The effect of exercise interventions on inflammatory biomarkers in healthy, physically inactive subjects: a systematic review

Background: Increases in physical activity ameliorate low-grade systemic inflammation in disease populations such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. The effects of aerobic and resistance training (RT) on inflammatory biomarker profiles in non-disease, physically inactive individuals are unknown. Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials measuring the effect of aerobic and resistance exercise on pro-inflammatory biomarkers in healthy, inactive adult populations was conducted. The available peer-reviewed literature was searched from January 1990 to June 2016 using the electronic databases PubMed and Scopus. A narrative synthesis of review findings was constructed with discussion of the impact of aerobic, resistance and combined training on C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8, interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α. Results: The initial search revealed 1596 potentially relevant studies. Application of the study eligibility criteria led to the full-text review of 54 articles with 11 studies deemed suitable for inclusion. Review of related articles and the reference lists of the 54 full-text articles led to the inclusion of 2 additional studies. The review revealed inconsistent findings relating to the effect of aerobic training and RT on CRP and IL-6. Studies of older-aged adults (>65 years old) demonstrated the greatest and most consistent reduction in inflammatory biomarkers post-training intervention. Conclusions: A paucity of evidence exists relating to the effect of exercise training on inflammatory markers in non-disease, physically inactive adults. The available evidence suggests potential for the greatest benefit to be seen in older populations and with higher intensity aerobic exercise

Physiological adaptations in ultra‐endurance athletes during a 5‐day multisport adventure race: an assessment of serological and inflammatory cytokine profiles

Multiday endurance sports expose athletes to multiple physical stressors. Little is known about the athletes’ physiological responses to these stressors. A detailed understanding of the serological changes that occur during competition may improve the treatment of athletes suffering from illness or injury. This prospective, observational study aimed to characterize serological changes in AR athletes across multiday competition. Athletes underwent venipuncture at the start, midpoint, and end of a 5‐day, multidiscipline event. A variety of serological and inflammatory factors was measured and then analyzed to describe their changes over the course of the race. A total of 27 AR athletes (29.6% female, 70.4% male) met inclusion criteria out of 33 recruited initially. The mean age was 37.7 (IQR 32.5, 41). The median race time for athletes was 133 hours (IQR 123, 142). Serum creatinine, sodium, and potassium tended to remain stable as the race progressed. Conversely, serological measures, including hemoglobin, interleukin‐6, and C‐reactive protein levels, tended to change substantially during the race. Participants demonstrated the ability to maintain homeostasis, despite significant physiological threat. Renal function, electrolyte balance, and hormonal profiles were stable. However, a pro‐inflammatory response and decrease in red cell availability were evident by the midpoint of the race

Gut microbiota alterations associated with reduced bone mineral density in older adults

Objective: To investigate compositional differences in the gut microbiota associated with bone homeostasis and fractures in a cohort of older adults. Methods: Faecal microbiota profiles were determined from 181 individuals with osteopenia (n = 61) or osteoporosis (n = 60), and an age- and gender-matched group with normal BMD (n = 60). Analysis of the 16S (V3-V4 region) amplicon dataset classified to the genus level was used to identify significantly differentially abundant taxa. Adjustments were made for potential confounding variables identified from the literature using several statistical models. Results: We identified six genera that were significantly altered in abundance in the osteoporosis or osteopenic groups compared with age- and gender-matched controls. A detailed study of microbiota associations with meta-data variables that included BMI, health status, diet and medication revealed that these meta-data explained 15–17% of the variance within the microbiota dataset. BMD measurements were significantly associated with alterations in the microbiota. After controlling for known biological confounders, five of the six taxa remained significant. Overall microbiota alpha diversity did not correlate to BMD in this study. Conclusion: Reduced BMD in osteopenia and osteoporosis is associated with an altered microbiota. These alterations may be useful as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in individuals at high risk of reductions in BMD. These observations will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between the microbiota and bone homeostasis

Mechanisms of international influence on domestic elite sport policy

In the analysis of sport policy the permeability of domestic policy processes and the significance of non-domestic policy influences is increasingly acknowledged. There is also a growing awareness of the role of domestic institutional arrangements in mediating influences external to the domestic policy system. Taking the interaction between non-domestic influences and domestic policy processes as its starting point the article evaluates, in relation to elite sport, the variety of mechanisms that have been identified as linking the domestic and non-domestic policy spheres. It is argued that the mechanisms vary in relation to the locus of initiative, the basis of engagement, the key relationships and the nature of power relationships. It is also argued that in many countries in relation to elite sport policy there is a dual process in operation of domestically initiated policy learning and non-domestically initiated policy harmonisation through policy regimes

DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours.

Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging-with substantial inter-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumour types. Here we present a comprehensive approach for the DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours across all entities and age groups, and demonstrate its application in a routine diagnostic setting. We show that the availability of this method may have a substantial impact on diagnostic precision compared to standard methods, resulting in a change of diagnosis in up to 12% of prospective cases. For broader accessibility, we have designed a free online classifier tool, the use of which does not require any additional onsite data processing. Our results provide a blueprint for the generation of machine-learning-based tumour classifiers across other cancer entities, with the potential to fundamentally transform tumour pathology

The coexistence of peace and conflict in South America: toward a new conceptualization of types of peace

South America's predominant democratic regimes and its increasing interdependence on regional trade have not precluded the emergence of militarized crises between Colombia and Venezuela or the revival of boundary claims between Chile and Peru. This way, how can we characterize a zone that, in spite of its flourishing democracy and dense economic ties, remain involved in territorial disputes for whose resolution the use of force has not yet been discarded? This article contends that existing classifications of zones of peace are not adequate to explain this unusual coexistence. Thus, its main purpose is to develop a new analytical category of regional peace for assessing this phenomenon: the hybrid peace. It aims to research the evolution of security systems in South America during the previous century and build a new, threefold classification of peace zones: negative peace zones, hybrid peace zones, and positive peace zones

International Nonregimes: A Research Agenda1

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146934/1/j.1468-2486.2007.00672.x.pd