درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The current study's prime objective was to assess virtual reality games' impact on the mental skills of elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, 228 elite athletes were randomly selected and divided into four groups of 57 controls and experiments. All subjects in the control and experimental groups received virtual reality games for 15 minutes for ten sessions; then, each group was re-examined. The control group performed a follow-up test according to the posttest after two weeks using the Ottawa mental skills assessment questionnaire (OMSAT-3), and repeated measures analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to test the hypothesis (P≤0.05). The results obtained using repeated measures analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test showed that virtual reality games influenced elite athletes' mental skills in COVID. From these findings, it can be said that virtual reality games can improve the mental skills of elite athletes during COVID-19

Purpose: Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease of the skeletal system and the main cause of fractures and death in elderly people, especially postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of resistance training on some serum and metabolic markers of bone mass in postmenopausal women. Methods: 24 inactive postmenopausal women with an age range of 46-58 years participated in this study. Subjects were assigned to resistance training and control groups. Before and after the training period, weight, body mass index, alkaline phosphatase, calcium, serum phosphorus and bone density of lumbar vertebrae were measured (by Dexa method). The training protocol consisted of upper and lower body resistance training in 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26 and independent t and paired t statistical tests. Results: The results of this research showed that the experimental group had a significant increase in the amount of alkaline phosphatase (p=0.041), serum calcium (p=0.035) and bone density of the lumbar vertebrae (p=0.11) and a significant decrease in weight compared to the control group. (p=0.035, and body mass index p=0.021). The results also showed no significant change in the amount of serum phosphorus (p=0.071). Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, in order to maintain or prevent the decrease in bone density of postmenopausal women, resistance exercises can be recommended.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between gut microbiome composition, athletic performance, and post-exercise recovery in endurance athletes following probiotic supplementation.  Method: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 40 male endurance runners (age: 28.3 ± 5.2 years) were randomly assigned to either a probiotic (n=20) or placebo (n=20) group for 8 weeks. The probiotic group received a daily supplement containing a blend of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Lactobacillus plantarum (20 billion CFU total). Fecal samples were collected before and after the intervention and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Athletic performance was assessed through VO2max testing and time to exhaustion. Recovery was evaluated by measuring delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and creatine kinase (CK) levels. Results: The probiotic group showed a significant increase in gut microbial diversity (Shannon index: p<0.01) and relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus (p<0.001). Significant improvements were observed in VO2max (4.7%, p<0.05) and time to exhaustion (7.2%, p<0.01) in the probiotic group compared to placebo. The probiotic group also demonstrated reduced DOMS (23%, p<0.05) and lower peak CK levels (18%, p<0.01) relative to the placebo group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that changes in Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium abundances were significant predictors of performance improvement (R² = 0.68, p<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides evidence that gut microbiome modulation through probiotic supplementation can enhance athletic performance and accelerate post-exercise recovery in endurance runners. These findings suggest that targeted manipulation of the gut microbiome may be a novel strategy for improving sports performance and recovery.