Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Fabio Costa, Francesco Saverio Ambesi-Impiombato, Tommaso Beccari, Carmela Conte, Samuela Cataldi, Francesco Curcio, Elisabetta Albi
Summary: Space travel is an extreme experience for astronauts, with microgravity causing significant physiological changes in the body, particularly in the muscles, cardiovascular system, and bones. Psychological stress and nutritional deficiencies also contribute to physiological and cognitive impairment in astronauts.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Xin Chen, Jiancheng Yang, Huanhuan Lv, Jingmin Che, Jianping Wang, Bin Zhang, Peng Shang
Summary: Exposure to microgravity in spaceflight leads to rapid bone loss, which is a significant obstacle to human exploration of outer space. Current countermeasures for bone loss are insufficient, and finding safer and more effective drugs is urgent. Melatonin, a molecule derived from tryptophan, has various physiological actions and a high safety profile. It has positive effects on osteoporosis, including microgravity-induced bone loss.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ronni Baran, Markus Wehland, Herbert Schulz, Martina Heer, Manfred Infanger, Daniela Grimm
Summary: Space travelers experience enhanced bone loss in microgravity, which can be slowed down through exercise and pharmacological treatments that decrease bone resorption and promote bone formation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Scott M. Smith, Sara R. Zwart
Summary: History books are filled with examples of how nutrition can determine the success or failure of human exploration. Understanding the role of nutrition in optimizing health is crucial for the future of space exploration and human advancement in this frontier.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Florencio Diniz-Sousa, Lucas Veras, Giorjines Boppre, Vitor Devezas, Hugo Santos-Sousa, John Preto, Leandro Machado, Joao Paulo Vilas-Boas, Jose Oliveira, Helder Fonseca
Summary: Our study found that gravitational loading only decreased during the first month after surgery and remained stable thereafter, and these changes do not seem to explain BS-induced bone loss. The association between weight and bone loss seems to result from other physiological aspects, such as fat and lean mass loss, rather than from gravitational loading decrease.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ariane Zamarioli, Gremah Adam, Kevin A. A. Maupin, Paul J. J. Childress, Alexander Brinker, Joao P. B. Ximenez, Nabarun Chakraborty, Aarti Gautam, Rasha Hammamieh, Melissa A. A. Kacena
Summary: The study found that administering BMP2 at the fracture site of mice had systemic effects on distant bones and the mechanisms of action may differ between Earth and spaceflight.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Eric T. T. Hedge, Courtney A. A. Patterson, Carmelo J. J. Mastrandrea, Vita Sonjak, Guy Hajj-Boutros, Andrea Faust, Jose A. Morais, Richard L. L. Hughson
Summary: This paper discusses the significant progress made in countermeasures development for mitigating the negative effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on astronauts' bodies. Deconditioning of organ systems during spaceflight and prolonged bedrest is a concern, but exercise countermeasures have been tested to limit these detrimental changes. A randomized clinical trial was conducted to study the efficacy of exercise countermeasures in older adults, and a multi-modality protocol was developed for the study. Overall, this paper reviews exercise countermeasure research and supports the proposed protocols for bedrest studies in older adults.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Alexander B. Hansen, Justin S. Lawley, Caroline A. Rickards, Erin J. Howden, Satyam Sarma, William K. Cornwell, Sachin B. Amin, Hendrik Mugele, Kyohei Marume, Carmen Possnig, Louis A. Whitworth, Michael A. Williams, Benjamin D. Levine
Summary: Spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) involves pathological changes in the eye due to microgravity conditions, with countermeasures like impedance threshold breathing showing acute reduction in intracranial pressure (ICP) by lowering central venous pressure (CVP). However, thigh cuff inflation had minimal effect on ICP and CVP in the study participants.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biology
Roberto Bonanni, Ida Cariati, Mario Marini, Umberto Tarantino, Virginia Tancredi
Summary: Space colonization poses significant challenges due to the absence of gravitational forces, leading to physiological alterations in the musculoskeletal system. Space medicine plays a crucial role in developing strategies to prevent and counteract weightlessness-induced damage. Studying the effects of weightlessness can provide valuable information on adaptations to spaceflight and potential treatments for musculoskeletal health preservation in microgravity conditions. This review aims to summarize the latest evidence on the effects of real and simulated microgravity on the musculoskeletal system and discuss the effectiveness of defense strategies in real and experimental settings.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Linjie Wang, Zhili Li, Shujuan Liu, Jianfeng Zhang, Xiaoqian Dai, Zhongquan Dai, Chong Xu, Yanlei Wang, Peng Zang, Zhifeng Guo, Lina Qu, Yinghui Li
Summary: Countermeasures in weightlessness are essential for long-term residency in space, and head-down bed rest (HDBR) is a commonly used method to simulate and test the effects of spaceflight. In a 90-day HDBR conducted by the Astronaut Center of China in 2019, exercise interventions were found to be effective in improving aerobic capacity and muscle strength.
SPACE: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Robert J. Reynolds, Ryan T. Scott, Russell T. Turner, Urszula T. Iwaniec, Mary L. Bouxsein, Lauren M. Sanders, Erik L. Antonsen
Summary: This paper introduces the use of causal diagrams by NASA's Human Systems Risk Board for risk assessment and communication, and demonstrates the validation of these diagrams using empirical data. The findings indicate a high degree of agreement between the rodent data and the diagram structure, with any discrepancies likely due to inadequate representation of key variables in the dataset.
