Astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 8, and the anterior cervical fusion that changed the history of human spaceflight

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-92
Author(s):  
Richard Menger ◽  
Michael Wolf ◽  
Jai Deep Thakur ◽  
Anil Nanda ◽  
Anthony Martino
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cervical Disc ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Cascading Effect ◽  
Cervical Surgery ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anterior Cervical Surgery ◽  
The Impact

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared that the United States would send a man to the moon and safely bring him home before the end of the decade. Astronaut Michael Collins was one of those men. He flew to the moon on the historic flight of Apollo 11 while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on its surface. However, this was not supposed to be the case.Astronaut Collins was scheduled to fly on Apollo 8. While training, in 1968, he started developing symptoms of cervical myelopathy. He underwent evaluation at Wilford Hall Air Force Hospital in San Antonio and was noted to have a C5–6 disc herniation and posterior osteophyte on myelography. Air Force Lieutenant General (Dr.) Paul W. Myers performed an anterior cervical discectomy with placement of iliac bone graft. As a result, Astronaut James Lovell took his place on Apollo 8 flying the uncertain and daring first mission to the moon. This had a cascading effect on the rotation of astronauts, placing Michael Collins on the Apollo 11 flight that first landed men on the moon. It also placed Astronaut James Lovell in a rotation that exposed him to be the Commander of the fateful Apollo 13 flight.Here, the authors chronicle the history of Astronaut Collins’ anterior cervical surgery and the impact of his procedure on the rotation of astronaut flight selection, and they review the pivotal historic nature of the Apollo 8 spaceflight. The authors further discuss the ongoing issue of cervical disc herniation among astronauts.

Anterior surgery for cervical disc disease

1980 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
Peter J. Jannetta ◽  
Peter E. Sheptak ◽  
David S. Zorub
Keyword(s):  
Disc Herniation ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Cervical Disc ◽  
Complete Relief ◽  
Anterior Fusion ◽  
Disc Disease ◽  
Anterior Surgery ◽  
Cervical Surgery ◽  
Anterior Cervical Surgery ◽  
Results Of Surgery

✓ Between 1971 and 1977, 334 patients at the Presbyterian-University Hospital underwent anterior surgery for treatment of hard or soft cervical disc herniation. Of these patients, 295 had radicular symptoms only. This retrospective study details the results of anterior cervical surgery for treatment of lateral disc herniation in 253 patients who survived 1 to 7 years postoperatively. Sixty-seven percent had excellent or good results. Although 77% initially noted complete relief of symptoms after surgery, 38% subsequently developed one or more recurrent symptoms at some time during the follow-up period. The overall results of surgery for soft disc cases were no different from the results for hard discs, although significantly more hard disc cases required postoperative conservative treatment. The results of surgery after anterior fusion were no different than the results after anterior discectomy alone. However, overall postoperative complications were more frequent and hospitalizations were longer in the patients who underwent fusion. Patients with multiple-level surgery had statistically similar results to those with single-level surgery. None of the nine preoperative clinical features reported by others to influence the results of anterior cervical surgery were found to consistently affect outcome in the present series.

scholarly journals Anterior cervical surgery to treat diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophic combined with cervical disc herniation

Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (22) ◽  
pp. e26097
Author(s):  
Kun Gao ◽  
Yafei Cao ◽  
Weidong Liu ◽  
Shufen Sun ◽  
Yihong Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Cervical Disc Herniation ◽  
Cervical Disc ◽  
Cervical Surgery ◽  
Anterior Cervical Surgery

Impact of the 2020 crises on the arts and culture in the United States: The effect of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement in historical context

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-465
Author(s):  
Stanley N. Katz ◽  
Leah Reisman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Organizations ◽  
Black Lives Matter ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Arts And Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cultural Sector ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement on the arts and cultural sector in the United States, placing the 2020 crises in the context of the United States’s historically decentralized approach to supporting the arts and culture. After providing an overview of the United States’s private, locally focused history of arts funding, we use this historical lens to analyze the combined effects of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement on a single metropolitan area – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We trace a timeline of key events in the national and local pandemic response and the reaction of the arts community to the Black Lives Matter movement, arguing that the nature of these intersecting responses, and their fallout for the arts and cultural sector, stem directly from weaknesses in the United States’s historical approach to administering the arts. We suggest that, in the context of widespread organizational vulnerability caused by the pandemic, the United States’s decentralized approach to funding culture also undermines cultural organizations’ abilities to respond to issues of public relevance and demonstrate their civic value, threatening these organizations’ legitimacy.

scholarly journals High food insecurity in Latinx families and associated COVID-19 infection in the Greater Bay Area, California

