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Horiuchi M, Mitsui S, Uno T. Influence of Smoking and Alcohol Habits on Symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness on Mount Fuji: A Questionnaire Survey-Based Pilot Study. High Alt Med Biol 2024; 25:140-148. [PMID: 38416507 DOI: 10.1089/ham.2023.0126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Horiuchi, Masahiro, Satomi Mitsui, and Tadashi Uno. Influence of smoking and alcohol habits on symptoms of acute mountain sickness on Mount Fuji: a questionnaire survey-based pilot study. High Alt Med Biol 00:000-000, 2024. Background: Acute cigarette smoking or alcohol intake would cause opposing vasculature effects that may influence acute mountain sickness (AMS). The present study aimed to investigate the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption behaviors, and acute smoking and consuming alcohol during ascent on AMS on Mount Fuji. Methods: This questionnaire survey study included 887 participants who climbed Mount Fuji and obtained information regarding sex, age, and smoking and alcohol habits, including behavior during ascent. Results: AMS prevalence was 45% for all participants. A univariate analysis revealed that younger participants (20-29 years) were associated with increased AMS prevalence (effect size [ES] = 0.102, p = 0.057) and severity (ES = 0.18, p = 0.01). A prediction model using multiple logistic regression indicated that several factors influenced AMS risk: younger age (p = 0.001), daily smoking habits (p = 0.021), no smoking (p = 0.033), or alcohol consumption during ascent (p = 0.096). Alcohol consumption during ascent had no effect on the increased AMS risk in younger participants (20-29 years), while alcohol consumption during ascent increased AMS risk for middle-age participants (50-59 years). Conclusion: Younger individuals are more likely to experience AMS. Smoking habits are associated with an increased AMS risk. It may be recommended that middle-aged climbers should ascend without consuming alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Horiuchi
- Faculty of Sports and Life Science, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in KANOYA, Kanoya-City, Japan
- Division of Human Environmental Science, Mount Fuji Research Institute, Fujiyoshida City, Japan
| | - Satomi Mitsui
- Division of Human Environmental Science, Mount Fuji Research Institute, Fujiyoshida City, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uno
- Division of Human Environmental Science, Mount Fuji Research Institute, Fujiyoshida City, Japan
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Zeng Z, Zhou Y, Li L. Acute mountain sickness predicts the emotional state of amateur mountaineers. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4799. [PMID: 38413690 PMCID: PMC10899259 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55291-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Research on amateur mountaineers is scarce, and this study aims to delve into the emotional experiences of ten amateur mountaineers during their ascent using the "Befindlichkeitsskala" (BFS) and Lake Louise Acute Mountain Sickness scoring system (LLS). These subjects were exposed to altitudes of 3140 m, 4300 m, and 5276 m, respectively. We found that LLS scores were negatively correlated with positive emotions (β = -27.54, p < 0.05) and positively correlated with negative emotions (β = 21.97, p < 0.05). At an altitude of 4300 m, individuals with AMS exhibited significant differences in depression, anger, excitement, and inactivity compared to climbers without AMS. Upon returning to 3140 m after completing the climb, significant differences were observed in emotions such as happiness, calmness, anger, excitement, and depression. Throughout the three-day climb, noteworthy differences emerged in activity, happiness, calmness, inactivity, positive emotions (p < 0.01), negative emotions, and overall emotional scores (p < 0.05). Our study suggests a decline in the emotional well-being of amateur climbers with increasing altitude, highlighting AMS as a pivotal predictive factor for emotional experiences while climbing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyang Zeng
- School of Physical Education, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Yun Zhou
- School of Physical Education, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Lun Li
- School of Physical Education, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
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Xu Z, Li Q, Shen X. AZU1 (HBP/CAP37) and PRKCG (PKC-gamma) may be candidate genes affecting the severity of acute mountain sickness. BMC Med Genomics 2023; 16:28. [PMID: 36803152 PMCID: PMC9940399 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-023-01457-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is one of the diseases that predispose to sudden ascent to high altitudes above 2500 m. Among the many studies on the occurrence and development of AMS, there are few studies on the severity of AMS. Some unidentified phenotypes or genes that determine the severity of AMS may be vital to elucidating the mechanisms of AMS. This study aims to explore the underlying genes or phenotypes associated with AMS severity and to provide evidence for a better understanding of the mechanisms of AMS. METHODS GSE103927 dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and a total of 19 subjects were enrolled in the study. Subjects were divided into a moderate to severe AMS (MS-AMS, 9 subjects) group and a no or mild AMS (NM-AMS, 10 subjects) group based on the Lake Louise score (LLS). Various bioinformatics analyses were used to compare the differences between