Abstract
Summary
Mice, rats and chicks were maintained in a 79% He-21% O2 environment for 10-22 days. When measured in He-O2 their metabolism was higher than that of controls maintained and measured in air. On transfer to 100% O2, metabolism of the controls remained relatively unchanged, but that of experimentals fell to control levels. On first exposure to air, the animals maintained in He-O2 showed a significant 7-11% depression in O2 consumption below controls. The suggestion is made that the period of denitrogenation preceding the measurements may have sensitized the He-O2 animals to the depressant properties of N2.
We thank Susie Kreglow and Joe Pitt for technical assistance.
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