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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

The half-moon sign. A useful roentgen sign of saccular aneurysm of the aortic arch.

OBJECTIVE: The half-moon sign is defined as a shadow seen on the lateral chest radiograph consisting of a smooth, partially demarcated opacity with the rounded portion of the half moon projecting over the aortic lumen at the level of the aortic arch, but the rest of the opacity merging with the aorta. In this study, we intended to evaluate the clinical usefulness of half-moon sign in aiding a diagnosis of saccular aneurysm of the aortic arch. METHODS: This series consisted of 57 patients with aortic arch aneurysm and 46 patients with a variety of nonvascular intrathoracic masses that presented as soft-tissue masses adjacent to the aortic arch on the frontal chest radiographs. The half-moon sign was evaluated independently by two senior chest radiologists who had no knowledge of the final causes. RESULTS: The half-moon sign was shown on the lateral chest radiographs in 5 of 10 patients with saccular aortic arch aneurysm but absent in 47 patients with fusiform aortic arch aneurysm. Furthermore, this roentgen sign was not seen on the lateral chest radiographs in 46 patients with nonvascular intrathoracic masses. In this selected population, the sensitivity and specificity of the half-moon sign in aiding a diagnosis of saccular aneurysm of the aortic arch were 50% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The half-moon sign shown on the lateral chest radiograph is highly suggestive of the saccular aortic arch aneurysm.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Sleepless night, the moon is bright: longitudinal study of lunar phase and sleep.

Popular belief holds that the lunar cycle affects human physiology, behaviour and health. We examined the influence of moon phase on sleep duration in a secondary analysis of a feasibility study of mobile telephone base stations and sleep quality. We studied 31 volunteers (18 women and 13 men, mean age 50 years) from a suburban area of Switzerland longitudinally over 6 weeks, including two full moons. Subjective sleep duration was calculated from sleep diary data. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression models with random effects. Mean sleep duration was 6 h 49 min. Subjective sleep duration varied with the lunar cycle, from 6 h 41 min at full moon to 7 h 00 min at new moon (P < 0.001). Average sleep duration was shortened by 68 min during the week compared with weekends (P < 0.001). Men slept 17 min longer than women (P < 0.001) and sleep duration decreased with age (P < 0.001). There was also evidence that rating of fatigue in the morning was associated with moon phase, with more tiredness (P = 0.027) at full moon. The study was designed for other purposes and the association between lunar cycle and sleep duration will need to be confirmed in further studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

There are days ... and moons. Self-poisoning is not lunacy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there are significant circadian, weekly or lunar variations in self-poisoning presentations and whether patients' names or dates of birth have an influence on the likelihood of self-poisoning by analysing biorhythms, numerology and star sign. SETTING: Hunter Valley, Australia. SUBJECTS: Consecutive adult patients admitted with self-poisoning between January 1987 and June 1993. RESULTS: There were 2215 patients admitted. There was a marked circadian variation. Over 6% of all admissions occurred in each of the hours between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. compared with less than 2% per hour between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. This pattern was not different for patients with a diagnosis of depression. Numerology, biorhythms and star signs had no significant correlations with self-poisoning, nor was there a significant weekly or yearly variation in presentations. There was a small but statistically significant sex difference in presentations analysed by lunar phases. At the new moon 60% of self-poisonings were in women, compared with 45% when the moon was full. The odds ratios (OR) for women to be admitted at full moon and at new moon were 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-1.66; P value not significant) and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.57-0.92; P = 0.009) respectively. The mean illumination of the moon at the time of overdose was 50.63% +/- 0.91% for men, compared with 47.45% +/- 0.85% for women (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: The circadian cycle (but not weekly, yearly or mystical cycles) should be taken into account when determining staffing levels for poison information and casualty services. The full moon is protective for women.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Optimal trajectories from the Earth-Moon L1 and L3 points to deflect hazardous asteroids and comets.

