malihe naeimikia

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that leads to loss of nerve cells and impaired memory and learning. This study aims at investigating the effect of an aerobic exercise course before and after Alzheimer's disease induction on memory and learning of amyloid beta-infected Alzheimer's disease rats. Sixty Wistar rats with a mean weight of 195±17.20 g were obtained from the Pasteur Institute of Iran in the pre-Alzheimer's disease induction stage. After two weeks, the rats were randomly divided into two equal groups of control (30 heads) and experiment (30 heads). After four weeks of training, the rats in each group were divided into three subgroups: 1. Amyloid beta injection 2. Placebo injection 3. No injection. The rats in the Alzheimer's disease groups got Alzheimer's disease by injecting Aβ1-42 into the hippocampus. The aerobic exercise protocol was five days a week for four weeks. 24 hours after the last training session, rats' memory and learning were assessed by using the Morris water maze test. Data was analyzed by one-way and two-way ANOVA. Significance between variables was considered at the level of P ≤ 0.05.The results of studying the learning and memory in different groups revealed that exercise groups showed better results than other groups in both Alzheimer's disease rats and healthy rats after a training period before and after Alzheimer's disease induction (P ≤ 0.05). Many studies have shown that physical activity and exercise may improve cognitive function and delay the onset of AD and other diseases associated with dementia. These results are supported by several studies that have shown that physical activity reduces the levels of AD-related factors.
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Previous studies have shown that parental socioeconomic status directly affects the participation of children in physical activities and consequently the improvement in their motor competencies. Nevertheless, this issue has been less studied in children with ADHD. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the associations between parental socioeconomic status and motor competence considering physical activity as a mediator.
The present study followed a descriptive-correlational approach using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population of the study included 86 male students diagnosed with ADHD (mean age of 8.36±1.07) who attended in a special school in Tehran. Short-Form Bruininks-Oseretsky Battery, Parental Socioeconomic Status Scale, and Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children were used for data collection. Pearson correlation test and structural equation modelling were used for investigating the relationships between the research variables.
The mean BMI of the participants was 16.9±1.84, placing the BMI-for-age at the 70-percentile indicating that they have healthy weights. Children in this study were in the lower-average level of motor competence (e.g., balance, upper limb coordination, and strength), their parents were mostly at medium level of socioeconomic status, and the physical activity level of the children was lower than average (M=2.23). In addition, parental socioeconomic status positively affected motor competence (T=6.862) and physical activity (T=5.151), and physical activity positively impacted motor competence (T=5.593).
Low amounts of physical activity in our sample make it necessary to find out appropriate factors and strategies to enhance it in children with ADHD. According to our findings, education and income of parents along with the children’s participation in physical activity may be critical concerns for their health.

Children's motor skills are inversely related to sedentary screen time. COVID-19-lockdown during the pandemic has caused a further increasing on screening time.

The current research aims at investigating the impact of Stickygym games on motor development of children.

Twenty-eight eligible subjects (4-6 years old) were chosen and randomly grouped into control group (n=13) and experimental group (n=15). Using TGMD-2 test, gross motor development was measured. The experimental group performed online Stickygym games for 8 weeks. Stickygym kit includes Hook & Loop strips, with two linear polyester strips being easily but firmly attached together. Trained instructors performed online training sessions. In the end, TGMD-2 test was conducted again in person. Data analysis was done using Shapiro-Wilk, Levene and the analysis of covariance tests were with the significance level of 0.05 in SPSS 24.

Some locomotion skills were significantly improved by Stickygym games: bound (P=0.005), galloping (P=0.012), and running (P=0.003), as well as object control skills: overhand throw (P=0.004), underhand roll (P=0.01), and striking a stationary ball (P=0.021).

This play kit can be utilized by pre-school educators and parents for improving object control and locomotion skills in preschool children.

