majid gholipour

One of the main challenges already faced by communication networks is the efficient management of increasing complexity. Cognitive networks are put forwarded in the framework of evolution of network architectures as novel paradigms to provide autonomous in network reasoning to support end to end goals. This paper aims at proposing a new method for modifying spectral efficiency of topology control using new vertex coloring algorithm in Thomas cognitive networks.

Heart failure contributes to cellular lesions and left ventricular dysfunction. The present study aimed to determine the effects of intense continuous endurance training on protein synthesis gene expression and prevention of isoproterenol-induced cardiac apoptosis. 

In this experimental study, 16 male Wistar rats were assigned to exercise and control groups. After eight-week treadmill running, with 15° inclination, at 65-75% of VO2max for 30-60 minutes, Isoproterenol (3 mg/kg) was injected into the rats subcutaneously for 7 days. And 24 hours after the last injection, the left ventricular tissue was stored at -80°C for qRT-PCR and TUNEL assay. Between-group differences were determined by parametric and non-parametric tests, using SPSS software version 24. 

There was a significant increase in mTORC1 gene expression in the training group (P = 0.026) but AMPK alterations failed to be significant. eEF2K gene expression was suppressed in the training group (P = 0.001) which resulted in a significant increase in eEF2 expression (P = 0.005). Left ventricular weight and heart weight/body weight increased compared to the control group (P = 0.028, P = 0.010, respectively). And the training protocol effectively prevented the formation of isoproterenol-induced apoptotic cells (P <0.001). 

The exercise training protocol increased protein synthesis gene expression, and improved cardiac protection by reducing apoptosis. This protocol can be considered a promising modality in preventing and reducing apoptosis induced by heart disease such as myocardial infarction.

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the antecedents and consequences of market orientation in the Iranian banking industry and to present a conceptual model in this field. In order to achieve this goal, first five main perspectives of market orientation including decision-making perspective, market knowledge perspective, culture-based behavioral perspective, strategic perspective and customer orientation perspective and the factors affecting them were studied. Then, the common elements of these views were extracted and using the findings of previous researches, qualitative data were collected in order to design a model. For this purpose, the opinions of 50 experts and specialists in the banking industry were received and coded for content analysis. Based on the results of data analysis, senior management characteristics, structural and organizational characteristics and cross-sectoral interactions were identified as internal antecedents of market orientation in the Iranian banking industry. Competition structure, market turmoil, technology turmoil were also among the external antecedents of market orientation in the country's banking industry. The consequences of market orientation were also categorized and identified in two groups of economic performance (profitability, return on investment, sales volume, sales growth) and non-economic factors (employee outcomes and customer outcomes).

A Recommendation system is a BI tool that it uses data mining methods for guiding and helping the user to select the best items based on her/his preferences and in the shortest time. Despite more than two decades of academic research on recommendation systems, this issue is still one of the most up-to-date research challenges. Recommendation systems save the users time, increase their satisfaction and their loyalty to sales sites and lead to the development of e-commerce, by personalizing the recommendations of goods or services to site users. Nowadays, recommendation systems have many applications in various sectors of e-commerce, especially in media products such as books, movies, and music. The famous e-commerce sites such as eBay, Amazon, and Netflix and domestic sites such as Digikala, Divar, and Filimo widely use recommendation systems. These systems use a variety of big data filtering methods to provide appropriate recommendations. The most important and widely used filtering method is collaborative filtering (CF). In this paper, we implement three CF recommender systems based on the correlation coefficient between users, selecting the optimal number of neighbors and calculating weighted scores for unwatched movies. The best method with the least error is selected as the desired model. We use Movielens ml-latest-small 100k research dataset with 9742 movies and 610 users as input. The results showed 3.29% less RMSE error compared with the latest research that has used the correlation method.

One of the most important influential factors in the process of human physiological adaptations is angiogenesis; which helps to repair and grow body tissues by continuously creating blood vessels through angiopoietin activity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of three methods of moderate-intensity continuous, high-intensity continuous, and high-intensity intermittent training on the angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 genes expression in the subcutaneous fat tissue of male Wistar rats.