Software code named asteroff was recently created by the author to simulate the deflection of hazardous asteroids off of their collision course with the Earth. This code was both copyrighted and patented to avoid unauthorized use of ideas that could possibly be vital to construct a planetary defense system in the vicinity of the Earth. Having so said, the basic ideas and equations underlying the asteroff simulation code are openly described in this paper. A system of two space bases housing missiles is proposed to achieve the planetary defense of the Earth against dangerous asteroids and comets, collectively called impactors herein. We show that the layout of the Earth-Moon system with the five relevant Lagrangian (or libration) points in space leads naturally to only one, unmistakable location of these two space bases within the sphere of influence of the Earth. These locations are at the two Lagrangian points L(1) (between the Earth and the Moon) and L(3) (in the direction opposite to the Moon from the Earth). We show that placing missile bases at L(1) and L(3) would enable those missiles to deflect the trajectory of impactors by hitting them orthogonally to their impact trajectory toward the Earth, so as to maximize their deflection. We show that confocal conics are the best class of trajectories fulfilling this orthogonal deflection requirement. One additional remark is that the theory developed in this paper is just a beginning for a wider set of future research. In fact, we only develop the Keplerian analytical theory for the optimal planetary defense achievable from the Earth-Moon Lagrangian points L(1) and L(3). Much more sophisticated analytical refinements would be needed to: (1) take into account many perturbation forces of all kinds acting on both the impactors and missiles shot from L(1) and L(3); (2) add more (non-optimal) trajectories of missiles shot from either the Lagrangian points L(4) and L(5) of the Earth-Moon System or from the surface of the Moon itself; and (3) encompass the full range of missiles currently available to the US (and possibly other countries) so as to really see which impactors could be diverted by which missiles, even in the very simplified scheme outlined here. Published for the first time in February 2002, our Keplerian planetary defense theory has proved, in just one year, to be simple enough to catch the attention of scholars, in addition to popular writers, and even of someone from the US Military. These recent developments might possibly mark the beginning of an all embracing vision in planetary defense beyond all learned congressional activities, dramatic movies, and unknown military plans covered by secrecy.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

A note on the effect of the full moon on the activity of wild maned wolves, Chrysocyon brachyurus.

It is well established in the scientific literature that animal prey species reduce their activity at times of high predation risk. In the case of nocturnal animals this occurs when there is a full moon; however, the response of predators to the changes in their prey behaviour is relatively unknown. Two responses are possible: (1) increase in search effort to maintain food intake; or (2) decrease in distance travelled due to either: (a) an effort to conserve energy or (b) increased kill efficiency. Using GPS tracking collars we monitored the distances travelled (which is representative of search effort) by three maned wolves during the night of the full and new moon for five lunar cycles (during the dry season). A Wilcoxon matched-paired test showed that the maned wolves travelled significantly less during the full compared to the new moon (p < 0.05). On average, during the 10 h of darkness during a full moon maned wolves travelled 1.88 km less than on a new moon. These data suggest that maned wolves respond to temporally reduced prey availability by reducing their distance travelled.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Diel changes in plasma melatonin and corticosterone concentrations in tropical Nazca boobies (Sula granti) in relation to moon phase and age.

We investigated the effects of moon phases and age on diel rhythms of plasma melatonin and corticosterone in free-living Nazca boobies (Sula granti) on the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Melatonin and corticosterone secretion are regulated by the circadian system and the two hormones play a role in the control of locomotor activity and foraging, which can be influenced by moon phases. These seabirds have a long life span and in many vertebrates circadian function deteriorates with age. The functioning of the circadian system under different environmental conditions and changes related to age are poorly understood and hardly studied in wild birds. Nazca boobies had generally low plasma melatonin concentrations but showed a diel variation with higher concentrations at 00:00 and 16:00h. The diel variations in melatonin concentrations disappeared during full moon, suggesting that natural light levels at night can suppress melatonin secretion in Nazca boobies. Maximal melatonin concentrations tended to decline in older birds (10-19 years). Birds showed a clear diel variation in basal plasma corticosterone with a peak in the early morning, before the active period begins, and low concentrations throughout the day. As with melatonin, there were no diel variations in corticosterone at full moon, which may be due to different activity patterns in response to food availability or changes in the circadian system. While other studies have found a relationship between corticosterone and melatonin, we found no such correlation in Nazca boobies. The lunar cycle appears to affect the hormone titers of Nazca boobies both directly and indirectly. First, melatonin rhythms can be directly affected by the light intensity associated with full moon. Second, prey availability may change foraging patterns and can therefore indirectly alter corticosterone secretion in Nazca boobies.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

The moon and madness reconsidered.

