44 research outputs found
Does intermittent exposure to high altitude increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in workers? A systematic narrative review
Objective Several working groups (eg, miners, flight
crews and soldiers) are subjected to chronic intermittent
hypoxic exposure. The cardiovascular implications have
been studied but not systematically reviewed with focus
on possible negative health implications. The aim of
the present review was to systematically evaluate the
hypothesis that intermittent hypoxic exposure causes
cardiovascular stress detrimental to health in workers.
Design Systematic review.
Data sources Electronic database search of PubMed,
Scopus and Web of Science up to April 2020.
Eligibility criteria Studies of workers ≥18 years
repeatedly subjected to months to years of irregular
intermittent hypoxia, lasting from a few hours (eg, flight
crews), one or a few days (eg, soldiers), or several days
to weeks (eg, miners working at high altitude), written in
English and evaluating the effect of intermittent hypoxia
on cardiovascular disease were included. Animal studies,
books, book chapters, personal communication and
abstracts were excluded. The primary outcome measure
was changes in standardised mortality ratio.
Data extraction and synthesis Two independent
reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias using
the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool.
Results 119 articles were identified initially, 31 of which
met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 17 were retrospective
cohort mortality studies (irregular short-term
intermittent
hypoxia), and 14 studies were observational (long-term
intermittent hypoxia). The population of irregular
short-term
intermittent hypoxia users (flight crew)
showed a lower mortality by cardiovascular disease.
Long-term
intermittent hypoxia over several years
such as in miners or soldiers may produce increased
levels of cardiac disorders (12 studies), though this is
probably confounded by factors such as obesity and
socioeconomic status.
Conclusion This systematic narrative review found that
cardiovascular disease mortality in flight crews is lower
than average, whereas miners and soldiers exposed
to intermittent hypoxia experience increased risks of
cardiovascular diseases. The impact of socioeconomic
status and lifestyle appears of importance.FundaciĂłn Alfonso Martin Escudero' (Spain
Fast-Twitch Glycolytic Skeletal Muscle Is Predisposed to Age-Induced Impairments in Mitochondrial Function
The etiology of mammalian senescence is suggested to involve the progressive impairment of mitochondrial function; however, direct observations of age-induced alterations in actual respiratory chain function are lacking. Accordingly, we assessed mitochondrial function via high-resolution respirometry and mitochondrial protein expression in soleus, quadricep, and lateral gastrocnemius skeletal muscles, which represent type 1 slow-twitch oxidative muscle (soleus) and type 2 fast-twitch glycolytic muscle (quadricep and gastrocnemius), respectively, in young (10-12 weeks) and mature (74-76 weeks) mice. Electron transport through mitochondrial complexes I and III increases with age in quadricep and gastrocnemius, which is not observed in soleus. Mitochondrial coupling efficiency during respiration through complex I also deteriorates with age in gastrocnemius and shows a tendency (p = .085) to worsen in quadricep. These data demonstrate actual alterations in electron transport function that occurs with age and are dependent on skeletal muscle typ
Does Hypoxia and Stress Erythropoiesis Compromise Cardiac Function in Healthy Adults? A Randomized Trial
Objectives: To investigate whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) injections during an altitude training camp impact heart function.
Methods: Thirty (12 women) moderately trained subjects stayed at 2320 m altitude for 4 weeks while training. Subjects were randomized to placebo (isotonic saline) or rHuEPO (20 IU/kg body weight) i.v. injections. Transthoracic echocardiography imaging was acquired 3 days after arrival to altitude and prior to the first placebo or rHuEPO injection as well as one day after the last rHuEPO injection three weeks later.
Results: rHuEPO did not alter cardiovascular morphology parameters, systolic or diastolic function. In the placebo group, altitude exposure improved left ventricle (LV) systolic function due to an increased twist angle but rHuEPO had no additional effects. Pulmonary arterial systolic pressure was unaffected in either group. Notably, rHuEPO hampered LV untwist rate without affecting LV early filling.
Conclusion: rHuEPO provided during mild altitude exposure does not cause any major effects on heart function. The observed alteration in LV untwist induced by rHuEPO is unlikely to have a meaningful clinical effect
Effect of acute hypobaric hypoxia on the endothelial glycocalyx and digital reactive hyperemia in humans
Introduction: Hypoxia is associated with increased capillary permeability. This study tested whether acute hypobaric hypoxia involves degradation of the endothelial glycocalyx. Methods: We exposed 12 subjects to acute hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent to 4,500 m for 2-4 hours) and measured venous blood concentrations of biomarkers reflecting endothelial and glycocalyx degradation (catecholamines, syndecan-1, soluble CD40 ligand, protein C, soluble thrombomodulin, tissue-type plasminogen activators, histone-complexed DNA fragments and nitrite/nitrate). Endothelial function was assessed by the hyperemic response to brachial artery occlusion by peripheral arterial tonometry. Results: Compared with normoxic baseline levels, hypoxia increased concentrations of syndecan-1 from 22 (95% confidence interval: 17-27) to 25 (19-30) ng/ml (p < 0.02) and protein C from 76 (70-83) % to 81 (74-88) % (p < 0.02). Nitrite/nitrate decreased from 23 (18-27) μM at baseline to 19 (14-24) μM and 18 (14-21) μM in hypoxia and recovery, respectively (p < 0.05). Other biomarkers remained unchanged. The post-occlusion/pre-occlusion ratio (reactive hyperemia index, RHI) decreased from 1.80 (1.52–2.07) in normoxia to 1.62 (1.28–1.96) after 2 to 4 hours of hypobaric hypoxia and thereafter increased to 2.43 (1.99-2.86) during normoxic recovery (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The increase in syndecan-1 and protein C suggests that acute hypobaric hypoxia produces minor degree of glycocalyx degradation and overall cellular damage. After hypoxia RHI rebounded to higher than baseline levels suggesting improved endothelial functionality
Supplementing a normal diet with protein yields a moderate improvement in the robust gains in muscle mass and strength induced by resistance training in older individuals
Exercise-induced increase in maximal in vitro Na-K-ATPase activity in human skeletal muscle
Lactate oxidation in human skeletal muscle mitochondria
Lactate is an important intermediate metabolite in human bioenergetics and is oxidized in many different tissues including the heart, brain, kidney, adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle. The mechanism(s) explaining the metabolism of lactate in these tissues, however, remains unclear. Here, we analyze the ability of skeletal muscle to respire lactate by using an in situ mitochondrial preparation that leaves the native tubular reticulum and subcellular interactions of the organelle unaltered. Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained from vastus lateralis muscle in 16 human subjects. Samples were chemically permeabilized with saponin, which selectively perforates the sarcolemma and facilitates the loss of cytosolic content without altering mitochondrial membranes, structure, and subcellular interactions. High-resolution respirometry was performed on permeabilized muscle biopsy preparations. By use of four separate and specific substrate titration protocols, the respirometric analysis revealed that mitochondria were capable of oxidizing lactate in the absence of exogenous LDH. The titration of lactate and NAD(+) into the respiration medium stimulated respiration (P ≤ 0.003). The addition of exogenous LDH failed to increase lactate-stimulated respiration (P = 1.0). The results further demonstrate that human skeletal muscle mitochondria cannot directly oxidize lactate within the mitochondrial matrix. Alternately, these data support previous claims that lactate is converted to pyruvate within the mitochondrial intermembrane space with the pyruvate subsequently taken into the mitochondrial matrix where it enters the TCA cycle and is ultimately oxidized