People stuck sitting in tight airplane seats for an entire long-haul flight are at risk of dangerous blood clots. Blood clots, also called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), can be a serious risk for some long-distance travelers. Also the reduced air-pressure contributes to this. Blood clots can form in the deep veins and a serious health problem can occur when a part of the blood clot breaks off.
Personally I know of several aged people who sadly passed away on arrival. For older people on long haul it's always advisable to have some sort of blood thinner starting before the flight and continue for a while after you reach the destination. There are oral drugs and injectables (though not advised) - I won't say what these are but seek proper medical advice. At least high-risk travelers have to wear properly fitted, below-knee compression stockings while in flight.
But somehow immobile, hibernating bears are not prone to this problem. Now it's been found that Bears settled in for winterlong slumbers have low levels of a key protein that helps blood clots form. Platelets lacking this protein don’t easily stick together, protecting the animals from developing potentially dangerous blood clots.
This was attributed to "Heat shock protein 47, or HSP47", is normally found in the cells that make up connective tissues like bone and cartilage. This is helpful when the body responds to a cut or other injury; it’s dangerous when a clump of platelets blocks blood flow to the lungs. Potential drugs based on this study’s finding would aim to stop HSP47 from interacting with proteins or immune cells that spark clots, according to Tobias Petzold, a cardiologist at University Hospital at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Lower levels of HSP47 wasn't unique to the bears. Even pigs that had recently given birth — rendering them largely immobile for up to 28 days while feeding their piglets — also had lower HSP47 levels compared with active pigs. Also people with long-term immobility because of spinal cord injury had low levels of HSP47 and no other signs of inflammation-related clotting.
Understanding how human bodies specifically regulate HSP47 is important so that potential drugs find the right balance between preventing clots and too much bleeding.
The next big question to address, Petzold says, is how motionlessness prompts the body to make less HSP47.
Personally I know of several aged people who sadly passed away on arrival. For older people on long haul it's always advisable to have some sort of blood thinner starting before the flight and continue for a while after you reach the destination. There are oral drugs and injectables (though not advised) - I won't say what these are but seek proper medical advice. At least high-risk travelers have to wear properly fitted, below-knee compression stockings while in flight.
But somehow immobile, hibernating bears are not prone to this problem. Now it's been found that Bears settled in for winterlong slumbers have low levels of a key protein that helps blood clots form. Platelets lacking this protein don’t easily stick together, protecting the animals from developing potentially dangerous blood clots.
This was attributed to "Heat shock protein 47, or HSP47", is normally found in the cells that make up connective tissues like bone and cartilage. This is helpful when the body responds to a cut or other injury; it’s dangerous when a clump of platelets blocks blood flow to the lungs. Potential drugs based on this study’s finding would aim to stop HSP47 from interacting with proteins or immune cells that spark clots, according to Tobias Petzold, a cardiologist at University Hospital at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Lower levels of HSP47 wasn't unique to the bears. Even pigs that had recently given birth — rendering them largely immobile for up to 28 days while feeding their piglets — also had lower HSP47 levels compared with active pigs. Also people with long-term immobility because of spinal cord injury had low levels of HSP47 and no other signs of inflammation-related clotting.
Understanding how human bodies specifically regulate HSP47 is important so that potential drugs find the right balance between preventing clots and too much bleeding.
The next big question to address, Petzold says, is how motionlessness prompts the body to make less HSP47.
