Effect Of Space Flight Factors Research Articles

ВЛИЯНИЕ ФАКТОРОВ КОСМИЧЕСКОГО ПОЛЕТА НА РЕПРОДУКТИВНУЮ СИСТЕМУ

At this point of time, effects of spaceflight factors on the male and, particularly, female reproductive systems are actually poorly known. This is because of, likely, low probability that the systems will develop life-threatening pathologies. Importance of this topic grows gradually with extension of mission duration and, on a number of occasions, age of cosmonauts; in great part, healthy aging depends on functioning of the reproductive system. Remote space exploration in future will raise the concern about reproductive health after return from missions beyond Earth's magnetosphere. The review presents the up-to-date data about the effects of spaceflight factors on the reproductive organs and generative cells of various animal species and the human.

Drosophila melanogaster Oocytes after Space Flight: The Early Period of Adaptation to the Force of Gravity

The effect of space flight factors and the subsequent adaptation to the Earth's gravity on oocytes is still poorly understood. Studies of mammalian oocytes in space present significant technical difficulties; therefore, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a convenient test subject. In this study, we analyzed the structure of the oocytes of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the maturation of which took place under space flight conditions (the "Cytomehanarium" experiment on the Russian Segment of the ISS during the ISS-67 expedition). The collection of the oocytes began immediately after landing and continued for 12 h. The flies were then transferred onto fresh agar plates and oocyte collection continued for the subsequent 12 h. The stiffness of oocytes was determined by atomic force microscopy and the content of the cytoskeletal proteins by Western blotting. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in the stiffness of oocytes in the flight group compared to the control (26.5 ± 1.1 pN/nm vs. 31.0 ± 1.8 pN/nm) against the background of a decrease in the content of some cytoskeletal proteins involved in the formation of microtubules and microfilaments. This pattern of oocyte structure leads to the disruption of cytokinesis during the cleavage of early embryos.

Influence of means of prevention of adverse effects of space flight on the plasma component of the system of regulation of the aggregate state of human blood

Introduction. It is known that the factors of space flight shift the coagulation balance of blood in the direction of procoagulant. The effect of space flight factors on the hemostatic potential of human blood with the simultaneous effect of preventive measures and compensation for their adverse effects has not been practically studied. The aim of study was to study the effect of physical exertion, electromyostimulation, mechanical stimulation of the foot, and blood-substituting solutions on the main indicators of the human hemostasis system in experiments with 21-hour antiorthostatic hypokinesia, 7-day "dry" water immersion, and 120-day isolation in a hermetic volume. Materials and methods. Concentrations of fibrinogen, plasminogen, soluble fibrin-monomer complexes, D-dimer, antithrombin III, protein C, and α2-antiplasmin were determined in citrate plasma; values of thrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and prothrombin time. Results. It was found that the infusion of blood-substituting colloidal solution "venofundin" prevents the tendency to increase the level of soluble fibrin-monomer complexes observed during 21-hour antiorthostatic hypokinesia. Electromyostimulation leads to increased levels of fibrinogen and D-dimer during 7-day immersion. The complex of physical activities used in the experiment with 120-day isolation helps to reduce the level of D-dimer. Conclusions. The results indicate that when modeling the impact of space flight factors, a favorable hypocoagulation effect is provided by an infusion of venofundin, as well as a complex of balanced physical activities.

ГРАВИТАЦИОННЫЙ ФАКТОР КАК ОСНОВА ЭВОЛЮЦИОННОГО ПРИСПОСОБЛЕНИЯ ЖИВОТНЫХ ОРГАНИЗМОВ К ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ В НАЗЕМНЫХ УСЛОВИЯХ