The aging process is associated with gradual physiological changes in body systems. Identifying problems and issues of the elderly to improve their level of health is essential. Physical activity is an effective way to prevent, delay, or treat aging consequences. The underwater treadmill is one of the most recommended devices for the elderly and people who suffer from joint and muscle pain. One of the main and essential advantages of using an underwater treadmill is that it removes all the limitations people face in aerobic sports and treadmills and the possibility of sports activities. All people of different ages and different levels of physical fitness can use this treadmill. One of the limitations in these sports is the pressure exerted that can lead to muscle cramps and injuries and exacerbate joint wear in certain people, such as those with chronic joint disease, people with obesity, and the elderly, which prevents them from doing so do sports activities. This study aimed to investigate the effect of underwater treadmill exercise on static balance, dynamic balance, and cognitive ability of inactive elderly women.

The research is a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and a control group. Out of the elderly women referred to Hijia Sports Club in Arak City, Iran, 30 elderly women over 60 years old were randomly selected and divided into two experimental and control groups (each group with 15 people). The sample size of the present study was determined by Cohen's table of sample size in experimental studies, considering the effect size of 0.7, test power of 0.91, and the significance level of 0.05. The inclusion criteria included their interest, liking, and non–involvement in regular exercise programs. The personal information questionnaire was also used to control other inclusion criteria such as independence in daily activities and no vision problems, history of falls in the last year, joint dislocation or chronic arthritis, and dizziness; otherwise, they were excluded from the study. The experimental group performed running on an underwater treadmill for 8 weeks, three sessions per week (24 sessions in total), and each session lasted 30 minutes. The training intensity was determined for 10 minutes with 40%–45% and 20 minutes with 55%–65% of the maximum heart rate reserve. All sessions began with a short warm–up, including light aerobic activity and dynamic, static stretching, and ended with a cool–down. It is noteworthy that the control group performed daily activities during the intervention and did not have any other effective and regular sports activities. Changes in static and dynamic balance and cognitive ability before and after the training period were measured by the Modified Stork test (Stork, 1976), Dynamic Balance Performance test (Timed Up and Go test) (Mahtisa, 1985), and Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Folstein et al., 1975). The collected data were classified and described by calculating the mean and standard deviation and drawing a table. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data and test the research hypotheses. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software version 22. A significance level of 0.05 was considered in all analyzes.

The results showed that after the exercise intervention with an underwater treadmill, a significant difference was found between the experimental group with the control regarding the mean scores of static balance (p<0.001), dynamic balance (p<0.001), and cognitive ability (p<0.001), so that the static balance score, dynamic balance, and cognitive ability was higher in the experimental group than the control group. Eta squared showed that 62% of the increase in static balance, 71% of the increase in dynamic balance, and 70% of the increase in cognitive ability in the inactive elderly woman was due to the effect of training with an underwater treadmill.

According to the results, 8 weeks of underwater treadmill training effectively improves static balance, dynamic balance, and cognitive ability of inactive elderly women.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of autonomy-based teaching style in physical education with intrinsic motivation, social anxiety, and tendency to perform physical activities among primary school children.
The present study used a descriptive-correlational design with 384 children (192 boys; mean age of 10.01 years) from the regular primary schools of Tehran, 2019. Data was collected by the use of standard questionnaires. Pearson correlation test and regression analysis were used to examine the associations between variables and independent t-test was used to analyze gender differences.
The boys had higher scores than the girls in perceived autonomy support, intrinsic motivation, and intention to physically perform activities. However, the girls felt higher social anxiety than boys. The results showed that perceived autonomy support had a positive association with intrinsic motivation (P=0.000), which subsequently was associated with intention to do physical activity in the physical education class (P=0.000). Moreover, the boys reported higher perceived autonomy support (P=0.000), more intrinsic motivation (P=0.000) and intention to do physical activities (P=0.000) than girls, however, girls reported higher levels of social anxiety in physical education class (P=0.000). Finally, social anxiety was inversely associated with intention to do physical activity (P=0.049). 
These findings show that physical education teachers should encourage the perceptions of the students about their control in the physical education class, so that the students experience more autonomy.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of participating in a course of recreational sport activity on the self-efficacy and resilience of the physical education teachers.

This study was conducted with a quasi-experimental design. The statistical population of the present study included all the female physical education teachers in Tehran Province (Iran) who were not involved in the recreational sports activities. According to the empirical research, 40 individuals in the control and experimental groups (20 individuals per each study group) were selected as the sample of the study. Baek Habitual Physical Activity Questionnaire (BHPAQ), Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (developed by Neff et al., (2013)), and Resilience Questionnaire (developed by Lutens et al., (2007)) were used for data collection. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis.

