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Special Issue "Effects of Sport on the Immune System"

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 12292

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luís Branquinho

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Guest Editor

Department of Sports, Douro Higher Institute of Educational Sciences, 4560-708 Penafiel, Portugal
Interests: soccer; football; exercise performance; physiology; strength and condition; physical education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Pedro Miguel Forte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Department of Sports, Douro Higher Institute of Educational Sciences, 4560-708 Penafiel, Portugal
2. Research Center in Sports, Health and Human Development, CIDESD, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: biomechanics; energy cost; exercise; health promotion; training
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Dr. Ricardo Ferraz

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
2. Research Center in Sports, Health and Human Development, CIDESD, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: football, soccer, physiology, exercise prescripton; psycophysiology; physical education; padagogy; fatigue; sports performance analysis; physical conditioning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last century, human beings have become less physically active, each adopting more and more sedentary habits. This behavioral change has promoted the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases. In this sense, the regular practice of physical activity can influence the state of health, changing metabolic states and also the immune system. However, the effect of exercise on the immune system can vary. Moderate-intensity exercise appears to have a protective effect, while overtraining, high-intensity exercise, and prolonged strenuous exercise can result in immune dysfunction. The effects of exercise on the immune system are complex and depend on various factors such as age, sex, exercise intensity and duration, volume, frequency, type of exercise, environmental factors and others that can stimulate or inhibit the immune system in a very unique way. However, the complex way in which exercise influences the immune system is still not well understood.

For this Special Issue, authors are invited to contribute by submitting high-quality descriptive or experimental reviews and studies that reflect the breadth of current developments in the effect of exercise on the immune system and that may translate into new knowledge in practice.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

- Exercise and immune aging;

- The effect of acute exercise on cell changes and gene expression;

- The effects of acute exercise on immune regulation;

- The effect of exercise intervention on the immune system and COVID-19;

- Aging, exercise, training, and the immune system;

- Immune responses to exercise in different populations.

Dr. Luís Branquinho
Dr. Pedro Miguel Forte
Dr. Ricardo Ferraz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

exercise
physical activity, immunologic system
physiological adaptations

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Open AccessEditorial

The Relationships between Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport on the Immune System

Pedro Forte

Luís Branquinho

and

Ricardo Ferraz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6777; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116777 - 01 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

During their lifetime, human beings are exposed to different microorganisms (i [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

Research

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Open AccessArticle

Obesity Status and Physical Fitness Levels in Male and Female Portuguese Adolescents: A Two-Way Multivariate Analysis

Samuel Encarnação

Filipe Rodrigues

António Miguel Monteiro

José Eduardo Teixeira

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(12), 6115; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126115 - 13 Jun 2023

Viewed by 935

Abstract

Obesity and decreasing fitness levels among the youth are growing concerns in Portugal, similar to other developed countries, with implications for health and psychomotor development. Understanding the influence of health determinants such as sex and age are crucial for developing effective public health strategies. This study aimed to analyze the association between sex and chronological age with obesity status and physical fitness in Portuguese adolescents. A total of 170 adolescents (85 males and 85 females) were evaluated for body mass index, abdominal adiposity, aerobic fitness, abdominal resistance, upper limb resistance, lower limb power, and maximal running speed in a 40 m sprint using the FITescola^® physical fitness battery, a Portuguese government initiative. The general model, analyzed using Pillai’s trace, showed a significant effect of age and sex on body mass index, abdominal circumference, aerobic fitness, abdominal resistance, upper limb resistance, lower limb power, and maximal running speed (V = 0.99, F (7) = 10,916.4, p < 0.001, partial η2, sex = 0.22; age = 0.43, sex and age interaction = 0.10). Boys had higher physical fitness levels than girls in most tests, but both sex groups had a significantly higher proportion of non-fit adolescents, with boys showing the highest number of participants classified as non-fit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

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Open AccessArticle

Resistance Training Improves Sleep and Anti-Inflammatory Parameters in Sarcopenic Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Helton de Sá Souza

Camila Maria de Melo

Ronaldo Delmonte Piovezan

Rafael Eduardo Eustórgio Pinheiro Chagas Miranda

Miguel Araujo Carneiro-Junior

Bruno Moreira Silva

Ronaldo Vagner Thomatieli-Santos

Sergio Tufik

Dalva Poyares

and

Vânia D’Almeida

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16322; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316322 - 06 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4131

