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Heath Gasier

Heath Gasier

Associate Professor in Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology
heath.gasier@duke.edu
DUMC 3823, 40 Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27710
Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, & Environmental Physiology, DUMC 3823 Durham, NC 27710
Office hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm  

Selected Publications

Repeated hyperbaric oxygen exposure accelerates fatigue and impairs SR-calcium release in mice.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · February 1, 2025 Breathing hyperoxic gas is common in diving and accelerates fatigue after prolonged and repeated exposure. The mechanism(s) remain unknown but may be related to increased oxidants that interfere with skeletal muscle calcium trafficking or impaired aerobic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of Paraoxonase 2 in Airway Epithelial Response to Oxidant Stress.

Journal Article Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · October 2024 Asthma is a widespread chronic lung disease characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. This airway inflammation is classified by either the presence (T2-high) or absence (T2-low) of high levels of eosinophils. Because most therapies for ... Full text Open Access Cite

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural reduces skeletal muscle superoxide production and modifies force production in rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia.

Journal Article Physiol Rep · July 2023 Decreased blood-tissue oxygenation at high altitude (HA) increases mitochondrial oxidant production and reduces exercise capacity. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is an antioxidant that increases hemoglobin's binding affinity for oxygen. For these reasons, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Iron deficiency and high-intensity running interval training do not impact femoral or tibial bone in young female rats.

Journal Article Br J Nutr · October 28, 2022 In the USA, as many as 20 % of recruits sustain stress fractures during basic training. In addition, approximately one-third of female recruits develop Fe deficiency upon completion of training. Fe is a cofactor in bone collagen formation and vitamin D act ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The HO-1/CO System and Mitochondrial Quality Control in Skeletal Muscle.

Journal Article Exerc Sport Sci Rev · January 1, 2022 Inducible heme oxygenase (HO)-1 catalyzes the breakdown of heme to biliverdin, iron, and carbon monoxide (CO). CO binds to cytochrome c oxidase and alters mitochondrial redox balance and coordinately regulates mitochondrial quality control (MQC) during oxi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

GAT inhibition preserves cerebral blood flow and reduces oxidant damage to mitochondria in rodents exposed to extreme hyperbaric oxygen.

Journal Article Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · January 2022 Oxygen breathing at elevated partial pressures (PO2's) at or more than 3 atmospheres absolute (ATA) causes a reduction in brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels that impacts the development of central nervous system oxygen toxicity (CNS-OT). Dr ... Full text Open Access Cite

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial fragmentation and impaired bioenergetics from nutrient overload are prevented by carbon monoxide.

Journal Article Am J Physiol Cell Physiol · October 1, 2020 Nutrient excess increases skeletal muscle oxidant production and mitochondrial fragmentation that may result in impaired mitochondrial function, a hallmark of skeletal muscle insulin resistance. This led us to explore whether an endogenous gas molecule, ca ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Curcumin Ameliorates Heat-Induced Injury through NADPH Oxidase-Dependent Redox Signaling and Mitochondrial Preservation in C2C12 Myoblasts and Mouse Skeletal Muscle.

Journal Article J Nutr · September 1, 2020 BACKGROUND: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and the mitochondrial electron transport chain are the primary sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previous studies have shown that severe heat exposure damages mitochondria and ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Carbon Monoxide and Exercise Prevents Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Dysregulation Without Affecting Bone.

Journal Article Obesity (Silver Spring) · May 2020 OBJECTIVE: Carbon monoxide (CO) may counteract obesity and metabolic dysfunction in rodents consuming high-fat diets, but the skeletal effects are not understood. This study investigated whether low-dose inhaled CO (250 ppm) with or without moderate intens ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Increased Antiseizure Effectiveness with Tiagabine Combined with Sodium Channel Antagonists in Mice Exposed to Hyperbaric Oxygen.

Journal Article Neurotox Res · November 2019 Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) is acutely toxic to the central nervous system, culminating in EEG spikes and tonic-clonic convulsions. GABA enhancers and sodium channel antagonists improve seizure latencies in HBO2 when administered individually, while combining ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effects of vitamin D supplementation on salivary immune responses during Marine Corps basic training.

Journal Article Scand J Med Sci Sports · September 2019 Vitamin D's role in regulating immune responses may increase during periods of elevated psychological and physiological stress. Due to the high demands placed on US Marine Corps recruits undergoing 12 weeks of basic military training, we hypothesized that ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Astaxanthin but not quercetin preserves mitochondrial integrity and function, ameliorates oxidative stress, and reduces heat-induced skeletal muscle injury.

