The Effect of Combined Exercise with Coffee Consumption on Fasting Blood Sugar Levels and Abdominal Obesity in Overweight Middle-aged Prediabetic Men

Pre-diabetes is defined as an increase in blood glucose levels above normal, but not to the extent that it is considered diabetes. One way to control the progression of diabetes is to eat a healthy diet and exercise. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of combined exercise and coffee consumption on fasting blood sugar and middle-aged pre diabetic men. In this study, 44 overweight middle-aged men with (body mass index of 28.3 ± 2.8 kg / m2) were purposefully selected and randomly divided into four groups of 11: Exercise Combination, coffee consumption, combined exercise + coffee consumption and control group were divided. Pre-test and post-test groups including weight, body mass index, percentage of fasting fat and blood glucose were measured 24 hours before and after the project. The training groups then performed the training protocol for 8 weeks, three sessions per minute and 90 minutes each session. The coffee and exercise + coffee group consumed 10 grams of coffee every other day. Data were analyzed using covariance test and significance level of 0.05. The results showed a significant decrease in body mass index, fat percentage and serum concentration of fasting blood glucose in the exercise groups compared to the control group (P> 5%). This study showed that combined exercise with coffee can be effective in controlling fasting blood sugar and abdominal obesity

Coretractable modules relative to a submodule

Let $R$ be a ring and $M$ a right $R$-module. Let $N$ be a proper submodule of $M$. We say that $M$ is $N$-coretractable (or $M$ is coretractable relative to $N$) provided that, for every proper submodule $K$ of $M$ containing $N$, there is a nonzero homomorphism $f:M/K\rightarrow M$. We present some conditions that a module $M$ is coretractable if and only if $M$ is coretractable relative to a submodule $N$. We also provide some examples to illustrate special cases

The effect of a selected home-based exercise program by consuming coffee on blood lipid profile of inactive middle-aged men in COVID-19 pandemic condition

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 8 week a selected home based exercise program by consuming coffee on blood lipid profile of inactive middle-aged men in pandemic COVID-19 condition. The present study is a semi-experimental methodology and 44 middle-aged men with fatty liver were randomly divided into four groups of 11 cases: home-based exercise, coffee, home-based exercise + coffee, control. Blood test was used to measure blood lipid profile. The combined home-based exercise intervention was performed for 8 weeks, three sessions and 60 minutes per session. Coffee intervention consumed 10 grams of coffee per every other day. The results showed that weight, body mass index, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased significantly after eight weeks of training in all three experimental groups and HDL cholesterol increased significantly (p < .05). It seems that performed combined home- based exercise and in combination with coffee consumption can be effective in improving the blood lipid profile of inactive middle-aged men in quarantine and paired COVID-19 conditions and prevent liver damage

Effects of different doses of tamoxifen on the sperm parameters and chromatin quality in mice: An experimental model

Background: Tamoxifen (TX) is widely used for the treatment of male factor and idiopathic infertility. It has been shown that TX induces sperm production and so improves male fertility. Objective: This study evaluated the effects of different doses of TX on the sperm parameters and chromatin quality in mice. Materials and Methods: In this research, 24 male NMRI mice were divided into three groups including group A: control animal receiving vehicle; group B: the group receiving basal diet and TX 0.4 mg/kg/day; and group C: the group receiving basal diet and TX 0.6 mg/kg/day for 35 days. Thereafter, epididymal spermatozoa were analyzed for standard parameters and nuclear chromatin quality using Aniline Blue (AB) and Toluidine Blue (TB) staining. Results: The results indicated that although the TX did not affect the sperm count, motility, and viability parameters, it could elevate the percentage of sperm cells with abnormal morphology and abnormal chromatin at both doses. In addition, in comparison with the control mice, a significant elevation was observed in spermatozoa with residual histones (assessed by AB staining) at high doses of TX. Conclusion: Our experimental data in mice suggested that the use of TX for treating male infertility might increase the rates of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin in a dose-dependent manner

Protective effect of vitamin E on oxidative stress and sperm apoptosis in diabetic Mice

