OBM Genetics is an international Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. It accepts papers addressing basic and medical aspects of genetics and epigenetics and also ethical, legal and social issues. Coverage includes clinical, developmental, diagnostic, evolutionary, genomic, mitochondrial, molecular, oncological, population and reproductive aspects. It publishes a variety of article types (Original Research, Review, Communication, Opinion, Comment, Conference Report, Technical Note, Book Review, etc.). There is no restriction on the length of the papers and we encourage scientists to publish their results in as much detail as possible.

Publication Speed (median values for papers published in 2023): Submission to First Decision: 5.1 weeks; Submission to Acceptance: 17.0 weeks; Acceptance to Publication: 7 days (1-2 days of FREE language polishing included)

Current Issue: 2024  Archive: 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017

Special Issue

Oxygen Transport Physiology and COVID at High Altitude

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Open) Submit Now

Guest Editors

Prof. Dr. Gustavo Zubieta-Calleja, MD, F.P.V.R.I

Head of High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute (HAPPI-IPPA), La Paz, Bolivia

Website | E-Mail

Research interests: hypoxia; chronic hypoxia; high altitude; space travel; bioengineering; Acute and Chronic Mountain Sickness and their treatment; pulmonary function; COVID-19, adaptation to high altitude; philosophy of science, tolerance to hypoxia; quantum mechanics in biology.

Dr. Natalia Zubieta-DeUrioste, MD

High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute (HAPPI-IPPA), La Paz, Bolivia

Website | E-Mail

Research interests: Chronic, intermittent, and acute hypoxia, exercise physiology, stroke, COVID-19, high altitude physiology and medicine, nutrition, respiratory physiology, neuroscience

About the topic:

Oxygen is the fundamental critical element for life on planet Earth. Unavailability of inspired oxygen for more than 5 minutes can lead to death. Generalized hypoxemia can result from hypobaric hypoxia present at high altitude, but it can also result from pulmonary diseases. Localized tissue hypoxemia can arise from vascular obstruction of circulation. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that extensive lung affectation can be associated with "silent hypoxemia". This condition is not entirely understood, although several papers have addressed the subject. Hypoxemia levels previously thought intolerable at sea level have changed the concepts of oxygen transport physiology. High altitude physiology includes “silent hypoxemia” as humans live under low levels of oxygen pressure known as chronic hypoxia. The Oxygen Transport Triad, described at high altitude, is based on three systems: the pneumo-dynamic pump (air vacuum ventilation of the lungs), the hemo-dynamic pump (blood compression through valve mechanism of the heart), and hemoglobin (oxygen transport molecule in red blood cells). These three pillars of oxygen transport in mammals respond with variations in acute and chronic hypobaric hypoxia. The extensive lung compromise in the COVID aggression, which we have defined as pneumolysis (lung destruction), gives rise to altered oxygen transport and resulting extreme hypoxemia that can be lethal. In COVID, studies are required to show the different hypoxic etiopathogenesis conditions, including shunts, uneven ventilation/ perfusion, diffusion alterations, and hypoventilation. This involves not only alveolar-capillary affectation but also respiratory center alterations. Furthermore, high altitude decreased COVID incidence, and lethality need further studies.

This special issue welcomes the submission of original research, short communications, and review manuscripts within oxygen transport physiology and COVID at high altitude, moving science towards new horizons.

Keywords

COVID-19, lung, hypoxemia, chronic hypoxia, hypoxia, pneumolysis, pathophysiology, lung fibrosis, respiration, high altitude, chronic hypobaric hypoxia

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (genetics@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Original Research

Chest CT Scan Features of COVID-19 in a Hospitalized High-Altitude Population

Received: 30 November 2022;  Published: 12 April 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2402226

Abstract

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the type of lung compromise in high-altitude residents with COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the lung compromise in chest CT scans of high-altitude dwellers hospitalized with COVID-19. Retrospective study that took place in "Daniel Alcides Carrión" Regional Hospital, located 3,250 meters [...]
Open Access Research Article

An Evidence of Drug Repurposing for COVID-19 Pandemic Based on In silico Investigation from Phenolic Derivatives of Silybum Marianum Against SARS-Cov-2 Proteins

Received: 11 January 2023;  Published: 04 July 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2303186

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) had a striking impact on the worldwide healthcare system within a very short period. The availability of a large number of clinical data on SARS-CoV-2, conventional precautionary majors, and treatment strategies with the existing therapeutic antiviral drug molecules also fails [...]
Open Access Research Article

Relationship between the Severity of Chest CT Scan Lesions, Arterial Oxygenation and Inflammatory Markers in High – Altitude Patients with Covid-19

Received: 01 December 2022;  Published: 19 April 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2302180

Abstract

This study aims to determine the relationship between the severity of lung tomographic compromise with arterial oxygenation and inflammatory markers in patients with COVID-19, and to evaluate the relationship between the CTSS tomographic severity score and the mortality risk in a high-altitude population. A retrospective, longitudinal stud [...]
Open Access Review

The Actual Situation of Covid-19 Infection at High Altitudes in Perú

Received: 03 August 2022;  Published: 12 December 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2204173

Abstract

This study aimed to reveal the evolution and characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic in high-altitude areas of Perú. An observational, descriptive, retrospe [...]
Open Access Opinion

High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema in the Context of COVID-19

Received: 18 July 2022;  Published: 09 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2203163

Abstract

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and COVID-19 pneumonia are different diseases, but HAPE-susceptible individuals (whose susceptibility often has a genetic basis) can also suffer from severe COVID-19. We hypothesized that certain pathogenic mechanisms might overlap if such a coincidence occurs, since these patients could react [...]
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