Subscribe free to our newsletters via your




SPACE TRAVEL
Spaceflight may increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 07, 2015


File image.

Here's the summary of a new research report appearing in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal: Prolonged spaceflight may give you a nasty case of diarrhea. Specifically, when mice were subjected to simulated spaceflight conditions, the balance of bacteria and the function of immune cells in the gut changed, leading to increased bowel inflammation.

"Our study provides useful insights on the cross-regulation of the mucosal immune system, epithelial barrier and commensal bacteria not only in humans in spaceflight or analog, but also in humans on earth that undergo various stresses," said Qing Ge, Ph.D., study author from the Department of Immunology at Peking University Health Science Center in Peking, Beijing.

To make their discovery, Ge and colleagues used four groups of mice. The first and third groups were suspended for 14 days by the tail at a 15 degree head-down tilt with their hindlimbs suspended. Access to food and water was ensured using both water bottles and gel packs and food distributed around the floor of the cage. Animals demonstrated no adverse effects or pronounced weight loss.

The second and fourth groups were normal. Starting from day seven, the third and the fourth groups were fed with three percent dextran sulfate sodium dissolved in drinking water to induce inflammatory bowel disease whereas the first and the second groups received plain water.

Compared to the second ground control group, the first group with hindlimb suspension revealed altered composition of intestinal bacteria, decreased regulatory T cells, increased neutrophils, and imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the colon tissues.

The third group with hindlimb suspension had more severe pathology of inflammatory bowel disease when compared to the fourth control group. This includes more weight loss, more severe rectal bleeding and tissue damage and increased death rate in the hindlimb suspended mice after colitis induction.

"We already know that a trip to Mars and back may well have serious, possibly permanent, effects on the bodies of the astronauts," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Now we learn that the hidden passengers on that mission--the bacteria their gut--will be affected as well. This lends further credence to the fact that life on Earth, including the microbiome, evolved under gravity and needs it to thrive."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SPACE TRAVEL
ISU Educates Future Space Leaders
Cleveland, OH (SPX) Jul 29, 2015
Over 100 people, considered future leaders in the space industry, visited NASA's Glenn Research Center in July to learn more about the center's research and technology. The engineers, scientists and other professionals are part of International Space University's (ISU) 2015 Space Studies Program based at Ohio University this summer. The nine-week program, held yearly in locations throughou ... read more


SPACE TRAVEL
Myanmar asks for international aid as flood misery spreads

Chinese consortium to salvage S. Korea ferry

Philippines vows action on Haiyan rebuilding after UN criticism

Trillions of dollars needed for UN anti-poverty plan

SPACE TRAVEL
Antenova announces embedded GNSS antenna for accurate positioning

Surfing for science

Russia develops national high-end navigation system

ISRO is hoping its 'BIG' offering would gain popularity in the market

SPACE TRAVEL
Body size increase did not play a role in the origins of Homo genus

Take a trip through the brain

An all-natural sunscreen derived from algae

It don't mean a thing if the brain ain't got that swing

SPACE TRAVEL
Earliest evidence of reproduction in a complex organism

4 million years at Africa's salad bar

Shifting winds, currents endanger Galapagos penguin population

Scientists call for U.S. ban on salamander imports

SPACE TRAVEL
Ebola: The epidemic's timeline

It takes a village to ward off dangerous infections

Fighting mosquito resistance to insecticides

Mowing dry detention basins makes mosquito problems worse, team finds

SPACE TRAVEL
China's Ai Weiwei says wants to teach art in Berlin

Artist Ai Weiwei flies to Germany as Britain slammed over visa

China steps up campaign to remove church crosses

China artist Ai Weiwei says has German visa

SPACE TRAVEL
All bets are off inside Laos' jungle sin city

Football: FIFA sets election date as Blatter finally rules himself out

Piracy, other maritime crimes rise in Southeast Asia

Mexico army ordered soldiers to kill criminals: NGO

SPACE TRAVEL
China new home prices up in July: survey

China manufacturing index hits two-year low: survey

China manufacturing hits 15-month low: survey

Pollution not contagion: eurozone debt market survives Greek crisis




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.