Inflammation In Healthy Women Research Articles

Ascorbic Acid Supplementation and Immune Response in Healthy Women during High-intensity Exercise

Introduction the benefits of consuming extra Ascorbic Acid (AA) while exercising are not well understood. Aim This study aims to explore the effects of AA supplementation on oxidative stress, the immunological response, and inflammation in healthy women after a single bout of high-intensity exercise. Materials and Methods In a crossover design, 20 sedentary women (aged 18-22) underwent 30 minutes of vigorous cycling. They were divided into two groups: one receiving daily 1,000 mg ascorbic acid supplementation (1,000AA) and the other without supplementation (0AA). This regimen was maintained for one week. Blood samples obtained pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, and 24 hours post-exercise underwent analysis for oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, and neutrophil phagocytic activity. Results An AA supplement significantly increased plasma concentrations of AA (p<0.05) and reduced post-exercise plasma MDA levels (p<0.05) but did not affect creatine kinase activity. White blood cells, CD8+ T cells, and IL-6 increased significantly after exercise but remained unchanged in the 1,000AA group compared to the 0AA group, while the neutrophil count increased (p<0.05) after exercise with no change in phagocytic function. A slight drop in phagocytic function was observed 24 hours after exercise in the 1,000AA group. Exercise and AA supplements had no effect on CD4+ T cells. Conclusion a single session of high-intensity exercise caused oxidative stress, muscle injury, and inflammation, as well as a transient increase in CD8+ T cells. A short administration of AA attenuated the exercise-induced oxidative stress and reduced inflammation by limiting the increase in IL-6 and CD8+ T cells.

Acute experimental inflammation in healthy women attenuates empathy for psychological pain

Administration of low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to healthy humans is a translational approach to analyze the effects of acute systemic inflammation and sickness behavior. Although studies documented that LPS-induced inflammation can alter social behavior, its impact on empathy remains poorly understood. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 52 healthy female volunteers received an intravenous injection of either LPS (0.4 ng/kg body weight) or placebo and completed the Social Interaction Empathy Task (SIET) two hours after injection. Physiological responses (blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, cytokines, cortisol) were analyzed along with sickness symptoms and mood before and after LPS or placebo administration. LPS application led to significant increases in plasma cytokines and sickness symptoms as well as low mood. Moreover, volunteers receiving LPS showed significantly less empathy for other’s psychological pain than those who received placebo. Furthermore, LPS-injected volunteers with more severe sickness symptoms displayed higher pain ratings in the first-person perspective. Thus, low-grade inflammation reduces empathy for other’s psychological pain which might reflect an adaptive strategy to save energy by not responding empathetically when sick oneself.

001 Sexual Activity Changes Patterns of Inflammation in Healthy Women

001 Sexual Activity Changes Patterns of Inflammation in Healthy Women

Negative affectivity predicts decreased pain tolerance during low-grade inflammation in healthy women.

Experimental animal studies provided evidence for a synergistic effect of immunological and psychological stressors on subsequent sickness behaviours. Up to now, little corroborating evidence for such synergy exists for humans, in whom it may provide a mechanism leading to the expression of functional somatic symptoms. The aim of the present study was to determine an interaction between stress(-vulnerability) and an immunological activation on experimental pain sensitivity, i.e., pressure pain threshold and tolerance in healthy humans. In healthy female participants (n=25, mean age 22.3 years), negative affectivity (NA) and experienced stress were assessed by questionnaire before receiving a Salmonella typhi vaccine or saline control in a randomized blinded cross-over design. Pressure pain threshold was assessed at the lower back and calves and pain tolerance was assessed at the thumbnail, before and six hours after each injection. Vaccination induced leukocytosis (+100%) and increased serum IL-6 (+670%). NA predicted decreased pain tolerance after vaccination (β=-.57, p=.007), but not after placebo (β=.25, p=.26). Post-hoc analyses also demonstrated an association with administration order. NA moderated the effects of inflammation on pain tolerance. This finding is consistent with a synergistic model whereby inflammation may lower the threshold for pain reporting in individuals with increased vulnerability for somatic symptom reporting.

