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To examine neural, physiological and cognitive influences on gait speed under single and dual-task conditions. Sixty-two community-dwelling older people (aged 80.0 ± 4.2 years) participated in our study. Gait speed was assessed with a timed 20-meter walk under single and dual-task (reciting alternate letters of the alphabet) conditions. Participants also underwent tests to estimate physiological fall risk based on five measures of sensorimotor function, cognitive function across five domains, brain white matter (WM) hyperintensities and WM microstructural integrity by measuring fractional anisotropy (FA). Univariate linear regression analyses showed that global physiological and cognitive measures were associated with single (β = 0.594 and β=-0.297, respectively) and dual-task gait speed (β = 0.306 and β=-0.362, respectively). Deep WMHs were associated with dual-task gait speed only (β = 0.257). Multivariate mediational analyses showed that global and executive cognition reduced the strength of the association between deep WMHs and dual-task gait speed by 27% (β = 0.188) and 44% (β = 0.145) respectively. There was a significant linear association between single-task gait speed and mean FA values of the genu (β=-0.295) and splenium (β=-0.326) of the corpus callosum, and between dual-task gait speed and mean FA values of Superior Cerebellar Peduncle (β=-0.284), splenium of the Corpus Callosum (β=-0.286) and Cingulum (β=-0.351). Greater deep WMH volumes are associated with slower walking speed under dual-task conditions, and this relationship is mediated in part by global cognition and executive abilities specifically. Furthermore, both cerebellum and cingulum are related to dual-task walking due to their role in motor skill performance and attention, respectively.

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Objectives: Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) during pregnancy and after delivery, and related risk factors are still debatable topics for research. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the probable risk factors associated with PFDs in Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two state and private hospitals in Tabriz, Iran from the 1st of June to the 31st of August, 2018. The participants were 650 postpartum women, aged between 15 and 47 years six months after delivery. The type of delivery, type of hospital, history of episiotomy and induction, anesthesia, multiparity, the mother’s birth age, the infant’s weight and head circumference, the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy, and a wide variety of probably related risk factors were studied based on the study objective. According to their answer to the questions of PFDs, 147 women responded yes and completed the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 questionnaire. Results: Between the investigated risk factors, type of the hospital (OR: 0.27, CI: 0.126-0.564) and the amount of the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy (OR: 1.066, CI: 1.024-1.109) were significantly associated with PFDs. Finally, the number of PFDs and severity of dysfunctions according to PFDI-20 were higher in state hospitals, and excessive weight gain of the mother during pregnancy was related to the higher incidence of PFDs. Conclusions: Type of the hospital and the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy are the only two related risk factors in this study. This study was the first one to discuss the type of the hospital in such related risk factor studies. Accordingly, it is predictable that better supervision of medical attends in state hospitals is highly important for decreasing the rate of PFDs after delivery.

Background: Snooker is a kind of cue sport in which skill plays an important role. To reach a professional level, snooker players must acquire many physical and mental skills. Strengthening the core muscles, which provide a foundation for a successful limb function in skill sports such as snooker, can be achieved by performing Pilates exercises. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of core muscle training on skill and balance for snooker players. Methods: In this study, 30 male snooker players were divided into Pilates (n = 15) and control groups (n = 15) by randomization. The Pilates group performed the mat Pilates exercises three sessions per week consisting of 30 minutes of Pilates training in addition to one hour of routine snooker training per session for six weeks. The control group performed one-hour routine snooker training three sessions per week at the same time period. To assess the players' skills, the line-up test was used to measure the break score, and the foul number test was used to calculate the foul number. Players' balance was evaluated by the stork balance test. All tests were performed pre and post 6 weeks of exercise for between and within- group comparisons. Results: Line-up and stork test scores were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the Pilates group compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the foul numbers between groups after Six weeks of Pilates exercises. Conclusions: Six weeks of mat Pilates exercises improves the snooker players' balance ability and break scores.

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