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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The Rhesus monkey as a model for testing the immunological effects of space flight.

The Rhesus monkey has been proposed as a model for the effects of space flight on immunity. In order to determine the feasibility of the use of the Rhesus monkey as a model, we studied the use of Rhesus monkey cells for immunological procedures that have been shown to be affected by space flight in both rodents and humans. We have shown that both lymph node cells and peripheral blood leukocytes can be stained with monoclonal antibodies to detect the following surface markers: CD4, CD-8, Ia and surface immunoglobulin. Also, the level of Ia antigen expression was increased by treatment of the cells with human interferon-gamma. In addition, cells were induced to produce interferons and interleukins. Isolated neutrophils also demonstrated increased oxidative burst. These data indicate that the Rhesus monkey will be a useful model for space flight studies of immunity.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of metabolic shifts in structures of the spinal reflex arc in rats after space flight.

The stage of structures of the spinal reflex arc was studied by methods of quantitative cytochemistry in rats after orbital space flights lasting 19.5 and 22.5 days; the RNA and cytoplasmic protein content was determined in spinal motoneurons and sensory neurons of the spinal ganglia, the composition of soluble proteins of the gray and white matter of the spinal cord and spinal ganglia was determined; the lactate dehydrogenase (LD) isozyme spectrum also was investigated in the spinal ganglia and muscles of the hind limbs. A decrease in the content of cytoplasmic proteins in the spinal motoneurons and neurons of the spinal ganglia and a decrease in the content of water-soluble proteins in the gray and white matter of the spinal cord were found 5-11 h after space flight lasting 19.5 days and during the first day after a space flight lasting 22.5 days. Significant changes in the activity of isozyme fractions LD1 and LD2 were found in homogenates of the spinal ganglia. On the 1st and 2nd days after flight the LD isozyme spectrum of the soleus muscle changed from "cardiac" to "intermediate" type. The changes discovered were evidently the result of functional underactivity of the skeletal muscles under conditions of weightlessness. An increase in the RNA content in the sensory and motor neurons and an increase in the content of water-soluble proteins in the gray matter of the spinal cord were found 25-27 days after the end of the space flights, probably a manifestation of readaptation of the animals to terrestrial conditions.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1999

Inflight exercise affects stand test responses after space flight.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise performed by Space Shuttle crew members during short-duration space flights (9-16 d) affects the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) responses to standing within 2-4 h of landing. METHODS: Thirty crew members performed self-selected inflight exercise and maintained exercise logs to monitor their exercise intensity and duration. Two subjects participated in this investigation during two different flights. A 10-min stand test, preceded by at least 6 min of quiet supine rest, was completed 10-15 d before launch (PRE) and within 4 h of landing (POST). Based upon their inflight exercise records, subjects were grouped as either high (HIex: > or = 3 times/week, HR > or = 70% HRmax, > or = 20 min/session, N = 11), medium (MEDex: > or = 3 times/week, HR < 70% HRmax, > or = 20 min/session, N = 10), or low (LOex: < or = 3 times/week, HR and duration variable, N = 11) exercisers. HR and BP responses to standing were compared between groups (ANOVA, P < or = 0.05). RESULTS: There were no PRE differences between the groups in supine or standing HR and BP. Although POST supine HR was similar to PRE, all groups had an increased standing HR compared with PRE. The increase in HR upon standing was significantly greater after flight in the LOex group (36 +/- 5 bpm) compared with HIex or MEDex groups (25 +/- 1 bpm; 22 +/- 2 bpm). Similarly, the decrease in pulse pressure (PP) from supine to standing was unchanged after space flight in the MEDex and HIex groups but was significantly greater in the LOex group (PRE: -9 +/- 3; POST: -19 +/- 4 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, moderate to high levels of inflight exercise attenuated HR and PP responses to standing after space flight.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Excretion of amino acids by humans during space flight.

