Utilization of spaceflight technology will benefit the modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine study. Many countries, such as USA or Russia, have conducted extensive experimental research with plants in the regenerative life-support system in space stations as well as the research on breeding or chromosomal aberration after spaceflight. The space botany is still in its preliminary stage in our country. Research has mainly been focused on breeding under space-environment. In addition, many experiments have been conducted with the spaceflown plants to investigate the growth, development, biochemical and physiological changes, as well as the inheritance and variation. Little has been done with regard to the facility development to contain the spaceflying seeds and no research has been reported on plant growth in spacecrafts. Medicinal plant study has certain characteristics and advantages in our country where small biological vessels are developed for the spaceflown seeds, which are then distinguished to microgravity group and radiation exposed group with analytical instrument. However, research has been carried out in medicinal plant breeding or inheritance. In future research, more effort should be directed to the study of medicinal plants as an important link of a future biological life support system as well as to the health care of astronauts by.
Ecological Systems, Closed ; Life Support Systems ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; growth & development ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Space Flight ; Weightlessness

Mechanical circulatory support is necessary when heart failure becomes refractory to medical support. It is typically instituted when organ dysfunction occurs as a result of hypoperfusion. Enthusiasm has recently developed for the role of mechanical circulatory support in the ever-growing population of heart failure patients. Indeed, efforts in developing this technology have allowed for the relatively recent development of a variety of complete circulatory support devices. The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in patients with advanced heart failure results in a clinically meaningful survival benefit and an improved quality of life, and LVADs could be an acceptable alternative therapy for selected patients who are not candidates for cardiac transplantation.
Assisted Circulation ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Heart Transplantation ; Heart-Assist Devices ; Humans ; Life Support Systems ; Quality of Life

1) Of 64 patients, there were 40ma1e patients, twice as many as female. 2) The majoritr of the patients (42) came from the department of general surgery. 3) The 19 patiehts underwent the abdominal surgery for peritonitis. 4) Among the 64 patients, the number of patients requiring the use of a ventilator during the initial 12 to 24 hours were 79, but 17 of these patients needed life support system for more than 72 hours. 5) Ten patients died postoperatively in RICU or were discharged with no hope of survival. 6) The main causes of dearth in 4 patients were acute cardiac failure, severe electrolyte imbalance, sepsis and cerebral hemorrhage. 6 patients were discharged with no hope of survival. 7) Seven of the patients who died in RICU or were discharged without hope of survival postoperatively used the ventilator for mole than 72 hours.
Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Hope ; Humans ; Life Support Systems ; Peritonitis ; Sepsis ; Ventilators, Mechanical

BACKGROUND: We have hypothesized that, if a low resistant gravity-flow membrane oxygenator is used, then the twin blood sacs of TPLS can be located at downstream of the membrane oxyenator, which may double the pulse rate at a given pump rate and increase the pump output. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal configuration for the ECLS circuits by using the concept of pulse energy and pump output. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Animals were randomly assigned to 2 groups in a total cardiopulmonary bypass model. In the serial group, a conventional membrane oxygenator was located between the twin blood sacs. In the parallel group, the twin blood sacs were placed downstream of the gravity-flow membrane oxygenator. Energy equivalent pressure (EEP) and pump output were collected at pump-setting rates of 30, 40, and 50 BPM. RESULT: At the given pump-setting rate, the pulse rate was doubled in the parallel group. Percent changes of mean arterial pressure to EEP were 13.0+/-1.7, 12.0+/-1.9 and 7.6+/-0.9% in the parallel group, and 22.5+/-2.4, 23.2+/-1.9, and 21.8+/-1.4% in the serial group at 30, 40, and 50 BPM of pump-setting rates. Pump output was higher in the parallel circuit at 40 and 50 BPM of pump-setting rates (3.1+/-0.2, 3.7+/-0.2 L/min vs. 2.2+/-0.1 and 2.5+/-0.1 L/min, respectively, p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Either parallel or serial circuit configuration of the ECLS generates effective pulsatility. As for the pump out, the parallel circuit configuration provides higher flow than the serial circuit configuration.
Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Life Support Systems* ; Membranes ; Oxygenators, Membrane

