Article
Physiology
Stefan Mendt, Katharina Brauns, Anika Friedl-Werner, Daniel L. Belavy, Mathias Steinach, Thomas Schlabs, Andreas Werner, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Alexander C. Stahn
Summary: Long-term bed rest weakens the entrainment of the circadian system to the 24-hour day, possibly due to immobility and reduced physical activity levels associated with HDBR. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring circadian rhythms in circumstances where gravity or physical activity levels are altered, given the critical role of diurnal rhythms for various physiological functions and behavior.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Kelly A. Stockelman, Anthony R. Bain, Caitlin A. Dow, Kyle J. Diehl, Jared J. Greiner, Brian L. Stauffer, Christopher A. DeSouza
Summary: Insufficient sleep is associated with endothelial dysfunction and increased cardiovascular risk, while regular aerobic exercise can improve endothelial function and reduce cardiovascular risk. In this study, aerobic exercise training was found to enhance endothelium-dependent vasodilation and reduce ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction in adults with habitual insufficient nightly sleep, regardless of changes in sleep duration. Regular aerobic exercise can potentially mitigate the cardiovascular risk associated with insufficient sleep-related endothelial dysfunction.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jingen Li, Soumya Vungarala, Virend K. Somers, Junrui Di, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Naima Covassin
Summary: This study found an association between rest-activity rhythm and obesity. Low amplitude, low mesor, low stability, and high fragmentation of the rhythm were associated with general and abdominal obesity. These results highlight the importance of regulating circadian rhythm in obesity management.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Sport Sciences
Barry A. A. Spiering, Jonathon Weakley, Inigo Mujika
Summary: This review aims to understand the effects of bed rest on physical performance in athletes, discuss potential countermeasures, and identify recovery timelines. However, there is currently limited research on the effects of bed rest specifically in athletes.
Article
Physiology
Katharina Brauns, Anika Friedl-Werner, Martina A. Maggioni, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Alexander C. Stahn
Summary: Adverse cognitive and behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders are considered significant risks during future long-duration space missions. Monitoring and mitigating these risks will require tools like EEG to reliably assess cognitive performance and well-being. Studies on HDBR show that prolonged bed rest can affect brain activity, with reductions in EEG spectral power and changes in activity in certain brain regions, though resting state functional connectivity remains unaffected. Maintaining consistent body posture during testing sessions is crucial for accurate EEG readings.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Erica Busca, Chiara Airoldi, Fabio Bertoncini, Giulia Buratti, Roberta Casarotto, Samanta Gaboardi, Fabrizio Faggiano, Michela Barisone, Ian R. White, Elias Allara, Alberto Dal Molin
Summary: This study assessed the effects of bed rest duration on short-term complications following transfemoral catheterization. The results showed that a short bed rest was not associated with complications, but longer duration of bed rest increased the risk of back pain. Patients can safely ambulate as early as 2 hours after the procedure.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR NURSING
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Sarah Solbiati, Alba Martin-Yebra, Pierre Vaida, Enrico G. Caiani
Summary: During head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest, significant changes were observed at HDT5, with increased MESOR of RR and QTend intervals, primarily due to daytime lengthening and increased minima, while QTc shortened. As HDT progressed, there was a trend towards baseline values. Additionally, phi was anticipated and OA reduced during HDT, impacting the system's responsiveness to stimuli. Restoration to the upright position resulted in shortened RR and QTend intervals with prolonged QTc, regardless of the duration in HDT. Post-HDT changes and differences between the last HDT day and R + 0 trended to increase with longer HDT duration, with insufficient recovery in 5/7 days after 60-day HDT, possibly increasing arrhythmic risk. Anticipating phi and increased OA at R + 0 compared to PRE after 5-day and 60-day HDT could further increase arrhythmic risk.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kimberly Begemann, Isabel Heyde, Pia Witt, Julica Inderhees, Brinja Leinweber, Christiane E. Koch, Olaf Joehren, Rebecca Oelkrug, Arkadiusz Liskiewicz, Timo D. Mueller, Henrik Oster
Summary: Snacking during the rest phase leads to weight gain and disruption of metabolic circadian rhythms, while snacking during the active phase does not have the same effect.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily R. R. McGrath, Petra Frings-Meuthen, Jean Sibonga, Martina Heer, Gilles R. R. Clement, Edwin Mulder, Scott M. M. Smith, Sara R. R. Zwart
Summary: Exposure to elevated levels of CO2 did not exacerbate bone resorption during bed rest. Bone resorption markers increased after bed rest, but elevated CO2 had no additional effect. Results from the strict HDT studies were similar to previous bed rest studies, indicating the potential for evaluating changes in bone metabolism.
