Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 1996
Alcohol elimination and simulator performance of male and female aviators: a preliminary report.
In this preliminary study of alcohol effects on aviators' flight simulator performance, we addressed some methodological issues regarding possible gender-related differences in response to alcohol. ⋯ A 12.5% dose reduction for women appears to be adequate for achieving comparable peak BAC's for male and female groups. Future studies using measures of circadian rhythmicity in conjunction with pharmacokinetic and performance measures could potentially shed light on differences in subjects' acute and delayed responses to alcohol.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Mar 1996
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialThe efficacy of hyoscine hydrobromide in reducing side-effects induced during immersion in virtual reality.
Regan and Price (1994) investigated the frequency of occurrence and severity of side-effects of using an immersion virtual reality system in 150 subjects: 61% of the subjects reported symptoms of malaise at some point during a 20-min immersion and 10-min post-immersion period. This paper describes a double-blind placebo-controlled study that investigated whether 300 microgram of hyoscine/scopolamine hydrobromide administered to subjects prior to immersion in virtual reality was effective in reducing side-effects experienced during immersion. ⋯ The results of the study showed that the hyoscine was effective in reducing symptoms that are commonly observed during immersion in virtual reality.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Mar 1996
Case ReportsSevere carbon monoxide poisoning in the pediatric patient: a case report.
A 10-yr-old female presented at Deaconess Medical Center, Spokane WA, comatose after being rescued from a house fire. Her carboxyhemoglobin was 48%. An 11-yr-old playmate presented with a carboxyhemoglobin level of 51% and later expired. ⋯ Carbon monoxide also exerts a negative influence on the electron transport chain, may lead to delayed neurologic sequelae because of free radical formation, and produces profound changes in the myocardium. Once seen as a capricious treatment for many symptoms, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now an accepted treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. The outcome suggests that in a patient whose prognosis is grave, a good outcome may be achieved with aggressive HBO therapy.
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Optimal visual acuity is a requirement for piloting aircraft in military and civilian settings. While acuity can be corrected with glasses, spectacle wear can limit or even prohibit use of certain devices such as night vision goggles, helmet mounted displays, and/or chemical protective masks. Although current Army policy is directed toward selection of pilots who do not require spectacle correction for acceptable vision, refractive error can become manifest over time, making optical correction necessary. ⋯ Advanced methods of testing visual resolution, including high and low contrast visual acuity and small letter contrast sensitivity, were used to compare vision achieved with full spectacle correction to that attained with the habitual, contact lens correction. Although the patient was pleased with his habitual correction, vision was significantly better with full spectacle correction, particularly on the small letter contrast test. Implications of these findings are considered.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Feb 1996
Comparative StudyCancer incidence in United States Air Force aircrew, 1975-89.
We compared the cancer incidence of male United States Air Force (USAF) aircrew (342 cancers, 532,980.97 man-years) with non-flying Air Force officers (827 cancers, 1,084,370.08 man-years) between 1975-89. ⋯ Previous studies of commercial pilots that demonstrated excesses of these cancers may have been biased by the use of external comparison groups. We used an internal comparison population to reduce selection bias, information bias and confounding. From these data we detected notable excess aircrew cancer risk for cancers of the testis, urinary bladder, and all sites combined.