Question 1

Low estrogen levels are associated with...&#10;A) Elevated neutrophil chemotaxis&#10;B) Elevated Th1 responses&#10;C) Elevated Th2 responses&#10;D) Elevated numbers of circulating Treg cells&#10;E) Increased B cell Ig production

Accepted Answer

Low levels of estrogen are associated with an increase in Th1 responses, which play a role in cell-mediated immunity and inflammation. This may explain why some autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, are more common in women than men, as women generally have lower levels of estrogen.

Question 2

Timmons et al. (2005) found that, in women, 90 minutes of cycling at 65% of maximal aerobic power was associated with...&#10;A) An exaggerated leukocytosis during the luteal phase&#10;B) An exaggerated leukocytosis during the follicular phase&#10;C) An attenuated leukocytosis during the luteal phase&#10;D) An attenuated leukocytosis during the follicular phase&#10;E) An exaggerated leukocytosis when estrogen levels are high

Accepted Answer

Timmons et al. (2005) found that women experienced an exaggerated leukocytosis during the luteal phase after 90 minutes of cycling at 65% of maximal aerobic power.

Question 3

Nieman et al. (1994b) found that, compared with older sedentary women who took part in stretching exercises, 12 weeks of supervised walking exercise in older sedentary women was associated with...&#10;A) Enhanced neutrophil function compared with pre-training&#10;B) Enhanced lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogen compared with pre-training&#10;C) Enhanced natural killer cell cytotoxic activity compared with pre-training&#10;D) Lower numbers of circulating Th1 cells compared with pre-training&#10;E) Lower reported incidence of symptoms of respiratory infection

Accepted Answer

The study by Nieman et al. (1994b) found that older sedentary women who participated in 12 weeks of supervised walking exercise reported a lower incidence of symptoms of respiratory infection compared to those who only did stretching exercises.

Question 4

Current available evidence suggests that...&#10;A) Exercise programmes lasting 4 months or less are effective at enhancing resting levels of immune function in older people&#10;B) Acute exercise is associated with a greater recruitment of lymphocyte populations in older compared with younger people&#10;C) Regular participation in exercise training over a period of years is associated with enhanced immune functions compared with that of sedentary older people&#10;D) Acute exhaustive exercise is associated with larger increases in NK cell numbers in older people compared with younger people&#10;E) Antibody responses to vaccines are not affected by regular exercise participation in older people

Accepted Answer

The available evidence suggests that regular participation in exercise training over a period of years is associated with enhanced immune functions compared with that of sedentary older people. This is in contrast to options A, B, D, and E, which do not have sufficient evidence to support them or have been found to be false.

Question 5

Spielmann et al. (2011) found that age-adjusted aerobic fitness was positively associated with...&#10;A) The proportion of circulating na&#239;ve CD8+ T cells&#10;B) The proportion of 'exhausted' or senescent CD8+ T cells&#10;C) Seropositivity for Epstein-Barr virus&#10;D) Seropositivity for cytomegalovirus&#10;E) The proportion of circulating NK cells

Accepted Answer

Spielmann et al. (2011) found that age-adjusted aerobic fitness was positively associated with the proportion of circulating naïve CD8+ T cells.

Question 6

Which types of immune cell are targeted by HIV?&#10;A) Microglia&#10;B) Monocytes&#10;C) T helper cells&#10;D) Macrophages&#10;E) All of the above

Accepted Answer

HIV targets all of the listed immune cells: microglia, monocytes, T helper cells, and macrophages, as they all express the CD4 receptor, which HIV uses to enter the cells.

Question 7

Which of the following are important considerations when evaluating the effect of exercise training programmes on HIV disease progression?&#10;A) Initial CD4+ count&#10;B) Training programme length&#10;C) Compliance with the training programme&#10;D) All of the above&#10;E) None of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the above considerations are important when evaluating the effect of exercise training programmes on HIV disease progression.

Initial CD4+ count is important because it gives an indication of the individual's immune function and the severity of their HIV disease at the start of the programme. This can influence the potential benefits of exercise training on disease progression.

Training programme length is important because longer programmes may have greater benefits on immune function and disease progression compared to shorter programmes.

Compliance with the training programme is important because adherence to the programme can influence the effectiveness of the intervention. Poor compliance may result in reduced benefits or no benefits at all.

Question 8

The literature suggests that intensive exercise training has a negative effect on CD4+ cell numbers.

Accepted Answer

The literature does not support the idea that intensive exercise training has a negative effect on CD4+ cell numbers. In fact, research has shown that moderate exercise may actually have a positive impact on the immune system, including an increase in CD4+ cell numbers.

Question 9

Compared with able-bodied individuals, those with spinal cord injury exhibit...&#10;A) Similar SIgA responses to acute exercise&#10;B) Elevated SIgA responses to acute exercise&#10;C) Attenuated SIgA responses to acute exercise&#10;D) Elevated NK cell cytotoxicity responses to acute exercise&#10;E) Similar NK cell cytotoxicity responses to acute exercise

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compared with able-bodied individuals, those with spinal...

Question 10

Which of the following statements is FALSE?&#10;A) Immune cell gene expression is rapidly activated even after short bouts of exercise&#10;B) Immune cell gene expression is rapidly deactivated even after short bouts of exercise&#10;C) Immune cell gene expression is dependent on exercise workload&#10;D) Immune cell gene expression is influenced by age&#10;E) Immune cell gene expression is independent of the menstrual cycle

Accepted Answer

Immune cell gene expression is influenced by a variety of factors including exercise, workload, age, and even hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle. Thus, stating it is independent of the menstrual cycle is false. Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can affect immune function and gene expression.

Deck 13: Exercise, Infection Risk, Immune Function and Inflammation in Special Populations