Life Sciences in Space Research最新文献

{"title":"Precision health monitoring in spaceflight with integration of lower body negative pressure and advanced large language model artificial intelligence","authors":"Rahul Kumar ,&nbsp;Ethan Waisberg ,&nbsp;Joshua Ong ,&nbsp;Phani Paladugu ,&nbsp;Kyle Sporn ,&nbsp;Karsten Chima ,&nbsp;Dylan Amiri ,&nbsp;Nasif Zaman ,&nbsp;Alireza Tavakkoli","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Long-term exposure to microgravity influences musculoskeletal health and enhances the likelihood of sustaining orthopedic injuries while on a microgravity mission and upon return to Earth. Although countermeasures are being investigated to alleviate some risks of injury, such as resistive (or weight) exercise and Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP), evidence is accumulating that current paradigms do not ensure the safety or health of astronauts because of a lack of in-flight diagnostic methods, in which load/diagnostic metrics can be assessed over time. Here, we suggest the integration of a new vision-language large language model (DeepSeek-VL) as a potential autonomous diagnostic agent for monitoring musculoskeletal health in a microgravity environment. DeepSeek-VL will autonomously analyze radiographic data and biomechanical data streamed from a LBNP device. Determinations will be made based on lost or compromised density in bone, lost joint-centered stability, or ineffective loading patterns - providing personalized and specific feedback regarding musculoskeletal health with the astronaut as the primary user. Unlike conventional reporting approaches that rely on cross-institutional analysis by household experts, DeepSeek-VL allows for real-time, and autonomous interpretation of musculoskeletal imaging metrics (and physiological metrics) for on-time personalized countermeasure development. Here, we review architectural adaptations including microgravity specific samplings of data, training protocols and implications of deployment in the ISS. We anticipate DeepSeek's timely development of flight-ready diagnostic reporting will facilitate in-flight/systematic monitoring of musculoskeletal health and safety, especially for astronauts undergoing load management training (e.g., LBNP) and ensure effectiveness of countermeasures, their outputs. We will address methods to circumvent limitations and barriers to risk, and establish the importance of a federated, adaptive, and resilient AI-based platform to mitigate risk for astronaut musculoskeletal health during extended missions. Finally, we address some considerations for terrestrial model and a healthcare authority within a current context of growing importance for effective orthopedic healthcare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"47 ","pages":"Pages 57-60"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green light and nitrogen: Optimizing antioxidant production in lettuce for extraterrestrial survival","authors":"Zizhou Wu ,&nbsp;Jingkai Tang ,&nbsp;Fan Jia ,&nbsp;Wenlin Wang ,&nbsp;Sizhe Liu ,&nbsp;Hong Liu ,&nbsp;Hui Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Astronauts on lunar and Martian surfaces face increased health risks due to lack of Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetosphere, including higher cancer and DNA damage risks from cosmic radiation and solar wind. Antioxidant intake, sourced mainly from fresh produce, is crucial for countering these threats. Our research addressed the challenge of producing high-antioxidant vegetables in situ for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS), focusing on optimizing growth conditions for lettuce varieties to enhance ascorbic acid synthesis.It aimed to boost ascorbic acid metabolism in lettuce by manipulating green light intensity and nitrogen levels. We tested 'youmaicai' and 'rapid' lettuce under varying green light (10 %, 20 %, 30 %) and nitrogen (2.5, 10.5, 18.5 mmol/L) conditions, assessing ascorbic acid content, total production of ascorbic acid, AsA-GSH cycle enzyme activities, and gene expression. We found optimal conditions for each variety: 10 % light and 2.5–10.5 mmol/L nitrogen for 'youmaicai', and 30 % light and 10.5–18.5 mmol/L nitrogen for 'rapid'. This research not only contributes to the understanding of how green light and nitrogen supply can be optimized to boost the nutritional quality of lettuce but also offers practical strategies for improving crop yield and quality in controlled environments.By tailoring light and nutrient conditions, it is possible to significantly enhance the vitamin C content and overall growth efficiency of plants, which has important implications for sustainable food production both on Earth and in extraterrestrial settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"47 ","pages":"Pages 