For this purpose, 32 male Wistar rats with an average weight of 236.3±34.5 grams and age of 8 weeks were randomly divided into four groups of intense intermittent running aerobic training (including four intense intervals with an intensity of 90% to 100% of VO2max and four low-intensity intervals at 50% to 60% of VO2max in a total time of 38 minutes), moderate-intensity continuous running aerobic training (including running at 65% of VO2max in a total time of 47 minutes), high intensity continuous running aerobic training (including running at 65% of VO2max in a total time of 40 minutes with an incremental incline of the treadmill with a 2% of incline every two weeks), and Control. Twenty-four hours after the last training session, after complete anesthesia, subcutaneous fat tissue samplings of the abdomen were done. The gene expression levels of angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 in subcutaneous fat tissue were measured by the RT-PCR method. Due to the non-normal distribution of data in some groups, Kruskal-Wallis statistical method was used.

The results showed that the angiopoietin-1 gene expression increased in all three training groups compared with the control group, which was significant in the moderate-intensity continuous group. Also, the angiopoietin-2 expression increased in all three groups compared with the control group, which was significant in the high-intensity continuous group. 

In general, continuous training seems to have a positive effect on the increase of angiopoietin-1 and -2 expression in subcutaneous fat tissue.

Obesity is the cause of various diseases and in this regard, the growth of adipose tissue is associated with changes in angiogenesis. The effect of exercise on regulation of adipose tissue angiogenesis has been shown by some studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of exercise activity with different intensity and volume on the expression of PDGF-B and FGF-2 genes in subcutaneous adipose tissue of Wistar rats.

In this experimental study 24 rats (8 weeks old weighing 237±33 g) were kept under standard conditions and were randomly divided into 3 groups High Intensity Interval Training, Moderate Intensity Training and Control. HIIT (28 minutes, including 4 intervals of high intensity at 90 to 100% VO2max and low intensity at 50 to 60% VO2max) and MIT (37 minutes with an intensity of 65% VO2max) groups underwent 8 weeks exercise training. Tissue sampling was performed 24 hours after the last exercise training session and expression of PDGF-B and FGF-2 genes were measured by qRT-PCR. One-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests were used to analyze the data at the significance level of α <0.05.

The results showed that HIIT and MIT significantly increased PDGF-B and FGF-2 gene expression in rat adipose tissue compared to the control group (both P=0.001).

It seems that according to the findings of the present study, both training protocols have the same effects on the process of angiogenesis of subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Muscle loss occurs in some conditions such as aging, sarcopenia, and cancer. The interaction between protein synthesis and degradation signaling components induced by high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is not well studied.

The purpose of the present study was to simultaneously examine the effect of eight-week HIIT on the gene expression of both signaling components.

Sixteen male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to HIIT and non-exercise control groups. The HIIT group ran on a treadmill, five days/week for eight weeks, with 0º slope, including five interval sets of high and low intensity. Forty-eight hours after the last exercise session, dissected soleus muscles were stored at -80°C for later analyses.

The gene expression of Akt1, mTORC1, and S6K1 were increased in the HIIT group compared with the control group (All P ≤ 0.031) concomitant with the suppression of eIF4EBP1. The results of the S6K1 and eIF4EBP1 mRNA were also confirmed by the Western blotting. According to the inhibitory effect of Akt1, the gene expressions of FoxO3a and, consequently, MuRF1 and LC3A were significantly inhibited (All P ≤ 0.003). Western blot analysis did not confirm the LC3A protein expression, which may underline the role of LC3A in autophagy to promote cell survival.

The intensities and durations of the exercise training protocol are sufficient to increase protein synthesis signaling components and especially inhibit the atrophy-related gene expression, which may lead to attenuating muscle loss and increasing muscle mass. Accordingly, it may be considered for rehabilitation and/or prevention of some conditions such as sarcopenia and cachexia.

