Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI): Instrument Design and Calibration.

The Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution imaging of the Thermosphere and Ionosphere (MIGHTI) instrument was built for launch and operation on the NASA Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission. The instrument was designed to measure thermospheric horizontal wind velocity profiles and thermospheric temperature in altitude regions between 90km and 300km, during day and night. For the wind measurements it uses two perpendicular fields of view pointed at the Earth's limb, observing the Doppler shift of the atomic oxygen red and green lines at 630.0nm and 557.7nm wavelength. The wavelength shift is measured using field-widened, temperature compensated Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) spectrometers, employing low order échelle gratings operating at two different orders for the different atmospheric lines. The temperature measurement is accomplished by a multichannel photometric measurement of the spectral shape of the molecular oxygen A-band around 762nm wavelength. For each field of view, the signals of the two oxygen lines and the A-band are detected on different regions of a single, cooled, frame transfer charge coupled device (CCD) detector. On-board calibration sources are used to periodically quantify thermal drifts, simultaneously with observing the atmosphere. The MIGHTI requirements, the resulting instrument design and the calibration are described.

Investigation of the anti-inflammatory potential of Aloe vera gel (97.5%) in the ultraviolet erythema test.

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera is a natural product that is frequently used in soothing skin care products such as aftersun lotions. In the present study we aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory potential of a highly concentrated A. vera gel in the UV erythema test in vivo. METHODS: 40 volunteers with skin types II and III were included in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III monocenter study. Test areas on the back were irradiated with the 1.5-fold minimal erythema dose of UVB. Subsequently, the test areas were treated occlusively on 2 subsequent days with A. vera gel (97.5%), the positive controls (0.25% prednicarbate, 1% hydrocortisone in placebo gel and 1% hydrocortisone cream) and a placebo gel. Erythema values were determined photometrically after 24 and 48 h. RESULTS: A. vera gel (97.5%) significantly reduced UV-induced erythema after 48 h, being superior to 1% hydrocortisone in placebo gel. In contrast, 1% hydrocortisone in cream was more efficient than A. vera gel. CONCLUSIONS: In this study after 48 h the A. vera gel (97.5%) displayed some anti-inflammatory effects superior to those of 1% hydrocortisone in placebo gel. The A. vera gel tested here might be useful in the topical treatment of inflammatory skin conditions such as UV-induced erythema.

A system for customer feedback: the InterVention (IV) Line.

Healthcare organizations use a number of data collection methodologies to identify opportunities for improving customer satisfaction. One methodology used at the 665-bed University Hospitals and Clinics of the University of Mississippi Medical Center is a customer service telephone hotline. Patients, visitors, and staff members call in their compliments and concerns to the InterVention (IV) Line, which provides customized problem solving. This article provides an overview of the customer hotline and presents lessons learned from its implementation.

Parents' perceptions of their children's death concept.

To examine the differences between parents' and nonparents' beliefs regarding the concept of death in children, 352 individuals answered a demographic survey. Questions concerning beliefs about the age at which children develop the concept of the irreversibility of death were included on the survey. Parents believed that the concept is developed at an earlier age than did nonparents, and also believed that the concept is developed at an earlier age than has been revealed by most research.

Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery: determining the mental health benefits.

Recently, mental health professionals have begun examining the potential value of religious faith and spirituality in the lives of individuals suffering from a variety of acute and chronic illnesses. This study explored the relation between religious faith, spirituality, and mental health outcomes in 236 individuals recovering from substance abuse. We found that recovering individuals tend to report high levels of religious faith and religious affiliation, but choose to rate themselves as being more spiritual than religious. Results also indicate that among recovering individuals, higher levels of religious faith and spirituality were associated with a more optimistic life orientation, greater perceived social support, higher resilience to stress, and lower levels of anxiety. This represents the largest self-report study to date examining the relation between religious faith, spirituality, and mental health outcomes among individuals recovering from substance abuse.

Improving clinical performance: a "how to" for procedures review.

As part of comprehensive performance improvement for accredited hospitals, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires that institutional data collection include a review of "operative, other invasive, and noninvasive procedures that place patients at risk" (JCAHO, 1998b, p. 125). To meet the standard for comprehensive procedures review, the University Hospitals and Clinics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center developed an innovative methodology to ensure Joint Commission compliance. This article describes the processes used and the outcomes realized by the performance improvement team responsible for procedures review.

