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Review
. 2016 Sep 27;3(4):527-538.
doi: 10.1080/23328940.2016.1240749. eCollection 2016.

Heat acclimation: Gold mines and genes

Suzanne M Schneider  1
Affiliations
Review

Heat acclimation: Gold mines and genes

Suzanne M Schneider. Temperature (Austin). .

Abstract

The underground gold mines of South Africa offer a unique historical setting to study heat acclimation. The early heat stress research was conducted and described by a young medical officer, Dr. Aldo Dreosti. He developed practical and specific protocols to first assess the heat tolerance of thousands of new mining recruits, and then used the screening results as the basis for assigning a heat acclimation protocol. The mines provide an interesting paradigm where the prevention of heat stroke evolved from genetic selection, where only Black natives were recruited due to a false assumption of their intrinsic tolerance to heat, to our current appreciation of the epigenetic and other molecular adaptations that occur with exposure to heat.

Keywords: ascorbic acid; body temperature; heat adaptation; heat shock; heat shock proteins; heat stroke; hyperthermia; occupational medicine; sweating; thermoregulation.

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Comment in

  • Lessons from gold mines.
    Horowitz M. Horowitz M. Temperature (Austin). 2017 Feb 6;4(2):107-108. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2017.1290571. eCollection 2017. Temperature (Austin). 2017. PMID: 28680922 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

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