Recommendation systems are one of the most essential tools for e-commerce intelligence. These systems with different types of data filtering methods are able to offer the best recommendations from a multitude of selectable items. Collaborative Filtering is the most widely used method of filtering data to make recommendations. One of the advanced models for predicting ratings in the Collaborative Filtering is the Singular Value Decomposing (SVD). In this paper, an optimized model of the film recommending system based on the SVD method is developed, which while reducing the dimensions of the matrices and the volume of computations and memory, and with iteration replacement method, has appropriate accuracy compared with other methods. For this research, a set of 100k Movie Lens datasets and Python programming have been used. Evaluation of error rate with root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) value shows a good improvement over similar methods in other references.vv

The role of Hippo signaling pathway, which was identified by genetic studies as a key regulator for tissue growth and organ size, in promoting physiological cardiac hypertrophy has not been investigated.

Fourteen male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the exercise and control groups. The exercise group ran 1 hour per day, 5 days/week, at about 65%-75% VO2max on the motor-driven treadmill with 15º slope, and the control group ran 15 min/d, 2 days/week at 9 m/min (0º inclination), throughout the eight-week experimental period. Forty-eight hours after the last session, hearts were dissected and left ventricles were weighed and stored for subsequent RT-PCR analysis.

Despite a significant increase in the MAP4k1 expression levels in the exercise group (P = 0.001), the Mst1 expression was inhibited compared to the control group (P < 0.001) which was followed by suppression of Lats1 expression (P = 0.001). Compared with the control group, significant increases were observed in heart weight/body weight (P = 0.024) and left ventricular weight/body weight (P = 0.034) ratios in the exercise group. The H&E staining confirmed the cardiac hypertrophy that may be partly due to a significant increase in Yap1 expression level compared with the control group (P<0.001), which was confirmed by Western blot analysis.

Increased MAP4K1 expression did not influence Lats1 activation. The exercise training protocol suppressed Mst1 and Lats1 (Hippo pathway) and caused an increase in Yap1 expression level, which led to physiological cardiac hypertrophy in healthy rats. Further studies are suggested to apply this exercise protocol for the prevention and/or rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease and health promotion.

Pathological hypertrophy is one of the negative consequences of cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity. Recent studies have shown that YAP1 plays a critical role in cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. Considering the preventive role of exercise training in cardiovascular diseases, the present study was conducted to examine the effect of aerobic exercise training on YAP1 gene expression and its upstream components.

Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into aerobic training and control groups. Aerobic training was performed one hour/day, five days per week, for eight weeks, on a treadmill at 65‑75% VO2 max. Pathological hypertrophy was induced by injecting 3 mg/kg‑1 of isoproterenol for seven days. The left ventricle was separated, and YAP1, 3‑mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MST), large tumor suppressor (LATS), and mitogen‑activated protein 4 kinase (MAP4K) gene expressions were assessed and YAP1 protein levels were also assessed by western blotting. Cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assays. The between‑group differences were evaluated using the T‑test and P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

There were no significant between‑group differences in MST gene expression (P = 0.061); meanwhile, in the training group, LATS and Map4K expressions were suppressed, followed by a significant increase in YAP1 expression (P < 0.001). Compared to the control group, the left ventricular weight increased significantly in the training group while the cardiomyocyte apoptosis decreased.

The results showed that, by reducing LATS, aerobic training‑induced YAP1 upregulation can help prevent the propagation of cardiomyocyte apoptosis due to pathological conditions.

Skeletal muscle mass, which is regulated by a balance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation, is an important factor for movement to meet everyday needs, especially in pathological conditions and aging. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the alterations of the gene expression involved in muscle protein synthesis and degradation signaling pathways induced by two exercise training protocols.

Eight weeks old Wistar rats have been assigned to the present experimental study, which was conducted from August 2018 to October 2018 at the animal laboratory of Tehran University. They were randomly divided into two resistance and endurance training groups and one control group, and run on a treadmill, 5 sessions per week for 8 weeks. 48 hours after the last exercise session, the rats in the two groups were anesthetized, and the dissected soleus muscles from euthanized animals were stored at -80° for RT-PCR and Western blot analysis later. Between-group differences were analyzed by the parametric and non-parametric tests for normally and non-normally distributed data respectively, at the significance level of α˂0.05.

