1600-1615

INDIRECT MARKERS OF PULMONARY ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION CORRELATE WITH PULMONARY ARTERY PRESSURE AT HIGH-ALTITUDE.  Marc Moritz Berger1,2, Peter Bärtsch2, Andrew Luks3, Damian Bailey4, Christian Castell2, Guido Schendler2, Elmar Menold2, Vitaly Faoro5, Heimo Mairbäurl2, Erik Swenson3, Christoph Dehnert2   1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany2Department of Internal Medicine VII, Division of Sports Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany3Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA4Department of Physiology, University of Glamorgan, UK5Department of Pathophysiology, University of Brussels, Belgium. marc_berger@med.uni-heidelberg.de.

1615-1630

AQUAPORIN WATER CHANNELS IN THE RAT BRAIN: POSSIBLE ROLE IN HIGH-ALTITUDE CEREBRAL EDEMA AND EFFECT OF ACETAZOLAMIDE. Tine Bernhardtsen1, Flemming Gjerris1, Niels Olsen2,3. 1University Clinic of Neurosurgery, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2Institute of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 3University of Neuroanaesthesiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Email: fitb@farmakol.ku.dk.

1645-1700

INCREASED METABOLIC ACTIVITY OF LEUKOCYTES IN AMS-SUSCEPTIBLES.  Vitalie Faoro1, Damian Bailey2, Marc Berger3, Peter Bärtsch4, Christoph Dehnert4, Guido Schendler4, Elmar Menold4, Andy Luks5, Christian Castell4, Erik Swenson5, Heimo Mairbäurl4   1Laboratoire de Physiopathologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium2Department of Physiology, University of Glamorgan, UK3Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany4Medical Clinic VII, Sports Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany5Medical and Research Services, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. vfaoro@ulb.ac.be.

1700-1715

SILDENAFIL IMPROVES ALVEOLAR CAPILLARY CONDUCTANCE FOLLOWING HYPOXIC EXERCISE IN HEALTHY HUMANS. EM Snyder, RP Frantz, TP Olson, KA O'Malley, BD Johnson. Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN USA. Email: snyder.eric@mayo.edu.

1715-1730

DOES CHRONIC MOUNTAIN SICKNESS (CMS) HAVE PERINATAL ORIGINS?  E Vargas1, S Niermeyer2, C Salinas1, A Rodriguez1, LG Moore2,3   1Instituto Boliviano de Biología de Altura, La Paz, BO2Altitude Research Center, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA.3Dept of Health/Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA.. drenriquevargas@hotmail.com .

1730-1745

CEREBRAL SWELLING IS AN EARLY FEATURE OF THE BRAIN'S RESPONSE TO HYPOXIA. David J. Dubowitz1, Edward Dyer2, Rebecca J. Theilmann1, Richard B. Buxton1, Susan R. Hopkins1,2. 1Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, 2Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Email: dubowitz@ucsd.edu.

1745-1800

ACCLIMATIZATION TO HIGH ALTITUDE RESETS BUT DOES NOT CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF THE CARDIAC BAROREFLEX. Mikael Sander1,2, Carsten Lundby2. 1Aviation Medicine, Dept Cardiology, Natl Hospital, Denmark, 2Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, Natl Hospital, Denmark. Email: sanders@dadlnet.dk.

1800-1815

HYPOXIA ALTERS HYPOTHALAMIC AMP-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE PHOSPHORYLATION CONCOMITANT TO HYPOPHAGIA. Nadine Simler, Malgoyre Alexandra, Koulmann Nathalie, Alonso Antonia, Peinnequin André, Bigard André-Xavier. Department of human factors, Centre de Recherche du Service de Santé des Armées, La Tronche, 38700 - FRANCE. Email: xavier_bigard@yahoo.fr.

1600-1615

BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER DISRUPTION AND HYPOTHERMIA ASSOCIATED WITH HYPOBARIC HYPOXIA IN RAT. Jeff Dunn1,2,3, Siraj Natah1,3, Lorenzo Bauce2,3, Quentin Pittman2,3. 1Dept. of Radiology, 2Dept of Physiology and Biophysics, 3Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary. Email: dunnj@ucalgary.ca.