Does long-term acclimatization to high-altitude hypoxia modify interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity in the adult brain?
These observations are the first to demonstrate interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity resilience in the adult brain after prolonged HA acclimatization independent of inherited and developmental effects, and the coupled modifications in the bilateral visual cortex indicate important neural compensatory mechanisms underlying visual dysfunction in physiologically well-acclimatized HA immigrants. The study of human central adaptation to extreme environments promotes the understanding of our brain's capacity for survival.
SAF is increased in mild-to-very severe COPD patients compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, SAF was not associated with disease severity as values were comparable between different GOLD stages (stage I-IV) of COPD. This may suggest that AGEs play a role in the induction phase of COPD in susceptible smokers. Future studies should further investigate the mechanisms underlying AGEs formation and accumulation in COPD.