Publications

Selected scientific publications on diving medicine and physiology.

2020 Jul 23
Physiological characteristics associated with increased resistance to decompression sickness in male and female rats
Lautridou J, Dugrenot E, Amerand A, Guernec A, Pichavant-Rafini K, Goanvec C, Inizan M, Albacete G, Belhomme M, Galinat H, Lafere P, Balestra C, Moisan C, Buzzacott P & Guerrero F.

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a complex and poorly understood systemic disease with wide interindividual resistance variability. We selectively bred rats with a threefold greater resistance to DCS than standard ones. To investigate possible physiological mechanisms underlying the resistance to DCS, including sex-related differences in these mechanisms, 15 males and 15 females resistant to DCS were compared with aged-matched standard Wistar males (n = 15) and females (n = 15). None of these individuals had been previously exposed to hyperbaric treatment. Comparison of the allelic frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed a difference of one SNP located on the X chromosome.

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2020 Jul 3
Association between Heart Rate Variability and decompression - induced physiological stress
Sergio Rhein Schirato, Ingrid El-Dash, Vivian El-Dash, Bruna Bizzarro, Massimo Pieri, Alessandro Marroni, Danilo Cialoni, José Guilherme Chaui-Berlinck

The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between decompression-related physiological stress markers, given by inflammatory processes and immune system activation and changes in Heart Rate Variability, evaluating whether Heart Rate Variability can be used to estimate the physiological stress caused by the exposure to hyperbaric environments and subsequent decompression. A total of 28 volunteers participated in the experimental protocol. Electrocardiograms were performed; blood samples were obtained for the quantification of red cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and for immunophenotyping and microparticles (MP) research through Flow Cytometry, before and after each experimental protocol from each volunteer.

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2020 Jun 20
Venous gas emboli time-series analysis from three controlled pool diving exposures at 24 h intervals
Karimpour K, Denoble P, Tillmans F, Buzzacott P, Pieri M, Cialoni D, Lambrechts K, Dayton PA, Balestra C & Marroni A.

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2020 Jun 1
Evaluation of Protection Level, Respiratory Safety, and Practical Aspects of Commercially Available Snorkel Masks as Personal Protection Devices Against Aerosolized Contaminants and SARS-CoV2
Germonpre, P., D. Van Rompaey, and C. Balestra

Introduction: The “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2″ (SARS-CoV2) pandemic has led to a worldwide shortage of personal protection devices (PPD) for medical and paramedical personnel. Adaptation of commercially available snorkel masks to serve as full face masks has been proposed. Even not formally approved as PPD, they are publicized on social media as suitable for this use. Concerns about actual protection levels and risk of carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulation while wearing them for extended periods made us perform a systematic testing of various brands, in order to verify whether they are as safe and effective as claimed.

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2020 Apr 17
Early Endothelial Dysfunction in Type 1 Diabetes Is Accompanied by an Impairment of Vascular Smooth Muscle
Elodie Lespagnol, Luc Dauchet, Mehdi Pawlak-Chaouch, Costantino Balestra, Serge Berthoin, Martin Feelisch, Matthieu Roustit, Julien Boissière, Pierre Fontaine, Elsa Heyman

Background: A large yet heterogeneous body of literature exists suggesting that endothelial dysfunction appears early in type 1 diabetes, due to hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress. The latter may also affect vascular smooth muscles (VSM) function, a layer albeit less frequently considered in that pathology. This meta-analysis aims at evaluating the extent, and the contributing risk factors, of early endothelial dysfunction, and of the possible concomitant VSM dysfunction, in type 1 diabetes. Methods: PubMed, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library databases were screened from their respective inceptions until October 2019. We included studies comparing vasodilatory capacity depending or not on endothelium (i.e., endothelial function or VSM function, respectively) in patients with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes and healthy controls.

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