OBJECTIVES Previous studies have shown that upper cervical cord atrophy (UCCA) occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in those disabled and with primary or secondary progressive disease. It is less clear how early it can be detected in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS, and whether early cord atrophy relates to the concurrent or future clinical course. METHODS Twenty seven RR MS patients (...

Objective. To study the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 in blood serum patients with multiple sclerosis.
 Materials and methods. 68 sclerosis were examined. The severity neurological deficit was assessed by EDSS MSFC. determined method enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
 Results. It found that sclerosis, serum, normal group as a whole, induced effect immunomo...

An Instrumented task board has been developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). An overview of the task board design, and current development status is presented. The task board was originally developed to evaluate operator performance using the Protoflight Manipulator Arm (PFMA) at MSFC. The task board evaluates tasks for Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU), fluid connect and transfers, ...

BACKGROUND Colour vision assessment correlates with damage of the visual pathway and might be informative of overall brain damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to investigate the association between impaired colour vision and disease severity. METHODS We performed neurological and ophthalmic examinations, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and...

The objective of the Synthetic Imaging Formation Flying Testbed (SIFFT) is to develop and demonstrate algorithms for autonomous centimeter-level precision formation flying. This technology helps to enable synthetic aperture imaging systems, especially when combined with second stage precision optical control systems. Preliminary tests have been conducted on SIFFT at the Flat Floor facility at N...

The planned Ares V launch vehicle with its 10 meter fairing shroud and 55,000 kg capacity to the Sun Earth L2 point enables entirely new classes of space telescopes. NASA MSFC has conducted a preliminary study that demonstrates the feasibility of launching a 6 to 8 meter class monolithic primary mirror telescope to Sun-Earth L2 using an Ares V. Specific technical areas studied included optical ...

Future astrophysical missions will require fabrication technology capable of producing high angular resolution x-ray optics. A full-shell direct fabrication approach using modern robotic polishing machines has the potential for producing high resolution, light-weight and affordable x-ray mirrors that can be nested to produce large collecting area. This approach to mirror fabrication, based on t...

BACKGROUND To prospectively determine health status and health utility and its predictors in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS A total of 144 MS patients (mean age: 41.0 ± 11.3 y) with different subtypes (patterns of progression) and severities of MS were recruited in an outpatient university clinic in Germany. Patients completed a questionnaire at baseline (n = 144), 6 months (n...