Background. Although Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) can benefit the immune status, the effects of LcS in the immune/inflammatory responses of marathon runners has never been evaluated. Therefore, here we evaluated the effect of daily ingestion of fermented milk containing or not LcS in the systemic and upper airway immune/inflammatory responses before and after a marathon. Methods. Forty-two male marathon runners ingested a fermented milk containing 40 billion of LcS/day (LcS group, n = 20) or placebo (unfermented milk, n = 22) during 30 days pre-marathon. Immune/inflammatory parameters in nasal mucosa and serum, as well as concentrations of secretory IgA (SIgA) and antimicrobial peptides in saliva, were evaluated before and after fermented milk ingestion, immediately, 72 h, and 14 d post-marathon. Results. Higher proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum and nasal mucosa, and also lower salivary levels of SIgA and antimicrobial peptides, were found immediately post-marathon in the placebo group compared to other time points and to LcS group. In opposite, higher anti-inflammatory levels and reduced neutrophil infiltration on nasal mucosa were found in the LcS group compared to other time points and to the placebo group. Conclusion. For the first time, it is shown that LcS is able to modulate the systemic and airways immune responses post-marathon.

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle phases on cortisol levels before and after a maximal incremental exercise test in women with and without premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods: Nineteen healthy, active and eumenorrheic women completed five maximal incremental exercise tests; three of those were performed at specific phases of the menstrual cycle (i.e., menses, follicular, and luteal). The participants were allocated into two groups according to the presence of PMS (n = 11) or absence of PMS (NO-PMS, n = 8). Samples of blood were collected before and after each experimental test. A three-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the differences between menstrual cycle phases (i.e., menses, follicular, and luteal), time (before and after) and groups (PMS and NO-PMS). Results: The results demonstrated an alteration of cortisol across the menstrual cycle, with cortisol levels significantly (p < 0.05) higher during the follicular phase (mean = 11.0 µg/dL, CI95% = 9.1, 12.9) compared to the luteal phase (mean = 8.6 µg/dL, CI95% = 7.2, 10.4) in the PMS and NO-PMS groups. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in cortisol levels for groups or time. Conclusions: This study observed significant cortisol fluctuations across the menstrual cycle phases in women with and without PMS. Future studies should consider alternative maximal incremental test protocols and incorporate a more comprehensive hormonal profile to provide a deeper physiological understanding of this population.

Atmospheric pollution can be defined as a set of changes that occur in the composition of the air, making it unsuitable and/or harmful and thereby generating adverse effects on human health. The regular practice of physical exercise (PE) is associated with the preservation and/or improvement of health; however, it can be influenced by neuroimmunoendocrine mechanisms and external factors such as air pollution, highlighting the need for studies involving the practice of PE in polluted environments. Herein, 24 male C57BL/6 mice were evaluated, distributed into four groups (exposed to a high concentration of pollutants/sedentary, exposed to a high concentration of pollutants/exercised, exposed to ambient air/sedentary, and exposed to ambient air/exercised). The exposure to pollutants occurred in the environmental particle concentrator (CPA) and the physical training was performed on a treadmill specially designed for use within the CPA. Pro- and anti-inflammatory markers in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF), BALF cellularity, and lung tissue were evaluated. Although the active group exposed to a high concentration of pollution showed a greater inflammatory response, both the correlation analysis and the ratio between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines demonstrated that the exercised group presented greater anti-inflammatory activity, suggesting a protective/adaptative effect of exercise when carried out in a polluted environment.