Aviat Space Envir Md
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Human spaceflight is associated with the loss of body protein. On Earth, insulin is an important factor in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. The objectives of this study were to determine whether insulin resistance occurs in spaceflight, and if the development of insulin resistance is related to the protein loss. ⋯ Dietary intake and urine output were monitored continuously for the four payload crewmembers from 11 d before launch to 7 d after landing for a total of 27 d. Data were obtained on the four payload crewmembers. Results were as follows: 1) the mean inflight C-peptide excretion rates were significantly lower than either the pre- or postflight rates (p < 0.05); and 2) the inflight nitrogen balance decreased as C-peptide excretion increased.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Dec 1994
Historical ArticlePublishing the Journal of the Aerospace Medical Association: 1929-1981.
The author served as Editor-in-Chief of this Journal from 1959 through 1980, a period which included two title changes and an explosion of information about aerospace medicine and related fields. He reviews the history of the Journal from its establishment in 1929 through the periods of growth during World War II and the coming of the Space Age.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Sep 1994
ReviewCombat stress, combat fatigue, and psychiatric disability in aircrew.
A survey of the literature reveals little data regarding modern aviation and combat-related stress, fatigue, or psychiatric disabilities. What little is known about combat fatigue in aircrew is largely inferred from literature written about ground personnel. Understanding the unique aviation environment is necessary in order to develop effective combat fatigue prevention programs. ⋯ Combat stress, fatigue, and psychiatric disabilities are common battlefield conditions, but are largely preventable. If not prevented or treated appropriately, combat stress reactions will frequently lead to more serious psychiatric disabilities, causing the evacuation of the combatant away from his or her unit with no expectation of return to duty. Appropriate intervention using the basic principles of proximity, immediacy, and expectancy are crucial in reducing these casualties and returning aviation personnel to combat duty.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Sep 1994
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialTreatment of mild immersion hypothermia by forced-air warming.
Forced-air warming is used for prevention or reversal of hypothermia in surgical patients. In the present study, the efficacy of this system for treatment of immersion hypothermia was evaluated. Six men and two women were twice immersed in 8 degrees C water until hypothermic. ⋯ During shivering heat flux ranged from 30 W early in rewarming, to 50 W after 35 min, compared to -237 W and -163 W respectively, for forced-air warming. Forced-air warming attenuated afterdrop and the metabolic stress of shivering while maintaining an average rate of rewarming comparable to shivering. Forced-air warming is a safe, simple, noninvasive treatment and could be used effectively in an emergency medical facility, and possibly in some rescue/emergency vehicles or marine vessels.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 1994
Viral hepatitis in the U.S. Air Force, 1980-89: an epidemiological and serological study.
This paper reports the epidemiology of hospital-diagnosed acute viral hepatitis in U. S. Air Force personnel from 1980-89. ⋯ Members hospitalized for hepatitis B had a prior or concurrent diagnosis for sexually transmitted disease in 37% of cases; for drug abuse, 32% of cases. Serum samples from 332 individuals demonstrated that hepatitis A had the highest rate of agreement (84%) between serology and hospital discharge diagnosis. Only 3% of individuals with the diagnosis of NANB hepatitis were positive for hepatitis C.