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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Implantable RF powered monitor uses capacitive transducer and stiff metal diaphragm that gives high stability for long term intracranial pressure monitoring. Design of monitor reduces risk of infection while improving patient comfort and mobility.
On-line interactive information processing system easily and rapidly handles all aspects of data management related to patient care. General purpose system is flexible enough to be applied to other data management situations found in areas such as occupational safety data, judicial information, or personnel records.
Modified protosigmoidoscope, with third partially mirrored lens, provides lateral as well as forward vision for thorough examination of patients for malignant or premalignant lesions of colon and rectum.
Articulated instrument moves by air actuated bladder, while defining position by ultrasonic or RF signals. Device allows optical inspection of large bowel from cecum to rectum with minimal discomfort or risk to patient.
Scientific attributes which make the pig-tailed monkey an optimal candidate for studing the nature of cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations in man during exposure to high altitutes for long periods of time include: a calm, quiet, patient temperament; a short tail and the presence of ischial callosities permitting comfortable seated restraint during long duration experiments; and the close phylogenetic relationships and comparable body size to man.
Analytical and quantitative economic techniques are applied to the evaluation of the economic benefits of a wide range of substances for space bioprocessing. On the basis of expected clinical applications, as well as the size of the patient that could be affected by the clinical applications, eight substances are recommended for further benefit evaluation. Results show that a transitional probability methodology can be used to model at least one clinical application for each of these substances. In each recommended case, the disease and its therapy are sufficiently well understood and documented, and the statistical data is available to operate the model and produce estimates of the impact of new therapy systems on the cost of treatment, morbidity, and mortality. Utilizing the morbidity and mortality information produced by the model, a standard economic technique called the Value of Human Capital is used to estimate the social welfare benefits that could be attributable to the new therapy systems.
Electrophoretic mobility (EPM) of human peripheral lymphocytes were examined with the following objectives: To determine differences in EPM of lymphocytes under immuno-stimulated and immuno-suppressed states. To define the conditions necessary for the separation of lymphocyte sub-populations in normal and pathological conditions; To investigate immunological active, charged chemical groups on lymphocyte surfaces; and to investigate pathophysiological mechanisms of immune responsiveness, as reflected by alterations in EPM. To evaluate the potential of lymphocyte electrophoresis as: (1) a means of monitoring the immune status of kidney transplant recipients, (2) in predicting the outcome of kidney transplants, and (3) as a method for separation of lymphocyte sub-populations, the EPM was studied for unfractionated human peripheral lymphocytes and of populations enriched with T and "B" cells from normal adults, hemodialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients.
Prolactin, thyrotropin and aldosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay and plasma renin activity by the radioimmunoassay of angiotensin I in normal women before and after the intravenous injection of 200 micrograms of thyrotropin releasing hormone. Prolactin increased at 15 minutes following thyrotropin releasing hormone. Plasma renin activity was not different from control levels during the first hour following the administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone, nor did the plasma aldosterone concentration differ significantly from the control levels during this period. However, with upright posture, an increase in aldosterone and in plasma renin activity was noted, demonstrating a normal capacity to secrete aldosterone. Similarly, no change in aldosterone was seen in 9 patients with primary hypothyroidism given thyrotropin releasing hormone, despite the fact that the increase in prolactin was greater than normal. These data demonstrate that acutely or chronically elevated serum prolactin levels do not result in increased plasma aldosterone levels in humans.
It was demonstrated that the thickness of the stimulator titanium enclosure is directly related to the battery recharge time cycle. Reduction of the titanium enclosure thickness from approximately 0.37 mm (0.015 inch) to 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) significantly reduced the recharge time cycle and thereby patient inconvenience. However, fabrication of titanium enclosures from the thinner material introduced problems in forming, holding, and welding that required improvement in state of the art shop practices. The procedures that were utilized to resolve these fabrication problems are described.
Attendant problems which arise with prolonged confinement of patients to bed are discussed. These disorders are of a hyperkinesic nature, and the symptoms are treated with pharmacological substances.
Petroleum pitch carbon microspheres were prepared by flash heating emulsified pitch and carbonizing the resulting microspheres in an inert atmosphere. Microsphere composites were obtained from a mixture of microspheres and tetraester precursor pyrrone powder. Scanning electron micrographs of the composite showed that it was an aggregate of microspheres bonded together by the pyrrone at the sphere contact points, with voids in and among the microspheres. Physical, thermal, and sorption properties of the composite are described. Composite applications could include use as a honeycomb filler in elevated-temperature load-bearing sandwich boards or in patient-treatment tables for radiation treatment of tumors.
Report details technique for measuring total body calcium by collecting exhaled 37Ar gas after exposure of patients to 14-MeV neutrons. Summary for theoretical basis of technique is presented.
Temperatures in the range 41.5 C to 43.5 C tend to be more damaging to malignant than nonmalignant cells. Where local hyperthermia (41.5 C to 43.5 C) is combined with ionizing radiation, a significant therapeutic ratio may be realized. Total body hyperthermia, alone or combined with other therapeutic modalities, can provide palliation for some systemic malignancies but may not be as effective as local hyperthermia for treating local disease. The influence of hyperthermia on immune mechanisms and the risk of metastatic spread of potential tumor growth stimulation need further investigation. Among other questions needing elucidation before hyperthermia can be considered a standard treatment modality are the time-dose (for heating) relationships to produce an optimal therapeutic ratio and whether the late sequela of combined heat and ionizing radiation may result in an unacceptable risk of patient morbidity.
An automatic chromosome analysis system is provided wherein a suitably prepared slide with chromosome spreads thereon is placed on the stage of an automated microscope. The automated microscope stage is computer operated to move the slide to enable detection of chromosome spreads on the slide. The X and Y location of each chromosome spread that is detected is stored. The computer measures the chromosomes in a spread, classifies them by group or by type and also prepares a digital karyotype image. The computer system can also prepare a patient report summarizing the result of the analysis and listing suspected abnormalities.
Arousal from coma is defined as a function of the reticular activating system that is located between the spinal cord and the diencephalon core of the brain stem. This system receives information from all the sensory functions of the body for distribution to the various parts of the cortex in order to maintain normal activities. Multimodal, neurosensory stimulation techniques are outlined that are designed to help the patient recover from the comatose state.
Investigation involving patients with injuries in the visual nervous system are discussed. This led to the identification of the epithelial ganglion of the retina as a frequency filter. Threshold curves of the injured visual organs were compared with threshold curves obtained with a control group as a basis for identification. A model which considers the epithelial ganglion as a homogeneous cell layer in which adjacent neurons interact is discussed. It is shown the behavior of the cells against alternating exciting currents can be explained.
The paper presents a microflora analysis of a 5-year-old male child with severe combined immune deficiency who was delivered by Caesarean section and continuously maintained in an isolator. Despite precautions, it was found that the child had come in contact with at least 54 different microbial contaminants. While his skin autoflora was similar to that of a reference group of healthy male adults in numbers of different species and the number of viable cells present per square centimeter of surface area, the subject's autoflora differed from the reference group in that significantly fewer anaerobic species were recovered from the patient's mouth and feces. It is suggested that the child's remaining disease free shows that the reported bacteria are noninvasive or that the unaffected components of the child's immune defense mechanisms are important.