Abstract

Sleep and exercise have an important role in the development of several inflammation-related diseases, including sarcopenia. Objective: To investigate the effects of 12 weeks of resistance exercise training on sleep and inflammatory status in sarcopenic patients. Methods: A randomized controlled trial comparing resistance exercise training (RET) with a control (CTL) was conducted. Outcomes were obtained by physical tests, polysomnography, questionnaires, isokinetic/isometric dynamometry tests, and biochemical analysis. Results: Time to sleep onset (sleep latency) was reduced in the RET group compared to the CTL group (16.09 ± 15.21 vs. 29.98 ± 16.09 min; p = 0.04) after the intervention. The percentage of slow-wave sleep (N3 sleep) was increased in the RET group (0.70%, CI: 7.27–16.16 vs. −4.90%, CI: 7.06–16.70; p = 0.04) in an intention to treat analysis. Apnea/hour was reduced in the RET group (16.82 ± 14.11 vs. 7.37 ± 7.55; p = 0.001) and subjective sleep quality was improved compared to the CTL (−1.50; CI: 2.76–6.14 vs. 0.00; CI: 1.67–3.84 p = 0.02) in an intention-to-treat analysis. Levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) (2.13 ± 0.80 vs. 2.51 ± 0.99; p < 0.03) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) (0.99 ± 0.10 vs. 0.99 ± 0.10 ng/mL; p < 0.04; delta variation) were increased in the RET group. Conclusions: RET improves sleep parameters linked to muscle performance, possibly due to an increase in anti-inflammatory markers in older sarcopenic patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

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Open AccessArticle

Salivary Diagnostic for Monitoring Strenuous Exercise—A Pilot Study in a Cohort of Male Ultramarathon Runners

Josephin Borchers

Cordula Leonie Merle

Deborah Diana Schöneborn

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16110; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316110 - 01 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1030

Abstract

Intense physical stress, such as that in ultramarathon running, affects the immune system. For monitoring in sports medicine, non-invasive methods, e.g., salivary analysis, are of interest. This pilot cohort study aimed to assess changes in salivary parameters in response to an ultramarathon. The results were compared to blood parameters. Male, healthy finishers (n = 9, mean age: 48 ± 8.8 years, mean height: 1.8 ± 0.1 m, mean weight: 72.5 ± 7.2 kg, mean BMI: 23.5 ± 1.9 kg/cm²) of a 160 km ultramarathon were included. Saliva and blood samples were collected at three time points: T1 (baseline), T2 (shortly after the ultramarathon) and T3 (after recovery). In saliva, cortisol, testosterone, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, albumin, IgA, α-amylase, aMMP-8, and neopterin were assessed via ELISA. In blood, cortisol, testosterone, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, blood cell counts, procalcitonin, CRP, osmolality, albumin, and α-amylase were analyzed. The statistical evaluation comprised longitudinal testing and cross-sectional testing between saliva and blood using ratios of T2 and T3 to baseline values. Various parameters in saliva and blood changed in response to the ultramarathon. Comparing blood and saliva, the longitudinal changes of testosterone (p = 0.02) and α-amylase (p = 0.03) differed significantly. Despite the limitations of the study, it underlines that saliva is an interesting option for comprehensive monitoring in sports medicine and necessitates further studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

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Open AccessArticle

RANTES and CD40L under Conditions of Long-Term Physical Exercise: A Potential Link to Adaptive Immunity

Monika Fritzer-Szekeres

Jeanette Strametz-Juranek

Senta Graf

and

Michael Sponder

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8658; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148658 - 16 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1175

Abstract

Regular physical exercise was found to be associated with an improved immune response in previous studies. RANTES and CD40L play a pivotal role in host defense, and individuals lacking adequate expression are prone to virus and opportunistic infections. A total of 98 participants were enrolled in this study. The probands were asked to perform moderate physical activity, and bicycle stress tests were performed at the baseline and after 8 months of training to evaluate individual performance. RANTES and CD40L were found to be increased by long-term physical exercise. In particular, probands with a performance gain of ≥3% displayed a pronounced elevation of both markers, paired with a decrease in circulating IL6 levels and an improved lipid profile. In summary, we were able to highlight rising levels of serum RANTES and CD40L under the conditions of physical exercise. Taking their role in host defense into account, a conjunction of physical activity and the adaptive immune system could therefore be assumed. Furthermore, low inflammatory profiles in probands with a significant performance gain suggest a modulation through exercise rather than a generalized pro-inflammatory status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

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Open AccessArticle

Structural Equation Modelling for Predicting the Relative Contribution of Each Component in the Metabolic Syndrome Status Change

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3384; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063384 - 13 Mar 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2145

Abstract

Understanding the factor weighting in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) may help to predict the progression for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a confirmatory model to describe and explain the direct and indirect effect of each component in MetS status change. A total of 3581 individuals diagnosed with MetS, aged 18–102 years, were selected between January 2019 and December 2020 from a community-representative sample of Portuguese adults in a north-eastern Portuguese region to test the model’s goodness of fit. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach and a two-way ANOVA (age × body composition) were performed to compare the relative contribution of each MetS component using joint interim statement (JIS). Waist circumference (β = 0.189–0.373, p < 0.001), fasting glucose (β = 0.168–0.199, p < 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (β = 0.140–0.162, p < 0.001) had the highest direct effect on the change in MetS status in the overall population and concerning both sexes. Moreover, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) had a low or non-significant effect. Additionally, an indirect effect was reported for age and body composition involving the change in MetS status. The findings may suggest that other components with higher specificity and sensitivity should be considered to empirically validate the harmonised definition of MetS. Current research provides the first multivariate model for predicting the relative contribution of each component in the MetS status change, specifically in Portuguese adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sport on the Immune System)

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