Effects of Exergame and Music on Acute Exercise Responses to Graded Treadmill Running

Recreational athletes may listen to music or watch videos to prolong their exercise routines. In recent years, use of active video games has increased. The effects of audiovisual encouragements have not been compared for their potential ergogenic effects on physiological variables during moderate- to high-intensity exercises. Here 60 sedentary healthy male students were divided into four groups—control (CON), audio feedback (A), video game feedback (V), and a combination of A and V (AV)—based on previous measurement of maximum oxygen uptake using covariate adaptive randomization. Participants completed a bout of running (Balke treadmill test)until exhaustion based on the type of feedback. Exercise responses (time, heart rate, blood sugar level, and creatine kinase level) were compared in all groups before and after participation. Participants in group A ran significantly more than those in the CON group, and those in group AV ran significantly more than those in groups CON and V. In other physiological responses, the differences were not significant among groups. It is proposed that intentional functions from internal (physical feelings) to external perspective (music and video) may have been involved in increasing exercise time but were not strong enough to change levels of other physiological parameters. However, these findings have strong applications for improving fitness exercise programs while using a new generation of video game

The relationship between anthropometric parameters and bone mineral density in an Iranian referral population

Osteoporosis is a common health concern in both developed and developing countries. In this study the association between anthropometric measures and osteoporosis was investigated in 3630 males and females visiting BMD clinic of Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran, a teaching hospital and referral center for osteoporosis affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Anthropometric measurements obtained and also Bone Mineral Density (BMD) measurement was done using a Lunar DPXMD densitometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS with Chi-square and ANOVA with post-hoc tests. Results showed that the weight, BMI and age had the strongest correlation with the BMD values in the studied people. While age is negatively correlated with BMD in all the studied people, a positive association was noted between weight, height and BMI and BMD parameters (P<0.01). It was concluded that certain anthropometric parameters (BMI and weight) can considerably affect one's risk of developing osteoporosis. Further research on the effect of these variables on the association of weight and BMD is needed

Rigorous analysis of the topologically protected edge states in the quantum spin Hall phase of the armchair ribbon geometry

Studying the edge states of a topological system and extracting their topological properties is of great importance in understanding and characterizing these systems. In this paper, we present a novel analytical approach for obtaining explicit expressions for the edge states in the Kane-Mele model within a ribbon geometry featuring armchair boundaries. Our approach involves a mapping procedure that transforms the system into an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, specifically a two-leg ladder, in momentum space. Through rigorous derivation, we determine various analytical properties of the edge states, including their wave functions and energy dispersion. Additionally, we investigate the condition for topological transition by solely analyzing the edge states, and we elucidate the underlying reasons for the violation of the bulk-edge correspondence in relatively narrow ribbons. Our findings shed light on the unique characteristics of the edge states in the quantum spin Hall phase of the Kane-Mele model and provide valuable insights into the topological properties of such systems

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry diagnostic discordance between Z scores and T scores in a young Iranian population

Background: Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is considered the gold standard for non-invasive measurement of bone mass. T-scores and Z-scores are used to present the results of bone mass. The present study was designed to evaluate the discordance between T-scores and Z-scores calculated at a same level and its relation with age, gender and body mass index (BMI) in a representative sample of normal population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted as a part of a comprehensive survey, Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS), designed to assess bone health among healthy adults. Each individual underwent both L1–L4 antero-posterior lumbar spine and hip DXA scan. The difference between the T- and Z-scores measured at each of the four skeletal sites was then calculated. Results: A -1.21 to 1.21 point difference was noted in the Z- and T- scores measured at each site. While the difference between the T- and Z-scores was less than 0.5 SD in most of the cases, the difference was higher than 1 SD in about 5% of the subjects. Conclusion: Standardization of Z-score definition and calculation techniques as well as developing an ethnicity-matched reference population is needed to improve the reliability of DXA-generated Z-scores