OBJECTIVES: A healthcare decision-making support model and rule management system is proposed based on a personalized rule-based intelligent concept, to effectively manage chronic diseases. METHODS: A Web service was built using a standard message transfer protocol for interoperability of personal health records among healthcare institutions. An intelligent decision service is provided that analyzes data using a service-oriented healthcare rule inference function and machine-learning platform; the rules are extensively compiled by physicians through a developmental user interface that enables knowledge base construction, modification, and integration. Further, screening results are visualized for the self-intuitive understanding of personal health status by patients. RESULTS: A recommendation message is output through the Web service by receiving patient information from the hospital information recording system and object attribute values as input factors. The proposed system can verify patient behavior by acting as an intellectualized backbone of chronic diseases management; further, it supports self-management and scheduling of screening. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic patients can continuously receive active recommendations related to their healthcare through the rule management system, and they can model the system by acting as decision makers in diseases management; secondary diseases can be prevented and health management can be performed by reference to patient-specific lifestyle guidelines.
Chronic Disease* ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Expert Systems ; Health Records, Personal ; Humans ; Knowledge Bases ; Life Style ; Mass Screening ; Self Care

BACKGROUND: The pro's and con's of pulsatile versus nonpulsatile perfusion during acute and chronic mechanical circulatory support is a longstanding controversial issue, some investigators have suggested that the simplest explanation for this controversy is a failure to quantitate adequately the pulsatile components of flow in studies. The aim of this study was to examine the pulsatility generated by centrifugal pump (CP) and a pulsatile extracorporeal life support (twin pulse life support, T-PLS) in terms of energy equivalent pressure (EEP) and surplus hemodynamic energy (SHE). METHODS: In each of the 5 cardiac arrested pigs, the outflow cannula of the CP or T-PLS was inserted into the ascending aorta, and the inflow cannula of the CP or T-PLS was placed in the right atrium. Extracorporeal circulation was maintained for 30 minutes using a pump flow of 75 ml/kg/min by CP or T-PLS, respectively. Pressure and flow were measured in the right internal carotid artery. RESULTS: No statistical difference was observed between CP and T-PLS in terms of mean carotid artery pressure. However, pulse pressure, the percent change from mean arterial pressure to EEP, and SHE in T-PLS were higher than CP (pulse pressure: 36.1 +/- 3.6 mmHg vs 9.1 +/- 1.3 mmHg, P < 0.05, the percent change from mean arterial pressure to EEP: 19.8 +/- 6.2% vs 0.2 +/- 0.3%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a cardiac arrested animal model, CP revealed nonpulsatility and pulsatility generated by T-PLS was effective in terms of EEP and SHE.
Aorta ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Catheters ; Extracorporeal Circulation ; Heart Arrest ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Life Support Systems* ; Models, Animal ; Perfusion ; Research Personnel ; Swine

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the clinical results and the factors for survival of patients who underwent extracorporeal life support system after adult cardiovascular surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of 44 patients (1.6% of the total adult cardiovascular surgical cases) who underwent the use of a ventricular assisted device or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation from January 2002 to August 2008. There were 32 (72.7%) males and their mean age was 61.7+/-14.9 (range: 20~73) years old. The mean duration of extracorporeal life support system was 5.3+/-3.0 (range: 1~12) days. RESULT: Of these 44 patients, 24 (54.5%) patients were successfully weaned from the extracorporeal device. Eighteen (40.9%) survivors were able to be discharged from the hospital. Complications were noted in 38 patients (86.4%). An emergency operation, no usage of a concomitant intraaortic balloon pump and major complications during use of the extracorporeal life support system such as bleeding, flow instability and renal failure were identified as significant risk factors for poor survival on univariated analysis. Owing to educational support and a continuous renal replacement therapy system, the clinical outcomes of these patients have improved since 2006. On multivariated analysis, renal failure and bleeding during extracorporeal life support were significant risk factors for poor survival. CONCLUSION: Although using extracorporeal life support systems after adult cardiovascular surgery revealed acceptable clinical results, determining the optimal treatment strategy and further well designed larger studies are needed to improve the survival rate of patients who undergo extracorporeal life support after adult cardiovascular surgery
Adult ; Emergencies ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Life Support Systems ; Male ; Medical Records ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Survival Rate ; Survivors

