Good tidings for soldiers posted at high attitude environment
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, February 28 2014 :
Scientists at Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), DRDO have identified a novel mechanism for thrombosis induced by high altitude environment.
According to a statement issued by PRO Defence Wing Imphal, thrombosis developed at regions like Siachin Glaciers may lead to life threatening events such as pulmonary embolism, stroke, and limb amputation.
Director, DIPAS, Dr.Shashi Bala Singh, describes this work as a key step towards understanding such disorders.
The study by the Genomics lab, DIPAS, led by Dr.Zahid Ashraf using proteomic analysis of platelets and animal models elegantly demonstrated that enhanced activity of an enzyme 'calpain' significantly contributes to thrombosis under hypoxic conditions.
Interestingly, the investigations on the soldiers who developed thrombosis while serving at extreme altitude also revealed an increased activity of calpain confirming the relevance of the novel preclinical findings for clinical applications.
The findings have been published in current Feb 20, issue of medical weekly 'Blood', official journal of American Society of Hematology with editorial commentary.
The novel findings could lead to development of therapeutics aimed at specifically preventing or treating thrombotic disorders induced at high altitude regions.
The simple bio-analytic assay of 'calpain' could be developed for an early diagnosis test for such disorders, the PRO-Defence added.