001). Mediation analyses indicated increased GPR15 expression accounted for roughly half of the relationship between smoking variables and pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory cytokine balance. CRP was not associated with cannabis or tobacco use or GPR15+ expression, but was associated with body mass index (p<0.001). These relationships persisted after controlling for lifestyle and medical factors impacting immune function. Increased expression of GPR15 by helper T cells in smokers may mediate some of the relationship between smoking and a pro-inflammatory cytokine milieu. Better understanding of this relationship may help uncover how smoking increases the risk of inflammatory diseases.Increased expression of GPR15 by helper T cells in smokers may mediate some of the relationship between smoking and a pro-inflammatory cytokine milieu. Better understanding of this relationship may help uncover how smoking increases the risk of inflammatory diseases. The study aimed at comparing the effects of a neuromotor multicomponent training program (MCTP) on executive function, functional fitness, blood pressure, body composition and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), compared with a concurrent strength and endurance exercise training program (CONTROL-EXE) and a cognitive training program (CONTROL-COG). 56 older women (73±6years) completed the 30-weeks intervention. CM272 solubility dmso The three groups attended two 60-min sessions per week and they were assessed before and after the intervention. MCTP showed a moderate improvement in Stroop C condition (28±7 vs 32±8 correct items; p=0.001; d=0.53) and Stroop interference score (-7.4±7.3 vs -3.7±6.1; p=0.035; d=0.55), while no changes were observed among control groups. MCTP showed a small to moderate improvement in Timed Up and Go test (TUGT) (5.85±0.58 vs 5.46±0.56s; p<0.001; d=0.71) and Chair-Stand test (CST) (18±4 vs 19±4 repetitions; p<0.001; d=0.47); while CONTROL-EXE only improved moderately at TUGT (7.02±1.1 vs 6.44±0.91s; p=0.005; d=0.59) and CONTROL-COG showed a moderate to small worsening in TUGT, CST and handgrip strength. Additionally, MCTP enhanced body composition and HRQOL. Lastly, both exercise groups showed lowered blood pressure values. Our results suggest that a neuromotor MCTP could be considered as a highly suitable training to enhance executive function, functional fitness, HRQOL and body composition in older women.Our results suggest that a neuromotor MCTP could be considered as a highly suitable training to enhance executive function, functional fitness, HRQOL and body composition in older women.The purpose of the present study was to investigate balance alterations and the possible role of the cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in the early stages of a progressive animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-eight middle-aged (8-9 months) male Wistar rats received 4 or 10 subcutaneous vehicle (control, CTL) or reserpine (RES) injections (0.1 mg/kg). The animals were submitted to different behavioral tests. Forty-eight hours after the 4th injection, half of the animals of each group (n = 7) were perfused and submitted to immunohistochemical analysis for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). The remaining animals (n = 7 per group) were killed 48 h after the 10th injection. RES group presented motor deficits in the catalepsy and open field tests starting at days 12 and 20 of treatment, respectively (only for the animals that received 10 injections). On the other hand, dynamic and static balance changes were observed at earlier stages of RES treatment, starting at days 6 and 4, respectively. At this point of the treatment, there was no decrease in the number of TH immunoreactivity neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dorsal striatum (DS). However, a decrease was observed in SNpc and dorsal striatum of animals that received 10 injections. In contrast, there was a decrease in the number of ChAT immunoreactive cells in PPN concomitantly to the balance alterations at the early stages of treatment (after 4 RES injections). Thus, by mimicking the progressiveness of PD, the reserpine model made it possible to identify static and dynamic balance impairments prior to the motor alterations in the catalepsy and open field tests. In addition, changes in balance were accompanied by a reduction in the number of ChAT immunoreactive cells in NPP in the early stages of treatment.Senior individuals are more susceptible to the irreversible outcomes of endothelial barrier dysfunction, the hallmark of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronovirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - inflicted ARDS delivers the devastating outcomes of the COVID-19 worldwide. Endothelial hyperpermeability has been associated with both the progression and establishment of the COVID-19 - related respiratory failure. In the present study we investigated the in vitro effects of Metformin in the permeability of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Our preliminary results suggest that moderate doses (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mM) of this anti-diabetic agent enhance the vascular barrier integrity, since it produces an increase in the transendothelial resistance of endothelial monolayers. Thus, we speculate that Metformin may deliver a new therapeutic possibility in ARDS, alone or in combination with other barrier enhancers.This study compared ultrasound characteristics in youth, younger adults, and older adults using two different methods of analysis based on clusters of pixel concentration of the grayscale (i.e. EI bands) and the traditionally calculated echo intensity mean. Forty-four healthy youth (13.3 ± 1.4 y), 22 younger adults (31.8 ± 10.1 y) and 53 older adults (66.7 ± 4.6 y) volunteered for the assessment of rectus femoris EI via ultrasonography. Pixel concentration (i.e. EI bands) was calculated in intervals of 0-50, 51-100, 101-150, 151-200, and 201-255 of the gray scale, while EI mean was determined as the average pixels from 0 to 255. EI0-50 significantly decreased with group age, while EI51-100, 101-150, 151-200, 201-255 and EI mean increased (P older adults; whereas EI mean youth = ~46% and younger adults = 29% less then older adults). These results potentially indicate that EI bands method offer different information than the EI mean method. In addition, EI bands may be a promising approach to understand tissue-specific adaptations to physical training and neuromuscular diseases, yet future studies should validate this method.