Does the Moderate Altitude Environment Impair the Words of our Memory?.

Introduction: It is known that hypoxia affects human physiology and consequently impairs cognitive functions. In particular, low memory performances are common in a hypoxic extreme altitude environment. Aims: The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of moderate hypoxia on the specific words of memory and the persisting effects after hypoxia exposure. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Neurophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience Imaging and Clinical Science (University of Chieti) in two distinct times: before and after the departure for the Ararat mountain expedition. Methods: Seven (7) volunteers climbed to a moderate altitude and underwent a cognitive assessment before and after the expedition, by using the 15-Rey Words test. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and two tailed t-tests were used. Data were analyzed with STATISTICA-Soft 8.0. Results: Our results suggested a relevant impairment of words and verbal memory as well as a false recognition of words after the expedition. No significant results were found in the recognition of words memorised. Conclusion: The moderate altitude hypoxia affects the memory of words for one week. In accordance with previous investigations, we could deduct that altitude-hypoxia is an important experimental model to study human cognitive impairment.

Moderate Hypoxia Exhibits Increased Endothelial Progenitor Vessel-forming Ability However Gestational Diabetes Caused to Impede Compensatory Defense Reaction

Endothelium represents a defense barrier and responds and integrates neuro humoral stimulus which describes as a compensatory mechanism. Endothelium formed with endothelial cells (ECs) and their progenitors. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent minor subpopulation of mononuclear cells in the blood. During acute hypoxia, larger amount of EPCs mobilize into the peripheral blood and they directly contribute revascularization process. One of the subtypes of EPC is termed endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) which they possess de novo vessel-forming ability. The present study aims to investigate the role of hypoxia in EPCs functional and vessel-forming ability. Furthermore, it was investigated whether fetal exposure to a diabetic intrauterine environment influence EPCs adaptation ability. Human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) derived ECFCs were selected in all experimental procedures obtained from normal and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) subjects via in vitro cell culture methods. Early passage (<5) HUCB ECFCs obtain from GDM (n; 5) and control (n; 5) subjects were cultured with plates pre-coated with collagen in vitro 72 h hypoxic as well as normoxic condition. Endothelial, angiogenic and hypoxia associated gene specific primers designed to perform Real-time PCR. Senescenes assay conducted onto HUCB ECFCs to investigate their functional clonogenic ability. To quantify their vessel forming ability matrigel assay was applied. These data demonstrates that moderate hypoxia results increased vessel-forming ability and VEGFA expression in HUCB ECFCs obtained from control subjects. However, GDM caused to impede compensatory defense reaction against hypoxia which observed in control subjects. Thus, it illuminates beneficial information related future therapeutic modalities.

Effects of moderate hypoxia on invasion and metastasis of colon carcinoma cell line HT-29 in vitro / 第三军医大学学报

Objective To investigate the correlation between moderate hypoxia and maliglant transformation of colon carcinoma cell line HT-29.Methods Hypoxic conditions were produced according to p(O2)of tumor in vivo.The heterotypic adhesiveness of HT-29 cells was detected by MTT assay.Their reaction to the hypoxic environment was determined via invasion across a Matrigel-coated Transwell filter.At 0,6,12,24 and 48 h after hypoxia,MMP-2/9 activities were assessed by gelatin zymography,and osteopontin mRNA and protein levels by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively.NF-?B/p65 levels in nucleus was measured by Western blot after extraction of nucleic protein.Results After 24-hour moderate hypoxia,the heterotypic adhesiveness and invasive capacity of HT-29 cells were significantly enchanced.MMP-2,MMP-9 activities under moderate hypoxia for 6 h showed no significant change as compared with that under normoxia,then gradually up-regulated and reached the peak at 24 h.They showed no significant difference between 24 h and 48 h after hypoxia.The expression trend of osteopontin mRNA,protein and NF-?B/p65 protein in nucleus was similar to that of MMP-2,MMP-9 under moderate hypoxia.Conclusion Moderate hypoxia could induce maliglant transformation in HT-29 cells through enhancing heterotypic adhesiveness and invasive capacity and upregulating MMP-2,MMP-9 activities.OPN-NF-?B may be an important regulatory pathway besides HIF-1 under hypoxic condition,which involves maliglant phenotype induced by moderate hypoxia.