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) has been used for myocardium failure, but moreover, it may be essential for the life support in cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock. Many commercial devices can be used effectively for the long-term support. However, there are some limitations in the aspects of the cost and technical support by production company. Short-term support with centrifugal type has been reported numerously with the purpose of bridging to heart transplantation or recovery. We successfully treated 5 patitents who were in the status of cardiogenic shock (n=3) or arrest (n=2) with the technique of extracorporeal life support system (ECLS) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) using the centrifugal type pump. The MCS were performed emergently (n=2) under cardiac arrest caused by ischemic heart disease, and urgently (n=3) under cardiogenic shock with ischemic heart disease (n=1) or acute fulminant viral myocarditis (n=2). All patients were weaned from MCS. Complications related to the use of MCS were bleeding and acute renal failure, but there were no major complications related to femoral cannulations. Mechanical circulatory support may be essential for the life support and rescue in cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Assisted Circulation ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Catheterization ; Heart Arrest* ; Heart Transplantation ; Heart-Assist Devices ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Life Support Systems ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocarditis ; Myocardium ; Shock, Cardiogenic*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to observe and compare the changes in the patterns of hemodynamic and blood profiles on the circuit of Extra-corporeal life support system (ECLS) by using a dual pulsatile pump (T-PLS). METHODS: An acute heart failure model using partial pulmonary artery banding was constructed in 12 piglets (20 -25kg). The animals were divided into centrifugal (n=6) and dual pulsatile pump (n=6) group. Each animal was placed on an ECLS system with a membrane oxygenator bypassing the right atrium and the aorta for 2 hours under general anesthesia. The parameters mainly observed were intra-circuit pressure changes, arterial pulsatility (pulse pressure), plasma free hemoglobin, hemodynamic changes, and other blood profiles. The parameters obtained just prior to the bypass were compared with the corresponding parameters obtained two hours after the bypass. RESULTS: Before bypass, the parameters were statistically the same between the groups. Two hours after the bypass, no significant differences were observed between the groups in ABGA, VBGA, AST/ALT, BUN/Cr, and electrolytes; the plasma free hemoglobin was 14.8+/-4.7 g/dl in the dual pulsatile group and 19.1+/-9.1 g/dl in the centrifugal group (p=NS). The pulse pressure was higher in the dual pulsatile pump than in the centrifugal pump group (35+/-8 vs. 11+/-7 mmHg, p=0.0253 mmHg). The highest circuit pressure was generated at the inlet of the membrane oxygenator and was higher in the dual pulsatile group than in the centrifugal group (173+/-12 mmHg vs. 222+/-8 mmHg, p=0.0000). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that a dual pulsating mechanism lessens blood cell trauma while providing physiologic pulsatile blood flow. The ECLS system using a dual pulsatile pump (T-PLS) can be useed as an effective and safe driving motor for an ECLS.
Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Aorta ; Bays ; Blood Cells ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Electrolytes ; Heart Atria ; Heart Failure ; Hemodynamics ; Life Support Systems* ; Oxygenators, Membrane ; Plasma ; Pulmonary Artery

Attempts were made to culture Spirulina platensis in human urine directly to achieve biomass production and O(2) evolution, for potential application to nutrient regeneration and air revitalization in life support system. The culture results showed that Spirulina platensis grows successfully in diluted human urine, and yields maximal biomass at urine dilution ratios of 140 approximately 240. Accumulation of lipid and decreasing of protein occurred due to N deficiency. O(2) release rate of Spirulina platensis in diluted human urine was higher than that in Zarrouk medium.
Biomass ; Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyanobacteria ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Life Support Systems ; Oxygen ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Urine ; microbiology