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Ozone (O3) represents a great threat to human health, contributing to respiratory diseases and premature mortality. This pollutant is often considered a critical pollutant in regions of southern Brazil. Exposure to this pollutant during vigorous physical activity should be the subject of thorough investigations due to the increased ventilation rate and altered breathing pattern present during vigorous physical activity that result in greater inhalation of O3. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the health risk of exposure to low, mean, and high concentrations of O3 during different durations of exercise in the city of Rio Grande (southern Brazil). Healthy young men (n = 45) performed cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and ventilation rate data were collected to predict total ventilation and pollutant inhalation during a 5 km running session. The O3 concentration in the city of Rio Grande was obtained from data reported by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The environmental health risk was calculated based on the potential intake dose. The lowest, mean, and highest concentrations of O3 detected during the monitoring period were 32.5, 64.9, and 115.2 µg/m3, respectively. In all evaluated scenarios, there was a toxicological risk (RQ > 1), except when exercising when the O3 concentration was lowest for the shortest length of time (p

The aim of this study was to evaluate the systemic redox state and inflammatory markers in intensive care unit (ICU) or non-ICU severe COVID-19 patients during the hospitalization period. Blood samples were collected at hospital admission (T1) (Controls and COVID-19 patients), 5-7 days after admission (T2: 5-7 days after hospital admission), and at the discharge time from the hospital (T3: 0-72 h before leaving hospital or death) to analyze systemic oxidative stress markers and inflammatory variables. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were analyzed in peripheral granulocytes and monocytes. THP-1 human monocytic cell line was incubated with plasma from non-ICU and ICU COVID-19 patients and cell viability and apoptosis rate were analyzed. Higher total antioxidant capacity, protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and IL-6 at hospital admission were identified in both non-ICU and ICU COVID-19 patients. ICU COVID-19 patients presented increased C-reactive protein, ROS levels, and protein oxidation over hospitalization period compared to non-ICU patients, despite increased antioxidant status. Granulocytes and monocytes of non-ICU and ICU COVID-19 patients presented lower MMP and higher ROS production compared to the healthy controls, with the highest values found in ICU COVID-19 group. Finally, the incubation of THP-1 cells with plasma acquired from ICU COVID-19 patients at T3 hospitalization period decreased cell viability and apoptosis rate. In conclusion, disturbance in redox state is a hallmark of severe COVID-19 and is associated with cell damage and death.

Obesity and physical inactivity threaten human health, and both could be solved with exercise. However, a higher amount of pollutants is inhaled during exercise. Exposure to air pollution increases the incidence and progression of diseases. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the rate of pollution inhalation of lean, overweight, and obese individuals in a low and high-intensity hypothetical exercise session. Healthy sedentary men (n = 135) classified as lean, overweight, or obese were enrolled in our study. All participants performed a cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) to collect ventilation rate (VE) data, which was used to predict total ventilation and pollutant inhalation of a 5-km running session. Air pollutant concentration of Sao Paulo City, Brazil was evaluated and the toxicological risk was estimated based on the potential intake dose. The concentrations of PM2.5 were 29.57 μg/m3 and 51.71 μg/m3, PM10 were 45.85 μg/m3 and 74 μg/m3, NO2 were 63.71 μg/m3 and 66.65 μg/m3, and O3 were 69 μg/m3 and 37 μg/m3, respectively in the summer and winter. In the hypothetical exercise session, total VE and time in both the first and second threshold were increased in the obese group (p

The urbanization process resulted in incredible achievements for society, unfortunately together with economic, social, and technological development it deteriorates air quality and encourages sedentary behavior. Air pollution inhalation is responsible for a massive negative health effect. The practice of regular physical exercise is strongly encouraged to achieve a healthy lifestyle. However, particularly during a physical exercise session, the respiratory system undergoes some physiological adaptations that lead to an increase in the volume of inhaled air, so exercising in a polluted environment would consequently augment the number of pollutants inhaled. In this scenario, would it be safer to stay physically inactive? Or to choose an indoor facility to exercise? Or to keep performing outdoor activities once the benefits achieved with exercise will overcome the possible damage caused by additional exposure to air pollution? Currently, these questions still do not have a decisive answer, so we designed a hypothesis to be tested in which exercise would be beneficial regardless of the chosen place. Outdoor and indoor pollution are both equally harmful to health, however, we do not know if it would have a difference to exercise in one of them.