An investigation of plasma interleukin-6 in sport-related concussion.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests inflammation is an important component of concussion pathophysiology. However, its etiology, restitution, and potential clinical repercussions remain unknown. The purpose of the current study was to compare the blood concentrations of interleukin (IL) -6, a prominent inflammatory cytokine, between healthy athletes and athletes with a sport-related concussion (SRC), while addressing the potential confounds of sex, recent physical activity, and the interacting effect of concussion history. METHOD: A prospective, observational cohort study was conducted on athletes at a single academic institute participating across 13 interuniversity sports. Follow-up of 96 athletes who agreed to provide a blood sample was completed: 41 athletes with a physician diagnosed SRC, and 55 healthy athletes. Ella™, the high sensitivity immunoassay system by ProteinSimple was used to measure peripheral plasma concentrations of IL-6 within the first week (median = 4 days, range = 2-7) following injury. A resampled ordinary least squares regression was used to evaluate the relationship between IL-6 concentrations and concussion status, while partial least squares regression was used to evaluate the relationship between IL-6 and both symptom burden and time to clinical recovery. RESULTS: Regression analysis identified a negative relationship between plasma IL-6 concentrations and the interaction between an acute SRC and a history of concussion (ß = -0.29, p = 0.029). IL-6 did not differ between healthy athletes and those with an acute SRC independent of concussion history, and was not correlated with either recovery time or symptom burden in athletes with SRC. CONCLUSION: Perturbations to circulating IL-6 concentrations, a key inflammatory cytokine, may be more pronounced following SRC in athletes who have a history of concussion. These results add to a growing body of evidence supporting the involvement of inflammation at all phases of recovery following SRC, and potentially support a concomitant effect of prior concussion on acute SRC pathophysiology.

Acute elevation of serum inflammatory markers predicts symptom recovery after concussion.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that acute elevations in serum inflammatory markers predict symptom recovery after sport-related concussion (SRC). METHODS: High school and collegiate football players (n = 857) were prospectively enrolled. Forty-one athletes with concussion and 43 matched control athletes met inclusion criteria. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor, C-reactive protein, interferon-γ, and IL-1 receptor antagonist and Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 3rd edition (SCAT3) symptom severity scores were collected at a preinjury baseline, 6 and 24-48 hours postinjury, and approximately 8, 15, and 45 days following concussion. The number of days that athletes were symptomatic following SRC (i.e., duration of symptoms) was the primary outcome variable. RESULTS: IL-6 and IL-1RA were significantly elevated in athletes with concussion at 6 hours relative to preinjury and other postinjury visits, as well as compared to controls (ps ≤ 0.001). IL-6 and IL-1RA significantly discriminated concussed from control athletes at 6 hours postconcussion (IL-6 area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65-0.92], IL-1RA AUC 0.79 [95% CI 0.67-0.90]). Further, IL-6 levels at 6 hours postconcussion were significantly associated with the duration of symptoms (hazard ratio for symptom recovery = 0.61 [95% CI 0.38-0.96], p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Results support the potential utility of IL-6 and IL-1RA as serum biomarkers of SRC and demonstrate the potential of these markers in identifying athletes at risk for prolonged recovery after SRC. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1RA 6 hours postconcussion significantly discriminated concussed from control athletes.

