The effects of 12 weeks resistance training and vitamin D administration on neuromuscular joint, muscle strength and power in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the effects of 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) and vitamin D (VitD) supplementation on muscle strength and C-terminal agrin fragment (CAF) and Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) concentrations as potential biomarkers in postmenopausal women. METHODS: This was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Forty-four healthy postmenopausal women (55.84 ± 4.70 years and 29.61 ± 4.26 kg/m2) were randomly assigned into four groups: (1) Resistance training + placebo (RT + PLA), (2) Vitamin D supplementation (VitD), (3) Resistance training + vitamin D (RT + VitD), and (4) Placebo (PLA). VitD was supplemented as an oral capsule containing 50000 IU of cholecalciferol every two weeks. RT involved leg press, chest press, leg extension, leg curl, and shoulder press exercises, performed with 3-4 sets at 70-85 % of 1RM, three times a week. RESULTS: Circulating levels of CAF and NT-3 did not significantly change following the intervention period in the study groups (p > 0.05). There were significant increases in upper and lower body muscle strength and power for RT + VitD and RT + PLA ( < 0.05), but not for VitD or PLA (p > 0.05). The muscle function gains for RT + VitD and RT + PLA were higher than those for VitD and PLA but did not differ between them. CONCLUSION: 12-week of RT interventions resulted in significant increases in muscle strength and power in postmenopausal women. However, VitD supplementation did not result in any additional benefits. The positive changes in muscle function promoted by RT do not seem to be associated with changes in the neuromuscular joint via the CAF or NT-3 as potential biomarkers.

Aerobic training and vitamin E administration ameliorates cardiac apoptosis markers in rats exposed to methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse is related to risks to the cardiovascular system. The present study aimed to compare the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic training (MIAT) and vitamin E (Vit.E) supplementation on markers of cardiac apoptosis following MA exposure. Fifty-four rats were randomly divided into six groups. CON group did not receive MA, while the others received MA alone or in combination with MIAT, Vit. E, MIAT+Vit E, or paraffin (PAR). These groups received MA incrementally for 23 consecutive days. Vit.E and MIAT+Vit.E groups received vitamin E three times a week for six weeks. MIAT and MIAT+Vit.E groups exercised for 25-40 min. Immunohistochemical and gene expression analyses were performed on the heart tissues. Bax and TGF-ß expression was significantly higher, while Bcl-2 and VEGF expression was significantly lower in the MA and PAR groups than in the other groups (p < 0.05). Bcl-2 and VEGF expression was higher, and Bax and TGF-ß expression was significantly lower in the MIAT and MIAT+Vit.E groups than in the other groups (p < 0.05). In Vit.E treated groups, Bax and TGF-ß expression were lower, and VEGF was higher than that in the MA and PAR groups, but higher than those in the CON, MIAT and MIAT+Vit.E groups. MA increased the expression of Bax and TGF-ß, and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF, suggesting increased cardiac apoptosis. In contrast, MIAT and Vit.E decreased the expression of Bax and TGF-ß, suggesting a reduction in cardiac apoptosis induced by MA.

Long non coding RNAs reveal important pathways in childhood asthma: a future perspective.

Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs refers changes that occur in conjunction with, or as a result of, chronic airway inflammation. Airway remodeling the subsequent of inflammation constitutes cellular and extracellular matrix changes in the wall airways, epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition and airway smooth muscle cell proliferation. Diseases often begin in childhood and despite extensive research, causative pathogenic mechanisms still remain unclear. Transcriptome analysis of childhood asthma reveals distinct gene expression profiles of Long noncoding RNAs which have been reported to play a central regulatory role in various aspects of pathogenesis, clinical course and treatment of asthma. We briefly review current understanding of lnc-RNA dysregulation in children with asthma, focusing on their complex role in the inflammation, cell proliferation and remodeling of airway to guide future researches. We found that the lnc-RNAs increases activity of several oncogenes such c-Myc, Akt, and ERK and various signaling pathways such as MAPK (PI3K, Ras, JNK and p38), NF-κB and Wnt and crosstalk between these pathways by TGFß, ß-catenin, ERK and SKP2. Moreover, two different signal transduction pathways, Wnt and Notch1, can be activated by two lnc-RNAs through sponging the same miRNA for exacerbation cell proliferation.

