درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Psychological variables that affect mental health are divided into useful and harmful variables. Useful variables are beneficial for improving mental health and quality of life, and increasing well-being, for instance, happiness, calmness, vigor, and mental toughness. Harmful variables reduce mental health, quality, and enjoyment of life, for example, negative mood states, anxiety, and burnout. This study aimed to predict psychological burnout based on mood states and mental toughness of elite athletes with physical disabilities. Participants have included 150 athletes with physical disabilities (77women; 73men) competing at national or international Paralympic sports teams (mean age=42.34 ±7.44y, mean experience=8.38 ± 3.19 y) that were selected in the random method. Participants accomplished the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, the 32-item Brunel Mood Scale, and the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that happiness (moderate negative power, 51%), vigor (weak negative power, 28%), fatigue (weak positive power, 22%), mental toughness (medium negative power, 57%), and confidence (weak negative power, 29%) were able to predict the total burnout of the athletes with disabilities. These findings are essential for psychologists since developing and increasing the useful variables and inhibiting or decreasing the harmful variables for mental health can prevent sports burnout.

Background: Telomerase activity plays a key role in preserving telomere length which is important in cellular aging. There is evidence showing the link between sirt6, irisin, and telomerase activity.   Aim : The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and aerobic continuous training (ACT) on telomerase activity, sirt6, and irisin levels of healthy older adults. Materials and Methods: Thirty healthy males (age: 60-70 years, weight: 68-72 kg) participated voluntarily to follow the 8-week program including 3 sessions per week. Rest ratio in HIIT training was 1:2 and the intensity corresponded to 90% of HRR. ACT intensity was progressive starting with 50% of HRR and finishing with 70% of HRR. Blood samples were taken in a 12-hour fasting situation, before and after the program. Results: Results showed a significant effect of training on serum telomerase and sirt6 in training groups, not the control group. Also, in comparison to ACT and the control group, serum irisin was significantly higher in the HIIT group. Conclusion: We concluded HIIT training is safe and efficient for older adults in terms of telomerase activity, sirt6, and irisin level and can be followed as a time-efficient training protocol.

Purpose: Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone density among older adults that can cause painful fractures and disability. One of the most important effective non-pharmacological interventions is having appropriate and continuous physical activity.  The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase with femur bone mineral density in active and inactive men. Method: This study was semi-experimental. 35 active and 35 inactive elderly men aged 65 to 80 years with medical records were selected. Anthropometric characteristics, serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase of subjects were used as effective indicators of osteoporosis. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find the relationship between femur mineral density and serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase, data analysis was done using SPSS version 26 Software. Results: The results of this research showed that in both groups of active and inactive men, there was a significant relationship between serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase and femur mineral density (P≤0.05). No significant relationship was found between the height index and mineral density of the femur (P≥0.05). Conclusions: In general, the results show that there is a significant relationship between bone density and weight, age, calcium, phosphorus, and serum alkaline phosphatase of all subjects, and the effect of exercise on other bone density indicators can be investigated.

Background: Balance is a critical physical factor for achieving independence, and children with spastic cerebral palsy often experience motor and balance difficulties. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of game therapy on the balance of children with cerebral palsy, with a focus on basic abilities. Materials and Methods: This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest controlled approach. Twenty children aged 4-10 years, diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy with levels 1 and 2 according to SCFMG standards, with a minimum IQ of 80 (to be able to perform the required tasks), and possessing the basic ability to stand and maintain posture balance, as well as communicate and understand linguistic concepts, were randomly selected from rehabilitation clinics in Tehran. Subjects were randomly divided into the control and game therapy groups. The pediatric balance scale (PBS) test was used to evaluate the balance level using a WII device with a wireless controller and a motion controller. The exercise program consisted of nine different games targeting various areas with the common goal of improving the child's balance. After 20 game therapy sessions, (four 20-minute sessions per week,) tests were repeated in the post-test. The data were analyzed with tow way ANOVA Test and paired T-test by SPSS, 20. Results : The results of the paired t-test indicate a significant improvement in static balance in the post-test for the game therapy group when compared to the pre-test ( P <0.0001). Moreover, the dynamic balance of the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the post-test when compared to the pre-test ( P =0.042). Conclusion: The study findings indicate that game therapy is a viable method for enhancing both static and dynamic balance in children with cerebral palsy. Given that the games used in the therapy are intended to be played at home with parental supervision, it is advised that these games be utilized to improve the balance of children with cerebral palsy.