Hypobaric hypoxia elicits several patho-physiological manifestations, some of which are known to be lethal. Among various molecular mechanisms proposed so far, perturbation in redox state due to imbalance between radical generation and antioxidant defence is promising. These molecular events are also related to hypoxic status of cancer cells and therefore its understanding has extended clinical...

PURPOSE This study aimed to quantify the pupillary light reaction during high altitude exposure using the state of the art Compact Integrated Pupillograph (CIP) and to investigate a potential correlation of altered pupil reaction with severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS). This work is related to the Tübingen High Altitude Ophthalmology (THAO) study. METHODS Parameters of pupil dynamics (...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE At high altitudes barometric pressure is reduced and, thus, less oxygen is inhaled. Reduced oxygen concentration in brain tissue can lead to cerebral damage and neurological and cognitive deficits. The present study was designed to explore the effects of high-altitude exposure using a quantitative MRI technique, voxel-based morphometry. METHODS We studied nine world-cla...

More than 140 million people dwell at altitudes of over 2500 m. The Andes region is home to the greatest population density at an altitude of more than 3500 m. Equally, the number of persons living at sea level (SL) is growing, and they travel to medium, high, or extreme altitudes for occupational or scientific reasons, or to enjoy tourism or recreational activities, as is the case of hikers, m...

Strenuous exercise may be a significant contributing factor for development of high-altitude pulmonary edema, particularly at low or moderate altitudes. Thus we investigated the effects of heavy cycle ergometer exercise (90% maximal effort) under hypoxic conditions in which the combined effects of a marked increase in pulmonary blood flow and nonuniform hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction could ...

UNLABELLED Blood pressure increases during acute exposure to high altitude in healthy humans. However, little is known on altitude effects in hypertensive subjects or on the treatment efficacy in this condition. Objectives of High Altitude Cardiovascular Research (HIGHCARE)-Andes Lowlanders Study were to investigate the effects of acute high-altitude exposure on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressur...

Yarrow (Achillea spp.) belonging to the family of Asteraceae with useful properties, such as anti-diaphoretic, anti-hemorrhagic, anti-inflammation, anti-biotic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, Carminative and anti-oxidant effects. The present investigation assessed the morphological diversity of Achillea aucheri, which is indigenous plant from Damavand mountain of Iran. The samples were collected ...

Acetazolamide is the standard carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitor used for acute mountain sickness (AMS), however some of its undesirable effects are related to intracellular penetrance into many tissues, including across the blood-brain barrier. Benzolamide is a much more hydrophilic inhibitor, which nonetheless retains a strong renal action to engender a metabolic acidosis and ventilatory stimu...

We studied sea-level residents during 13 days of altitude acclimatization to determine 1) altitude acclimatization effects on erythrocyte volume and plasma volume, 2) if exogenous erythrocyte volume expansion alters subsequent erythrocyte volume and plasma volume adaptations, 3) if an increased blood oxygen content alters erythropoietin responses during altitude acclimatization, and 4) mechanis...

Pregnancies at high-altitudes are influenced by hypoxia and oxidative stress and frequently affected by IUGR. However, a common thought is that early pregnant women visiting altitude have no major complications for gestation development, since IUGR is developed during the second half of pregnancy. Thus, using a well-characterized sheep-model, we aimed to determine whether long- and/or short-ter...