Gender, age and ethnicity influence on pain levels and analgesic use in the acute whiplash injury.

PURPOSE: Initial pain level in the acute whiplash injury is the most consistent predictor of transformation to a chronic pain syndrome. The risk factors for those early pain levels were, to our knowledge, scarcely evaluate to this date. We set to evaluate whether gender, age or ethnicity comprise a risk factor for those initial pain levels. Further, gender, age and ethnicity have been shown to be bias factors in pain management. We investigated if gender, age or ethnicity are bias factor in pain management in the face of a standardized pain treatment protocol in the acute whiplash injury. METHODS: We reviewed 2,538 patients with acute whiplash injury that were treated at our emergency department (ED). Gender, age and ethnicity were investigated as risk factors for elevated visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Those factors were also investigated as bias in pain medication administration in the face of a standardized analgesic protocol. RESULTS: Women had significantly higher VAS scores (p = 0.009). Age and ethnicity did not influence pain levels. There was no influence of gender or age on pain medication administration. The Jewish patients (the majority in Israel) were administered fewer pain medication (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Women have higher initial pain levels in the acute whiplash injury. Age and ethnicity have less impact on those pain levels. A pain management protocol might reduce bias in pain management in the acute whiplash injury in the ED. The Jewish population tends to be less receptive to pain medication administration.

Evaluating and optimizing horticultural regimes in space plant growth facilities.

In designing innovative space plant growth facilities (SPGF) for long duration space flight, various limitations must be addressed including onboard resources: volume, energy consumption, heat transfer and crew labor expenditure. The required accuracy in evaluating on board resources by using the equivalent mass methodology and applying it to the design of such facilities is not precise. This is due to the uncertainty of the structure and not completely understanding the properties of all associated hardware, including the technology in these systems. We present a simple criteria of optimization for horticultural regimes in SPGF: Qmax = max [M x (EBI)2/(V x E x T], where M is the crop harvest in terms of total dry biomass in the plant growth system; EBI is the edible biomass index (harvest index), V is volume occupied by the crop; E is the crop light energy supply during growth; T is the crop growth duration. The criterion reflects directly on the consumption of onboard resources for crop production.

'SVET' space greenhouse onboard experiment data received from 'MIR' station and future prospects.

The paper describes operation of 'SVET' space greenhouse onboard the 'MIR' orbital station since 15 June 1990 and the adopted biotechnological principles. The microprocessor and measuring systems for monitoring and control of the environmental parameters in the Plants growth chamber are presented. Information about the dynamic of these parameters in the course of the first space experiments with vegetables, obtained by means of telemetric data processing, is given. A draft program for the development of next generations of greenhouses of the same type as 'SVET', but with a larger area and capabilities, is worked out.

Developing a vitamin greenhouse for the life support system of the International Space Station and for future interplanetary missions.

In order to evaluate the effects of gravity on growing plants, we conducted ground based long-term experiments with dwarf wheat, cultivar Apogee and Chinese cabbage, cultivar Khibinskaya. The test crops had been grown in overhead position with HPS lamp below root module so gravity and light intensity gradients had been in opposite direction. Plants of the control crop grew in normal position under the same lamp. Both crops were grown on porous metallic membranes with stable -1 kPa matric potential on their surface. Results from these and other studies allowed us to examine the differences in growth and development of the plants as well as the root systems in relation to the value of the gravity force influence. Dry weight of the roots from test group was decreased in 2.5 times for wheat and in 6 times - at the Chinese cabbage, but shoot dry biomass was practically same for both test and control versions. A harvest index of the test plants increased substantially. The data shows, that development of the plants was essentially changed in microgravity. The experiments in the space greenhouse Svet aboard the Mir space station proved that it is possible to compensate the effects of weightlessness on higher plants by manipulating gradients of environmental parameters (i.e. photon flux, matric potential in the root zone, etc.). However, the average productivity of Svet concerning salad crops even in ground studies did not provide more than 14 g fresh biomass per day. This does not provide a sufficient level of supplemental nutrients to the crew of the ISS. A cylindrical design of a space plant growth chamber (SPGC) allows for maximal productivity in presence of very tight energy and volume limitations onboard the ISS and provides a number of operational advantages. Productivity from this type of SPGF with a 0.5 kW energy utilization when salad growing would provide approximately 100 g of edible biomass per day, which would almost satisfy requirements for a crew of two in vitamin C and carotene and partly vitamin B group as well as rough fiber.

Porous metal revision shells for management of contained acetabular bone defects at a mean follow-up of six years: a comparison between up to 50% bleeding host bone contact and more than 50% contact.

We report the use of porous metal acetabular revision shells in the treatment of contained bone loss. The outcomes of 53 patients with ≤ 50% acetabular bleeding host bone contact were compared with a control group of 49 patients with > 50% to 85% bleeding host bone contact. All patients were treated with the same type of trabecular metal acetabular revision shell. The mean age at revision was 62.4 years (42 to 80) and the mean follow-up of both groups was 72.4 months (60 to 102). Clinical, radiological and functional outcomes were assessed. There were four (7.5%) mechanical failures in the ≤ 50% host bone contact group and no failures in the > 50% host bone contact group (p = 0.068). Out of both groups combined there were four infections (3.9%) and five recurrent dislocations (4.9%) with a stable acetabular component construct that were revised to a constrained liner. Given the complexity of the reconstructive challenge, porous metal revision acetabular shells show acceptable failure rates at five to ten years' follow-up in the setting of significant contained bone defects. This favourable outcome might be due to the improved initial stability achieved by a high coefficient of friction between the acetabular implant and the host bone, and the high porosity, which affords good bone ingrowth.

Anti-ischemia activity of HU-211, a non-psychotropic synthetic cannabinoid.

The novel tricyclic-terpenoid type cannabinoid, HU-211, was tested in gerbils and rats for protection against the effects of cerebral ischemia. Our transient ischemic models in gerbils and rats are based on the protection afforded against the lethal effects of global ischemia. HU-211 gave over 30% protection, by i.v. administration. The optimal dose ranges of HU-211 were between 5 and 10 mg/kg i.v. In gerbils we used a transient ischemia model induced by occlusion (10 min) of the bilateral common carotid arteries (BCCA). HU-211, 8 mg/kg i.v., gave a significantly (p < or = 0.05) better in vivo performed than a control group over three days following ischemia. Histology performed in gerbil model also resulted in significantly (p < 0.001) diminished degeneration area of CA1 in the hippocampus after treatment of HU-211. In the rat model, after four vessel occlusion (4VO) (20 min), HU-211 treatment significantly (p < 0.01) improved neurobehavior scoring. These results show that the new synthetic cannabinoid can protect against hippocampal neuron damage due to selective brain injury induced by cerebral global ischemia in gerbils or rats.