T B Driscoll | PubMed Health

PubMed1978

Low-temperature urine collection apparatus for laboratory rodents.

An apparatus for the collection of urine at -19 degrees C from unrestrained small laboratory animals was developed. The cooling unit accommodated five rodent metabolism cages for the collection of urine volumes up to 50 ml per collection period. The unit operated continuously for 5--6 weeks with no maintenance other than removal of the urine specimens, cleaning of the cages and collection dishes, and provision of feed and water.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Prolonged weightlessness effect on postflight plasma thyroid hormones.

Blood drawn before and after spaceflight from the nine Skylab astronauts showed a statistically significant increase in mean plasma thyroxine (T-4) of 1.4 microgram/dl and in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of 4 muU/ml. Concurrent triiodothyronine (T-3) levels decreased 27 ng/dl indicating inhibited conversion of T-4 to T-3. The T-3 decrease is postulated to be a result of the increased cortisol levels noted during and following each mission. These results confirm the thyroidal changes noted after the shorter Apollo flights and show that thyroid hormone levels change during spaceflight.

Cholesterol↗