The Relationship between Social Media Usage and General Health in the Older People of Shiraz City in Iran

Older people today have the fastest growth among demographic groups with increased life expectancy. Contemporary advances in the Internet, especially social media, have changed the pattern of health-based communication. Novel technologies in the form of using the Internet are affecting the healthcare environment. Online interactions can help the people pay more attention to their health and well-being. Patients frequently use the Internet, both as a source of information and for psychological support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of social media use on the general health of older people. In this cross-sectional study, the general health survey for older people aged between 60 and 85 years of Shiraz was completed. The four health criteria also examined those using social media and those who did not. Data were analyzed using non-parametric statistical methods such as Mann-Whitney, ANOVA, t-test, and chi-square. The study revealed that the general health of the elderly was better for people using social media than for those not using the Internet. It was also found that using social media for more than an hour a day reduced the level of health in older people. No correlation was found between age and health status in older people. It was also found that the effect of using the Internet on increasing the women�s health was more pronounced. Using the Internet to interact with others can significantly improve the social functioning of older people. Given the positive impact of using social media on the health of older people, planning to encourage and adequately train the use of the Internet and social media in the elderly group is of particular importance. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Research paper: Cognitive impairments of sleep-deprived ovariectomized (OVX) female rats by voluntary exercise

Introduction: Previous studies demonstrated that forced and voluntary exercise had ameliorative effects on behavioral tasks followed by Sleep Deprivation (SD) in intact female rats. The main goal of this research was evaluating the impact of voluntary exercise on cognitive functions while SD and ovariectomization is induced in female wistar rats. Methods: The rats were anesthesized combining dosage of ketamine and xylazine. Then, both ovaries were eliminated and 3 weeks after surgery the animals entered the study. The exercise protocol took 4 weeks of voluntary exercise in a wheel which was connected to home cage. For inducing a 72 hours deprivation the multiple platforms was applied. The cognitive functions were studied by exploiting the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Novel object recognition tests. Anxiety was evaluated by open field test and corticostrone measurement was carried out by ELISA method. One-way and two-way ANOVA and repeated measures were utilized for data analysis and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We observed significant spatial and recognition learning and memory impairments in OVX sleep-deprived rats compared to the control group and voluntary exercise alleviated the SD-induced learning and memory defects. Conclusion: We concluded that voluntary exercise can improve cognitive impairments followed by SD in OVX female rats. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Voluntary exercise modulates learning & memory and synaptic plasticity impairments in sleep deprived female rats

Previous studies have indicated that forced exercise plays a preventive role in synaptic plasticity deficits in the hippocampus and behavioral impairments in sleep-deprived male and female rats. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of voluntary exercise on early long-term potentiation (E-LTP) at the Cornu Ammonis (CA1) area of the hippocampus and behavioral functions by barnes maze and novel location tests in sleep-deprived female rats. Intact female Wistar rats were used in the present study. The exercise protocol was four weeks wheel running and the multiple platform method was applied to induce 72 h Sleep deprivation (SD). We examine the effect of exercise and/or SD on synaptic plasticity using in vivo extracellular recording in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. Spatial learning and memory examined by Barnes maze and recognition memory assessed by novel location test. Field potential recording indicated that the induction and maintenance phase of E-LTP impaired in the sleep deprived animals compared to the other groups. After 72 h SD, LTP impairments were reduced by 4 weeks of voluntary exercise but do not go back to control values. SD impairs learning and memory and exercise could improve these deficits. In conclusion, the synaptic plasticity deficit in sleep-deprived female rats was improved by voluntary exercise. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the possible underlying mechanisms. © 201

The Combination Effects of Resveratrol and Swimming HIIT Exercise on Novel Object Recognition and Open-field Tasks in Aged Rats

Introduction: Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol abundant in grapes and red wine, has been reported to exert numerous bene�cial health effects in the body. High-Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIT) is a form of interval training that provides improved athletic capacity and has a protective effect on health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactive effects of swimming HIIT and Resveratrol supplementation on behavioral function in Novel object recognition and open-field tests in aged rats. Methods: A total of 45 aged male Wistar rats with an age of 20 months were randomly assigned into five groups of control (C), swimming HIIT (SW-HIIT), swimming HIIT with Resveratrol supplementation (SW-HIIT-R), Resveratrol supplementation (R), and solvent of Resveratrol supplementation (SR). There was also another group that included young animals (2-month-old) and was used to compare with older animals. Swimming HIIT and Resveratrol supplementation groups performed the exercise and received Resveratrol (10 mg/kg/day, gavage) for six weeks. Novel object recognition and open-field tests were used for evaluating the behavioral functions in animals. Results: The results showed that HIIT and Resveratrol significantly improved recognition memory compared to old animals. Moreover, it seems that HIIT and Resveratrol partly could modulate anxiety-like behaviors compared to old animals in the open-field test. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Estrogen attenuates physical and psychological stress-induced cognitive impairments in ovariectomized rats

Introduction: Women are more vulnerable to stress-related disorders than men, which is counterintuitive as female sex hormones, especially estrogen, have been shown to be protective against stress disorders. Methods: In this study, we investigated whether two different models of stress act differently on ovariectomized (OVX) rats and the impact of estrogen on physical or psychological stress-induced impairments in cognitive-behaviors. Adult female Wistar rats at 21�22 weeks of age were utilized for this investigation. Sham and OVX rats were subjected to physical and psychological stress for 1 hr/day for 7 days, and cognitive performance was assessed using morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance (PA) tests. The open field and elevated plus maze tests (EPM) evaluated exploratory and anxiety-like behaviors. Results: In sham and OVX rats, both physical and psychological stressors were associated with an increase in EPM-determined anxiety-like behavior. OVX rats exhibited decreased explorative behavior in comparison with nonstressed sham rats (p <.05). Both physical stress and psychological stress resulted in disrupted spatial cognition as assayed in the MWM (p <.05) and impaired learning and memory as determined by the PA test when the OVX and sham groups were compared with the nonstressed sham group. Estrogen increased explorative behavior, learning and memory (p <.05), and decreased anxiety-like behavior compared with vehicle in OVX rats exposed to either type of stressor. Conclusions: When taken together, estrogen and both stressors had opposite effects on memory, anxiety, and PA performance in a rat model of menopause, which has important implications for potential protective effects of estrogen in postmenopausal women exposed to chronic stress. © 2021 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LL