Background: Recreational diving creates risk for decompression sickness (DCS), which can occur in SCUBA diving even if current decompression algorithms are respected. The aim of this study was to identify the primary risk factors for decompression sickness in real-world regular recreational diving.

Introduction As we have been studying oxygen for 250 years [1], we may think that we know it all. Admittedly, we have learned a considerable amount since the first use of the term “phlogiston”, a word coined by Jonass Johann Joachim Becher in the 17th century to refer to what we now call oxygen. Phlogiston is the neutral form of “phlogistos”, meaning “inflammable”. The word comes from “phlogizein”, meaning “put on fire, burning”, and from “phlox” (in the genitive form “phlogos”), meaning “flame”; it was the hypothetical theory of fire and was a constituent of all combustible material.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are critical neurological conditions that necessitate specialized care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Managing cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) is of primary importance in these patients. To maintain targeted MAP and CPP, vasopressors and/or inotropes are commonly used. However, their effects on cerebral oxygenation are not fully understood.

Background: Anemia is common among hospitalized critically ill and surgical oncological patients. The rising incidence of cancer and aggressive treatments has increased the demand for blood products, further strained by a dwindling donor pool. The normobaric oxygen paradox (NOP) has emerged as a potential avenue to increase EPO levels. While some studies support its efficacy, research remains limited in clinical settings.

Background: Saturation diving is a standard method of intervention for commercial diving during offshore operations. Current saturation procedures achieve a high level of safety with regards to decompression sickness but still put the divers under multiple stressors: 1) Environmental stress (long confinement, heat/cold, dense gases, high oxygen levels), 2) Work stress (muscular fatigue, psychological pressure, breathing equipment, etc.), 3) venous gas emboli associated with decompression, 4) Inflammation related to oxidative stress and microparticles. We present the results of a saturation divers monitoring campaign performed in the North Sea Danish sector, on the Tyra field, during 2022.

Purpose: Ultrasound imaging is commonly used in decompression research to assess venous gas emboli (VGE) post-dive, with higher loads associated with increased decompression sickness risk. This work examines, for the first time in humans, the performance of a novel electrical impedance spectroscopy technology (I-VED), on possible detection of post-dive bubbles presence and arterial endothelial dysfunction that may be used as markers of decompression stress.

Introduction: Diving decompression theory hypothesizes inflammatory processes as a source of micronuclei which could increase related risks. Therefore, we tested 10 healthy, male divers. They performed 6–8 dives with a maximum of two dives per day at depths ranging from 21 to 122 msw with CCR mixed gas diving.

The goal of this study was to evaluate inflammatory and oxidative stress responses in human subjects (9 females and 15 males) (age [29.6 ± 11.5 years old (mean ± SD)], height [172.0 ± 10.05 cm], and weight [67.8 ± 12.4 kg]) exposed to 1.45 ATA of helium (He) or nitrogen (N2) without concurrent hyperoxia.

The “normobaric oxygen paradox” (NOP) describes the response to the return to normoxia after a hyperoxic event, sensed by tissues as an oxygen shortage, up-regulating redox-sensitive transcription factors. We have previously characterized the time trend of oxygen-sensitive transcription factors in human PBMCs, in which the return to normoxia after 30% oxygen is sensed as a hypoxic trigger, characterized by hypoxia-induced factor (HIF-1) activation.

Purpose: Breath-hold divers (BHDs) often undergo repeated depth training, but the cumulative physiological consequences of such routines remain poorly established. This study aimed to determine whether repeated deep breath-hold dives (DBHDs) induce oxidative, inflammatory, and pulmonary stress responses in the absence of decompression-related mechanisms. The primary objective was to assess changes in salivary inflammatory markers, with secondary objectives including the evaluation of gas microbubbles, lung aeration loss, and hydration status.

Background: SCUBA diving involves exposure to a hyperbaric environment that can induce oxidative stress and inflammation. This study investigates the evolution of oxy-inflammation status in divers who performed repetitive dives in cold water.

Introduction: Diving induced immersion diuresis predisposes divers to dehydration. Dehydration is considered a risk factor for decompression sickness (DCS) but there is very little evidence to prove it. Dehydration also potentially modifies venous gas emboli (VGE) formation and impairs endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to report the effects of fluid loss during a dive on the diver's physiology.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in muscle oxidative capacity, which predicts muscle strength. This study aimed to investigate whether different breathing techniques (nasal or oral breathing) affect muscle performance during acute exhaustive exercise.