Life-threatening interaction of mibefradil and beta-blockers with dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.

Mibefradil is a T-type and L-type calcium channel blocker (CCB) released in the United States in 1997 for management of hypertension and chronic stable angina. Postmarketing surveillance revealed a potential serious interaction between mibefradil and beta-blockers, digoxin, verapamil, and diltiazem, especially in elderly patients. The manufacturer voluntarily withdrew mibefradil on June 8, 1998. We describe 4 cases of cardiogenic shock in patients taking mibefradil and beta-blockers who began taking dihydropyridine CCBs. One case resulted in death; the other 3 survived episodes of cardiogenic shock with intensive support of heart rate and blood pressure. Physicians who are preparing to switch patients' medications from mibefradil to other antihypertensive agents should be aware of these potentially life-threatening drug-drug interactions.

Reengineering communication at the University of Mississippi Medical Center: the case for the campus dialogue.

One of the key concepts at the heart of the continuous improvement of processes and outcomes in health care is improved organizational communication. Complex organizations such as academic health centers often find that communication among internal customers is informal and ineffective. The article describes a successful effort for improving communication in an academic health center that was the product of reengineering a previous communication process. Implications of reengineering and lessons learned from implementation are presented. Reengineering is a beneficial concept for guiding some improvements in health care organizations.

Developing protocols: a guide for RN-directed student health services.

Nurses directing small college health services without an on-campus physician are faced with many legal issues that are not present when a physician is directing the health service. To establish legally sound parameters for client care in an independent nursing environment, the nurse-director may develop or procure a set of annually reviewed protocols based on mutual agreement between the nurse-director and the medical director. The author offers suggestions on how to establish and maintain such a system.

Gross anatomy of the canine portal vein.

The gross anatomy of the portal vein of 21 dogs was studied by venous portography, corrosion casting, and gross dissection. The portal vein in all specimens originated by confluence of the cranial and caudal mesenteric veins. Its large tributaries were the splenic and gastroduodenal veins, which entered the portal vein between its origin and the hepatic porta. At the hepatic porta, the portal vein divided into a short right branch and a larger left branch. The right branch ramified in the caudate process of the caudate lobe and in the right lateral lobe of the liver. The left branch was essentially the continuation of the portal vein from which successive branches passed to each of the remaining lobes of the liver and the papillary process of the caudate lobe.

A comparison of two modes of cervical exercise in adolescent male athletes.

OBJECTIVE: The Saturn-Ring is a new device that claims to increase cervical strength and flexibility. Therefore, the objective was to assess if use of the Saturn-Ring with conventional exercise would increase cervical strength, flexibility and circumference over conventional exercise alone. DESIGN: Subjects were randomly divided into two matched groups and a before/after design utilized. For pretest data, collection was done in a double-blind fashion. During the post-test, only the athlete knew the group in which he had participated. SETTING: The entire study was conducted in a high school field house. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty football players randomly chosen from a high school team served as subjects for the study. One subject was randomly selected from the pool of potential players and a matched subject was selected for the second group according to age, height and weight. This continued until both groups had 25 subjects. INTERVENTION: In addition to normal football exercises and practice, the experimental group used the Saturn-Ring five times a week over the 8-wk exercise program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cervical strength and flexibility (flexion, extension, right lateral flexion and left lateral flexion) and girth size of the neck were measured before and after an 8-wk exercise program. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant gains in strength, flexibility and neck size. Further testing determined that the post-test results for the experimental group were significantly greater than the post-test results for the control group for neck sizes and all possible strength and flexibility measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study indicate that Saturn-Ring exercises in conjunction with conventional exercises will significantly increase cervical strength, flexibility and size over conventional exercises alone. There were several implications for further study: a) replicate the study to single out the effect of the Saturn-Ring alone, b) replicate the study with a broader spectrum of the population and include injured patients and c) research is needed to assess if the use of the Saturn-Ring can decrease the potential for cervical injury.

Effect of 29 days of simulated microgravity on maximal oxygen consumption and fat-free mass of rats.