Distribution and Expression of Kainate(KA) Receptor Subunits in Moderate Hypoxic Newborn Piglet Brain

PURPOSE: The mechanism of hypoxic damage is mainly intracellular influx of calcium ions through the glutamate ionotropic receptor. This study was performed to determine alterations in distribution and expression of kainate receptor subunits after 1 hour of moderate hypoxia in the newborn piglet brain, as in a condition of mild to moderate perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. METHODS: Ten newborn piglets were ventilated at PaO2 over 80mmHg for 30min. Thereafter, the control group(n=5) was ventilated with 21% oxygen, and hypoxic group(n=5) with 6% oxygen at PaO2 below 25mmHg for 1 hour. Concentrations of protein, ATP and phosphocreatine were determined. The proteins were immunostained with anti-rat GluR6/7 and anti-rat KA2 antibody. RESULTS: Hypoxia(PaO2 20+/-1mmHg) and acidosis(pH 7.06+/-0.09) developed significantly in the hypoxic group compared to the control group(PaO2 104+/-4mmHg, pH 7.44+/-0.03, respectively, Phippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus>basal ganglia, cerebellum>white matter, and KA2 subunits were ordered : hippocampus, basal ganglia>cerebral cortex>thalamus, cerebellum>hypothalamus, white matter. The distribution of the subunits between the hypoxic group and control group were similar. CONCLUSION: Cerebral cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia may be the most vulnerable to excitotoxic injury. Kainate receptor subunits did not change after 1 hour of moderate hypoxia.

Distribution and Expression of Kainate(KA) Receptor Subunits in Moderate Hypoxic Newborn Piglet Brain

PURPOSE: The mechanism of hypoxic damage is mainly intracellular influx of calcium ions through the glutamate ionotropic receptor. This study was performed to determine alterations in distribution and expression of kainate receptor subunits after 1 hour of moderate hypoxia in the newborn piglet brain, as in a condition of mild to moderate perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. METHODS: Ten newborn piglets were ventilated at PaO2 over 80mmHg for 30min. Thereafter, the control group(n=5) was ventilated with 21% oxygen, and hypoxic group(n=5) with 6% oxygen at PaO2 below 25mmHg for 1 hour. Concentrations of protein, ATP and phosphocreatine were determined. The proteins were immunostained with anti-rat GluR6/7 and anti-rat KA2 antibody. RESULTS: Hypoxia(PaO2 20+/-1mmHg) and acidosis(pH 7.06+/-0.09) developed significantly in the hypoxic group compared to the control group(PaO2 104+/-4mmHg, pH 7.44+/-0.03, respectively, Phippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus>basal ganglia, cerebellum>white matter, and KA2 subunits were ordered : hippocampus, basal ganglia>cerebral cortex>thalamus, cerebellum>hypothalamus, white matter. The distribution of the subunits between the hypoxic group and control group were similar. CONCLUSION: Cerebral cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia may be the most vulnerable to excitotoxic injury. Kainate receptor subunits did not change after 1 hour of moderate hypoxia.

Distribution and Expression of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid(AMPA) Receptor Subunits in Moderate Hypoxic Newborn Piglet Brain

PURPOSE: The mechanism of hypoxic damage is mainly intracellular influx of calcium ions through the glutamate ionotropic receptor(NMDA, AMPA/kainate). This study was performed to determine alterations in distribution and expression of AMPA receptor subunits after 1-hour of moderate hypoxia in the newborn piglet brain, in a state of mild to moderate perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. METHODS: Ten newborn piglets were mechanically ventilated with a mixture of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrous oxide at PaO2 over 80mmHg for 30min. Thereafter, control group(n=5) was ventilated with 21% oxygen for 1-hour, and hypoxic group(n=5) was ventilated with 6% oxygen at PaO2 below 25mmHg for 1-hour. Concentrations of protein, adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and phosphocreatine were determined. The proteins were immunostained with anti-rat glutamate receptor 1(GluR1), anti-rat GluR2/3 and anti-rat GluR4 antibody. RESULTS: Hypoxia(PaO2 20+/-1mmHg) and acidosis(pH 7.06+/-0.09) developed significantly in the hypoxic group compared to the control group(PaO2 104+/-4mmHg, pH 7.44+/-0.03, respectively, P cerebral cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, hypothalamus > white matter, cerebellum, and the protein contents of GluR4 subunits were observed in the cerebellum only. The distribution of GluR1, GluR2/3, and GluR4 subunits between the hypoxic group and control group were similar. CONCLUSION: GluR1 and GluR2/3 subunits were highly distributed in the hippocampus and cere bral cortex, and GluR4 subunits in the cerebellum. These regions may be the most vulnerable to excitotoxic injury. In addition, AMPA receptor subunits did not change after 1-hour of moderate hypoxia.