Abstract
Spontaneous abortions are the expression of natural selection of embryos, a method of rejecting defective embryos. It is hypothesized that this natural selection can be strengthened (i.e. its threshold decreased) by influencing the pregnant female with hypoxic hypoxia at an initial stage of pregnancy. It will enable the offspring to be stronger in all aspects of health: increased physical endurance; improved resistance to diseases; reduction of quantity of chromosomal/genetic defects, including those in inbred crossings; increased duration of reproductive age; increased life expectancy; improved comparative beauty. In addition, the sex ratio in the born offspring will probably differ significantly from one. An example of testing experiments on animals is given.
Keywords: embryo; natural selection; hypoxia; health.
Introduction
The correction of physiological functions of an organism is most effective if it is carried out at the earliest stage of life.
In accordance with this, attention should be focused upon the natural process of spontaneous abortion. It is well known that a large proportion of first-trimester spontaneous abortions are caused by chromosomal disorders [1]. This explains why spontaneous abortion is considered as a natural selection of embryos, the method of rejecting defective embryos [2].
Is it possible to strengthen this natural process in a safe way, i.e. to lower the threshold for rejection of embryos? If this is possible, then the born offspring will obviously be healthier. Such a method for improving health may be used both for human and agricultural applications.
It is hypothesized that a safe way of strengthening the natural selection of embryos exists.
Hypothesis
For strengthening natural selection of embryos (decreasing threshold for rejection of defective embryos), that occurs as a result of spontaneous abortions, it is possible to influence the pregnant female with hypoxic hypoxia in the initial stage of pregnancy. It will enable the female to have stronger offspring in all aspects of health: increased physical endurance; improved resistance to diseases; reduction of quantity of chromosomal/genetic defects, including those in inbred crossings; increased duration of reproductive age; increased life expectancy; improved comparative beauty. In addition, the sex ratio in the born offspring, probably, will significantly differ from one.
The optimal dose of hypoxic influence and its optimum time (counted from the beginning of pregnancy) is to be determined by further research for each kind of mammal.
Too much hypoxic exposure, naturally, can be dangerous. It has been known for several hundred years that inhabitants at high altitudes, both man and animals, lose their fertility and may not be able to bear young [3]
The moderate stimulating influence of hypoxic hypoxia, i.e. inhalations of air with lowered oxygen content, is now widely used. This method of hypoxic stimulations of an organism is also known as Interrupted Hypoxic Training (IHT); normobaric hypoxic training; hypoxytherapy. The procedure of IHT consists of periodic inhalation of air with lowered oxygen content (10 – 12% O2), usually through a mask. The device named a hypoxicator is used for creation of hypoxia in an organism. IHT is applied to increase physical working capacity and endurance (it has already been used by about 1000 elite athletes); to help recover from diseases such as bronchial asthma, insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, etc. (it has been used already by about 2 million patients). IHT can also be used to improve conditions associated with pregnancy: in preparation for pregnancy (to increase the nonspecific resistance of an organism), in preeclampsia, and in complications of labour [4 - 8].
In experiments on animals (rabbits, rats), conducted at the last third of pregnancy [9], hypoxic and hyperoxic influences were researched. It has been established, that moderate hypoxic influence during this period promotes physiological maturing of a fetus. However, too strong an influence is lethal to the fetus.
The stated hypothesis concerns the influence of a weak or moderate hypoxic hypoxia in the initial stage of pregnancy. Literary data about the effects of hypoxic hypoxia, especially when used intermittently, are absent for this period of pregnancy. For these reasons optimum parameters of such influences for any kind of mammal is impossible to currently state. Detailed research is necessary for establishing those optimum parameters.
An example of an experiment which serves as an overall testing for the hypothesis and, probably, is non-optimal, is given below.
Testing experiments
The testing experiments include breeding of laboratory animals at intermittent hypoxic hypoxia influence mode, and the subsequent testing of these matured animals by one or several criteria of health (for example, physical endurance, resistance to diseases, reduction of quantity of chromosomal/genetic defects and so forth).
1. Breeding of laboratory animals
Experimental animals for the period of hypoxic influences should be placed in air-tight cells. The cell should have an easily-detachable cover.
It is necessary to have a hypoxicator, i.e. a source of hypoxic gas mixtures, for the experiments. The content of oxygen in these mixtures should be adjusted within the limits of 10 - 17%. There should be a pipeline from the hypoxicator to the cells with branches to each cell. Cell air-tightness should not be ideal, to allow for ventilation.
In each cell there should be a gas analyzer for oxygen.
For each cell, the hypoxicator should provide an air exchange sufficient for good ventilation.
Control animals could be placed in usual cells.
Breeding of animals should be performed as following (an example).
A non-pregnant female and a male rat (2 rats per cell) stay in the cell for two days. On the third day in the morning, the male rat should be removed. The female rat in the cell can be exposed to a moderately warm hypoxic gas mixture containing 14% oxygen (HGM-14) in 5 minute intervals alternating with 5 minutes atmospheric air intervals, for a total of 5 hours a day, for 6 days. Control rats would be exposed only to atmospheric air.
