Acquired immunity: immunosenescence and physical activity

Abstract

Several lines of evidence indicate that infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders occur more frequently in elderly people, thus suggesting that altered function of immune organs and cells, such as thymus and T and B lymphocytes are of primary importance in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Furthermore, old subjects are less responsive to vaccine than younger because of immune changes. The most common changes accompanying the adaptive immune system include decrement of T and B cells proliferation, repertoire degeneracy, increase of the memory cell type, decreased numbers of naive cells, and shift from T helper 1 (Th1) to T helper 2 (Th2) response. Regular exercise in the elderly may improve the alterations in acquired immunity which follow the physiological process of aging, allowing a major resistance against external pathogens and a better quality of life.

Bifidobacterium longum with Fructo-Oligosaccharides in Patients with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

“…Subjects received one supervised stretching session at treatment initiation, a booklet detailing the stretches, and were unsupervised thereafter. All individuals were informed that the research hypothesis was that regular stretching could reduce inflammation and assist in the preferential reduction of adiposity from the liver and viscera [20,21]. Subjects underwent weekly visits throughout the treatment period to assess adherence to the study protocol, to measure the blood pressure, and to record adverse events.…”

Autoimmunity in the elderly: Implications for cancer

“…Thus, it can be observed in peripheral blood a decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio.. [5] The predominance of these expansions within the CD8 T-cell subset implies that their generation possibly represents the outcome of normal proliferative responses to viral or tumor antigens. [6] Both CD4 and CD8 T-cells need the expression on their surface of a co-stimulatory molecule, CD28, that intervenes as a complement in the transduction of signals, after the T cell receptor (TCR) activation as well as in the cytokine production, such as interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon (IFN)-.…”

“…[24] Upon repeated activation, T-cells progressively down-regulate CD28 expression, finally leading to CD28 -T-cells. [5] These cells have gained proinflammatory capacities and cytotoxic function and they are resistant to apoptosis, too. [25] The percentage of CD4 + CD28 -T-cells is increased in the circulation of elderly individuals.…”

Centenarians and supercentenarians: a black swan. Emerging social, medical and surgical problems

“…Ageing of the immune system relates to both innate and adaptive immunity although the innate one is regarded to be better preserved than adaptive one [ 29 - 31 ]. The age-related alterations of adaptive immunity include a decline of naive T lymphocytes and accumulation of memory/effector T cells, reduction in the number of B cells, up-regulation of the inflammatory responses and dysregulation of the Th1/Th2 system.…”