A Work Environment Under Pressure: Psychosocial Job Demands and Resources Among Saturation Divers

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Using Salivary Biomarkers for Stress Assessment in Offshore Saturation Diving: A Pilot Study.

Health monitoring during offshore saturation diving is complicated due to restricted access to the divers, the desire to keep invasive procedures to a minimum, and limited opportunity for laboratory work onboard dive support vessels (DSV). In this pilot study, we examined whether measuring salivary biomarkrers in samples collected by the divers themselves might be a feasible approach to environmental stress assessment. Nine saturation divers were trained in the passive drool method for saliva collection and proceeded to collect samples at nine time points before, during, and after an offshore commercial saturation diving campaign. Samples collected within the hyperbaric living chambers were decompressed and stored frozen at -20°C onboard the DSV until they were shipped to land for analysis. Passive drool samples were collected without loss and assayed for a selection of salivary biomarkers: secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukins IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, as well as cortisol and alpha-amylase. During the bottom phase of the hyperbaric saturation, SIgA, CRP, TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1β increased significantly, whereas IL-6, cortisol and alpha-amylase were unchanged. All markers returned to pre-dive levels after the divers were decompressed back to surface pressure. We conclude that salivary biomarker analysis may be a feasible approach to stress assessment in offshore saturation diving. The results of our pilot test are consonant with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system related to systemic inflammation during hyperbaric and hyperoxic saturation. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Monnoyer, Lautridou, Deb, Hjelde and Eftedal.

Hemoglobin during and following a 4-week commercial saturation dive to 200 meters

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Acute Effects on the Human Peripheral Blood Transcriptome of Decompression Sickness Secondary to Scuba Diving

Decompression sickness (DCS) develops due to inert gas bubble formation in bodily tissues and in the circulation, leading to a wide range of potentially serious clinical manifestations. Its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. In this study, we aim to explore changes in the human leukocyte transcriptome in divers with DCS compared to closely matched unaffected controls after uneventful diving. Cases (n = 7) were divers developing the typical cutis marmorata rash after diving with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of DCS. Controls (n = 6) were healthy divers who surfaced from a ≥25 msw dive without decompression violation or evidence of DCS. Blood was sampled at two separate time points—within 8 h of dive completion and 40–44 h later. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-Sequencing followed by bioinformatic analysis was carried out to identify differentially expressed genes and relate their function to biological pathways. In DCS cases, we identified enrichment of transcripts involved in acute inflammation, activation of innate immunity and free radical scavenging pathways, with specific upregulation of transcripts related to neutrophil function and degranulation. DCS-induced transcriptomic events were reversed at the second time point following exposure to hyperbaric oxygen. The observed changes are consistent with findings from animal models of DCS and highlight a continuum between the responses elicited by uneventful diving and diving complicated by DCS. This study sheds light on the inflammatory pathophysiology of DCS and the associated immune response. Such data may potentially be valuable in the search for novel treatments targeting this disease

Functional profiling reveals altered metabolic activity in divers’ oral microbiota during commercial heliox saturation diving

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Endothelial dysfunction in small arteries and early signs of atherosclerosis in ApoE knockout rats

Endothelial dysfunction is recognized as a major contributor to atherosclerosis and has been suggested to be evident far before plaque formation. Endothelial dysfunction in small resistance arteries has been suggested to initiate long before changes in conduit arteries. In this study, we address early changes in endothelial function of atherosclerosis prone rats. Male ApoE knockout (KO) rats (11- to 13-weeks-old) were subjected to either a Western or standard diet. The diet intervention continued for a period of 20-24 weeks. Endothelial function of pulmonary and mesenteric arteries was examined in vitro using an isometric myograph. We found that Western diet decreased the contribution of cyclooxygenase (COX) to control the vascular tone of both pulmonary and mesenteric arteries. These changes were associated with early stage atherosclerosis and elevated level of plasma total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride in ApoE KO rats. Chondroid-transformed smooth muscle cells, calcifications, macrophages accumulation and foam cells were also observed in the aortic arch from ApoE KO rats fed Western diet. The ApoE KO rats are a new model to study endothelial dysfunction during the earlier stages of atherosclerosis and could help us improve preclinical drug development.publishedVersio