Compared with the control group, mTORC1 gene expression was increased significantly just in the endurance group (P=0.022), whereas both endurance and resistance exercise protocols caused a significant increase in Rps6kb1 (P˂0.001 and P=0.001 respectively). In protein degradation pathway, although, FOXO3a did not alter significantly (P=0.463), eIF4Ebp1 gene expression was inhibited by both endurance and resistance exercise training protocols (P˂0.001 and P=0.001 respectively). The alterations of Rps6kb1 and FOXO3a gene expression were confirmed by Western blot analysis.

The results showed that the exercise training protocols of the present study had approximately similar effects on alterations of gene expression involved in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation pathways. Therefore, application of the protocols may be considered to prevent or reduce the muscle atrophy in pathological conditions such as motor neuron disease, aging, and/or muscle strength improvement in athletes.

Skeletal muscle mass depends on the balance between synthesis and degradation of muscle protein, which changes with aging and disease. The aim of the present reserch was to examine the effects of two exercise training protocols on alterations of some genes involved in pathways of protein synthesis and degradation in order to achieve a more effective training program in case of pathological conditions, aging process, and improvement of athletic performance.
  In this experimental study, 8 week old Wistar rats, were randomly divided into three groups of resistance training, high-intensity interval training, and control. To examine gene expression, 48 hours after the last exercise session, the Soleus muscles were dissected and stored at -80C. Between-group differences, were analysed using parametric and non-parametric tests at the significance level of α˂0.05.
  Compared to the control group, the increased expression of AKT and Rps6kb1 genes, was significant in both training groups (especially resistance group). Moreover, the gene expression related to the protein degradation signaling pathway, (MuRF1 and Map1LC3a), were suppressed by both training protocols, especially high-intensity interval training group and were confirmed by Western blotting analysis.
  Given the fact that the protein synthesis-related gene expression was increased by resistance training and protein degradation-related gene expression was suppressed by high-intensity interval training, the practical application of the two protocols can be considered simultaneously in order to reduce muscle atrophy in pathological conditions, aging, as well as to increase muscle strength to improve athletic performance.

One of the negative effects of cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity is pathologic hypertrophy. Recent studies have indicated that large tumor suppressor (LATS) is one of the molecules which play a critical role in cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Considering the preventive role of exercise training, we evaluated the effects of endurance training on LATS gene expression and its upstream pathway in the present study. Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: endurance and control. Endurance training was performed for 8 weeks, 1 hour per day, and 6 days per week on the treadmill at a 15° inclination. Pathologic hypertrophy was induced with the injection of 3 mg/kg-1 of isoproterenol for 7 days; and after 24 hours, the left ventricle was separated and the gene expressions of LATS, MST, and MAP4K were measured. The apoptosis cells of the left ventricle were counted via TUNEL assay. The data were analyzed using the t-test and the Mann–Whitney test. The gene expressions of LATS and MAP4K in the training group decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.001). In addition, the apoptosis levels of cardiomyocytes in the training group decreased and the left ventricular weight increased significantly. There were no differences in MST gene expression between the groups (P = 0.061). Our results showed that endurance exercise training diminished LATS suppression by reducing the expression of MAP4K, preventing the propagation of apoptosis induced by hypertrophy in the cardiomyocytes of the Wistar rats.