Belief that the full moon is associated with psychiatric disturbance persists despite 50 years research showing no association. This article traces the historical roots of belief in the power of the moon to cause disorders the mind, especially insanity and epilepsy. Putative mechanisms of lunar action are critiqued. It is proposed that modern findings showing lack of lunar effect can be reconciled with pre-modern beliefs in the moon's power through a mechanism of sleep deprivation. Prior to the advent of modern lighting the moon was a significant source of nocturnal illumination that affected sleep-wake cycle, tending to cause sleep deprivation around the time of full moon. This partial sleep deprivation would have been sufficient to induce mania/hypomania in susceptible bipolar patients and seizures in patients with seizure disorders. The advent of modern lighting attenuated this lunar effect, especially in modern urban areas, where most 20th century studies of lunar effects on the mind have been conducted. The hypothesis presented in this article is open to empirical validation or falsification. Potential tests for the sleep-deprivation hypothesis of lunar action are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

The moon and its relationship to oral and maxillofacial emergencies.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between the full moon and oral and maxillofacial emergencies. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 2416 referrals to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. Bartholomews and The Royal London Hospital, London, over a 16-month period (17 lunar months). Frequency distributions were used to assess emergency workload during the week of the full moon. RESULTS: There was a rise in referrals in the latter part of the 7-day period surrounding the full moon. There was a persistent reduction in emergency workload in the 3-day period leading up to the full moon. The results approach but do not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of the moon on oral and maxillofacial referrals cannot be proven.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2004

Looking for planetary moons in the spectra of distant Jupiters.

More than 100 nearby stars are known to have at least one Jupiter-sized planet. Whether any of these giant gaseous planets has moons is unknown, but here we suggest a possible way of detecting Earth-sized moons with future technology. The planned Terrestrial Planet Finder observatory, for example, will be able to detect objects comparable in size to Earth. Such Earth-sized objects might orbit their stars either as isolated planets or as moons to giant planets. Moons of Jovian-sized planets near the habitable zones of main-sequence stars should be noticeably brighter than their host planets in the near-infrared (1-4 microm) if their atmospheres contain methane, water, and water vapor, because of efficient absorption of starlight by these atmospheric components. By taking advantage of this spectral contrast, future space observatories will be able to discern which extrasolar giant planets have Earth-like moons capable of supporting life.

Astronomical Phenomena↗
PubMed2000

The effect of the full moon on general practice consultation rates.

BACKGROUND: The effect of the full moon on human behaviour, the so-called 'Transylvania hypothesis', has fascinated the public and occupied the mind of researchers for centuries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine whether or not there was any change in general practice consultation patterns around the time of the full moon. METHOD: We analysed data from the fourth national morbidity study of general practice. The data set was split into two groups and analysed separately: consultations on ordinary weekdays and consultations on weekends and bank holidays. The data were split randomly into two equal sets, one for model building and one for model validation. The lunar cycle effect was assumed to be sinusoidal, on the grounds that any effect would be maximal at the time of the full moon and decline to the new moon, following a cosine curve (with a period of 29.54 days, the mean length of a lunar cycle). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant, but small, effect associated with the lunar cycle of 1.8% of the mean value [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-2.7%]. This equates to an average difference between the two extremes during the cycle of 3.6%. For this data set, this accounts for 190 (95% CI 95-285) more consultations on days at the peak of the cycle compared with those at the bottom of the cycle, or, put another way, about three consultations per practice. CONCLUSION: We can speculate neither as to what the nature of these moon-related problems may be, nor as to the mechanisms underpinning such behaviour. However, we have confirmed that it does not seem to be related to anxiety and depression.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1991

Effect of the full moon on a sample of developmentally delayed, institutionalized women.