A review of the currently available ideas about the role of gravitational factor in the activity of the sensorimotor and cardiovascular systems, as well as new fundamental problems and questions for space medicine and physiology, is presented. The review presents data on the embryogenesis of animals under conditions of weightlessness, the evolution of the motor and cardiovascular systems and the peculiarities of their functioning under conditions of gravity, as well as in the change of gravitational load. Much attention is paid to the results of unique studies in modeling gravitational unloading on Earth: antiorthostatic hypokinesia, dry immersion and suspension, which made it possible to study the mechanisms of regulation of various body systems under conditions of altered gravity. Terrestrial organisms have learned to function in the gravitational field. Almost all systems of their body are gravitationally dependent. However, the extent and mechanisms of this dependence have long remained unclear. Space flights have opened up the possibility of studying the activity of living systems in the absence of gravity. Among the factors mediating the effect of weightlessness on the motor system, changes in the activity of sensory systems occupy an important place. Under the Earth conditions, the afferent support of motion control systems is polyreceptive: this is vision, and the vestibular apparatus, supporting and muscular afferentations. In zero gravity, the activity of some channels is completely eliminated (support afferentation), others are distorted (vestibular apparatus), and still others are weakened (proprioception). Similar processes occur in the cardiovascular system: with the loss of the pressure gradient caused by gravity, profound changes occur in the structure and functioning of the heart and vessels, both resistive and capacitive. The question of how much the various changes occurring in the cardiovascular system are associated with the disappearance of the gravitationally dependent pressure gradient is still open. It is not possible to solve all the problems of gravitational physiology In space flights. Therefore, various methods have been developed for simulating gravitational unloading on Earth. New data on the mechanisms of changes occurring in the sensorimotor system were obtained by comparing flight data and data obtained in model experiments. The fundamental problem for the gravitational physiology of cardiovascular system is the degree of correspondence of the changes observed in laboratory animals and under model conditions (antiorthostatic hypokinesia, immersion, suspension) with the changes that are recorded in real space flight in humans. This problem is specially discussed in the review. At the same time, in the light of the upcoming interplanetary expeditions, many questions remain unresolved, in particular, the problems of post-flight readaptation of the motor and cardiovascular systems to gravity conditions. This is a fight against loss of strength, endurance, orthostatic instability. The development and improvement of a system for preventing the negative effects of space flight factors is impossible without understanding the mechanisms of development of the observed changes.

Effect of Total Duration and Amount of Performed Space Flights on the Human Plasma Hemostasis System

This study involved 27 cosmonauts aged from 37 to 59 years. First, we carried out a correlation analysis of hemostatic parameters and the total duration of space flights. No statistically significant correlation was found for any parameters at any terms of the survey. Then, the sample of cosmonauts was divided into three groups according to the amount of performed flights. We studied the dynamics of parameters within the groups and observed an increase in the coagulation contact phase potential in the dynamics of post-flight studies on the basis of the shortened activated partial thromboplastin time with a tendency of this parameter to restore to the baseline level. This tendency was weakening after three space flights. The observed changes appear to be due to the cumulative effect of space flight factors and the stress of readaptation to terrestrial conditions.

The Effects of Spaceflight Factors on the Human Plasma Proteome, Including Both Real Space Missions and Ground-Based Experiments.

The aim of the study was to compare proteomic data on the effects of spaceflight factors on the human body, including both real space missions and ground-based experiments. LC–MS/MS-based proteomic analysis of blood plasma samples obtained from 13 cosmonauts before and after long-duration (169–199 days) missions on the International Space Station (ISS) and for five healthy men included in 21-day-long head-down bed rest (HDBR) and dry immersion experiments were performed. The semi-quantitative label-free analysis revealed significantly changed proteins: 19 proteins were significantly different on the first (+1) day after landing with respect to background levels; 44 proteins significantly changed during HDBR and 31 changed in the dry immersion experiment. Comparative analysis revealed nine common proteins (A1BG, A2M, SERPINA1, SERPINA3, SERPING1, SERPINC1, HP, CFB, TF), which changed their levels after landing, as well as in both ground-based experiments. Common processes, such as platelet degranulation, hemostasis, post-translational protein phosphorylation and processes of protein metabolism, indicate common pathogenesis in ground experiments and during spaceflight. Dissimilarity in the lists of significantly changed proteins could be explained by the differences in the dynamics of effective development in the ground-based experiments. Data are available via ProteomeXchange using the identifier PXD013305.

