Recent experiments have shown that the stimulation of animal cells in vitro by direct protein kinase C (PKC) activators is significantly reduced under microgravity (micro g). Platelets undergo protein phosphorylation and morphological changes a few seconds after stimulation by agonists such as phorbol esters which activate PKC. Therefore, taking advantage of parabolic plane flight to obtain sho...

Intraocular pressure (IOP) initially increases when an individual enters microgravity compared with baseline values when an individual is in a seated position. This has been attributed to a headward fluid shift that increases venous pressures in the head. The change in IOP exceeds changes measured immediately after moving from seated to supine postures on Earth, when a similar fluid shift is pr...

Current projected missions to Mars will require 18 to 24 months of exposure to microgravity conditions, which might have serious effects on human physiology, including that of the oral cavity. Very few studies have been published on the effect of microgravity on the oral cavity, although it has been reported that microgravity increases the prevalence of periodontitis, dental caries, bone loss a...

Biocontamination within the international space station is ever increasing mainly due to human activity. Control of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria are important to maintain the well-being of the astronauts during long-term stay in space since the immune functions of astronauts are compromised under microgravity. For the first time control of the growth of an opportunistic pathogen, A...

Introduction The Columbus laboratory, planned for launch in 2004, will accommodate the following multiuser facilities: – Biolab – Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) – European Physiology Modules (EPM) – European Drawer Rack (EDR) – European Stowage Rack (ESR) – Materials Science Laboratory (MSL). of activities such as fundamental physics, solidification physics (e.g. crystal growth, metallurgy), ph...

The effect of microgravity on mammalian system is an important and interesting topic for scientific investigation, since NASA’s objective is to send manned flights to planets like Mars and eventual human colonization. The Astronauts will be exposed to microgravity environment for a long duration of time during these flights. Our objective of research is to conduct in vitro studies for the effec...

The present investigation describes for the first time leg lateral abduction performance during long-term microgravity exposure. Two astronauts took part in the experiments, starting 2 weeks into the mission and lasting for 5 months. Results on joint angles kinematics confirm previous investigations on parabolic flights, showing good task fulfillment for both subjects. Special interest was focu...

16 17 Several studies showed that the transmission of afferent inputs from the periphery to the 18 somatosensory cortex is attenuated during the preparation of voluntary movements. Here, we 19 tested whether sensory attenuation is also observed during the preparation of a voluntary step. It 20 would appear dysfunctional to suppress somatosensory information which is considered to be of 21 the u...

The effects of microgravity on the biophysical properties of frog labyrinthine hair cells have been examined by analyzing calcium and potassium currents in isolated cells by the patch-clamp technique. The entire, anesthetized frog was exposed to vector-free gravity in a random positioning machine (RPM) and the functional modification induced on single hair cells, dissected from the crista ampul...