Blood Coagulation Disorders Among the Iranian Population: a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Blood coagulation disorders are one of the causes of mortality. Therefore, the study of coagulation disorders is also important. This systematic review was conducted to investigate blood coagulation disorders in the Iranian population. METHODS: Searches in electronic databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, SID, ProQuest, and Magiran from May 10, 1990 to May 10, 2019 were performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Cross-sectional, cohort, experimental, and case-control studies were included according to the inclusion criteria without gender and language restrictions. RESULTS: After screening and selection, 14 studies were selected for data extraction. Accordingly, the most common blood coagulation disorder in the south of Iran was a defect in FXIII (599 of 1,165). C.559T>C (27 of 189) and c.562T>C (20 of 189) mutations had the highest frequency. The most common FXIII polymorphism among the Iranian Azerbaijanis was Val34Leu (203 of 410). The second most common coagulation disorder was FV Leiden (396 of 1,165). Then, c.1691G>A (151 of 396) was the most common mutation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the most critical coagulation disorder among the Iranian population is FXIII deficiency and the most common mutation is c.562T>C.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Coagulopathy Caused by the New Coronavirus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol.

Background: The new coronavirus is an agent of respiratory infections associated with thrombosis in vital organs. This study aimed to propose a better diagnosis and treatment of coagulation disorders caused by the new coronavirus (Covid-19). Materials and Methods: Search in Cochrane central, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid will be done. Also, according to the inclusion criteria, cross-sectional studies, cohort, clinical trial, and case-control will be included without gender and language restriction. Participants will also be Covid-19 patients with coagulation disorders. Any disagreement in the stages of screening, selection, and extraction of data between the two reviewers will be resolved by discussion, then if not resolved, the opinion of expert reviewers will be used. The risk of bias will be assessed using the NOS (Newcastle-Ottawa scale) tool for cross-sectional study, cohort and case-control, and the Cochrane checklist for clinical trials study. Metaanalysis of included studies that are similar based on the methodology will be done. Also, a fixed or random-effect model will be used for this it. Heterogeneity indices (I2), odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), mean difference, and %95 confidence interval will also be calculated by Stata V.13.0 (Corporation, College Station TX). Results: Treatment with anticoagulants will reduce the severity of thrombosis and lung disease in patients. D-dimer measurement will also be a diagnosis indicator of thrombosis. Conclusions: Simultaneous study of coagulation disorders and thrombosis in patients and development of a Godliness based on it will play a treatment role in the follow-up of the coronavirus disease.

Occult hepatitis B in Iranian blood donors, an overview of the challenges: A narrative review.

Background: Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is a transfusion-transmitted infection. Although, screening the hepatitis B virus among blood donors can play an important role in increasing the health of blood products, OBI screening in blood transfusion centers is still a challenge. This review study aimed to appraise the challenges of OBI screening and its associated do's and don'ts in blood transfusion centers. Methods: In this review study, a search was conducted on the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid, Irandoc, and Magiran from January 1996 to December 2020. Also, cross-sectional studies that determined the prevalence of OBI or anti-HBc were included in the study. In addition, studies with incomplete data on the prevalence of OBI were excluded. Results: The prevalence of OBI varies among Iranian blood donors. The rates reported by blood transfusion centers of Mashhad, Ahvaz, and Tehran were 0%, and Isfahan, Shiraz, and Kerman were 0.9%, 0.08%, and 2.36%, respectively. In areas with high prevalence of hepatitis B virus, OBI screening only by anti-HBc test led to the exemption of blood donors from donating blood. Avoiding OBI screening also effected the risk of virus transmission to blood recipients. Plasma products had a higher risk (85%) of virus transmission. Conclusions: Determining an appropriate screening strategy based on prevalence status, the cost-effectiveness of screening tests, and the policies of each blood transfusion center is essential.

