Effect of physical activity and 217-Hz extremely low frequency electromagnetic field on rat locomotor activity

Background: Nowadays the widespread use of cell phones has increased concerns about the biological effects of electromagnetic fields on human body. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of physical activity in moderating the effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) emitted from cell phones on rat locomotor activity. Material and Methods: Male Albino-Wistar rats (no=70) were divided into seven groups: Short and Long- term physical activity; Control, ELF-EMF; Sham; Long-term physical activity+ELF-EMF; Short-term physical activity+ELF-EMF. Short and Long- term physical activity groups were forced to daily treadmill running (30 minutes) for one week and one month, respectively. ELF-EMF group was exposed to ELF-EMF cell phone simulator for three hours during the period. Having placed in the ELF-EMF simulator device, the physical activity+ELF-EMF groups were transferred to treadmill. Locomotor activity were analyzed as distance, time and speed of movement in open field apparatus. Results: The results showed that the ELF-EMF from cell phones can significantly decrease the locomotor activity in the exposed rats. On the other hand, short and long-term physical activity significantly increased motor activity in the trained rats (P≤0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the combination groups (Physical activity+ELF-EMF) and ELF group in locomotor activity. Conclusion: The results revealed that the physical activity could not prevent the decrease of locomotor activity caused by ELF-EMF from cell phone

Anthropometric characteristics and sport background of athlete students

Background : Evaluating the anthropometric characteristics and sport background of athlete students is of utmost importance. The present study was conducted to evaluate anthropometric characteristics of female and male athlete students of Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. Materials and methods : It was a descriptive study. Initial data including height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and sport background of athletes were recorded. Results : 3700 students had entered this study, of these, 42.2 were females and 57.8 were males. The mean height of male and female athletes was 177.86 and 162.44 cm, respectively. Their mean weight was 71.63 and 56.51kg, respectively. BMI was 22.61 and 21.46 kg/m2, respectively. Among male athletes, 30.6 had learnt their interested sport at university, 31.1 at sport clubs, 27.2 at high school, and 10.6 in other places. For female athlete these figures were 10, 19.4, 44.2, and 26, respectively. The mean year of sport practice was 8.2 and 5.48 years for male and female athletes, respectively. Conclusion : Most of the athletes had normal anthropometric measures. These measures can be used to select suitable athlete for championships

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among the General Population During COVID-19 Outbreak in Iran: A National Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Background: Emerged in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the largest pandemics ever. During the early phase, little was known about public knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) relating to coronavirus disease. This study was designed to determine KAP of Iranians toward COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out in Iran from February 25 to April 25 using a self-administered questionnaire on 1,480 people. COVID-19-related KAP questions were adapted from other internationally validated questionnaires specific for infectious diseases. Results: All participants were aware of COVID-19. When asked unprompted, 80 of respondents could correctly cite fever, difficulty in breathing, and cough as signs/symptoms of COVID-19. Most of our sample population knew that staying at home and isolated (95.3) as well as constant handwashing and using disinfectants (92.5) could prevent COVID-19. However, there were also widespread misconceptions such as the belief that COVID-19 can be transmitted by wild animals (58) and by air (48.3). Unprompted, self-reported actions taken to avoid COVID-19 infection included handwashing with soap and water (95.4), avoiding crowded places (93), cleansing hands with other disinfectants (80.), and covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing (76.1). The Internet and social media (94.5) were the main coronavirus information sources. However, the most trusted information sources on coronavirus were health and medical professionals (79.3). The majority of participants (77.0) wanted more information about coronavirus to be available. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that people's knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 at the time of its outbreak was at a high level