UNLABELLED: We measured the urine amino acid distribution patterns before, during and after space flight on the Space Shuttle. The urine samples were collected on two separate flights of the space shuttle. The first flight lasted 9.5 days and the second flight 15 days. Urine was collected continuously on 8 subjects for the period beginning 10 d before launch to 6 d after landing. RESULTS: In contrast to the earlier Skylab missions where a pronounced amino aciduria was found, on shuttle the urinary amino acids showed little change with spaceflight except for a marked decrease in all of the amino acids on FD (flight day) 1 (p<0.05) and a reduction in isoleucine and valine on FD3 and FD4 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: (i) Amino aciduria is not an inevitable consequence of space flight. (ii) The occurrence of amino aciduria, like muscle protein breakdown is a mission specific effect rather than part of the general human response to microgravity.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed1994

Summary of lower body negative pressure experiments during space flight.

This paper summarizes the lower body negative pressure experiments performed in space, beginning with the experiments conducted on Skylab, because this program provided the most cardiovascular physiology data for United States space flight. Data obtained during studies of lower body negative pressure for use as a countermeasure after months of Russian space flight are also presented. Lower body negative pressure experiments conducted aboard Space Shuttle flights provide data about the deadaptation response of the cardiovascular system to orthostatic stress occurring during periods of zero gravity, and about protection against postflight orthostatic intolerance. Data obtained using Russian and American lower body negative pressure devices indicate that, when a crew member stands, as opposed to being supported by a seat or saddle as in the American device, there may be a slight detrimental effect in terms of the cardiovascular response to this orthostatic stress. Comparison of heart rate and blood pressure response to entry and landing of the Shuttle indicate that, although lower body negative pressure is a different stress and is applied in a different manner, the maximum heart rates during lower body negative pressure are reached at approximately the same point that the maximum heart rates are reached during entry and landing. Thus, the use of a lower body negative pressure stress in flight is a fairly good predictor of the cardiovascular response to the actual entry and landing of the Shuttle.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1989

Ultrastructural and growth indices of Chlorella culture in multicomponent aquatic systems under space flight conditions.

Submicroscopic organization of Chlorella cells cultivated under space flight conditions in three-component aquatic system has been studied. Comparison of the experimental cells with that of the controls revealed certain rearrangements of cell organelles particularly, a reduction in the amount of reserve polysaccharides in chloroplasts, increase of cell vacuolization and mitochondrion volume, complication configuration of plasmalemma evaginations and invaginations, and also disturbances in the process of cytokinesis. More over an increase in the number of Chlorella cells infected by bacteria was shown in the experimental variant. No considerable differences were established in the growth characteristics of the experimental and control populations. A comparative cytological analysis revealed general regularities of organelles in Chlorella cells cultivated under space flight condition in the uni- and multicomponent systems.

Aquaculture↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of factors imitating space flight conditions on human lipid metabolism].

Studies of the effects of space flight simulation factors on lipid metabolism showed that space diets developed for space flights of different duration (dehydrated foodstuffs alone or in combination with foods preserved by other methods) did not produce noticeable changes in lipid metabolism. Nevertheless, other factors, i.e. hypokinesia, intake of nerobol during hypokinesia, an altered work-rest cycle, an increased carbon monoxide concentration (up to 15 mg/m3) influenced lipid metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Effects of a long-term space flight on human biochemical status].

Biochemical status of cosmonauts was examined during long (4-6 months) space flights. A Reflotron device and test strips with an active principle based on "dry chemistry" methods were used. Blood plasma samples were collected from the finger for later laboratory analyses. Parameters characterizing metabolic status and functions of various body systems and organs were tested in blood and plasma samples. Space flight was found associated with increased peripheral blood levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, uric acid, lactate, total protein, lactate dehydrogenase and amylase activities. The detected shifts were reversible. A hypothesis on minimal levels of energy metabolism under conditions of weightlessness was confirmed by reduced malate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase activities in the blood during the flights. No correlation between the detected shifts and space flight duration was revealed.

Blood↗
PubMed1998

Hindlimb unloading of growing rats: a model for predicting skeletal changes during space flight.