Relative quantity of offspring in the experimental group in comparison with the control group should be counted after the birth of offspring. If this relative quantity approximates 1, it suggests that the content of oxygen in the hypoxic gas mixture was too great. In this case, the entire experiment should be repeated, giving HGM-12 instead of HGM-14. Most likely, it will be necessary to repeat the experiment to achieve the desired result when the quantity of offspring in the experimental group is approximately 2-3 times less then the quantity of offspring in the control group. This will imply a moderate quantity of spontaneous abortions.
For further research, the animals which have born in the last experiment (i.e. where the quantity of offspring in the experimental group is approximately 2-3 times less then the quantity of offspring in the control group) should be used. However it is useful to perform such experiments with offspring in all groups, for comparison.
It should be noted that for an even greater improvement in the health of animals it is possible to subject females to an additional hypoxic influence prior to the beginning of pregnancy and in the second half of pregnancy. The positive effects of such an influence is known and is used practically; however this additional influence is beyond the described hypothesis.
2. Testing of animals
The animals which have been raised by the above-stated method, should be tested using one or several criteria for health. The following tests can be used:
physical endurance; resistance to diseases; reduction of quantity of chromosomal/genetic defects, including those in inbred crossings; duration of reproductive age; life expectancy; comparative beauty. In addition, the sex ratio in the born offspring, probably, will significantly differ from one; there are contradictory data in this matter [10, 11]
Conclusion
If the given hypothesis is correct, hypoxic hypoxia will strengthen natural selection of embryos and will improve the health of offspring in all its aspects. It may be clearly determined by the described experiments. Human and agricultural applications are possible.
Acknowledgement
Special thanks to Dr. Jessica Luzhansky and Violetta Bassovitch for their editorial assistance.
References
1. Ljunger E, Cnattingius S, Lundin C, Anneren G Chromosomal anomalies in first- trimester miscarriages. Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2005 Nov;84(11):1103-7.
2. Reindollar RH. Contemporary issues for spontaneous abortion. Does recurrent abortion exist? Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2000 Sep;27(3):541-54.
3. Van Liere E, Stickney JC. Hypoxia. The University of Chicago Press. Chicago and
London, 1963, p. 248.
4. Serebrovskaya T. Intermittent hypoxia research in the former soviet union and the commonwealth of independent States: history and review of the concept and selected applications. High Altitude Medicine and Biology 2002; 3:205-221.
5. Intermittent Hypoxia: From molecular mechanisms to clinical applications. Lei Xi and Tatiana V. Serebrovskaya, eds. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2009.
6. http://www.go2altitude.com/ (Australian site, mostly for sport applications),
7. http://www.bionova.ru/ (Russian site, mostly for medical applications).
8. Verbonol' VIu, Chizhov AIa. [Development of children born to mothers treated by normobaric hypoxia] Pediatriia 1990; 5:56-9 [Article in Russian].
9. Arshavskii IA. On the analysis of some mechanisms of transformation of an oxygen regime during ontogeny. In: Oxygen regime of an organism and its regulation. Materials of a symposium. Kiev, 1966: 65 - 78 (In Russian).
10. Kano T, Mori T, Furudono M, Kanda T, Maeda Y, Tsubokura S, Ushiroyama T, Ueki M. Sex differences of abortuses and neonates in women with allo-immune recurrent abortions. Sex differences of abortuses and neonates in women with allo-immune recurrent abortions. Reprod Biomed Online. 2004 Sep;9(3):306-11.
11. Hassold T, Quillen SD, Yamane JA Sex ratio in spontaneous abortions. Ann Hum Genet 1983 Jan;47(Pt 1):39-47
FAQ
Q. How can agriculture employ this method?
A. By increasing the life expectancy and the duration of productivity in livestock.
Q. Could this method help if a prospective mother is 40 years old?
A. At this age woman produces eggs with a high probability of chromosomal or/and genetic defects. Using this method results in the rejection of embryos with many such defects, increasing the probability that her offspring will be healthy.
Q. How much does this method increase life expectancy?
A. No one knows at this time. Sufficient data to answer this question may be acquired in the distant future.
Q. We are a young couple who are also first cousins. What benefits could we expect from using this method?
A. Statistics show that children of first cousins are more likely than others to have defects. IHT selects relatively healthier embryos, making it more likely that your children will be healthier than otherwise.
Q. Could this method be harmful to woman?
A. It does produce natural, but slightly strengthened spontaneous abortions during the initial stage of pregnancy. When such natural spontaneous abortions occur so early in pregnancy woman is not even aware that she was pregnant.
Q. Do you expect to be accused of advocating eugenics?
A. Sure, but if this method can help more healthy children and fewer sick ones to be born, making millions of parents happy, it seems wrong to attempt to oppose it.
Q. Will our child be beautiful if we use this method?
A. According to the reference cited in the article and to common sense, a positive correlation exists between health and beauty, so it is indeed likely that your child will be more beautiful than otherwise.