the two groups. Another dataset, Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and another grouping method were used to validate the analysis results. RESULT No statistically significant differences in phenotypic and clinical data existed between the MS-AMS and NM-AMS groups. Eight differential expression genes are associated with LLS, and their biological functions are related regulating of the apoptotic process and programmed cell death. The ROC curves showed that AZU1 and PRKCG had a better predictive performance for MS-AMS. AZU1 and PRKCG were significantly associated with the severity of AMS. The expression of AZU1 and PRKCG were significantly higher in the MS-AMS group compared to the NM-AMS group. The hypoxic environment promotes the expression of AZU1 and PRKCG. The results of these analyses were validated by an alternative grouping method and RT-qPCR results. AZU1 and PRKCG were enriched in the Neutrophil extracellular trap formation pathway, suggesting the importance of this pathway in influencing the severity of AMS. CONCLUSION AZU1 and PRKCG may be key genes influencing the severity of acute mountain sickness, and can be used as good diagnostic or predictive indicators of the severity of AMS. Our study provides a new perspective to explore the molecular mechanism of AMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xu
- grid.263826.b0000 0004 1761 0489Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province China ,grid.263826.b0000 0004 1761 0489Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province China
| | - Qiong Li
- grid.263826.b0000 0004 1761 0489Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province China ,grid.263826.b0000 0004 1761 0489Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province China
| | - Xiaobing Shen
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. .,Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Hüfner K, Caramazza F, Pircher Nöckler ER, Stawinoga AE, Fusar-Poli P, Bhandari SS, Basnyat B, Brodmann Maeder M, Strapazzon G, Tomazin I, Zafren K, Brugger H, Sperner-Unterweger B. Association of Pre-existing Mental Health Conditions with Acute Mountain Sickness at Everest Base Camp. High Alt Med Biol 2022; 23:338-344. [PMID: 36070557 DOI: 10.1089/ham.2022.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hüfner, Katharina, Fabio Caramazza, Evelyn R. Pircher Nöckler, Agnieszka E. Stawinoga, Paolo Fusar-Poli, Sanjeeb S. Bhandari, Buddha Basnyat, Monika Brodmann Maeder, Giacomo Strapazzon, Iztok Tomazin, Ken Zafren, Hermann Brugger, and Barbara Sperner-Unterweger. Association of pre-existing mental health conditions with acute mountain sickness at Everest Base Camp. High Alt Med Biol. 23:338-344, 2022. Background: Mental health disorders are common, but limited data are available regarding the number of people with a past medical history of psychiatric diagnoses going to high altitude (HA). It is also unknown whether mental health conditions are associated with an increased risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Methods: We analyzed data from a previous study at Everest Base Camp. Participants self-reported their past medical history and history of substance use and had a brief history taken by a physician. AMS was assessed using the self-reported 2018 Lake Louise AMS Score. Results: Eighty-five participants (66 men and 19 women, age 38 ± 9 years) were included. When questioned by a physician, 28 participants reported prior diagnoses or symptoms compatible with depression (23%), anxiety disorder (6%), post-traumatic stress disorder (1%), and psychosis/psychotic experiences (9%). The prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses in the past medical history was much lower in the self-reported data (2/85) compared to data obtained via physician assessment (28/85). Increased risks of AMS were associated with a past medical history of anxiety disorder (odds ratio [OR] 22.7; confidence interval [95% CI] 2.3-220.6; p < 0.001), depression (OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.2-11.2; p = 0.022), and recreational drug use ever (OR 7.3; 95% CI 1.5-35.5; p = 0.006). Conclusions: Many people who travel to HA have a past medical history of mental health conditions. These individuals have an increased risk of scoring positive for AMS on the Lake Louise Score compared with people without a history of mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Hüfner
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Fabio Caramazza
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.,Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Evelyn R Pircher Nöckler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Paolo Fusar-Poli
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Buddha Basnyat
- Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.,Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Patan Academy of Health Science, Nepal International, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Monika Brodmann Maeder
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.,SIME Swiss Institute of Medical Education, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giacomo Strapazzon
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Iztok Tomazin
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia, Kranj, Slovenia
| | - Ken Zafren
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California, USA.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Hermann Brugger
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.,Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara Sperner-Unterweger
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
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