A model that uses hindlimb unloading of rats was developed to study the consequences of skeletal unloading and reloading as occurs during and following space flight. Studies using the model were initiated two decades ago and further developed at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-Ames Research Center. The model mimics some aspects of exposure to microgravity by removing weightbearing loads from the hindquarters and producing a cephalic fluid shift. Unlike space flight, the forelimbs remain loaded in the model, providing a useful internal control to distinguish between the local and systemic effects of hindlimb unloading. Rats that are hindlimb unloaded by tail traction gain weight at the same rate as pairfed controls, and glucocorticoid levels are not different from controls, suggesting that systemic stress is minimal. Unloaded bones display reductions in cancellous osteoblast number, cancellous mineral apposition rate, trabecular bone volume, cortical periosteal mineralization rate, total bone mass, calcium content, and maturation of bone mineral relative to controls. Subsequent studies reveal that these changes also occur in rats exposed to space flight. In hindlimb unloaded rats, bone formation rates and masses of unloaded bones decline relative to controls, while loaded bones do not change despite a transient reduction in serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) concentrations. Studies using the model to evaluate potential countermeasures show that 1,25D, growth hormone, dietary calcium, alendronate, and muscle stimulation modify, but do not completely correct, the suppression of bone growth caused by unloading, whereas continuous infusion of transforming growth factor-beta2 or insulin-like growth factor-1 appears to protect against some of the bone changes caused by unloading. These results emphasize the importance of local as opposed to systemic factors in the skeletal response to unloading, and reveal the pivotal role that osteoblasts play in the response to gravitational loading. The hindlimb unloading model provides a unique opportunity to evaluate in detail the physiological and cellular mechanisms of the skeletal response to weightbearing loads, and has proven to be an effective model for space flight.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adaptation of neuromuscular activation patterns during treadmill walking after long-duration space flight.

The precise neuromuscular control needed for optimal locomotion, particularly around heel strike and toe off, is known to he compromised after short duration (8- to 15-day) space flight. We hypothesized here that longer exposure to weightlessness would result in maladaptive neuromuscular activation during postflight treadmill walking. We also hypothesized that space flight would affect the ability of the sensory-motor control system to generate adaptive neuromuscular activation patterns in response to changes in visual target distance during postflight treadmill walking. Seven crewmembers, who completed 3- to 6-month missions, walked on a motorized treadmill while visually fixating on a target placed 30 cm (NEAR) or 2 m (FAR) from the subject's eyes. Electronic foot switch data and surface electromyography were collected from selected muscles of the right lower limb. Results indicate that the phasic features of neuromuscular activation were moderately affected and the relative amplitude of activity in the tibialis anterior and rectus femoris around toe off changed after space flight. Changes also were evident after space flight in how these muscles adapted to the shift in visual target distance.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

[Growth and development of plants in a sequence of generations under the conditions of space flight (experiment Greenhouse-3)].

The purpose was to study characteristic features of growth and development of several plant generations in space flight in experiment GREENHOUSE-3 as a part of the Russian-US space research program MIR/NASA in 1997. The experiment consisted of cultivation of Brassica rapa L. in board greenhouse Svet. Two vegetative cycles were fully completed and the third vegetation was terminated on day 13 on the phase of budding. The total duration of the space experiment was 122 days, i.e. same as in the ground controls. In the experiment with Brassica rapa L. viable seeds produced by the first crop were planted in space flight and yielded next crop. Crops raised from the ground and space seeds were found to differ in height and number of buds. Both parameters were lowered in the plants grown from the space seeds. The prime course for smaller size and reduced organogenic potential of plantTs reproductive system seems to be a less content of nutrients in seeds that had matured in the space flight. Experiment GREENHOUSE-3 demonstrated principle feasibility of plant reproduction in space greenhouse from seeds developed in microgravity.

Brassica rapa↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Genetic studies of Arabidopsis seeds during space flight].