To determine the time course of changes in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and its relationships with body composition, a 29-d simulated microgravity study was initiated with 30 adult female rats (230-280 g) randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups; namely, head-down suspension (HDS) at 45 degrees, horizontal suspension (HS) at 0 degree, or cage control (CC). Five separate exercise performance tests with measurements related to VO2max, treadmill run time, and mechanical efficiency were conducted before suspension and on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. The animals were sacrificed and chemically analyzed for fat and fat-free free mass (FFM) between days 22 and 29. When oxygen consumption results were expressed on an absolute basis (ml.min-1), both suspension groups had significant decreases at day 7. Thereafter, the HDS rats remained significantly decreased, while the HS rats returned to values not significantly different than the presuspension values by day 28. When oxygen consumption was expressed on a relative basis (ml.kg-1.min-1), all groups exhibited significant reductions between 6-8%. Both suspended groups had significantly less fat than the CC rats but had similar values for FFM (p greater than 0.05). When VO2max was evaluated on a FFM basis, the HDS rats had a group mean that was 6% lower than the other two groups, but the difference was not statistically significant. Treadmill run time was significantly reduced in all groups after 28 d with the reduction from pre-suspension values being more pronounced with HDS animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influences of chemical sympathectomy and simulated weightlessness on male and female rats.

Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) has been shown to be reduced after periods of simulated weightlessness. To assess the role of the sympathetic nervous system in these reductions, Sprague-Dawley rats were either chemically sympathectomized (SYMX) or injected with saline (SHAM) and assigned to head-down suspension (HDS), horizontal restraint with the hindlimbs weight bearing (HWB), or cage-control (CC) conditions. VO2max, run time (RT), and mechanical efficiency (ME) were measured before suspension and on days 7 and 14. Male and female SHAM HDS groups exhibited reduced measures of VO2max (12-13%) after 7 and 14 days, and this decrease was attenuated in the SYMX and HWB rats. HDS resulted in a significant reduction in RT (9-15%) in both the male and female rats, and ME was significantly reduced after HDS in male and female SYMX and male SHAM rats (23-33%) but not in the female SHAM rats. Lesser reductions in ME were observed in the HWB rats. HDS and HWB were associated with lower body, fat-free, and fat masses, which were similar in male and female rats as well as for the SHAM and SYMX conditions. In a related HDS experiment with normal rats, plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine were increased by 53 and 42% after 7 days, but only epinephrine returned to baseline after 14 days. It was concluded that chemical sympathectomy and/or a weight-bearing stimulus will attenuate the loss in VO2max associated with simulated weightlessness in rats despite similar changes in body mass and composition. The mechanism(s) remains unclear at this time.

Synthesis and pharmacology of the potent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor N-[1(S)-(ethoxycarbonyl)-3-phenylpropyl]-(S)-alanyl-(S)-pyroglutamic acid.

Structure 3a, a potent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, was prepared in five steps from L-(+)-alpha-amino-4-phenylbutyric acid by construction of the activated side-chain ester 16, displacement with L-pyroglutamate ester anion, and deblocking. Diastereomer separation was accomplished by chromatography at the diester stage, 17. Pharmacological assays established that 3a parallels enalapril in its ability to inhibit converting enzyme and lower blood pressure.

The systemic arterial pattern of the guinea pig: the pelvis and pelvic limb.

The systemic arterial pattern of 59 guinea pigs was examined by dissection, angiography, or corrosion casting. The blood supply to the pelvis and the pelvic limbs arises as two terminal branches of the aorta, the right and left common iliac arteries, and each of these divides into external and internal iliac arteries. Their pattern of distribution resembles a typical mammalian pattern. The external iliac artery passes throught the body wall to supply the pelvic limb and the internal iliac artery is distributed primarily to the pelvic region and its viscera.

The systemic arterial pattern of the guinea pig: the abdomen.

The systemic arterial pattern of the guinea pig was studied to determine the arrangement of the major arterial trunks and their branches. Fiftynine specimens were examined by dissection, angiography or corrosion casting. The arterial arrangement was found to resemble a typical mammalian pattern, although some exceptions were noted. For example, the guinea pig usually has a single vessel, the celiacomesenteric trunk, instead of separate celiac and cranial mesenteric arteries. The celiac components of this vascular axis were found to originate in four different patterns. Also, the renal arteries were found to be single or double on either side with double origins more frequent.

Amantadine-dopamine interaction: possible mode of action in Parkinsonism.

Intravenous doses of amantadine hydrochloride, an antiviral drug, as small as 0.08 milligram per kilogram may release dopamine and other catecholamines from neuronal storage sites in dogs primed with dopamine. This release may account for the reported efficacy of amantadine hydrochloride in the treatment of human parkinsonism.