Microglial neuroinflammation contributes to tau accumulation in chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The chronic effects of repetitive head impacts (RHI) on the development of neuroinflammation and its relationship to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are unknown. Here we set out to determine the relationship between RHI exposure, neuroinflammation, and the development of hyperphosphorylated tau (ptau) pathology and dementia risk in CTE. We studied a cohort of 66 deceased American football athletes from the Boston University-Veteran's Affairs-Concussion Legacy Foundation Brain Bank as well as 16 non-athlete controls. Subjects with a neurodegenerative disease other than CTE were excluded. Counts of total and activated microglia, astrocytes, and ptau pathology were performed in the dorsolateral frontal cortex (DLF). Binary logistic and simultaneous equation regression models were used to test associations between RHI exposure, microglia, ptau pathology, and dementia. Duration of RHI exposure and the development and severity of CTE were associated with reactive microglial morphology and increased numbers of CD68 immunoreactive microglia in the DLF. A simultaneous equation regression model demonstrated that RHI exposure had a significant direct effect on CD68 cell density (p < 0.0001) and ptau pathology (p < 0.0001) independent of age at death. The effect of RHI on ptau pathology was partially mediated through increased CD68 positive cell density. A binary logistic regression demonstrated that a diagnosis of dementia was significantly predicted by CD68 cell density (OR = 1.010, p = 0.011) independent of age (OR = 1.055, p = 0.007), but this effect disappeared when ptau pathology was included in the model. In conclusion, RHI is associated with chronic activation of microglia, which may partially mediate the effect of RHI on the development of ptau pathology and dementia in CTE. Inflammatory molecules may be important diagnostic or predictive biomarkers as well as promising therapeutic targets in CTE.

[Immune defense is both stimulated and inhibited by physical activity]. / Fysisk aktivitet både stimulerar och hämmar immunförsvaret.

Physical exercise may enhance some and depress other immune functions. The biological importance of these changes is not fully elucidated. Acute endurance exercise results in a relatively large redistribution of leukocytes between circulating blood and other tissues, as well as an increase in circulating cytokines. Some of these changes have been related to energy metabolism. A temporal correlation has been observed between altered immune functions and resistance to infections. A post-exercise infection can be either the result of a pre-exercise, sub-clinical infection amplified by the performed work or a novel infection, acquired during a period of decreased immune function shortly after exercise. Animal experiments have demonstrated that the susceptibility to infections after exercise depends on exercise intensity and duration, type of pathogen and time of inoculation. Exercise before inoculation with some bacterial agents can enhance resistance to infection, while exercise during an ongoing viral or bacterial infection worsens symptoms and enhances the risk for complications. Most studies demonstrate a deleterious effect of physical exercise in conjunction with infectious episodes.

The impact of psychological stress on immune function in the athletic population.

In many ways, the physiological and immune consequences of acute bursts of physical exercise parallel the effect of an acute psychological stressor. Similarly, the net effects of endurance training resemble chronic psychological stress, whereas the physiological milieu associated with overtraining resembles that of melancholic depression. We suggest that the prolonged psychological stress often associated with athletic training and competition may make athletes more vulnerable to the negative health effects of training. Furthermore, a relationship between anxiety and life events on susceptibility to injury is well documented. Individual differences in self-confidence and self-esteem are also known to relate to the occurrence of injury as well as recovery from injury. We suggest that these two observations may be linked. It is the purpose of this paper to review the most recent evidence that psychological stress does impact upon the balance of the immune system in such a way as to be relevant to health outcomes and that the athletic population, in particular those with low self-esteem, may be especially vulnerable due to the probable synergistic effects of both physical and psychological stress.

Seronegative spondyloarthropathy initiated by physical trauma.

We undertook this study to demonstrate the pattern of onset and the course of arthritis on the traumatised joint in spondyloarthropathy (SpA) initiated by physical trauma. Among 288 patients with SpA, 12 (4.2%) whose arthropathies were associated with trauma were reviewed retrospectively. There were seven patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), three with juvenile onset AS and two undifferentiated SpA. The type of trauma was direct injury to the joint and injuries at other sites, except in spinal surgery, for example. In eight cases the initial evidence of disease was peripheral arthritis. The disease first occurred in traumatised joints in five cases. Only three cases showed recurrent inflammatory episodes in the traumatised joints throughout the disease course. SpA initiated by trauma initially manifested as peripheral arthritis at the traumatised joints in about half of the cases. Inflammatory episodes preferentially involved other joints apart from the traumatised joints throughout the whole course of the disease.

The role of neutrophils in injury and repair following muscle stretch.

