Effects of prolonged space flight on human skeletal muscle enzyme and substrate profiles.

Our primary goal was to determine the effects of 6-mo flight on the International Space Station (ISS) on selected anaerobic and aerobic enzymes, and the content of glycogen and lipids in slow and fast fibers of the soleus and gastrocnemius. Following local anesthesia, biopsies were obtained from nine ISS crew members ∼45 days preflight and on landing day (R+0) postflight. We subdivided the crew into those who ran 200 min/wk or more (high treadmill, HT) in-flight from those who ran <100 min/wk (low treadmill, LT).

Prolonged space flight-induced alterations in the structure and function of human skeletal muscle fibres.

The primary goal of this study was to determine the effects of prolonged space flight (180 days) on the structure and function of slow and fast fibres in human skeletal muscle. Biopsies were obtained from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of nine International Space Station crew members 45 days pre- and on landing day (R+0) post-flight. The main findings were that prolonged weightlessness produced substantial loss of fibre mass, force and power with the hierarchy of the effects being soleus type I > soleus type II > gastrocnemius type I > gastrocnemius type II.

Pre-exposure effects of 1 and 3 MHz therapeutic ultrasound on ConA activated spleenocytes.

This study was performed to evaluate the pre-exposure effects of ultrasound (1 MHz or 3 MHz) on ConA activated spleenocyte proliferation and cytokine production. Cells were treated for 10 min at various intensities, rested for 1h and stimulated with the T cell activator ConA. The cells were then analyzed for the effects of non-thermal ultrasound on cell growth and the presence of IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-g.