The Effect of the Weight Reduction on the Salivary Cortisol Levels of Judo Players

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weight reduction prior to a competition on the salivary cortisol level for first-rate judo players. Subjects were divided into three groups by the weight reduction rate. On the day before the competition, the cortisol levels of the low- and high-weight reduction group showed a tendency to decrease and were significantly lower than that of the non-weight reduction group (p<0.05). However, with regard to the change in the stress indices, there was a difference between the high- and low-weight reduction groups. In the high-weight reduction group alone, there was a significant increase in the stress indices on the day before the competition (p<0.05). These findings suggest that the HPA axis is affected during the relatively early stage of weight reduction and mental stress is increased at the higher weight reduction rate.

The Unique Correlation between Anti-Mutagenicity of Human Saliva and Change in Body Weight

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weight reduction on the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva. Subjects were 16 male college judo players. The anti-mutagenicity of the saliva was measured using the umu test. There was an inhibiting effect of the saliva on the mutagenicity of AF-2. However, a modifying effect of the saliva on Trp-P-1 was not observed. On the day before a competition and 7 days after the competition, the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2 decreased and increased in two non-weight reduction and two weight reduction groups, respectively. However, on the day before the competition, the changed body weights (r=−0.77, p<0.01) and BMI (r=−0.77, p<0.01) were significantly correlated with that of the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2. In addition, the BMI at 20 days before the competition was not significantly but markedly correlated with it (r=0.50, p=0.057). At 7 days after the competition, however, these correlations were not found. These findings suggest a unique correlation between the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva and body weight or BMI.

Effects of maximal exercise on nonspecific immunity in athletes under trained and detrained conditions / 体力科学

We investigated both the acute effects of maximal exercise and the chronic effects of training on nonspecific immunity in 15 winter-sports athletes during different periods of training : (a) before the athletic season, in summer, when the athletes were undertaking extensive endurance training to enhance aerobic capacity, (b) during the winter sports season, in early winter, when endurance and athletic training were being undertaken, and (c) after the winter sports season, in spring, when the athletes were resting (detraining for a month) . The mean value of the maximal oxygen uptake in each training period was (a) 65.4 (SD 4.6) mL·kg<SUP>-1</SUP>·min<SUP>-1</SUP>, (b) 63.1 (SD 5.5) mL· kg<SUP>-1</SUP>·min<SUP>-1</SUP>, and (c) 58.3 (SD 5.8) mL·kg<SUP>-1</SUP>·min<SUP>-1</SUP>, respectively. Following maximal exercise, acute peripheral leukocytosis due to lymphocytosis and neutrophila was observed in every period. The capacity of isolated neutrophils to produce reactive oxygen species upon stimulation with opsonized zymosan measure by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL) was significantly enhanced after maximal exercise before and during the athletic season. However, the degree of enhancement was smaller during after-season detraining, suggesting that the conditioning state affected the exercise-induced changes in neutophil functional status. Serum opsonic activity also showed a similar pattern. As for the chronic effects of training, the resting values of the neutrophil count, especially the segmented neutrophil count, the neutrophil LDCL response and the serum IgG level, declined significantly in the pre-season training period. Since the subjects were engaged in exhaustive endurance training under heat exposure at that time, the nonspecific immune status might have been partially compromised due to chronic overload.

Effects of maximal exercise on blood leukocyte counts and neutrophil activity in athletes / 体力科学

Twenty endurance-trained athletes (five male speed-skaters, eleven male and four female cross-country skiers, 16-18 years) ran on a treadmill by a protocol of incremental graded increase in workload until exhaustion during an endurance training period in off-season summer. Immediately after exercise, all developed peripheral leukocytosis (1.9 times; p<0.01) due mainly to lymphocytosis (2.6 times; p<0.01) with a predominant effect on large granular lymphocyte (natural killer cell) count (5.9 times ; p<0.01) . Monocyte count was also enhanced 2.3 times (p<0.01) . These increases were transitory and returned to the pre-exercise levels 1 h later. Peripheral neutrophilia was also observed by 43% (p<0.01) immediately after exercise and remained elevated by 25% (p<0.01) 1 h after exercise, but a shift to the left did not take place. The capacity of isolated neutrophils to produce reactive oxygen species was assessed by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence which detects mainly myeloperoxidase (MPO) -mediated formation of such hyperreactive oxidants as HOCl. The maximum intensity of chemiluminescence (peak height) upon stimulation with opsonized zymosan was significantly enhanced following exercise (p<0.05) . Similar results were obtained when phorbol myristate acetate was employed as nonphagocytic soluble stimulus (p<0.01), suggesting that the capacity of neutrophils to degranulate MPO rather than phagocytosis was enhanced following exercise. In addition, the enhancements of chemiluminescence were positively correlated with the increase in segmented neutrophil count. These data indicate that maximal exercise not only mobilized mature neutrophils from the marginated pool into the circulation, but also augmented their capacity to generate reactive oxygen species of higher reactivity.

