Hypoxia And Human Diseases

This book contains a total of 21 chapters, each of which was written by experts in the corresponding field. The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive and updated overview of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying hypoxia's impacts on human health, as well as current advances and future directions in the detection, recognition, and management of hypoxia-related disorders. This collection of articles provides a clear update in the area of hypoxia research for biomedical researchers, medical students, nurse practitioners, and practicing clinicians in the fields of high altitude biology, cardiovascular biology and medicine, tumor oncology, obstetrics, pediatrics, and orthodontics and for others who may be interested in hypoxia.

Intermittent hypoxia can cause significant structural and functional impact on the systemic, organic, cellular and molecular processes of human physiology and pathophysiology. This book focuses on the most updated scientific understanding of the adaptive (beneficial) and maladaptive (detrimental) responses to intermittent hypoxia and their potential pathogenetic or prophylactic roles in the development and progression of major human diseases. This is a comprehensive monograph for clinicians, research scientists, academic faculty, postgraduate and medical students, and allied health professionals who are interested in enhancing their up-to-date knowledge of intermittent hypoxia research and its translational applications in preventing and treating major human diseases.

The condition characterized by an inadequate supply of oxygen, at the level of tissues, in a region of the body is termed as hypoxia. This can arise due to decreased partial pressures of oxygen, insufficient available hemoglobin, and problems with the diffusion of oxygen in the lungs, breathing rhythm and blood flow. It may be classified as generalized or local. Generalized hypoxia can happen when people ascend to high altitudes, leading to potentially fatal consequences including high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema. It can also occur when individuals breathe in a mixture of gases with low oxygen content. Hypoxia is a common complication of premature births when the lungs are not fully formed. Within minutes after the symptoms of hypoxia have set in, the brain, liver and other vital organs can be damaged. This book is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex advancements in the understanding of the role of hypoxia in human health and disease. It includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to this medical condition. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge.

​ Over the last decade the science and medicine of high altitude and hypoxia adaptation has seen great advances. High Altitude: Human Adaptation to Hypoxia addresses the challenges in dealing with the changes in human physiology and the particular medical conditions that arise from exposure to high altitude. In-depth and comprehensive chapters cover both the basic science and the clinical consequences of exposure to high altitude. Genetic, cellular, organ and whole body system responses to high altitudes are covered and chapters discuss these effects on a wide range of diseases. Expert authors provide insight into the care of patients with pre-existing medical conditions that fail in some cases to adapt as well as offer insights into how high altitude research can help critically ill patients. High Altitude: Human Adaptation to Hypoxia is an important new volume that offers a window into greater understanding and more successful treatment of hypoxic human diseases.

In consolidation of the most updated experimental results and perspectives from diverse research fields on a main theme - Intermittent Hypoxia, this book encompasses the structural, physiological, pathophysiological, biochemical, genetic, metabolic, and therapeutic aspects of intermittent hypoxia and provides an open forum to promote the bench-to-bed translational implications of both adaptive (beneficial) and maladaptive (detrimental) responses to intermittent hypoxia in animals and humans. Authored by 74 leading scientists from 17 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceana, the 30 chapters are grouped under 7 different sections covering the profound effects of intermittent hypoxia particularly on cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and skeletal muscular systems. Special attentions are paid to the protective or injurious roles played by intermittent hypoxia and their underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms in several major human diseases such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, sleep apnea, and Parkinsons disease. Several chapters have also reviewed the use of intermittent hypoxia training for enhancing exercise performance in elite athletes. Overall, as endorsed by Professor John B. West (Member, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences of U.S.A.; Editor-in-Chief, High Altitude Medicine and Biology) through his Foreword for the book, this is the most comprehensive monograph to date on the topic of intermittent hypoxia, which can cause significant structural and functional impact on the systemic, organic, cellular and molecular processes of human physiology and pathophysiology. Hence, this book could serve as a thorough reference for research scientists, physicians, academic faculty, graduate and medical students, athletic coaches and trainers, who are interested in enhancing their knowledge about the past, present, and future of intermittent hypoxia research and its translational applications for prevention and treatment of major diseases and improving exercise performance.

Just one of a series of volumes on differing aspects of hypoxia, this authoritative text focuses on cutting-edge research at the interface of hypoxia and biomedicine. Hypoxia – or lack of oxygen – is a constant threat to the human body and its vital organs, one that can take its toll in a number of situations. There are many situations in which the threat is heightened in health and disease, but mechanisms have evolved to lessen its detrimental effects. The International Hypoxia Symposia was founded to enable scientists, clinicians, physiologists, immunologists, mountaineers and other interested individuals to share their experiences of the situations associated with the lack of oxygen and the adaptations that allow us to survive.