-inflammation, membrane stabilization, ion transport modulation, and regulation of oxidative stress and mitochondrial protein synthesis. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of taurine supplementation on functional capacity, myocardial oxygen consumption, and electrical activity in patients with heart failure.In a double-blind and randomly designed study, 16 patients with heart failure were assigned to two groups: taurine (TG, n = 8) and placebo (PG, n = 8). TG received 500-mg taurine supplementation three times per day for two weeks.Significant decrease in the values of Q-T segments (p0.01) and significant increase in the values of P-R segments (p0.01) were detected following exercise post-supplementation in TG rather than in PG. Significantly higher values of taurine concentration, T wave, Q-T segment, physical capacities, and lower values of cardiovascular capacities were detected post-supplementation in TG as compared with PG (all p values0.01).Taurine significantly enhanced the physical function and significantly reduced the cardiovascular function parameters following exercise. Our results also suggest that the short-term taurine supplementation is an effective strategy for improving some selected hemodynamic parameters in heart failure patients. Together, these findings support the view that taurine improves cardiac function and functional capacity in patients with heart failure. This idea warrants further study.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent diseases in women today. Little information exists on modifiable lifestyle factors including effects of ginger supplements (as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory herbal) and water-based exercise on biomarkers related to oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and adiponectin in obese women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the single and concomitant effect of 6-wks water-based exercise and oral ginger supplement on the aforesaid markers in obese women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Forty women diagnosed with breast cancer (48±5.4 years, 76±9 kg, fat mass 41.8±4%), volunteered to participate in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned into four groups; placebo, water-based exercise, ginger supplement and water-based exercise+ginger supplement groups. Subjects in the ginger supplement group and the water-based exercise+ginger supplement group orally received 4 capsules (each capsule contained 750 mg), 7 days a week for 6 weeks. The water-based exercise program featured progressive increase in intensity and time, ranging from 50% to 75% of heart rate reserve, in a pool with 15 meters width, 4 times a week for 6 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at pre-test and post-test time points. Results: The ginger supplementation and or the water-base exercise resulted in an increase of adiponectin, NO and GPx and reduction MDA, as compared to pre-test values. However, the combined intervention (water-base exercise and ginger supplement) group showed significantly a far better effect on the biomarkers related to oxidative stress and adiponectin levels, as compared to the waterbase exercise or ginger supplement alone groups and the age-matched placebo group. Conclusions: Our results revealed that water-base exercise is a non-drug therapeutic strategy to reduce systemic stress in obese women suffering from breast cancer. Further, ginger supplementation alone or in combination with training, also play an important role in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress in obese women diagnosed with breast cancer.

For many years it has been known that lead is life-threatening, not only as an air pollutant but also because of it has been associated with several conditions including neurodegenerative disease. Curcumin (the principal curcuminoid found in turmeric) has demonstrated potent antioxidant properties.We investigated neuroprotective effects of endurance exercise and/or curcumin on lead acetate-induced neurotoxicity in the rat hippocampus.Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: 1) lead acetate, 2) curcumin, 3) training, 4) training + curcumin, and 5) control. The rats in the training groups performed treadmill running five times a week for 8 weeks (15-22 m/min, 25-64 min). All groups except control received lead acetate (20 mg/kg), whereas the control group received curcumin solution (ethyl oleate). In addition, the curcumin and training + curcumin groups received curcumin solution (30 mg/kg) intraperioneally.Lead acetate resulted in a significantly increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma (72%), but not significant in hippocampus (59%). In addition, it led to significantly decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hippocampus (17%) and total antioxidant capacity (27%), as compared to control group. Treadmill running, curcumin supplementation or both resulted in a significant decrease in hippocampus MDA (17, 20, 31%, respectively) and plasma MDA (60, 22, 71%) and also, significantly increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (76, 45, 94%) and total antioxidant capacity (47.13, 47.11, 61%) levels, as compared to lead acetate group.These results provide a rationale for an inhibitory role of curcumin and regular exercise in the attenuation of lead-induced neurotoxicity.