Effect of Combined Exercise Training on Physical and Cognitive Function in Women With Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: One of the consequences of old age is cognitive and physical decline, which can cause a wide range of problems. These complications are more pronounced in those with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of combined exercise training on blood biomarkers, physical fitness, and cognitive function in elderly women with T2D. METHODS: Twenty-one elderly women with T2D were randomly allocated to training (n=12) and control (n=9) groups. The exercise training program was a combination of aerobic, resistance, and balance exercises performed 3 times per week over 12 weeks. In the same period, the control group received no training intervention. Blood markers, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), irisin, glycated hemoglobin (A1C), fasting blood sugar (FBS), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), lower and upper body strength, and cognitive function, were measured in all participants at baseline and after 12 weeks. RESULTS: Serum BDNF levels were not significantly different between the exercise and control groups at 12 weeks (p>0.05). FBS and A1C levels in the exercise group decreased significantly compared with the control group (p<0.05). CRF, dynamic balance, and both upper and lower body strength in the exercise group improved significantly compared with the control group (p<0.05). Irisin levels decreased significantly in the control group, but levels did not change significantly in the exercise group. Greater improvements from exercise were observed on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment index compared with the control group (p=0.05), but no other group differences in cognitive function were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Combined exercise improved some physical fitness and diabetes-related surrogate factors, as well as select cognitive functions, but had no significant effect on cognition-related biochemical factors (i.e. BDNF) in women with T2D.

Preconditioning intensive training ameliorates reduction of transcription biofactors of PGC1α-pathway in paretic muscle due to cerebral ischemia.

Exercise training increases fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5/irisin) via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α)-pathway. The PGC1α pathway induced FNDC5/irisin changes in response to exercise training and ischemic stroke are not entirely understood. We investigated the relation of the PGC-1α/FNDC5/irisin pathway to exercise training and to the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke in paretic muscles of stroke-induced rat models. We induced cerebral ischemia following completion of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to evaluate PGC1α-pathway biofactors in paretic muscles. To define the underlying molecular mechanisms for improvement in paretic muscles following cerebral ischemia, we evaluated PCG-1α-pathway factors using immunofluorescence tracking and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) immunoassay. We found that HIIT for 3 weeks produced increased expression and release of PGC-1α-pathway biomarkers in both the serum and paretic muscle of stroke-induced rats. We also found a close relation between the expression of PCG-1α-pathway factors in skeletal muscle and their concentration in blood. We found that PGC-1α-pathway biomarkers cause irisin up-regulation following induction of cerebral ischemia. The reduction in neurofunctional deficits following increased PGC-1α-pathway biomarkers suggests that these factors may act as markers of improvement in paretic muscle healing following cerebral ischemia.

High-intensity interval training ameliorates endothelial dysfunction through adropin, nitric oxide, MR-proADM, and copeptin changes in overweight subjects.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine adropin, NO, MR-proADM, and copeptin changes following four different types of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in men with overweight. METHODS: In the current study, 45 overweight participants were included in the pre-intervention assessments and randomly assigned to the following groups: (1) control, (2) HIIT bike, (3) HIIT short-treadmill, and (4) HIIT long-treadmill groups. The participants were given 10-min sessions of HIIT intervention between 85 and 95% of VO2peak, followed by 1-min inactive recovery at three sessions/week for 8 weeks. Body composition, VO2peak, ultrasound imaging, diabesity-related risk factors, adropin, NO, MR-proADM, and copeptin were also assessed before and following the HIIT interventions. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant elevation in adropin and NO levels (p < 0.05), while MR-proADM and copeptin were notably more decreased than those of the control group following the 8 weeks of HIIT interventions (p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant decrease was observed in carotid/femoral intima-media thickness (c/f-IMT) values following the 8-week HIIT interventions, while statistically significant reductions were demonstrated in participants who had no atherosclerotic plaque or IMT < 0.9 mm (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, HIIT had a greater effect on IMT remodeling of the femoral artery than of the carotid artery. Decreased MR-proADM and copeptin and increased adropin levels might act as a physiological surrogate of endothelial dysfunction through increased NO-related signaling pathways in participants with overweight following high-intensity interval training.

Effect of high-intensity interval training and high-intensity resistance training on irisin and fibroblast growth factor 21 in men with overweight and obesity.