There are changes in plasma glucose and HbA1c of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in different seasons. HbA1c levels may increase during winter season in most T2DM patients without weight gain. In this study, we described the seasonal changes of HbA1c levels in T2DM patients. This analytical cross-sectional study conducted from 2013 to 2017 on 402 patients with T2DM, aged 20–80 years old who referred to Yazd diabetic research center. Body weight, height, waist circumferences (WC), blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 hours post-prandial (2hpp), and HbA1c measured and compared during four seasons. Four hundred and two T2DM patients invited and fulfilled this study. Most of them (56%) were women. The mean age of patients was 58.96 (± 11.10) years old. The mean HbA1c, 2hpp, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly different in four seasons (P-value respectively: 0.022, 0.007, 0.001 and 0.005). The mean difference of HbA1c was significant in the warm and cold seasons (P-value: 0.047). The percentage of people who were below 7% had a significant difference between the warm and cold seasons (P-value: 0.015). The results of this study showed that, in Yazd with desert climate, postprandial hyperglycemia is more prominent in summer. The seasonal changes of glycemic status are an important factor in management of T2DM patients.

Mental retardation is one of the most common mental disabilities that accounts for about 3% of the world population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a core stability exercise program on the electromyography activity, static and dynamic balance of mentally retarded adolescent girls. 24 mentally retarded female students (age range 15-17 yr) were divided into two groups: experimental (n=12) and control (n=12). The experimental group performed core stability exercises for 6 weeks. The selected exercises consisted of half sit-up, side plank and four lower abdominal strengthening exercises. The Stork (one-leg standing) and Y tests were respectively used to measure static and dynamic balance. The EMG system was used to evaluate the electromyography activities induced by maximum voluntary isometric contraction of the rectus abdominis and external abdominal oblique muscles. Dependent and independent t tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the core stability exercises significantly improved the static and dynamic balance, and also EMG activity in experimental group compared with the control group (all P<0.001). Therefore, the practical application of this protocol along with other training is suggested to rehabilitate and enhance performance in mentally retarded adolescent girls.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of continuous endurance training (CET) and high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the gene expression of foxO1 and foxO3 a in male rats’cardiac tissue.

18 rats were studied under standard condition. CET protocol was performed 5 sessions per week at 70% VO2 max and HIIT protocolwas performed 3 sessionsper week at 90% VO2 max for two minutes in the first and second weeks and then 110% VO2 max for the rest of the training period. Low intensity intervals were performed at 40% VO2 max for two minutes since the first week to the end of the third week and 30% VO2 max for the rest of the training period. Finally, foxO1 and foxO3a gene expression level were assessed by Real time - PCR and using the formula 2-ΔΔct. The results were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis test with a significance level of P < 0.05.

The results show that compared to control group, CET caused a significant reduction in foxO1 and foxO3a gene expression (both P=0.004). HIIT caused a significant reduction in foxO3a gene expression (P=0.004) but had no significant effect on reduction of foxO1 gene expression level(P=0.055). The levels of genes expression were significantly differed in the two experimental groups (P=0.002).

According to the results, both training protocols of the presentstudy may lead to effective training adaptations

The present this study aimed to determine the proper cut-off points for waist circumference (WC), Waist to height ratio (WHtR) and body mass index (BMI) for early predicting of metabolic syndrome among inactive college students.
In this cross-sectional study, 126 males (age 20.33±1.71) and 63 females (age 20.36±1.72) with inactive lifestyle participated. Based on the metabolic risk factors, the participants were assigned to group 1 (one risk factor and less) or group 2 (two risk factors and more) separately. Data were obtained using a questionnaire, anthropometric and physical fitness (VO2max) measurements and blood sampling. Independent t-tests was used to show between-group differences according to the numbers of risk factors, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between obesity indices and metabolic risk factors, and the ROC curves was used to estimate the power of predicting and to determine the cut-off points for metabolic syndrome’s risk factors.
Significant correlation between obesity indices and metabolic risk factors (Except blood glucose and systolic blood pressure in males) were observed. As the number of metabolic risk factors increased, the significant elevation of obesity indices in both genders were observed. All obesity indices were within normal range except fat percentage. Cut-off points for BMI, WC and the WHtR, were 21.19, 20.84 and 77.75, 0.46 and 75.50, 0.48 for males and females respectively.
The best predictive indices and cutoff points for susceptibility to metabolic syndrome were: in males, 77.75 for WC and in females, 21.19 for BMI. It should be noted that in the present study, two or more factors were considered to determine the cut-off points to diagnose susceptible individuals.

