Physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic in the Iranian population: A brief report.

COVID-19 pandemic and restrictive public health measures due to it can have many effects on physical activity. Our study aimed to compare the levels of physical activity levels (expressed as MET-minute/week), among Qom city (Iran) adults in pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 and 20 to 29 May 2020, respectively). 670 adults were included in this study and grouped based on age and gender. The short-form International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ, SF) was distributed to the participants through an online survey. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analyses. The present study showed that the level of physical activity decreased significantly during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 in both sexes and age groups (p < 0.001). Also, this study found that a total of 78% of the participants did not meet the physical activity guidelines during COVID-19 in Iran. Our results indicate the necessity to consider an integrated and comprehensive approach to reduce the inactivity caused by COVID-19.

Short term exercise training enhances cell-mediated responses to HSV-1 vaccine in mice.

Exercise (with appropriate intensity and duration) is a natural modulator of immune responses and may be useful to increase the vaccine response towards antigen. According to the fact that rural area responding butter than urbon area to vaccine protocol, this study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that short term exercise training as an adjuvant for antigen such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in animal models. Mice with/without access to short term exercise training were immunized intramuscularly with inactivated KOS strain of HSV-1. Immune responses was investigated with regards of both cell-mediated and humoral immunity. In this study by using short term exercise training as an adjuvant enhanced Th1 response while it did not show significant effect on Th2 responses towards HSV-1 immunization. Also, immunoglobulin G (IgG) 2a/IgG1-ratios increased in vaccine with short term exercise training group. These results suggested that coupling short term moderate exercise training as a mild adjuvant with vaccination may enhance cell-mediated immune responses especially Th1 responses.

Expression of interleukin-15 and inflammatory cytokines in skeletal muscles of STZ-induced diabetic rats: effect of resistance exercise training.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is associated with type-1 diabetes. Skeletal muscle is the source of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines that can mediate muscle hypertrophy and atrophy, while resistance exercise can modulate both muscle mass and muscle cytokine expression. This study determined the effects of a 5-week resistance exercise training regimen on the expression of muscle cytokines in healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, with special emphasis on interleukin-15 (IL-15), a muscle-derived cytokine proposed to be involved in muscle hypertrophy or responses to stress. Induction of diabetes reduced muscle weight in both the fast flexor hallucis longus (FHL) and slow soleus muscles, while resistance training preserved FHL muscle weight in diabetic rats. IL-15 protein content was increased by training in both FHL and soleus muscles, as well as serum, in normal and diabetic rats. With regard to proinflammatory cytokines, muscle IL-6 levels were increased in diabetic rats, while training decreased muscle IL-6 levels in diabetic rats; training had no effect on FHL muscle IL-6 levels in healthy rats. Also, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-1ß levels were increased by diabetes, but not changed by training. In conclusion, we found that in diabetic rats, resistance training increased muscle and serum IL-15 levels, decreased muscle IL-6 levels, and preserved FHL muscle mass.