Article
Orthopedics
Toru Funayama, Masaki Tatsumura, Kengo Fujii, Akira Ikumi, Shun Okuwaki, Yosuke Shibao, Masao Koda, Masashi Yamazaki
Summary: This study compared the effects of initial bed rest on the outcomes of patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF). The study found that hospitalized bed rest for 2 weeks can reduce the number of patients with poor prognostic MRI findings who require surgery and can also reduce the progression of vertebral collapse and kyphosis.
JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME
(2022)
Article
Biology
Leonardo M. T. de Rezende, Leandro C. Brito, Anselmo G. Moura, Alexandre J. L. D. Costa, Tiago F. Leal, Evandro S. Favarato, Lukiya S. C. Favarato, Antonio J. Natali, Candido C. Coimbra, Thales N. Primola-Gomes
Summary: This study found that 16-week-old SHR rats showed higher body temperature during the activity phase, while other circadian rhythm parameters did not change across aging.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
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
Sport Sciences
Nicholas Ravanelli, Ollie Jay
Summary: This study found that the effect of circadian rhythm on core temperature and sweating during 60 minutes of exercise at 23 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius was the same when exercise intensity was prescribed to elicit comparable rates of metabolic heat production (H-prod), suggesting that scheduling exercise trials at the same time of day for thermoregulatory studies is unnecessary.
MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Benoit Smeuninx, Yasir S. Elhassan, Elizabeth Sapey, Alison B. Rushton, Paul T. Morgan, Marie Korzepa, Archie E. Belfield, Andrew Philp, Matthew S. Brook, Nima Gharahdaghi, Daniel Wilkinson, Kenneth Smith, Philip J. Atherton, Leigh Breen
Summary: This study found that prior resistance exercise can attenuate the impairment of myofibrillar protein synthesis during bed rest in older adults, reducing muscle loss and improving overall health outcomes.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Giovanni Baldassarre, Lucrezia Zuccarelli, Giorgio Manferdelli, Valentina Manfredini, Mauro Marzorati, Andrea Pilotto, Simone Porcelli, Letizia Rasica, Bostjan Simunic, Rado Pisot, Marco Narici, Bruno Grassi
Summary: During exercise carried out at a slightly higher heart rate than the gas exchange threshold, the work rate needs to be decreased in order to maintain a constant heart rate. This decrease in work rate is more pronounced after a prolonged period of inactivity (bed rest). The decrease in work rate during exercise at a fixed heart rate is a biomarker of exercise intolerance.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Sport Sciences
Ulrike H. Mitchell, Patrick J. Owen, Timo Rantalainen, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: Increased joint mobility is associated with impaired contraction of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle, but not with multifidus contraction. This finding is important for coaching athletes and treating patients with (functional) spinal instability.
JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Sport Sciences
Clint T. Miller, Patrick J. Owen, Christian A. Than, Jake Ball, Kate Sadler, Alessandro Piedimonte, Fabrizio Benedetti, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: Exercise training is more effective than true control or standard medical care for reducing pain in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, exercise training and the associated clinical encounter are more effective than non-exercise placebo treatments in reducing pain, with very low quality of evidence.
Review
Anesthesiology
Scott D. Tagliaferri, Sin-Ki Ng, Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon, Patrick J. Owen, Clint T. Miller, Steven J. Bowe, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: The study found that psychosocial factors have a greater impact on non-specific low back pain than nervous system and spinal imaging biomarkers. The relationship between different domains depends on whether the pain duration is acute or chronic.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2022)
Letter
Orthopedics
Tobias Saueressig, Frank Diemer, Jochen Zebisch, Patrick J. Owen, Daniel L. Belavy
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC & SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Orthopedics
Daniel L. Belavy, Scott D. Tagliaferri, Paul Buntine, Tobias Saueressig, Claire Samanna, Thomas Mcguckian, Clint T. Miller, Patrick J. Owen
Summary: This systematic review with meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of interventions to improve guideline-recommended imaging referrals in low back pain. The study found low-certainty evidence that education interventions are unlikely to be effective, while organizational and policy-level interventions are more likely to be effective.