32-42"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Selection and characterization of bacterial consortia for the degradation of space organic waste","authors":"Luigi Chiarini ,&nbsp;Lorenzo Filosi ,&nbsp;Angiola Desiderio ,&nbsp;Maria Elena Villani ,&nbsp;Simona Proietti ,&nbsp;Stefano Moscatello ,&nbsp;Alberto Battistelli ,&nbsp;Giorgio Boscheri ,&nbsp;Giovanni Marchitelli ,&nbsp;Silvia Tabacchioni","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Planned human exploration beyond low Earth orbit involves establishing long-term Moon and Mars settlements. Due to the impracticality of continuous resupply from Earth for such missions, it is crucial to develop systems that allow partial or complete in situ recycling of resources necessary for human survival, such as Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs), closed artificial ecosystems providing oxygen, food, and water. Microorganisms can play an important role in BLSSs for space missions by producing oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and degrading organic waste such as food scraps, inedible plant portions, and human faeces. This study aimed to select and identify bacterial communities capable of efficiently degrading organic waste generated during space missions. Bacterial degraders were enriched through sequential batch cultivation in a simulated organic waste mixture like that generated on the International Space Station. Two promising bacterial consortia with high <em>Enterococcus</em> and <em>Clostridia</em> genera abundance, commonly involved in organic waste degradation, were selected. During fermentation, a significant reduction (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) in the mass of organic waste, cellulose, and starch content was observed after inoculating the organic waste mixture with the two selected consortia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"46 ","pages":"Pages 191-200"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144123367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shared mechanisms in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome: Insights into central nervous system fluid dynamics, glymphatic function, and astrocyte dysregulation","authors":"Phani Paladugu ,&nbsp;Rahul Kumar ,&nbsp;Kyle Sporn ,&nbsp;Joshua Ong ,&nbsp;Amy Song ,&nbsp;Tejas Sekhar ,&nbsp;Chirag Gowda ,&nbsp;Nicole Davidoff ,&nbsp;Samuel Shin ,&nbsp;Andrew G. Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) represent distinct neurological challenges with intriguing parallels in their disruption of central nervous system (CNS) fluid dynamics and the clinical neuro-ophthalmic manifestations. SANS, affecting astronauts during prolonged spaceflight, is characterized by optic disc edema, globe flattening, and vision changes resulting from microgravity-induced cephalad fluid shifts. NMOSD, an autoimmune astrocytopathy, is driven by aquaporin-4 (AQP4) autoantibodies that compromise astrocytic water regulation and blood-brain barrier integrity. This review explores the shared pathophysiological processes of SANS and NMOSD, focusing on AQP4 dysregulation, cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, and neuroinflammatory mechanisms. We examine advanced imaging techniques, biomarkers, and molecular pathways relevant to both conditions, highlighting how insights from NMOSD research might inform our understanding of SANS. The role of the glymphatic system and its potential impairment in both disorders is discussed as a novel perspective on CNS waste clearance. By identifying parallels between SANS and NMOSD, we aim to provide a framework for translating findings between space medicine and terrestrial neuroimmunology. This comparative analysis may drive innovative therapeutic approaches for conditions involving CNS fluid dysregulation, ultimately advancing both astronaut health and patient care for NMOSD and related disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"47 ","pages":"Pages 43-56"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial resilience in space: Biofilms, risks and strategies for space exploration","authors":"Vinothkannan Ravichandran ,&nbsp;Bhavini Krishnan ,&nbsp;Munira Tinwala ,&nbsp;AW Santhosh Kumar ,&nbsp;Renitta Jobby","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilms are a community of microorganisms that can form on any surface, posing several challenges and significant medical issues. Their formation is not just limited to Earth but has also been observed in space stations and are termed as space biofilms. This is a major concern as certain biofilms can lead to high-risk compromising crew’s health, while others have the capacity to corrode spacecraft and equipment, leading to instrument malfunction, which can jeopardize the mission. Additionally, the way biofilms form