Over 19 lunar months reports of all aggressive acting-out misbehaviors as recorded by direct-care staff were evaluated and recorded on a day-by-day basis for a randomly selected sample of 20 developmentally delayed women, CA 18 to 50; MA, 9 to 18 months. All had been in continuous residence in a residential treatment center for a minimum of 31 months. A grid representing the 24-hr. period of the full moon (a), the three days prior to the day of the full moon (b), the three days after the full moon (c), and the balance of the lunar period (d) was placed over the record. Comparisons using the Duncan multiple-range test indicated that the mean number of misbehaviors on the day of the full moon was significantly higher than the mean number on any other day of the lunar period (the next highest was for the three days prior to the day of the full moon).

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Views from Dordogne, and the moon, on suicide].

Death-rate by suicide in Dordogne, department of Aquitaine (France), remains above the national average: 25.4 for 100000 inhabitants in Dordogne per year between 1990 and 1993, against 20.4 in France between 1989 and 1991. They are mostly old peasants of the west and the north of the department, and rural people in their thirties, who kill themselves. But the frightful high rate of suicides registered from 1975 to 1985 (31.8 in Dordogne between 1980 and 1982, against 25.3 in France for the same period), and which hit mostly young adults and the population around the town of Nontron, appears reduced. These suicides express, under the pressure of contemporary upset of the occidental society, the old crisis of abandonment of the rural areas in crispation. The most fragile succumb- and not only in the Perigord. Moreover, the suicides are here more important in September and in January. The sociological explanation of G. Masterton (1991) is plausible. The rates of suicides are also studied according to the lunar months. In Dordogne, the maximum and minimum rates of suicides are situated every year in two consecutive lunar phases. Further, these values are scheduled from one year to another, alternatively in the ascending period of the moon and then, in the descending period. Lastly, mathematic analysis of the suicides registered in the whole of 4 similar french departments (stepped according their latitude), during 2 years (1991-1992) and at the time of the first 3 days of each lunar phase, reveals that their rate is significantly lower in Full Moon than in the First Quarter period; this is equally true in the department of Maine and Loire. Further, Ph. Brosseau had shown (1987) that the French dies less in Full Moon, and more in New Moon period. The Full Moon period seems to protect the fragile subjects against their own death.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Origin of the Moon's orbital inclination from resonant disk interactions

The Moon is generally believed to have formed from the debris disk created by a large body colliding with the early Earth. Recent models of this process predict that the orbit of the newly formed Moon should be in, or very near, the Earth's equatorial plane. This prediction, however, is at odds with the known history of the lunar orbit: the orbit is currently expanding, but can be traced back in time to reveal that, when the Moon formed, its orbital inclination relative to the Earth's equator was I approximately = 10 degrees. The cause of this initial inclination has been a mystery for over 30 years, as most dynamical processes (such as those that act to flatten Saturn's rings) will tend to decrease orbital inclinations. Here we show that the Moon's substantial orbital inclination is probably a natural result of its formation from an impact-generated disk. The mechanism involves a gravitational resonance between the Moon and accretion-disk material, which can increase orbital inclinations up to approximately 15 degrees.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Accretion of Moon and Earth and the emergence of life.

The discrepancy between the impact records on the Earth and Moon in the time period, 4.0-3.5 Ga calls for a re-evaluation of the cause and localization of the late lunar bombardment. As one possible explanation, we propose that the time coverage in the ancient rock record is sufficiently fragmentary, so that the effects of giant, sterilizing impacts throughout the inner solar system, caused by marauding asteroids, could have escaped detection in terrestrial and Martian records. Alternatively, the lunar impact record may reflect collisions of the receding Moon with a series of small, original satellites of the Earth and their debris in the time period about 4.0-3.5 Ga. The effects on Earth of such encounters could have been comparatively small. The location of these tellurian moonlets has been estimated to have been in the region around 40 Earth radii. Calculations presented here, indicate that this is the region that the Moon would traverse at 4.0-3.5 Ga, when the heavy and declining lunar bombardment took place. The ultimate time limit for the emergence of life on Earth is determined by the effects of planetary accretion--existing models offer a variety of scenarios, ranging from low average surface temperature at slow accretion of the mantle, to complete melting of the planet followed by protracted cooling. The choice of accretion model affects the habitability of the planet by dictating the early evolution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Further exploration of the sedimentary record on Earth and Mars, and of the chemical composition of impact-generated ejecta on the Moon, may determine the choice between the different interpretations of the late lunar bombardment and cast additional light on the time and conditions for the emergence of life.