Background:&nbsp;Generation of free radicals and oxidative stress are a major contributor&nbsp;to diabetes. These factors lead to the development of diabetic testicles disorders. Objective:&nbsp;In this study, the protective effect of vitamin E on functional disorders&nbsp;associated with diabetes induced oxidative stress in male reproductive systems has&nbsp;been investigated. Materials and Methods:&nbsp;Thirty-three adult male Mice were divided into control, diabetic, and untreated diabetic groups. Streptozotocin was used to induce diabetes. In the treated group, vitamin E was given to the Mice intraperitoneally for 30 days. Then, animals were anesthetized and sacrificed. Animal testicles were isolated and homogenized in phosphate buffer and used for measuring sperm count, motility and survival of sperm, MDA concentration and antioxidant capacity (TAC). Apoptosis was also performed with the TUNEL test. Results:&nbsp;The results of reduction (12.03±98.11) TAC, MDA concentration (–28.5±2.58), sperm motility (unstable sperma= 86.4±7.48), sperm count (171.51), Sperm morphology (natural morphology= 49.69±31.93) and abnormal morphology (9.77±49.7) with increased oxidative damage. These changes were statistically significant in comparison with the control group for all variables other than MDA (p= 0.05). Treatment of vitamin E diabetic Mice improved the ability of antioxidants to prevent oxidative damage in the testicles, restore the sperm movement, and increase the number of normal sperm as well as TAC. The level of apoptosis in the treated group has decreased compared to the untreated group. Conclusion:&nbsp;Vitamin E protects the reproductive system against diabetes mellitus.&nbsp;Therefore, it was concluded that vitamin E may be a suitable agent for protecting the&nbsp;sperm and testicular parameters against undesirable effects of diabetes. Key words: Case-control study, Vitamin E, Diabetes treatment, Diabetic Syrian mice, Male reproductive dysfunction

L-Carnitine reduces the negative effects of formalin on sperm parameters, chromatin condensation and apoptosis in mice: An experimental study

Background: Formalin is commonly applied as an antiseptic and tissue fixative. It has reactive molecules that lead to its cytotoxic effects. According to recent studies, formalin causes a change in the testicular and sperm structure and L-carnitine (LC) acts as an antioxidant to counteract its effects. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of LC on the parameters, chromatin condensation and apoptosis of mice sperm exposed to formalin. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 24 balb/c mice (25-40 gr ,10-12 wk) were divided into three groups (n = 8/each): group I without any injections or gavage; group II, received 10 mg/ kg formalin intraperitoneally (I.P); and group III was exposed to formalin and LC, where a dose of 10 mg/kg formalin was injected I.P daily and LC the dose of 100 mg/kg was kept in a solvent solution. After 31 days, the sperm examination was performed as follows: to evaluate chromatin and DNA quality of the sperm, we applied aniline blue (AB), toluidine blue (TB), chromomycin A3 (CMA3), and terminal transferase-mediated deoxy uridine triphosphate biotin end labeling (TUNEL) tests. Results: Sperm parameters such as count, motility, morphology, and viability displayed a significant decrease in the formalin group. While the data exhibited a considerable augment in sperm parameters in the formalin + LC than the formalin and control groups (p &lt; 0.001), significant differences were detected between groups with respect to TB staining, TUNEL test, CMA3 test and AB staining in the formalin and formalin + LC groups. Conclusion: LC can reduce the negative effects of formalin on sperm parameters, chromatin stability, and percentage of apoptosis in an animal model. Key words: Formalin, L-carnitine, Mice, Sperm chromatin, Apoptosis

The effect of acupressure on sleep quality in patients with chronic heart failure

Background: Sleep disorder is one of the most common problems in patients with chronic heart failure. Acupressure is considered as a proposed complementary therapy and has proven effective in a wide range of ailments, including pain relief, arthritis and stress. This study attempts to investigate the effect of acupressure on sleep quality in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods: This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, in which 90 patients with chronic heart failure admitted to the heart ward at 22 Bahman Hospital, Neyshabour, in 2014 were selected via inclusion criteria, and then were randomly divided into three groups of acupressure, pseudo and control. In the acupressure point, massage was performed for three days on the Shen Men point of each of the wrists for 5 minutes, while it was performed in the same way but in 1 to 1.5 cm away from the main point. The control group only received routine care. In this study, data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire and the St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMHSQ) . Sleep quality was measured in all the three groups at nights. Data was analyzed using SAS software. Results: The results of data analysis showed that the patients were homogenous in terms of demographic information. However, there were significant differences in the sleep quality score between the acupressure and pseudo points groups through five measurement stages (P0.05). Moreover, at the end of the intervention, there was a significant difference in terms of sleep quality between all the three groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that acupressure promotes sleep quality in chronic heart failure patients and therefore, it can be recommended as a non-invasive treatment for sleep disorders of patients

