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Objective Obesity is associated with kidney defects. Physical activity is a key element in the treatment of obesity. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of endurance and endurance-strength training on kidney function in abdominally obese women. Methods Forty-four abdominally obese women were randomized to endurance training or endurance-strength training, three times a week for 3 months. Before and after the intervention, kidney function was assessed by measuring blood creatinine, urine creatinine, and urine albumin levels, and the albumin-to-creatinine ratio and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were calculated. Results Renal hyperperfusion was present in both groups before the study. Following both types of physical activity, similar modifications of the investigated parameters were observed, but with no significant between-group differences. Both courses of training led to a significant increase in blood creatinine and a subsequent decrease in the GFR. A significant increase in urine creatinine and album levels, though not exceeding the range for microalbuminuria, was not accompanied by any difference in the albumin-to-creatinine ratio after endurance-strength training alone. Conclusion Three months of either endurance or endurance-strength training has a favorable and comparable effect on renal function in abdominally obese women with renal hyperfiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of study was to investigate the association between oxidative stress and anthropometric and metabolic parameters in middle-aged, overweight or obese women. Venous blood samples were taken from each subject after an overnight fast, and the following parameters were assessed: plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), plasma concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), serum levels of antibodies against oxidized low density lipoproteins (oLAB), serum lipid profiles, and serum glucose and insulin concentrations. Additionally, serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and insulin resistance indices and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were calculated. Correlations were noted between plasma thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), antibodies to oxidized LDL (oLAB), and total antioxidant status (TAS); and blood pressure (BP), insulin resistance parameters and lipids profile. The levels of antibodies to oxidatively modified low-density lipoproteins oLAB correlated with systolic and diastolic BP, TAS correlated negatively with the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP). An association was found between oxidative stress and BP, and lipid risk factors in obese and overweight women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of the study was to analyze changes in prooxidant-antioxidant balance parameters, with special focus on melatonin as an antioxidant, in volleyball players during an annual training cycle. Basic procedures. The study was attended by eleven volleyball players aged 16-17 years from the UKS "Budowlanka" Poznań sports club. The measurements were taken on five dates: in the preparatory "A" period (September 2002), in the pre-starting period (October 2002), in the starting period (March 2003), in the transient period (May 2003) and in the preparatory "B" period (September 2003). On all the dates, venous blood from the basilic vein was drawn from resting players. The concentration of melatonin (MLT), creatinine and creatine kinase (CK) in venous blood serum was estimated. Also, the total antioxidant capacity (TAS) and concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the blood plasma were determined. Main findings. The obtained results showed that the parameters of prooxidant-antioxidant balance in players during an annual training cycle differed significantly in individual periods. The lowest level of concentration of both MLT and TAS occurred in the starting period (the third date of measurements), when the subjects were training with the heaviest physical loads. MLT concentration at the beginning of the pre-starting period, as compared with the preparatory period, was increasing, however, without statistical significance. A highly statistically significant difference was noted between the pre-starting period and the starting period (p ≤ 0.01), when the level of MLT was reduced from 26.04 to 15.2 pg/ml. A statistically significant increase in MLT concentration in relation to the starting period was observed in the transient period (p < 0.05). In the analysis of the concentration of the total antioxidant capacity of plasma (TAS) on five dates of measurements, a significant decrease on the third date, as compared with the first one, was found; from the third date of measurement, the TAS level grew systematically. Nevertheless, the difference in TAS at the beginning and at the end of the study was not statistically significant, although there was a growth tendency from 1.6 to 1.7 mmol/l. In the period between the first and the third dates of measurement, an increase was observed in the concentration of TBARS, i.e. products of peroxidation of lipids reacting with thiobarbituric acid. On the third date of measurement, the concentration of the compound in question increased significantly (p ≤ 0.01), as compared with the second date of measurement; on the fourth date, no statistically significant changes in the concentration