Journal Article J Cell Physiol · August 2019 Heat stress causes mitochondrial dysfunction and increases mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), both of which contribute to heat-induced skeletal muscle injury. In this study, we tested whether either astaxanthin or quercetin, two die ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation and bone health in Marine recruits: Effect of season.

Journal Article Bone · June 2019 Stress fractures are common overuse injuries caused by repetitive bone loading. These fractures are of particular concern for military recruits and athletes resulting in attrition in up to 60% of recruits that sustain a fracture. Army and Navy recruits sup ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Acclimation of C2C12 myoblasts to physiological glucose concentrations for in vitro diabetes research.

Journal Article Life Sci · October 15, 2018 AIMS: The interplay between hyper-glycemia and -lipidemia in diabetes mellitus (DM) is important in simulating diabetic conditions. However, cell culture media typically contain supraphysiological levels of glucose to stimulate cellular growth, which also ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Adrenoceptor blockade modifies regional cerebral blood flow responses to hyperbaric hyperoxia: protection against CNS oxygen toxicity.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · October 1, 2018 Exposure to extreme hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) >5-6 atmospheres absolute (ATA) produces baroreflex impairment, sympathetic hyperactivation, hypertension, tachycardia, and cerebral hyperemia, known as phase II, culminating in seizures. We hypothesized that at ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effects of oral sodium nitrate on forearm blood flow, oxygenation and exercise performance during acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (4300 m).

Journal Article Nitric Oxide · September 30, 2017 A reduction in oxygen transport contributes to impaired exercise capacity at high altitude. Since blood flow is mediated, in part, by nitric oxide (NO), we hypothesized that sodium nitrate provided before forearm grip exercise performed at a simulated alti ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

S-nitrosylation of GAD65 is implicated in decreased GAD activity and oxygen-induced seizures.

Journal Article Neurosci Lett · July 13, 2017 Breathing oxygen at partial pressures ≥2.5 atmospheres absolute, which can occur in diving and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy, can rapidly become toxic to the central nervous system (CNS). This neurotoxicity culminates in generalized EEG epileptiform dis ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cardiometabolic Health in Submariners Returning from a 3-Month Patrol.

Journal Article Nutrients · February 9, 2016 Confined space, limited exercise equipment, rotating shift work and reduced sleep may affect cardiometabolic health in submariners. To test this hypothesis, 53 male U.S. Submariners (20-39 years) were studied before and after a 3-month routine submarine pa ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effects of striatal nitric oxide production on regional cerebral blood flow and seizure development in rats exposed to extreme hyperoxia.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · December 1, 2015 The endogenous vasodilator and signaling molecule nitric oxide has been implicated in cerebral hyperemia, sympathoexcitation, and seizures induced by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) at or above 3 atmospheres absolute (ATA). It is unknown whether these events in t ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Research report: Charcoal type used for hookah smoking influences CO production.

Journal Article Undersea Hyperb Med · 2015 A hookah smoker who was treated for severe carbon monoxide poisoning with hyperbaric oxygen reported using a different type of charcoal prior to hospital admission, i.e., quick-light charcoal. This finding led to a study aimed at determining whether CO pro ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Comparison of Body Composition Assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry and BMI in Current and Former U.S. Navy Service Members.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2015 BACKGROUND: Little is known of the diagnostic accuracy of BMI in classifying obesity in active duty military personnel and those that previously served. Thus, the primary objectives were to determine the relationship between lean and fat mass, and body fat ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The assessment of bone mineral content and density of the lumbar spine and proximal femur in US submariners.

Journal Article Osteoporos Int · September 2014 UNLABELLED: The submarine environment is unique in that there is limited space and no sunlight, which may negatively affect skeletal health and lead to accelerated bone loss, osteoporosis, and fractures. INTRODUCTION: The primary purpose of this study was ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Baroreceptor afferents modulate brain excitation and influence susceptibility to toxic effects of hyperbaric oxygen.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · September 1, 2014 Unexplained adjustments in baroreflex sensitivity occur in conjunction with exposures to potentially toxic levels of hyperbaric oxygen. To investigate this, we monitored central nervous system, autonomic and cardiovascular responses in conscious and anesth ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation during a prolonged submarine patrol.

