Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from exercise intolerance, the sensation of dyspnea, and fatigue, which are the main reasons for limiting their physical activity. In addition to changes in the respiratory and circulatory systems in patients with COPD, peripheral muscle dysfunction, with numerous metabolic dysfunctions, is observed. One of the symptoms of the described anomalies, among others, is an antioxidative and prooxidative imbalance. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the impact of endurance training, carried out in the extended pulmonary rehabilitation program in COPD patients, on the imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants in their bodies. Methods: The tests were carried out on a group of patients (n = 32) with COPD; 20 randomly selected people underwent a modified rehabilitation program during their rehabilitation stay, and the obtained results were compared with the results of 12 patients (control group) who were treated without endurance training. At the beginning and at the end of the study, spirometry and cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) were performed. Oxidative stress (allantoin (All) and substances which react with thiobarbituric acid) and antioxidant (ferric reducing ability of plasma and total phenolics) parameters’ concentrations were determined in the venous blood. Results: In the study group, greater post-training increases of VO2max (p = 0.0702) and FEV1/FVC (p < 0.05; ES: 0.436) were reported. The applied CPET at each time caused an increase in the All concentration (p < 0.05) in the study and control groups. Conclusions: Endurance training applied as a part of the rehabilitation process did not cause the additional aggravation of oxidative stress and blood total phenolics concentration.

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of locomotor system diseases in salt miners compared with that of other occupational diseases. Methods: An analysis of diseases reported by salt miners working at different mining levels was carried out. All miners were asked about back pain in the past five years. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Scale-Polish Version (OLBPDS-PL) and Neck Disability Index-Polish questionnaire Version (NDI-PL) were used to measure the functional disability of the lumbar and cervical spine. In contrast, the severity of low back pain was assessed using a 10 mm visual analog scale (VAS). In all, 62 miners were included in the study. Results: The most common diseases of salt miners are locomotor diseases involving the lumbar spine. The study showed a significant correlation between the occurrence of pain changes in the thoracic spine and the extraction level (p < 0.05). The extraction level also correlates with the reported level of pain in the thoracic spine (p < 0.05). The incidence of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes depended mainly on the age and weight of the subjects (p < 0.05). Hearing loss depended on the age of respondents and years of work in the mine (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Due to significant problems of miners in the field of the motor system, the list of occupational diseases in Poland, specified in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 30 June 2009 on occupational diseases (Journal of Laws No. 105, item 869) should be extended for example, to diseases affecting the spine. As there are no articles on the health of salt miners, further research should focus on complementing this knowledge to guide interventions to reduce the risk of chronic and occupational diseases. Extensive research is needed, including ergonomic measurements, to verify our results for the Polish salt mining industry.