BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of treadmill exercise (EX) on osteoporosis, and of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on osteoblast and osteoclast formation in vitro. We investigated the effects of HBO and the combination of HBO and EX on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats.
METHODS: Forty 3-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 8): a sham control group (Control); an ovariectomy group; an ovariectomy with treadmill exercise treatment group; an ovariectomy with HBO treatment group; and an ovariectomy with HBO treatment combined with treadmill exercise group. The HBO exposures were 203 kPa, 85-90% O₂, 90 min and the exercise regimen was 20 m·min⁻¹, 40 min·day¹, 5° slope. Both treatments were administered once daily, five days a week for 12 weeks until the rats were sacrificed.
RESULTS: All three treatments (HBO, exercise, and both combined) significantly promoted the expression of the osteoblast-related gene and oxidative metabolism-related gene (PGC-1α). They also exerted significant inhibitory effects on the osteoclast-related mRNA expression (RANKL) and bone resorption marker CTX-I. Additionally, exercise and the combination exercise-HBO treatment increased serum superoxide dysmutase (SOD) and sclerostin expression. No significant between-group difference was observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Hyperbaric oxygen, exercise, and the combination ameliorated bone microarchitecture deterioration and ovariectomy-induced bone loss in rats, and these inhibitory effects may be associated with the increased SOD and up-regulated PGC-1α.

UNASSIGNED: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) has demonstrated efficacy in improving hearing levels of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL); however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. HBOT alleviates the inflammatory response, which is mediated by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB. In this study we investigated whether HBOT attenuates inflammation in ISHHL patients via alteration of TLR4 and NF-κB expression.
UNASSIGNED: ISHHL patients ( n = 120) and healthy control subjects ( n = 20) were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly divided into medicine group treated with medicine only ( n = 60) and HBO group receiving both HBOT and medicine ( n = 60). Audiometric testing was performed pre- and post-treatment. TLR4, NF-кB, and TNF-α expression in peripheral blood of ISSHL patients and healthy control subjects was assessed by ELISA before and after treatment.
UNASSIGNED: TLR4, NF-κB, and TNF-α levels were upregulated in ISSHL patients relative to healthy control subjects; the levels were decreased following treatment and were lower in the HBO group than that in the medicine group post-treatment ( P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).
UNASSIGNED: HBOT alleviates hearing loss in ISSHL patients by suppressing the inflammatory response induced by TLR4 and NF-κB signaling.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that environmental factors such as hypoxia could contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer\'s disease (AD). Therapeutics like hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which improves tissue oxygen supply and ameliorates hypoxic conditions in the brain, may be an alternative therapy for AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The present work aims to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for AD and aMCI.
METHODS: We recruited 42 AD, 11 aMCI, and 30 control AD patients in this study. AD and aMCI patients were treated with 40 minutes of hyperbaric oxygen once a day for 20 days and assessed by neuropsychiatric assessments including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale before and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up after treatment. Control AD patients who were not given hyperbaric oxygen treatment had similar clinical profile as hyperbaric oxygen treated AD. We examined 10 of the AD/aMCI patients with fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.
RESULTS: In self-comparison study, one course of hyperbaric oxygen treatment significantly improved the cognitive function assessed by MMSE and MoCA in AD patients after 1-month follow-up; such treatment also significantly improved MMSE score at 3-month follow-up and MoCA score at 1- and 3-month follow-up in aMCI patients. The ADL scale was significantly improved in AD patients after 1- and 3-month follow-up. Compared to the control AD patients, the MMSE and MoCA in hyperbaric oxygen treated AD patients were significantly improved after 1-month follow-up. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment also ameliorated the reduced brain glucose metabolism in some of the AD and aMCI patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on previous studies and our recent findings, we propose that hyperbaric oxygen treatment may be a promising alternative therapy for AD and aMCI.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious health issue that may result in high health care costs, with additional social and psychological burdens. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been found to be beneficial for neurological recovery; however, the underlying mechanisms are yet to be characterized.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of HBO treatment in SCI by measuring the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Connexin43 (CX43) in the injured spinal cord tissue.
METHODS: An experiment animal study of rats undergoing SCI and HBO treatment.
METHODS: The spinal cord injury model was established in rats, which were randomly divided into the following four groups: (1) the sham-operated group (SH), (2) the sham-operated and hyperbaric oxygen treatment group (SH+HBO), (3) the spinal cord injury group (SCI), and (4) the spinal cord injury and hyperbaric oxygen treatment group (SCI+HBO). For groups of SH+HBO and SCI+HBO, the animals received 1 hour of HBO at 2.0 ATA in 100% O2 twice per day for 3 days and then daily for the following days consecutively after surgery. After operation, neurological assessments were performed, the spinal cord tissue samples were harvested for histopathological evaluation, Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.
RESULTS: The Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan scores were significantly improved in the SCI+HBO group compared with the SCI group on the postoperative 7th and 14th days. The histology scores were significantly decreased by HBO treatment compared with that in the SCI group on the postoperative 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the SCI+HBO group was significantly increased compared with the SCI group. The protein expression level of CX43 and its mRNA level in the SCI+HBO group were significantly decreased on the postoperative 3rd and 7th days, whereas its expression was significantly increased by HBO treatment on the postoperative 14th day compared with the SCI group.
CONCLUSIONS: HBO treatment improved neurological recovery when applied after SCI. The expression level changes of VEGF and CX43 may contribute to the further understanding on the molecular mechanisms of HBO treatment on SCI.