Responses of the left ventricle oxidant/antioxidant markers such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls (PCs) induced by lifestyle modification, including turmeric supplementation and exercise training, were investigated in rats during chronic exposure to lead acetate. Forty male rats were randomly divided into five groups: (1) lead acetate; (2) turmeric; (3) endurance training; (4) training + turmeric; and (5) sham-operated groups. Enzyme activities were determined in rat hearts after receiving 20 mg·kg−1 of lead acetate (groups 1 to 4) and 30 mg·kg−1 turmeric (groups 2 and 4) for 8 weeks, three times a week. In addition, the rats in groups 3 and 4 performed treadmill running at a speed of 15 to 22 m·min−1 for 25 to 64 min, five times a week for 8 weeks. One way ANOVA analyses indicated that administration of lead evoked a significant increase in MDA and PC and significant decreases in GPx and SOD activity in the left ventricular ...

Cardiotoxicity and oxidative stress is a life-threatening side effect of doxorubicin (DOX). We investigate the effects of short-term exercise as therapeutic tool for improvement of cardioprotection against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in the rat.Wistar males (weighing 257 ± 28 g) were divided into six groups: (1) control+placebo (2) control+DOX 10 mg.kg(-1) (3) control+DOX 20mg.kg(-1) (4) training+placebo (5) training+ DOX10 mg.kg(-1) (6) training+DOX 20mg.kg(-1). Cardiotoxicity was induced by DOX (10 and 20 mg.kg(-1)). The rats in groups 4, 5 and 6 experienced treadmill running of 25 to 39 min.day(-1) and 15 to 17 m.min(-1), 5 days/ wk for 3 wk. At the end of the endurance training program, rats in the 1 and 4 groups, in the 2 and 5 groups and in the 3 and 6 groups received saline solution, DOX 10 mg.kg(-1) and DOX 20 mg.kg(-1), respectively.DOX administration (10 and 20 mg.kg(-1)) caused significant increase in MDA and Apelin, an insignificant increase in NO and a significant decrease in SOD, as compared to the C+P group. Three weeks of the pretreatment endurance exercise resulted in a significant increase of Apelin and SOD, an insignificant increase of NO and an insignificant decrease of MDA, as compared to the C+P group. Furthermore, after three weeks of endurance training and DOX treatment with 10mg.kg(-1) and 20mg.kg(-1), a significant increase in apelin and SOD, and a significant decrease in MDA were detected in comparison to C+DOX10 and/or C+DOX20 groups. There was a significant difference between DOX10 mg.kg(-1) and DOX20 mg.kg(-1) treatments in MDA levels only.Pretreatment exercise may improve myocardial tolerance to DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibition of oxidative stress and up- regulation of antioxidants in heart tissue.

The effects of exercise training on heart have been widely explored. However, less understood are the effects of dehydration and rehydration on electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic (Echo) parameters in wrestlers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dehydration and rehydration on some ECG and Echo parameters. Fourteen healthy high school wrestlers (age 18.1±2.6 years, weight 77.2±10.2 kg, BMI 25.2±2.9 kg · m−2; mean±s) were randomly assigned to an experimental (loss of 3–4% of their weight through 10-min bouts in dry sauna) or a control (dry sauna exposure with mineral water proportionate to their body weight loss) group. Blood and urine sampling, 12-lead ECG, and echocardiogram were recorded in euhydration, dehydration, and 18 h after sauna. Moreover, a 6-min high-intensity arm ergometer cranking test (8×15 s intervals at maximum workload and 30 s active recovery) was completed in each of the three stages. Data were analysed with repeated-measures analysis of variance...

Introduction: Taurine has an important role in regulating the cardiac electric activity and anti-arrhythmias effects and it may improve heart failure. This study was designed to investigate the effect of taurine supplementation on response of the cardiac injury biomarkers to Bruce diagnostic protocol and exhaustive time in patients with heart failure. Materials and Methods: Sixteen patients between 50 to 65 years with heart failure, who were classified in II and III classes, were randomly divided into the taurine and placebo groups. The taurine received 1.5g taurine supplement 3 times a day in 500 milligram capsules and the placebo group consume starch capsules for two weeks. Plasma taurine, cardiac troponin I and CPK-MB concentrations were measured before and after taurine supplementation and also in each stage before and after performing the Bruce protocol (totally, 4 stages). Plasma taurine, cardiac troponin I and CPK-MB concentrations were detected by using HPLC, ELISA and immunological methods, respectively. Results: Results showed that Bruce protocol led to significant increase in cardiac troponin I and CPK-MB concentrations and significant decrease in plasma taurine. Furthermore, taurine supplemen­­­­­­­­tation results in the resting level decrease of cardiac troponin I and CPK-MB. Also, taurine supplementation led to increase exhaustive time in comparison with placebo group and before supplementation stage, but it couldn't completely create preventive effect on cardiac troponin I and CPK-MB concentration after the Bruce protocol. Conclusion: Taurine supplementation in patients with heart failure who are taking standard medical treatment can increase their exercise capacity. Furthermore, our study supports this idea that the use of taurine supplementation can be recommended to people who suffer from cardiac events as a preventive strategy.

SummaryBackgroundTaurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a semi-essential amino acid found in mammalian tissues that is not involved in protein synthesis. The function of taurine is not completely understood. Some studies have demonstrated that taurine supplementation reduces death rate in rabbits with heart failure (HF) and diminishes HF severity in human models of congestive HF. In this study we have evaluated the effect of taurine supplementation on exercise capacity of patients with HF.MethodsA randomized single-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 29 patients with HF with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 50% who were in functional class II or III according to New York Heart Association classification. A total of 15 patients received taurine supplementation 500mg three times a day while the remaining 14 patients received placebo for 2 weeks. All patients performed exercise tolerance test before and after taurine and placebo supplementation.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 60.57±6.54 years, they were mostly male (26 of 29), and had mean LVEF of 29.27±6.97%. There were no significant differences in terms of LVEF, body mass index, and also exercise time, metabolic equivalents (METS) and exercise distance before supplementation. Exercise time, METS, and exercise distance increased significantly in patients who received taurine supplement for 2 weeks (p-value

Previous studies have shown the increase of heat shock protein (HSP72) following exercise in animals. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of type of exercise on HSP72 response in active young females. Nineteen female physical education students were randomly divided into two groups: an endurance training group (ETG) and a weight training group (WTG). The exercise protocol in the ETG included incremental running to exhaustion performed at 65–75% VO2max on a treadmill with a 0% grade. The subjects in the WTG also performed 4 sets of eccentric contractions of elbow flexors: two sets of 25 reps at 50% 1RM and two sets of 15–20 reps at 60% 1RM. Blood sampling from antecubital vein was done at baseline level (rest), mid-exercise and 30 min post-exercise in the same conditions, after a 12–14 h overnight fast. The samples were sent to a laboratory and centrifuged, and the serum used to analyse variables. A sandwich **Elisa and enzymatic assay were used for determination of HSP72 values and creatine kinase (CK) respectively. The data were analysed with repeated measures, LSD post hoc and independent t-test at p

Background:: Breast neoplasms has known as the most common cancer among the women worldwide, and relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammation and cancer has been recognized since many years ago. Objectives:: The aim of this study was to determine the individual and concomitant effect of 6-weeks water-based exercise and oral ginger supplement on markers that have related to metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation in obese women with breast neoplasms. Patients and Methods:: Forty women whose have diagnosed with breast neoplasms have volunteered to participate in the study. Subjects have randomly assigned into four groups; placebo, exercise training, ginger supplement and exercise training+ ginger supplement groups. Subjects in the ginger supplement group and the exercise training+ ginger supplement group have orally received 4 capsules, 7 days a week and for 6 weeks. The water-based exercise training program have collected at a progressive intensity and time, have ranged from 50% to 75% of heart rate reserve, in a pool, 4 times a week for 6 weeks. Fasting blood sampling has collected at the pretest and post-test. Results:: The ginger supplementation and the water-base exercise have resulted in a reduction of hs-CRP, IL-10, insulin, glucose, insulin resistance, LDL-C, TG; but an increase in HDL-C and HDL-C/LDL-C. The water-base exercise and ginger supplement group have significantly shown larger positive effect in all outcomes, in comparison with the water-base exercise or ginger supplement alone groups. Conclusions:: Findings have suggested that obese breast neoplasms survivors have commonly shown metabolic syndrome and elevated inflammation, which placed them at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, data has indicated a protective effect of the nondrug strategies, such as water-base exercise and ginger supplementation have played an important role in pathogenesis of inflammatory and metabolic responses, among diagnosed breast neoplasms.

