Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Sep 2005
Case ReportsDiabetes mellitus type 1 in five military aviators: flying with insulin.
Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1 results in medical disqualification for all military aviation duties all over the world. The main concern is hypoglycemia, which can cause sudden incapacitation. Efforts to reduce the glucose levels and long-term complications increase the frequency of hypoglycemia. ⋯ Our experience indicates that safely flying with newly diagnosed DM type 1 is possible. The cost of the demanding lifestyle of military aircrew members and the fear of hypoglycemic episodes can result in periods of sub-optimal glucose control.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jul 2005
Historical ArticleThis month in aerospace medicine history--July 2005.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jul 2005
Historical ArticleAviation medicine in the United Kingdom: from the end of World War I to the end of World War II, 1919-1945.
This is the second of three brief papers that summarize the history of Aviation Medicine in the Royal Air Force. British aviation medicine research was rescued from the doldrums of retrenchment after the end of the First World War by the need to support attempts on world records for height and speed. Despite this, the outbreak of the Second World War still found the British inadequately prepared. This part of the account of British aviation medicine research charts its transition from an organization with three full-time workers into a thriving research institute.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 2005
Diagnostic instrumentation aboard ISS: just-in-time training for non-physician crewmembers.
The performance of complex tasks on the International Space Station (ISS) requires significant preflight crew training commitments and frequent skill and knowledge refreshment. This report documents a recently developed "just-in-time" training methodology, which integrates preflight hardware familiarization and procedure training with an on-orbit CD-ROM-based skill enhancement. This "just-in-time" concept was used to support real-time remote expert guidance to complete ultrasound examinations using the ISS Human Research Facility (HRF). ⋯ Complex ultrasound experiments with expert guidance were performed with high accuracy following limited preflight training and multimedia based in-flight review, despite a 2-s communication latency. In-flight application of multimedia proficiency enhancement software, coupled with real-time remote expert guidance, facilitates the successful performance of ultrasound examinations on orbit and may have additional terrestrial and space applications.
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The current enthusiasm over the prospect of space tourism and the belief among many that such civilian spaceflight is imminent are characterized herein. There are many concerns about screening and certifying passengers for future spaceflight. Efforts by several organizations to propose such screening are cited. ⋯ But because of human problems with long-term exposure to microgravity, this phase requires rather conservative screening and extensive training. However, prior to discussing the passenger issues related to this early phase of space tourism, the reasons why Earth-like gravity, as well as microgravity, must be made available to spacefarers before space tourism can take place on a grand scale need to be explained. Finally, major passenger medical and behavioral issues of the first phase of orbital space tourism-long-term microgravity flight-are discussed.