Inflammation

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. The number of breast cancer survivors has increased due to screening and improved treatment methods, which makes it important to increase knowledge on their health and well-being. Physical activity has been reported to improve quality of life, decrease fatigue and reduce all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality in breast cancer survivors. In physically active subjects, the risk reduction averaged 25–30%. Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in women. Its pathogenesis involves genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors6. A large body of evidence indicates that physical activity has positive effects on every aspect of breast cancer evolution, including prevention, medical treatment, and aftercare clinical settings. Thus, different types of exercise can influence the prevention and progression of the disease through several common mechanisms, such as reduction of insulin resistance and improvement of immunity and cardiovascular function. Furthermore, acute and chronic symptoms of breast cancer, such as cachexia, muscle mass loss, fatigue, cardiotoxicity, weight gain, hormone alterations, bone loss, and psychological adverse effects, may all be favorably influenced by regular exercise.7 The potential role of exercise in reducing the intensity of the adverse effects that result from breast cancer and anticancer treatment is also discussed1. According to published data, 30–60 min of exercise per day at a moderate intensity is regarded as the optimal duration. Furthermore, physical activity plays an important role in the therapy of breast cancer, not only after finishing but already during treatment. The beneficial effects of physical activity may manifest themselves in circulating levels of insulin, insulin-growth factors (IGFs) I and II and their binding proteins (IGFBPs), or inflammatory biomarkers. The aim of this report was to review available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of physical activity on biomarkers in breast cancer survivors. Five RCTs reported statistically significant effects of physical activity on insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 in breast cancer survivors, but the results were not consistent. None of four RCTs found any evidence for a role of investigated interleukins. One trial reported some evidence that exercise may decrease C-reactive protein levels. In conclusion, available RCTs have produced some evidence that physical activity may result in beneficial changes in levels of insulin, IGFs, IGFBPs, and inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer survivors. However, further larger RCTs on physical activity and biomarkers in breast cancer survivors are warranted.

Abstract Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease with an incompletely understood etiology. The disease is characterized by red, scaly and well-demarcated skin lesions formed by the hyperproliferation of epidermal keratinocytes. This hyperproliferation is driven by cytokines secreted by activated resident immune cells, an infiltrate of T cells, dendritic cells and cells of the innate immune system, as well as the keratinocytes themselves. Psoriasis has a strong hereditary character and has a complex genetic background. Genome-wide association studies have identified polymorphisms within or near a number of genes encoding cytokines, cytokine receptors or elements of their signal transduction pathways, further implicating these cytokines in the psoriasis path mechanism. A considerable number of inflammatory cytokines have been shown to be elevated in lesional psoriasis skin, and the serum concentrations of a subset of these also correlate with psoriasis disease severity. The combined effects of the cytokines found in psoriasis lesions likely explain most of the clinical features of psoriasis, such as the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes, increased neovascularization and skin inflammation. Thus, understanding which cytokines play a pivotal role in the disease process can suggest potential therapeutic targets. A number of cytokines have been therapeutically targeted with success, revolutionizing treatment of this disease. Here we review a number of key cytokines implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.