Latent variable modeling and its implications for institutional review board review: variables that delay the reviewing process.

Background: To investigate the factors related to approval after review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), the structure equation model was used to analyze the latent variables 'investigators', 'vulnerability' and 'review process' for 221 proposals submitted to our IRB.

Methods: The vulnerability factor included vulnerable cases, and studies that involved drug tests and genetic analyses. The principal investigator (PI) factor included the license level of the PI and whether they belonged to our institution.

Monitoring of mental performance during spaceflight.

Mental performance of astronauts during spaceflight may suffer from both direct effects of microgravity on perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor processes, and unspecific stress effects on these functions due to high workload sleep disturbances, or the general burden of adapting to the extreme living conditions in space. Early detection of any signs of mental performance impairments seems to be essential for mission success and to prevent obvious performance decrements in critical mission tasks. One possible approach to this problem is to assess the astronaut's performance on specific screening tests repeatedly during a space mission and to compare the results with a self-referenced baseline established pre-flight.

[Radiation protective efficacy of alpha-adrenomimetics during local gamma irradiation of the skin].

In experiment with mice and rats radioprotective properties of direct alpha-adrenomimetic drugs: indraline, mesaton (phenylephrine) and naphthyzine (naphazoline) have been investigated by local early and late radiation injuries. The drugs were S. C.

[The role of cell hypoxia in the effect of radiation protectors].

In experiment with mice, rats and dogs the intimate relationship has been established between radioprotective efficiency of indraline, cystamine and mexamine and its properties to enhance succinate dehydrogenase (SDG) activity of blood lymphocytes (r = 0.95). In that analysis modifying effect of normobaric hyperoxia has been estimated.

[Classification of radiation protective agents as a basis of modern radiation pharmacology].

The consistency of the classification of prophylactic antiradiation drugs have been given consideration as history of their discovery, theory of the radioprotection mechanisms and their use in applied medicine. To prophylactic antiradiation drugs can be related to the drugs of having capable of decreasing radiation injuries burden while administrated before or immediately after radiation. The ones consists of radioprotectors with short-term of long-term action, drugs stimulating radioresistance, the ones suppressing symptoms of primary radiation reaction, the ones of early detoxication, the ones for absorbtion and elimination of radionuclides from an organism.

Mental performance during short-term and long-term spaceflight.

During the last years several attempts have been made to describe changes in the mental efficiency of astronauts during space missions by means of performance monitoring studies. These studies are characterized by repeated multivariate assessment of different functions of the human information-processing system. In the present paper, a first review of performance monitoring studies during short-term and long-term spaceflight is given.

[The state of one of the erythropoiesis regulatory mechanisms after ionizing radiation exposure].

New quantitative criteria of erythrocytes functional state, based on automated registration of acid erythrogramme parameters, have been proposed. Enwidened analysis of adaptive processes in rats erythropoietic system after ionizing radiation exposure (gamma-rays, 60Co, in doses 0.5; 1.

[Radioprotective effectiveness of indralin in local gamma irradiation of the skin].

In experiment with mice radioprotective properties of indralin were investigated on local application of the substance at the site of the hind to be exposed to gamma-60Co-rays in the doses of 16.7-39.0 Gy at rate of the dose -1.

Mental performance in extreme environments: results from a performance monitoring study during a 438-day spaceflight.

During their stay in a space habitat, astronauts are exposed to many different stressors that may entail detrimental effects on mood and performance. In order to monitor the effects of the space environment on different human information processing functions during an extraordinary long-term space mission, the cognitive. visuo-motor and time-sharing performance of one Russian cosmonaut was repeatedly assessed (29 times) during his 438-day stay in space.

[Width of radiation protective effects of indralin in comparative studies using different animal species].

In the experiments on mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, dogs and Macaca Rhesus ED50, the width of radioprotective effect of indralin from alpha-adrenomimetics was investigated. It was made an estimate by ED50, LD50 and therapeutic index (TI): ED50/LD50. ED50 of indralin i.

[Ophthalmophysiological features of applying soft contact lenses to correct myopia in pilots].

