Adaptation to altitude hypoxia is characterized by a variety offunctional changes which collectively facilitate oxygen trans port from the ambient medium to the cells of the body. All of these changes can be seen at one time or another in the course of hypoxic exposure. Yet, as already stressed (Hannon and Vogel, 1977), an examination of the literature gives only a sketchy and often conflicting picture of the exact nature of these changes and how they interact as a function of exposure duration. This is partly because of the limited number of variables explored in a given study, but it is also attributable to differences in experimental design, differences among species in susceptibility to hypoxia, nonstandardized experimental conditions, lack of proper control of physical (e. g. , temperature) and physiological variables (e. g. , body mass), failure to take measurements at key periods of exposure, and gaps in knowledge about some fundamental mechanisms. Furthermore the available data on animals native to high altitude are meager and/or inconclusive. Extensive further work under well-controlled experimental conditions is required before a detailed picture can be made. Nevertheless, it has been a guiding principle in the prepara tion of this monograph rather to summarize the vastly dis persed material that constitutes the comparative physiology of adaptation to high altitude into a coherent picture, than to provide a comprehensive survey of the field.

​ 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.

Hypoxia remains a constant threat throughout life. It is for this reason that the International Hypoxia Society strives to maintain a near quarter century tradition of presenting a stimulating blend of clinical and basic science discussions. International experts from many fields have focused on the state-of-the-art discoveries in normal and pathophysiological responses to hypoxia. Topics in this volume include gene-environment interactions, a theme developed in both a clinical context regarding exercise and hypoxia, as well as in native populations living in high altitudes. Furthermore, experts in the field have combined topics such as skeletal muscle angiogenesis and hypoxia, high altitude pulmonary edema, new insights into the biology of the erythropoietin receptor, and the latest advances in cardiorespiratory control in hypoxia. This volume explores the fields of anatomy, cardiology, biological transport, and biomedical engineering among many others.

Provides a synthesis of our current understanding of hemoglobin (Hb) function and evolution, and illustrates how research on this protein has provided more general insights into mechanisms of protein evolution and biochemical adaptation.

How do vertebrates get the oxygen they need, or even manage without it for shorter or longer periods of time? How do they sense oxygen, how do they take it up from water or air, and how do they transport it to their tissues? Respiratory system adaptations allow numerous vertebrates to thrive in extreme environments where oxygen availability is limited or where there is no oxygen at all. Written for students and researchers in comparative physiology, this authoritative summary of vertebrate respiratory physiology begins by exploring the fundamentals of oxygen sensing, uptake and transport in a textbook style. Subsequently, the reader is shown important examples of extreme respiratory performance, like diving and high altitude survival in mammals and birds, air breathing in fish, and those few vertebrates that can survive without any oxygen at all for several months, showing how evolution has solved the problem of life without oxygen.

We have all been hypoxic. Fetal tolerance for intrauterine hypoxia arises from evolutionarily conserved physiological mechanisms, the antecedents of which can be learned from diving mammals or species at high altitudes. Understanding fetal hypoxia leads to understanding the huge physiological shifts of neonatal transition and the dangers of perinatal hypoxia. This comprehensive volume of topical review articles by expert authors addresses the origins of hypoxia tolerance, the impact of oxygen on circulatory transition at birth, and the biochemistry of hypoxia in the pulmonary circuit, as well as the classification, diagnosis, and clinical management of hypoxic respiratory failure and persistent pulmonary hypertension in the term neonate. The goal of Hypoxic Respiratory Failure in the Newborn is to connect our understanding of hypoxia from animals in extreme environments, with how the human fetus handles its hypoxic environment; and why the human newborn suddenly cannot. The book will educate health care professionals on how to care for newborns with hypoxic respiratory failure, including the use of up-to-date diagnostic tools and therapies. It also highlights areas of controversy and ongoing research in hypoxic respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, including challenging case studies. Key Features Explores evolutionary context and comparative physiology of hypoxia tolerance in the fetus and neonate, from basic research to clinical scenarios Provides guidance to trainees, physicians, and allied health professionals engaged in NICU care; pediatricians, cardiologists, pulmonologists, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and physiologists to effectively manage infants in hypoxic respiratory failure Includes case scenarios emphasizing current diagnostic and therapeutic controversies and algorithmic approaches to decipher difficult clinical cases

This book discusses biochemical adaptation to environments from freezing polar oceans to boiling hot springs, and under hydrostatic pressures up to 1,000 times that at sea level. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.