Journal Article Calcif Tissue Int · September 2014 Submariners spend prolonged periods submerged without sunlight exposure and may benefit from vitamin D supplementation to maintain vitamin D status. The primary objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of daily vitamin D supplementation on mai ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Increased resistance during jump exercise does not enhance cortical bone formation.

Journal Article Med Sci Sports Exerc · 2014 PURPOSE: This study sought to elucidate the effects of a low- and high-load jump resistance exercise (RE) training protocol on cortical bone of the tibia and femur mid-diaphyses. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6 months old) were randomly assigned to h ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Oxidative stress, antioxidant defenses and nitric oxide production following hyperoxic exposures.

Journal Article Undersea Hyperb Med · 2013 Little data exist on the dose-response relationship between the partial pressure of inspired oxygen (PiO2) and the cellular oxidative stress response in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of PiO2 on lipid peroxidation, antioxi ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Finished with training, now what? A new scientist's perspective

Journal Article The Journal of Healthcare, Science and the Humanities · June 1, 2012 Open Access Link to item Cite

Acute resistance exercise augments integrative myofibrillar protein synthesis.

Journal Article Metabolism · February 2012 The purpose of this study was to determine whether an acute bout of high-intensity resistance exercise (RE) would augment integrative mixed muscle and myofibrillar protein fractional synthesis rates (FSRs) when total energy and macronutrient intake was con ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Propranolol's potential to increase survival time in a disabled submarine.

Journal Article Aviat Space Environ Med · February 2012 BACKGROUND: While awaiting rescue from a disabled submarine, survivors will likely endure an atmosphere of rising CO2 that will result in CO2 toxicity once the available emergency CO2 scrubbing materials are exhausted. Propranolol is a beta-blocker that ma ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

High altitude tolerance is not determined by class

Journal Article Journal of Applied Physiology · November 1, 2011 Full text Open Access Cite

Cumulative responses of muscle protein synthesis are augmented with chronic resistance exercise training.

Journal Article Acta Physiol (Oxf) · March 2011 AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the anabolic response of a single bout of high intensity resistance exercise (RE) following 5 weeks of RE training. METHODS: To complete these studies, Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned by body mass to RE, ex ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Increased training loads do not magnify cancellous bone gains with rodent jump resistance exercise.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · December 2010 This study sought to elucidate the effects of a low- and high-load jump resistance exercise (RE) training protocol on cancellous bone of the proximal tibia metaphysis (PTM) and femoral neck (FN). Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6 mo old) were randomly assigned ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Insulin resistance syndrome blunts the mitochondrial anabolic response following resistance exercise.

Journal Article Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab · September 2010 Metabolic risk factors associated with insulin resistance syndrome may attenuate augmentations in skeletal muscle protein anabolism following contractile activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not the anabolic response, as define ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The effects of a carbohydrate-protein drink on performance and mood in U.S. Pararescue trainees

Journal Article JEPonline · June 2010 Carbohydrate-protein (CHO-PRO) beverages have been reported to improve endurance performance; however, no studies have been conducted on elite military combatants in a field setting in a fed state. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate ... Open Access Link to item Cite

The application of 2H2O to measure skeletal muscle protein synthesis

Journal Article Nutrition and Metabolism · April 22, 2010 Skeletal muscle protein synthesis has generally been determined by the precursor:product labeling approach using labeled amino acids (e.g., [ 13C]leucine or [13C]-, [15N]-, or [ 2H]phenylalanine) as the tracers. ... Full text Open Access Cite

A novel approach for assessing protein synthesis in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus.

Journal Article Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol · October 2009 A comprehensive understanding of animal growth requires adequate knowledge of protein synthesis (PS), which in fish, has traditionally been determined by the flooding dose method. However, this procedure is limited to short-term assessments and may not acc ... Full text Link to item Cite

A comparison of 2H2O and phenylalanine flooding dose to investigate muscle protein synthesis with acute exercise in rats.

