BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The P300 wave is an event related potential (ERP) elicited by infrequent, task-relevant stimuli and appeared at about 300 ms, represents higher cognitive function of information processing, working memory or stimulus categorization. Hypobaric hypoxia deteriorates the cognitive function during the short term stay (days to few weeks) at high altitude. The present study was...

BACKGROUND Studies assessing the effect of altitude on cardiovascular disease have provided conflicting results. Most studies were limited because of the heterogeneity of the population, their ecological design, or both. In addition, effects of place of birth were rarely considered. Here, we examine mortality from coronary heart disease and stroke in relation to the altitude of the place of res...

[1] For simplicity, a constant gravitational acceleration (~g) is assumed in many general circulation models (GCMs). To estimate the influence of the altitudinal variation of the ~g on the thermosphere simulation, two runs have been made under the solar maximum condition using the non-hydrostatic Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM), including one with a constant ~g (8.7 m/s) and the oth...

Modern humans have occupied almost all possible environments globally since exiting Africa about 100,000 years ago. Both behavioral and biological adaptations have contributed to their success in surviving the rigors of climatic extremes, including cold, strong ultraviolet radiation, and high altitude. Among these environmental stresses, high-altitude hypoxia is the only condition in which trad...

Previous studies of brain glucose metabolism in people indigenous to high-altitude environments uncovered two response patterns: Quechuas native to the high Andes of South America sustained modest hypometabolism in most brain regions interrogated, whereas Sherpas, native to the Himalayas and considered by many biologists to be most effectively high-altitude adapted of all humans, showed brain m...

Highland populations living permanently under hypobaric hypoxia have been subject of extensive research because of the relevance of their physiological adaptations for the understanding of human health and disease. In this context, what is considered high altitude is a matter of interpretation and while the adaptive processes at high altitude (above 3000 m) are well documented, the effects of m...

Lichen-associated fungal species have already been investigated in almost all the main growth forms of lichens, however, whether or not they are homogeneous and constant within each lichen species are still inconclusive. Moreover, the related ecological factors to affect and structure the fungal composition have been poorly studied. In order to answer these questions, we took Hypogymnia hypotry...

To test the hypothesis of whether strenuous physical exercise inhibits neutrophils that can get activated by hypobaric hypoxia, we analyzed the effects of both high altitude and strenuous exercise alone and in combination on potentially cytotoxic functions of granulocytes in healthy volunteers (n = 12 men; average age 27.6 yr; range 24-38 yr). To this end, a field study was prospectively perfor...

To assess the changes in pulmonary functions in terms of respiratory frequency (f), tidal volume (VT), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume for first second (FEV1, maximum ventilatory volume (MVV) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), on sudden exposure to high altitude, 16 healthy normal, non-smokers, lowland subjects (11 medical cadets mean age 20.18±1.44 yr and 5 jawans mean...

The influence of hypoxia (lowered arterial blood and/or tissue PO2) on fetoplacental development and the role of hypoxia in preeclampsia are major research foci in perinatal biology. While animal and cell models are of utility, we do not know whether artificial hypoxic stimuli mimic the pathological conditions attributed to hypoxic stress in vivo; we cannot distinguish the effects of hypoxia fr...