Adipose tissue browning is a physiological process that increases energy expenditure and may combat against obesity and its related risk factors. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and irisin, hormones affected by exercise that also affect adipose tissue browning, have not been widely studied with regard to exercise type and duration. This study compared the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) on irisin and FGF21 in men living with overweight and obesity. After completing a training program three times weekly for 8 weeks, participants' serum levels of irisin and FGF21 were significantly increased in the HIIT and HIRT groups compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, body fat percentage and body weight in both training groups were significantly reduced in comparison with the control group (p < 0.05). Thus, HIIT and HIRT programs may be used as a feasible modality to promote favourable changes in body composition and irisin and FGF21, factors critical for browning white adipose tissue in men living with overweight and obesity.

Mutations in Thalassemia Carrier Couples: The Importance of Prenatal Diagnostic Tests.

BACKGROUND: Thalassemia carrier couples play an important role in increasing thalassemia patients. The study of thalassemia genotypes in carrier couples is also effective in improving genetic counseling for them. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of thalassemia mutations and genotypes in couples. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 241 couples who were suspected of thalassemia from April 2018 to March 2020 in Lorestan province. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SPSS software 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Online tools such as www.ithanet.eu/db/ithagenes and http://globin.bx.psu.edu/ hbvar/menu.html were also used to match patients' mutations with known cases. RESULTS: IVSII-1 (G>A), CD36-37 (-T), IVSI-110 (G>A), --Med, and α3.7 were the most common mutations in the beta and alpha genes, respectively. IVSII-1 (G>A) ß0/ß (26.1%), CD36-37 (-T) ß0/ß (21.1%), and IVSI-110 (G>A) ß0/ß (10.3%) genotypes were the most common in women. The frequency of these genotypes in men were 24.8%, 28.6%, and 12.8%, respectively. Among alpha thalassemia carriers, the α3.7α/α α genotype had the highest frequency among women (3.7%) and men (5.3%). Alpha and beta-thalassemia were 15 and 13 times higher in related women and 18 and 9 times higher in related men than non-related ones, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). In addition, 12.8% of fetuses were thalassemia major, 31.9% beta thalassemia minor, and 10.3% normal. CONCLUSIONS: Thalassemia screening in related couples plays an important role in reducing thalassemia major infants.

The effect of COVID-19 derived cytokine storm on cancer cells progression: double-edged sword.

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV2) was first detected in Wuhan, China in December, 2019. The emerging virus causes a respiratory illness, that can trigger a cytokine storm in the body. METHOD: Cytokine storm in patient's body is associated with severe forms of disease. It is one of the main complications of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), in which immune cells play a major role. Studies have shown immune cells in the tumor environment can be effective to induce resistance to chemotherapy in cancer patients. RESULT: Therefore, considering the role of immune cells to induce cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients, and their role to cause resistance to chemotherapy, they are effective on disease progression and creation of severe form of disease. CONCLUSION: By examining the signaling pathways and inducing resistance to chemotherapy in tumor cells and the cells affect them, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of severe forms of the disease in cancer patients with COVID-19; it is applicable using target therapy and other subsequent treatment strategies.

Sirtuin1 and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: a Comprehensive Glance at Drug Resistance.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder, which is caused by BCR-ABL fusion that has tyrosine kinase activity. The emergence of the first generation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors increased survival in patients. CML patients remain in silent phase for a long time by using drugs such as imatinib. Resistance to imatinib causes relapse of disease after using it. Different factors such as mutations, epigenetic factors, and changes in the drug's receptor can play an important role in drug resistance. SIRT1 is an NAD-dependent deacetylase that has a role in regulation of metabolic activities. It has been recently considered as a key regulator of drug resistance in malignancies such as CML. METHODS: The resources of this study are from different sites and journals such as ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed, scopus.com, American Journal of Hematology, International Journal of Hematology, etc. Results: Expression of SIRT1 is increased in patients with imatinib resistance. The mechanism of this resistance is not exactly understood. The inhibition of SIRT1 in CML causes increased sensitivity to imatinib. CONCLUSIONS: Recognition of drug resistance factors, reduction or neutralization of them is so important in patients' survival. This study indicates the role of SIRT1 as one of the most common causes of drug resistance in many cancers such as CML.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Voluntary Blood Donors from the Northeastern Region of Iran: Genotyping, Viral Load Characterization and Drug Resistance Prediction.