and behave in space is different from how they do on Earth due to microgravity. Microgravity and other space conditions intensify microbial biofilm formation, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance on spacecraft surfaces. This review examines spacecraft biofilms and their effects on equipment, crew health, and spacecraft. The review also discusses several key microbial species that are known to form biofilms on spacecraft. It highlights how antimicrobial coatings, biofilm disruptors, and multiple detection methods could protect space shuttle integrity and crew health during long missions. It also highlights the disruption and control strategies to mitigate and eradicate biofilms in spaceflight missions. However, significant research is still required to overcome existing challenges of studying space biofilms due to limited data, high cost and replicating space microgravity on earth. Innovative strategies are required for effective biofilm management in space, especially to address biofilm formation under microgravity, investigate antimicrobial efficacy, and to assess its health impacts on astronauts for sustainable long-term missions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"47 ","pages":"Pages 1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144125035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ocular surface during spaceflight: Post-mission symptom report, extraterrestrial risks, and in-flight therapeutics","authors":"Joshua Ong ,&nbsp;Thomas Mader ,&nbsp;Charles Robert Gibson ,&nbsp;Alex Suh ,&nbsp;Nicholas Panzo ,&nbsp;Hamza Memon ,&nbsp;Ryung Lee ,&nbsp;Benjamin Soares ,&nbsp;Ethan Waisberg ,&nbsp;Ritu Sampige ,&nbsp;Tuan Nguyen ,&nbsp;Cihan Kadipasaoglu ,&nbsp;Yannie Guo ,&nbsp;Kelsey Vineyard ,&nbsp;Mouayad Masalkhi ,&nbsp;Daniela Osteicoechea ,&nbsp;Gianmarco Vizzeri ,&nbsp;Patricia Chévez-Barrios ,&nbsp;John Berdahl ,&nbsp;Donald C. Barker ,&nbsp;Andrew G. Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ocular health is critical for overall astronaut health requirements given its essential role for mission performance and safety. The ocular surface is a vital structure to the visual system and is essential for ocular protection and the refraction of light for focused vision. Data from the 2024 NASA Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health identified that Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) astronauts (<em>N</em> = 257) queried during post-flight eye exams reported symptoms of eye irritation (34 %), dry eyes (14 %), and foreign body sensation (21 %). Given these findings, it is critical to understand the risks that the ocular surface faces in the spaceflight environment. This manuscript explores the impact of lunar dust, space radiation, lunar gravity, and microgravity on the astronaut ocular surface. Furthermore, we outline ongoing efforts to minimize associated health risks given our insights into the vision standards, testing procedures, corrective measures, and mitigations designed for the lunar surface and microgravity environments. We further discuss the ophthalmic medications available on space missions to address threats to the ocular surface. We also report personal insights from Dr. Harrison Schmitt, NASA astronaut and Apollo 17 moonwalker, on his experience in space and lunar dust human physiological interactions. Additionally, given the known physiologic changes in microgravity and expectations for partial gravity environments, our review prompted characterization of accelerated aging and gut microbiome on the development of dry eye. We also discuss the potential expansion of ophthalmic imaging capabilities during spaceflight missions and its utility. Addressing these factors is critical to uphold astronauts' ocular health and to ensure the safety of future space missions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"46 ","pages":"Pages 169-186"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long duration space missions: Challenges and prospects in sustaining humans in space","authors":"Palak Kapoor ,&nbsp;Renu Bala Yadav ,&nbsp;Neha Agrawal ,&nbsp;Savita Gaur ,&nbsp;Rajesh Arora","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The space environment presents extreme conditions for the human body. Exposure to such challenging conditions may lead to both short- and long-term health problems. Microgravity and ionizing radiation levels are two major stressors influencing humans in space. Non-terrestrial gravity imposes deleterious effects on human physiology, thereby creating obstacles for long-term space missions. This review explores how microgravity and space radiation influence the physiological well-being of space travelers. Molecular and systemic effects of these stressors on gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuro-ocular, and