The aim of this study was to compare the behavior of heart rate variability at rest, mid-test, immediately, 5 and 10 min of recovery following the exhaustive arm crank and cycle ergometer protocols in healthy children, middle-aged and elderly subjects.Thirty-six healthy men volunteered to participate in this study and were assigned to three groups: child (N.=12), middle-aged (N.=12) and elder (N.=12). Heart rate variability was assessed by calculation of the mean R-R interval measured by Electrocardiogram at each phases.Heart rate variability significantly decreased at mid-test, immediately and significantly increased in 5 and 10 min of recovery after both the arm crank and cycle ergometer protocols among all groups, these changes were significantly higher in cycle ergometer compared with arm crank protocol among all age groups. Moreover, increase of heart rate variability was significantly higher in the middle-aged than that for children and elder subjects during 5 and 10 min of recovery after cycle ergometer protocol.Our results indicate a relationship between lowered heart rate variability and the age of the subjects. In addition, our findings suggest a clinically important effect of exhaustive physical activity in various ages after upper body work than lower body work.

To examine the pretreatment effects of regular aerobic training on the IGF system (IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGF/IGFBP) and doxorubicin(DOX) induced hepatotoxicity in rats.Forty-eight male rats were divided into groups:(1) control+placebo (2)control+DOX10 mg.kg-1 (3)control+DOX20 mg.kg-1 (4) training+placebo (5) training+DOX10 mg.kg-1 (6) training+DOX20 mg.kg-1. Hepatotoxicity was induced by DOX with dosages of 10 and 20 mg.kg-1. The rats in groups 4, 5 and 6 performed treadmill running of 25-54 min/day and 15-20 m/min, 5 days/wk for 6 wks. At the end of the aerobic training protocol, rats in the 1 and 4 groups, in the 2 and 5 groups and in the 3 and 6 groups received saline solution, DOX10 mg.kg-1 and DOX20 mg.kg-1, respectively.Administration of DOX20 mg.kg-1 caused a significant increase in IGF-1 and IGF-1/IGFBP-3, an insignificant decrease in IGFBP-3, as compared to the control+placebo group. However, after six weeks of aerobic training and DOX treatment with 10mg.kg-1 and or/ 20mg.kg-1 an insignificant decrease in IGF-1, an insignificant increase in IGFBP-3 and a significant decrease in IGF-1/IGFBP-3 were detected, in comparison to C+DOX10 and C+DOX20.Hepatotoxicity of doxorubicin is dose-dependent and pretreatment with regular aerobic training may improve DOX-induced hepatotoxicity by up-regulation of IGFBP3.

