Summary Report for the Technical Interchange Meeting on Development of Baseline Material Properties and Design Guidelines for In-Space Manufacturing Activities

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the Agency as a whole are currently engaged in a number of in-space manufacturing (ISM) activities that have the potential to reduce launch costs, enhance crew safety, and provide the capabilities needed to undertake long-duration spaceflight. The recent 3D Printing in Zero-G experiment conducted on board the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrated that parts of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic can be manufactured in microgravity using fused deposition modeling (FDM). This project represents the beginning of the development of a capability that is critical to future NASA missions. Current and future ISM activities will require the development of baseline material properties to facilitate design, analysis, and certification of materials manufactured using in-space techniques. The purpose of this technical interchange meeting (TIM) was to bring together MSFC practitioners and experts in materials characterization and development of baseline material properties for emerging technologies to advise the ISM team as we progress toward the development of material design values, standards, and acceptance criteria for materials manufactured in space. The overall objective of the TIM was to leverage MSFC's shared experiences and collective knowledge in advanced manufacturing and materials development to construct a path forward for the establishment of baseline material properties, standards development, and certification activities related to ISM. Participants were asked to help identify research and development activities that will (1) accelerate acceptance and adoption of ISM techniques among the aerospace design community; (2) benefit future NASA programs, commercial technology developments, and national needs; and (3) provide opportunities and avenues for further collaboration

Development of a Protocol for Obtaining Biological Samples for Genetic Testing from Remote Individuals

Pharmacogenomic sequencing allows individuals to learn more about how they will respond to certain medications but requires shipping of a biological sample. One complication of sending biological samples to remote laboratories is stability. Blood generally yields sufficient quantities of high-quality DNA but requires a clinic visit. Saliva and buccal swabs are routinely used for DNA extractions, but the DNA quality is notoriously low due to the presence of bacteria in the mouth. Additionally, elderly individuals have difficulty producing enough saliva for testing, and the tubes contain several milliliters of liquid and shipping requires special considerations. Dried blood spot cards, which serve as an alternative to saliva and buccal swabs, yield high-quality DNA and ship easily, but may produce a lower yield. This project aims to determine which biological sample methods can reasonably be obtained from remote individuals

Acceptance, well-being, and goals in adolescents with chronic illness : a daily process analysis

Objective: The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between acceptance and well-being in adolescents with chronic illness from a daily process perspective. Furthermore, we explored the role of daily experienced interference and facilitation of life goals by treatment goals as mediating mechanisms. Methods: Thirty-eight adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) or diabetes completed questionnaires assessing acceptance, negative life events and goal-related self-efficacy. Furthermore, an online diary assessing daily mood, daily experienced interference and facilitation of life goals by treatment goals was completed during three consecutive weeks. Results: Acceptance of illness was positively related to daily well-being, but unrelated to daily goal interference and facilitation. Furthermore, daily goal interference and facilitation were unrelated to same-day and next-day well-being. Conclusion: This study suggests that acceptance of illness plays an important role in the daily mood of adolescents with CF and diabetes. This relationship, however, was not mediated by daily experienced interference and facilitation of life goals by treatment goals. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions promoting acceptance are beneficial for adolescents with CF and diabetes

Afferent arteriolopathy and glomerular collapse but not segmental sclerosis induce tubular atrophy in old spontaneously hypertensive rats

In chronic renal disease, the temporal and spatial relationship between vascular, glomerular and tubular changes is still unclear. Hypertension, an important cause of chronic renal failure, leads to afferent arteriolopathy, segmental glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy in the juxtamedullary cortex. We investigated the pathological changes of hypertensive renal disease in aged spontaneously hypertensive rats using a large number of serial sections, where we traced and analyzed afferent arteriole, glomerulus and proximal tubule of single nephrons. Our major finding was that both afferent arteriolopathy and glomerular capillary collapse were linked to tubular atrophy. Only nephrons with glomerular collapse (n = 13) showed tubules with reduced diameter indicating atrophy [21.66 ± 2.56 μm vs. tubules in normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) 38.56 ± 0.56 μm, p < 0.05], as well as afferent arteriolar wall hypertrophy (diameter 32.74 ± 4.72 μm vs. afferent arterioles in WKY 19.24 ± 0.98 μm, p < 0.05). Nephrons with segmental sclerosis (n = 10) did not show tubular atrophy and tubular diameters were unchanged (35.60 ± 1.43 μm). Afferent arteriolar diameter negatively correlated with glomerular capillary volume fraction (r = −0.36) and proximal tubular diameter (r = −0.46) implying reduced glomerular and tubular flow. In line with this, chronically damaged tubules showed reduced staining for the ciliary protein inversin indicating changed ciliary signalling due to reduced urinary flow. This is the first morphological study on hypertensive renal disease making correlations between vascular, glomerular and tubular components of individual nephron units. Our data suggest that afferent arteriolopathy leads to glomerular collapse and reduced urinary flow with subsequent tubular atrophy

“My Lung Disease Won’t Go Away, it’s There to Stay”: Profiles of Adaptation to Functional Limitations in Workers with Asthma and COPD

Purpose Earlier research has shown that adaptation (i.e., the way in which employees cope with limitations resulting from their disease) is associated with sick leave. Our aim was to investigate signs of adequate or inadequate adaptation in employees with asthma and COPD. Methods A Q-methodological study was carried out among 34 workers with asthma or COPD. Results Four adaptation profiles were distinguished: the eager, the adjusted, the cautious, and the worried workers. The adaptation profiles provide insight into the different ways in which workers with asthma and COPD cope with their illness at work. Conclusions The adaptation profiles serve as a starting point for the design of appropriate (occupational) care. The eager workers experience little difficulties at work; the cautious workers may need assistance in learning how to accept their disease; the worried workers need reassurance, and may need reactivation; the adjusted workers deserve extra attention, and, when necessary, advice on how to live with their asthma or COPD

Therapeutic strategies to slow chronic kidney disease progression

Childhood chronic kidney disease commonly progresses toward end-stage renal failure, largely independent of the underlying disorder, once a critical impairment of renal function has occurred. Hypertension and proteinuria are the most important independent risk factors for renal disease progression. Therefore, current therapeutic strategies to prevent progression aim at controlling blood pressure and reducing urinary protein excretion. Renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) antagonists preserve kidney function not only by lowering blood pressure but also by their antiproteinuric, antifibrotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Intensified blood pressure control, probably aiming for a target blood pressure below the 75th percentile, may exert additional renoprotective effects. Other factors contributing in a multifactorial manner to renal disease progression include dyslipidemia, anemia, and disorders of mineral metabolism. Measures to preserve renal function should therefore also comprise the maintenance of hemoglobin, serum lipid, and calcium-phosphorus ion product levels in the normal range