Effect of training on physical exersice-induced changes in non-specific humoral immunity / 体力科学

Although it is generally thought that habitual exercise protects an individual from infections, few careful scientific studies have been conducted. To clarify the influences of physical training on non-specific humoral immunity, both serum opsonic activity, which is a more direct indicator for the strength of non-specific humoral immunity to infections, and serum immunoglobulin and complement levels of 18 healthy male volunteers were assayed before and after a 10-week of training as indices of immuno defense.<BR>The serum levels of three immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and 1gM) and one complement (C3) were compared prior to and immediately after exercise both before and after training. Paired t-test revealed that before training exercise-induced increases in IgG and C 3 were significant and after training increases in IgG, IgA, IgM and C 3 were significant. But baseline (prior to exercise) levels of these immunoglobulins and complement were significantly suppressed during the training period.<BR>Serum opsonic activity was compared with each other in the same way as serum protein levels. The noutrophilic chemiluminescence Peak Height (PH), which is one of the indicators of serum opsonic activity, was significantly decreased immediately after exercise at the beginning stage of the training. After the training period, serum opsonic activity showed no noteworthy exercise-induced variations and baseline levels were slightly increased during the training period.<BR>These findings suggest that resistance and reactivity to the physical stress are improved and the non-specific humoral immunity, self-defense ability against infections, is considered to be improved by the training.

Changes in serum immunogloblin levels and neutrophilic phagocytosis after exercise / 体力科学

This paper is intended to give the information we need about personal reactivity to transient loads for the object of estimating human physical fitness. For this purpose, both serum immunoglobulin levels and neutrophilic phagocytosis were assayed as indices to self-defense activities.<BR>To determine the later described reproducibility of experimental results, two independent experiments were made on two different groups -one consisting of twelve and the other of fourteen male voluntary students of our college- exercised in the playgroud. The serum levels of three immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) and two complements (C3 and C4), prior to and immediately after exercise, were compared with each other. They rose without exception after exercise.<BR>Paired T-test revealed that in the group of twelve students, rises in IgG, IgA, C3, α-1-antitrypsin and transferrin were significant at P<0.1%, 5%, 5%, 5% and 0.1%, and in the group of fourteen rises in IgG, IgA, IgM, C 3, C 4, α-1-antitrypsin and transferrin were significant at P<1%, 0.1%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.1% and 0.1%, respectively.<BR>In the meantime, the neutrophilic phagocytosis (%) was significantly decreased immediately after exercise in both groups (P-<1% and P-<0.1% respectively) .

Physical Load of Labors upon the Farmers Engaged in Raising Silk Worms / 日本農村医学会雑誌

Investigation on the working time, energy expenditure and fatigue were carried out for members of three families engaged principally in raising silk worms.<BR>Group examinations of physical conditions and blood constituents and survey of nutritional intake were performed on the residents, including the above families, in a community in Fukueisland, Nagasaki-prefecture.<BR>The results were as follows;<BR>1) The average values of energy expenditure on a most busy day in a raising period of silk worm calculated to be 3150 kcal (max. 3500 kcal) for males, 2340 kcal (max. 2890 kcal) for females of the above three families. Their working times on this day were about 14 hours.<BR>2) The physical fatigue of the subjects was estimated by means of Fliker frequency, near point and threshold of patellar reflex. Remarkable changes of these values were found, suggesting the heavy physical load of the raising works, and the changes were more remarkable in olders and females than in youngers and males.<BR>3) Donaggio's reaction and Na/K in the first urine of morning were investigated at an interval of five days during one period of silk worm raising.<BR>The Donaggio's reaction values were increased about two times higher in the latter term, on the other hand Na/K dropped in the former term of the period.<BR>4) The group examinations of the inhabitants in the community showed that the body fat of silk raising farmers were fewer than that of the farmers engaged in other kinds of farming reported by the present authors.<BR>Blood values (Ht, Hb and TP) of them in 1975 were lower than in 1974, because one more raising period was added and so the physical load of them might be greater in '75 than in '74.<BR>5) The nutritional intakes of silk raising farmers were almost as same as these of the farmers in other districts.