Life is possible at the hypoxic levels of the summit of Mt. Everest

Photo from Wikipedia
Revisiting the original theory by Prof. Dr. Gustavo Zubieta-Castillo that it is possible for man to adapt to live even on the highest mountain on planet Earth: Mt. Everest, please find below links to:

1) The original paper as published in the Fiziol. Journal 2003, 49:3, pg. 110-117

2) A Chapter of the book: Adaptation Biology and Medicine (Volume 5:Health Potentials).

3) An attempt by three bold and extraordinary Nepalese brothers to remain atop Everest for 24 hours:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7892588.stm

It is a first step in the proof of these bold theories, in spite of incomplete or rather “insufficient” time for full adaptation.

New publications on ophthalmological studies and altitude adaptation

The effect of High to Low Altitude Adaptation on the

Multifocal Electroretinogram.

Department of Ophthalmology, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark
High Altitude Pathology Institute, La Paz, Bolivia; Department of Ophthalmology, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark

PURPOSE. To examine variations in retinal electrophysiology assessed by multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) during acclimatization of native highlanders during adaptation to normobaric normoxia at sea level. METHODS. Eight healthy residents of from the greater La Paz area in Bolivia (3600 m above sea level) were examined over 72 days after arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark (sea level). A control group of 8 healthy lowlanders was used for comparison. RESULTS. During the period of observation hemoglobin decreased from 16.7 gm/dL to 15.0 gm/dL (p = 0.0031), erythrocytes decreased from 5.3 T/l to 4.6 T/l (p = 0.0006), and hematocrit decreased from 49.4% to 42.2% (p = 0.0008). At baseline, Day 2 after arrival, the amplitudes (N1, P1, N2) of the mfERG were 43.1-59.9% higher in the highlanders than in lowlanders (p < 0.017). During acclimatization the mfERG amplitudes increased 16.9 to 20.4% (p < 0.028) to a level 73.2-87.0% higher in the highlanders than in lowlanders (p < 0.0008). The increase in amplitude was inversely proportional to the decrease in erythrocyte concentration (p = 0.023, 0.053, 0.12 for N1, P1, N2 respectively). CONCLUSIONS. Upon arrival at sea level, highlanders had markedly supernormal multifocal electroretinographic amplitudes that continued to increase during the 72 day period of observation where the highlanders’ hematocrit normalized. Our results suggest that acclimatization after a change in altitude and hence in ambient oxygen tension involves intrinsic retinal mechanisms and that acclimatization had not been completed at the end of the study.

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Feb 21.

extracted from:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19234353

L’Internaute website: Football at 6542 m

The website L’Internaute Sport has published a series of
incredible Sports experiences.

Among them:

floating tennis courts,
marathon in space,
tennis heliport in Dubai,
mountain biking,
golf on snow,
tennis on top of water,
Ski in the dessert,
Cricket in the Himalayas,
tennis in a boat
and the football (soccer) game played on the summit of Mt. Sajama at 6542 m. that the High the Altitude Pathology Institute organized in August 2001.

Click here to view the photos.

Click here to read about the Sajama football game.