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Background: To date, there has been no medication that has prevented the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Many benefits of intensive and multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for PD are supported by clinical, epidemiological, and experimental data. The main question is whether high-intensity motor and cognitive exercises have an effect on the disease's biological mechanisms. Objective: This study protocol is a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) designed to determine the efficacy of an experimental, intensive, and multidisciplinary treatment in comparison to a home-based self-treatment in improving biomolecular and functional parameters in PD. Methods: A total of 72 participants will be randomly allocated to two different groups, experimental (n = 36) and control group (n = 36). The rehabilitation program will last 6 consecutive weeks and will involve the execution of a total of 30 sessions, one for each day of the week from Monday to Friday. Participants allocated to the control group will carry out a home-based self-treatment program that includes muscle-stretching and active mobilization exercises for 40'/day for 6 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome measure is the effects of both treatments on a new set of molecular biomarkers such as oligomeric alpha-synuclein and neurotrophic factors measured in peripheral neural derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs). Secondary outcomes will include changes of motor and non-motor symptoms, balance and gait performance and cognitive functioning. This RCT has been registered as "Intensive Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation and Biomarkers in Parkinson's Disease" on 30 May, 2022 to ClinicalTrials.gov with the Study ID number: NCT05452655. Discussion: This rehabilitation program is believed to be crucial in modifying biomolecular and functional parameters in people with PD. We expect that this study will provide additional evidence to understand the impact of an aerobic and intensive rehabilitation program on brain plasticity in patients with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Innate immune responses against infectious agents can act as triggers of inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, various pathogens have developed mechanisms for the evasion of the immune response, based on an inhibition of innate immunity and inflammatory responses. Inflammatory diseases could thus be controlled through the administration of pathogens or pathogen-derived molecules, capable of interfering with the mechanisms at the basis of inflammation. In this framework, the NLRP3 inflammasome is an important component in innate antimicrobial responses and a major player in the inflammatory disease. Parasites of the genus Leishmania are master manipulators of innate immune mechanisms, and different species have been shown to inhibit inflammasome formation. However, the exploitation of pathogenic Leishmania species as blockers of NLRP3-based inflammatory diseases poses safety concerns. Methods: To circumvent safety issues associated with pathogenic parasites, we focused on Leishmania tarentolae, a species of Leishmania that is not infectious to humans. Because NLRP3 typically develops in macrophages, in response to the detection and engulfment microorganisms, we performed our experiments on a monocyte-macrophage cell line (THP-1), either wild type or knockout for ASC, a key component of NLRP3 formation, with determination of cytokines and other markers of inflammation. Results: L. tarentolae was shown to possess the capability of dampening the formation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the consequent expression of proinflammatory molecules, with minor differences compared to effects of pathogenic Leishmania species. Conclusion: The non-pathogenic L. tarentolae appears a promising pro-biotic microbe with anti-inflammatory properties or a source of immune modulating cellular fractions or molecules, capable of interfering with the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors compared sleep quality and salivary cortisol concentration after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and small-sided games (SSGs) performed at the habitual training time in nonprofessional male soccer players. Methods: A total of 32 players (age = 24 [6] y, height = 1.77 [0.06] m, and body mass = 75 [12] kg) were randomized into an HIIT group or an SSG group. Actual sleep time, sleep efficiency (SE), sleep latency, immobility time (IT), moving time (MT), and fragmentation index were monitored using actigraphy before (PRE) and 2 nights after (POST 1 and POST 2) the training session. Salivary cortisol levels were measured before (PRE) and after (POST) training. Cortisol awakening response was evaluated. Results: Significant intragroup differences in the HIIT group were noted for actual sleep time (P <.0001), SE (P <.0001), sleep latency (P =.047), IT (P <.0001), MT (P <.0001), and fragmentation index (P <.0001) between PRE and POST 1 and for SE (P =.035), IT (P =.004), MT (P =.006), and fragmentation index (P =.048) between PRE and POST 2. Intergroup differences for actual sleep time (P =.014), SE (P =.048), IT (P <.0001), and MT (P =.046) were observed between the HIIT and the SSGs group at POST 1 were detected. Significant intragroup variations were observed in PRE and POST salivary cortisol levels (P <.0001 for HIIT; P =.0003 for SSGs) and cortisol awakening response (P <.0001 for HIIT; P <.0001 for SSGs). Significant intergroup differences between the HIIT and the SSGs group were found at POST (P <.0001) and in cortisol awakening response (P =.017). Conclusions: Changes in actigraphy-based sleep parameters and salivary cortisol levels were greater after an acute session of HIIT than SSGs in this sample of nonprofessional male soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding new solutions for the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial: further research is needed to study the effect of non-pharmacological interventions on the symptoms and the course of the disease, especially on lifestyle. Benefits from a proper lifestyle are evident not only on a clinical level but also on immune and neuro-endocrine systems. A brief high-impact multidimensional rehabilitation program (b-HIPE) was proposed for a sample of people with MS (pwMS) with a medium level of disease disability. We tested the change on clinical parameters and quality of life (QoL) after participation in B-HIPE. We furthermore decided to measure beta-endorphin and catecholamines concentrations pre- and post-participation in the b-HIPE program, due to the relationship between these hormones and the immune system in neurodegenerative diseases. Our results showed that after the b-HIPE program, an improvement of clinical parameters and QoL occurred. Moreover, we found higher levels of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline after participation in the program. These findings highlight the importance of implementing lifestyle interventions in the clinical management of MS. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the B-HIPE program increased beta-endorphin and noradrenaline levels, helping to reduce the inflammation related to MS disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show that alpha defensin are capable of inhibiting the infection of host cells by HIV and that the production of these peptides is higher in CD8 (super +) T lymphocytes of HIV-infected LTNPs. The production of alpha defensin is seen in HIV-exposed uninfected individual and plays a role in the potentially protective immune response that characterizes (exposed uninfected) ESNs.

Evaluation of immune activation has been carried out in HIV-infected/uninfected rural African people by single-cell analysis of cytokine production. Findings show that mitogen (M)-stimulated production of interleukin (IL)-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha increases in CD4 and CD8 cells of those studied. Also env-stimulated IL-10 and TNF-alpha production is raised in CD8+ T lymphocytes of African HIV-infected patients. For 'env' bp160 peptides + staphylococcal enterotoxin B and alpha CD28 were used. Immune activation has been seen in HIV-infected/uninfected Africans, in whom it is thought to modify interaction between the immune system and HIV.