Russian-Azerbaijani space project of a small satellite for science and technology experiments

The paper presents a project of a satellite experiment on the observation of intense flashes (transients) of electromagnetic emission from the Earth's atmosphere in different spectral ranges, as well as the measurement of medium- and long-term dynamics of spatial distribution of fluxes of energetic charged particles in the near-Earth space. To implement the experiment, it is planned to develop a Russian-Azerbaijani small spacecraft capable of carrying a payload of up to 25-30 kg. The satellite is also expected to realize a number of technology experiments, in particular, to study the effect of space flight factors on the matrices of silicon photomultipliers. We also consider the possibility of installing a telescope for photometric observations of binary stars. The requirements to the orbit and spacecraft attitude modes, as well as to its on-board systems, are considered in accordance with the goals and objectives of the experiment. The measurement data which are planned to be obtained during this experiment will subsequently be used for various scientific and applied problems including validation of existing and development of new dynamic models of radiation in the near-Earth space, ensuring the safety of the functioning of spacecraft.

Serotonin and Noradrenaline Metabolism in the Brain of Rats under the Combined Action of Radiation and Hypogravity in a Ground-based Experiment

Operative dysfunction of cosmonauts under the effects of space flight factors is the main limiting factor of interplanetary flights. Travel beyond the Earth’s geomagnetic field is associated with a significant increase in radiation hazard. Hypogravity is another space flight factor that influences CNS functions. It has previously been found that the impact of radiation and hypogravity may cause oppositely directed effects on CNS functions; their combined application may neutralize each other. Here, we have investigated the effects of hypogravity in an experiment with an antiorthostatic suspension and radiation with γ-rays and 12C+6 on the metabolism of serotonin and noradrenaline in morphological structures of the brain that are crucial for realization of stress-induced response in Long Evans outbred rats. The combined actions of the factors resulted in the dominant effect of radiation, which included enhancement of noradrenergic neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex and attenuation of serotonergic neurotransmission within the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. No changes were found in the hypothalamus. Therefore, we did not find any changes in serotoninergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission that are typical of the stress-induced response.

Search for Correlation between Indicators of Tolerance to Extreme Impacts and Levels of Individual Heterozygosity

This paper presents the results of studying the problem of differential adaptation of genotypes to the extreme conditions of spaceflights. Analysis of the statistical correlations between the integral parameters of the genotype and indicators of endurance against the effects of spaceflight factors (SFFs) was carried out in the cohort of the Russian cosmonauts. The relevance of this study is related to the need to substantiate the possibility, validity, and prospects of using genetic tests to predict individual resistance to SFFs. Various methods of correlation analysis and the method of correspondence analysis were applied. With the help of traditional methods of correlation analysis, weak but statistically significant correlation was revealed between the parameter of individual heterozygosity and indicators of vestibular resistance, as well as with the total indicator of resistance to simulated SFFs. Correspondence analysis confirmed the existence of such associations. The results of the study indicate the need to increase the sample size and to attract a wide range of genetic markers for a statistically significant substantiation of correlation between the indicators of resistance against SFFs and the integral parameters of the genotype.

Shifts in metabolism and its regulation under the effect of spaceflight factors

The review deals with the results of studying the adaptive changes in metabolism and its neuroendocrine regulation in humans and animals under the effect of spaceflight factors and ground-based simulation of the gravitational unloading. The majority of the investigations were concerned with the water-electrolyte and mineral turnover, as well as protein, lipid and carbohydrates metabolism. Biochemical measurements of the body liquids (blood, urine and saliva) before, in and after space flight or in ground simulation experiments were used as indictors of the status of sympathoadrenal, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal and other systems involved in systemic regulation of metabolism, and also strength of stress-reaction to adversities. The authors generalized data on the interrelation and interaction of the neuroendocrine and psychophysiological status both in the real and simulated conditions of space flight.

