Anemia is even more common in children than in older IBD patients. Oral iron was given to half of adolescents and adults but, despite similar tolerance and efficacy, only a quarter of children with iron-deficient anemia. Reasons for the apparent underutilization of iron therapy include a perceived lack of benefit and concerns about side effects, including worsening of IBD activity.

High levels of cardiovascular fitness and physical activity are associated with higher levels of cognitive function in people with HIV, thus, they may reduce the risk of developing HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 16-week aerobic exercise intervention on cognitive function in people with HIV. Eleven participants living with HIV were recruited into the study. Participants were randomised into either an exercise group (n = 5), that completed a 16-week aerobic exercise programme training, 3 times per week (2 supervised sessions and one unsupervised session) or a control group (n = 6) that received no intervention. Outcomes measured included cognitive function (Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA) and the Trail making tests A and B), aerobic fitness (modified Bruce protocol), sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index; PSQI) and physical activity levels (seven-day accelerometry). At baseline, higher levels of moderate physical activity were positively correlated with higher MOCA scores and levels of aerobic fitness were negatively associated with Trail A scores (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001 respectively). However, exercise training did not induce any significant improvements in cognitive function or aerobic fitness. The overall mean adherence rate to the exercise programme was 60%. In conclusion, in the present study a 16-week aerobic exercise intervention did not affect the cognitive function of participants with HIV. It is likely that longer intervention periods and/or higher adherence rates to exercise might be needed for an aerobic exercise programme to be effective in improving cognitive function in a cohort with no baseline cognitive impairments.

Antidepressants, when used to treat concomitant mood disorders in IBD, seem to reduce relapse rates, use of steroids, and endoscopies in the year after their introduction. These results suggest the need for a prospective controlled trial to evaluate their effects on disease course in patients with IBD.

We tested the hypothesis that type 2 diabetes (T2D) alters the profile of muscle fractional oxygen (O2) extraction (near-infrared spectroscopy) during incremental cycle exercise. Seventeen middle-aged individuals with uncomplicated T2D and 17 controls performed an upright ramp test to exhaustion. The rate of muscle deoxygenation (i.e. deoxygenated haemoglobin and myoglobin concentration, Δ[HHb+Mb]) profiles of the vastus lateralis muscle were normalised to 100% of the response, plotted against % power output (PO) and fitted with a double linear regression model. Peak oxygen uptake was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in individuals with T2D. The %Δ[HHb+Mb]/%PO slope of the first linear segment of the double linear regression function was significantly (P<0.05) steeper in T2D than controls (1.810.61 vs 1.350.43). Both groups displayed a near-plateau in Δ[HHb+Mb] at an exercise intensity (%PO) not different among them. Such findings suggest that a reduced O2 delivery to active muscles is an important underlying cause of exercise intolerance during a maximum graded test in middle-aged individuals with T2D.

We assessed the time course of changes in oxygen uptake (V̇O2) and muscle deoxygenation (i.e., deoxygenated haemoglobin and myoglobin, [HHb+Mb]) kinetics during transitions to moderate-intensity cycling following 12-weeks of low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Participants were randomly assigned to MICT (n=10, 50 min of moderate-intensity cycling), HIIT (n=9, 10x1 min at ~90% maximal heart rate) or non-exercising control (n=9) groups. Exercising groups trained 3 times per week and measurements were taken every 3 weeks. [HHb+Mb] kinetics were measured by near-infrared spectroscopy at the vastus lateralis muscle. The local matching of O2 delivery to O2 utilization was assessed by the Δ[HHb+Mb]/ΔV̇O2ratio. The pretraining time constant of the primary phase of V̇O2 (τV̇O2p ) decreased (P<0.05) at wk 3 of training in both MICT (from 44±12 to 32±5 s) and HIIT (from 42±8 to 32 ± 4 s) with no further changes thereafter; while no changes were reported in controls. The pretraining overall dynamic response of muscle deoxygenation (τ'[HHb+Mb]) was faster than τV̇O2p in all groups, resulting in Δ[HHb+Mb]/V̇O2p showing a transient "overshoot" relative to the subsequent steady-state level. After 3 wks, the Δ[HHb+Mb]/V̇O2p overshoot was eliminated only in the training groups, so that τ'[HHb+Mb] was not different to τV̇O2p in MICT and HIIT. The enhanced V̇O2 kinetics response consequent to both MICT and HIIT in T2D was likely attributed to a training-induced improvement in matching of O2 delivery to utilization.

Patients with CD were better informed about the effects of smoking on their own disease than the patients with UC. Nicotine dependence in IBD patients is lower than in smokers' clinic clients and comparable with that of the general population. Their low nicotine dependence suggests that most IBD patients could be weaned off the smoking habit successfully in the IBD clinic and referral to a smoking cessation clinic was offered to the highly dependent minority and others expressing interest in attending.

Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) are known to be associated with debilitating emotional disorders that manifest long before the flaring of motor dysfunctions. Given the emerging role of T cells in controlling both emotions and autoimmunity, in this study we explored possible correlation between T cell activation and changes in emotional behavior in a mouse model of MS. Our results showed a significant increase in blood circulating T cells as soon as at day 4 post immunization. This lymphocytosis remained stable with time and preceded the infiltration of T cell in the CNS. The kinetic of T cell entry in the blood matched the kinetic of changes in behavior measured using the open field test. Treatment with glatiramer acetate, a well-known immunomodulatory drug for MS, suppressed behavioral changes while retaining the T cells in the draining lymph nodes. Together these results provide evidence of a positive correlation between the emigration of T cells in circulation and changes in emotions during chronic inflammatory diseases. The validation of these findings in the clinic might help to better understand the cause of the emotional and psychological burden of patients suffering MS or other autoimmune diseases. Most importantly our study suggests novel therapeutic venues for the treatment of the emotional changes associated with autoimmunity.

In the present study we assessed the time course of adaptations in peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) and muscle fractional oxygen (O2) extraction (using near-infrared spectroscopy) following 12 weeks of low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. moderate-intensity continuous endurance training (MICT) in adults with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes (T2D). Participants with T2D were randomly assigned to MICT (n = 12, 50 min of moderate-intensity cycling), HIIT (n = 9, 10 x 1 min at ~90% maximal heart rate) or to a non-exercising control group (n = 9). Exercising groups trained 3 times per week and measurements were taken every 3 weeks. The rate of muscle deoxygenation (i.e. deoxygenated haemoglobin and myoglobin concentration, Δ[HHb+Mb]) profiles of the vastus lateralis muscle were normalised to 100% of the response, plotted against % power output (PO) and fitted with a double linear regression model. V̇O2peak increased (P<0.05) by week 3 of MICT (+17%) and HIIT (+8%), with no further significant changes thereafter. Total increases in V̇O2peak posttraining (P<0.05) were 27% and 14% respectively. The %∆[HHb+Mb] vs %PO slope of the first linear segment (slope1) was reduced (P<0.05) beyond 3 weeks of HIIT and MICT with no further significant changes thereafter. No changes in V̇O2peak or slope1 were observed in the control group. Low-volume HIIT and MICT induced improvements in V̇O2peak following a similar time course and these improvements were likely, at least in part, due to an improved microvascular O2 delivery.