Stretch injury to the myotendinous junction is a common problem in competitive athletes and those involved in regular physical activity. The major risk factor for recurrent injury appears to be the primary injury itself. Physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers and athletes alike continue to search for optimal treatment and prevention strategies. Acute inflammation is regarded as the body's generalized protective response to tissue injury. An especially important and unexplored aspect of inflammation following injury is the role of inflammatory cells in extending injury and possibly directing muscle repair. It has been suggested that the inflammatory reaction, although it typically represents a reaction to damage and necrosis, may even bring about some local damage of its own and therefore increase the possibility for scarring and fibrosis. Limiting certain aspects of inflammation may theoretically reduce muscle damage as well as signals for muscle scarring. Here we focus on the role of neutrophils in injury and repair of stretch-injured skeletal muscle. A minimally invasive model that generates a reproducible injury to rabbit skeletal muscle is presented. We present a plausible theory that neutrophil-derived oxidants resulting from the initial stretch injury are responsible for extending the damage. An anti-CD11b antibody that blocks the neutrophil's respiratory burst is employed to reduce myofibre damage. An intriguing area that is currently being explored in our laboratory and others is the potential role for neutrophils to contribute to muscle growth and repair. It may be possible that neutrophils facilitate muscle repair through removal of tissue debris as well as by activation of satellite cells. Recent and ongoing investigations point to interleukin-6 as a possible key cytokine in muscle inflammation and repair. Studies to elucidate a clearer understanding of this possibility will be reviewed.

The haematological, biochemical and immunological profile of athletes suffering from the overtraining syndrome.

To help clarify the overtraining syndrome (OTS), a combination of parameters were measured in ten athletes who were suffering from OTS. Blood samples were obtained at rest and a range of haematological, biochemical and immunological tests were carried out on the samples. For each parameter, the mean value for the group was compared to an established normal range amongst age-matched controls. The subjects were also asked to complete a questionnaire to establish the severity of their condition. The data indicated that the debilitating fatigue experienced by the OTS sufferers was not related to any of the blood parameters traditionally associated with chronic exercise stress, since levels were normal in OTS. The only parameter measured which deviated significantly from the normal range for both the sedentary controls and the athletes was the plasma concentration of glutamine. Although the data in this study would suggest that plasma glutamine concentrations represented an objective, measurable difference between OTS subjects and normal controls, it remains to be shown that there is any correlation between glutamine concentrations and other clinical symptoms of OTS such as physical capability.

Equestrian perniosis associated with cold agglutinins: a novel finding.

Reports of equestrian perniosis are rare in the literature and in the cases previously described there have been no abnormal laboratory investigations. We describe two patients with equestrian perniosis who had persistently elevated titres of cold agglutinins. We discuss the relationship of these cold agglutinins to the pathogenesis of perniosis and other related skin disorders.

Acute and chronic over-exertion: do depressed immune responses provide useful markers?

There are ethical objections to inducing cumulative muscle damage and associated decrements of performance deliberately in a healthy athlete. Available data on acute and chronic over-exertion thus include the changes of immune response observed following a single bout of exhausting exercise, sequential observations made on top-level competitors as they approach peak training periods, and longitudinal laboratory studies of heavy (but not necessarily damaging) bouts of training. In all three of these situations, subclinical muscle damage initiates an acute inflammatory response, with a resulting deterioration in physical performance. Although much smaller in degree and shorter in duration, the associated changes in immune function are similar to those seen in sepsis. There have been major advances in immunological technique over the past decade, and significant changes in a number of elements of the immune response can be identified in athletes during periods of heavy training. The most promising immunological marker of excessive training seems a decrease in salivary IgA concentration. However, no single change occurs with sufficient consistency to identify the individual competitor who is at risk of overtraining. Mechanisms can be conceived that convert a sequence of excessive training bouts into an acute and then a chronic inflammatory process, but the syndrome of overtraining has a complex overlay of biological and psychological influences. It remains more easily detected by decreases in physical performance and alterations in mood state than by changes in immune function.