Page 149 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

Karolinska Institute in Sweden, this research has been effect in lung circulation. The drug widens the blood
ongoing for more than 10 years, most recently within vessels and counteracts life-threating increases of
the Airway Monitoring experiments. These experiments the local blood pressure.
analyze the amount of nitric oxide exhaled by On the moon and on Mars, astronaut’s lungs may
astronauts under different conditions in the weightless become easily irritated or inflamed by dust particles.
environment of space (e.g., normal pressure, reduced The reduced gravity on those celestial bodies makes
pressure in an airlock, pre-/post-spacewalk etc.)
floating dust a real threat for humans.
The astronauts breathe into a specially developed Understanding the effects of weightlessness and
instrument that measures nitric oxide levels. reduced pressure on airway health will help space
The purpose of taking reduced measurements in explorers monitor, diagnose and treat lung inflammation
an airlock—normally used to exit a spacecraft for during spaceflight. This information is key to ensuring
spacewalks, and is set at a 30% reduced pressure— the health and safety of astronauts on longer missions
is to simulate conditions in future habitats on Mars, beyond Earth’s orbit.
and is equivalent to being at 3000 m (9843 ft) altitude
on Earth.
The device that measures the nitric oxide is lightweight, Bringing Space Station Ultrasound
easy to use and accurate. The same instrument to the Ends of the Earth
is currently used in clinics and hospitals, helping Fast, efficient and readily available medical attention is
asthmatics and offering a quick and cheap way to
diagnose lung problems. It was developed in close key to survival in a health emergency. When a person
is stricken with injury or illness, getting a quick and
collaboration between the medical technology industry accurate diagnosis through medical imaging technology
and the researchers at Karolinska Institute.
B4H 3rd Edition can be crucial for ensuring proper treatment.
In a similar collaboration with the pharmaceutical
industry, the same researchers developed a nitric oxide- For people who live in major cities and towns where
fully equipped hospitals are only a quick ambulance ride
donating drug (Supernitro) with a uniquely selective
away, that is not usually a problem. However, for those
without medical facilities within easy reach, it can mean
the difference between life and death.
For astronauts in orbit about 386 kilometers
(240 miles) above Earth aboard the ISS, that
problem was addressed through the Advanced
Measurable Monitoring Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM)
Technology; investigation. Space station astronauts are trained
Immeasurable to use a small ultrasound unit aboard the space
Possibilities station to examine fellow crew members. In the event
Economic
Scientific
Monitoring technology used to measure the of a health concern, astronauts can use this unit to
diagnose many injuries and illnesses with the help of
Valuation
Valuation
fractionally exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) content doctors on Earth. Launched in 2011, the ultrasound
produced by astronauts has led to a line of unit used for ADUM was replaced with a smaller and
commercial devices. Aerocrine’s NIOX MINO has even more sophisticated scanner dubbed Ultrasound 2,
ECONOMIC
SCIENTIFIC
been used to complete more than 10 million tests which is currently in use aboard the ISS.
VALUATION
VALUATION
since 2004, whereas NIOX VERO was introduced in
2014. In 2015, Circassia Pharmaceuticals acquired
Aerocrine for $214 million. In 2017, these NIOX
devices were the leading point-of-care FeNO
monitoring products, used to perform approximately Space station astronauts are
3.6 million tests annually in more than 8,700 trained to use a small ultrasound
locations worldwide, with total sales of $35.9 million
in 2017—an increase of 18% over 2016. unit aboard the space station to
examine fellow crew members.
Human Earth Observation Innovative Global Economic
Health and Disaster Technology Education Development
Response of Space
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