Study of effects of simulated space flight factors and use of infusion liquids on human hemodynamics with the use of the Cardiocode method

The aim is to study the effect of simulated space flight factors on the human central hemodynamics and evaluate the effectiveness of colloid and crystalloid infusions in microgravity simulation using the Cardiocode method. Materials and methods Test subjects were six men aged 20 to 35 without chronic somatic diseases. Antiorthostatic hypokinesia with an angle of 15 ° (ANOH-15) simulated the weightlessness was used. Diuretics were used to simulate hypovolemia in the test individuals. During ANOH-15 the colloid and crystalloid intravenous infusions were applied. Central hemodynamics parameters were measured by Cardiocode method. Results Background quantitative and qualitative central hemodynamics parameters were obtained, several individual characteristics of blood flow regulation were identified. The effects of space flight factors, ground-based simulated with antiorthostatic hypokinesia, on the human hemodynamics were investigated. Conclusion The Cardiocode method allowed obtaining the information about the effects of simulated space flight factors and different infusion fluids on the human central hemodynamics. The efficacy of crystalloid and colloid infusions for the correction of central hemodynamics abnormalities in test subjects in microgravity was positively evaluated.

English

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of space flight factors on Buchloe dactyloides “Jingyin No.3” seeds. After the retrieval, basic turf characters of plants were tested. Among the 100 plants tested, 21 showed great change on phenotype characters, including leaf blade length and width, height, stem diameter, number of tillers, number and length of stolon, length of stolon inter node, leaf color and extent of leaf turning yellow. 33 primers were screened in inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis to evaluate DNA variation between mutations and their ground controls. Results show that 15.6 reliable bands were generated by 7 primers, of which 12.9 (80.9%) were polymorphic. Based on the study, we can conclude that the space flight factors could induce inheritable mutagenic changes on B. dactyloides seeds, and do further research to demonstrate these changes in genetic material of the mutants.   Key words: Genetic diversity, Buchloe dactyloides, spaceflight, inter-simple sequence repeats. &nbsp

Characteristics of molecular changes in lespedeza plants after seeds been flown on satellite

To investigate the effect of space flight factors on lespedeza seeds, dry seeds ofLespedeza bicolor were loaded into recoverable satellite for space flight in 2003. After the retrieval, key agronomic traits were tested. Among the 65 plants we tested in the first generation (SP1), ten plants showed changed phenotype characters as prematurity, late-maturity, tall, dwarf, multi-ramify and etiolation. The mutation rate varied from 1.5 to 4.6% among different traits. 60 primers were screened in RAPD analysis to evaluate DNA variation between mutations and their ground controls. Results showed that 272 amplified bands produced by 55 primers. Among them, 12 primers amplified 41 polymorphic bands. Pattern of bands showed that absence of common bands were observed in mutated plants compared with the ground control. Moreover, similar band pattern was observed in the same mutation phenotype. Conclusion was that space flight factors could induce inheritable mutagenic changes on bush clover seeds, and verified these changes in genetic material in the mutants. These mutations may due to the breakage of chromosome fragments which was induced by complex traits of space flight, especially the cosmic radiation and microgravity. More work is being conducted to select the stable mutants with favorable traits and used them in developing new cultivars. Key words: Lespedeza bicolor, spaceflight, RAPD.

Аденовіруси як модель у дослідженнях впливу факторів космічного польоту

Аденовіруси як модель у дослідженнях впливу факторів космічного польоту

The hazards of space travel.

Exploration is an important survival strategy in evolution. The migration of expansive species depends on exploring their immediate or distant surroundings for new food sources or safe habitats; it can also come as a result of population pressures or environmental changes. The human species has added another reason for exploration, namely curiosity. This intellectual urge to explore the unknown led the great European explorers to the Americas, Australia and Antarctica between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Inquisitiveness about nature is also the driving force behind humans exploring the polar caps, climbing mountain peaks and diving into the abysses of the oceans. Now, the ultimate frontier to explore in the twenty‐first century is space. Astronomical observations and satellites have already yielded immense knowledge about our solar system and the universe beyond. But these technologies can provide only a limited picture of what is out there; eventually humans themselves will have to travel to other planets to investigate them in more intimate detail. Tremendous advances in rocket and spaceship technologies during the past 50 years, driven mainly by national security considerations, the need for better communication or a desire to observe environmental changes and human activity on the ground, have made it possible to send humans into near‐Earth orbit and to the Moon. Conceivably, these advances will eventually make it possible to transport astronauts to other planets, and Mars in particular (Fig. 1). Figure 1. Late spring on Mars. Source: NASA. But there are significant differences between exploring Earth and exploring space. First and foremost, space is an unforgiving environment that does not tolerate human errors or technical failure. For humans leaving Earth's orbit for extended periods, there are even more dangers. One is the near absence of gravity in space; the presence of high‐energy, ionizing cosmic ray (HZE) nuclei is another. Because …

