Publications by authors named "Michael Theron"

Decompression sickness can occur in divers even when recommended decompression procedures are followed. Furthermore, the physiological state of individuals can significantly affect bubbling variability. These informations highlight the need for personalized input to improve decompression in SCUBA diving.

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present transcutaneous carbon dioxide (CO)-tcpCO-monitors suffer from limitations which hamper their widespread use, and call for a new tcpCO measurement technique. However, the progress in this area is hindered by the lack of knowledge in transcutaneous CO diffusion. To address this knowledge gap, this study focuses on investigating the influence of skin temperature on two key skin properties: CO permeability and skin blood flow.

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Carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring in human subjects is of crucial importance in medical practice. Transcutaneous monitors based on the Stow-Severinghaus electrode make a good alternative to the painful and risky arterial "blood gases" sampling. Yet, such monitors are not only expensive, but also bulky and continuously drifting, requiring frequent recalibrations by trained medical staff.

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In intensive care units, sepsis is the first cause of death. In this pathology, inflammation and oxidative status play a crucial role in patient outcomes. Interestingly, 92% of septic patients exhibit low selenium plasma concentrations (a component of antioxidant enzymes).

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Significance: The arterial carbon dioxide (CO2) partial pressure PaCO2 is a clinically relevant variable. However, its measurement requires arterial blood sampling or bulky and expensive transcutaneous PtcCO2 meters. While the spectrophotometric determination of hemoglobin species-such as oxy-hemoglobin (O2Hb) and deoxy-hemoglobin (HHb)-allowed for the development of pulse oximetry, the measurement of CO2 blood content with minimal discomfort has not been addressed yet.

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Introduction: Hydration status is considered a parameter likely to influence the risk of decompression sickness (DCS), but scientific evidence is scarce and conflicting. This experiment aimed to analyse the influence of pre-hydration on DCS occurrence in a rat model.

Methods: Intra-peritoneal injections of saline solution were administered to rats (NaCl 0.

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Introduction: The effects of scuba diving on the vessel wall have been studied mainly at the level of large conduit arteries. Data regarding the microcirculation are scarce and indicate that these two vascular beds are affected differently by diving.

Methods: We assessed the changes in cutaneous microcirculation before an air scuba dive, then 30 min and 24 h after surfacing.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores how high hydrostatic pressure (10.1 MPa) affects turbot liver cells exposed to different types of oil and dispersants, highlighting the importance of ecotoxicological research after the DeepWater Horizon oil spill.
  • It was found that oil exposure led to increased cell viability despite no notable changes in overall cell mortality, suggesting that stress responses differ under these conditions.
  • The research also indicates that while oil exposure under pressure raises cellular oxygen consumption, the presence of dispersant prevents this increase, hinting at complex interactions that require further investigation.
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In the context of new oil exploration/production areas, knowledge of the biological impact of dispersed oil in the deep-sea environment is essential. Hence, the aim of this study was to perform a comparison, at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) and at a high hydrostatic pressure corresponding to 1000 m depth (10.

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Background: An acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) is observed in about one third of severely traumatized patients. This early, specific, and endogenous disorder is triggered by the association of trauma and hemorrhage. The early phase of this condition is characterized by the expression of a bleeding phenotype leading to hemorrhagic shock and the late phase by a prothrombotic profile leading to multiple organ failure.

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Human diving is known to induce endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to decipher the mechanism of ROS production during diving through the measure of mitochondrial calcium concentration, peroxynitrite, NO°, and superoxide towards better understanding of dive-induced endothelial dysfunction. Air diving simulation using bovine arterial endothelial cells (compression rate 101 kPa/min to 808 kPa, time at depth 45 min) was performed in a system allowing real-time fluorescent measurement.

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In this article, we propose and study a new form of admissible pressure in the Haldanian framework. We then use it to study the surjectivity of the Gradient Factors on the space of the reachable decompression profiles, and investigate a particular case. This case leads to the proposition of a decompression strategy, whose crucial parameter is the ascent rate.