Review
Physiology
Jonathan P. R. Scott, Andreas Kramer, Nora Petersen, David A. Green
Summary: Exposure to the spaceflight environment leads to physiological adaptations with individual variability. Countermeasure exercises complicate the interpretation of these effects. Long-term head-down bed rest studies isolate mechanical unloading effects and control factors contributing to individual variability.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xiaoyan Zhang, Tong Xue, Zebing Hu, Xian Guo, Gaozhi Li, Yixuan Wang, Lijun Zhang, Liqun Xu, Xinsheng Cao, Shu Zhang, Fei Shi, Ke Wang
Summary: This study identifies hub genes and explores novel molecular mechanisms underlying microgravity-induced bone loss, providing potential targets for countermeasures against this condition.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
E. Fomina, A. Yu Ivchenko, N. Yu Lysova, R. Yu Zhedyaev, Yu N. Orlov
Summary: The paper introduces a new method for evaluating the stability of cosmonaut locomotor functions after long-duration spaceflight based on ground-reaction forces analysis. Various probabilistic indicators were introduced and showed promising potential in determining locomotor function states. Further trials of this method may provide valuable insights into human movement alterations after spaceflight.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Cezary Osiak-Wicha, Ewa Tomaszewska, Siemowit Muszynski, Marian Flis, Marcin B. B. Arciszewski
Summary: This study aimed to examine the mechanical properties, mineralization, and general geometric properties of hare femora during growth and maturation. The findings revealed age-related differences in bone properties, with adult males exhibiting increased bone mineral content and density compared to young males. The study contributes to our understanding of the relationship between bone mechanical properties, musculoskeletal system, and aging in the wild.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Peter R. Cavanagh, Raghavan Gopalakrishnan, Andrea J. Rice, Kerim O. Genc, Christian C. Maender, Peter G. Nystrom, Micah J. Johnson, Matthew M. Kuklis, Bradley T. Humphreys
AVIATION SPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2009)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Raghavan Gopalakrishnan, Kerim O. Genc, Andrea J. Rice, Stuart M. C. Lee, Harlan J. Evans, Christian C. Maender, Hakan Ilaslan, Peter R. Cavanagh
AVIATION SPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2010)
Article
Biophysics
P. R. Cavanagh, K. O. Genc, R. Gopalakrishnan, M. M. Kuklis, C. C. Maender, A. J. Rice
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2010)
Article
Neurosciences
Andre G. Machado, Raghavan Gopalakrishnan, Ela B. Plow, Richard C. Burgess, John C. Mosher
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Raghavan Gopalakrishnan, Andre G. Machado, Richard C. Burgess, John C. Mosher
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2013)
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
Raghavan Gopalakrishnan, Jar-Chi Lee, Richard Rudick, Elizabeth Fisher
Article
Biophysics
Nathan D. Camarillo, Rafael Jimenez-Silva, Frances T. Sheehan
Summary: This article discusses the statistical dependence between multiple measurements from the same participant and provides recommendations for using these measurements when they are not independent.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
J. Huet, A. -S. Boureau, A. Sarcher, C. Cornu, A. Nordez
Summary: Standard compression in freehand 3D ultrasound induces a bias in volume calculations, but minimal compression and gel pad methods have similar results. With a trained examiner and precautions, the bias can be minimized and become acceptable in clinical applications.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
C. Lariviere, A. H. Eskandari, H. Mecheri, F. Ghezelbash, D. Gagnon, A. Shirazi-Adl
Summary: Recent developments in musculoskeletal modeling have focused on model customization. Personalization of the spine profile may affect estimates of spinal loading and stability. This study investigates the biomechanical consequences of changes in the spinal profile and finds that personalizing the spine profile has medium to large effects on trunk muscle forces and negligible to small effects on spinal loading and stability.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
Luke T. Mattar, Arash B. Mahboobin, Adam J. Popchak, William J. Anderst, Volker Musahl, James J. Irrgang, Richard E. Debski
Summary: Exercise therapy fails in about 25.0% of cases for individuals with rotator cuff tears, and one reason for this failure may be the inability to strengthen and balance the muscle forces that keep the humeral head in the correct position. This study developed computational musculoskeletal models to compare the net muscle force before and after exercise therapy between successfully and unsuccessfully treated patients. The study found that unsuccessfully treated patients had less inferiorly oriented net muscle forces, which may increase the risk of impingement.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
Natsuki Sado, Takeshi Edagawa, Toshihide Fujimori, Shogo Hashimoto, Yoshikazu Okamoto, Takahito Nakajima
Summary: The existing methods for predicting hip and lumbosacral joint centres in Japanese adults are biased and differ between sexes. We propose new regression equations that consider soft-tissue thickness, sex differences, and a height-directional measure, and validate them using leave-one-out cross-validation.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
Peimin Yu, Xuanzhen Cen, Qichang Mei, Alan Wang, Yaodong Gu, Justin Fernandez
Summary: This study aimed to explore the intra-foot biomechanical differences among individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI), copers, and healthy individuals during dynamic tasks. The study found that copers and CAI individuals had smaller dorsiflexion angles and copers presented a more eversion position compared to healthy participants. Copers also had greater dorsiflexion angles in the metatarsophalangeal joint and more inversion moments in the subtalar joint during certain tasks. These findings can help in designing interventions to restore ankle joint functions in CAI individuals.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)
Article
Biophysics
Jon Skovgaard Jensen, Anders Holsgaard-Larsen, Anders Stengaard Sorensen, Per Aagaard, Jens Bojsen-Moller
Summary: This study investigates the biomechanical effects of robot-assisted body weight unloading (BWU) on gait patterns in healthy young adults. The results show that dynamic robot-assisted BWU enables reduced kinetic requirements without distorting biomechanically normal gait patterns during overground walking.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2024)