Aim. This study aimed to determine predictive power of obesity indices, cardiovascular fitness and physical activity in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in male and female college students.
Background. Given the high mortality due to cardiovascular diseases from the young age caused by obesity and physical inactivity, the primary prevention, especially at an early age can be a solution to avoid the disease. Initial screening by simple, secure and affordable methods for prevention is essential.
Method. A total of 223 students (150 males, age 20.33±1.71 and 73 females, age 20.36±1.72) participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were obtained using a questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and cardiovascular fitness (VO2max). Independent t-tests was used to show difference between gender in terms of variables, ANOVA was used to determine the differences among groups of male and female separately, whose had the different number of risk factors, and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient were used to determine the correlation of obesity indices and VO2max with metabolic risk factors, and the ROC curves was used to measure the power of predicting and the cut-off points of cardiovascular risk factors.
Findings.Statistically significant correlation was found between obesity indices and metabolic risk factors (other than blood glucose and systolic blood pressure in males). As the number of metabolic risk factors increased, elevation in obesity indices in females and the reduction of VO2max in males were significant. All obesity indices were within normal range. Cut-off points calculated by the ROC were 21.11 for body mass index and 75.15, 0.44 and 75.50, 0.47 for waist circumference and the waist-to-height ratio, for males and females respectively.
Conclusion. The findings of this study showed that the obesity indices are more powerful than physical activity levels and VO2max for predicting the possibility of cardiovascular disease among students.

attention to the relationship between obesity and type ΙΙ diabetes and also lack of enough data on the evaluation of obese individual’s glucose and insulin responses to different exercise intensities، the present cross sectional study aimed to examine the effects of different intensities running on plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in two levels of obesity in sedentary male students at Sharif University of Technology. Six men in class Ι obese and five men in class ΙΙ obese ran on the treadmill with progressive intensities of 50، 60، 70، and 80% of VO2max for 10، 10، 5، and 2 minutes، respectively. Blood samples were collected before، during exercise and at 30، 60، and 120 minutes during recovery period. Repeated-measures، two-factor ANOVA، dependent and paired t-tests were used to assess both between group and intergroup differences. Statistical significance was accepted at the 5% level. Plasma glucose concentrations of both groups were unchanged until 70% and increased at 80% compare to resting values but there were observed no significant differences during recovery. Plasma insulin concentrations decreased before 60% in both groups and rose after that and significantly differed to the resting values at 80% which remained significant just half an hour after the exercise cessation. Considering the similar effects of running at 80% VO2max on elevation of glucose and insulin concentrations in both levels of obesity، conducting an experience on diabetic’s patients may help to find a proper manner for prevention and more effective treatment.

Body weight is influenced by both food intake and energy expenditure. Acylated ghrelin enhances appetite, and its circulating level is suppressed by Growth Hormone. Data on the acylated ghrelin responses to exercise of different intensities in obese individuals are currently not available. This study examined the effects of an intermittent exercise protocol on acylated ghrelin levels and hunger ratings in obese people. Nine inactive male ran on the treadmill at 0900 with progressive intensities of 50, 60, 70, and 80% of VO2max for 10, 10, 5, and 2 min respectively. Blood samples were collected before the exercise at 0845 (-15 min as the resting values), after each workload (10, 23, 31, and 36 min during exercise), and at 30, 60, and 120 min thereafter. The control trial was conducted under identical conditions with the exception of exercise. Compared to the baseline, both acylated ghrelin levels and hunger ratings were suppressed at 70% of VO2max during exercise (17.74 vs. 9.80 pmol/L and 4.84 vs. 2.96 unit respectively) and remained significantly lower than the control trial 2 h after the cessation of exercise (13.95 vs. 20.32 pmol/L and 3.33 vs. 6.04 unit, respectively). Growth Hormone increased during the exercise period and peaked at 80% of VO2max. These findings indicate that acylated ghrelin concentrations and hunger ratings are suppressed during exercise and two hours thereafter in obese individuals, and it is possible that Growth Hormone caused the suppression of acylated ghrelin.

