scholarly journals Comment on “Salivary antimicrobial proteins and stress biomarkers are elevated during a 6-month mission to the International Space Station”

2020 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 1088-1089
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Bevelacqua ◽  
James Welsh ◽  
S. M. J. Mortazavi
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Antimicrobial Proteins ◽  
International Space ◽  
Stress Biomarkers ◽  
Salivary Antimicrobial Proteins

scholarly journals Salivary antimicrobial proteins and stress biomarkers are elevated during a 6-month mission to the International Space Station

2020 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia H. Agha ◽  
Forrest L. Baker ◽  
Hawley E. Kunz ◽  
Guillaume Spielmann ◽  
Preteesh L. Mylabathula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Immune Defense ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Viral Reactivation ◽  
Antimicrobial Proteins ◽  
First Line ◽  
International Space ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Salivary Antimicrobial Proteins

As the international space community plans for manned missions to Mars, spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation has been identified as a potential risk to the health and safety of the flight crew. There is a need to determine whether salivary antimicrobial proteins, which act as a first line of innate immune defense against multiple pathogens, are altered in response to long-duration (>6 mo) missions. We collected 7 consecutive days of whole and sublingual saliva samples from eight International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers and seven ground-based control subjects at nine mission time points, ~180 and ~60 days before launch (L−180/L−60), on orbit at flight days ~10 and ~90 (FD10/FD90) and ~1 day before return (R−1), and at R+0, R+18, R+33, and R+66 days after returning to Earth. We found that salivary secretory (s)IgA, lysozyme, LL-37, and the cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone ratio were elevated in the ISS crew before (L−180) and during (FD10/FD90) the mission. “Rookie” crewmembers embarking on their first spaceflight mission had lower levels of salivary sIgA but increased levels of α-amylase, lysozyme, and LL-37 during and after the mission compared with the “veteran” crew who had previously flown. Latent herpesvirus reactivation was distinct to the ~6-mo mission crewmembers who performed extravehicular activity (“spacewalks”). Crewmembers who shed at least one latent virus had higher cortisol levels than those who did not shed. We conclude that long-duration spaceflight alters the concentration and/or secretion of several antimicrobial proteins in saliva, some of which are related to crewmember flight experience, biomarkers of stress, and latent viral reactivation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation may jeopardize future exploration-class missions. Salivary antimicrobial proteins act as a first line of innate immune defense. We report here that several of these proteins are elevated in astronauts during an International Space Station mission, particularly in those embarking on their first space voyage. Astronauts who shed a latent herpesvirus also had higher concentrations of salivary cortisol compared with those who did not shed. Stress-relieving countermeasures are needed to preserve immunity and prevent viral reactivation during prolonged voyages into deep space.

Human factors assessment of International Space Station (ISS) medical equipment packs

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Paige Smith ◽  
Vicky E. Byrne ◽  
Cynthia Hudy ◽  
Mihriban Whitmore
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Medical Equipment ◽  
Space Station ◽  
International Space

Dose Tracker Application for Collecting Medication Use Data from International Space Station Crew

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia. E. Wotring ◽  
LaRona K. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
International Space ◽  
Flight Data ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Usability Feedback

INTRODUCTION: There are knowledge gaps in spaceflight pharmacology with insufficient in-flight data to inform future planning. This effort directly addressed in-mission medication use and also informed open questions regarding spaceflight-associated changes in pharmacokinetics (PK) and/or pharmacodynamics (PD).METHODS: An iOS application was designed to collect medication use information relevant for research from volunteer astronaut crewmembers: medication name, dose, dosing frequency, indication, perceived efficacy, and side effects. Leveraging the limited medication choices aboard allowed a streamlined questionnaire. There were 24 subjects approved for participation.RESULTS: Six crewmembers completed flight data collection and five completed ground data collection before NASA’s early study discontinuation. There were 5766 medication use entries, averaging 20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week. Types of medications and their indications were similar to previous reports, with sleep disturbances and muscle/joint pain as primary drivers. Two subjects treated prolonged skin problems. Subjects also used the application in unanticipated ways: to note drug tolerance testing or medication holiday per research protocols, and to share data with flight surgeons. Subjects also provided usability feedback on application design and implementation.DISCUSSION: The volume of data collected (20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week) is much greater than was collected previously (<12 per person per entire mission), despite user criticisms regarding app usability. It seems likely that improvements in a software-based questionnaire application could result in a robust data collection tool that astronauts find more acceptable, while simultaneously providing researchers and clinicians with useful data.Wotring VE, Smith LK. Dose tracker application for collecting medication use data from International Space Station crew. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(1):41–45.

The «Obstanovka» experiment aboard the International Space Station

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.I. Klimov ◽  
◽  
V.Ye. Korepanov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Station ◽  
International Space
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