Journal Article Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab · July 2009 The primary objective of this investigation was to determine whether (2)H(2)O and phenylalanine (Phe) flooding dose methods yield comparable fractional rates of protein synthesis (FSR) in skeletal muscle following a single bout of high-intensity resistance ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Effects of Resistance Exercise on In Vivo Cumulative Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis

Thesis Dissertation · May 2009 An acute bout of resistance exercise (RE) and dietary protein consumption stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). This anabolic effect is believed to be attenuated with resistance exercise training (RET), however, the mechanism for this plateau" is unkno ... Link to item Cite

Effect of Dietary Cholesterol on Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Training

Conference Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · May 2007 Full text Cite

Dietary Cholesterol Alters Recovery from Eccentric Muscle Damage in Humans

Conference Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · May 2006 Full text Cite

S-Nitrosoglutathione Reductase Null Mice Display Increased Brain Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Activity and Seizure Resistance in Hyperbaric Oxygen

Conference An imbalance between glutamatergic and g-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic synaptic transmission is associated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) induced seizures. Here we explored the impact of S-nitrosylation in preventing oxygen toxicity in S-nitrosoglutathione ... Link to item Cite

The beneficial effects of low-dose carbon monoxide and moderate intensity endurance exercise on metabolic and skeletal properties

Conference Carbon monoxide (CO) is released with Fe2+upon heme degradation to biliverdin, a reaction catalyzed by heme oxygenase. CO is a metabolic gas with known beneficial metabolic properties, most notably asa potent stimulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. Moreove ... Link to item Cite

The assessment of in vivo protein synthesis following chronic resistance exercise using 2H2O

Conference Protein synthesis (PS) in rats is preferentially assessed using labeled amino acids over a short period of time. We previously observed in our lab (unpublished) that 15 resistance exercise (RE) sessions over 5 weeks stimulated hypertrophy, but not PS when ... Cite

Plateau effects of resistance exercise result from over-expression of eIF4E-BP1

Conference Resistance exercise (RE) training may lead to a ‘plateau effect’; whereby muscle protein synthesis is not elevated post exercise. We observed during previous studies in our lab (unpublished) that 15 RE sessions over 5 weeks leads to muscle hypertrophy in r ... Link to item Cite

Vitamin D supplementation augments SIgA secretion rates in Marine Corps basic trainees

Conference BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has been implicated in modulating innate immunity and may confer protection against upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) during periods of arduous training. PURPOSE: Determine whether vitamin D status in Marine Corps basic train ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effects of dietary cholesterol and resistance training on lean mass change and cholesterol metabolism in rat skeletal muscle

Conference Resistance exercise (RE) training is a potent stimulus of muscle growth, and recent evidence suggests that cholesterol (CL) may augment this process. Moreover, CL may influence sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), which is the master regu ... Link to item Cite

Effects of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-Furfural (5-HMF) on Skeletal Muscle Performance in Rats Exposed to an Acute Bout of Hypobaric Hypoxia

Conference Exposure to high altitude is associated with a reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) that subsequently affects all components of the oxygen transport cascade, from lung to mitochondria. Impaired oxygen transport contributes to decrements in exe ... Link to item Cite

Does Post Exercise Protein Reduce Total Protein Needs for Optimal Skeletal Muscle Responses to Resistance Training in Older Adults?

Conference Purpose: Age-related muscle and strength loss, Sarcopenia, is a significant problem in the elderly population but may be restored through adequate protein intake and resistance exercise training (RET). The amount and timing of protein consumption may poten ... Link to item Cite

Does Dietary Cholesterol Increase Cardiovascular Risk in Exercising People? A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Conference Background: There is no clear evidence that dietary cholesterol increases cardiovascular risk (CVR), likely due to the lack of control for physical activity. We hypothesized in the presence of a standardized exercise program that varying dietary cholestero ... Link to item Cite

Dietary Cholesterol and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Training: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Conference Background:We recently reported a strong positive association of dietary cholesterol and skeletal muscle responses to resistance training (Riechman, 2007). To confirm these findings we conducted a randomized placebo controlled trial in which we supplemente ... Link to item Cite

Static And Dynamic Grip Endurance At Altitude Is Not Affected By Acute Oral Sodium Nitrate Supplementation

Conference There is increasing evidence that dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation improves exercise efficiency and performance. As the conversion of NO3- to nitrite to nitric oxide is facilitated by hypoxic and acidic conditions, NO3- supplementation may provide a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Elevations in myofibrillar protein fractional synthesis rates following 5-weeks of dynamic resistance exercise

Conference Anabolic responses to a single bout of high intensity exercise are elevated, but these responses appear to be diminished with chronic training. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of resistance exercise (RE) training on cumulative (36 hour) fractional synthe ... Full text Link to item Cite