164. Negative affectivity predicts decreased pain tolerance during low-grade inflammation in healthy women

Introduction: Experimental animal studies provided evidence for a synergistic effect of immunological and psychological stressors on subsequent sickness behaviors. This possibly provides a mechanism leading to the expression of functional somatic symptoms. Up to now little corroborating evidence for such synergy exists for humans in whom it may provide a mechanism leading to the expression of functional somatic symptoms. The aim of the present study was to determine an interaction between psychological stress (-vulnerability) and an immunological activator on experimental pain sensitivity in healthy humans. Methods: In healthy female participants (n = 25, mean age 22.3 years), negative affectivity (NA) and experienced stress were assessed by questionnaire before receiving a Salmonella typhi vaccine or saline control in a randomized blinded cross-over design. Pressure pain threshold was assessed at the lower back and calves and pain tolerance was assessed at the thumbnail, before and six hours after each injection. Results: Vaccination induced low-grade inflammation as shown by leukocytosis (+100%) and increased serum interleukin-6 (+670%). NA predicted decreased pain tolerance after vaccination (beta = −.57, p = .007), but not after placebo (beta = .25, p = .26). Conclusions: NA moderated the effects of inflammation on pain tolerance. This finding is consistent with a synergistic model whereby inflammation may lower the threshold for pain reporting in individuals with increased vulnerability for somatic symptom reporting.

Pregnancy Is Associated With Various Degrees of Increased Gingival Inflammation in Healthy Women

Article title and bibliographic information Effect of pregnancy on gingival inflammation in systemically healthy women: a systematic review. Figuero E, Carrillo-de-Albornoz A, Martin C, Tobias A, Herrera D. J Clin Periodontol 2013;40(5):457-73. Reviewer Stefanie L. Russell, DDS, MPH, PhD Purpose/Question How large an effect does pregnancy have on gingival inflammation in healthy pregnant women? Source of funding This work was supported by a non-profit group: the Spanish Society on Periodontology (SEPA), a member group of the European Federation of Periodontology, one of the largest dental organizations in Europe Type of study/Design Systematic review with meta-analysis Level of evidence Level 1: Good-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of recommendation grade Grade B: Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence

Cardiovascular inflammation in healthy women: multilevel associations with state-level prosperity, productivity and income inequality

BackgroundCardiovascular inflammation is a key contributor to the development of atherosclerosis and the prediction of cardiovascular events among healthy women. An emerging literature suggests biomarkers of inflammation vary by geography of residence at the state-level, and are associated with individual-level socioeconomic status. Associations between cardiovascular inflammation and state-level socioeconomic conditions have not been evaluated. The study objective is to estimate whether there are independent associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and individual-level biomarkers of inflammation, in excess of individual-level income and clinical covariates among healthy women.MethodsThe authors examined cross-sectional multilevel associations among state-level socioeconomic conditions, individual-level income, and biomarkers of inflammation among women (n = 26,029) in the Women's Health Study, a nation-wide cohort of healthy women free of cardiovascular diseases at enrollment. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and fibrinogen were measured between 1993 and 1996. Biomarker levels were examined among women within quartiles of state-level socioeconomic conditions and within categories of individual-level income.ResultsThe authors found that favorable state-level socioeconomic conditions were correlated with lower hsCRP, in excess of individual-level income (e.g. state-level real per capital gross domestic product fixed effect standardized Βeta coefficient [Std B] -0.03, 95% CI -0.05, -0.004). Individual-level income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 (Std B -0.04, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) and fibrinogen (Std B -0.05, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) than state-level conditions.ConclusionsWe found associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and hsCRP among healthy women. Personal household income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 and fibrinogen than state-level socioeconomic conditions. Additional research should examine these associations in other cohorts, and investigate what more-advantaged states do differently than less-advantaged states that may influence levels of cardiovascular inflammation among healthy women.