The development of effective methods for preventing and correcting myopia in pilots is one of the most important problems of aeronautic ophthalmology. The majority of Russian and foreign aeronautic ophthalmologists agree that contact correction is the principal method for repair of occupational vision of myopic pilots. Experiments with soft contact lenses with 38 and 70% humor content were carried out.

[Problems of hearing loss in aviation engineers (professional and ecological aspects)].

Health standards for noise were exceeded 3 times when noise characteristics were measured at jobs and in apartments of engineers engaged in maintenance of modern aircraft. These specialists were exposed to noise in working hours and at night. Audiometry registered hearing problems in 69% of the examinees.

[The relation of circadian variations of heuristic behavior and CNS radioresistance in animals].

There has been studied the influence of g-radiation (60Co, 62.5 Gy, craniocaudal) on circadian dynamics of heuristic behaviour (the elements of rational-discriminative activity) of male white rats. There has been found equivocal nature of radiation action: mostly manifestations of some symptoms of neurologic disturbances observed in definite daily periods make difficult realizing behavioural act, but in the other cases such event is not observed (acrophases of both processes coincide).

[Effect of alcohol intake on the ability to pilot aircraft].

During the initial 4 hours after alcohol intake at a dose of 1.9 g/kg aircraft operators displayed disturbances in the psychic processes and functions responsible for each (from information reception and processing up to decision-making and building-up the controlling actions) structural elements in their activity resulting in considerable limitation or a complete failure to pilot aircraft. Main disorders included inability to correctly analyse flight situation and loss of skills to automatically control simulator, a sudden depletion of psychophysiological reserves and deterioration of operator's reliability.

[Psychophysiological correlates of increasing the work ability of human operator owing to the programmable correction of the functional status].

There has been studied application of a complex approach to development of automated ways to gain contactless psychophysiological correction of functional status and improvement of performance of working up operators. The psychophysiological support of operator consisted in combined presentation of functional music, surf noise and pulsed dynamic green lighting under a special program built-up on the principle of biological feedback of heart and respiration rates. The individually adaptable audio and visual pulses on the programme showed a rather high efficiency as was confirmed by the change in the set of psychophysiological indices (heart rate, arterial pressure, cutaneogalvanic reaction, accommodation volume, critical rate of flicker fusion, electroencephalogram), and subjective SAM (self-feeling, activity, mood) estimates in the course of extended operator's activity.

Intraventricular conduction disturbances in civilian flying personnel: left anterior hemiblock.

We undertook a retrospective study of the natural history, clinical significance, prognosis, associated conduction disturbances, and pathology, as well as flying fitness qualification of 247 cases of left anterior hemiblock (LAH), detected in a presumably healthy population of 8,915 male individuals engaged in civilian flying activities (prevalence: 2.77%). The cases were divided into three groups according to the electrical axis value of the first electrocardiogram (ECG).

The history of aviation medicine in Argentina.

Ascents in balloons were first performed in Buenos Aires in 1855, and this activity was later regulated through the "Argentine Air Club," founded in 1908, whose Vice President, Jorge Newbery, subsequently became officially known as the "Founder of Argentine Aeronautics." Airplanes appeared and the first pilots' licenses were granted on June 17, 1910. Medical advice was given for such feats as crossing The Andes Cordillera in a balloon in 1915.

Neuropsychiatric observations of proprioceptive sensitivity in motion sickness susceptibility.

The assessment of motion sickness susceptibility is still an unsolved problem, due in part to its unclear etiology. We studied 16 referred patients suffering from "idiopathic motion sickness" and 4 pilots suffering from motion airsickness. All clinical and neurological tests proved negative, including electroencephalograms, electronystagmograms, Doppler studies, and computerized tomography of the brain.

The right and wrong stuff in civil aviation.

Aircrewmembers (ACMs) enter a mortally hostile environment when they take off from Earth in their flying machines. Their physiological adaptation has been augmented and supported through ergonomics, avionics, and engineering, but no such technological aid helps them adapt their minds to that atypical condition. They must rely upon their own psychic resources, i.