Studies on clonogenic hemopoietic cells of vertebrate in space: problems and perspectives

Hemopoietic tissues were studied in vertebrates launched aboard the Soviet (Russian) biosatellites (“Cosmos-1129, 1514, 1667, 1887 and 2044”; “Bion-10 and 11”) between 1980 and 1996. In the bone marrow of rats exposed to spaceflight conditions, a statistically significant decrease in cell number was revealed in the progenitor cell compartment accounting for the compensatory response of granulocyte—macrophage (CFU-gm) and erythrocyte lineages (BFU-e and CFU-e) and in the compartment of multipotent hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-s), which is responsible for the permanent renewal of hemopoietic tissue. The number of stromal fibroblastic progenitors (CFC-f) in the bone marrow of these rats was also reduced. Apparently, changes in the hemopoietic stroma damage the hemopoietic microenvironment and, hence, may be responsible for changes observed in the hemopoietic tissue proper. Attempts were made to develop methods for analyzing morphologically indiscernible clonogenic hemopoietic cells of newts, and studies on the effects of spaceflight factors on these cells were performed. The results showed that the numbers of clonogenic cells in newts of the flight group newts were significantly lower than in control newts. The data obtained are used as the basis for formulating the problems to be studied, drawing up a program for further research on the effects of spaceflight factors on stem and other clonogenic hemopoietic cells, and developing new experimental models for analyzing stem cells, the state of the hemopoietic stroma, etc.

Space cell physiology and space biotechnology in Russia

Publisher Summary Space biotechnology is a complex of novel technologies aimed at the production in microgravity of bio-objects and unique biological materials, among them diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive preparations. This is one of the major areas of research aboard piloted orbital stations that will allow the use in microgravity of new methods for producing useful biosamples. Experimental research in the fields of cell physiology and biotechnology carried out by Russian scientists on the board the orbital station Mir has shown that the effects of space flight factors on cells and biotechnology processes are multicomponent and significant. They could increase the possibility of developing new strains and substances for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. It could be said that the positive and negative experiences arising from space investigations in this field have brought about not only a new knowledge about the role of gravitational factors in cell processes, but also the creation of a new, young biological discipline—space biotechnology, which will expand on the International Space Station.

Combined effects of space flight factors and radiation on humans

The probability that a dose of ionizing radiation kills a cell is about 10,000 times the probability that the cell will be transformed to malignancy. On the other hand, the number of cells killed required to significantly impact health is about 10,000 times the number that must be transformed to cause a late malignancy. If these two risks, cell killing and malignant transformation, are about equal, then the risk that occurs during a mission is more significant than the risk that occurs after a mission. The latent period for acute irradiation effects (cell killing) is about 2–4 weeks; the latent period for malignancy is 10–20 years. If these statements are approximately true, then the impact of cell killing on health in the low-gravity environment of space flight should be examined to establish an estimate of risk. The objective of this study is to synthesize data and conclusions from three areas of space biology and environmental health to arrive at rational risk assessment for radiations received by spacecraft crews: (1) the increased physiological demands of the space flight environment; (2) the effects of the space flight environment on physiological systems; and (3) the effects of radiation on physiological systems. One physiological system has been chosen: the immune response and its components, consisting of myeloid and lymphoid proliferative cell compartments. Best-case and worst-case scenarios are considered. In the worst case, a doubling of immune-function demand, accompanied by a halving of immune capacity, would reduce the endangering dose to a crew member to around 1 Gy.

Multivariate data analysis to study the effect of space flight factors on neuronal structure in the rat brain

Multivariate data analysis to study the effect of space flight factors on neuronal structure in the rat brain

Ultrastructural changes in rat neuromuscular synapses following exposure to space flight factors

The peripheral neuromuscular apparatus is highly adaptable toward various conditions of function due to the enormous adaptive and compensatory capacity of all its components and their ability to undergo rapid structural changes. The study of the effect of space flight factors, including those which act directly on the neuromuscular system, such as weightlessness and hypokinesia, is therefore of great theoretical and practical interest.