BMC Nutrition ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milagro Escobar ◽  
Andrea DeCastro Mendez ◽  
Maria Romero Encinas ◽  
Sofia Villagomez ◽  
Janet M. Wojcicki
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Household Food ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Food insecurity impacts nearly one-in-four Latinx households in the United States and has been exacerbated by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We examined the impact of COVID-19 on household and child food security in three preexisting, longitudinal, Latinx urban cohorts in the San Francisco Bay Area (N = 375 households, 1875 individuals). Households were initially recruited during pregnancy and postpartum at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and UCSF Benioff prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this COVID-19 sub-study, participants responded to a 15-min telephonic interview. Participants answered 18 questions from the US Food Security Food Module (US HFSSM) and questions on types of food consumption, housing and employment status, and history of COVID-19 infection as per community or hospital-based testing. Food security and insecurity levels were compared with prior year metrics. Results We found low levels of household food security in Latinx families (by cohort: 29.2%; 34.2%; 60.0%) and child food security (56.9%, 54.1%, 78.0%) with differences between cohorts explained by self-reported levels of education and employment status. Food security levels were much lower than those reported previously in two cohorts where data had been recorded from prior years. Reported history of COVID-19 infection in households was 4.8% (95% Confidence Interval (CI); 1.5–14.3%); 7.2% (95%CI, 3.6–13.9%) and 3.5% (95%CI, 1.7–7.2%) by cohort and was associated with food insecurity in the two larger cohorts (p = 0.03; p = 0.01 respectively). Conclusions Latinx families in the Bay Area with children are experiencing a sharp rise in food insecurity levels during the COVID-19 epidemic. Food insecurity, similar to other indices of poverty, is associated with increased risk for COVID-19 infection. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address food insecurity in Latinx populations and further studies are needed to better assess independent associations between household food insecurity, poor nutritional health and risk of COVID-19 infection.

Our Rightful Place

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry L. Birdwhistell ◽  
Deirdre A. Scaggs
Keyword(s):  
Women Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Of Kentucky ◽  
Campus Environment ◽  
Rightful Place ◽  
Women's Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Since women first entered the University of Kentucky (UK) in 1880 they have sought, demanded, and struggled for equality within the university. The period between 1880 and 1945 at UK witnessed women’s suffrage, two world wars, and an economic depression. It was during this time that women at UK worked to take their rightful place in the university’s life prior to the modern women’s movement of the 1960s and beyond. The history of women at UK is not about women triumphant, and it remains an untidy story. After pushing for admission into a male-centric campus environment, women created women’s spaces, women’s organizations, and a women’s culture often patterned on those of men. At times, it seemed that a goal was to create a woman’s college within the larger university. However, coeducation meant that women, by necessity, competed with men academically while still navigating the evolving social norms of relationships between the sexes. Both of those paths created opportunities, challenges, and problems for women students and faculty. By taking a more women-centric view of the campus, this study shows more clearly the impact that women had over time on the culture and environment. It also allows a comparison, and perhaps a contrast, of the experiences of UK women with other public universities across the United States.

scholarly journals Paraplegia after Gastrectomy in a Patient with Cervical Disc Herniation: A Case Report and Review of Literature

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Qingfu Zhang ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Quanhong Zhou ◽  
Guangyan Wang ◽  
Linlin Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Postoperative Complication ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Surgical Decompression ◽  
Cervical Disc Herniation ◽  
Cervical Disc ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
History Of ◽  
Acute Paraplegia

Paraplegia is a rare postoperative complication. We present a case of acute paraplegia after elective gastrectomy surgery because of cervical disc herniation. The 73-year-old man has the medical history of cervical spondylitis with only symptom of temporary pain in neck and shoulder. Although the patient’s neck was cautiously preserved by using the Discopo, an acute paraplegia emerged at about 10 hours after the operation. Severe compression of the spinal cord by herniation of the C4-C5 cervical disc was diagnosed and emergency surgical decompression was performed immediately. Unfortunately the patient showed limited improvement in neurologic deficits even after 11 months.

scholarly journals Anterior cervical spine surgical complications: Safety comparison between teacher and student

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Edvin Zekaj ◽  
Guglielmo Iess ◽  
Domenico Servello
Keyword(s):  
Critical Factor ◽  
Anterior Cervical Discectomy ◽  
Cervical Disc ◽  
Cervical Disc Arthroplasty ◽  
Complication Rates ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Cervical Discectomy ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Cervical Surgery ◽  
Anterior Cervical Surgery

Background: Anterior cervical surgery has a widespread use. Despite its popularity, this surgery can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, and warrants the attention of skilled attending spinal surgeons with many years of experience. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated postoperative complications occurring in 110 patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery (anterior cervical discectomy without fusion, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, and anterior cervical disc arthroplasty) between 2013 and 2020. These operations were performed by an either an attending surgeon with 30 years’ experience versus a novice neurosurgeon (NN) with <5 years of training with the former surgeon. Complications were variously identified utilizing admission/discharge notes, surgical reports, follow-up visits, and phone calls. Complications for the two groups were compared for total and specific complication rates (using the Pearson’s Chi-square and Fisher’s test). Results: The total cumulative complication rate was 15.4% and was not significantly different between the two cohorts. The most frequent postoperative complication was dysphagia. Notably, there were no significant differences in total number of postoperative instances of dysphagia, dysphonia, unintended durotomy, hypoasthenia, and hypoesthesia; the only difference was the longer operative times for NNs. Conclusion: Surgeons’ years of experience proved not to be a critical factor in determining complication rates following anterior cervical surgery.

