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Dragon boating and rowing are reported to be safe and provide physical benefits for women with breast cancer. Sculling, characterized by a distinct biomechanical technique, may serve as a potential tool to mitigate the adverse side effects of cancer treatments. This study investigated the feasibility and impact of a 6-month integrated physical activity program in breast cancer survivors. A longitudinal intervention study was conducted involving 20 women with breast cancer (age: 55.8 ± 6.1 yrs; BMI: 24.6 ± 3.3 kg/m2, stages I-III; surgery performed 6 months to 20 years prior) who participated in a 6-month exercise program consisting of three weekly one-hour sessions of adapted physical activity, walking, and sculling, with assessments conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Physical activity, arm lymphedema, flexibility, and fatigue were tested. The program did not lead to the development or worsening of pre-existing lymphedema. A reduction of 78.9 cm3 was observed in the operated limb over 6 months (p = 0.005). An improvement in flexibility was also observed with a 2.7 cm increase in the back scratch test for the operated limb (p < 0.001). However, no significant change in fatigue-related variables was recorded. This is a novel study, as sculling has not previously been investigated in the context of breast cancer rehabilitation. The findings suggested that, when integrated into a structured exercise program, sculling is not only a safe and accessible activity but also effective in promoting physical and health-related improvements, with no adverse events reported. Therefore, it should be considered as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for breast cancer survivors.

Different sports require elevated visual-spatial and related cognitive abilities, which are increasingly recognized as crucial not only for athletic performance but also for broader public health implications. Sex-related differences in these abilities have often been explained through both biological and sociocultural factors, with males traditionally described as having superior visual-spatial skills. However, fewer studies have investigated how targeted physical training can enhance these abilities in women. This study aimed to analyze the influence of two different cycling interval training exercises on visual-spatial ability in women. Seventy-two healthy, active, and young women engaged in (1) a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session followed by a cognitive training (CT); or (2) a Low-Volume Interval Training (LVIT) session followed by a CT; or (3) a cognitive (COG) session, consisting of listening to music followed by a CT; or (4) a control (CTRL) session, consisting of solely listening to music. Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline and after the training sessions using the Metzler and Shepard Test (MS), the Paper Folding and Cutting Test (PFC), and the Mental Rotation Test (MRT). No significant between-group differences were observed. However, in all groups the time to complete the PFC and MRT tests was significantly lower and the number of errors was significantly smaller for the PFC test in the post-test compared with the pre-test. These findings expand the current literature by demonstrating that interval training, whether high intensity or low volume, when combined with cognitive training, may improve certain aspects of visual-spatial cognitive performance in healthy, active, young women. These findings highlight the potential of combining structured exercise with cognitive challenges. Such interventions may promote cognitive health in women and contribute to long-term public health outcomes.

Irisin is an exercise-induced cytokine mainly secreted by myocytes. Circulating level of irisin can increase in response to acute exercise, promoting pleiotropic effects on health. Generally, irisin is evaluated in blood, however, its collection is invasive. Saliva sample would not have any risk associated with blood collection and would represent a less invasive method for irisin detection. Until now, there are only a few studies that have alyzed irisin levels in saliva. In the present research, five healthy male adults performed an incremental exercise until exhaustion on cycle ergometer. Serum and saliva samples were collected before exercise and 15min, 24h and 48h after reaching the exhaustion. Irisin was detected by ELISA assay. Serum and salivary irisin levels increased from baseline to 24h post exercise and reverted to basal levels after 48h of rest. A significant rise of both serum and salivary irisin level at 24h (p≤0.05) compared to baseline levels was found. Furthermore, a significant correlation between irisin percentage change in serum and saliva from baseline to 24h post exercise was detected (r=0.92, p<0.05). Despite the relatively limited sample, this research suggests that collecting saliva samples might represent a valid and less invasive method to detect irisin level changes induced by exercise.

Physical activity promotes metabolic health and prevents lifestyle-related diseases. Adiponectin is specifically produced by adipose tissue and comes in three forms, differing in terms of weight: trimers (LMW), hexamers (MMW), and high-molecular-weight (HMW) oligomers. The oligomers are associated with the beneficial effects of adiponectin. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of a single bout of exhaustive exercise on adiponectin expression in 25 male amateur athletes, divided into two groups, one comprising young adults (YAs) (n = 15), and the other comprising middle-aged adults (MAs) (n = 10). Body fat was estimated through skinfold thickness. Adiponectin levels were assessed at baseline and at 15 min and 24 h post-exercise, while HMW oligomer levels were evaluated at baseline and at 24 h post-exercise. We observed a significant increase in total adiponectin at both 15 min and 24 h after exercise, with there being a more evident effect among the YA subjects. HMW oligomers also increased significantly after exercise both in the total sample and among the YA subjects, but this was not the case in the MA subjects. The increase in adiponectin levels was significantly associated with Powerpeak. Furthermore, a significant inverse correlation was found between basal adiponectin and VO2peak and Powerpeak. In conclusion, a single bout of exhaustive exercise can rapidly and significantly enhance the basal circulating adiponectin concentration, which seems to be negatively associated with maximal aerobic capacity.

