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Introduction: Injuries are the most significant health problem of military services. Military medical surveillance data are useful for determining the magnitude and causes of the injury problem, identifying possible prevention targets and monitoring trends among military personnel. Soldiers serving in the Polish Armed Forces took part in the research. The aim of the study was to identify the most common injuries of the musculoskeletal system and to analyze causes of injuries. An additional goal was to examine whether there is a relationship between selected values of body composition indexes, the result of the functional movement screen (FMS) test and occurrence of an injury.Material and Methods: The Polish Armed Forces soldiers serving in the land forces, military police, air forces took part in the research. The first stage was to complete the questionnaire regarding injuries in the last 5 years, their reasons, and the circumstances of their occurrence. After completing the survey, subjects were measured and weighed on the body composition analyzer. The next step was to perform a FMS to evaluate the locomotor system.Results: In the groups of examined Polish soldiers, the most frequent injuries concerned lower limbs and, above all, a knee joint. The leading causes of injuries were activities resulting from the service as well as playing football and volleyball.Conclusions: Parameters from the body composition analyzer such as body mass index, muscle mass distribution on lower limbs as well as evaluation in the FMS test may be helpful for the initial assessment of predisposition to injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive exercise and exertion during competition promote many changes that may result in the impairment of immunity and increased susceptibility to infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of "the first line of defense": neutrophils and monocytes in racing Thoroughbred and Arabian horses after routine training sessions. Twenty-three (12 Thoroughbred and 11 Arabian) horses were examined. Routine haematological (number of red blood cells - RBC, haemoglobin concentration - HGB, haematocrit - HCT, total number of white blood cells - WBC), biochemical (creatine phosphokinase activity - CPK and total protein concentration - TP) parameters, cortisol concentration as well as phagocytic and oxidative burst activity of neutrophils and monocytes were determined. The values of basic parameters and the activity of phagocytes differed between breeds and distinct patterns of exerciseinduced changes were observed. The training sessions did not produce the decrease in phagocyte activity that might lead to the suppression of immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Acute phase proteins (APP) have been described as useful for assessing health in human and animal patients, as they closely reflect the acute phase reaction (APR). In humans and dogs a reaction analogous to APR has also been described after prolonged or strenuous exercise. The aim of this study was to determine, if similar reactions occur in endurance horses after limited and long distance rides. Seventeen horses that successfully completed various distance competitions were tested. Routine haematological and biochemical tests were performed and the concentrations of serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin were measured. Typical endurance exercise-induced haematological and biochemical changes were observed in all horses, regardless the distance. After long distance rides, the level of SAA markedly increased, but CRP and haptoglobin concentrations remained unchanged. After limited distance rides no changes in the levels of APPs were noted. Exercise-induced APR in horses occurred only after prolonged, strenuous exertion, and differed from APR in inflammation in that only SAA concentration was increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Exercise-induced intravascular haemolysis and “sport anemia” are widely reported in human sports medicine. It has been recognized also in horses, however, the clinical importance and the onset of this condition seem different than in human. In this study we investigated the episodes of intravascular haemolysis, indicated by the increase in plasma haemoglobin and the decrease in serum haptoglobin levels, after routine training sessions in race horses. Heart rate and changes in haematological parameters confirmed, that the exertion was relatively high. Intravascular haemolysis did not appear in stallions but was detected in mares after two training sessions. It has been determined that serum haptoglobin levels were higher in mares than in stallions before and after all training sessions. It is postulated that intravascular haemolysis induced by training is of limited clinical importance because it occurred only in mares which are better adapted due to higher haptoglobin level at rest, and it had no cumulative effect. Therefore gender differences should be taken into consideration in experiments with athletic horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A horse learning about the entrance to narrow, cage-shaped places may be challenging both for the horses as well as for the owners. For some behaviors, such as loading into a trailer or climbing onto a treadmill, the final behavioral goal can be achieved by working towards it in stages. This study compared the successive approximation of horses to their first work on a treadmill with horses hardly ever loaded (HE L) and regularly loaded (R L) into a trailer. Fourteen horses were divided into two groups (HE L n = 7 and R L n = 7) based on their experiences of entering into a trailer. All horses were taught using four stages of successive approximation. The average lead time was longer in the HE L than in the R L group, both in the first (HE L: 33.8 ± 12.4 s; R L: 17.6 ± 12.9 s; p = 0.035) and last stages (HE L: 12.0 ± 10.3 s; R L: 3.7 ± 1.0 s; p = 0.032) of trials. With the subsequent repetitions of each step, the heart rate decreased in both groups. Very few behaviors indicating fear or unwillingness (“rearing,” “sideways,” and “backwards”) were observed. Horses that were regularly loaded exhibited signs of relaxation. The successive approximation of horses to the first work on a treadmill differed and may depend on the previous experiences with loading and travelling in the confined space of a trailer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity has been recognized as a worldwide growing problem, producing many pathologies including the promotion of "proinflammatory state." The etiology of human obesity is still only partially understood; however, the genetic background has been proved. Its nature is complex, and currently, it appears that the combined effects of the interactions among multiple genes should receive more attention. Due to the fact that obesity promotes proinflammatory conditions, in this