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC & SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Orthopedics
Scott D. Tagliaferri, Ulrike H. Mitchell, Tobias Saueressig, Patrick J. Owen, Clint T. Miller, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: There is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of classification systems to improve patient-reported outcomes for people with low back pain.
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC & SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Anesthesiology
Scott D. Tagliaferri, Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon, Patrick J. Owen, Clint T. Miller, Steven J. Bowe, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: Brain structure, psychosocial, and physical factors contribute to back pain conditions, with differences observed in chronic pain groups. Gray matter volumes and other factors are influenced by pain duration, location, sex, and body mass index. These findings highlight the importance of considering pain duration and number of pain sites when assessing brain structure, psychosocial, and physical health markers.
Letter
Sport Sciences
Patrick J. Owen, Tobias Saueressig, Daniel L. Belavy, Christian A. Than, Jake Ball, Kate Sadler, Alessandro Piedimonte, Fabrizio Benedetti, Clint T. Miller
Editorial Material
Behavioral Sciences
Alexander C. Stahn, Simone Kuehn
Summary: Living in extreme environments may enhance our understanding of cognition limits and brain plasticity adaptability. Utilizing research settings like spaceflight and its analogues could advance cognitive neuroscience research and exploration.
TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Morin Lang, Stefan Mendt, Valeria Paez, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Grzegorz Bilo, Giampiero Merati, Gianfranco Parati, Martina Anna Maggioni
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiac autonomic response in workers exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). The study found that altitude was the main factor affecting cardiac autonomic modulation, and hypertensive individuals had poorer physical performance and higher respiratory rate.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Daniel L. Belavy, Gabriele Armbrecht, Kirsten Albracht, Helena Brisby, Deborah Falla, Richard Scheuring, Roope Sovelius, Hans-Joachim Wilke, Kajsa Rennerfelt, Eduardo Martinez-Valdes, Michail Arvanitidis, Fabian Goell, Bjoern Braunstein, Svenja Kaczorowski, Vera Karner, Nitin Kumar Arora
Summary: This study aims to investigate the impact of spaceflight on the risk of cervical intervertebral disc herniation and explore the adaptations in astronauts' cervical spine. Data collection will involve MRI, cervical 3D kinematics, muscle testing, and questionnaires. The results will inform preventive measures for astronauts and contribute to the understanding of disc herniation risk in the cervical spine for people on Earth, as well as provide insights into the etiology of neck pain.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Rachael D. Seidler, Claudia Stern, Mathias Basner, Alexander C. Stahn, Floris L. Wuyts, Peter zu Eulenburg
Summary: A team of experts convened by NASA and ESA reviewed the effects of the spaceflight environment on the brain and eye, and identified critical future research directions to mitigate these effects.
FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Scott D. Tagliaferri, Tim Wilkin, Maia Angelova, Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon, Patrick J. Owen, Clint T. Miller, Daniel L. Belavy
Summary: Chronic back pain is a heterogeneous condition, and machine learning can be used to identify sub-groups and accurately classify individuals with chronic back pain, improving clinical decision making.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alan H. Feiveson, Stephanie S. Krieger, Gudrun von Scheven, Brian E. Crucian, Alexander Buerkle, Alexander C. Stahn, Honglu Wu, Maria Moreno-Villanueva
Summary: A study was conducted to measure DNA damage in 20 healthy adults in a NASA simulation environment, finding a connection between DNA damage and chronic stress. The results showed a high inter-individual variability as well as differences between missions.
CURRENT ISSUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Daniel L. Belavy, Scott D. Tagliaferri, Paul Buntine, Tobias Saueressig, Kate Sadler, Christy Ko, Clint T. Miller, Patrick J. Owen
Summary: The effectiveness of interventions to optimize medication prescription in low back pain is not well established. A systematic review and meta-analysis of seven studies showed that existing interventions had no significant impact on medication prescription or usage. Peer-to-peer education alone did not lead to behavior change, while organizational and policy interventions may be more effective.