Protective Effects of the Launch/Entry Suit (LES) and the Liquid Cooling Garment(LCG) During Re-entry and Landing After Spaceflight

Heart rate and arterial pressure were measured during shuttle re-entry, landing and initial standing in crewmembers with and without inflated anti-g suits and with and without liquid cooling garments (LCG). Preflight, three measurements were obtained seated, then standing. Prior to and during re-entry, arterial pressure and heart rate were measured every five minutes until wheels stop (WS). Then crewmembers initiated three seated and three standing measurements. In subjects without inflated anti-g suits, SBP and DBP were significantly lower during preflight standing (P = 0.006; P = 0.001 respectively) and at touchdown (TD) (P = 0.001; P = 0.003 respectively); standing SBP was significantly lower after WS. on-LeG users developed significantly higher heart rates during re-entry (P = 0.029, maxG; P = 0.05, TD; P = 0.02, post-WS seated; P = 0.01, post-WS standing) than LCG users. Our data suggest that the anti-g suit is effective, but the combined anti-g suit with LCG is more effective

Estimating the Need for Medical Intervention due to Sleep Disruption on the International Space Station

During ISS and shuttle missions, difficulties with sleep affect more than half of all US crews. Mitigation strategies to help astronauts cope with the challenges of disrupted sleep patterns can negatively impact both mission planning and vehicle design. The methods for addressing known detrimental impacts for some mission scenarios may have a substantial impact on vehicle specific consumable mass or volume or on the mission timeline. As part of the Integrated Medical Model (IMM) task, NASA Glenn Research Center is leading the development of a Monte Carlo based forecasting tool designed to determine the consumables required to address risks related to sleep disruption. The model currently focuses on the International Space Station and uses an algorithm that assembles representative mission schedules and feeds this into a well validated model that predicts relative levels of performance, and need for sleep (SAFTE Model, IBR Inc). Correlation of the resulting output to self-diagnosed needs for hypnotics, stimulants, and other pharmaceutical countermeasures, allows prediction of pharmaceutical use and the uncertainty of the specified prediction. This paper outlines a conceptual model for determining a rate of pharmaceutical utilization that can be used in the IMM model for comparison and optimization of mitigation methods with respect to all other significant medical needs and interventions

Diagnostic testing for interstitial lung disease in common variable immunodeficiency: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Common variable immunodeficiency related interstitial lung disease (CVID-ILD, also referred to as GLILD) is generally considered a manifestation of systemic immune dysregulation occurring in up to 20% of people with CVID. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and management of CVID-ILD. AIM: To systematically review use of diagnostic tests for assessing patients with CVID for possible ILD, and to evaluate their utility and risks. METHODS: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched. Papers reporting information on the diagnosis of ILD in patients with CVID were included. RESULTS: 58 studies were included. Radiology was the investigation modality most commonly used. HRCT was the most reported test, as abnormal radiology often first raised suspicion of CVID-ILD. Lung biopsy was used in 42 (72%) of studies, and surgical lung biopsy had more conclusive results compared to trans-bronchial biopsy (TBB). Analysis of broncho-alveolar lavage was reported in 24 (41%) studies, primarily to exclude infection. Pulmonary function tests, most commonly gas transfer, were widely used. However, results varied from normal to severely impaired, typically with a restrictive pattern and reduced gas transfer. CONCLUSION: Consensus diagnostic criteria are urgently required to support accurate assessment and monitoring in CVID-ILD. ESID and the ERS e-GLILDnet CRC have initiated a diagnostic and management guideline through international collaboration. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022276337

Diagnostic testing for interstitial lung disease in common variable immunodeficiency:a systematic review

Introduction: Common variable immunodeficiency related interstitial lung disease (CVID-ILD, also referred to as GLILD) is generally considered a manifestation of systemic immune dysregulation occurring in up to 20% of people with CVID. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and management of CVID-ILD. Aim: To systematically review use of diagnostic tests for assessing patients with CVID for possible ILD, and to evaluate their utility and risks. Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched. Papers reporting information on the diagnosis of ILD in patients with CVID were included. Results: 58 studies were included. Radiology was the investigation modality most commonly used. HRCT was the most reported test, as abnormal radiology often first raised suspicion of CVID-ILD. Lung biopsy was used in 42 (72%) of studies, and surgical lung biopsy had more conclusive results compared to trans-bronchial biopsy (TBB). Analysis of broncho-alveolar lavage was reported in 24 (41%) studies, primarily to exclude infection. Pulmonary function tests, most commonly gas transfer, were widely used. However, results varied from normal to severely impaired, typically with a restrictive pattern and reduced gas transfer. Conclusion: Consensus diagnostic criteria are urgently required to support accurate assessment and monitoring in CVID-ILD. ESID and the ERS e-GLILDnet CRC have initiated a diagnostic and management guideline through international collaboration. </p

