Introduction: Although exercise is an effective strategy for preventing and treating stroke, the extent of this effect seems to depend on when exercise begins. Apoptosis plays a critical role after stroke. However, it is unclear whether early exercise inhibits apoptosis after stroke? The aim of this study was to determine the effect of eight weeks of early aerobic training after stroke induction on caspase-3 protein expression and apoptosis in the hippocampus of male Wistar rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 32 adult male Wistar rats (weighting 210-252 gr) were purchased and randomly divided into four groups: sham, ischemia, training and ischemia+ training groups. Ischemia was induced by the occlusion of both common carotid arteries (CCA) for 45 min. Aerobic training was initiated at 24 hours after induction of ischemia, for eight weeks for 20-50 minutes and at a speed of 18-30 meters per minute in each session and five sessions per week. Forty eight hours after the last training session, rats were sacrificed, then using immunohistochemical staining technique of caspase-3 protein expression and the rate of cell apoptosis were measured by hematoxylin and eosinophil (H&E) staining method in hippocampus of rats. Results: The expression of caspase-3 protein and apoptosis in the hippocampus of rats in sham and training groups were significantly lower than in the ischemia and ischemia+ training groups (both; p<0.0001). Moreover, in the ischemia+ training group, the expression of caspase-3 protein and apoptosis showed a significant decrease compared to the ischemia group (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be said that eight weeks of early aerobic training can reduce the lesions induced-cerebral ischemia by reducing the expression of cell death-causing factors.

Background and Objective: Hookah consumption is an underlying decline in lung function. However, data are limited on the physiological effects in young trained and untrained men. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic hookah consumption on aerobic capacity (VO2max), resting and submaximal heart rate in men who are trained and untrained. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine young men (18-34 years) were assigned into the following groups: a. trained-hookah (n = 11), b. untrained-hookah (n = 14), c. trained (n = 12) and d. untrained (n = 12). The trained men had done at least three sessions (1-hour for each) of aerobic training a week during the past three years, while the untrained men had continued a sedentary lifestyle. Hookah smokers had smoked at least three times a week during the period. The VO2max, resting and submaximal heart rate indices were measured in all subjects. Results: One-way analysis of variance showed that VO2max was significantly higher in trained group than the other groups, although no significant difference was observed in the other groups. Resting and submaximal heart rate were remarkably lower in the trained groups than in the untrained groups, but no significant difference was noted in the other groups. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that hookah smoking has a negative effect on aerobic capacity in men who are trained; however, it seems that the effect of aerobic training is higher than the effect of hookah on resting and submaximal heart rate indices.

Background: Research on the effects of interval training on lipid profile and hematological indices is limited. Objectives: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on aerobic performance, body composition, lipid profile, and hematological indices in overweight adolescents. Methods: Thirty overweight boys (13 - 16 years) participated in this study and were randomly divided into three groups, including the control (n = 10), HIIT (n = 10), and MICT (n = 10) groups. HIIT training (4 × 4-minute) was performed with an intensity of 95 - 85% of maximum heart rate, and MICT training (35-minute) was performed with an intensity of 70 - 60% of maximum heart rate, three sessions per week for eight weeks. Beep test and ELISA technique were used to measure aerobic performance, lipid profile, and hematological indices, respectively. The two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to determine the differences with a confidence interval of 95% (α = 0.05). Results: The results showed that except for the variables of glucose, triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), all other variables in the HIIT group had a significant change compared to the pre-test (P < 0.05). Also, the results showed that there was a significant difference between the HIIT and control groups in fat percentage, VO2Max, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), iron, and hemoglobin value (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that HIIT training can be as effective as continuous strategy training to reduce the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease in overweight adolescents.

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