Chronic methamphetamine use increases apoptosis, leading to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Previous studies have shown the importance of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in reducing indices of cardiac tissue apoptosis in different patients, but in the field of sports science, the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis in methamphetamine-dependent rats are still unclear. The present article aimed to investigate the changes in cardiac apoptosis markers in methamphetamine-dependent rats in response to HIIT. Left ventricular tissue was used to evaluate caspase-3, melusin, FAK, and IQGAP1 gene expression. Rats were divided into four groups: sham, methamphetamine (METH), METH-control, and METH-HIIT. METH was injected for 21 days and then the METH-HIIT group performed HIIT for 8 weeks at 5 sessions per week. The METH groups showed increased caspase-3 gene expression and decreased melusin, FAK, and IQGAP1 when compared to the sham group. METH-HIIT showed decreased caspase-3 and increased melusin and FAK gene expression compared with the METH and METH-control groups. The IQGAP1 gene was higher in METH-HIIT when compared with METH, while no difference was observed between METH-HIIT and METH-control. Twenty-one days of METH exposure increased apoptosis markers in rat cardiac tissue; however, HIIT might have a protective effect, as shown by the apoptosis markers.

In Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, low levels of physical fitness (PF) and cognitive status are associated with high rates of depression. However, this condition can be improved through physical training. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of multimodal exercise training (MET) on aerobic endurance, muscular strength, agility, dynamic balance, cognitive status, and depressive symptoms in men with mild-to-moderate AD. Methods: A total of 25 elderly men with a diagnosis of mild-to-moderate AD were randomly categorized into an MET or a control group. The subjects in the MET group participated in a 12-week, three sessions per week MET program that included resistance, balance, and aerobic exercises. While the participants in the control group did not perform any regular exercise training during this period. Patients’ cognitive status and depressive symptoms were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination and the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) questionnaires. PF indicators such as aerobic endurance, muscular strength, agility, and dynamic balance, as well as cognitive status and depressive symptoms, were taken from all the subjects before and after MET. Results: The participants in the MET group improved handgrip, upper and lower body strength, agility, dynamic balance, and depressive symptoms (p0.05). Conclusions: MET is an effective strategy to improve muscular strength, agility, dynamic balance, and depressive symptoms in men with mild-to-moderate AD. It is recommended for AD patients to engage in this type of exercise to reduce AD complications.

Mitochondrial fission and fusion both contribute to maintaining mitochondrial function and optimizing bioenergetic capacity. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of aerobic and resistance training on mitochondrial fission and fusion markers in skeletal and cardiac muscles of Wistar rats. 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training (RT) and control (CON). The MIIT and HIIT groups performed treadmill exercises with an intensity of 60–65% and 80–85% of the maximum speed, respectively, while the RT group performed resistance training with an intensity of 30–60% of the rat’s body weight for 8 weeks. The soleus (SOL), extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and left ventricular tissues were used to evaluate markers of mitochondrial fission and fusion PGC-1α (fusion/fission), Opa-1 (fusion), Fis-1 (fission), Drp-1 (fission), Mfn-1 and Mfn-2 (fusion) genes expression. In all three tissues, a significant increase in some mitochondrial fusion markers was observed after 8 weeks of training (p = < 0.0001–0.0452). Furthermore, a significant decrease in cardiac mitochondrial fission markers was observed in all three groups (p = < 0.0001–0.0156). This reduction in some markers was evident in the SOL tissue of the HIIT group (p < 0.0001 for Drp-1 and p = 0.0007 for Fis-1) and in the EDL tissue of the RT group (p = 0.0005 for Fis-1 and p = 0.0012 for Drp-1). The mitochondrial fission/fusion markers in the heart (p = 0.0007–0.0449) and SOL (p = 0.0050–0.0258) tissues of the HIIT group had more changes than the RT group, while the mitochondrial fission markers in the EDL tissue of the RT group had a lower level than the HIIT (p = 0.0087 for Drp-1) and MIIT (p = 0.0130 for Fis-1 and p = 0.0010 for Drp-1) groups. Our study demonstrated that HIIT, through better regulation of mitochondrial fusion and fission than RT, improves mitochondrial dynamics in cardiac and SOL tissues.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of 8-week of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation alone or combined with concurrent training (CT) on functional capacity, serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Our hypothesis is that CT promotes improvements in the studied outcomes with higher results for the combination of CT and CoQ10. Randomized placebo-controlled trial. Twenty-eight patients with MS were randomly divided into 4 groups: CT+placebo, CT+CoQ10, CoQ10 and placebo. CT involved two resistance training sessions and one aerobic training session per week. CoQ10 was supplemented with 200 mg daily. Serum levels of BDNF, NGF and functional tests [timed up and go (TUG), 6-min walk (6MW), chest press, lateral pull down, leg extension, and lying leg curls one repetition maximum] were measured before and after the intervention period. CT+placebo and CT+CoQ10 significantly improved performance in TUG, 6MW, chest press, lateral pull down, leg extension, and lying leg curls, with superior results to both CoQ10 and placebo groups. Changes in TUG for CT+placebo were significantly higher than CT+CoQ10 (p0.05). CT improves physical abilities in patient with MS, regardless CoQ10 supplementation. CT should be recommended for MS patients to increase functional capacity, but there seems to be no benefit in supplementing CoQ10.

High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) is a popular training modality that aims to improve multiple physical fitness and performance components. This study aimed to examine the effects of HIFT on athletic performance of male amateur soccer players. This randomized controlled study was conducted over a six-week period. Athletes were randomly enrolled into HIFT (n = 12) and control (CON, n = 12) groups. The HIFT group replaced part of the specific training with three weekly sessions of HIFT, whereas the CON group participated only in regular soccer training. Before and after the intervention, athletes were assessed for the 20-m sprint (s), bench press strength (kg), squat strength (kg), average anaerobic power (w), the fatigue index (w/s), the change-of-direction sprint (s), VO2max (ml/kg/min), soccer specific dribbling track test travel distance (m), and soccer dribble sprint skill (s). The HIFT group showed greater (p ≤ 0.001–0.018, pη2 = 0.229–0.584) improvements when compared to the CON group, for the 20-m sprint, bench press, and squat strength, fatigue index, VO2max, and soccer specific dribbling track test traveled distance. The average anaerobic power approached significance (p = 0.051, pη2 = 0.162), but was not significantly different between the groups. HIFT may replace part of regular soccer training to improve athletic performance in amateur soccer players.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise training to improve the immune system of the elderly at the time of COVID-19. Information & Methods: This systematic review study was performed on articles published between 1999 and 2020, and their target group was elderly. Keywords were searched and ...