The association between TNP2 gene polymorphisms and Iranian infertile men with varicocele: A case-control study

Background: Numerous researches have provided great evidence that revealed the relationship between varicocele and sperm DNA damage. Objective: Because of the crucial role of nuclear transition proteins (TPs) in sperm DNA condensation and integrity, this case-control study was designed to study TNP2 gene nucleotide variations in Iranian patients with varicocele. Materials and Methods: PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing were used to search for mutations in exons 1 &amp; 2 of the TNP2 gene in 156 infertile patients with varicocele and 150 fertile men. Results: The results of sequencing showed three variants at positions c.301C &gt; T (p.R101C), c.391C &gt; T (p.R131 W), and g.IVS1-26G &gt;C (rs8043625) of TNP2 gene. It was found that varicocele risk in men who have the CC genotype of g.IVS1-26G &gt;C SNP is higher than those who don’t have these genotypes (according to Co-dominant model, Dominant model, Recessive model, and Over-dominant model). The haplotype-based analysis showed that (C/C/T) and (C/T/T) haplotypes were a risk factor of in patients with varicocele compared to controls (OR = 3.278, p = 0.000 and OR= 9.304, p = 0.038, respectively). Conclusion: Because of the significant difference in the genotype and allele frequencies of g.IVS1-26G &gt;C SNP in the intronic region of TNP2 in patients with varicocele compared with controls and also because of the high conservation of this SNP position during evolution, this SNP may be involved in some important processes associated with the expression of this gene like mRNA splicing, but the exact mechanism is not clear

Sperm Nuclear DNA in Ejaculates of Fertile and Infertile Men: Correlation with Semen Parameters

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 3.05pt 0pt 0cm;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt;Introduction:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt; Our aim was to compare the nuclear DNA integrity of the spermatozoa from infertile men with abnormal semen parameters with that from normospermic fertile men, and to evaluate the relationship between the sperm DNA integrity and semen parameters. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 3.05pt 0pt 0cm;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt;Materials and Methods:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt; Thirty ejaculate samples with abnormal semen analysis and 30 ejaculates with normal semen parameters were randomly collected from infertile and fertile men, respectively. The acridine orange test was used to assess the integrity of sperm DNA. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 3.05pt 0pt 0cm;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt;Results:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt; The number of ejaculates with a &lt;/span&gt;DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI)&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt; above 30% were 16 (53.3%) and 22 (73.3%) in fertile and infertile subjects, respectively (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = .10). The mean DFI was 37.7 ± 19.6% and 46.1 ± 16.7% in the fertile and infertile subjects, respectively (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = .24). The DFI of the fertile men with normal sperm morphology (12 patients) ranged from 1% to 80%. In the samples with oligoasthenospermia, mean DFI was 52.7 ± 17.9%. There were 2 samples with severe teratospermia (normal morphology less than 4%) and DFIs of 70% and 87%. There were no significant correlations between the DNA integrity and the 3 parameters of semen quality in our 60 subjects.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 3.05pt 0pt 0cm;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-language: FA;"&gt; Our results failed to show any significant difference in the DNA integrity of the spermatozoa between infertile and fertile men. Also, no correlation was noticed between the DNA abnormality and the semen parameters in the studied samples.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Joint frailty model for recurrent events and a terminal event in the presence of cure fraction

The observations of repeated or recurrent events occur in many longitudinal studies. Furthermore, sometimes there may exist a terminal event such as death, which is strongly correlated with recurrent events. In many situations, a fraction of subjects who will never experience the event of interest during a long follow-up period is considered to be cured. In this article, we proposed a joint frailty model in the presence of cure fraction. The dependency is modeled by shared frailty that is contained in both the recurrent andterminal events hazard functions. It allows to estimate two separate sets of parameters on the recurrent, death, and cure model. We applied the maximum likelihood method under a piecewise constant hazard function for model fitting. The proposed model is evaluated by simulation studies and an application to a breast cancer data is provided