Interleukin-6 and insulin resistance response to exercise training and detraining in middle-aged and obese men: a randomized clinical trial

Background and aims: The aim of present study was to compare the effects of 12 weeks of nonlinear resistance training (NRT) and aerobic interval training (AIT), and also effects of 4 weeks of detraining after these training on interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin resistance in young obese men. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, at first 38 obese men were matched by aerobic fitness, age and percentage of body fat. Then, they were randomly assigned to NRT (n=14), AIT (n=12) and control (Con, n=12) groups. The training groups performed 3 weekly sessions for 12 weeks followed by a 4 weeks detraining period. NRT consisted of 40-65 minutes of weight training at different intensities with flexible periodization. AIT consisted of running on a treadmill (4 sets of 4 minutes at 80-90% of maximal heart rate, with 3-minute recovery intervals). Serum levels of IL-6 and insulin resistance were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the glucose oxidase method for serum glucose concentration. Results: Compared to Con, it was not observed in serum IL-6 levels any change significantly after the NRT (P=0.593) and AIT (P=0.623), but this cytokine worsened significantly after detraining with the NRT (P=0.011) and AIT (P=0.017). Both NRT (P=0.006) and AIT (P=0.046) groups was equally effective at reducing insulin resistance, but these values returned to the pre-training levels after detraining. Conclusion: The young obese men can use the two exercise programs to reduce insulin resistance. Also, IL-6 increased significantly in both training groups after detraining. Thus, it is recommended that the training programs should not be discontinued to prevent worsening of inflammatory conditions

Impact of Consumer Awareness on Purchase Intentions: An Ethical View

An increasing number of people make their consumption decisions on the basis of ethical values, such as environmentally friendly products and production methods, labour standards (wage rates and working conditions), and human rights. Ethical consumerism is a growing phenomenon that underpins ethical trade activities. The purpose of this study is to examine consumers’ awareness of both environmental and Fair Trade issues and to examine their associated purchase behaviors.  In addition, the study compares the relationship between ethical awareness and ethical purchase behavior across these two ethical issues in a sample of Iranians consumers.  The sample was composed of undergraduate students at Islamic Azad University. One-hundred five respondents completed a self-administered survey which assessed their awareness and purchase behaviors.  A comparison between environmental and Fair Trade issues on both awareness and purchase behavior was conducted.  T-tests revealed a significant difference between awareness of Fair Trade and environmental issues (means = 2.63 and 3.01 respectively, t = -4.52, p <.0001).  However, there were no significant differences between green purchase behavior and Fair Trade purchase behavior (means = 2.73 and 2.79 respectively, t = -.442, p = .44). Keywords: consumer Awareness, purchase intentions, environmental issues, Trade issue

Old Remedies for Epilepsy: Avicenna\u27s Medicine.

BACKGROUND: The history of epilepsy and its treatments dates back to at least 4 millennia. Avicenna, c. 980 AD in Bukhara, Khorasan-1037 in Hamedan was a Persian-speaking Iranian physician, who has many recommendations and suggested various therapies for epilepsy in his book, The Canon of Medicine. METHODS: We first reviewed the most important ancient treatments for epilepsy mentioned by Avicenna and considered those as the key words for our next step. Then, we made a literature search (medline and scopus) with those key words to find out new scientific findings in modern medicine about the Avicenna\u27s suggestions. RESULTS: Among the Avicenna\u27s recommended therapies for epilepsy, only Rue has been tested for anticonvulsant activities in modern medicine. Interestingly, it had a dose dependent anticonvulsant effect. CONCLUSION: It is worthwhile to consider the Avicenna\u27s recommended therapies for epilepsy and to design future scientific studies based on his suggestions

A Hybrid Model: Price and Branding Issues

Brand extension has been extensively discussed during the past two decades. The current research identifies and examines the effect of several price-related variables on consumers’ judgments of brand extensions. We expect and find that consumers’ price expectations of a brand extension are affected by the price of the parent brand. The relative price of the parent category in relation to the extension category also affects consumers’ price expectations of the brand extension’s price, and moderates the effect of the parent brand price. In addition, the impact of the price of the parent brand and relative price of the parent category on brand extension evaluations is moderated by the distribution or heterogeneity of prices in the extension category. Finally, we find that the impact of consumers’ expectation of the brand extension’s price is stronger when they are confronted with the actual price of the extension than when they are not. Keywords: hybrid model, price perception, Brand extensions, Brand attitude