Effects of Official Chess Competition on Salivary Cortisol and Mood Swings in Adolescent Girls: A Win-Loss Approach.

The current study examined the effects of official chess competition on salivary cortisol and mood swings in adolescent girls. Fourteen girl competitive chess players participated in the 5-day Swiss chess tournament held in nine heavy and light rounds. The tournament was performed at 9:00 a.m. (first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth rounds) and 3:00 p.m. (second, fourth, sixth, and eighth rounds). Salivary cortisol and mood was measured before the tournament, before and after the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth rounds, and following the tournament (10 samples). The resting levels of salivary cortisol had considerably greater values on the first, second, third, and fourth competition days compared to 1 week before the competition (P = 0.001). The post-competition cortisol concentration was significantly higher on the second and third days than before the competition (P = 0.001). Winners had considerably higher levels of salivary cortisol compared to losers (P = 0.001). There was a significant increase in total mode disturbance (P = 0.001), anger (P = 0.009), and tension (P = 0.045) following heavy rounds (second and third day) compared to the values before the competition. At the same time, the Scores of vigor decreased significantly (P = 0.001). The findings of the present study showed participating in the official chess competition increased salivary cortisol and caused negative alterations in mood components associated with the difficulty and outcome of the match, indicating the psychological stress. Hence, psychological interventions can be used for psychological recovery of competitive chess players after the competition.

Effect of eight weeks of low, moderate, and high-intensity TRX training on hot flashes, mood, fat percentage, and muscular endurance in postmenopausal women

It appears that little consistent information is available on medical interventions and the use of appropriate intensity and exercise mode to improve physiological and psychological menopause complications. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of eight weeks of low, moderate and high intensity TRX training on hot flashes, mood, fat percentage and muscular endurance of postmenopausal women. Forty non-athletic postmenopausal healthy women participated in the study and were randomly and equally divided into four groups: (1) control, (2) low-intensity TRX training (LI TRX) (40–55% HHR), (3) moderate-intensity TRX training (MI TRX) (55-70 HHR), and (4) high-intensity TRX training (HI TRX) (70-85 HHR). The research variables were measured 48 h before and after the intervention. The experimental groups performed their own training program for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week, and 60min each session. Symptoms of hot flashes, mood, fat percentage, and muscular endurance in the experimental groups significantly improved compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.05). A decrease in fat percentage was observed in the MI TRX group compared to other training groups (P = 0.045). Adaptation to regular exercise training reduced menopausal symptoms. There was no significant difference between using different intensity of exercise. Probably due to the physiological and psychological aspects of menopause, the most important factor in improving menopausal symptoms is participating in exercise and the frequency of exercise training. Also, TRX can be used as a safe method in different intensities in this group of women

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The effect of curcumin and exercise rehabilitation on liver paraoxonase-1 and NF-kß gene expression in the rat induced by forced drinking of ethanol.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Binge ethanol drinking causes liver damage and decreased paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) gene expression. On the other hand, regular physical activity and curcumin consumption as non-invasive interventions can have liver protective effects through enhancing antioxidant defense, and improving PON-1 and NF-kß (nuclear factor kappa B) gene expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect of exercise rehabilitation and curcumin consumption on hepatocyte damage as well as NF-kß and PON-1 gene expression in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-six male Wistar rats were randomly selected and equally divided into seven groups: dextrose-control (Dext-Con), ethanol-control (Eth-Con), ethanol-saline (Eth-sal), ethanol-DMSO (Eth-DMSO), ethanol-curcumin (Eth-Cur), ethanol-swimming training (Eth-SWT) and ethanol-SWT + curcumin (Eth-SWT + Cur). After four days of the binge drinking protocol followed by six days of quitting, the interventions of SWT and curcumin (50 mg/kg) were employed for 14 days. Afterwards, the rats' liver tissues were collected and sent to the laboratory for biochemical assays. RESULTS: The interaction of SWT and curcumin caused an increase in PON-1 gene expression (p = 0.02). In addition, curcumin consumption (p = 0.003) and its interaction with SWT (p = 0.004) resulted in a reduction in NF-kß gene expression. Also, liver tissue damage was observed in the Eth-Con group compared to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of curcumin and SWT may be used to reduce the side effects of binge ethanol drinking and improve recovery in the quitting period.

The effect of exercise mode and intensity of sub-maximal physical activities on salivary testosterone to cortisol ratio and α-amylase in young active males.

We examined the effect of exercise intensity and mode on the acute responses of free testosterone to cortisol ratio and salivary α-amylase. We also evaluated the relationship between cortisol and salivary α-amylase. Ten healthy young active males participated voluntarily in this study in six single sessions. They exercised on a cycle ergo meter, treadmill, and elliptical instrument at intensities of 70% and 85% maximum heart rate for 25 minutes. Saliva samples were collected 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after each exercise session. No significant changes were observed for cortisol. Free testosterone to cortisol ratio increased during each exercise session (F5, 45=3.15, P=0.02). However, these changes are only significant after exercise on the treadmill at 70% maximum heart rate (t=2.94, P=0.02) and 85% maximum heart rate (t=0.53, P=0.03). Salivary α-amylase significantly varied among exercise sessions (F5, 45=3.97, P=0.005), and a significant decline was observed after exercise on the elliptical instrument (t=2.38, P=0.04) and treadmill (t=3.55, P=0.006) at 85% maximum heart rate. We found that the free testosterone to cortisol ratio is dependent on the exercise mode, while the salivary α-amylase response is dependent on the intensity of exercise. The increase of free testosterone to cortisol ratio in this study may indicate lower physiological stress in response to performing these exercises. Applying muscular strength with moderate intensity weight-bearing exercises possibly activates the anabolic pathways. Although the cortisol and salivary α-amylase responses were opposite in the majority of the exercise sessions, no significant inverse relationship was observed.