Background: Doxorubicin is an anthracycline antibiotic commonly used to treat a variety of cancers as a most effective antitumor. However, its clinical use is associated with the toxic effects in numerous healthy tissues. Here we investigated the pretreatment effect of regular aerobic exercise on oxidative stress in rats acutely exposed to DOX-induced hepatotoxicity. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight Wistar male rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: control and training. The training protocol included treadmill running between 25 to 54 min/day and 15 to 20m/min, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. At the end of the exercise training protocol, rats from the control and trained groups were again randomly separated into 3 subgroups: DOX10mg/kg, DOX20mg/kg and saline. All treatments were carried 24 h after the last exercise bout and animals were sacrificed 24 h after DOX and saline injections. Results: Administration of DOX (10 and 20 mg.kg -1 ) resulted in imbalance in biomarkers related to oxidants and antioxidants in liver tissue, as compared to control groups. Six weeks of pretreatment training led to a significant increase in nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) as compared to the control+DOX 10 mg/kg group. Training before DOX 20 mg/kg administration also led to a significant increase in NO and SOD, and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, there was a significant difference between DOX 10 mg/kg and DOX 20 mg/kg treatments in MDA levels, only. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate that pretreatment with aerobic exercise induces positive adaptations and has a potential protective effect against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced hepatotoxicity with doses of 10 and 20 mg.kg.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine pretreatment effects of moderate-term endurance training before the various dosages (10 and 20 mg.kg _1 ) of DOX on a heat shock protein (HSP 70kda ) and cardiotoxicity in heart tissue. Methods: Forty-eight male rats were randomly assigned to nontraining (NT) and training (T) groups and three subgroups; DOX 10mg.kg -1 and DOX 20mg.kg -1 and saline treatment. The training program included treadmill running between 25-39 min/day and 15-17 m/min, 5 days/wk for 3 wk. Result: DOX administration, in particularly with 20 mg.kg _1 , caused up-regulation of oxidants and cardiac damage (MDA, CK, CPK-MB and CK/ CPK-MB) and down-regulation of cardioprotection (HSP 70 , SOD) markers, as compared to NT+saline group. Pretreatment effect of treadmill running endurance exercise in the presence of DOX with 10 mg.kg _1 caused a significant increase in HSP 70 , SOD and a significant decrease in MDA and insignificant decrease in CK, CPK-MB and CK/CPK-MB, in comparison T+DOX 10 with NT+DOX 10 group. However, there was no significant difference between T+DOX 10mg.kg _1 and T+DOX 20mg.kg _1 in the aforesaid markers. Conclusion: Dox-induced cardiotoxicity is related to oxidative stress. Our study suggests that pretreatment with endurance exercise may be considered as a potentially useful strategy to improve myocardial tolerance against single dose DOX-induced oxidative damage.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic that is widely used as an anticancer agent. However, the clinical use of DOX is limited due to its cardiotoxic side effects. Few studies have assessed pretreatment effects of chronically exercise against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. The aim of this study was to determine cardioprotective effects of aerobic regular exercise against doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress in rat. Forty-eight Wistar male rats were randomly assigned to sedentary and trained groups. Training program included treadmill running between 25 to 54 min/day and 15 to 20 m/min, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. The biomarkers related to oxidative stress were assessed in heart tissue after administration of the saline solution (0.9% NaCl i.p) and/or DOX 20 mg/kg and DOX 10 mg/kg. Doxorubicin administration (10 and 20 mg.kg-1) causes an imbalance in the oxidant/antioxidant markers in heart. Six weeks of the aerobic training led to a significant increase of apelin, nitric oxide(NO), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and an insignificant decrease of malondialdehyde(MDA), as compared to sedentary+placebo group. However, after six weeks of aerobic training and DOX treatment with 10 and 20 mg.kg-1, a significant increase in apelin and SOD, and a significant decrease in MDA were detected in comparison to sedentary+DOX 10 and/ or sedentary+DOX 20 groups. However, there was a significant difference between DOX 10 mg.kg-1 and DOX 20 mg.kg-1 treatments in NO and SOD levels, only. Our study suggests that cardioprotection induced by chronically exercise in DOX treated rats was associated with inhibition of oxidative stress and the up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes. Key words: Cardiotoxicity, doxorubicin, antioxidant, endurance training, rat.

The effect of aerobic training and Ferula gummosa supplementation (90 mg/kg) on apelinergic system and markers of cardiac stress in hypertensive rats were studied. Chronically administered l-NAME resulted in an increased level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), malondialdehyde (MDA), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and also reduced the levels of apelin, apelin and its receptor (APJ), and nitric oxide (NO) and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), when compared with the control group. The combination of aerobic exercise and Ferula gummosa decreased MDA and hs-CRP and significantly increased cardiac apelinergic system, NO, and TAC, when compared with the control and the l-NAME groups. A rationale for an inhibitory role and a cardioprotective effect of aerobic exercise training in the attenuation of hypertension-induced cardiotoxicity was developed.

Objective: Elevated amino acid homocysteine (Hcy) levels and insufficient physical activity are the risk factors in Alzheimer disease (AD) development. The effect of intermittent aerobic training on memory retention test and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the dorsal hippocampus of rats which were stimulated with Hcy is investigated. Methods: In order to determine the dose at which using Shuttle Box Test recognizes degenerative changes and/or memory impairment, 40 rats were injected by different dosages of Hcy to the dorsal hippocampus. It was observed that the required Hcy dose is 0.6 M. Then 44 rats were divided into four groups including training and control groups at 4 weeks of aerobic exercise in training and control groups at 8 weeks. To determine the effect of homocysteine on the memory impairment, Shuttle Box Test was used on treadmill (5 sessions/week, 12-18 m/min and 10-58.5 min). Results: Hcy administration caused memory impairment and significant increase in TBARS. Significant decrease in TBARS level was noted after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise, but not after just 4 weeks of exercise compared with control group. In addition, performing 8 weeks of aerobic training led to significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and the time of avoidance learning test. Conclusion: Hyperhomocysteinemia caused learning and memory deficits probably by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the present study showed that regular moderate intensity intermittent exercise may reverse this process and exercise is recommended as a strategy to improve symptoms of senile neurodegenerative disease . Declaration of Interest: None.