study, we investigated the genetic polymorphism of IL-1 family genes in healthy people with normal and elevated body mass index (BMI) and fat %. Results: The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the IL1A -889C > T (rs1800587), IL1B + 3954 T > C (rs1143634), and IL1RN -87G > A (rs2234677) genes alone were associated neither with BMI nor fat % values in tested group. The associations between SNP–SNP interaction and BMI for the IL1B × IL1RN interactions were significant for dominant model (p = 0.02) and codominant model (p = 0.03). The same SNP-SNP interaction (IL1B × IL1RN) was associated also with fat % for codominant (p = 0.01) and recessive (p = 0.002) models. Conclusions: This study further confirmed that IL-1 family genes are involved in genetic background of obesity. It has been shown that interaction IL1B × IL1RN was associated with both BMI and fat % with rare T allele protecting form higher values. Thus, even if certain polymorphisms in single genes of IL-1 family cannot be defined as related to obesity in examined population, the genetic interrelationships should be analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serum amyloid A (SAA) is the major acute phase protein in horses. Its concentration increases in various pathologies but also in response to prolonged, strenuous effort. The purpose of this study was to establish whether routine race and endurance training produces changes in the SAA level in Arabian horses. Additionally, the differences between SAA response in experienced endurance horses and endurance horses that were beginning their career were investigated. Results: There were no changes in SAA concentrations after race training and endurance training in experienced horses. In horses that were beginning their endurance training, exercise produced an increase in SAA level as compared with rest level. Conclusion: In Arabians, the SAA concentration seems to be a good indicator of endurance training but is useless in race training. The routine training of experienced horses, which were prepared for long distance rides, did not promote any changes in the SAA level. In contrast, a significant increase in the SAA concentration was observed in horses that were beginning their endurance training and were only prepared for moderate distance rides and underwent the same effort. Further research is needed to elucidate whether this difference reflects too heavy training or adaptation to an increasing workload. Additionally, the adaptation to long distance rides in Arabians may include a reduced acute phase response [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine with both pro- and anti-inflammatory actions, but is also considered as a "metabolic hormone" involved in immune responses, affecting glucose, protein and lipid metabolism. It has been proposed to be related to obesity, but various results have been presented. Thus, in this study, the very homogenous population of young, male military professionals, living in the same conditions involving high physical activity, has been selected to avoid the influence of environmental factors. The subjects were divided into groups depending on the obesity parameters BMI (body mass index) and fat percentage (fat%), and the following IL-6 SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were analyzed: rs1800795, rs1800796 and rs13306435. No relation was found between obesity parameters and IL-6 polymorphisms rs1800795, rs1800796 and rs13306435. It may be postulated that even if a genetic predisposition involves IL-6 genes, this effect in individuals with obesity of a low grade is minor, or can be avoided or at least markedly reduced by changes in lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate whether endurance training changes pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine profile within a 20-week training season in young inexperienced endurance Arabian horses. It has been suggested that regular endurance training can induce an advanced anti-inflammatory response, but its nature is not completely understood. However, to promote more effective use of endurance exercise training in health promotion and disease prevention, a complete understanding of the nature of its immune regulatory effect is required. The results suggest that endurance training can induce advanced overall anti-inflammatory response as an adaptation to increasing workload. Development of an anti-inflammatory state during physical training has been postulated in both human and equine athletes, but it is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether endurance training changes pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles within a 20-week training season in young inexperienced endurance horses. Nine Arabian horses were examined in this prospective 20-week follow-up study. Blood samples were analysed 5 times monthly, at rest and after training sessions. Routine haematological examinations were performed. Cytokine patterns including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10 mRNA expression using Real Time-PCR, and serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17, INFγ, TNF-α, and IL-10 by ELISA test were determined. During endurance training, the most significant decrease in post-exercise cytokine type 1 levels (TNFα and IL-β) occurred within 20 weeks, beginning from the 3rd month of training. IL-6 serum level decreased after the 4th month. The results suggest that endurance training can induce advanced overall anti-inflammatory response as an adaptation to increasing workload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport training leads to adaptation to physical effort that is reflected by the changes in blood parameters. In equine endurance athletes, blood testing is accepted as a support in training, however, only the changes before versus after exercise in creatine phosphokinase activity (CPK) and basic blood parameters are usually measured. This study is the first longitudinal investigation of the changes in routinely measured blood parameters and, additionally, serum amyloid A (SAA), during seven months, in Arabian horses introduced to endurance training and competing in events for young horses. It has been determined that CPK, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count (RBC), and concentration of total serum protein (TSP) slightly increased after training sessions and competitions in similar manner. The increase in white blood cell (WBC) count was higher after competitions and SAA increased only after competitions. Total protein concentration was the only parameter that increased with training during a 7-month program. SAA indicated only in the case of heavy effort, and, it thus may be helpful in the monitoring of training in young horses. In an optimal program, its concentration should not increase after a training session but only after heavy effort, which should not be repeated too often. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]