Male infertility is a widespread condition among couples. In about 50% of cases, couple infertility is attributable to the male partner, mainly due to a failure in spermatogenesis. In recent times, the crucial role that modifiable lifestyle factors play in the development of infertility have generated a growing interest in this field of study, i.e. aging, psychological stress, nutrition, physical activity, caffeine, high scrotal temperature, hot water, mobile telephone use. Several studies have investigated associations between semen quality and the presence of lifestyle stressors i.e. occupational, life events (war, earthquake, etc.) or couple infertility; overall, these studies provide evidence that semen quality is impaired by psychological stress. In this review, we will discuss the impact of quality of life (modifiable lifestyle factors) and psychological stress on male fertility. In addition, the role that increased scrotal temperature along with inappropriate nutritional and physical exercise attitudes exert on male fertility will be presented. The decline of male fertility, particularly associated with advancing age, incorrect lifestyles and environmental factors plays an important role on natality, and its consequences on the future on human population makes this an important public health issue in this century. Thus, modification of lifestyle through a structured program of educational, environmental, nutritional/physical exercise and psychological support, combined with the use of nutraceutical antioxidants can prevent infertility and therefore, may help couples to obtain better quality of life and improved possibility to conceive spontaneously or optimize their chances of conception.

This study aimed to examine the validity, reliability and minimum detectable change (MDC) of the Cosmed K5 in breath by breath (BxB) mode, against VacuMed metabolic simulator. Intra and inter-units reliability was also assessed. Fourteen metabolic rates (from 0.9 to 4 L.min-1) were reproduced by a VacuMed system and pulmonary ventilation (VE), oxygen consumption (VO₂) and carbon dioxide production (VCO₂) were measured by two different K5 units. Validity was assessed by ordinary least products (OLP) regression analysis, Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), mean percentage differences, technical errors (TE) and MDC for VE, VO₂, and VCO₂. Intra- and inter-K5 reliability was evaluated by absolute percentage differences between measurements (MAPE), ICCs, TE, and MDC. Validity analysis from OLP regression data and Bland- Altman plots indicated high agreement between K5 and simulator. ICC values were excellent for all variables (>0.99). Mean percentage differences in VE (-0.50%, p = 0.11), VO₂ (-0.04%, p = 0.80), and VCO₂ (-1.03%, p = 0.09) showed no significant bias. The technical error (TE) ranged from 0.73% to 1.34% (VE and VCO₂ respectively). MDC were lower than 4% (VE = 2.0%, VO₂ = 3.8%, VCO₂ = 3.7%). The intra and inter K5 reliability assessment reveled excellent ICCs (>0.99), MAPE <2% (no significant differences between trials), TE < or around 1%, MDC <or around 3%. K5 in BxB mode is a valid and reliable system for metabolic measurements. This is the first study assessing the MDC accounting only for technical variability reporting intra- and inter-units MDCs <3.3%.

Blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Methods This work investigated whether acute exercise modulates the expression of BDNF, pro-BDNF, and p75NTR in the PBMCs of 10 healthy young men who performed a cycling incremental test to exhaustion (MAX) or exercised at individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). The PBMC expression of stress response proteins and the level of circulating BDNF, vascular endothelial growth growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor subunit B, basic fibroblast growth factor pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed as well. Results A major finding is that both sessions of acute exercise regulated the content of BDNF isoforms within PBMCs in a manner related to the physiological stress exerted. Although the pro-BDNF increased after both MAX and IAT protocols, BDNF showed a kinetics dependent on exercise type: MAX induced a 54% protein increase immediately after exercise, followed by a significant drop 60 min after its conclusion (38% lower than the baseline). Differently, in the IAT, BDNF increased significantly up to 75% from the baseline throughout the recovery phase. All physiological parameters, as well as the p75NTR receptor and the stress-inducible proteins, were also differently regulated by the two exercise conditions. Conclusions These data supported the hypothesis that PBMCs might produce and secrete BDNF isoforms, as well as modulate the proteins p75NTR, Bcl-xL, hsp90, hsp27, and αB-crystallin, as part of the physiological stress response induced by acute exercise, offering a novel example of bidirectional interaction between nervous and immune systems....

The aim of this investigation was to examine the potential influence of varying types of exertion on immediate attentional performance on 138 primary school boys and girls. Subjects performed three different types of exertion [cognitive exertion (school curricular lesson), physical exertion (traditional physical education lesson), and mixed cognitive and physical exertion (coordinative physical education lesson)] at the same time of the school day for 3 wk. Before and immediately after each exertion session, subjects were administered the d2 Test of Attention. Results showed that participants' attentional performances were significantly affected by exertion type (cognitive exertion vs physical exertion vs mixed cognitive and physical exertion; P < 0.05), by intervention (before vs after; P < 0.05), and by exertion type × intervention interactions (P < 0.01). Our findings suggest that varying types of exertion have different beneficial influences on schoolchildren's immediate cognitive performance.