Differential inflammatory response of men and women subjected to an acute resistance exercise.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the inflammatory response, lipid peroxidation and muscle damage in men and women athletes subjected to an acute resistance exercise. METHODS: Twenty college athletes (10 men and 10 women) performed a half-squat exercise consisting of five incremental intensities: 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the one-repetition maximum. Blood samples were collected at rest, 15 min and 24 h post-test. The concentration of lipid peroxidation markers and the activities of a skeletal muscle damage marker and a cardiac muscle damage marker were determined in serum. Serum α-actin was measured as a marker of sarcomere damage. Serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were determined to assess the inflammatory response. RESULTS: Interleukin-6 levels were higher at 24 h post-test than at rest and 15 min post-test in men (p < 0.05). Moreover, men showed significantly higher hydroperoxide levels in response to resistance exercise at 24 h post-test than at 15 min post-test (p < 0.05). No differences were found in muscle damage parameters regardless of sex or the time point of the test. No differences regarding the studied variables were found when comparing among different time points in women. CONCLUSION: Our results show a larger influence of half-squat exercises on the release of IL6 and on lipid peroxidation in men than in women at equivalent workloads.

Does intermittent exposure to high altitude increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in workers? A systematic narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: Several working groups (eg, miners, flight crews and soldiers) are subjected to chronic intermittent hypoxic exposure. The cardiovascular implications have been studied but not systematically reviewed with focus on possible negative health implications. The aim of the present review was to systematically evaluate the hypothesis that intermittent hypoxic exposure causes cardiovascular stress detrimental to health in workers. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Electronic database search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science up to April 2020. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies of workers ≥18 years repeatedly subjected to months to years of irregular intermittent hypoxia, lasting from a few hours (eg, flight crews), one or a few days (eg, soldiers), or several days to weeks (eg, miners working at high altitude), written in English and evaluating the effect of intermittent hypoxia on cardiovascular disease were included. Animal studies, books, book chapters, personal communication and abstracts were excluded. The primary outcome measure was changes in standardised mortality ratio. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. RESULTS: 119 articles were identified initially, 31 of which met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 17 were retrospective cohort mortality studies (irregular short-term intermittent hypoxia), and 14 studies were observational (long-term intermittent hypoxia). The population of irregular short-term intermittent hypoxia users (flight crew) showed a lower mortality by cardiovascular disease. Long-term intermittent hypoxia over several years such as in miners or soldiers may produce increased levels of cardiac disorders (12 studies), though this is probably confounded by factors such as obesity and socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: This systematic narrative review found that cardiovascular disease mortality in flight crews is lower than average, whereas miners and soldiers exposed to intermittent hypoxia experience increased risks of cardiovascular diseases. The impact of socioeconomic status and lifestyle appears of importance. PROSPERO REGISTRY NUMBER: CRD42020171301.