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In an old post from Dennis Pierce,
>heard rif a few years ago about studies from china saying that heliox
>(with out nitrogen) caused the blood cells to become ridged thus
>damaging the smaller capillaries in the brain.. any insight on this
More recently a study has come to light which basically shows that at
pressures up to 13 kBar pressure altered protein function. In the absence
of an attached ligand (carbachol) the enzyme molecule was vulnerable to
pressure-induced distortions that would most likely impair its function.
These effects were observed in the absence of a lipid component. The
authours conclude that pressure could interfere with other physiological
functions by altering secondary protein structure.
I guess people will ask themselves, how often do I dive to an ambient
pressure of 13 kBar? Probably not often (probably never), unless you are
diving in one of those deep trenches...
Reference:
Effects of high hydrostatic pressures on secondary structure of
acetylcholinesterase with and without carbachol. Undersea & Hyperbaric
Medicine 21(1994)1-7
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shelps@ac*.ma*.ad*.ed*.au* | Stephen Helps Ack! ___/|
FAX (08)232-3283 | Anaesthesia & Intensive Care \O.o|
Voice (08)224-5495 | University of Adelaide =(___)=
| ADELAIDE, 5005, South Australia U
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When we finally see the light, we see how once again we have fallen into
some foolish assumption, some oafish practice, or some witless blunder.
-Weinberg, p.152
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