musculoskeletal systems have been discussed. Moreover, the countermeasures in vogue such as exercise, nutrition, and pharmacological interventions, which are critical for maintaining astronaut health have been documented. Additionally, this review highlights the role of cutting-edge health technologies in space sciences research, offering a visionary approach for monitoring, prevention, and treatment of spaceflight-induced disorders. Finally, the review presents a vision, emphasizing the relevance of the current state-of-art from a futuristic perspective, where extreme conditions necessitate enhanced physiological resilience and human performance optimization. Tapping such strategies can help in improving the health, adaptability, and endurance of humans during long-term space missions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"47 ","pages":"Pages 14-31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144115816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of fluorescence in situ hybridization detection threshold on chromosome aberration counting: a simulation study","authors":"Floriane Poignant ,&nbsp;Janice L. Huff ,&nbsp;Stephen R. Kunkel ,&nbsp;Ianik Plante ,&nbsp;Tony C. Slaba","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Purpose&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Radiation-induced carcinogenesis remains one of the main hurdles for long duration missions in deep space. The space radiation environment is diverse and includes high linear energy transfer (LET) ions that are particularly effective at inducing adverse health outcomes including cancer. Quantifying the health effects of these high-LET ions is difficult, and large uncertainties remain in cancer risk projections. Chromosome aberrations are a biomarker of radiation-induced cancer used to assess radiation quality effects. Fluorescence &lt;em&gt;in situ&lt;/em&gt; hybridization (FISH) measurements of simple and complex exchanges have inherent detection limitations that might underestimate the overall number of chromosomal rearrangements, possibly affecting estimates of the relative biological effectiveness of high-LET ions.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Material and methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In this work, we introduced a new chromosome aberration classification approach in the simulation code RITCARD (Radiation induced tracks, chromosome aberrations, repair, and damage), that accounts for FISH detection threshold and the use of different chromosome painting probes. We also modified our 3D nuclear architecture model using Hi-C data to generate the DNA distribution within cell nuclei with the tool G-NOME. This new approach allowed the discrimination of true simple and complex exchanges from apparently simple exchanges (complex exchanges detected as simple), as well as undetected exchanges.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We compared the results of this new classification method in the RITCARD tool with experimental FISH data obtained for the staining of 3 pairs of chromosomes (referred to as 3-FISH), and found an overall good agreement of the total exchanges for fibroblasts (hTERT 82-6) and lymphocytes (whole blood) for high LET ions, a slight underestimation in the low LET range (&lt; ∼ 20 keV/µm), and a slight imbalance between simple and complex exchanges for lymphocytes. The model reproduced well the higher yield of aberrations for lymphocytes, compared to fibroblasts. Remarkably, in our model, this higher yield was solely due to differences in nuclear geometries and repair time between the two cell types, both derived from experimental data. For both cell types, we observed an increased number of complex exchanges detected as simple, and an increased number of undetected simple exchanges for high LET ions when we increased the detection threshold. For lymphocytes, this resulted in an overall increased number of simple exchanges, while, for fibroblasts, simple exchanges remained largely unchanged. Overall, the number of total exchanges decreased with increased detection threshold for both cell types. We also found that, for high LET ions, the majority of detected simple exchanges were true complex exchanges, due to many intra-chromosomal rearrangements that are undetected with traditional FISH technique.