مرتضی طاهری

Background: Expression of mucosal levels would affect the function of internal organs of the body and the digestive system, such as by creating a blockage for the progression of cancerous tumors and the failure of the target tissue, especially the large intestine. Aim : The purpose of this sudy was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of quercetin supplementation and intermittent exercise on protein levels of intestinal Muc5Ac, Muc4 and polyphosphate in rats with colon cancer. Material and Methods: Tewenty-four rats were randomly assigned into four groups including quercetin (n=6), exercise (n=6), quercetin + exercise (n=6) and control group (n=6). Colon cancer induction was provided with the use of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine for 8 weeks and daily quercetin supplementation of 50 mg/kg body weight of mice by Gavagene method. Exercise protocol was performed 5 sessions per week with intensity of 60-70%, maximum speed of 23 m/min with 2-min rest in 8 weeks. ANOVA was used to analyze data. The level of significance was set at P <0.05. Results: It was suggested that there was a significant difference in protein levels of intestinal Muc5Ac, Muc4 and polyphosphate in all groups ( P <0.05). Furthermore, it was also indicated that Muc5Ac levels was significantly higher in the quercetin+ exercise group other than pther groups ( P <0.05). Conclusions: It was concluded that intermittent exercise and quercetin supplementation would increase the levels of Muc5Ac and Muc4 proteins in the large intestine of mice with colon cancer.  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in global home confinement and quarantine, leading to the vaccination of societies worldwide. However, some elite athletes have negative views toward vaccination. Aim: This study aimed to compare the lifestyle of vaccinated versus unvaccinated international elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: From March to October 2021, an online survey was conducted, including socio-individual information of athletes, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants (REAP-S), and the Petersburg Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQI). A total of 581 elite athletes from 4 continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and America) and different countries, aged 18-35 years, were voluntarily recruited. Data analysis was performed using U-Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with the level of significance set at alpha P <0.05. Results: The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the level of physical activity and eating behavior of vaccinated versus unvaccinated elite athletes ( P <0.001). However, no significant difference was found between the quality of sleep among vaccinated and unvaccinated elite athletes ( P =0.270). Conclusion: It was shown that, despite the unvaccinated status of some elite athletes (49.9%), their physical activity levels were higher than those of vaccinated elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the eating behavior of vaccinated elite athletes was better than that of unvaccinated elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was no significant difference in the quality of sleep between the groups.