of this parameter were observed. Conclusions. (1) The average resting concentration of melatonin in blood serum depends on the type of training load, which confirms its participation in eliminating oxidative stress induced by the character of training load. (2) Concentrations of the studied oxidative stress parameters in the blood of volleyball players in individual mesocycles of an annual training cycle seem to be determined by the type of training load. The lowest concentrations of the parameters of the antioxidant system were observed in the starting period, i.e. when the players were training with the heaviest training loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate changes in blood melatonin concentration in volleyball players after performing an exercise of moderate intensity (test PWC170) and of intensity increasing to the maximum. The sample consisted of eleven volleyball players from the UKS "Budowlanka" Poznań sport club, aged between 15 and 17 years old (mean age 16.0±0.45). Tests and measurements were carried out between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. The exercise test of an intensity increasing to the maximum induced significant disturbances (at 1% confidence level) in the acid-base balance. The pH value declined from 7.38±0.01 to 7.23±0.03, pCO2 by 8 mmHg, and the bicarbonates by 10 mmHg. The base deficit was increased from 0.48±1.03 to 12.40±1.78 mmol/l. The lactic acid concentration was increased by 7.7 mmol/l. The aerobic exercise (PWC170) induced a decrease in blood pH from 7.37±0.01 to 7.34±0.02, a decrease in bicarbonates by 1.84 mmol/l, and the base deficit by 2.1 mmol/l (p<0.01). The concentration of the lactic acid increased from 1.22±0.23 to 2.07±0.72 mmol/l (p<0.01). The concentration of melatonin in the blood serum after exercise of an intensity increasing to the maximum was higher by 3.4 pg/ml (p<0.05), and after the PWC170 test was lower by 7.3 pg/ml (p<0.05). In conclusion, a single physical exercise, depending on its intensity, causes diverse changes in blood melatonin concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well documented that regular physical activity and increased levels of melatonin may enhance the blood antioxidant system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant defense mechanisms, in particular, the antioxidant potential of melatonin in groups of elderly men (mean age 70 years), marked of on the basis of habitual physical activity level. To estimate the physical activity of the study population, weekly energy expenditure was measured in each subject with a Caltrac accelerometer. The study population was divided into two groups (31 subjects in each group) according to the criteria proposed by Bauman: less active (energy expenditure below 1600 kcal per week) and more active (energy expenditure 1600 kcal per week). Venous blood samples were taken from each subject for assessment of plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentrations and melatonin (MLT) levels. The reduced glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in hemolyzed red blood cells were also measured. A significant (p < 0.05), inverse Spearman correlation between MLT concentrations in plasma and physical activity levels was observed in the group of less active men. In more active subjects, a positive correlation between GSH and TAS levels (p < 0.05) and inverse correlations between GSH and TBARS concentrations (p < 0.05), TAS and TBARS levels (p < 0.01) and between TAS and MLT levels (p < 0.001) were noted. The results of the present study support the view that melatonin plays an important role in the blood antioxidant defense system in elderly men and indicate that habitual physical activity may have an influence on the plasma levels of melatonin.

Design: The purpose of our study was to determine a prooxidant-antioxidant balance in pregnant women with the newly diagnosed pregnancy-induced hypertension and in normal pregnancies., Materials and Methods: The research was performed on 20 pregnancies complicated with hypertension (PIH) and 17 normal pregnancies in the third trimester of gestation. The age, BPs, BPd, edema and proteinuria were noted to characterize the patients. The reduced glutathione concentration and the glutathione peroxidase activity were measured in red blood cell hemolysates. In plasma, the concentrations of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances such as lipid peroxidation products and the hydrogen peroxide were determined., Results: There were patients of similar age: pregnancies with PIH and uncomplicated pregnancies were 25.7 +/- 3.96 years old and 25.7 +/- 4.54 years old, respectively. Proteinuria was found in five pregnancies with PIH and in one normal pregnant woman. Edema was noted in eight pregnancies with PIH and in three normal pregnancies. In the group of pregnancies complicated with hypertension, BPs and BPd were 147.7 +/- 6.78 mmHg and 94.2 +/- 4.94 mmHg, respectively. In the group of patients with PIH, reduced glutathione concentration significantly decreased and the TBARS levels increased as compared with results noted in normal pregnancies. No differences in the glutathione peroxidase activity and the hydrogen peroxide concentration were noted between groups of patients., Conclusions: Obtained results of the research allowed us to conclude that the pregnancy-induced hypertension is associated with the overproduction of lipid peroxides and impaired antioxidant defence.