Earth, Planet↗
PubMed1996

The full moon and ED patient volumes: unearthing a myth.

To determine if there is any effect of the full moon on emergency department (ED) patient volume, ambulance runs, admissions, or admissions to a monitored unit, a retrospective analysis of the hospital electronic records of all patients seen in an ED during a 4-year period was conducted in an ED of a suburban community hospital. A full moon occurred 49 times during the study period. There were 150,999 patient visits to the ED during the study period, of which 34,649 patients arrived by ambulance. A total of 35,087 patients was admitted to the hospital and 11,278 patients were admitted to a monitored unit. No significant differences were found in total patient visits, ambulance runs, admissions to the hospital, or admissions to a monitored unit on days of the full moon. The occurrence of a full moon has no effect on ED patient volume, ambulance runs, admissions, or admissions to a monitored unit.

Ambulances↗
PubMed1995

Constraints on the origin of the Moon's atmosphere from observations during a lunar eclipse.

The properties of the Moon's rarefied atmosphere, which can be traced through observations of sodium and potassium, provide important insights into the formation and maintenance of atmospheres on other primitive Solar System bodies. The lunar atmosphere is believed to be composed of atoms from the surface rocks and soil, which might have been sputtered by micrometeorites, by ions in the solar wind, or by photons. It might also form by the evaporation of atoms from the hot, illuminated surface. Here we report the detection of sodium emission from the Moon's atmosphere during a total lunar eclipse (which occurs when the Moon is full). The sodium atmosphere is considerably more extended at full Moon than expected--it extends to at least nine lunar radii--and its brightness distribution is incompatible with sources involving either solar-wind or micrometeorite sputtering. This leaves photon sputtering or thermal desorption as the preferred explanations for the lunar atmosphere, and suggests that sunlight might also be responsible for the transient atmospheres of other primitive bodies (such as Mercury).

Extraterrestrial Environment↗
PubMed2000

[Impact of environmental factors on the incidence of posteropative nausea and vomiting. Influence of the weather and cycle of the moon].

OBJECTIVE: In a survey concerning postoperative nausea and vomiting an unexpected high number of the participants stressed the impact of environmental factors, like weather and--even more surprising--the phase of the moon, on the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of these factors on the incidence of PONV. METHODS: On 203 days within the 19-month study period, 2488 patients were followed up for at least 24 hours postoperatively to determine the occurrence of PONV. For each day the actual incidence of PONV was compared with the mean predicted risk of PONV calculated with two risk scores for prediction of PONV (Koivuranta, 1997; Apfel, 1998). 32 days with the most significant difference between actual and predicted incidence of PONV were analysed retrospectively by two biometeorological experts, who were blind to the information whether each day was associated with a high or low incidence of PONV, evaluated the possible impact of the weather of these days. To analyse the influence of the cycle of the moon it was prospectively classified into four different phases. RESULTS: The two biometeorologists rated 22 out of the presented 32 days correctly. The likelihood p that this rating happened by chance is 0.0251, assuming that the likelihood for predicting each day correctly is 0.5 (independent Bernoulli-experiments, e.g. throwing a coin). However, days with a high or low incidence of PONV were equally distributed within the four phases of the moon (p = 0.97; chi 2-test with Yates' correction). CONCLUSION: Results from this analysis suggest that the weather may have some impact on the occurrence of PONV. However, our data do not support the hypothesis that the phases of the moon have any influence on this symptom.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The moon tilt illusion.

Besides the familiar moon illusion [e.g. Hershenson, 1989 The Moon Illusion (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates)], wherein the moon appears bigger when it is close to the horizon, there is a less known illusion which causes the moon's illuminated side to appear turned away from the direction of the sun. An experiment documenting the effect is described, and a possible explanation is put forward.

Contrast Sensitivity↗