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Record response to call for new astronauts
WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a device that stimulates the diaphragm and allows some people to breathe without a mechanical ventilator.
The FDA said the NeuRx DPS RA/4 Respiratory Stimulation System, an implantable electronic device, is used by certain spinal cord injury patients to breathe for at least four hours a day without a ventilator.
"Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis, which can impact the muscles of the chest and abdomen, including the diaphragm -- the lower abdominal muscle essential for breathing," the federal agency said. Patients with severe spinal cord injuries who cannot control their diaphragms often need mechanical ventilation to help them breathe.
"While the NeuRx RA/4 does not cure paralysis of the diaphragm, allowing patients to be free from a mechanical ventilator for at least four hours a day may enhance their quality of life," said Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
NeuRx DPS RA/4 is manufactured by Synapse Biomedical Inc. of Cleveland.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
The late Steve Jobs, co-founder of the U.S. computer giant Apple, had faults in his personal life but was a business visionary, associates told the FBI.
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NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
Macaulay Culkin is in "perfectly good health," his publicist said after the former child star was photographed looking gaunt and disheveled in New York.
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GREENBELT, Md., Feb. 9 (UPI) --
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the first color image from orbit of the three-petal lander of NASA's 2004 Rover Spirit mission, scientists say.
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UPI Almanac for Friday, Feb. 10, 2012.
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