The Central Temperature of the Sun can be Measured via the 7^7Be Solar Neutrino Line

A precise test of the theory of stellar evolution can be performed by measuring the difference in average energy between the neutrino line produced by ${\rm ^7Be}$ electron capture in the solar interior and the corresponding neutrino line produced in a terrestrial laboratory. The high temperatures in the center of the sun broaden the line asymmetrically, FWHM = 1.6~keV, and cause an average energy shift of 1.3~keV. The width of the $^7$Be neutrino line should be taken into account in calculations of vacuum neutrino oscillations.Comment: RevTeX file, 9 pages. For hardcopy with figure, send to [email protected]. Institute for Advanced Study number AST 93/4

Investigation of \u3csup\u3e186\u3c/sup\u3eRe via radiative thermal-neutron capture on \u3csup\u3e185\u3c/sup\u3eRe

Partial -ray production cross sections and the total radiative thermal-neutron capture cross section for the 185Re(n,)186Re reaction were measured using the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis facility at the Budapest Research Reactor with an enriched 185Re target. The 186Re cross sections were standardized using well-known 35Cl(n,)36Cl cross sections from irradiation of a stoichiometric natReCl3 target. The resulting cross sections for transitions feeding the 186Re ground state from low-lying levels below a cutoff energy of Ec=746keV were combined with a modeled probability of ground-state feeding from levels above Ec to arrive at a total cross section of σ0=111(6)b for radiative thermal-neutron capture on 185Re. A comparison of modeled discrete-level populations with measured transition intensities led to proposed revisions for seven tentative spin-parity assignments in the adopted level scheme for 186Re. Additionally, 102 primary rays were measured, including 50 previously unknown. A neutron-separation energy of Sn=6179.59(5)keV was determined from a global least-squares fit of the measured -ray energies to the known 186Re decay scheme. The total capture cross section and separation energy results are comparable to earlier measurements of these values

The SPARC Water Vapor Assessment II: assessment of satellite measurements of upper tropospheric humidity

Nineteen limb-viewing data sets (occultation, passive thermal, and UV scattering) and two nadir upper tropospheric humidity (UTH) data sets are intercompared and also compared to frost-point hygrometer balloon sondes. The upper troposphere considered here covers the pressure range from 300-100 hPa. UTH is a challenging measurement, because concentrations vary between 2-1000 ppmv (parts per million by volume), with sharp changes in vertical gradients near the tropopause. Cloudiness in this region also makes the measurement challenging. The atmospheric temperature is also highly variable ranging from 180-250 K. The assessment of satellite-measured UTH is based on coincident comparisons with balloon frost-point hygrometer sondes, multi-month mapped comparisons, zonal mean time series comparisons, and coincident satellite-to-satellite comparisons. While the satellite fields show similar features in maps and time series, quantitatively they can differ by a factor of 2 in concentration, with strong dependencies on the amount of UTH. Additionally, time-lag response-corrected Vaisala RS92 radiosondes are compared to satellites and the frost-point hygrometer measurements. In summary, most satellite data sets reviewed here show on average similar to 30 % agreement amongst themselves and frost-point data but with an additional similar to 30 % variability about the mean bias. The Vaisala RS92 sonde, even with a time-lag correction, shows poor behavior for pressures less than 200 hPa

The SPARC Water Vapor Assessment II: assessment of satellite measurements of upper tropospheric humidity

Nineteen limb-viewing data sets (occultation, passive thermal, and UV scattering) and two nadir upper tropospheric humidity (UTH) data sets are intercompared and also compared to frost-point hygrometer balloon sondes. The upper troposphere considered here covers the pressure range from 300–100 hPa. UTH is a challenging measurement, because concentrations vary between 2–1000 ppmv (parts per million by volume), with sharp changes in vertical gradients near the tropopause. Cloudiness in this region also makes the measurement challenging. The atmospheric temperature is also highly variable ranging from 180–250 K. The assessment of satellite-measured UTH is based on coincident comparisons with balloon frost-point hygrometer sondes, multi-month mapped comparisons, zonal mean time series comparisons, and coincident satellite-to-satellite comparisons. While the satellite fields show similar features in maps and time series, quantitatively they can differ by a factor of 2 in concentration, with strong dependencies on the amount of UTH. Additionally, time-lag response-corrected Vaisala RS92 radiosondes are compared to satellites and the frost-point hygrometer measurements. In summary, most satellite data sets reviewed here show on average ∼30 % agreement amongst themselves and frost-point data but with an additional ∼30 % variability about the mean bias. The Vaisala RS92 sonde, even with a time-lag correction, shows poor behavior for pressures less than 200 hPa