scholarly journals Tracing the cultural history of upper Snake River guides in Grand Teton National Park

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Yolonda Youngs
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
National Park ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Snake River ◽  
World War ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

This study traces the development and evolution of Snake River use and management through an in-depth exploration of historic commercial scenic river guiding and concessions on the upper Snake River in Grand Teton National Park (GRTE) from 1950 to the present day. The research is based on a combination of methods including archival research, oral history analysis, historical landscape analysis, and fieldwork. I suggest that a distinct cultural community of river runners and outdoor recreationalists developed in Grand Teton National Park after World War II. In GRTE, a combination of physical, cultural, and technical forces shaped this community’s evolution including the specific geomorphology and dynamic channel patterns of the upper Snake River, the individuals and groups that worked on this river, and changes in boat and gear technology over time. The following paper presents the early results from the first year of this project in 2016 including the work of a graduate student and myself. This study offers connections between the upper Snake River and Grand Teton National Park to broader national trends in the evolution of outdoor recreation and concessions in national parks, the impact of World War II on technological developments for boating, and the cultural history of adventure outdoor recreation and tourism in the United States.   Featured photo by Elton Menefee on Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/AHgCFeg-gXg

scholarly journals Particularity of Canada-Mexico bilateral relations (from beginning to entry into force NAFTA Agreement)

2018 ◽  
pp. 31-41
Author(s):  
Oleh Bulka
Keyword(s):  
Trade Agreement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mutual Cooperation ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
The North ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Organizational Mechanism ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Impact

The article is devoted to the particularity of Canada-Mexico bilateral relations in the period from their beginning to signing and entry into force the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It is noted that from the time of first contacts bilateral relations between two countries have developed unevenly with periods of increase and periods of decline. It is determined that in the history of Canada-Mexico relations before signing NAFTA can be identified four main periods. The first one is a period of early contacts that lasted from the end of XIX century to the establishment of the official diplomatic relations between Canada and Mexico in 1944. In this period of time ties between the two countries were extremely weak. The second period lasted from 1944 to the end of the 1960s. This period clearly shows the limits of cooperation between Canada and Mexico after the establishment of the official diplomatic ties, but it is also possible to see a certain coincidence between the values and diplomatic strategies of these countries. The third period of Canada-Mexico relations lasted from the beginning of the 1970s to the end of the 1980s. During this period, both Canada and Mexico try to diversify their foreign policy and strengthen the organizational mechanism of mutual cooperation. But it is also shown that despite the warm political rhetoric, there was some distance in Canada-Mexico relations. The fourth period of the relations lasted from the late 1980s until the NAFTA treaty came into force in 1994. At that time Canadian and Mexican governments began to give priority to economic relations over political and diplomatic ones. It was revealed that the main influencing factors of bilateral relations between Mexico and Canada were the impact of third countries, especially the United Kingdom and the United States, regional and global economic conditions, and the attitude to the bilateral relations of the political elites of both countries.

scholarly journals The impact of alternative rebuilding strategies to rebuild overfished stocks

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 2190-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantel R. Wetzel ◽  
André E. Punt ◽  
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Strategy Evaluation ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Us West

Abstract Ending overfishing and rebuilding fish stocks to levels that provide for optimum sustainable yield is a concern for fisheries management worldwide. In the United States, fisheries managers are legally mandated to end overfishing and to implement rebuilding plans for fish stocks that fall below minimum stock size thresholds. Rebuilding plans should lead to recovery to target stock sizes within 10 years, except in situations where the life history of the stock or environmental conditions dictate otherwise. Federally managed groundfish species along the US West Coast have diverse life histories where some are able to rebuild quickly from overfished status, while others, specifically rockfish (Sebastes spp.), may require decades for rebuilding. A management strategy evaluation which assumed limited estimation error was conducted to evaluate the performance of alternative strategies for rebuilding overfished stocks for these alternative US West Coast life histories. Generally, the results highlight the trade-off between the reduction of catches during rebuilding vs. the length of rebuilding. The most precautionary rebuilding plans requiring the greatest harvest reduction resulted in higher average catches over the entire projection period compared with strategies that required a longer rebuilding period with less of a reduction in rebuilding catch. Attempting to maintain a 50% probability of rebuilding was the poorest performing rebuilding strategy for all life histories, resulting in a large number of changes to the rebuilding plan, increased frequency of failing to meet rebuilding targets, and higher variation in catch. The rebuilding plans that implemented a higher initial rebuilding probability (≥60%) for determining rebuilding fishing mortality and targets generally resulted in fewer changes to the rebuilding plans and rebuilt by the target rebuilding year, particularly for stocks with the longer rebuilding plans (e.g. rockfishes).

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