Publications

Selected scientific publications on diving medicine and physiology.

2016 May 15
Continuous real-time monitoring and recording of glycemia during scuba diving: pilot study
Pieri M, Cialoni D, Marroni A.

Insulin-dependent diabetes has been considered a scuba diving contraindication. This is currently being reconsidered for well-controlled diabetes. We developed a real-time continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to check glycemia, or blood glucose (BG), during diving, both for prospective studies and to increase diabetic diver safety, allowing for real-time control of glycemia and hypoglycemia prevention. To ensure CGM measurement accuracy we tested the method under hyperbaric conditions...

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2016 Dec 1
Do Environmental Conditions Contribute to Narcosis Onset and Symptom Severity?
Lafère P, Balestra C, Hemelryck W, Guerrero F, Germonpré P.

Although many factors contributing to inert gas narcosis onset and severity have been put forward, the available evidence is not particularly strong. Using objective criteria, we have assessed brain impairment associated with narcosis under various environmental diving conditions...

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2015 Sep 1
Association of microparticles and neutrophil activation with decompression sickness.
Thom SR, Bennett M, Banham ND, Chin W, Blake DF, Rosen A, Pollock NW, Madden D, Barak O, Marroni A, Balestra C, Germonpre P, Pieri M, Cialoni D, Le PN, Logue C, Lambert D, Hardy KR, Sward D, Yang M, Bhopale VB, Dujic Z.

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a systemic disorder, assumed due to gas bubbles, but additional factors are likely to play a role. Circulating microparticles (MPs)--vesicular structures with diameters of 0.1-1.0 μm--have been implicated, but data in human divers have been lacking...

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2015 Mar 1
The effect of pre-dive ingestion of dark chocolate on endothelial function after a scuba dive
Theunissen S, Balestra C, Boutros A, De Bels D, Guerrero F, Germonpré P.

The aim of the study was to observe the effects of dark chocolate on endothelial function after scuba diving...

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2015 Mar 15
Relationships between plasma lipids, proteins, surface tension and post-dive bubbles
Schellart NA, Rozložník M, Balestra C.

Decompression sickness (DCS) in divers is caused by bubbles of inert gas. When DCS occurs, most bubbles can be found in the venous circulation: venous gas emboli (VGE). Bubbles are thought to be stabilized by low molecular weight surfactant reducing the plasma-air surface tension (γ)...

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