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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany occupations require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) but the added metabolic demands are unknown for certain professions. The purpose of this study was to quantify metabolic and perceptual differences between activity with and without the PPE ensemble required for police officers. Twelve participants were asked to complete experimental and control exercise sessions consisting of three modes of exercise (walking, jogging and stepping).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To determine whether cardiovascular exercise training resulted in improved antibody responses to influenza vaccination in sedentary elderly people who exhibited poor vaccine responses.
Design: Single-site randomized parallel-arm 10-month controlled trial.
Setting: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Exercise has beneficial effects on chronic disease, and the drive to understand the mechanisms of these benefits is strong. This article presents several compelling potential mechanisms for the anti-inflammatory effect of exercise, including reduced percentage of body fat and macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue, muscle-released interleukin-6 inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-a, and the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.
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