Professor Bruno Tota is a full Professor of General Physiology at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Calabria, Italy. Professor Tota has special interest and extensive expertise in comparative cardiovascular physiology. He has produced numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters in this field and has produced works in many areas including (i) the evolutionary morpho-functional design of the heart; (ii) hormones, nitric oxide and signaling in the cardiovascular system; (iii) and cardiocirculatory adaptations to extreme habitats, including Antarctic fishes. His work employs the classical approaches of relating myocardial architecture (structure) with mechanical performance of the heart (function). In addition, to a range of modern molecular techniques to investigate molecular mechanisms and signaling processes in the heart, and especially the subtle effects associated with reactive oxygen species.

Professor Richard Handy is a comparative physiologist and toxicologist based at the University of Plymouth, U.K. His laboratory is a strong advocate of the comparative approach in understanding the normal functions (physiology) and dysfunction (pathophysiology/toxicology) of body systems in vertebrate animals, including fish, mammals and humans. The city of Plymouth also has an international reputation for hyperbaric and diving medicine. The Hyperbaric Medical Centre in Plymouth uses hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to treat many types of patients. In the contribution to this volume, Handy and co-authors from the Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) have combined their expertise to use HBO as a tool to investigate nitric oxide release (among other things) from blood vessels. This work is part of ongoing research into understanding, not only the fundamental biology of oxygen and ROS in organisms, but also the cellular basis for the beneficial effects of HBO therapy in patients.