Over 8 million babies have been born following IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and other artificial reproductive technology (ART) procedures since Louise Brown's birth 40 years ago. New innovations have added much complexity to both clinical and laboratory procedures over the last four decades. Translation of novel approaches from basic science into clinical practice continues unabated, widening the applicability of ART to new groups of people and helping improve both chances of healthy live birth and patient acceptability. However, the impact of ART on the health of both patients and their offspring continues to cause concern, and many ethical challenges created by new scientific developments in this field attract widely differing opinions. What is undeniable is that there will be a sustained global growth in utilisation of ART and that reproductive tourism will allow many people to access the treatment they desire notwithstanding national regulations that may forbid some approaches. The greatest challenge is to expand access to ART to those living in the less wealthy nations who are equally deserving of its benefits.

Spaceflight and bed rest models of microgravity have profound effects on physiological systems, including the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and immune systems. These effects can be exacerbated by suboptimal nutrient status, and therefore it is critical to monitor nutritional status when evaluating countermeasures to mitigate negative effects of spaceflight. As part of a larger study to investigate the usefulness of artificial gravity as a countermeasure for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular deficits during bed rest, we tested the hypothesis that artificial gravity would have an effect on some aspects of nutritional status. Dietary intake was recorded daily before, during, and after 21 days of bed rest with artificial gravity (n = 8) or bed rest alone (n = 7). We examined body composition, hematology, general blood chemistry, markers of oxidative damage, and blood levels of selected vitamins and minerals before, during, and after the bed rest period. Several indicators of vitamin status changed in response to diet changes: serum alpha- and gamma-tocopherol and urinary 4-pyridoxic acid decreased (P < 0.001) and plasma beta-carotene increased (P < 0.001) in both groups during bed rest compared with before bed rest. A decrease in hematocrit (P < 0.001) after bed rest was accompanied by a decrease in transferrin (P < 0.001), but transferrin receptors were not changed. These data provide evidence that artificial gravity itself does not negatively affect nutritional status during bed rest. Likewise, artificial gravity has no protective effect on nutritional status during bed rest.

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The impact of microgravity on the human body is a significant concern for space travelers. We report here initial results from a pilot study designed to explore the utility of artificial gravity (AG) as a countermeasure to the effects of microgravity, specifically to bone loss. After an initial phase of adaptation and testing, 8 male subjects underwent 21 days of 6° head‐down bed rest to simulate the deconditioning associated with space flight. Six of the subjects underwent 1 h of centrifugation (AG, 1 gz at the heart, 2.5 gz at the feet) each day for 21 days, while 2 of the subjects served as untreated controls (CN). Blood and urine were collected before, during, and after bed rest for bone marker determinations. Comparing the last week of bed rest to before bed rest, urinary excretion of the bone resorption marker n‐telopeptide increased 95 ± 59% (mean ± SD) in CN but only 32 ± 26% in the AG group. Similar results were found for another resorption marker, helical peptide (increased 57 ± 0% and 35 ± 13% in CN and AG respectively). Bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase did not change during bed rest. The study will continue with additional subjects and measures, including calcium tracer kinetic studies. These initial data demonstrate the potential effectiveness of short‐radius, intermittent AG as a countermeasure to the bone deconditioning that occurs during bed rest. Supported by the NASA AG‐Bed Rest Project (IMAG Pilot Study, PIs: WH Paloski and LR Young).