Background. Besides the functional benefits, physical activity triggers a hormonal pattern of immunologic responses with an anti-inflammatory effect in individuals who suffer from multiple sclerosis. Purpose. To analyze the influence of physical activity on multiple sclerosis and identify the intensity threshold which triggers the anti-inflammatory physiological mechanism. Methodology. A systematic review was made on the databases Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, PloS, PEDro, and Web of Science. Studies from references of retrieved articles were also collected. The criteria included studies published in English and random studies referred to the inflammatory process, connected with physical activity in individuals with multiple sclerosis. The studies were methodologically analyzed by two reviewers according to PEDro scale. Results and Discussion. Five random control trial studies were identified. The results revealed that with physical activity there seems to have a modulation on anti-inflammatory cytokines which improve physical and cardiorespiratory performance. More investigation is required. Conclusions. Physical activity influences the quality of life and it seems to stimulate the presence of anti-inflammatory cytokines. With light physical activity the cellular activity is lower, while with moderate activity there seems to have more capacity to help in the resolution of an inflammatory situation.

Physiological perfusion asymmetries in the lower limb are known, although poorly understood, as are asymmetries reported in plantar pressure and stance. This preliminary study aims to explore potential relationships between perfusion and pressure variables in humans. A convenience sample of eight healthy individuals (25.25 ± 5.37 years old) of both sexes, was selected. Chosen variables were perfusion, plantar pressure, and stance. Perfusion was measured in both feet by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and polarized light spectroscopy (PSp), and plantar pressure and stance obtained by a pressure plate. These were measured in baseline (Phase I) in a repeated squatting (Phase II), and in recovery (Phase III). A 95% confidence interval was adopted. Intraindividual significant perfusion asymmetries between both feet were detected by LDF in Phase I. These disappeared in Phase II and returned in Phase III. PSp did not detect any asymmetries. Plantar pressure was also asymmetric and differently distributed along both feet with no statistical significance except in the hindfoot. Significant correlations were found between BMI and mean Plantar Pressure in Phase I and Phase III, and an inverse correlation between LDF perfusion and Plantar Pressure in Phase I. These results seem to suggest an interesting direction for exploration and study of these asymmetries in the absence of disease.

The significance of lower limb perfusion asymmetries remains unknown in healthy individuals. Our study aims to understand how factors such as posture, sex, age, and body weight relate to perfusion. Data from studies previously published by our group, including experiments using laser Doppler flowmetry as the gold standard for perfusion measurements in baseline, (various) challenge, and recovery phases was assembled from a total of 139 healthy participants. Body position was shown to be a primary determinant of perfusion asymmetry, especially in women. Effects of sex and age were also analyzed. In a supine position, perfusion asymmetries seemed to relate negatively in the aged group of participants, where challenge and recovery seemed to follow different processes. In the upright position, young men and women have shown comparable distributions and asymmetry ratios at baseline and recovery. In the aged group, differences between sexes were observed at baseline, but again, the course of the asymmetry ratios with challenge was essentially similar in men and women. Our analysis suggests that ageing is a critical determinant in our upright study sample, as higher baseline asymmetries and longer recoveries after challenge were linked in older males with higher body mass index (BMI).

Introduction: The human lower limb is widely used as a model to study in vivo microcirculatory physiology and pathophysiology. It is a preferential target for critical comorbidities (overweight, diabetes, and peripheral vascular disease). Movement and activity are consistently regarded as beneficial, but the related adaptive physiology is still poorly understood. Our goal was to better identify the foot microcirculatory changes after a regular walking gait activity in healthy subjects of different ages. Methods: Twelve healthy participants of both sexes, with normal BMI and Ankle-Brachial Index, were selected and grouped according to age – group I (21.0 ± 1 y.o.) and group II (55.8 ± 3 y.o.). The protocol involved 2 phases of 5-min duration each – phase 1, a static standing position, and phase 2, 5-min walking with a comfortable pace on a pre-established circuit. Perfusion changes were assessed in the dorsal region of both feet before (baseline, phase 1) and after (phase 2) the gait period by noninvasive optical technologies – laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), photoplethysmography, and polarized spectroscopy (PSp). Comparative statistics were performed with a 95% confidence level. Results: All instruments detected an asymmetric nonsignificant perfusion between right and left feet during rest in all participants with values in females consistently lower than men. Older participants exhibited lower baseline values than the younger group. Gait evoked a perfusion reduction in all participants relative to phase 1 detected with all technologies, with statistically significant changes recorded with LDF (group I, p = 0.033, and group II, p = 0.028) and PSp (group II, p = 0.041). Furthermore, LDF revealed that gait significantly reduced perfusion velocity in the older group (p = 0.003). Corresponding changes in the younger group were present but discrete. Recovery to baseline levels was also slower in the older group. Discussion/Conclusions: Our results confirm that perfusion is age dependent and demonstrate the clinical relevance of simple dynamic activities such as gait. This reduction of the dorsal foot perfusion occurs in depth, being more pronounced with the movement intensity, suggesting a wide application potential in early diagnostics as for rehabilitation.

Body posture and movement seem to be responsible for multiple variations of microcirculation in the foot, although difficulties associated with measurement during movement have limited their characterization. This pilot study sought to explore a new non-invasive instrument based on polarized light spectroscopy – the TiVi system, under orthostatic and dynamic conditions. Five healthy participants (duly informed, 26.0 ± 6.5 years of age) of both genders were selected. The protocol involved sequential posture changes (orthostatic variation) and dynamic movements (squatting and unipodal flexion). Perfusion variations were evaluated in both feet by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and polarized spectroscopy (TiVi). Both systems revealed the same type of modification of these flow-related variables. The most pronounced changes were obtained with exercise, especially with squatting, which caused a marked increase in foot perfusion. Less dramatic but in the same direction, the increased perfusion with unipodal flexion was also observed in the contralateral limb. This study confirmed the interest in using the TiVi system in these domains, as well as the appropriateness of this experimental design to look deeper into the impact of lower limb movement on the functional dynamics of the foot.