Bone marrow adiposity modulation after long duration spaceflight in astronauts

Liu, Tammy; Melkus, Gerd; Ramsay, Tim; Sheikh, Adnan; Laneuville, Odette; Trudel, Guy

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-40572-8

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 66 publications

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“…Most of these tests are conducted by all space agencies and are part of a long-term health follow-up programme for all astronauts to monitor potential occupational related injury or disease occurring during or after their space missions. These health programmes examine the incidence of various diseases, as well as acute and chronic morbidity and mortality of astronauts and define the risks associated with occupational exposures (80, [97][98][99][100][101].…”

Section: Medical Examination Requirements (Mer) For Astronautsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of deep space exploration risks and mitigations against radiation and microgravity

Dobney,

Mols,

Mistry

et al. 2023

Front. Nucl. Med.

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Ionizing radiation and microgravity are two considerable health risks encountered during deep space exploration. Both have deleterious effects on the human body. On one hand, weightlessness is known to induce a weakening of the immune system, a delayed wound healing and musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and sensorimotor deconditioning. On the other hand, radiation exposure can lead to long-term health effects such as cancer and cataract, as well as adverse effects to the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Ionizing radiation originates from three main sources in space: galactic cosmic radiation, solar particle events and solar winds. Furthermore, inside the spacecraft and inside certain space habitats on Lunar and Martian surfaces, the crew is exposed to intravehicular radiation, which arises from nuclear reactions between space radiation and matter. Besides the approaches already in use, such as radiation shielding materials (such as aluminium, water or polyethylene), alternative shielding materials (including boron nanotubes, complex hybrids, composite hybrid materials, and regolith) and active shielding (using fields to deflect radiation particles) are being investigated for their abilities to mitigate the effects of ionizing radiation. From a biological point-of-view, it can be predicted that exposure to ionizing radiation during missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will affect the human body in undesirable ways, e.g., increasing the risks of cataract, cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases, carcinogenesis, as well as accelerated ageing. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the risks related to deep space exploration and to develop mitigation strategies to reduce these risks to a tolerable level. By using biomarkers for radiation sensitivity, space agencies are developing extensive personalised medical examination programmes to determine an astronaut's vulnerability to radiation. Moreover, researchers are developing pharmacological solutions (e.g., radioprotectors and radiomitigators) to proactively or reactively protect astronauts during deep space exploration. Finally, research is necessary to develop more effective countermeasures for use in future human space missions, which can also lead to improvements to medical care on Earth. This review will discuss the risks space travel beyond LEO poses to astronauts, methods to monitor astronauts' health, and possible approaches to mitigate these risks.

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Section: Medical Examination Requirements (Mer) For Astronautsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of deep space exploration risks and mitigations against radiation and microgravity

Dobney,

Mols,

Mistry

et al. 2023

Front. Nucl. Med.

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Marrow Fat‐Cortical Bone Relationship in β‐Thalassemia: A Study Using MRI

Ismail,

Azlan,

Khairullah

et al. 2024

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests that marrow adipocytes play an active role in the regulation of bone metabolism and hematopoiesis. However, research on the relationship between bone and fat in the context of hematological diseases, particularly β‐thalassemia, remains limited.PurposeTo investigate the relationship between marrow fat and cortical bone thickness in β‐thalassemia and to identify key determinants influencing these variables.Study TypeProspective.SubjectsThirty‐five subjects in four subject groups of increasing disease severity: 6 healthy control (25.0 ± 5.3 years, 2 male), 4 β‐thalassemia minor, 13 intermedia, and 12 major (29.1 ± 6.4 years, 15 male).Field Strength/Sequence3.0 T, 3D fast low angle shot sequence and T1‐weighted turbo spin echo.AssessmentAnalyses on proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and R2* values in femur subregions (femoral head, greater trochanter, intertrochanteric, diaphysis, distal) and cortical thickness (CBI) of the subjects' left femur. Clinical data such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and disease severity were also included.Statistical TestsOne‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA), mixed ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. P‐values <0.05 were considered significant.ResultsBone marrow PDFF significantly varied between the femur subregions, F(2.89,89.63) = 44.185 and disease severity, F(1,3) = 12.357. A significant interaction between subject groups and femur subregions on bone marrow PDFF was observed, F(8.67,89.63) = 3.723. Notably, a moderate positive correlation was observed between PDFF and CBI (r = 0.33–0.45). Multiple regression models for both PDFF (R2 = 0.476, F(13,151) = 10.547) and CBI (R2 = 0.477, F(13,151) = 10.580) were significant. Significant predictors for PDFF were disease severity (βTMi = 0.36, βTMa = 0.17), CBI (β = 0.24), R2* (β = −0.32), and height (β = −0.29) while for CBI, the significant determinants were sex (β = −0.27), BMI (β = 0.55), disease severity (βTMi = 2.15), and PDFF (β = 0.25).Data ConclusionThis study revealed a positive correlation between bone marrow fat fraction and cortical bone thickness in β‐thalassemia with varying disease severity, potentially indicating a complex interplay between bone health and marrow composition.Evidence Level2Technical EfficacyStage 3

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