Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Thomas.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to provide EMS helicopter personnel with an understanding of the civil helicopter manufacturing industry. Specifically, this article examines the current helicopter marketplace and how various manufactures are responding to the recent decline in new helicopter sales. This article further describes how helicopters are designed and manufactured and how global markets, international competition, and strategic considerations are influencing future helicopter design and production. METHODS: Data for this paper were obtained from a literature search through the ABI-inform Telnet Services offered through the University of Utah Marriott Library. On a search of "helicopter" during the past 5 years, 566 abstracts were identified, all of which were reviewed for information related to the purpose of this article. Forty-seven articles were identified and read in detail for information that may have related to the purpose of this article. In addition, a library search to identify textbooks that describe helicopter production systems was undertaken but did not identify any written resources. Because of the lack of written resources available in writing this article, a direct interview survey of leading helicopter manufactures, associations, and industry writers was conducted. Only information that was considered "public knowledge" was available because of concerns by the various manufactures that publication of confidential information could be detrimental to their competitive advantage. LIMITATIONS: Because helicopter-manufacturing plants were not located within easy travel range, no direct observation of the production facilities could be undertaken. Furthermore, information regarding production and operational management was not easily accessible because the data were not published or were considered confidential. Therefore industry analysis had to take place through direct survey interviewing technique and data obtained through an analysis of the available published data.
The role of bombesin was investigated in the course of the pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis (PF) elicited by the intratracheal (IT) or intravenous (i.v.) administration of bleomycin in mice. Bleomycin-induced alveolitis was associated with an accumulation of cells, presumably macrophages, containing bombesin, as evidenced by immunohistochemistry. Administration of bombesin by an osmotic minipump implanted IP, at a rate of 6 micrograms/h, decreased the lung hydroxyproline evident 15 days after IV or IT administration of bleomycin. In contrast, antibombesin monoclonal antibody 2A11 (mAb) increased the lung hydroxyproline content after IT administration of bleomycin. In addition, the mortality of bleomycin-injected mice was increased by the anti-bombesin mAb. Bombesin administration induced an increase, and anti-bombesin mAb induced a decrease, in the number of macrophages recovered from the bronchoalveolar lavage. Administration of bombesin did not change the mRNA levels of TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, and PDGF, as seen on Northern blots made with the lung RNA. Pulmonary platelet trapping, which was increased by a bleomycin injection, was decreased by an infusion of bombesin as demonstrated by the distribution of 111In-labeled platelets. This study indicates that bombesin act as an inhibitor of the development of pulmonary fibrosis, possibly by decreasing pulmonary platelet trapping.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
INTRODUCTION: Flight nurses and paramedics may be called on to perform a blind nasal tracheal intubation (BNTI) as an airway management adjunct. A literature review found two publications addressing air medical BNTI failure rates. No studies examining demographic factors associated with BNTI failure rates nor published reports evaluating the failure rates of subsequent oral tracheal intubation (OTI) and cricothyroidotomy (cric) attempts after failed BNTI were found. This study was undertaken to identify factors associated with BNTI failure and determine the failure rates for OTI and cric performed by flight nurses and paramedics after failed BNTI. METHODS: All flight nurses' and paramedics' BNTI attempts and subsequent OTI and cric attempts after failed BNTI during 1999 were reviewed retrospectively. BNTI, OTI, and cric success versus failure groups subsequently were evaluated by student t-test and chi-squared analysis to determine if demographic differences for age, gender, type of illness (medical, cardiac, or trauma), in-hospital versus scene, nurse versus paramedic, and rotor- versus fixed-wing transport could be found. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Thirty-six BNTIs were attempted by flight nurses (N = 34) and paramedics (N = 2). Twenty-one BNTIs were attempted at the scene of injury, whereas 15 were attempted in the hospital setting. Eleven of 36 (31%) patient attempts were unsuccessful, and all of these patients received subsequent OTI attempts. Of the 11 OTI patient attempts, two were unsuccessful (18%) and subsequently required cricothyroidotomy. Both attempted patient cricothyroidotomies were successful. Failed versus successful BNTIs were analyzed for demographic differences. Our study found that the BNTI failure (10/21, 48%) was significantly more likely to occur in younger (P < 0.001) trauma (P < 0.01) patients transported from the scene of injury (P < 0.05) by rotor-wing (P < 0.05) than in the hospital (1/15, 7%) setting. Unlike BNTIs, no significant demographic differences were observed between the failed (2/11, 18%) versus successful (9/11, 82%) OTI after a failed nasal tracheal intubation. CONCLUSION: Flight nurse and flight paramedic teams show a rather low BNTI failure (7%) rate within the confines of the hospital setting but a significantly higher failure rate (48%) when this procedure is performed at the scene of an injury. Although not measured in this study, this difference may represent fewer insertion attempts, less time spent performing BNTI because of the need to rapidly transport trauma patients to appropriate treatment centers, or variation in technique because of the concern for cervical spine injury. Further studies are required to elucidate why differences in scene versus in-hospital BNTI success rates are occurring.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Wheat and barley from the 1993 crop year were analyzed for deoxynivalenol (DON). A total of 630 samples were collected by the Federal Grain Inspection Service in 25 states and analyzed using a commercially available, direct competitive, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The limit of determination was about 0.5 micrograms/g. DON contamination in the 483 wheat samples averaged 2.0 micrograms/g and ranged from < 0.5 to 18 micrograms/g. DON contamination in the 147 barley samples averaged 4.2 micrograms/g and ranged from < 0.5 to 26 micrograms/g. About 40% fo the wheat samples and 57% of the barley samples contained DON levels that were greater than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 1982 advisory level of 2 micrograms/g for DON in wheat designated for milling (human consumption).
NAc-SDKP is a peptide being tested as a bone marrow hematopoiesis protector in chemotherapy trials in cancer patients. We studied the pharmacokinetics of NAc-SDKP in six healthy human volunteers and in five patients undergoing chemotherapy. Plasma concentrations of NAc-SDKP were monitored using a specific enzyme immunoassay. Because NAc-SDKP is an endogenous compound, a preliminary study was undertaken to determine intra- and interday baseline variations in healthy subjects. The baseline value (range 1.7-3.2 nM) differed between subjects, but was constant over time. The influence of the route of administration was studied in six healthy volunteers with 128 nmol/kg given as a 12-hr intravenous infusion or as a single subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. After cessation of intravenous infusion in healthy volunteers, NAc-SDKP was characterized by a quick elimination phase, with a mean half-life of 4.5 min. The volume distribution was 117 ml/kg and the area under the curve was 117 nM hr. After subcutaneous and intramuscular administrations, peak plasma drug concentrations occurred at 0.26 and 0.28 hr, with Cmax values of 156 and 110 nM, respectively. The bioavailabilities determined after subcutaneous and intramuscular administrations were 100 and 81%, respectively. NAc-SDKP pharmacokinetics was studied in patients after intravenous infusion over 48 hr of a dose of between 51.3 and 513 nmol/kg. Area under the curve values increased proportionately with the dose. Mean clearance was lower in patients than in healthy volunteers: 524 vs. 1120 ml/hr/kg, respectively.
This study demonstrates that current techniques of immune monitoring and modulation are available, which have potential to reduce early cadaver allograft loss from rejection to 5% or less. The techniques center on the monitoring of T lymphocyte levels and T lymphocyte reactivity, using relatively simple and reproducible assays, which give results within 4-72 hrs, depending upon the tests used. In addition, these techniques include modulation of T cell levels and reactivity using quality-controlled anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in low doses during the post-transplant period. High potency ATG demonstrates a significant capability of preventing early (3 mos) graft rejection, as well as maintaining low levels and reactivity of T cells for 3 mos or longer, when intermittent low dose therapy is utilized. Evidence is presented that ATG has a relatively selective effect on T lymphocytes and this may result in a degree of selective immunosuppression not achieved in clinical transplantation to date.