Maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial for good health. Markers of health risk include tissue components. This study aimed to indicate which body composition elements create the strongest correlations with physical activity performed in young students of medical faculties. The study group consisted of 75 students (33 men and 42 women) from Wroclaw Medical University. Each student underwent accelerometer and anthropometric measurements and body composition analysis. Both men and women had similar physical activity levels. The study found that the amount of vigorous physical activity correlated significantly with the basal metabolic rate (BMR), fat, water and muscle content, fat-free mass (FFM), bone mass, extracellular to intracellular water ratio (ECW/ICW), and phase angle (PA), with r~ ± (0.2–0.4). The amount of moderate physical activity correlated with body mass, body mass index (BMI), BMR, FFM, and bone mass, with r~0.3–0.5. There are dimorphic differences in the strength of correlations between physical activity and elements of body composition. A greater amount of moderate and vigorous physical activity is associated with greater FFM and bone mass in men, which causes BMI to increase as well (in this case, higher BMI is not a sign of being overweight). For women, the beneficial effect of higher amounts of vigorous physical activity on reducing fat content and increasing muscle mass is more pronounced. In both men and women, an improvement in hydration is evident with increased vigorous physical activity volume.

The aim of the study was to indicate which body composition parameters and which lifestyle components affect the phase angle (PA) value in young adults. Two-hundred-and-eighty-one students at Wroclaw Medical University participated in the study. A survey on respondent lifestyles was followed by anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis, and basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculation. The differences in the body composition of men and women corresponded to their sexual anatomy and physiology. Sex-dependent differences in lifestyle were also reported. The study revealed a relationship between PA and height, weight, BMR, BMI (body mass index), FFM (fat-free body mass), bone mass, water mass, muscle mass (r~0.4–0.7), ECW/ICW (extracellular water/intracellular water) and fat mass (r~−(0.4–0.6)) for the entire studied group. The relationship between PA values and lifestyle components concerned consumption of energy drinks, cola, alcohol, water, vegetables and fruits, meat, and also intervals between meals, time for physical exercises, and screen time (r~±0.2). The research shows that the PA value increases with an increase in positive body composition parameters. Following the principles of proper nutrition and physical activity increases PA values in most cases.

Cadmium exposure contributes to internal organ dysfunction and the development of chronic diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the alleviating effect of α-lipoic acid and/or magnesium on cadmium-induced oxidative stress and disorders in bone metabolism, kidney and liver function, and hematological and biochemical parameters changes. Male rats were exposed to cadmium (30 mg Cd/kg of feed) for three months. Some animals exposed to Cd were supplemented with magnesium (150 mg Mg/kg of feed) and/or with α-lipoic acid (100 mg/kg body weight, four times a week). Cd intake inhibited body weight gain and lowered hemoglobin concentration, whereas it increased the activities of liver enzymes, as well as the level of oxidative stress, CTX-1 (C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, bone resorption marker), and CRP (C-reactive protein, marker of inflammation); it decreased vitamin D3, GSH (reduced glutathione), and the serum urea nitrogen/creatinine index. Mg and/or α-lipoic acid supplementation increased the antioxidant potential, and partially normalized the studied biochemical parameters. The obtained results show that both magnesium and α-lipoic acid decrease oxidative stress and the level of inflammatory marker, as well as normalize bone metabolism and liver and kidney function. Combined intake of α-lipoic acid and magnesium results in reinforcement of the protective effect; especially, it increases antioxidant defense.

Background and objectives: Renalase, a novel amine oxidase, is involved in the development of hypertension. Sleep bruxism (SB) is a sleep-related behavior characterized by rhythmic or non-rhythmic activity of the masticatory muscles, which leads to the mechanical wear of teeth, pain in the masticatory muscles, and disturbed sleep. Recent studies indicate that SB plays a role in increased blood pressure. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between sleep bruxism intensity and renalase concentration, which may help in the future to elucidate the pathogenesis of hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. Material and methods: SB was evaluated in 87 adult patients using single-night diagnostic polysomnography with video and audio recordings, and the episodes of bruxism were scored according to the standards of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The levels of serum renalase were measured in the patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: SB (Bruxism Episode Index (BEI) ≥2) was diagnosed in 54% (n = 47) of the studied population, and the mean concentration of renalase was found to be decreased in the hypertensive group compared with the normotensive group (133.33 ± 160.71 vs 219.23 ± 220.58, p = 0.047). In addition, a linear negative correlation was observed between the renalase concentration and the body mass index (BMI) in the SB group (r = 0.38, p < 0.05) but not in controls. Thus, higher BEI and higher BMI were identified as factors independently associated with the lower concentration of renalase, but only in the group of patients which had a blood renalase concentration of >212.5 ng/mL. Conclusion: There exists an association between renalase concentration and SB intensity, and further studies are needed to clarify the role of renalase in the pathogenesis of hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders.

Background: Sleep bruxism (SB) is a common sleep-related movement behavior with a multifaceted etiology and a deficiently understood pathophysiology. A recent hypothesis suggests a link between SB and systemic inflammation. The scope of the study was to determine whether bruxers have altered sleep structure and different levels of inflammatory parameters compared to nonbruxers. Methods: A total of 83 adults underwent full-night polysomnography. The polysomnograms were evaluated using the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) guidelines. Then, the blood samples were obtained from the participants by venipuncture and the analyses were performed. The study group was divided based on bruxism episode index (BEI) into two groups: BEI ≤ 4 and BEI > 4. Results: In comparison with nonbruxers, the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) was significantly higher in severe bruxers (7.5 ± 11.08 vs. 3.33 ± 5.75, p < 0.005), as well as the arousal parameters (7.77 ± 4.68 vs. 4.03 ± 2.97, p < 0.001), and the mean oxygen desaturation (3.49 ± 0.69 vs. 3.01 ± 0.67, p < 0.05). Moreover, the differences in sleep architecture and deprivation of the deep sleep phase were observed, the non-REM sleep stage 3 was significantly shorter in severe bruxers (p < 0.03). Differences were also noted in non-REM sleep stage 1 and REM sleep phase. In the investigated group, there were no statistical differences in inflammatory cytokines levels between bruxers and nonbruxers. Conclusions: Sleep bruxism is associated with sleep structure alterations and may be associated with deep sleep phase deprivation. The inflammatory markers are not linearly correlated with the severity of sleep bruxism expressed as BEI.

Background: It has been reported that equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a state of oxidative stress. Oxidant-antioxidant imbalance is known to increase the conversion of deoxyguanosine to 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in DNA. 8-OHdG can easily be measured using ELISA tests in serum or urine samples. In this study, we analysed serum 8-OHdG levels in horses with recurrent airway obstruction and in healthy controls. Results: The study material consisted of seven healthy horses and seven horses with symptomatic RAO. All horses were exposed to moldy hay and straw for 48 h to induce clinical exacerbation of RAO. The serum 8-OHdG levels were determined using the ELISA Highly Sensitive 8-OHdG kit. The difference between the levels of 8-OHdG in healthy and RAO-affected horses was significant. The median level of 8-OHdG was 0.044 ng/ml in the healthy controls versus 0.498 ng/ml in RAO horses ( P = 0.0021). Conclusions: The results of the study strongly suggest that DNA damage coexists in the course of equine RAO. We therefore propose that future research should aim at the development of new drugs that target pro-inflammatory molecules, since DNA damage appears to be the result of chronic inflammation.