Alterations in cardiovascular system under artificially simulated microgravity: preliminary study.

The main goal of this work is to study the alterations occurred in human cardiovascular system under artificially simulated microgravity by using special short-arm centrifuge. We have used arterial blood pressure, ankle-brachial pressure index and accelerated photoplethysmography approach to determine the effects of artificially simulated microgravity on vascular system. The group of 30 healthy male volunteers was studied in a short-arm human centrifuge at two levels of gravity gradients along head-to-foot direction (Gz): normal gravity gradient of 1 Gz and so called microgravity mode of 0.7 Gz during 10 minutes at supine position lying at the nacelle.