The results of Arabidopsis investigations carried out on various space vehicles are summarized. It is found that space flight effects induce different genetic lesions in seed germs which may decrease plant viability and fertility and increase mutation frequency. The lethal effect of space flight is dependent on its duration and is related to accelerated seed aging.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1992

Energy requirements for space flight.

Both the United States and the Soviet Union perform human space research. This paper reviews data available on energy metabolism in the microgravity of space flight. The level of energy utilization in space seems to be similar to that on Earth, as does energy availability. However, despite adequate intake of energy and protein and in-flight exercise, lean body mass was catabolized, as indicated by negative nitrogen balance. Metabolic studies during simulated microgravity (bed rest) and true microgravity in flight have shown changes in blood glucose, fatty acids and insulin concentrations, suggesting that energy metabolism may be altered during space flight. Future research should focus on the interactions of lean body mass, diet and exercise in space, and their roles in energy metabolism during space flight.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Possibility of adopting hypoxic environment in the cabin for manned space flight].

The favourable and the unfavourable factors of normal baric hypoxia (1.0 atm, oxygen concentration below 21%) and hypobartic hypoxia (cabin pressure below 1.0 atm, 21% O2) in the cabin for manned space flight were discussed. Author considered that proper hypobaric hypoxia in the cabin (0.8-0.9 atm, 21% O2) would be benifit no matter for long or short term space flight. For long term space flight, the microclimate control model in the cabin should be considered again, it controlled in a narrow comfortable zone would unfavourable to human adaptability to changing environment. All these problems proposed in this paper need to be further studied.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bone and body mass changes during space flight.

Body mass, calcium and skeletal changes occur in humans who have worked in microgravity. Physiologic changes are seen as early as one week and are still occurring 312 days into space flight. The physiologic changes in bone and mineral metabolism may be among those which limits long duration space flight if an adequate countermeasure is not developed. The purpose of this paper is to summarize what is known about calcium dynamics and bone mineral changes as well as associated changes of body mass induced by space flight. The data reported is from a variety of studies conducted in both actual and simulated space flight.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Radiobiological risk and single event effects during manned space flights.

Radiation hazard during previous manned space flights was not a critical problem as seen from monitoring on board MIR and the SHUTTLE. Future Martian and Lunar missions as well as flights on inclined or high altitude orbits around the Earth can be exposed to a large radiobiological risk and critical reliability losses can be expected, due to Single Event Effects on VLSI devices. The main characteristics of these hazards and some counter-measures to be provided for are given.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of space flight factors on the intact and regenerating skeletal muscles of the extremities in newts].

The influence of space flight factors on the structure of two skeletal muscles of the hindlimbs was studied in newts. Degenerative-atrophic changes took place in the both muscles of the flight group animals. Comparative-quantitative analysis of ultrastructural changes of the muscle tissue has shown that after space flight, the rate of structural defects of the muscle was twice that in animals of the synchronous and laboratory control groups. But these changes were reversible: within 10 days, the structure of the muscle fibers was practically normalized. The influence of space flight on repair regeneration of the hindlimb skeletal muscle was also studied: the muscle was minced and placed back in its bed 14 days before the flight. Under these conditions, the repair regeneration of the muscle was not suppressed, but a trend towards its delay was found.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Features of the functional capabilities of the bodies of older persons exposed to simulated space flight factors].

In response to simulated space flights cardiovascular and metabolic changes of 86 volunteers, aged 40-49 and 50-56, were similar to those of young people (25-39 years old). In most aged test subjects, the changes produced by 8-day head-down tilt (-8 degrees) and 7-day water immersion were moderate and reversible. This type of variation of the adaptive-compensatory reactions give evidence that aged people have sufficiently high functional capabilities. Nevertheless, 36% test subjects, aged 40-49, and 50% test subjects, aged 50-56, displayed certain features suggesting a reduction of the adaptive-compensatory capabilities (functional reserves) as a result of age-related and atherosclerotic changes of the cardiovascular system.

Adaptation, Physiological↗