The prevalence of obesity has risen enormously over the past few decad-es. Both food intake (Appetite) and energy expenditure can influence body weight. Acylated ghrelin enhances appetite، and its plasma level is suppressed by growth horm-one. The present study، examines the effects of an intermittent exercise with progress-ive intensities on acylated ghrelin، appetite، and growth hormone in inactive male students with two levels of obesity. Eleven inactive males were allocated into two groups on the basis of their body mass index (BMI). Six subjects in group one، BMI= 31. 18±0. 92 kg/m2، and five subjects in group two، BMI= 36. 94±2. 25 kg/m2، ran on the treadmill with progressive intensities of 50، 60، 70 and 80% of VO2max for 10، 10، 5، and 2 min respectively. Blood samples were collected before the exercise (as the resting values)، after each workload (during the exercise)، and at 30، 60، and 120 min (during recovery). Plasma acylated ghrelin concentrations and hunger ratings in two groups were decreased and remained significantly lower than resting values (P=0. 008 and P=0. 002 respectively) at the end of the trial and there was no significant differences between groups. Growth hormone levels in two groups were increased and remained significant-ly higher than resting values (groups one P=0. 012، group two P=0. 005) at the end of the trial and there was no significant differences between groups. In addition، there were no significant differences between area under the curves (AUC) values over total periods for acylated ghrelin، hunger ratings، and growth hormone in two groups. These findings indicate that individuals with two levels of obesity have the same response to the different intensities of treadmill running and two hours thereafter during recovery period، which can be considered for designing a more effective weighting loss training program.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among the Sharif University of Technologystudents. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality and disability in Iran and obesity is considered as one of the main causes. The primary prevention is a solution for prevention of this disease، especially from an early age. The studies regarding prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors are limited and unavailable in the university students especially in engineering students. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 223 Sharif University of Technology students (150 male، mean age 20. 33؛ and 73 female، mean age 20. 36). Data were collected by using questionnaire، blood analysis and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 19. 29% (male: 22. 66%، female12. 33%) and central obesity based on waist circumference index was 21. 97% (male: 18%، female: 30. 14%). Also، 60. 09% of subjects were inactive and 43. 5% had low HDL-C. High triglyceride levels and hypertension were observed in subjects (12. 21% and 14. 8%، respectively). There were at least two cardiovascular risk factors in 87% of subjects. There were positive correlations of body mass index with systolic blood pressure (r =0. 224، P=0. 0005) and triglyceride (r=0. 147، P=0. 014); and negative correlation between body mass index and HDL-C (r=-0. 189، P=0. 002). The results showed that the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is high among the students; therefore، it is necessary to provide an appropriate evaluation and solution for prevention and health promotion.

Body weight is regulated by both food intake and energy expenditure. Ghrelin, a hormone produced by the stomach and pancreas, enhances appetite. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of intermittent treadmill running on acylated ghrelin and appetite in individuals with obesity. Nine inactive male students, with a mean age of 20.56±0.48 yrs, a body mass index of 32.68±0.84 kg/m2 and a maximum oxygen uptake of 34.21±1.48 ml/kg/min, participated in the study in two trials (control and exercise) in a counterbalanced, randomized design. The protocol included intermittent running with a constant intensity at 65% of VO2 max on a treadmill. Blood samples were collected before, during, and 2h after cessation of the exercise. Acylated ghrelin concentrations and hunger ratings decreased significantly in the second phase and remained lower than baseline (P=0.006 and P=0.002, respectively) at the end of the exercise. The total area under the curve values and hunger ratings (all P<0.0005) were significantly lower in the exercise trial compared with the control state. Similarly, growth hormone rose significantly at the second phase and remained higher than baseline (P=0.033) at the end of the exercise trial. These findings indicate that acylated ghrelin and appetite are reduced by running at 65% of VO2 max and remain lower than baseline even two hours afterwards in individuals with obesity. Growth hormone seems to be more responsible for this suppression. Further studies are required to investigate whether this protocol could elicit the same effects in short-term training programs.