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Perspectives&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Our","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"46 ","pages":"Pages 154-168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leveraging lower body negative pressure for enhanced outcomes in orthopedic arthroplasty—Insights from NASA’s bone health research","authors":"Phani Paladugu ,&nbsp;Rahul Kumar ,&nbsp;Tamer Hage ,&nbsp;Swapna Vaja ,&nbsp;Tejas Sekhar ,&nbsp;Samuel Weisberg ,&nbsp;Kyle Sporn ,&nbsp;Ethan Waisberg ,&nbsp;Joshua Ong ,&nbsp;AmarS. Vadhera ,&nbsp;Mouayad Masalkhi ,&nbsp;Ryung Lee ,&nbsp;Chirag Gowda ,&nbsp;Ram Jagadeesan ,&nbsp;Nasif Zaman ,&nbsp;Alireza Tavakkoli","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to microgravity causes rapid bone loss and muscle atrophy, posing serious challenges for long-duration spaceflight. In response, NASA developed countermeasures such as Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) to simulate gravitational loading on astronauts’ lower extremities. LBNP, often combined with exercise, has proven effective in mitigating musculoskeletal degradation during bed rest analogs. This opinion paper argues that LBNP’s success in preserving bone mass and muscle function in microgravity can be translated to improve recovery after orthopedic arthroplasty on Earth. We draw physiological parallels between microgravity-induced musculoskeletal disuse and the postoperative period following total joint replacement, during which reduced weight-bearing leads to bone density loss around the implant (periprosthetic osteopenia) and muscle weakness. We propose that applying LBNP as a therapeutic adjunct, for example, in daily sessions soon after surgery – could enhance limb perfusion, promote bone remodeling and implant osseointegration, and accelerate functional rehabilitation. We review NASA’s evidence supporting LBNP’s osteogenic and anti-atrophy effects, outline potential mechanisms in the surgical context (including improved circulation, mechanical loading, and edema reduction), and present a vision for clinical implementation. While acknowledging technical and logistical challenges, we take a polemical stance that leveraging this spaceflight-derived innovation could transform postoperative care in orthopedics. Clinical studies are now warranted to validate LBNP in arthroplasty patients, bridging aerospace medicine and terrestrial healthcare for improved outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"46 ","pages":"Pages 187-190"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144089310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Food technologies for space missions","authors":"Janifer Raj Xavier,&nbsp;Om Prakash Chauhan,&nbsp;Sahana Hevlin Shashikumar,&nbsp;Roopa Nagaraj,&nbsp;Anil Dutt Semwal","doi":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lssr.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Provision of safe and nutritious food for space missions is very critical; failure to provide the appropriate food along with suitable delivery and disposal systems may cause risk and hamper the mission success or crew performance. The major requirements of space-specific foods include lightweight, compact size, quick preparation, ease of consumption, low fragmentation, high acceptability, wholesomeness, stability, variety, gastrointestinal compatibility, and safe food in a convenient form with longer shelf life. Significant developments have taken place in food technologies in the last few decades to attain more appealing and nutritious food. The technologies have gone beyond the normal cooking of foods to modern food processing and packaging technologies which enabled the food materials to remain safe for longer durations without affecting their nutritional and organoleptic attributes. Modern space food technologies have transformed the space food and delivery systems for low orbit crews to those stationed at the International Space Station. Research on the cultivation of fresh vegetables in space under microgravity conditions is also gaining momentum. In general, thermo-stabilized, irradiated, rehydratable, natural and fresh foods are preferred for space missions. These include ready-to-eat foods, beverages, juice powders, high-energy bars, instant mixes, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. These products need to be in strict compliance with the space standards in terms of nutritional and microbiological quality. Certain food delivery systems such as food rehydration stations, water/beverage dispensing assembly, provision of heating/cooling/serving of foods, etc. are also needed in space missions for optimal delivery of food materials. All these technologies are very critical under microgravity conditions for the consumption of food materials by space crews. This review provides an overview of space food history, design criteria, packaging methods, and emerging technologies supporting space mission advancements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18029,"journal":{"name":"Life Sciences in Space Research","volume":"46 ","pages":"Pages 145-153"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143898474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}