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Statins are currently used in prevention of cardiovascular diseases in high-risk populations, and could be considered in primary prevention. However, few studies are available on the long-term effects of low doses of statins, especially on mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism at cardiac level. This study aimed to determine potential effects of a long-term atorvastatin treatment, at low-dose concentration, on the myocardium mitochondrial respiration.

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Commercial divers, high altitude pilots, and astronauts are exposed to some inherent risk of decompression sickness (DCS), though the mechanisms that trigger are still unclear. It has been previously showed that diving may induce increased levels of serum angiotensin converting enzyme. The renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is one of the most important regulators of blood pressure and fluid volume.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how bubble formation after diving affects blood vessel function and clotting, using vibration preconditioning to manage bubble levels. !* -
  • Twenty-six divers were divided into three groups to compare the effects of vibration before diving, standard diving, and vibration alone on vascular health and bubble formation. !* -
  • Results showed that vibration reduced bubble formation during diving and prevented certain vascular impairments, but microvascular dysfunction persisted, indicating a complex relationship between bubbles and vascular health. !*
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Data on the biological impact of oil dispersion in deep-sea environment are scarce. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential interest of a pressure challenge as a new experimental approach for the assessment of consequences of chemically dispersed oil, followed by a high hydrostatic pressure challenge. This work was conducted on a model fish: juvenile Dicentrarchus labrax.

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Background And Aims: Statins are prescribed for their preventative effects within atherosclerosis development. To our knowledge, no study focusing on very low-dose (non-hypolipidemic effect) and long-term atorvastatin treatment in vivo was available. Our aim was to assess the effect of such atorvastatin treatment on the mechanical and functional characteristics of arteries in the context of primary prevention.

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Purpose: Decompression sickness (DCS) is a poorly understood systemic disease caused by inadequate desaturation following a reduction in ambient pressure. Although recent studies highlight the importance of circulating factors, the available data are still puzzling. In this study, we aimed to identify proteins and biological pathways involved in the development of DCS in rats.

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Studies conducted in divers indicate that endothelium function is impaired following a dive even without decompression sickness (DCS). Our previous experiment conducted on rat isolated vessels showed no differences in endothelium-dependent vasodilation after a simulated dive even in the presence of DCS, while contractile response to phenylephrine was progressively impaired with increased decompression stress. This study aimed to further investigate the effect of DCS on vascular smooth muscle.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if, after controlling for weight, age is associated with decompression sickness (DCS) in rats.

Methods: Following compression-decompression, male rats aged 11 weeks were observed for DCS. After two weeks recovery, surviving rats were re-dived using the same compression-decompression profile.

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is a well-known effect in individuals after an undersea dive. This study aimed to delineate the links between ROS, endothelial dysfunction, and decompression sickness (DCS) through the use of antioxidants in vitro and in vivo. The effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on superoxide and peroxynitrite, nitric oxide (NO) generation, and cell viability during in vitro diving simulation were analyzed.

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Introduction: This study aimed to establish if chronic, moderate, pre-dive alcohol consumption had any affect upon susceptibility to decompression sickness (DCS) in rats.

Methods: A treatment group of 15 rats were given water containing 12 mL ·L ⁻¹ of ethanol for four weeks. Controls (n = 15) were given water.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate effects of chemically dispersed oil by the dispersant Corexit 9500 on innate immunity and redox defenses in a marine model fish. Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were exposed 48h to four experimental conditions: a control group (C), a group only exposed to the dispersant (D; 3.6mg/L) and two groups exposed to 80mg/L oil mechanically or chemically dispersed (MD; CD).

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The potential impact of chemically and mechanically dispersed oil was assessed in a model fish of European coastal waters, the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Juvenile sea bass were exposed for 48h to dispersed oil (mechanically and chemically) or dispersants alone. The impact of these exposure conditions was assessed using growth and immunity.

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