ABSTRACT
        Background and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate   the effect of six weeks of volleyball training on lipid and lipoprotein profiles of elite high school male volleyball players in the Golestan Province (Iran) during preparation season for an international championship in France.
        Methods: Training group included 12 elite volleyball players in students’ premier league and control group included 12 healthy non-athlete male students. The training group practiced at 60-85% of maximum heart rate for six weeks, 90 minutes per session, six sessions per week and three sessions a day (first session: technical practice, second session: tactical practice and third session: technical/tactical practice). Blood samples were taken after 12 hours of fasting both before and after the training.
         Results: Level of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and LDL-C/HDL-C increased in the training group (P> 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the two groups in TC and LDL-C levels (P<0.05). Level of triglyceride, VLDL, and TC/HDL-C reduced in the training group after six weeks of training (P> 0.05).
        Conclusion: Our results show that the six-week volleyball training during the preparation season can cause abnormalities in plasma lipid profile.

ABSTRACT
          Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks of intense endurance training and bee pollen consumption on ABCA1 gene expression in small intestine, liver and gastrocnemius muscle tissues of male rats.
           Methods: In this study, 24 male Wistar rats (aged 6-8 weeks and weighing 90-110 g) were randomly divided into four groups of saline-control (n=6), saline-training (n=6), bee pollen-control (n=6) and bee pollen-training (n=6). The training groups exercised on a treadmill for 12 weeks (30 m/min, 90 min/day, five days/week). The bee pollen groups were given bee pollen orally (500 mg/Kg) for 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA at significance level of 0.05.
          Results: ABCA1 gene expression was highest in the liver, gastrocnemius muscle and small intestine, respectively. The findings also revealed that the intense endurance training caused a non-significant increase in ABCA1 gene expression in the small intestine and liver. However, the training caused a non-significant decrease in ABCA1 gene expression in the gastrocnemius muscle. In addition, consumption of bee pollen significantly increased ABCA1 gene expression in the small intestine and gastrocnemius muscle of male rats. However, the effect of bee pollen on the gene’s expression in the liver was not statistically significant.
           Conclusion: Based on our findings, it can be concluded that consumption of bee pollen has more beneficial effects on the ABCA1 gene expression and reverse cholesterol transport compared with the intense endurance training.
           Keywords: ABCA1 protein, Pollen, exercise.

ABSTRACT
             Background and Objectives: Apolipoprotein M (APOM) is a novel high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated protein involved in the production of pre-beta HDL and cholesterol efflux to HDL. The present study examined effect of 12 weeks of aerobic interval training on HDL-associated APOM levels.
             Methods: Study population included 20 healthy men aged 20 to 24 years. The subjects were randomly and equally divided into a training group and a control group. Each training session included 10 minutes of warm-up, 35 minutes of aerobic training (5 combined cycles each including four minutes of running at intensity of 85-95% and an active resting period of treadmill running at 65-75% of maximum heart rate for 3 minutes) and 10 minutes of cool-down. Blood samples (10 mL) were taken every four weeks. Two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used to compare the groups. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
             Results: At the end of the 12^th week, HDL-associated APOM levels increased in the training group and decreased in the control group. However, these changes were not statistically significant (P>0.05). 
             Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the 12-week aerobic interval training does not significantly affect HDL-associated APOM levels. However, it is recommended to monitor subjects’ diet throughout the study period to reach a more comprehensive conclusion. 
             Keywords: Aerobic interval training, Apolipoprotein M, Young men.

ABSTRACT
             Background and Objectives: Apolipoprotein O (apoO) is a 198 amino acids protein that exists predominantly in high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It may exert cardioprotective effects via decreasing fat accumulation and increasing removal of cholesterol from macrophages. Although the health benefits of exercise are well documented, no study has yet investigated the effects of various types of training, including resistance training on apoO level. Therefore, we aimed to determine effects of five weeks of circuit resistance training with different intensities on plasma levels of apoO, HDL, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in young untrained men.
             Methods: Forty-five age- and weight-matched healthy untrained men were randomly assigned to a control group (n=10) and four training groups: training at 20% intensity (n=9), training at 40% intensity (n=8), training at 60% intensity (n=7) and training at 80% intensity (n=8). The subjects performed circuit resistance training at 10 stations (30 seconds at each station) with three repetitions, without rest between stations and with 3-minute active rest between the repetitions. The training was carried out for 45 minutes per session, three sessions a week, for five weeks. Venous blood samples were taken 48 hours before the first exercise session and 48 hours after the last training session. Plasma levels of apoO, HDL, TC and TG were measured using commercial kits. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test at significance level of 0.05.
             Results: After the training intervention, mean plasma level of TC and TG did not differ significantly between the study groups (P>0.05). Training at 80% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) caused a slight decrease in the apoO concentrations. Moreover, apoO concentration was significantly higher in the 20% 1RM training group compared to other study groups (F=11.599, P<0.002).
             Conclusion: Our results indicate that circuit resistance training at 80% of 1RM can decrease HDL-associated apoO level but does not significantly alter other parameters.
             KEYWORDS: Circuit resistance training, HDL-O, TC, TG, Young men.

ABSTRACT
            Background and Objectives: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. It is well established that low level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) is a strong and independent risk factor for CAD. Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a component of HDL, which is involved in pre-β-HDL formation and cholesterol efflux to HDL. It is believed that resistance and aerobic exercise can significantly reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, especially by increasing serum levels of HDL-C. However, little is known about effects of these activities on HDL-apoM levels. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of circuit resistance training at different intensities on HDL-associated apoM levels in young untrained men.
            Methods: Forty-five age- and weight-matched healthy untrained men were randomly assigned to a control group (n=10) and four training groups: 20% 1-repetition maximum (1RM) (n=9), 40% 1RM (n=8), 60% 1RM (n=7) and 80% 1RM (n=8). The subjects performed circuit resistance training consisting of barbell bench press, underarm flab, seated barbell curl, triceps exercise with chains, lying leg curl, squats, hyperextension, abs workout, sit-ups and quadriceps workouts (30 seconds each) in three bouts without rest between stations and with active rest (3 minutes) between sets or bouts. The training protocol was carried out for 45 minutes per session, three sessions a week, for five weeks. Venous blood samples were taken 48 hours before the first exercise session and 48 hours after the last training session. After separating plasma, HDL-associated apoM was measured using commercial ELISA kits. SPSS 16 was used for analysis of data using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test at significant level of 0.05.
            Results: After the training intervention, the exercise groups had higher apoM levels in total HDL and HDL-2 compared to the control group (P>0.05). However, no significant difference in HDL-associated apoM level was observed between the study groups.
            Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that various intensities of circuit resistance training can alter HDL-associated apoM levels. The decreased HDL-3-associated apoM level could indicate increased rate of apoM transfer to HDL-2, which could potentially prevent development of atherosclerosis and CAD by enhancing the antioxidant effects of HDL.
            Keywords: Circuit Resistance Training, Total HDL-M, HDL3-M, HDL2-M.