BACKGROUND: Blood donor selection, along with laboratory screening of the HBV, plays a pivotal role in providing safe blood products. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence, genotype, and drug resistance prediction of HBV among Iranian blood donors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 47,506 blood donors referring to Golestan Blood Center from March 21, 2018, to March 20, 2019. Siemens Enzyngnost HBsAg6, INNO-LiPA Genotyping kits, and Nest-PCR were used for HBV screening, genotyping, and amplification of the polymerase gene, respectively. An online tool at hbv.geno2pheno.org and real-time PCR method were also utilized for drug resistance prediction and viral load measurement respectively. RESULTS: It was found that from among 47,506 donors, 47 (0.09%) were confirmed to be HBV positive subjects. About 0.94% of first-time blood donors (46 out of 4, 872) and 0.008% of repeated blood donors (1 out of 12,125) were found to be positive for HBV. First-time blood donors were also 8.6 times more likely to have a hepatitis B virus infection (odds ratio: 9.6; 95% confidence interval, 6.2 - 14.7). Seven donors had genotype D as predominant and one case had a mixed infection with genotypes A and D. Furthermore, the most predicted mutation in the polymerase gene was m204V, causing resistance to telbivudine and lamivudine. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the risk of HBV transmission is higher among first-time blood donors. Therefore, it is recommended that predonation laboratory screening in first-time blood donors be conducted to improve the safety of the donated blood in the studied region.

The effect of antecedent-conditioning high-intensity interval training on BDNF regulation through PGC-1α pathway following cerebral ischemia.

Earlier studies have demonstrated that exercise training can result in the diminishing of ischemic stroke-induced damages as well as BDNF misregulation. However, the underlying mechanisms of BDNF changes in response to ischemic stroke and exercise are still not entirely understood. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in hippocampus of rat model of ischemic stroke intercedes PPARγ coactivator 1α (PGC1α)-pathway factors and BDNF regulation following induction of ischemic stroke. For this purpose, in this study, induction of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was accomplished following the completion of HIIT. To define the molecular mechanisms that might be responsible for HIIT-associated improvements subsequent to cerebral ischemia, we likewise evaluated PGC-1α-pathway factors that may be essential for BDNF upregulation after MCAO via immunofluorescence tracking and ELISA immunoassay. Taking our findings together, three weeks of antecedent-HIIT resulted in more expression and delivery of BDNF in brain and plasma following MCAO through PGC-1α-pathway (p < 0.05). The present investigation also found a close relationship between expressed PGC-1α-pathway factors in brain and their concentrations in plasma (p < 0.05). In conclusion, findings of the current study exhibited that induction of cerebral ischemia as well as HIIT intervention both were associated with expression of PGC-1α-pathway factors in brain and their deliverance to blood. Consequently, these alterations may be considered as a protective factor against post-stroke neurological and functional disorders in the stroke model.

Is the Intensity or Duration of Treadmill Training Important for Stroke Patients? A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Stroke, the third highest cause of death after cancer and cardiac diseases, is a strong cause of adult disability in most countries. Therefore, the aim of the current meta-analysis was to examine the most effective intensity and duration of treadmill training on motor performance in stroke subjects. METHODS: Suitable studies were recognized from January 1980 to July 2015 using PubMed as the main search engine. There were noticeable biases such as training intensity, training duration (≥2 weeks), relative training intensity, and Vo2max, which were controlled. Subgroup classifications for human studies were prepared based on previous studies and were determined as follows: low intensity (≤.6 m/s)-low volume/duration (≤500 minutes), low intensity (≤.6 m/s)-high volume/duration (>500 minutes), high intensity (>.6 m/s)-low volume/duration (≤500 minutes), and high intensity (>.6 m/s)-high volume/duration (>500 minutes). RESULTS: Forty-nine articles were identified for human studies. This meta-analysis exhibited treadmill training regardless if intensity and volume/duration had a significantly greater recovery of motor function than did no training (standard mean difference [SMD] = .601; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .546-.657; P = .0001). Also, for the low-intensity, low-volume/-duration strategy, training on a treadmill displayed a significantly greater motor function rehabilitation than did no training (SMD = .75; 95% CI = .64-.85; P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis showed that low-intensity (≤.6 m/s)-high-duration/-volume (>500 minutes) treadmill training as a rehabilitation strategy had the highest SMD to ameliorate stroke-induced dysfunctions compared with the other strategies.