Effects of oxygen deficiency

Masuda Y, Nakamura Y. 1990. Effects of oxygen deficiency and calcium omission on carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity in isolated perfused livers from phenobarbital-pretreated rats. Biochem Pharmacol 40 1865-1876. 

Aristarkhov, V.M., Arkhipova, T.V. and Pashkova, G.K. (1988). Changes in biochemical parameters of mussels under the combined effect of oxygen deficiency, temperature and invariable magnetic field (In Russian). Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Biologiya 1988 (2), 238-245. 

Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation provides a number of case studies and highlights good safety practices. The bulletin indicates that failure to detect an oxygen-deficient (nitrogen-enriched) atmosphere was a significant factor in case studies. Many of the incidents involved a situation in which personnel were in or around a confined area, such as a rail-car, room, or tank. The safety bulletin includes a chart on the effects of oxygen deficiency on the human body. [7] Several critical points from that chart are shown below ... 

Apart from the effect of oxygen deficiency, reaction (2) is enhanced by the fact [63] that at the high temperature in a furfural reactor the equilibrium of the reaction... 

Berak, J.M., Sienko, M.J. Effect of oxygen-deficiency on electrical transport properties of tungsten trioxide crystals. J. Solid State Chem. 2, 109-133 (1970)... 

TABLE 4.1.2.3 Effects of Oxygen Deficiency on the Human Body ... 

Figure 19-1. The effects of oxygen deficiency caused by low pressure atmospheres are delayed by increasing the oxygen content of a breathing gas mixture.

Exposures to chemicals, resulting in toxic effects or oxygen-deficient atmospheres, may arise in a variety of industrial situations. A summary of common sources is given in Table 5.18 clearly this is not exhaustive since exposure may result whenever materials are mixed, machined, heated, dispersed or otherwise processed or used. 

Copper and Zinc in Aerobic Metabolism. Cytochrome oxidase, the terminal oxidase in the electron transport chain contains an atom of copper. On this enzyme the protons and electrons generated during oxidative metabolism combine with elemental oxygen to form water. During copper deficiency the tissue concentration of cytochrome oxidase is reduced. While the effects of lower cytochrome oxidase activity on exercise has not been described, it is likely that aerobic energy metabolism will be diminished. This effect of copper deficiency was first described in animals with myelin aplasls — the degeneration myelin (86). The oxidative process of phospholipid synthesis, a primary component of myelin, was depressed. Liver mitochondria had impaired respiratory activity (87). Cytochrome oxidase activity was also depressed in brain, heart and liver. 

The composition, structure and superconducting properties of high Tc oxide superconductors, La-Sr-Cu-0 and Y-Ba-Cu-0 systems have been investigated. From comparative studies of effects of partial replacements of metal sites by other elements, a low dimensional nature of conduction path was suggested in both oxide systems. Critical relevance of oxygen deficiency and the conditions of heat treatments to the evolution of superconductivity, is discussed in terms of the relatively large nonstoichiometry found in these systems. 

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