Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

Tag Archive for ‘high altitude’

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Physiologists in California meet today to discuss the latest research

The California Society of Physiologists is hosting their annual meeting today at the University of California Davis campus! Adapting to high altitude The keynote address will be given this evening by Dr. Tatum Simonson (Associate Professor, University of California San Diego) who will speak about, “Variation in human responses to low oxygen: Insights from Mount Everest to Machu Picchu.” Together with Dr. Francisco Villafuerte (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru) […]

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Gut-temperature axis in high altitude deer mice?

Dr. Graham Scott (McMaster University) presented intriguing research at the American Physiology Summit earlier this month in Long Beach, CA. His laboratory has been examining a potential link between the gut microbiome and the ability for deer mice to help regulate body temperature. Deer mice live in high elevations where atmospheric oxygen levels are low. This presents a physiological challenge as they have to use a lot of energy to […]

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Cardioprotective adaptations to high altitude

While studies have shown that Tibetans protect their tissues from damage caused by low oxygen levels at high altitude, other studies have shown that people adapted to life in the Andes mountains have genetic variations that protect their hearts. In a recent study presented at the 2023 American Physiology Summit, scientists discovered that 68% of Andean highlanders carry a single nucleotide variation in the gene responsible for encoding the protein […]

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Can carbon monoxide be a good thing at high altitude?

Although carbon monoxide inhalation is dangerous because it can cause blood poisoning, research suggests that production of carbon monoxide in the body may actually protect cells during exposure to hypoxic environments as well as during ischemic-reperfusion injuries. Carbon monoxide is produced in the body by the enzyme heme oxygenase. This enzyme is responsible for converting heme into biliverdin and generates carbon monoxide in the process. Interestingly, carbon monoxide levels are […]

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Life at the top

Moving to high altitude requires a bit of an adjustment. One of the ways our bodies adjust to the low levels of oxygen is by making more red blood cells, which are responsible for transporting oxygen in the body. More red blood cells means that our blood can pick up more oxygen. If this process continues unchecked, however, it can lead to chronic mountain sickness, also known as Monge’s Disease. […]

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Featuring: Ohio Physiological Society

This week we are featuring the Ohio Physiological Society. They held their 35th annual meeting September 17-18, 2021. The Ohio Physiological Society is a chapter of the American Physiological Society that was founded in 1986 and brings together physiologists from across the state. Dr. Cynthia Beall, PhD, Distinguished University Professor and Sara Idell Pyle Professor of Anthropology as well as Co-Director of the Center for Research on Tibet at Case […]

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High altitude survival and adaptation

Life at high altitude presents unique physiological challenges for organisms that were explored in a recent review published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. For placental mammals, offspring born at high altitude (>2500 m above sea level) typically weigh less at birth compared to lowland animals. Fetal growth restriction is problematic as it is associated with long-term health risks and reduced survival. It is […]

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Surviving the cold

The ability to regulate body temperature is critical for animals. This is especially true for small mammals as they have a larger surface area resulting in more heat loss to the environment than larger animals. Animals that stay active during the winter likewise have to spend more energy to stay warm. To do this well, they need to balance heat loss with heat generation through shivering as well as non-shivering […]

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Physiology in Arizona

The Arizona Physiological Society will be hosting their 12th annual meeting Friday and Saturday on the Arizona State University campus. Physiologists from all over the state will be meeting to talk about a variety of topics ranging from comparative physiology to clinical trials. The 2019 Arizona Distinguished Lecturer is Dr. Ralph Fregosi from the University of Arizona in Tucson who specializes in respiratory physiology. The Keynote speaker will be Dr. […]

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Remarkable hypoxia and cold tolerance of rodents native to the Tibetan plateau

The plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) is an underground dwelling rodent species native to the Tibetan plateau (2000-4200 meters in elevation). A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology explored how these animals were adapted to extract oxygen from an environment with very low levels (83-88% of atmospheric). Hemoglobin molecules found in red blood cells are responsible for binding oxygen and transporting it to tissues […]

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