A treatment for divers suffering from the bends could be used to help cure alcoholic liver disease.
Edinburgh University scientists are to study whether Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can improve liver function and stimulate bone marrow stem cells. HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen to higher than atmospheric pressures in an enclosed chamber. The trial will take place in a purpose-built chamber at Castle Craig Hospital in the Scottish Borders.
Participants in the study will have a total of 20 two-hour sessions of hyperbaric oxygen. Blood samples taken from the volunteers both before and after the sessions will then be compared.
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