Many physicians are surprised to learn how many people live, work, and play at high altitude. Some 140 million persons reside at altitudes over 2500 m, mainly in North, Central, and South America; Asia; and eastern Africa (1). Increasingly, people are moving to work at high altitude. For example, there are telescopes at altitudes over 5000 m (2) and mines at over 4500 m (3), and the Golmud–Lhas...

OBJECTIVES The relative influences of hypoxia and other environmental stressors on growth at altitude remain unclear. Previous work demonstrated an association between peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (Sp O2 ) and anthropometry (especially tibia length) among Tibetan and Han children at altitude. We investigated whether similar associations exist among Andeans, and the patterning of associ...

BACKGROUND Excessive elevation of arterial blood pressure (BP) at high altitude can be detrimental to our health due to acute mountain sickness (AMS) or some AMS symptoms. This prospective and observational study aimed to elucidate blood pressure changes induced by exposure to high-altitude hypoxia and the relationships of these changes with AMS prevalence, AMS severity, sleep quality and exerc...

A possible link between melanization and desiccation resistance can be inferred if within population differences in melanization find significant correlations with desiccation resistance and its mechanistic basis i.e. rate of water loss/hr. Accordingly, darker, intermediate and lighter phenotypes of body melanization were analyzed in wild and laboratory reared Drosophila melanogaster L. (Dipter...

introduction: there are suspended fungal spores in the air and in the nasal mucosa of adults, especially in areas with a humid climate. several studies have revealed the role of fungi in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (crs) in recent years but it is a topic of controversy, especially in regions with low humidity. the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of fungal species...

Changes in cerebral perfusion and CO2 cerebrovascular reactivity during and immediately after a sojourn at high altitude remain unclear but may be critical for acclimatization. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of 6days at 4350m on cerebral perfusion and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to CO2 by arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging at sea level and to co...

INTRODUCTION Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) at high altitude is not well understood to date. This study investigates the effects of high altitude on ICH, and examines the acute neuroprotection of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy against high-altitude ICH. METHODS Minipigs were placed in a hypobaric chamber for 72 h before the operation. ICH was induced by an infusion of autologous arterial blo...

The hypoxic conditions of extreme altitudes have long been known to have psychological and physiological effects on humans. Such conditions may also impact an individual’s economic valuation and decision-making process relative to non-hypoxic conditions. Building on prior work both in the psychology of economics and the effects of hypoxia on psychology and decision making, this study gathered c...

Aerobic physiology at high altitudes has been studied in many animals. Prior work on laboratory-bred deer mice (a species with a wide altitudinal range) showed depression of aerobic capacity at high altitude, even after acclimation. However, wild deer mice show no reduction in thermogenic performance at high altitude, and performance limits seem to be due to physiological and anatomical adjustm...