This study aimed to alyze the acute impact of exercise on serum irisin levels in 22 young (YA, 24.6 ± 3.5 yrs) and in 12 middle-aged male adults (MA, 54.6 ± 5.7 yrs) 15 min and 24 h after an incremental cycling exercise test to exhaustion. ELISA assay was used for serum irisin detection. Circulating irisin increased significantly from baseline (9.0 ± 2.0 ng/ml) to 15 min post-exercise (10.2 ± 2.0 ng/ml, P < 0.001), but the greatest increment was detected after 24 h (13.5 ± 2.5 ng/ml, P < 0.001) reaching more than 50% of the basal release. Levels were significantly higher in YA (9.7 ± 1.7 to 11.1 ± 1.8 to 14.5 ± 2.2 ng/ml) than MA (7.6 ± 1.6 to 8.7 ± 1.5 to 11.8± 2.2 ng/ml) for all measured time-points (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, MA showed a comparable increase in serum irisin levels when compared to YA. These findings highlight the importance of acute physical exercise as a countermeasure against age-related deterioration of skeletal muscle mass and function in both YA and MA.

To test the hypothesis that hot water immersion (HWI) improves cerebrovascular function via shear‐mediated mechanisms, this study determined cerebrovascular reactivity to carbon dioxide () before and after 60 min of 39°C HWI and a 21°C air control (CON) in 15 healthy participants. Thermal and haemodynamic variables were assessed throughout the trials, and was determined by a 4‐min inhalation of hypercapnic gas (6% CO 2 , 21% O 2 , N 2 balance) and the assessment of internal carotid artery (ICA) blood flow by duplex ultrasound before and 45 min after HWI and CON. At 60 min of the interventions, core body temperature (CON, 36.9 ± 0.3°C; HWI, 38.1 ± 0.3°C, P  < 0.01), heart rate ( P  < 0.01) and ICA conductance ( P  < 0.01) were higher in HWI than CON, while, mean arterial blood pressure was lower (CON, 82 ± 9 mmHg; HWI 65 ± 8 mmHg, P  < 0.01). No differences were observed for ICA diameter, ICA blood velocity, ICA shear rate and ICA blood flow between HWI and CON (all P  > 0.05). ICA did not change after either CON (pre: 13.9 ± 9.2 to post: 11.3 ± 6.1 mL min −1  mmHg −1 ) or HWI (pre: 14.6 ± 7.9 to post: 10.9 ± 5.4 mL min −1  mmHg −1 ; Interaction P  = 0.65). In conclusion, HWI reduced blood pressure and increased ICA conductance (i.e. autoregulation) to maintain blood flow to the brain; however, HWI did not influence subsequent cerebrovascular function, as assessed by . What is the central question of this study? Does a single session of whole‐body hot water immersion increase internal carotid artery blood flow and shear rate, and transiently increase subsequent cerebrovascular function, assessed by volumetric cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia? What is the main finding and its importance? Whole‐body hot water immersion decreased blood pressure and increased internal carotid artery cerebrovascular conductance but not volumetric blood flow or shear rate. Subsequent cerebrovascular reactivity remained unaltered following hot water immersion, indicating no acute influence of heating on volumetrically assessed cerebrovascular function.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency leads to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Previous clinical trials showed that autologous CD34 + cell gene therapy (GT) following busulfan reduced-intensity conditioning is a promising therapeutic approach for ADA-SCID, but long-term data are warranted. Here we report an analysis on long-term safety and efficacy data of 43 patients with ADA-SCID who received retroviral ex vivo bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cell GT. Twenty-two individuals (median follow-up 15.4 years) were treated in the context of clinical development or named patient program. Nineteen patients were treated post-marketing authorization (median follow-up 3.2 years), and two additional patients received mobilized peripheral blood CD34 + cell GT. At data cutoff, all 43 patients were alive, with a median follow-up of 5.0 years (interquartile range 2.4–15.4) and 2 years intervention-free survival (no need for long-term enzyme replacement therapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) of 88% (95% confidence interval 78.7–98.4%). Most adverse events/reactions were related to disease background, busulfan conditioning or immune reconstitution; the safety profile of the real world experience was in line with premarketing cohort. One patient from the named patient program developed a T cell leukemia related to treatment 4.7 years after GT and is currently in remission. Long-term persistence of multilineage gene-corrected cells, metabolic detoxification, immune reconstitution and decreased infection rates were observed. Estimated mixed-effects models showed that higher dose of CD34 + cells infused and younger age at GT affected positively the plateau of CD3 + transduced cells, lymphocytes and CD4 + CD45RA + naive T cells, whereas the cell dose positively influenced the final plateau of CD15 + transduced cells. These long-term data suggest that the risk–benefit of GT in ADA remains favorable and warrant for continuing long-term safety monitoring. Clinical trial registration: NCT00598481 , NCT03478670 . Fifteen years’ follow-up of clinical development and real-world data from 43 patients show that gammaretroviral gene therapy for adenosine deaminase deficiency has a positive long-term efficacy profile, warranting continued safety monitoring of patients receiving gene therapy.

Most of primary immunodeficiencies with hypogammaglobulinemia are associated with reduced memory B cells. T cell development may be interesting as well, but increased recent thymic emigrants are rarely reported in these patients. We report the case of a family (mother and her two sons) diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency 10 due to a mutation in the NFKB2 gene. Laboratory findings showed that all three patients presented hypogammaglobulinemia, reduced memory B cells and elevated naïve T lymphocytes and recent thymic emigrants. This feature, in the absence of glucocorticoid deficiency, may suggest a primary thymic dysfunction. Interestingly, the mother presented the worst immune phenotype, as regards both antibody production and NK function, indicating that immune function may deteriorate in the course of time. We conclude that close monitoring of immune functions may widen the knowledge on the CVID10 and improve the patients’ care.