The results showed that participating in a course of recreational sport activity had a significant effect on the self-efficacy and resilience of the physical education teachers p < 0/05.

It can be concluded that paying attention to recreational sports activities and promoting these activities in teachers' extracurricular programs can increase the self-efficacy and resilience of the physical education teachers.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of postural strategies training on the balance of women with Multiple Sclerosis. Thirty women with multiple sclerosis (mean age=41.4 ± 5.33) participated in this study. Participants were randomly divided into exercise and control groups. The training group performed practice for eight-week in accordance with the designed protocol, each week conclude three sessions. The control group continued its daily activities. To assess the balance of participants in the pre-test and post-test, functional balance test of Berg, TUG, and Sharpened Romberg test was used. The results showed that in the training group, the meantime of dynamic balance test in the post-test was significantly less than the control group (P=0.001). The dynamic balance test scores of the training group decreased in the post-test compared to the pretest (P=0.001), and the performance improved. There was no significant difference between the control group performance in the pretest and post-test stages (P>0.05). Static balance results also showed that the performance of the subjects in the training group was better than the control group (P=0.001). Also, the scores of functional balance tests in the training group were increased compared to the control group and performance improved (P=0.001). The score of functional balance test scores of the training group in the post-test was reduced to the pre-test and their performance improved. There is no difference between the control group performance in the pretest and posttest phases (P>0.05). The results revealed that eight weeks of postural strategies training improved static, dynamic, and functional balance. The reason for the improvement in the balance after this training seems to be due to an increase in muscle endurance, adaptation neuromuscular and reduction in muscle tension.

Balancing is recognized as one of the most important challenges in the aging period. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of dual and single task training on the balance traits of male elderly people.

Twenty elderly subjects who were available and qualified were selected and randomly divided into two groups of 10, including a walking practice group in dual homework conditions and a single practice group. The dual task team performed a specific cognitive task for each individual while walking, and the other group was practicing routine walking. In the pre-test and post-test phases, the selected kinematic parameters of the selected step were measured using the ZBIS analyzer, which included: step width, step length, dual retention percentage, track, velocity, and velocity changeability. The groups performed exercises for 8 weeks, 3 sessions each 60 minutes a week.

The results of statistical analysis of repeated measuers ANOVA (2 × 2) with intra-group time (before and after training) and the inter-group type of exercise showed a significant intra-group effect. Also a significant different was found between groups in mentioned parameters More analysis revealed the intra-group effect for dual task group for step length parameters, dual stance time, tracks, speed, and velocity variability (P≤0.05). This effect was not seen on the step width (P> 0.05). Also a significant different was found between groups in mentioned parameters

Walking exercises in dual cognitive situations can improve some of the parameters of the step-up in relation to the balance of male elderly.

Vestibular sensory system is one of the main sensory systems contributing motor movements especially balance control which lead to appropriate body position in different situations. The aim of this study was to design، construct and test reliability of a vestibular measurement system. After constructing of the device، 20 male non-athlete students participated voluntarily in the study. An examiner measured vestibular sense system function in 20 subjects for 10 times to evaluate the intra-rater reliability. For evaluating inter- rater reliability 4 examiners were taught how to measure with the device and they measured 4 times. To evaluate the stability of device reliability، at different interval times the examiner measured 8 subjects at two days alternatively during morning and evening. All tests were performed in both sagittal (moving forward and backward) and frontal (moving laterally) planes. Correlation coefficient was used to measured to measure inter and intra reliabilities. The results showed that intra class correlation coefficient for sagittal plane was 0. 95 and for frontal plane was 0. 93. inter class correlation coefficient score for sagittal plane was 0. 89 and for frontal plane 0. 85. Reliability of time consistency of the device between morning and evening measurements for sagittal and frontal planes were 0. 85 and 0. 89 respectively. The results indicated that high correlation coefficient values in inter and intra examiner reliability in sagittal and frontal planes. So the device can be used for measuring vestibular sense system function in these planes.