Delayed Wound Healing: Can Exercise Accelerate it?

Poorly healing wounds affect millions around the world, yet preventive methods and low-cost, effective treatments are few. Wounds heal quickly through well-coordinated phases in those who are healthy and active but can become chronically nonhealing as a result of disease and inactivity. Recently it has been reported that moderate aerobic exercise accelerated healing rates in the aged. High levels of inflammation are known to delay wound healing, and aging and disease are associated with chronically increased inflammation. Therefore, exercise may help speed healing by reducing inflammation to healthier levels not only in the aged, but also in other populations with increased inflammation. Further research is needed to better characterize the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise and specific mechanisms of accelerated wound healing

Functional Movement Screen in High School Basketball Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(6): 1-14, 2022. Pre-participation screening and tracking of an athlete’s functional status during a competitive season is essential to maintaining optimal performance. The sport of basketball had the third highest number of boys and girls participating during the 2018-2019 season (23), which typically occurs October to March each year. The Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS; 10) has been administered to some youth athletes from various sports, however, both males and females from basketball have not been studied extensively. The purposes of this study were: 1) to assess functional movements before and after the natural progression of a high school competitive basketball season; 2) to determine if there were functional movement differences between male and female youth basketball players. Eighteen male (n = 10) and female (n = 8) high school basketball players completed the FMS pre- and post-season. Scores were analyzed using a mixed-model ANOVA. No significant differences were found for Time or Sex for composite FMS scores (Mean ± SD, Pre-season: 16.2 ± 2.1, Post-season: 17.1 ± 1.4; Males: 16.8 ± 1.8, Females: 16.5 ± 2.0). Specific FMS tests were compared pre- to post-season using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and were not significantly different after the competitive season or between the sexes. Sex differences relating to overall FMS composite scores or specific test scores were not apparent in this age group or sport. In this small group of high school basketball players, participation in a competitive, high school basketball season did not limit nor enhance functional movement ability

Exercise influences the impact of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure on immune function.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental pollutants and endocrine disruptors, harmfully affecting reproductive, endocrine, neurological and immunological systems. This broad influence has implications for processes such as wound healing, which is modulated by the immunological response of the body. Conversely, while PCBs can be linked to diminished wound healing, outside of PCB pollution systems, exercise has been shown to accelerate wound healing. However, the potential for moderate intensity exercise to modulate or offset the harmful effects of a toxin like PCB are yet unknown. A key aim of the present study was to examine how PCB exposure at different doses (0, 100, 500, 1000 ppm i.p.) altered wound healing in exercised versus non-exercised subgroups of mice. We examined PCB effects on immune function in more depth by analyzing the concentrations of cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in these wounds inflicted by punch biopsy. Mice were euthanized at Day 3 or Day 5 after PCB injection (n = 3-6) and skin excised from the wound area was homogenized and analyzed for cytokine content. Results revealed that wound healing was not signficantly impacted by either PCB exposure or exercise, but there were patterns of delays in healing that depended on PCB dose. Changes in cytokines were also observed and depended on PCB dose and exercise experience. For example, IL-1β concentrations in Day 5 mice without PCB administration were 33% less in exercised mice than mice not exercised. However, IL-1β concentrations in Day 3 mice administered 100 ppm were 130% greater in exercised mice than not exercisedmice. Changes in the other measured cytokines varied with mainly depressions at lesser PCB doses and elevations at higher doses. Exercise had diverse effects on cytokine levels, but increased cytokine levels in the two greater doses. Explanations for these diverse effects include the use of young animals with more rapid wound healing rates less affected by toxin exposure, as well as PCB-mediated compensatory effects at specific doses which could actually enhance immune function. Future work should examine these interactions in more detail across a developmental time span. Understanding how manipulating the effects of exposure to environemntal contaminants using behavioral modification could be very useful in certain high risk populations or exposed individuals

Relationship between systemic inflammation and delayed-type hypersensitivity response to Candida antigen in older adults.

Research has shown that aging is associated with increased systemic inflammation as well as a reduction in the strength of immune responses. However, little evidence exists linking the decrease in cell-mediated immunity in older adults with other health parameters. We sought to examine the relationship between cell-mediated immunity as measured in vivo by the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to candida antigen and demographic and physiological variables in older (65-80 y.o.) adults. Candida antigen response was not related to gender or obesity, or to a number of other physiological variables including fitness and body composition. However, positive responders had significantly lower serum C-reactive protein levels (CRP, p<0.05) vs. non-responders. Furthermore, subjects with CRP<4.75 mg•L(-1) had greater odds of developing a positive response compared to those with CRP>4.75 mg•L(-1). Therefore, positive responses to candida antigen in older adults appears to be related to lower levels of systemic inflammation

Percentage of subjects responding to DTH induced by candida antigen.

<p>Bar insets represent number of positive responders (numerator) over total number of subjects (denominator) in each group.</p

Correlation between DTH response to candida antigen and predictor variables in positive responders.

*<p>Significant correlation between variables (p<0.05). VO₂, volume of oxygen consumption; BMI, body mass index; RHR, resting heart rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; Meds, anti-inflammatory medications; DTH, delayed-type hypersensitivity; bpm, beats per minute.</p

CRP values among responders and non-responders to DTH induced by candida antigen.

<p>*Significantly different compared to non-responders (p<0.05). Values are mean ± SEM.</p